do we think its a bit rate issue, or something else they are doing? I have seen alot of pixelation.

At WKYC or WOIO? Or both? The one thing WOIO and WKYC have in common is they both have DT-2 subchannels. WOIO seems to be affected worse than WKYC. I have heard that WKYC lowers bandwidth on 3.2 during sporting events. Not sure about 19.2, but I remember the CBS Browns this year and how bad that was.

I'm saying that I receive TNTHD via unencrypted QAM on T/W's channel 88 (subchannel 2) on both my Toshiba TV and the MyHD card in my HTPC. And I'm reasonably sure that the T/W lineup that is provided here in Chagrin Falls is the same as the one provided in University Heights. I realize that Akron, Canton, Youngstown markets may be different. Though frankly, if I lived in one of those areas and didn't receive TNTHD in the clear (or Discovery HD for that matter), I'd call and complain.

T/W has some HD channels in their basic lineup (locals, TNT, Discovery, their "Bonus" channel, etc.) that are not supposed to be encrypted (and, indeed, aren't encrypted here). They also have an "HD Tier" of channels that they charge extra for (ESPN, ESPN2, HDNet, HDNet Movies, Mojo, etc.) that ARE encrypted. I can receive those on my cable box, but not on the regular QAM tuners.

I think that Mr. Dan Nippywiffle should be able to receive TNTHD on his set.


Thank's for the info Jim. I'll check channel 88 for TNT again.
Can you tell me what the channel/subchannel/frequency of Discovery HD and the bonus HD channel are?

Thanks again,
Dan.

edit #2 Hook, never mind I just read up on the usb dongle coming out, interesting stuff, hope they can get it out soon as Time warner seems to be wanting to push this SDV


Just an FYI on that. Here's the deal on SDV. Yes, TW is pushing it and they have to as D* is adding so many channels, useless though they may be. Nevertheless, the general public looks at this and says, "Hey, I want as much HD as I can get." I know this because I signed up for TW's upper tier HD without hesitation.

Then you have to look at how much of this is actually watched. Probably much less then you think and most of the D* channels, while they may be "HD" labeled don't have that much real HD content. This includes stations like TBS, TNT who use a great deal of Stretch o vision.

Still, as I said TW is going to push SDV because the public won't think all of this out, they will just see how many HD channels they can get. Now we get to the joys of living here in N.E. Ohio, the land where nobody ever wins. And we won't this time, at least at TW.

I predict that the very last area that will go TW is right here in N.E. Ohio. I thought about this two years ago before the "dongle" or whatever you want to call it was even thought of. I've explained the reason many times but if you haven't read any of my thoughts on this it's quite simple. TW took over not only Adelphia, who's headends were never on the same page but also Comcast. Take a look at the different line ups by zip code. A great deal of the stations are the same but some are totally different. So the first thing they have to do is get us all on the same page. This is not going to be easy.

You see after speaking to a supervisor in the Macedonia office not only did Adelphia not attempt to get their line ups on the same page, the level of what customer service should be changes from each area. Macedonia would put customer service as a top priority. Cable Cards for TiVo were looked at by the technician supervisor and discussed with their leadmen so they new how to do an install. The supervisor even went to TiVo's web site and downloaded the install instructions.

Then my neighborhood was moved from Macedonia to the Concord office. I spoke with the Macedonia supervisor and he told me that I would see a difference in philosophy and he was absolutely right. Techs not willing to learn. No training on cable card install. Attitude. The whole 9 yards.

And that's just Adelphia. Who knows what's going on with the Comcast acquisition but from what I read old Comcast people are not happy with TW.

So even with all the ambition to crank out SDV to TW ASAP, here in Northeast Ohio we will be the very last to see it. And truthfully for those of us who own either a TiVo S3 or TiVo HD that will be to our benefit in the fact that the dongle, or USB device should be readily available by that time.

I think the next time this comes up I'll just link this post. It really says it all.

Come on down to Hookbill's Electronics Emporium. This weekend all Tivos on sale!! S2, S3 HD TIVOS TIVOS TIVOS Saturday and Sunday only! Prices so low you'll think you're stealing them!

(I couldn' t resist! The last few posts sounded like a advertisement for Tivo>)

Thanks!!

Do I get the cablecard from WOW? Are they gonna ask me to buy one? Rent one?

NBC's Steelers game makes me feel like I'm on drugs, with all the fading in and out of focus. :eek:


The cable cards are issued by the cable companies. Prices vary, but if I recall WOW was pretty reasonable. It is a monthly charge, probably 4 bucks. Keep in mind you do have to pay for TiVo service but most everyone in their price analysis says it's actually cheaper then paying for the DVR. I never quite understood how that worked but I will say my bill went down about 20 bucks a month on the cable.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Would it?

Cisco is killing the Scientific Atlanta brand.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/05/cisco-is-killing-the-scientific-atlanta-brand/

Cisco, the owners of Scientific Atlanta, are killing off the SA brand and going with Cisco instead. Woner how this will affect cable products down the road? Should be interesting...

Come on down to Hookbill's Electronics Emporium. This weekend all Tivos on sale!! S2, S3 HD TIVOS TIVOS TIVOS Saturday and Sunday only! Prices so low you'll think you're stealing them!

(I couldn' t resist! The last few posts sounded like a advertisement for Tivo>)

Yeah and you know I've never got a single referral point.

Hey I like quality and you know I don't really think that AT&T's service won't be pretty good some day. IMHO FIOS seems real sweet.

But for those of us who are old enough to remember, AT&T screwed us in so many ways and never once kissed us. The old story, a leopard doesn't change it's spots. And landline service? Toll calls? Long Distance charges? Heck, you're better of with a wireless service. Or Vonage.

Yeah and you know I've never got a single referral point.

Hey I like quality and you know I don't really think that AT&T's service won't be pretty good some day. IMHO FIOS seems real sweet.

But for those of us who are old enough to remember, AT&T screwed us in so many ways and never once kissed us. The old story, a leopard doesn't change it's spots. And landline service? Toll calls? Long Distance charges? Heck, you're better of with a wireless service. Or Vonage.

As much as you talk up Tivo here, you should get a free year or something. If or when we get "Navigatored", I'm thinking about S3 or D*.

When I first heard about AT&T I was excited. Record four shows at once, more HD. But then the downside, you can only watch one HD stream.(Is that one HD stream per house or per box?) I have AT&T for internet now and I'm satisfied, but I'm not willing to be the first to jump into something new like Uverse. I don't even think it's in my area yet, but I'll wait to hear what others have to say. I hope a forum opens here soon.

This is the AVS U-Verse thread, not very active though:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=700011&page=28

A better place to get info is www.uverseusers.com, but most of the people there don't seem to be the same sort of HD perfectionist videophiles we have here. :D

Hook - ATT does not require a landline phone for UVerse - but I guess that's a common misconception since they used to be the phone company, then they weren't a phone company, and then they became a phone company again, or something like that.... :p

uverseusers, is good, just needs to pick up memebers who care, you ask a question adn it will sit there for a week

Hey, I tweak hookbill about a lot of stuff, but he's right about TiVo... if you're used to TiVo, just about any "cable DVR" looks like it's a Fisher-Price toy. I still have my SA8000 here, but will eventually pick up a TiVo HD...and my non-HD S2 is still humming away in the bedroom.

And speaking of AT&T's history...back to the Ohio Bell days, I remember when it cost over 30 CENTS PER MINUTE to call Cleveland from Akron! Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure AT&T's landline service still charges per minute to call as close as 12 miles away, though I suppose it's dropped from that price...and you can buy "unlimited LD" from them now...

Besides that you can do alot more with the TiVo HD if you have a wireless network. Multiroom viewing is possible with 2 TiVo HD's, or you can use a regular TiVo however you cannot transfer HD programs to those. There is also podcast, the ability to play your music from your computer over the TiVo, TiVoCast, and if your hard drive gets full you can move them over to your computer. eSATA is available as well with TiVo HD but you have to use one that is "supported" by TiVo. With the S3 you can use any eSATA so if you want to use a 1tb eSATA you can. TiVo HD is 50gb max.


Sorry Hook, but I just have to point out two minor goofs in this statement... :)

1 - You don't need a *wireless* network - stringing an ethernet cable to the TiVo will work as well. (That's what I did.)

2 - The max eSATA drive size on the HD is 500g, not 50g. I wouldn't be surprised if that increases later - 500 is just the biggest drive available right now.

I dumped my SA8300HD a few months ago and went with the TiVo HD, and haven't looked back since. I routinely transfer shows between the HD and one of my computers - stuff I want to save gets sent to the computer for storage, and I can watch it there or pull it back to the HD at a later time.

I'm sure you'd be happy with either the S3 or the HD.

Sorry Hook, but I just have to point out two minor goofs in this statement... :)

1 - You don't need a *wireless* network - stringing an ethernet cable to the TiVo will work as well. (That's what I did.)

2 - The max eSATA drive size on the HD is 500g, not 50g. I wouldn't be surprised if that increases later - 500 is just the biggest drive available right now.

I dumped my SA8300HD a few months ago and went with the TiVo HD, and haven't looked back since. I routinely transfer shows between the HD and one of my computers - stuff I want to save gets sent to the computer for storage, and I can watch it there or pull it back to the HD at a later time.

I'm sure you'd be happy with either the S3 or the HD.

Well, if I said 50g that was a typo. I meant 500. And you are correct, ethernet connection works just fine. I do forget about that frequently.

And speaking of AT&T's history...back to the Ohio Bell days, I remember when it cost over 30 CENTS PER MINUTE to call Cleveland from Akron! Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure AT&T's landline service still charges per minute to call as close as 12 miles away, though I suppose it's dropped from that price...and you can buy "unlimited LD" from them now...

First for Paule123 if you don't need landline service to get u-verse I apologize. Somebody else somewhere factored that in and it made sense to me. Of course that has nothing to do with Inundated.:)

Now to his statement. While they may have a choice for "unlimited LD" I'll be the cost isn't that cheap. And the last time I saw "unlimited LD" it still didn't include calls that were "out of the local" calling range, in other words message units.

I was in the hospital at Marymount which is in AT&T territory. I couldn't call my wife from my bedside phone and she works in Streetsboro! That was an "out of area call." Marymount is I believe in Garfield Heights! That was like two months ago. If AT&T has some type of "free" program for "out of area" calls I can't see how that would get by any accountants head, specially when they are trying so hard to save money in hospitals.

OK, I'm going off topic here and I think you will see why.

My best friend, LeRoy Cannefax and I have been friends for 44 years. I met him when I was 11.

On Tuesday he will go in for a final consultation with his doctor before he has surgery to remove cancer from his throat. His surgery is on January 15th.

He worked for a company called International Rectifier for 22 years. He was making a 6 figure salary. They canned him on 11/30, right during the time he was being diagnosed. He had an idea this was coming but he thought he was good at least until the end of the year.

The good news in all of this is his girl friend married him last week so he can continue to get health care insurance.

I'm not a religious man but this guy is my brother. I always say how we are all friends on this thread. If you would say a prayer for him, I'd sure appreciate it.

There is a blog page (http://www.cannefax.blogspot.com/) his son set up for him. If you'd like, leave a message and tell him hookbill sent you. He knows my internet nickname well.

Thanks for reading. Now back to your regular HD programming.....

OK, I'm going off topic here and I think you will see why.

My best friend, LeRoy Cannefax and I have been friends for 44 years. I met him when I was 11.

On Tuesday he will go in for a final consultation with his doctor before he has surgery to remove cancer from his throat. His surgery is on January 15th.

He worked for a company called International Rectifier for 22 years. He was making a 6 figure salary. They canned him on 11/30, right during the time he was being diagnosed. He had an idea this was coming but he thought he was good at least until the end of the year.

The good news in all of this is his girl friend married him last week so he can continue to get health care insurance.

I'm not a religious man but this guy is my brother. I always say how we are all friends on this thread. If you would say a prayer for him, I'd sure appreciate it.

There is a blog page (http://www.cannefax.blogspot.com/) his son set up for him. If you'd like, leave a message and tell him hookbill sent you. He knows my internet nickname well.

Thanks for reading. Now back to your regular HD programming.....

Sorry to hear about your friend. Our thoughts will be with you.
I hope they had a good reason for terminating him :confused:. Otherwise, when he beats out this cancer, he should be able to sue their pants off.

International Rectifier used poly-byphenols in all of their rectifier stacks. Don't know what they use now. (same stuff in large electric transformers)
RCA blew them away with smaller solid state dry type rectifiers.
JJK

Now to his statement. While they may have a choice for "unlimited LD" I'll be the cost isn't that cheap. And the last time I saw "unlimited LD" it still didn't include calls that were "out of the local" calling range, in other words message units.

It's been about 2 or 3 years since I had an AT&T landline - now I solely have Vonage and a cell phone. But I seem to recall that they offer "unlimited nationwide calling" for roughly $30 extra...which, by the way, is more than I'm paying for my entire Vonage service, which has that, and much more (unlimited calling to much of Europe, 1c/minute rates for most of the rest of the major industrialized western countries, etc.).

I have no idea if that "unlimited LD" included calls within the local LATA. If it didn't, there's no way I'd consider a landline.

But it's good to hear that U-verse, if I were ever to consider it, doesn't need the active landline. There are many other reasons I wouldn't go back to AT&T even for that, so it's kind of a moot point...

I'm not a religious man but this guy is my brother. I always say how we are all friends on this thread. If you would say a prayer for him, I'd sure appreciate it.

Done, my friend.

It's been about 2 or 3 years since I had an AT&T landline - now I solely have Vonage and a cell phone. But I seem to recall that they offer "unlimited nationwide calling" for roughly $30 extra...which, by the way, is more than I'm paying for my entire Vonage service, which has that, and much more (unlimited calling to much of Europe, 1c/minute rates for most of the rest of the major industrialized western countries, etc.).

I have no idea if that "unlimited LD" included calls within the local LATA. If it didn't, there's no way I'd consider a landline.

But it's good to hear that U-verse, if I were ever to consider it, doesn't need the active landline. There are many other reasons I wouldn't go back to AT&T even for that, so it's kind of a moot point...

Inundated, how has your luck been with Vonage? I am considering canning the landline for a VOIP solution and I hear that Vonage's financial issues has been affecting service lately...

Ok, with this U-verse/landline deal...
Isn't part of the attraction to U-Verse that you get a "package" price??
What is included is the CABLE AND the DSL! Are you guys trying to say that I DO NOT need a landline for my DSL???
OR, are you just commenting on the fact that you can get the CABLE without the DSL, and for THAT, you do not need a landline. Please clarify.
Thanks

I'm not a religious man but this guy is my brother. I always say how we are all friends on this thread. If you would say a prayer for him, I'd sure appreciate it.


Sending positive healing thoughts for your friend and his family, Hookbill.

Also, the next time I need to buy a compoinent of the type made by International Rectifier, I will reconsider my choice. :mad:

Inundated, how has your luck been with Vonage? I am considering canning the landline for a VOIP solution and I hear that Vonage's financial issues has been affecting service lately...

Vonage had a problem for the first time in two years of service about 2 weeks ago. It didn't affect everyone but it did effect many. I was one.

They fixed it in less then 12 hours on my side. For some it took longer. I doubt if this has anything to do with financial issues. It seemed to be something that was related to an ice storm in their area.

The Vonage financial issues have been talked about forever. It's kind of like TiVo, who is always also going out of business every day.:rolleyes:

I love Vonage. I pay 14.95 plus a few extra bucks for the usual government crap that they've managed to sneak into. I think it's about 19.00 a month and I get 500 outgoing calls. Incoming doesn't count. 800 numbers don't count. I've never even came close to going over the 500 mark.

The other package is 24.95 plus so figure 30 bucks. That's unlimited. Inundated has been using Vonage longer then I have and he's happy with it as well.

:
I love Vonage. I pay 14.95 plus a few extra bucks for the usual government crap that they've managed to sneak into. I think it's about 19.00 a month and I get 500 outgoing calls. Incoming doesn't count. 800 numbers don't count. I've never even came close to going over the 500 mark.

The other package is 24.95 plus so figure 30 bucks. That's unlimited. Inundated has been using Vonage longer then I have and he's happy with it as well.

I don't have Vonage, but I do use the WOW voip service, they all seem to be priced comparably. 25.00 mo (plus fu**ing taxes) keep your phone number, unlimited local & LD, vm, caller ID, call waiting, forwarding, etc... 12.00 mo for a second line with all same features as line 1 except you must be assigned a number on line 2. Service has been excellent, but a couple minor issues here and their like hook stated.

One thing to be careful of is if you run a business out of your home (as I do) or have any need to receive or send actual faxes (not efax type stuff) then the actual modem used for voip becomes *very* important. The older voip modems could not establish a "handshake" with another modem (i.e. fax). The newer ones can handshake without issue. Just an FYI. ;)

There is a new service out there that is the next "evolution" in voip technology that looks interesting. It involves putting a USB device on your computer then your phone line plugs into the USB device. The device is 40.00 including first year "service contract", second year and thereafter is only 20.00 per year "service contract". But, as it stands now, this is still a *glichy* service, fewer phone features, won't do faxes, and is financially unstable as a business model. A similar service and business model has been tried before and failed. Hopefully this (or something like it) will survive, improve and prosper! A $ 20.00 a year phone bill would be AOK with me! :)

Though, the other draw back is having to have your computer up & running 24/7 to have phone service.

A guy I work with recently had U-Verse installed. He sent me the following e-mail with the details and cost of what he got:

1) U-verse TV $ 69
3 receivers, one which has the DVR - which records up to 4 different programs at the same time
so in general all 3 can watch whatever they want.
the exception as he explained it was there are 4 inbound streams of TV,
of which only 1 is HD. so if i had (i don't) 2 different HD tv's,
they have to watch the same channel IF they are accessing HD channels. he said they expect to provide
multiple inbound HD streams later in 2008.
from the web site for -verse, i can even tell it to turn on my DVR and program something,
so if i am away, and forget, i can just get to the internet, logon, and tell it back here to record it.
that's pretty slick.

this is the level called 200, which has 190+ channels, and the HD, which was $10 of the total $69

2) u-verse Broadband - i selected the 6meg highest available
this is $40, and they provide the 2wire router that handles 4 ethernet connections and is also a wireless router.
as of now, i have 6 pc's connected to it. 2 wireless and 4 wired.

3) bundle both as I did, and you get $10 off; so my cost was $99 for
190 channels
full HD
6 meg internet with wireless router

A guy I work with recently had U-Verse installed. He sent me the following e-mail with the details and cost of what he got:

1) U-verse TV $ 69
3 receivers, one which has the DVR - which records up to 4 different programs at the same time
so in general all 3 can watch whatever they want.
the exception as he explained it was there are 4 inbound streams of TV,
of which only 1 is HD. so if i had (i don't) 2 different HD tv's,
they have to watch the same channel IF they are accessing HD channels. he said they expect to provide
multiple inbound HD streams later in 2008.
from the web site for -verse, i can even tell it to turn on my DVR and program something,
so if i am away, and forget, i can just get to the internet, logon, and tell it back here to record it.
that's pretty slick.

this is the level called 200, which has 190+ channels, and the HD, which was $10 of the total $69

2) u-verse Broadband - i selected the 6meg highest available
this is $40, and they provide the 2wire router that handles 4 ethernet connections and is also a wireless router.
as of now, i have 6 pc's connected to it. 2 wireless and 4 wired.

3) bundle both as I did, and you get $10 off; so my cost was $99 for
190 channels
full HD
6 meg internet with wireless router

...but does the broadband internet require that you use their/any landline phone connection???

...but does the broadband internet require that you use their/any landline phone connection???

Yeah. What he said.:)

Actually it may not now that I think about it. I mean in the sense that you wouldn't need a telephone hooked up.

When I had broadband we had a line for the phone and a seperate line for the broadband. But back then we paid full phone line price.

Maybe that's what he means.

Thank's for the info Jim. I'll check channel 88 for TNT again. Can you tell me what the channel/subchannel/frequency of Discovery HD and the bonus HD channel are?
Here are the config parameters from my MyHD card:

;MyHD Channel Data File
;Macro Image Technology

;****************************
[INPUT1]
count = 10


[INPUT1 No. 1]
Name = Weather+
PhyCH = 103
VirCH = 715
MinCh = -1
SubCh = 10
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 10
Sourceid = 1184

[INPUT1 No. 2]
Name = T/W Bonus HD
PhyCH = 106
VirCH = 780
MinCh = -1
SubCh = 1
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 1
Sourceid = 1368

[INPUT1 No. 3]
Name = WKYC-HD
PhyCH = 104
VirCH = 3
MinCh = 1
SubCh = 3
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 3
Sourceid = 47

[INPUT1 No. 4]
Name = WEWS HD
PhyCH = 105
VirCH = 5
MinCh = 1
SubCh = 1
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 5
Sourceid = 30

[INPUT1 No. 5]
Name = WJW HD
PhyCH = 105
VirCH = 8
MinCh = 1
SubCh = 2
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 8
Sourceid = 31

[INPUT1 No. 6]
Name = WOIO-HD
PhyCH = 113
VirCH = 19
MinCh = 1
SubCh = 2
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 2
Sourceid = 32

[INPUT1 No. 7]
Name = WVIZ-HD
PhyCH = 113
VirCH = 25
MinCh = 1
SubCh = 1
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 1
Sourceid = 34

[INPUT1 No. 8]
Name = WUAB-DT
PhyCH = 104
VirCH = 43
MinCh = 1
SubCh = 4
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 6
Sourceid = 44

[INPUT1 No. 9]
Name = DSCHD
PhyCH = 86
VirCH = 776
MinCh = -1
SubCh = 2
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 3
Sourceid = 1776

[INPUT1 No. 10]
Name = TNTHD
PhyCH = 88
VirCH = 779
MinCh = -1
SubCh = 2
TunerInputType = CABLE
SignalType = ATSC_256QAM
Programnumber = 3
Sourceid = 1779

Yeah. What he said.:)

Actually it may not now that I think about it. I mean in the sense that you wouldn't need a telephone hooked up.

When I had broadband we had a line for the phone and a seperate line for the broadband. But back then we paid full phone line price.

Maybe that's what he means.

AT&T actually has pretty decent deals on "naked" DSL, or DSL without the phone...
Link: http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10850

AT&T actually has pretty decent deals on "naked" DSL, or DSL without the phone...
Link: http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10850

WOW! Thanks. That is definately new. Just about 6 months ago they told me that I could not use my DSL without a landline.

...but does the broadband internet require that you use their/any landline phone connection???

No, it does not require a landline phone connection. I think people are confused because for UVerse, ATT does indeed install copper wire to your house, but this copper carries a VDSL signal (25 Mbps I think). 6Mbps of that is allocated to your internet. If you order video service, the rest of that VDSL gets allocated to video. When they offer "phone" service via UVerse, it will be a VOIP product, and that will take a few kilobits of the VDSL bandwidth.

AT&T actually has pretty decent deals on "naked" DSL, or DSL without the phone...
Link: http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10850

One thing to keep in mind with ATT's traditional DSL is the "up to 6Mbps" part. I used to have their 3Mbps package, but due to the old wiring plant in this part of Shaker Heights, I was never able to get more than 2Mbps out of it.

At least with cable internet, if you buy a 6Mbps package, you'll get 6Mbps (as long as all the kiddies in the neighborhood aren't all downloading movies at the same time :D )

Of course, you could get U-Verse internet which is all new wiring and a different network, so you should get the full 6Mbps that they offer.

I just checked my speed. Using Road Runners "fastest" I came in at 6.3kbs download and 3mb upload.

It seems to me that I recall it being faster with Adelphia.:(

Edit: Checked it at the Vonage site and that came in what I'm use to seeing, 7.3 down and 8kbs up.

If you have TWC's Roadrunner Turbo, it should now be 15 MBps. I found that out when I was being billed for something that the CSR thought was Turbo, but wasn't. :D

I haven't done speed tests in a while, but I haven't seen it that high in actual practice in recent weeks.

I am happy with Vonage, though I'll warn that I don't use my line a lot. If there was a problem recently, I missed it. I've encountered very few problems over the years, going back to the days when it was Earthlink Unlimited Voice - Earthlink used to be a Vonage reseller, but now does their own.

When Earthlink and Vonage "broke up" so Earthlink could do "TrueVoice", I kept the line and they transferred my account to Vonage.

WOW! Thanks. That is definately new. Just about 6 months ago they told me that I could not use my DSL without a landline.

I'm curious if that offer is available in Northeast Ohio. There's no indication on the linked page that is geographically specific.

If you have TWC's Roadrunner Turbo, it should now be 15 MBps. I found that out when I was being billed for something that the CSR thought was Turbo, but wasn't. :D

I haven't done speed tests in a while, but I haven't seen it that high in actual practice in recent weeks.

I am happy with Vonage, though I'll warn that I don't use my line a lot. If there was a problem recently, I missed it. I've encountered very few problems over the years, going back to the days when it was Earthlink Unlimited Voice - Earthlink used to be a Vonage reseller, but now does their own.

When Earthlink and Vonage "broke up" so Earthlink could do "TrueVoice", I kept the line and they transferred my account to Vonage.

RoadRunner disclaimer:

*Triple the speed of DSL claim is based on Road Runner's standard maximum download speed of 7.0 Mbps versus the standard DSL package’s maximum download speed of 1.5 Mbps. Dial-up speed comparisons are based on Road Runner’s maximum download speed of 7.0 Mbps versus the average of a 28k and 56k modems’ maximum download speeds. Actual speeds may vary.

**Up to 15.0 Mbps is based on the speed from the local facility to your cable modem. Actual throughput speeds may vary. Not available in all areas.

I'm curious if that offer is available in Northeast Ohio. There's no indication on the linked page that is geographically specific.

You'll know when it's available when you see them putting a big box in front of some poor bastards house in your neighborhood. Hope it isn't me.:)

You'll know when it's available when you see them putting a big box in front of some poor bastards house in your neighborhood. Hope it isn't me.:)

The DSL offer that was mentioned was for "conventional" DSL, not U-Verse internet, so no big ugly box is required. But the problem is you are subject to the distance limitations of standard DSL from your phone company central office.

I beleive ATT lost a lawsuit in the BellSouth territory they took over, and that's why they are offering "naked" DSL now. I had assumed the naked DSL was only available in BellSouth territory, but maybe not...

I think we're all messed up here, and I'm sorry if I confused folks.

The "offer" I was talking about was the webpage linked to the "naked DSL" offer from AT&T ("without phone line"). It doesn't appear to be linked to U-verse.

I do actually have a big U-verse box here, down at the end of my development. It looks only slightly larger, and whiter, than the old green AT&T junction box just across the street...

**Up to 15.0 Mbps is based on the speed from the local facility to your cable modem. Actual throughput speeds may vary. Not available in all areas.

Yeah, I figure that. :D

For a while, I was struggling to get 2 MBps in any speed test. I just tried tonight, and I'm pushing over 8 MBps at least at one location, so I'm not gonna worry about it.

Hi all, new to the forums. Just had a quick question regarding ota hd in the little italy area. I checked antennaweb and a few other sources, but I'm just wondering what to expect with an amplified indoor/outdoor terk antenna. I have a window facing southwest (towards the towers) and i'll mount the antenna either inside or outside the window facing in that direction. Roof/attic mount is not an option as I am renting the apartment. Thanks in advance for any help, as I'm new to ota hd and could use the advice.
Thanks

Well, if I said 50g that was a typo. I meant 500. And you are correct, ethernet connection works just fine. I do forget about that frequently.

I kinda figured it was a typo - just wanted to set the record straight! :)

Hi all, new to the forums. Just had a quick question regarding ota hd in the little italy area. I checked antennaweb and a few other sources, but I'm just wondering what to expect with an amplified indoor/outdoor terk antenna. I have a window facing southwest (towards the towers) and i'll mount the antenna either inside or outside the window facing in that direction. Roof/attic mount is not an option as I am renting the apartment. Thanks in advance for any help, as I'm new to ota hd and could use the advice.
Thanks

Try the Terk and return it if you are unable to get the stations you desire. Keep in mind that WVIZ (25-PBS) has a very weak signal and that WOIO (19-CBS) has their tower in Shaker Heights. Both of these may be difficult to pick up with an indoor antenna facing SW. But then you are so close to Shaker you may well get WOIO.

Let us know how it worked out for you.

Anyone out there experiencing any issues with TWC's Roadrunner Internet Service? For some reason I haven't been able to make a connection since Saturday night! :confused: This is the fist time in 2 years that I've had any issues. The only thing I can think of is that there might be some access water in the lines due to all the snow melting over the weekend.

Do any of you have suggestions or checks before I am forced to deal with TW's CSR's and service people?

A guy I work with recently had U-Verse installed. He sent me the following e-mail with the details and cost of what he got:

1) U-verse TV $ 69
3 receivers, one which has the DVR - which records up to 4 different programs at the same time
so in general all 3 can watch whatever they want.
the exception as he explained it was there are 4 inbound streams of TV,
of which only 1 is HD. so if i had (i don't) 2 different HD tv's,
they have to watch the same channel IF they are accessing HD channels. he said they expect to provide
multiple inbound HD streams later in 2008.
from the web site for -verse, i can even tell it to turn on my DVR and program something,
so if i am away, and forget, i can just get to the internet, logon, and tell it back here to record it.
that's pretty slick.

this is the level called 200, which has 190+ channels, and the HD, which was $10 of the total $69

2) u-verse Broadband - i selected the 6meg highest available
this is $40, and they provide the 2wire router that handles 4 ethernet connections and is also a wireless router.
as of now, i have 6 pc's connected to it. 2 wireless and 4 wired.

3) bundle both as I did, and you get $10 off; so my cost was $99 for
190 channels
full HD
6 meg internet with wireless router

The important thing to be noted is that while u-Verse is capable of recording 4 channels at the same time, 3 of the 4 will be SD. For a majority of us, being able to record 3 SD channels (what's the point?) and only 1 HD channel is not that big of a deal. Does anyone even watch SD anymore? ;) Now if they were capable of recording 4 HD streams at once, then I'd be impressed....

Anyone out there experiencing any issues with TWC's Roadrunner Internet Service? For some reason I haven't been able to make a connection since Saturday night! :confused: This is the fist time in 2 years that I've had any issues. The only thing I can think of is that there might be some access water in the lines due to all the snow melting over the weekend.

Do any of you have suggestions or checks before I am forced to deal with TW's CSR's and service people?

HD MM: You seem 100 times more tech savvy than I, but I'll give you my "Morons Guide to Internet Troubleshooting" that usually works for me (read: tech moron).

Step 1: unplug the power on any router(s) on your network
Step 2: unplug the power on your RR modem (it probably has a battery backup so unplugging won't work, in which case press RESET button for a good 30 seconds)
Step 3: wait for RR modem to completely re-cycle back on
Step 4: plug router back in, allow re-cycle
Step 5: try getting internet connection
Step 6: if no go call TW tech support :(

Your suspicion of water in the lines is quite possible. That was the cause of my voip service problems a few posts ago. But about twice per year I have problems connecting via my cable modem and the above steps fix it every time.

GOOD LUCK! :)

This isn't a "Cleveland" question, but I know there are people here who know more than me! Here's my question:

I just got a new AV Receiver (Yamaha HTR-6080). The unit has HDMI and Component inputs, as well as HDMI and Component outputs.

The key is this: my TV does not have an HDMI input.

The question: Is it worth inputting into the receiver via HDMI and outputing via component? My D* DVR, my Blu-Ray, and my HD-DVD units all have HDMI outputs so could be input into the receiver.

Thanks for any input!

A lot of the newer advanced AVR's can output digital (HDMI out of TV), and input analog (component from Blu/DVR/HD-DVD into receiver). However, as far as I know it can't be done the other way around as you're describing. Obviously, the most common and simple way of connection is HDMI in, HDMI out. Until you get a new TV, I would just get an HDMI to DVI adapter.

Do you know if this receiver is capable of passing any of the next gen audio formats via HDMI instead of your current digital optical audio connection? If so, this would also be the ideal AV connection from your BD/HD-DVD players to the receiver in order to get Dolby True HD, Muilti Channel PCM, DD+ and DTS-MA.

Wow, they built a whole new set over on the CBS Early Show and didn't spring for HD! :eek: Get with this century CBS! Not a surprise the Early Show is last place.:rolleyes:

Regarding the Uverse misinformation here:


You do NOT need a landline with VDSL.
While not as active/noisy as it is here, Uverseusers is more active than "a week to get a question answered" if the question can be answered. ATT also has a more "offical" forum at utalk.att.com but uverseusers is more technical. Many of the same participants.
Additional HD streams are coming, but it is an issue currently if you frequently watch/record multiple HD channels at once.
HD limitation IS for the whole house.
Whole Home DVR is on it's way as well - watch a DVR recording from any STB in the house.
You can cancel out the TV portion if you just want the better DSL.
The DVR is not a Tivo, or even close to what Hookbill likes ;) but it does the job.

The service does have it's limitations, but for the money it's a good deal if you can live with these early limitations. They are improving the service each quarter.

Disclaimer: Still not a ATT shill, and still a satisfied customer.

not to start an argument here, BUT your post sounds like you are getting mouthy...first off Hookbill stated he wasnt 100% sure about the whole phoneline ordeal and it already has been figured out!

#2 here is a thread :just as an example of a questions I asked in november

http://www.uverseusers.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,2/topic,2051.0/

no answer from anyone, not even a guess
also in the ohio forum you have 2 active threads (answered today by YOU) two neutral threads answered yesterday, 3 dyin/dead threads answered between the 2nd and 4th, and then threads that are completely dead....It takes a while for a question to get answered...Also I never said it was a bad place, just takes awhile to get info, I understand the Uverse thing is new.

#3 and #4 Yes that is a big limitation, this is avsforum, who here watches just one HD channel at a time? that is blasphmey ;)

again, sounded like you were getting snippy, if you werent please disregard my post all together, but Trust me no one is Spreading FUD here.

Not getting snippy or mouthy, just trying to clear the air of some assumptions and guesses. Z'all good.

As far as the landline, I answered that one mid page 367 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12665878#post12665878), yet it was repetitively speculated on.

The question that you asked at uverseusers isn't really answerable, at least not without guessing. From what I've read, if you see a VRAD within a half mile, then odds are it's coming - especially if your phone provider is ATT. Unfortunately, hard dates and official confirmations never happen on that board or anywhere else. Hell, I got a knock on the door a week before I received my requested Uverse alert email from ATT!

alright then we are friends again :)....actually I would love to see ATT get past the one HD stream perhouse, but for me, it still wouldnt work I dont think as we have 4 HDTV's in the house, and let me ask you this, does it just auto switch you to the SD (recording and all) if the hD stream is in use?

Just on a seperate note, Satelliteguys website is covering the CES and has learned that Dish network plans on putting up cleveland locals in HD, and according to Dish's on press release its happening SOON!

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/120129-dish-expand-hd.html

Anyone out there experiencing any issues with TWC's Roadrunner Internet Service? For some reason I haven't been able to make a connection since Saturday night! :confused: This is the fist time in 2 years that I've had any issues. The only thing I can think of is that there might be some access water in the lines due to all the snow melting over the weekend.

Do any of you have suggestions or checks before I am forced to deal with TW's CSR's and service people?

Toby10 gave you some great info but I got to say that dealing with the people on the internet side vs the cable side is apples and oranges. I remember having a problem a while back and they did something over to phone to fix it. But the csr said "you know, I'm seeing some readings that don't look right. Can I send a truck out? This really needs to be looked at."

When the tech arrived he knew exactly what the problem was from the report the CSR gave him and went downstairs and fixed it. Even though everything looked fine on my side, they can see things to make sure your internet is running correctly.

I wouldn't hesitate to call TW CSR'S on internet issues.

Hi all, new to the forums. Just had a quick question regarding ota hd in the little italy area. I checked antennaweb and a few other sources, but I'm just wondering what to expect with an amplified indoor/outdoor terk antenna. I have a window facing southwest (towards the towers) and i'll mount the antenna either inside or outside the window facing in that direction. Roof/attic mount is not an option as I am renting the apartment. Thanks in advance for any help, as I'm new to ota hd and could use the advice.
Thanks

Hi Andrew,

The biggest issue with OTA HD is multipath interference. A weak signal with no multipath will work much better than a very strong signal with significant multipath interference! From where you are in Little Italy, you're skimming across a lot of rooftops and shooting between some tall buildings. My personal suspicion is that you'll need something highly directional.

Anyone watching the game on WWJW-DT? I'm watching OTA in Medina. Looks a lot better then Armstrong 108 HD. I like the cable-cam.

alright then we are friends again :)....actually I would love to see ATT get past the one HD stream perhouse, but for me, it still wouldnt work I dont think as we have 4 HDTV's in the house, and let me ask you this, does it just auto switch you to the SD (recording and all) if the hD stream is in use?

Don't have much experience in this, as we are a one TV household right now. You can watch the same stream on all HDTVs or watch an HD recording on the DVR while it's recording another. If the HD stream is in use on another tv, you get the option to preempt them or watch the SD stream.

Yeah, it sucks at times. April 08 supposedly is the target for another HD stream, at least here in Akron.

When the tech arrived he knew exactly what the problem was from the report the CSR gave him and went downstairs and fixed it. Even though everything looked fine on my side, they can see things to make sure your internet is running correctly.

I wouldn't hesitate to call TW CSR'S on internet issues.

I've been wondering for a long time if TWC has some sort of rating system that identifies "problem customers" and assigns smarter/better techs to them. When I switched to digital cable many years ago, I had a long streak of problems - had TWC techs out here every 2-3 months to fix whatever the current problem was. As things progressed, I noticed that the techs were smarter as time went on. The last guy out here (I wish I got his name) about two years ago came out to replace a dead RR modem, and spent an additional three hours tweaking the signal levels to my two digital STB's and my non-STB 50" in the basement - he didn't like what he saw, and took measures to make things work the way they should. (He even found it funny when my dog decided to grab a few coax connectors out of his parts bag as chew toys.)

I'm sure these guys are hard to come by, but if you complain enough, you might just get a service tech who knows what he's doing....

Toby10 gave you some great info but I got to say that dealing with the people on the internet side vs the cable side is apples and oranges. I remember having a problem a while back and they did something over to phone to fix it. But the csr said "you know, I'm seeing some readings that don't look right. Can I send a truck out? This really needs to be looked at."

When the tech arrived he knew exactly what the problem was from the report the CSR gave him and went downstairs and fixed it. Even though everything looked fine on my side, they can see things to make sure your internet is running correctly.

I wouldn't hesitate to call TW CSR'S on internet issues.

Thank you Hook and Toby10 for the helpful advice. I finagled with my modem and router after work yesterday and fixed the issue, whatever it was. All is good now...

Try the Terk and return it if you are unable to get the stations you desire. Keep in mind that WVIZ (25-PBS) has a very weak signal and that WOIO (19-CBS) has their tower in Shaker Heights. Both of these may be difficult to pick up with an indoor antenna facing SW. But then you are so close to Shaker you may well get WOIO.

Let us know how it worked out for you.

WOIO doesn't have their tower in Shaker Heights, do they? Antennaweb.org says their transmitter is out in Parma with everybody else.

I've always been curious why WOIO has "Shaker Heights" in their station bug, when their main street address is in downtown Cleveland ? :confused:

WOIO doesn't have their tower in Shaker Heights, do they? Antennaweb.org says their transmitter is out in Parma with everybody else.

I've always been curious why WOIO has "Shaker Heights" in their station bug, when their main street address is in downtown Cleveland ? :confused:

Yeah, you are probably correct. I know I've read many posts on the weak WOIO signal (not unlike WKYC) and have experienced the same. I always saw Shaker pop up on AntennaWeb.org for WOIO and just attributed that extra distance too it's weak signal.

Once I start reading anything with UHF/VHF or *degrees* of angle I'm lost. :confused:

Thank GOD for AntennaWeb.org giving us those arrows! :)

Ok, need a little input from anyone willing...

RE: the OSU game last night and the broadcast sound.
My A/V setups have been in dissaray for a while now, usually watching tv in the living room (no surround sound), and where we do have surround sound (in the theater), is where we watch movies.
So, for a while now, I have not been able to take advantage of watching tv in surround. Now that my theater is coming together more, I had some friends over to watch the game.
I was thinking that it would be in glorious surround sound.
Most everyone I know, pretty much has no clue regarding these things, so they were no help.
When I set my Pioneer VSX-1014TX receiver to "auto" surround, all I would get is stereo. I eventually ended up puting it on some DSP artificial surround which was ok, but not great.
Was the game actually broadcast in surround?? Is there anything I can check out on tv that definately does have surround so that I may check my equipment to make sure that it is working properly?
BTW, I'm watching on Warner via a QAM signal in Canton.

Thanks for any input.:)

Ok, need a little input from anyone willing...

RE: the OSU game last night and the broadcast sound.
My A/V setups have been in dissaray for a while now, usually watching tv in the living room (no surround sound), and where we do have surround sound (in the theater), is where we watch movies.
So, for a while now, I have not been able to take advantage of watching tv in surround. Now that my theater is coming together more, I had some friends over to watch the game.
I was thinking that it would be in glorious surround sound.
Most everyone I know, pretty much has no clue regarding these things, so they were no help.
When I set my Pioneer VSX-1014TX receiver to "auto" surround, all I would get is stereo. I eventually ended up puting it on some DSP artificial surround which was ok, but not great.
Was the game actually broadcast in surround?? Is there anything I can check out on tv that definately does have surround so that I may check my equipment to make sure that it is working properly?
BTW, I'm watching on Warner via a QAM signal in Canton.

Thanks for any input.:)

Sure sounds (no pun intended) like you have your Pio set up properly. If the Pio is set to "auto detect" then it should probably be displaying either DD or PLII for tv surround decoding. A lot of the tv (ota, cable, sat) is pretty weak with surround and I have found this especially true with sports where most of the rear surround is just background noise (crowd cheering, stadium announcements, snow blowers ;) )

As far as testing, try flipping through some channels and watch the Pio's front screen. You should see it change now and then from DD to PLII as it auto detects the different audio feeds (DD = 5.1, PLII = 2.0 re-mixed to 5.1). If your Pio has a graphical representation of your speakers it will also show 5.1 speakers for DD and just two speakers for PLII.

You should definitely get more surround "punch" on your digital movie channels. Also try testing with DVD input for better surround rear testing.

Obviously some of the above info will be slightly different if you are running a 7.1 or greater system.

I was thinking that it would be in glorious surround sound.
Most everyone I know, pretty much has no clue regarding these things, so they were no help.
When I set my Pioneer VSX-1014TX receiver to "auto" surround, all I would get is stereo. I eventually ended up puting it on some DSP artificial surround which was ok, but not great.
Thanks for any input.:)

Sometimes it's best to start with the easy stuff...

How do you have the sound routed from the TV? DTS and Dolby Digital will only go via Toslink, Digital Coax, and HDMI (if the outputting device allows it.) If you are using analog audio, then at best you can pull out Dolby PLII or similar. If the stereo separation isn't great (like a broadcast) you may have little in the rear channels.

Ok, need a little input from anyone willing...

RE: the OSU game last night and the broadcast sound.
My A/V setups have been in dissaray for a while now, usually watching tv in the living room (no surround sound), and where we do have surround sound (in the theater), is where we watch movies.
So, for a while now, I have not been able to take advantage of watching tv in surround. Now that my theater is coming together more, I had some friends over to watch the game.
I was thinking that it would be in glorious surround sound.
Most everyone I know, pretty much has no clue regarding these things, so they were no help.
When I set my Pioneer VSX-1014TX receiver to "auto" surround, all I would get is stereo. I eventually ended up putting it on some DSP artificial surround which was ok, but not great.
Was the game actually broadcast in surround?? Is there anything I can check out on tv that definitely does have surround so that I may check my equipment to make sure that it is working properly?
BTW, I'm watching on Warner via a QAM signal in Canton.

Thanks for any input.:)

The game was indeed broadcast in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and you should have seen DD lit up on the screen. Check your connections.

Thanks guys for the replys.

I'm 99.9% sure that my setup is correct. Useing a PHD-205 HD tuner, the sound is output via spdif-toslink.
I have had some intermittent problems with the tuner, so I wonder if that is maybe the tuner malfuntioning. Wish I would have been able to trouble-shoot the problem before the party. Oh well, like I said, no one else had a clue anyway :).
I hope I don't have to replace the tuner already. I bought it last August, used it for a short time, then it sat idle for a couple months, now useing it again. Maybe a total of 100 hours of use. I've had other problems with it re: handshaking issues with my projector. That forced me to run an extra component cable to the pj instead of just HDMI. If now it turns out that the tuner is faulty, I will not be too happy. Of course when I first stated having problems with it, it was two weeks out-of-warranty :(.
If the tuner is the problem, I'll be upset that it's "costing me", but will be glad to see it go. Don't need any "black sheep" in my set-up.

Thanks again.:)

Thanks guys for the replys.

I'm 99.9% sure that my setup is correct. Useing a PHD-205 HD tuner, the sound is output via spdif-toslink.
I have had some intermittent problems with the tuner, so I wonder if that is maybe the tuner malfuntioning. Wish I would have been able to trouble-shoot the problem before the party. Oh well, like I said, no one else had a clue anyway :).
I hope I don't have to replace the tuner already. I bought it last August, used it for a short time, then it sat idle for a couple months, now useing it again. Maybe a total of 100 hours of use. I've had other problems with it re: handshaking issues with my projector. That forced me to run an extra component cable to the pj instead of just HDMI. If now it turns out that the tuner is faulty, I will not be too happy. Of course when I first stated having problems with it, it was two weeks out-of-warranty :(.
If the tuner is the problem, I'll be upset that it's "costing me", but will be glad to see it go. Don't need any "black sheep" in my set-up.

Thanks again.:)

Do some more testing before you give up on it.

Just to be clear:
tuner audio: tuner ===> optical/toslink ===> Pio AVR
tuner video: tuner ===> component ===> projector tv
Pio AVR audio = 5.1 speaker setup (front L&R, rear L&R, center, sub via LFE)
tuner is OTA only?

Does the Pio display DD & PLII on it's front screen when each is detected?
Does Pio give graphical info on which speakers are "in use" for each audio input?

Another quick test, though not related to anything surround oriented: Does Pio have a 5ch or 7ch stereo mode? Where all speakers are "firing" an even amount of audio while playing a CD or FM broadcast? This is a quick and simple way to find out if all of the speakers are in fact working properly. If any are not "firing" or the audio is much higher or lower on some speakers then you may well have other issues (like wiring, etc....).

Smarty, did you check the PHD-205 menu and make sure the audio is set to Dolby Digital output and not PCM ?

Smarty, did you check the PHD-205 menu and make sure the audio is set to Dolby Digital output and not PCM ?

Boy! I didn't even think about that! Good catch! PCM over optical would be limited to 2ch, but then the Pio should decode that as PLII.

Another potential option is to do HDMI to the Pio for audio, leaving the video as component. But there are four catches to this:

1. The Pio must have HDMI inputs
2. The Pio must support HDMI audio (some AVR's only pass HDMI video)
3. The tuner must support HDMI audio output
4. The tuner must have "active" outputs where all audio & video outputs are always "active" without having to select a single output for each

Or take this a step farther: does the Pio have a white noise test for balancing? You could test individual speakers for volume and connectivity this way as well.

Smarty, did you check the PHD-205 menu and make sure the audio is set to Dolby Digital output and not PCM ?

You mean send "bitstream" instead of PCM?

Do some more testing before you give up on it.

Just to be clear:
tuner audio: tuner ===> optical/toslink ===> Pio AVR
tuner video: tuner ===> component ===> projector tv
Pio AVR audio = 5.1 speaker setup (front L&R, rear L&R, center, sub via LFE)
tuner is OTA only?

Does the Pio display DD & PLII on it's front screen when each is detected?
Does Pio give graphical info on which speakers are "in use" for each audio input?

Another quick test, though not related to anything surround oriented: Does Pio have a 5ch or 7ch stereo mode? Where all speakers are "firing" an even amount of audio while playing a CD or FM broadcast? This is a quick and simple way to find out if all of the speakers are in fact working properly. If any are not "firing" or the audio is much higher or lower on some speakers then you may well have other issues (like wiring, etc....).

Thanks for the suggestions toby10. However, I've got a pretty nice set-up here. Everything works perfect for movies so...

I have a 7.1 set-up. The receiver is top notch. The only thing lacking is any new audio codecs like DolbyTrueHD, and it does not have HDMI input/outputs. For those reasons and a few others, I am upgrading my receiver soon. However, the receiver is great.
It does display each channel driven on it's front display. It also does display DD, PLIIx, and all that too. It does have the 5/7 channel stereo mode too, which is what I ended up useing last night.

You mean send "bitstream" instead of PCM?

I'm just repeating what it says on page 20 of the manual:

http://www.epvision.com/Documents/STB%20manual_PHD-205v0.5.pdf

Two audio options - "Dolby Digital" or "PCM"

Ok, I missed some posts here.

I think it is the tuner. Here's why...
I can switch the output between DD and PCM. When I was viewing a digital channel, and I switched it to DD there was no sound and the front dispaly of my receiver flickers all over the place. VERY WEIRD!
I remember now that I had this problem before, but it went away. I finally got it working by changing the channel to an analog channel, then back to a digital channel. Somehow, it worked itself out... or maybe it didn't really, that I just never noticed because I was not useing the tuner with surround sound.
NOW, I have tried switching between DD and PCM and it is doing it again, and this time not working itself out so far.
The only other thing I can think to try is a different optical connector on my receiver in case that caonnector may be faulty.

Thanks for the suggestions toby10. However, I've got a pretty nice set-up here. Everything works perfect for movies so...

I have a 7.1 set-up. The receiver is top notch. The only thing lacking is any new audio codecs like DolbyTrueHD, and it does not have HDMI input/outputs. For those reasons and a few others, I am upgrading my receiver soon. However, the receiver is great.
It does display each channel driven on it's front display. It also does display DD, PLIIx, and all that too. It does have the 5/7 channel stereo mode too, which is what I ended up useing last night.

Awsome! Although, right off the bat, I think you are hitting a brick wall. I *think* optical / toslink is limited to 5.1 so that may explain part (or all) of you not getting the surround you are expecting from your extended 2 ch's of surround.

Awsome! Although, right off the bat, I think you are hitting a brick wall. I *think* optical / toslink is limited to 5.1 so that may explain part (or all) of you not getting the surround you are expecting from your extended 2 ch's of surround.

Optical is not limited to 5.1. If that were so, no one would be able to hear DTS-ES and DD-EX encoded dvds via optical on their 7.1 set-up. Plus, the difference between 5.1 and 7.1 is irrelevant here I think. The problem is the difference between stereo and 5.1.
Now though, I can't get any... digital?... sound on my system.
Weird thing is, if I go to an analog channel the sound is fine, but going back to a digital channel then no sound and the front panel of the receiver flickers all over the place.

Optical is not limited to 5.1. If that were so, no one would be able to hear DTS-ES and DD-EX encoded dvds via optical on their 7.1 set-up. Plus, the difference between 5.1 and 7.1 is irrelevant here I think. The problem is the difference between stereo and 5.1.
Now though, I can't get any... digital?... sound on my system.
Weird thing is, if I go to an analog channel the sound is fine, but going back to a digital channel then no sound and the front panel of the receiver flickers all over the place.

Ok. I thought there was a bandwidth (or other) limitation on optical preventing it from going beyond 5.1. *shrug* Is 7.1 reaching the limits of optical? Or am I confusing std. DD & DTS with the newer HD codecs and their limitations over optical?

Ok. I thought there was a bandwidth (or other) limitation on optical preventing it from going beyond 5.1. *shrug* Is 7.1 reaching the limits of optical? Or am I confusing std. DD & DTS with the newer HD codecs and their limitations over optical?

That's what you are confusing. Because of the bandwidth issues, you can not receive DolbyTrueHD, DD+, etc via spdif. In order to hear them correctly in their full resolution, they need to tranmit via HDMI.

On the other note, I was able to do a full reset on my HDtuner. It come on just as when it was new. Had to go through the whole gammit of setup procedures and all that. When it was done, the audio is now working again when DD is selected in the menu (no more flickering of the receiver's screen. Now I just need to see if it will transmit correctly to the receiver. It is showing as stereo again right now, I just need to find some tv in surround to see what happens.:rolleyes:

Here are the config parameters from my MyHD card:

;MyHD Channel Data File
;Macro Image Technology


Thanks, I got my TNT HD channel back :)

I coudln't pick up Discovery HD or the "bonus channel" though. Oh well.

Thanks for the advice, I'll be back in town this weekend and will check it out and post back. The Terk I have is directional and amplified and I will probably be mounting it outside a second story window, so we'll see how that does. The good thing is that all the antennas are within a few (compass) degrees of one another directly out my window. Thanks again.

Cleveland's HD Channel List by Provider has been updated to add "The 101-HD" to the D* Lineup.....

See new list: here (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pI9yd6lJxEOtgyXz6BaZTeg)

Cleveland's HD Channel List by Provider has been updated to add "The 101-HD" to the D* Lineup.....

See new list: here (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pI9yd6lJxEOtgyXz6BaZTeg)

HD MM - thanks again for maintaining this list. Wanted to let you know that when when you get the time to do your next update, there are 3 new HD channels available on WOW:

225-Discovery HD
226-Animal Planet HD
227-TLC HD

FYI for others, these three channels are on the Basic HD tier and ESPN-HD and TNT-HD have now been moved from Premium HD-Pak to the Basic HD tier as well.

HD MM - thanks again for maintaining this list. Wanted to let you know that when when you get the time to do your next update, there are 3 new HD channels available on WOW:

225-Discovery HD
226-Animal Planet HD
227-TLC HD

FYI for others, these three channels are on the Basic HD tier and ESPN-HD and TNT-HD have now been moved from Premium HD-Pak to the Basic HD tier as well.

Found anything new in the Clear QAM lineup? I'm assuming the basic tier channels are encrypted except the locals.

HD MM - thanks again for maintaining this list. Wanted to let you know that when when you get the time to do your next update, there are 3 new HD channels available on WOW:

225-Discovery HD
226-Animal Planet HD
227-TLC HD

FYI for others, these three channels are on the Basic HD tier and ESPN-HD and TNT-HD have now been moved from Premium HD-Pak to the Basic HD tier as well.


Thanks for the update, but those are already on the list!

HD MM - thanks again for maintaining this list. Wanted to let you know that when when you get the time to do your next update, there are 3 new HD channels available on WOW:

225-Discovery HD
226-Animal Planet HD
227-TLC HD

FYI for others, these three channels are on the Basic HD tier and ESPN-HD and TNT-HD have now been moved from Premium HD-Pak to the Basic HD tier as well.

Crime Warner gets its azz kicked, AGAIN!! And those are three channels I'd like to see. :)

Found anything new in the Clear QAM lineup? I'm assuming the basic tier channels are encrypted except the locals.
Nothing but the locals and Music Choice. I only get MC on one of my 2 QAM TVs.

Thanks for the update, but those are already on the list! My bad, then. When I download from your link I get an "x" in the orange WOW column for those channels.

Thanks again for keeping this as a great resource for all of us.

My bad, then. When I download from your link I get an "x" in the orange WOW column for those channels.

Thanks again for keeping this as a great resource for all of us.

Woops. My bad actually. I was looking at U-Verse. Well, those 3 channels are updated on WoW! Thanks again.....

I noticed that TWC has recently changed its unencrpyted QAM lineup in the Akron-Canton area. It has dropped Youngstown Fox 27/62, ABC-13 Toledo, Discovery Health and The Food Network and replaced them with some music channels and the Akron Public School System Channel. Hardly a fair trade. What gives ?

I noticed that TWC has recently changed its unencrpyted QAM lineup in the Akron-Canton area. It has dropped Youngstown Fox 27/62, ABC-13 Toledo, Discovery Health and The Food Network and replaced them with some music channels and the Akron Public School System Channel. Hardly a fair trade. What gives ?

Akron-Canton area? The Akron-Canton area is not one system; can you be more specific?

I noticed that TWC has recently changed its unencrpyted QAM lineup in the Akron-Canton area. It has dropped Youngstown Fox 27/62, ABC-13 Toledo, Discovery Health and The Food Network and replaced them with some music channels and the Akron Public School System Channel. Hardly a fair trade. What gives ?

I dont get those channels and I am in green (old cable one, or choice one or something like that) and I dont see those on my QAM, in fact my QAM isnt even mapped right, nbc is something like 103-2, and so fox is 102-1 and so on, its really weird, then on channel 0 I have like 7 channels coming through, all as channel 0.

Crime Warner gets its azz kicked, AGAIN!! And those are three channels I'd like to see. :)

So what's your point nickdawg? It's like kicking people when their down.:(

You read the boards. You know why TW is not going to come close to what's happening with D*. At least not for sometime to come.

For people like me I'd have switched ti D* long before I bought my S3 and just kept TW for the internet. But I got a line of sight problem.

So talk about all the new channels in HD D* is getting, that's fine. But right now it's not a competition. It's like the Browns playing the Patriots. Or Ohio State against LSU. Or the Red Sox against the Indians.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did that bother you?:p

It's like the Browns playing the Patriots. Or Ohio State against LSU. Or the Red Sox against the Indians.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did that bother you?:p

Even I wouldn't go that far below the belt:eek:. Low blow indeed...:D

Way to clear out the forum!! :eek::eek:This place has been a ghost town since that last comment.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Way to clear out the forum!! :eek::eek:This place has been a ghost town since that last comment.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

We're boycotting until hookbill apologizes for making such a comment about our FUTURE SUPERBOWL CHAMPIAN CLEVELAND BROWNS!

Well............ maybe in 2022................. but STILL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there a channel listing for the Time Warner (Mentor) QAM channels? The TVs I have (Toshiba) do not filter out the encrypted channels when doing an auto-scan, so it is a huge pain to try to find the channels when the cable co. decides to move them.

Akron-Canton area? The Akron-Canton area is not one system; can you be more specific?

There are, as far as I know, three different systems considered in TWC's Akron/Canton area - the original Akron system, the original Canton system, and the former Marks Cablevision system in southern Summit County (Green, etc.).

The lineups are not the same. For one, last time I checked, the Canton system puts 3/5/8 on the same channel positions, where Akron scatters the Cleveland OTA VHF stations to other positions.

Akron picks up WAOH-LP 29 "The CAT" on cable 14, and Canton picks up WIVM-LP 52 on digital cable 585. I'm not sure what the Green-based ex-Marks/Cable One system does with those channels.

I'm pretty sure they share infrastructure at this point, but there are lineup differences...and there probably are such differences on the open QAM side as well.

neo1022 Is there a channel listing for the Time Warner (Mentor) QAM channels? The TVs I have (Toshiba) do not filter out the encrypted channels when doing an auto-scan, so it is a huge pain to try to find the channels when the cable co. decides to move them.

neo1022,
I also have TWC in Mentor and have the same question. Hopefully we can find a channel quide for Mentor QAM. My wife recently recieved a free TV for buying a new car. Its an LCD HD 15" 4:3. Wierd! It does have a QAM tuner so I pulled it out of the box and connected it to the line. When I did a auto channel search I get all these "dead" channels. I than have to go in and manually edit them unwatchable so they dissapear when I scan through the channels. The auto scan also finds several duplicate channels for the locals. I would hope that I just have a pos tuner on this give-a-way tv and a real QAM tuner would learn the channels better and be easier to edit. This is my first experience with a QAM tuner.
Ray

neo1022

neo1022,
I also have TWC in Mentor and have the same question. Hopefully we can find a channel quide for Mentor QAM. My wife recently recieved a free TV for buying a new car. Its an LCD HD 15" 4:3. Wierd! It does have a QAM tuner so I pulled it out of the box and connected it to the line. When I did a auto channel search I get all these "dead" channels. I than have to go in and manually edit them unwatchable so they dissapear when I scan through the channels. The auto scan also finds several duplicate channels for the locals. I would hope that I just have a pos tuner on this give-a-way tv and a real QAM tuner would learn the channels better and be easier to edit. This is my first experience with a QAM tuner.
Ray


Nope. It's not the tuner that's bad, it's your cable company. They do not want to take the time to map and code the QAM channels correctly because they don't care about their customers. They figure that since you're basically getting those channels for free, that you can just live with it.:(

Any1 having a problem getting tonight cav's game in hd?
FSN HD here on armstrong in medina is black, reg. channel is showing it though.

For one, last time I checked, the Canton system puts 3/5/8 on the same channel positions
Green does this

Akron picks up WAOH-LP 29 "The CAT" on cable 14
Green has this

Green also has one community access channel and one "educational" channel ran by Green High School. TWC still has the same office location, although they do not have any satellite dishes at that location anymore (just a broadcast antenna).

Time Warner took over the system from Cable One just as they finished upgrading the network for broadband & digital services, in 2002. ...Were they really 7 years behind in deploying a HFC network?

So, the TWC Green-based system (ex-Cable One/Marks) seems to have morphed into its own little hybrid of Akron and Canton. :D

I'm not sure this bodes well for integration of TWC's Akron-area systems with the old Adelphia ones. e.g. it'd make sense to me if they'd align channel lineups and programming in the Akron area - the former Adelphia system in western Summit County and the former Adelphia system in Macedonia/etc. with the existing TWC Akron lineup.

Some channels are gonna be different everywhere no matter what...e.g. the public access/educational channels. But even after cross-seeding local programming between cable channel 15 out of Cleveland and cable channel 23 out of Akron, under the "NEON" banner, why didn't they pick a single cable channel number to unify them?

Some channels are gonna be different everywhere no matter what...e.g. the public access/educational channels. But even after cross-seeding local programming between cable channel 15 out of Cleveland and cable channel 23 out of Akron, under the "NEON" banner, why didn't they pick a single cable channel number to unify them?

Before the take over of Adelphia and Comcast I had suggested that perhaps there would not be a cable channel conversion to an "all the same channel" TW. As I recall I was generally told that this idea didn't make sense, that's not the way TW does it, hookbill you're an idiot.....Well, maybe nobody said that but you get where I'm coming from.

And with the development of SDV and TW wanting a big push on this I thought that everyone was probably right and this cable unification thing makes sense. I still think if they are going to apply SDV, and we all know that has to happen because D* is going to whip their behinds by offering so much HD channels, regardless if there really isn't that much more HD programming.

I first heard of the big "line up change" happening in June by one of TW's very knowledgeable techs. Pardon me if I pause to laugh for a half an hour or so.

And that ws June of 2007, just so we're all on the same page.

And now in some areas we are seeing the emergence of Advance TV, or better known as AT&T U-Verse. At least I think that it's the same thing.

So what in the heck does TW have planned? Well, I think the first thing I'm going to do is as soon as I get a chance I plan on calling them and telling them about all these other marvelous choices around and hey isn't my cable bill awful high and why should I stay with them? Hopefully they won't know I'm bluffing because I have the S3 but knowing their CSR's I think that will go over their head.

They probably will respond with a "generous" roll back for a whole 3 months. At that point I will laugh and tell them I'll call them back probably tomorrow after I call D* and find out when they are coming out. Either they will say "have a nice day" or they will do the smart thing and put me on hold for a few seconds while they pretend to talk to a supervisor and offer me 6 months. I'll tell them I want a year or I'm splitting.

My point is that now is a good time to take it to TW. If they start losing revenue because of this maybe they will improve HD service. They probably will lose revenue anyway because I still think people are going to be interested in U-Verse or D* but hey, what have we got to lose?

I'll see if I can't give it a try and get back to you all tomorrow.:)

Hook, I wish you all the luck in you negotiations w/TW, but I think you are going to be disappointed. They treat their customers like terrorists... no negotiating. You may get the 3 months, but that's probably about it.
I think TW has just about been "left in the dust" as I know you are already aware, but IMHO, as they will have no choice, they will probably catch up to contention status by the end of the year.
Anxiously awaiting your report though...:D

If/when Time Warner NE Ohio standardizes line ups, how do you think it will be done?

-Align all former Adelphia/Comcast systems to the "legacy" Akron line up?
-Keep separate line ups between Akron and Cleveland?
-Make an entirely new and different line up?

+Clues to the last option:
*When new channels were added this year like FOX Reality, FOX Business News and TV One; they were all placed high in the 100s, sort of the "dead end" of the line up.
*When TBS HD:rolleyes: was addec, it has two virtual channels(either the 500s or 700s depending on location as well as number 600 on all systems).
*Recently CSPAN2 was moved off analog on Time Warner Akron and former Adelphia to digital channel 186. Again, this movement of a channel to the "dead end" is suspicious, considering the open space in the 100s on digital in Akron.

+Also, what about the treatment of SD local channels(VHF channels only)?
=Stay on the actual OTA broadcast numbers on the former Adelphia system and stay on the different numbers for the Akron system(2, 11, 9)?
=Move WKYC to 2, WEWS to 11 and WJW to 9 on ALL systems? OR
=Move the local channels to the OTA broadcast numbers on ALL systems?

Something to think about...

Hopefully they won't know I'm bluffing because I have the S3 but knowing their CSR's I think that will go over their head.

You could twist this around to your advantage... Tell them you watch a ton of HD programming available OTA, and since TW doesn't offer much more than what you can get OTA, you have no problem hooking the S3 up to an antenna. As part of your research, you tested the idea, and the PQ was as good or better than what TW provides, and the few additional HD channels they provide aren't justified by the monthly bill. ;) When the D* issue comes up, point out that the S3 can record two HD channels OTA, the D* DVR adds an additional slot, so you'll be able to record three HD channels at the same time - more channels, less money, and more DVR slots.

(Drink a beer or two, and that all makes sense. :) )

=Move WKYC to 2, WEWS to 11 and WJW to 9 on ALL systems? OR
=Move the local channels to the OTA broadcast numbers on ALL systems?


I've always hated the 2/9/11 thing. When I moved from Canton (3 was 3, 5 was 5, etc.) to Cuyahoga Falls, I wondered which brain child decided on the Akron channel lineup. The Cleveland stations were around long before TWC - it's not like TWC had to fit them into an existing lineup...

I've always hated the 2/9/11 thing. When I moved from Canton (3 was 3, 5 was 5, etc.) to Cuyahoga Falls, I wondered which brain child decided on the Akron channel lineup. The Cleveland stations were around long before TWC - it's not like TWC had to fit them into an existing lineup...

Akron's system has had 3/5/8 on 2/9/11 as long as I can remember, though I think they flipped 5/8 - 9/11 at some point. I'm pretty sure the "off" channel numbering dates back to perhaps even the Akron Cablevision days.

I presume it happened because the cable company wanted to avoid on-channel ingress of the Cleveland signals, since they are so strong here.

Why didn't Cablevision (actually North Coast Cable at the start) do the same in Cleveland itself on what became the Adelphia system? I dunno. Perhaps by the time the mid-80's rolled around - remember, the Cleveland system started that late - they figured they could trap interference.

I've always hated the 2/9/11 thing. When I moved from Canton (3 was 3, 5 was 5, etc.) to Cuyahoga Falls, I wondered which brain child decided on the Akron channel lineup. The Cleveland stations were around long before TWC - it's not like TWC had to fit them into an existing lineup...

Sometimes the industry will offset local broadcast channels to mitigate problems caused by local ingress. Let's say that you're watching Channel 3 on a system where it's on it's native channel assignment, then a fitting loosens up in your cable. What happens is that some of the off-air Channel 3 signal leaks into your system and mixes with the cable-delivered Channel 3, causing ghosts and/or beats in your picture, because the same signal is arriving at your set twice, a few nanoseconds apart in time. Your set doesn't know which is the "real" signal, so it tries to show both of them. The result is a poor picture, only on the local VHF off-air channels.

In short, there are often technical reasons for decisions like this.

Thanks for the advice, I'll be back in town this weekend and will check it out and post back. The Terk I have is directional and amplified and I will probably be mounting it outside a second story window, so we'll see how that does. The good thing is that all the antennas are within a few (compass) degrees of one another directly out my window. Thanks again.
Amplified antennas in urban areas don't make sense. An amplifier will not compensate for a weak signal that is weak due to terrain interference (i.e. tall buildings). You need to get a non-amplified antenna on a rooftop as high as possible and precisely aimed at the Parma antenna farm. Also you need both VHF & UHF elements. At the end of the digital transition (Feb. 19, 2009) WOIO and possibly WJW will both be VHF. WKYC is VHF today but will move to UHF.

First, mnowlin that's a good point and I didn't need any alcohol to understand so you wern't as bad as you thought you were when you posted that.:D

I still think it will go over their head. Think about it. "Sir, DVR's only work if you are with the cable company." That's where they will go with that.

Anyway I went back to work on Monday for the first time in 3 years.:eek: So I gotta find a good time to pull this off.

I'm in training at work and their system is DOS.:eek::eek:

I'm not allowed to tell you what I do or who I work for. Now you're thinking, hmmm...dos....he can't tell....My God, he works for the CIA or FBI! Nope. I have mentioned in the past what I use to do so if you're real curious and you feel like searching through my 2 thousand some odd post, feel free.

I will try and do the TW thing tomorrow.

Sometimes the industry will offset local broadcast channels to mitigate problems caused by local ingress. Let's say that you're watching Channel 3 on a system where it's on it's native channel assignment, then a fitting loosens up in your cable. What happens is that some of the off-air Channel 3 signal leaks into your system and mixes with the cable-delivered Channel 3, causing ghosts and/or beats in your picture, because the same signal is arriving at your set twice, a few nanoseconds apart in time. Your set doesn't know which is the "real" signal, so it tries to show both of them. The result is a poor picture, only on the local VHF off-air channels.

In short, there are often technical reasons for decisions like this.When cable first came out to my old neighborhood (Euclid) in the early 80's Viacom Cablevision did a similar thing offsetting 3, 5 & 8. They put "message boards" on the real 3, 5 & 8 since ingress was unavoidable in those days mainly because 98% of the TV's needed a 300 ohm balun that acted like an antenna due to the nature of 300 ohm lead-in. It did not matter that the lead-in was literally less than an inch long, all you needed was essentially a bare wire to pick-up an OTA signal. As more "cable-ready" sets with 75 ohm co-ax inputs hit the market ingress interference was reduced.

I'm surprised that the Akron area needed to offset their 3,5 & 8. We could never pick-up WAKR or WAOH in Euclid, so I thought that the terrestrial interference went both ways (i.e. Akron having problems getting the Cleveland signals OTA).

I'm surprised that the Akron area needed to offset their 3,5 & 8. We could never pick-up WAKR or WAOH in Euclid, so I thought that the terrestrial interference went both ways (i.e. Akron having problems getting the Cleveland signals OTA).

Oh, no...the Parma antenna farm stations kick into Akron with no problem.

The problem is the other way. The station now known as WVPX (Channel 23), even after powering up to 5MW a few years ago, has terrain problems between it and parts of the Cleveland area.

I know people have talked about it in here...I think that terrain in Richfield is the culprit causing problems from the WVPX site (near Rolling Acres Mall in Copley Township) for many Cleveland area viewers.

Meanwhile, there's no such major terrain obstruction to most of the Akron area to Parma/North Royalton/etc.

WAOH-LP is A) low power and B) located in Brimfield, near I-76/Rt. 43. Maybe you meant WOAC or something? :) WAOH-LP, of course, rebroadcasts 24/7 on W35AX Cleveland, which is in the Parma farm somewhere.

Akron's system has had 3/5/8 on 2/9/11 as long as I can remember, though I think they flipped 5/8 - 9/11 at some point. I'm pretty sure the "off" channel numbering dates back to perhaps even the Akron Cablevision days.

I presume it happened because the cable company wanted to avoid on-channel ingress of the Cleveland signals, since they are so strong here.

Why didn't Cablevision (actually North Coast Cable at the start) do the same in Cleveland itself on what became the Adelphia system? I dunno. Perhaps by the time the mid-80's rolled around - remember, the Cleveland system started that late - they figured they could trap interference.

Sometimes the industry will offset local broadcast channels to mitigate problems caused by local ingress. Let's say that you're watching Channel 3 on a system where it's on it's native channel assignment, then a fitting loosens up in your cable. What happens is that some of the off-air Channel 3 signal leaks into your system and mixes with the cable-delivered Channel 3, causing ghosts and/or beats in your picture, because the same signal is arriving at your set twice, a few nanoseconds apart in time. Your set doesn't know which is the "real" signal, so it tries to show both of them. The result is a poor picture, only on the local VHF off-air channels.

In short, there are often technical reasons for decisions like this.

When cable first came out to my old neighborhood (Euclid) in the early 80's Viacom Cablevision did a similar thing offsetting 3, 5 & 8. They put "message boards" on the real 3, 5 & 8 since ingress was unavoidable in those days mainly because 98% of the TV's needed a 300 ohm balun that acted like an antenna due to the nature of 300 ohm lead-in. It did not matter that the lead-in was literally less than an inch long, all you needed was essentially a bare wire to pick-up an OTA signal. As more "cable-ready" sets with 75 ohm co-ax inputs hit the market ingress interference was reduced.

The channel ingress definately used to be a bit of a problem, even to today sometimes. One of my analog TVs without a box was very problematic until TW changed the wiring to it. It had an older wire And on 3, 5 and 8 at times there are horizontal stripes and interference in the picture. Just like when my cable was out the other day, 3,5 and 8 were coming in OTA on their channels.

Another problem plagued me until the move to digital simulcasting. WBNX is on channel 8, WJW is on channel 9. I'm not sure how much was head end fault and my wiring's fault, but there was someinterference on WBNX.

Although the interesting thing is, even after the digital simulcast was added, the PQ on that channel is still not so hot. The DIGITAL channel is still prone to ghosting and there are some diagonal lines throught the picture, which are more visible when the show is paused. And the overall picture quality of this channel is murky and hazy looking. It was really making me wonder if it is actually digital or not. :confused:

Although the interesting thing is, even after the digital simulcast was added, the PQ on that channel is still not so hot. The DIGITAL channel is still prone to ghosting and there are some diagonal lines throught the picture, which are more visible when the show is paused. And the overall picture quality of this channel is murky and hazy looking. It was really making me wonder if it is actually digital or not. :confused:

Is TWC actually doing the digital simulcast thing with WBNX? They don't appear to be doing it here with the SD version. Only 3/5/8/19/43 are digitally substituted on TWC/ex-Adelphia Cleveland.

(I can tell that for sure by tuning into the 800's, where they "throw" the analog versions of those stations on a digital cable box. There's no WBNX up there in the 800's.)

I don't know if they're doing it differently in Akron.

Is TWC actually doing the digital simulcast thing with WBNX? They don't appear to be doing it here with the SD version. Only 3/5/8/19/43 are digitally substituted on TWC/ex-Adelphia Cleveland.

(I can tell that for sure by tuning into the 800's, where they "throw" the analog versions of those stations on a digital cable box. There's no WBNX up there in the 800's.)

I don't know if they're doing it differently in Akron.

Of course you and I are on the old Adelphia even though in different areas. No "digital" WBNX here either.

This is one I really don't understand. I guess they won't do the digital until they set up the HD as well, but why haven't they done this by now?

I can understand some of TW's thinking and why they have not set up HD due to limited bandwith, but there is really no excuse for WBNX not being available.

Is TWC actually doing the digital simulcast thing with WBNX? They don't appear to be doing it here with the SD version. Only 3/5/8/19/43 are digitally substituted on TWC/ex-Adelphia Cleveland.

(I can tell that for sure by tuning into the 800's, where they "throw" the analog versions of those stations on a digital cable box. There's no WBNX up there in the 800's.)

I don't know if they're doing it differently in Akron.

Yes. On Time Warner in Akron all channels under 100 are digital, except a TW cable channel. They all are Dolby2/0 and QAM 256. There are also still analog versions for TVs without boxes. On a digital box, the digital feed is mapped to the same virtual channel(WKYC is 2 on a box OR analog TV tuner) Digital boxes do not have the analog versions anymore.

Most channels look good, some look like crap. Mostly due to compression, since TW is bandwidth challenged. Also, many channels have a thin, black bar between the grey sidebar and the picture; the 4:3 picture does not fill the 4:3 area. I've read on another forum here that this is a blanking error because the feed coming into the head end is analog.

Of course you and I are on the old Adelphia even though in different areas. No "digital" WBNX here either.

This is one I really don't understand. I guess they won't do the digital until they set up the HD as well, but why haven't they done this by now?

I can understand some of TW's thinking and why they have not set up HD due to limited bandwith, but there is really no excuse for WBNX not being available.

Of course WBNX in HD is not available on any Time Warner system here yet. Seems to be the same across the board. But the fact there is ghosting and horiz. lines on a digital channel makes me question whether or not WBNX is actually digital. Up until this April, the only thing coming out of WBNX was the main analog feed on 55. Which really makes me wonder where an digital feed for cable would come from. It was rumored on Ohio Media Watch that one of the WBNX sub channels would be used to provide cable with a digital feed. Plus, WBNX does have the black space to the left of the picture; I've read that it means the incoming feed is analog.

But now there really is no excuse to NOT have WBNX HD. TW Akron shut off analog for ESPN Classic and CSPAN2, plus they dumped two digital preview channels.

Yes. On Time Warner in Akron all channels under 100 are digital, except a TW cable channel. They all are Dolby2/0 and QAM 256. There are also still analog versions for TVs without boxes. On a digital box, the digital feed is mapped to the same virtual channel(WKYC is 2 on a box OR analog TV tuner) Digital boxes do not have the analog versions anymore.

Assuming you are correct about the sub-100 versions being digital on digital boxes, there'd appear to be one possible answer: TWC Akron is indeed "digitizing" the channel themselves, with the analog source feed. The only reason for them to have it "digital" is to be able to squeeze it into part of a QAM channel, to save space.

There's no law that says "digital cable" has to have a "digital source". The "digital cable" version of C-SPAN2 is using the very same satellite feed that they used on analog.


But now there really is no excuse to NOT have WBNX HD. TW Akron shut off analog for ESPN Classic and CSPAN2, plus they dumped two digital preview channels.

TWC Cleveland (ex-Adelphia side) moved C-SPAN2 up into the digital side, near WKYC's "Weather Plus" and WVIZ's "Ohio Channel", recently. I don't think we ever had ESPN Classic on analog on this side of the TWC Divide.

I'd agree, yes...one would assume that's why they are moving analog channels, to make more digital bandwidth.

As I mentioned, the analog versions of 3/5/8/19/43 still exist on digital boxes over on this side of TWC, in the 800's. Hookbill and I and others here spent about a day trying to figure that one out. :D

Assuming you are correct about the sub-100 versions being digital on digital boxes, there'd appear to be one possible answer: TWC Akron is indeed "digitizing" the channel themselves, with the analog source feed. The only reason for them to have it "digital" is to be able to squeeze it into part of a QAM channel, to save space.

There's no law that says "digital cable" has to have a "digital source". The "digital cable" version of C-SPAN2 is using the very same satellite feed that they used on analog.

That sounds right. The "digital" CSPAN2 has the black space to the left. The channels over 100 that were the digital tier back in the day do appear to be digital from the source. Also, a few of the bigger name channels under 100 like MTV, Discovery, TLC, Nickoloden, Comedy Central, VH1 appear to be digital(no space). The rest are digitized and at times it really shows. I still had SD when they made the switch and some channels, like SD FOX actually looked worse. I love 24 and Prison Break. Whenever there was an explosion on 24, the picture would get really blurry and it looked like crap.

I also have TWC in Mentor and have the same question.

I was able to find this site. I haven't checked it over, thoroughly, but the info appears good.

http://www.silicondust.com/wiki/hdhomerun/channels

Nope. It's not the tuner that's bad, it's your cable company.

The TV should be smart enough to exclude QAM channels during the auto-scan that are encrypted. At least include it as an option.

Oh, no...the Parma antenna farm stations kick into Akron with no problem.

The problem is the other way. The station now known as WVPX (Channel 23), even after powering up to 5MW a few years ago, has terrain problems between it and parts of the Cleveland area.

I know people have talked about it in here...I think that terrain in Richfield is the culprit causing problems from the WVPX site (near Rolling Acres Mall in Copley Township) for many Cleveland area viewers.

Meanwhile, there's no such major terrain obstruction to most of the Akron area to Parma/North Royalton/etc.

WAOH-LP is A) low power and B) located in Brimfield, near I-76/Rt. 43. Maybe you meant WOAC or something? :) WAOH-LP, of course, rebroadcasts 24/7 on W35AX Cleveland, which is in the Parma farm somewhere.

The WOAC tower is right down the road from me, I pass it quite frequently and see the "WOAC-TV" sign on the mailbox when I pass it. There is usually always a car there too so someone is keeping an eye on things...
Too bad they always have infomercials, as it is the only channel I get rock solid...

Yes. On Time Warner in Akron all channels under 100 are digital, except a TW cable channel. They all are Dolby2/0 and QAM 256. There are also still analog versions for TVs without boxes. On a digital box, the digital feed is mapped to the same virtual channel(WKYC is 2 on a box OR analog TV tuner) Digital boxes do not have the analog versions anymore.

Of course WBNX in HD is not available on any Time Warner system here yet. Seems to be the same across the board. But the fact there is ghosting and horiz. lines on a digital channel makes me question whether or not WBNX is actually digital. Up until this April, the only thing coming out of WBNX was the main analog feed on 55. Which really makes me wonder where an digital feed for cable would come from. It was rumored on Ohio Media Watch that one of the WBNX sub channels would be used to provide cable with a digital feed. Plus, WBNX does have the black space to the left of the picture; I've read that it means the incoming feed is analog.



Ghosting and shadowing on a digital picture is possible. When I lived in N. Kentucky we received the UPN channel in Cincinnati(sorry, don't recall channel or call letters any longer - It may have been channel 19) on Direct TV. Now obviously they were upconverting the analog signal but as you are aware all of D*'s channels are digital.

If your receiving WBNX with a Dolby 2.0 on your receiver that is also an indication that this is a digital picture. Perhaps they are upconverting the digital signal. On my receiver it's PCM 48.

Also with them freeing up bandwith by placing some analog stations on digital also adds to this "no excuse" for WBNX not in HD. I sent them an email last night. I wish I would have copied it. In essence I told them that I was going to leave TW unless they can explain to me why WBNX is not on HD or even in digital yet. I told them I didn't want any of their canned responses and that I expect them to treat me like a human being and show me appreciation as a customer. I told them to tell me why I should stay with them. I told them that I know many of D*'s new channels don't carry real HD program but I was interested in all those channels. Just one channel that is already available over the air. I did mention I understand bandwith limitations and such but I've asked them about WBNX 3 times over the last year only to be told either "it's in negotiations" or "they can't discuss future HD channels." What a bunch of crap.

I might try the phone now

I've asked them about WBNX 3 times over the last year only to be told either "it's in negotiations" or "they can't discuss future HD channels." What a bunch of crap.

I might try the phone now

What a load of s***! Why would WBNX be "in negotiations"? They already carry the SD feed plus it's a local channel so it should have to be carried like the others are. As for "they can't discuss future HD channels", I believe that one only because they probably don't have any future HD channels planned.

OK. I did the call. The first call was one of those "we're busy, we will call you back in 6 to 12 minutes call." I got the call and told the rep that I was seriously considering D* and give me a reason I should stay with TW. She said can you hold? I thought she's probably looking at options for retention.

She gets back on the phone and says, "I'm sorry about that. How can I help you?" Huh? I just told you why I had called. We're you not listening? She said "Oh yes something about HD and Direct TV." I said lets move on.

I go through the opening again and she cuts me off and says "well as far as the HD goes, we can't discuss that" and I said I don't want to hear that. Then I asked for a Supervisor knowing full and well I wouldn't get one. I told her that I didn't want to discuss it with her because she was a horrible representative and I will send an email about this call. I did get her name and caller id had the time of the call. Then she got her 'tude going saying well, you want my last name, my employee number? I said sure, let me get all the...she cuts me off and says because this phone call has got to end. Then she threw me back into the que.

I sent an email to TW with the time and what happened and her name.

I call back and get another rep. A very nice lady. I go through the whole thing again. She says "Your right, right now we cannot offer what D* is offering." I said then why should I remain a customer? Where's my incentive?

Does she offer me 3 months? No 6 months? No. 1 year?

She offers to knock 8 bucks off my bill.

I said thanks, I'll consider it after I talk to D* and I'll give you a call back.:rolleyes:

What a waste of time.

I hate to say I told you so, so I won't. I will say this though... Time Warner sucks! :)

OK. I did the call. The first call was one of those "we're busy, we will call you back in 6 to 12 minutes call." I got the call and told the rep that I was seriously considering D* and give me a reason I should stay with TW. She said can you hold? I thought she's probably looking at options for retention.

She gets back on the phone and says, "I'm sorry about that. How can I help you?" Huh? I just told you why I had called. We're you not listening? She said "Oh yes something about HD and Direct TV." I said lets move on.

I go through the opening again and she cuts me off and says "well as far as the HD goes, we can't discuss that" and I said I don't want to hear that. Then I asked for a Supervisor knowing full and well I wouldn't get one. I told her that I didn't want to discuss it with her because she was a horrible representative and I will send an email about this call. I did get her name and caller id had the time of the call. Then she got her 'tude going saying well, you want my last name, my employee number? I said sure, let me get all the...she cuts me off and says because this phone call has got to end. Then she threw me back into the que.

I sent an email to TW with the time and what happened and her name.

I call back and get another rep. A very nice lady. I go through the whole thing again. She says "Your right, right now we cannot offer what D* is offering." I said then why should I remain a customer? Where's my incentive?

Does she offer me 3 months? No 6 months? No. 1 year?

She offers to knock 8 bucks off my bill.

I said thanks, I'll consider it after I talk to D* and I'll give you a call back.:rolleyes:

What a waste of time.

You can try Time Warner's executive customer service. I heard stories of people actually getting things done when you call the big suits, if you are polite and don't act like an ass.

It's worth a shot....

Link: http://consumerist.com/340246/contact-time-warner-cable-northeast-ohio-executive-customer-service

Hello All. I have another TWC question. After reading more of your posts, along with posts on the 8300HD, I decided I was curious enough to find out what software my 8300HD is using. I'm on the old Adelphia system and mine is running Sara. It also appears that I have the added diagnostics pages for switched video... Anyway, my question relates to channel 777 (HD showcase on demand). When this channel first came on I tried going to it and my dvr would hang... After the hanging stopped I found that the video just didn't work. It was always choppy, no sound, it just doesn't work. So after staying away from this channel for months I thought I'd try it again. I still end up with the same results. Is there any reason why I can't get this channel?

I'm like everyone else here wanting more HD and debating on whether or not to get a HD Tivo. I realize that if I get the Tivo I am committing myself to cable for a while, but I also don't see myself switching to U-verse until it's available on my street and they have the multiple HD stream issue resolved. My wife doesn't want a dish on the house so that is also out of the question. So here I am, debating on if the HD tivo will allow me to see these channels that currently hang... I'm torn between living with the 8300HD and purchasing a blue-ray player, or making the plunge to the Tivo unit & forgoing the blue-ray for now.

Thanks again!

Hello All. I have another TWC question. After reading more of your posts, along with posts on the 8300HD, I decided I was curious enough to find out what software my 8300HD is using. I'm on the old Adelphia system and mine is running Sara. It also appears that I have the added diagnostics pages for switched video... Anyway, my question relates to channel 777 (HD showcase on demand). When this channel first came on I tried going to it and my dvr would hang... After the hanging stopped I found that the video just didn't work. It was always choppy, no sound, it just doesn't work. So after staying away from this channel for months I thought I'd try it again. I still end up with the same results. Is there any reason why I can't get this channel?

I'm like everyone else here wanting more HD and debating on whether or not to get a HD Tivo. I realize that if I get the Tivo I am committing myself to cable for a while, but I also don't see myself switching to U-verse until it's available on my street and they have the multiple HD stream issue resolved. My wife doesn't want a dish on the house so that is also out of the question. So here I am, debating on if the HD tivo will allow me to see these channels that currently hang... I'm torn between living with the 8300HD and purchasing a blue-ray player, or making the plunge to the Tivo unit & forgoing the blue-ray for now.

Thanks again!


I'd be happy to give my opinion. Please see my signature. You may substitute TiVo HD for TiVo S3.:)

I do not use on demand. Never. That's why my S3 has an eSATA that has 750gb total. If you like on demand you will not like not being able to access that.

Or you could just get a regular HD Box and split off.

You can try Time Warner's executive customer service. I heard stories of people actually getting things done when you call the big suits, if you are polite and don't act like an ass.

It's worth a shot....

Link: http://consumerist.com/340246/contact-time-warner-cable-northeast-ohio-executive-customer-service

Nice link. I'm in the Cleveland Suburbs area but it may get forwarded to the correct person.

Mr. Hookbill Goes to Washington(well, more like Time Warner)! Keep fighting and get us WBNX HD! :D:D:D:D:D

Small detail...

Yes, separate HD agreements are necessary, even when they already carry the analog version (remember when we went crazy years ago when Adelphia didn't offer WOIO?)

Small detail...

Yes, separate HD agreements are necessary, even when they already carry the analog version (remember when we went crazy years ago when Adelphia didn't offer WOIO?)

Yes and with TW you never know. I remember reading in the Plain Dealer last September that they hadn't reached an agreement with FOX on their HD. Of course they did and not much was said about it.

And that WOIO thing with Adelphia. Who can forget?

Is anyone having major lipsynch issues with Fox HD? I'm on Directv and it's off quite a bit. I even rebooted my machine and it didn't make a difference. I checked a few other channels and didn't notice any problems.

Is anyone having major lipsynch issues with Fox HD? I'm on Directv and it's off quite a bit. I even rebooted my machine and it didn't make a difference. I checked a few other channels and didn't notice any problems.

Yes, I made note of it in the game thread. The audio is in sync on the D* FOXE feed and WJW OTA, but out of sync on the D* MPEG4 locals channel 8. I've got an HR20 and H21 both out of sync.

I'm also having the sync issue with FOX 8 HD over Uverse, with audio about a second ahead. All my other channels are fine. Makes me feel better that it's not a provider issue.

I said thanks, I'll consider it after I talk to D* and I'll give you a call back.:rolleyes:

What a waste of time.

Hookbill, I'm assuming that you want to be treated with honesty and respect when you call a company. Everyone wants that.

Perhaps this "waste of time" would not have been so if you treated them as you want to be treated yourself.

Food for thought,

ck

I'm also having the sync issue with FOX 8 HD over Uverse, with audio about a second ahead. All my other channels are fine. Makes me feel better that it's not a provider issue.

Yeah, you're right the audio on D* is ahead, not behind. Maybe that's why my brain is having such a hard time processing this.

Hookbill, I'm assuming that you want to be treated with honesty and respect when you call a company. Everyone wants that.

Perhaps this "waste of time" would not have been so if you treated them as you want to be treated yourself.

Food for thought,

ck

Sorry bud, but I don't get this statement. I was never rude or anything to anybody specially the last person I talked to. In fact I was trying to be extra nice. I know you draw more flies with honey then you do with vinegar.

Anyway you wern't listening to my call so why do you assume it was something that I said? If you perceived it from my post that isn't the case at all.

Here is an email letter that I wrote to Steve Fry. You tell me what I did wrong.

Hello Mr. Fry.

I've been a TW customer since you took it over from Adelphia. Basically I've been pretty pleased with your CSR representatives since the acquisition of Adelphia.

This morning I wanted to talk to a representative about WBNX in HD. Yes, I understand that there may be reasons as to why you have not added this channel but I've emailed on 3 seperate occasions and each time I got different responses. One was a canned response saying "We are in negotiations." So several months later I write again and this time I'm told that we can expect something "big" soon and it may contain the station I requested. Vague answers to a specific question.

So today I decided I would call your customer service. I was told that there was a hold time and I would, if I wanted, get a call back. I left the information, I like this system I've used it in the past. When the representative, who's name was Nicki came on the line I told her why I was calling. After I finished she asked me to please hold. I thought she's probably seeking information.

Instead she came back to the phone and said, "sorry about that, how can I help you?" I pictured someone must have come up to her and she put me on hold. I already told her how she can help me. I asked if she was listening and she said, "you said something about an HD channel you wanted." I said yes. While I was in the middle of talking she cut me off and said, "we can't give out any information about HD channels."

This person did not only not have the decency to listen to me when she first picked up the phone, she was rude and interrupted me. I asked for a supervisor but of course no one was available. I told her that she was not a good CSR and that I intended to email someone about her. Then her attitude really picked up. "Do you want my last name, where I work, and my employee number? Because this call is ending soon." I told her to give me the information. She said "hold on" and threw me back into the call que.

Now I'm not sure if you're the person to contact about this but if you are not I'm sure you can contact whomever is responsible for this person.

The call took place at 8:51 Sunday morning January 13, 2008. Again her name was Nicki.

My name is hookbill
my address
Aurora, OH 44202
phone number

And I would appreciate it if you folks would add WBNX HD.

Sincerely,

hookbill

Remember this is the first person I spoke with.

The second person I spoke with was very nice. She said this is the best she could do for me. I told her thanks and if I decided to switch I would call back.

Now what the heck did I do wrong?

Sorry bud, but I don't get this statement. I was never rude or anything to anybody specially the last person I talked to. In fact I was trying to be extra nice. I know you draw more flies with honey then you do with vinegar.

Anyway you wern't listening to my call so why do you assume it was something that I said? If you perceived it from my post that isn't the case at all.

Here is an email letter that I wrote to Steve Fry. You tell me what I did wrong.

Hello Mr. Fry.

I've been a TW customer since you took it over from Adelphia. Basically I've been pretty pleased with your CSR representatives since the acquisition of Adelphia.

This morning I wanted to talk to a representative about WBNX in HD. Yes, I understand that there may be reasons as to why you have not added this channel but I've emailed on 3 seperate occasions and each time I got different responses. One was a canned response saying "We are in negotiations." So several months later I write again and this time I'm told that we can expect something "big" soon and it may contain the station I requested. Vague answers to a specific question.

So today I decided I would call your customer service. I was told that there was a hold time and I would, if I wanted, get a call back. I left the information, I like this system I've used it in the past. When the representative, who's name was Nicki came on the line I told her why I was calling. After I finished she asked me to please hold. I thought she's probably seeking information.

Instead she came back to the phone and said, "sorry about that, how can I help you?" I pictured someone must have come up to her and she put me on hold. I already told her how she can help me. I asked if she was listening and she said, "you said something about an HD channel you wanted." I said yes. While I was in the middle of talking she cut me off and said, "we can't give out any information about HD channels."

This person did not only not have the decency to listen to me when she first picked up the phone, she was rude and interrupted me. I asked for a supervisor but of course no one was available. I told her that she was not a good CSR and that I intended to email someone about her. Then her attitude really picked up. "Do you want my last name, where I work, and my employee number? Because this call is ending soon." I told her to give me the information. She said "hold on" and threw me back into the call que.

Now I'm not sure if you're the person to contact about this but if you are not I'm sure you can contact whomever is responsible for this person.

The call took place at 8:51 Sunday morning January 13, 2008. Again her name was Nicki.

My name is hookbill
my address
Aurora, OH 44202
phone number

And I would appreciate it if you folks would add WBNX HD.

Sincerely,

hookbill

Remember this is the first person I spoke with.

The second person I spoke with was very nice. She said this is the best she could do for me. I told her thanks and if I decided to switch I would call back.

Now what the heck did I do wrong?

Looks good to me, I also emailed Mr. Fry inquiring about the sub-par selection of HD channels that TWC offers. I will post the reply here when (or if) I get one.

Is anyone having major lipsynch issues with Fox HD? I'm on Directv and it's off quite a bit. I even rebooted my machine and it didn't make a difference. I checked a few other channels and didn't notice any problems.

Yes I had lip sync issues with Fox-HD last night as well. (HR20 and H20 through D*). I didn't notice until "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was on. I checked my SD TV upstairs and there was no problems with the SD broadcast. Must've been a local Fox-HD problem, not D*.

Hook,

I know you mentioned in the past the reason you're with TW instead of Satellite is that you have line of sight issues. I'm just curious if you actually had an installer out to your house lately to try anyways? If you can't get a sufficient signal, you could always refuse the service and go back to square 1 (TW).

D* new 5lnb dish is quite powerful. I've never had much luck with OTA's as I also live around a ton of trees, however I've NEVER had signal issues with the Direct TV!

Heck, maybe it's worth a try. I hate to see a fellow HD brother continue to suffer with TW's crappy service and lack of HD channels. And not that you need any additional incentive, but D* just reduced the upfront HR20/HR21 cost's to $199 plus an additional $99 rebate for new customers! (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/11/directvs-hr20-hr21-hd-dvrs-drop-to-199-99/)

Check this out! Ohio Media Watch did a story about WBNX today.

http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/2008/01/some-random-items.html

Yes I had lip sync issues with Fox-HD last night as well. (HR20 and H20 through D*). I didn't notice until "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was on. I checked my SD TV upstairs and there was no problems with the SD broadcast. Must've been a local Fox-HD problem, not D*.

There was no problem with the OTA HD broadcast from WJW, so it seems to have been a problem with D*'s re-encoding of the local feed.

I'm also having the sync issue with FOX 8 HD over Uverse, with audio about a second ahead. All my other channels are fine. Makes me feel better that it's not a provider issue.


There was no problem with the OTA HD broadcast from WJW, so it seems to have been a problem with D*'s re-encoding of the local feed.

But Rambozo had the lip-sync problems also via u-Verse. How is this explained?

But Rambozo had the lip-sync problems also via u-Verse. How is this explained?

I have no idea, other than U-Verse is also re-encoding to MPEG4 (I think). Maybe WJW feeds D* and U-Verse not OTA, but via fiber or some other method and there was a problem with that path?

I can't help with the WJW lip sync mystery as I was not watching WJW.

But I did notice numerous audio drops on CBS HD OTA during the Colts - Chargers game. Was this just OTA? Weather? My tuner? Or did the HD cable/sat guys notice these audio drops as well?

I didn't notice any such drops during commercials, but then I'm usually channel surfing during commercials.

Hook,

I know you mentioned in the past the reason you're with TW instead of Satellite is that you have line of sight issues. I'm just curious if you actually had an installer out to your house lately to try anyways? If you can't get a sufficient signal, you could always refuse the service and go back to square 1 (TW).

D* new 5lnb dish is quite powerful. I've never had much luck with OTA's as I also live around a ton of trees, however I've NEVER had signal issues with the Direct TV!

Heck, maybe it's worth a try. I hate to see a fellow HD brother continue to suffer with TW's crappy service and lack of HD channels. And not that you need any additional incentive, but D* just reduced the upfront HR20/HR21 cost's to $199 plus an additional $99 rebate for new customers! (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/11/directvs-hr20-hr21-hd-dvrs-drop-to-199-99/)

Not in a year. And it can't be done, no way now how. I've got too many trees.

Anyway, I'm happy with my S3.:)

Hook I gotta say I am suprised at how they are treating you....My uncle for 3 years in a row now has gotten the satellite buy back specials, even though he dosent have satellite! When it runs out he calls them up and they renew his lower rates, he has never been turned down....maybe cleveland area is a little more touchy though...I should talk to my cousin who works up there as a sub contractor see if there is anything he can do for you!

Hook I gotta say I am suprised at how they are treating you....My uncle for 3 years in a row now has gotten the satellite buy back specials, even though he dosent have satellite! When it runs out he calls them up and they renew his lower rates, he has never been turned down....maybe cleveland area is a little more touchy though...I should talk to my cousin who works up there as a sub contractor see if there is anything he can do for you!

FWIW I got a call back from someone at TW in regards to my email. He left a name and a number but he said it was in regards to WBNX. I'll attempt to call him at break tomorrow.

Oh, no...the Parma antenna farm stations kick into Akron with no problem.

The problem is the other way. The station now known as WVPX (Channel 23), even after powering up to 5MW a few years ago, has terrain problems between it and parts of the Cleveland area.

I know people have talked about it in here...I think that terrain in Richfield is the culprit causing problems from the WVPX site (near Rolling Acres Mall in Copley Township) for many Cleveland area viewers.

Meanwhile, there's no such major terrain obstruction to most of the Akron area to Parma/North Royalton/etc.

WAOH-LP is A) low power and B) located in Brimfield, near I-76/Rt. 43. Maybe you meant WOAC or something? :) WAOH-LP, of course, rebroadcasts 24/7 on W35AX Cleveland, which is in the Parma farm somewhere.That was a typo on my part. What I meant to say was we could never get WAKR or WEAO (i.e. 23 & 49). WAOH was not even on the air when I lived in Euclid. I was able to watch WAOH when I first moved to Seven Hills in '96 (this was literally just a few days before W35AX signed on right down the street). I watched the initial sign-on for W35AX.

FYI: there are 3 LPTV stations transmitted off the same tower here in Parma:
35, 53 & 65. And that tower is none other than WBNX's stick! which is almost due north of my by a little over 1 mile.

FWIW I got a call back from someone at TW in regards to my email. He left a name and a number but he said it was in regards to WBNX. I'll attempt to call him at break tomorrow.

I hope you get an answer from TWC.

I tried contacting them last year, but only got back a form letter.

I sent a question to the Beacon Journal TV writer a few weeks ago. I worded it so he might be tempted to call sources at TWC and get the scoop on their plans. No word back after 3 weeks.

Just to add another completely negative TW experience to the list.....
For Christmas, my wife and I received a Tivo HD. I called TW on Christmas Day to schedule an appointment to have 2 cable cards installed. I was told that someone could come out the following Sunday (12/30) to install them between 8-10 AM.

At 9:30 on 12/30, I got a very brief call (w/ a 'blocked' caller ID) telling me that they were out of cable cards and I should call back later in the week. I called TW's (877) number and was told that my cable cards were never even ordered in the first place, and that they usually take 8 business days to order and show up to the installer. I rescheduled my installation appointment for this past Sunday, 1/13, between 10 AM-12 PM.

At 11 AM on 1/13, I got the exact same call from the exact same person, letting me know that they were out of cable cards and that I should call back later in the week. I again called Time Warner immediately, and was told that the installer messed up, and since cable cards are delivered every Monday (huh?) that someone could come out today during any time frame that I wanted. I chose 6-8 PM so I wouldn't have to stay home from work.

I arrived home from work today, and waited....and waited......and waited. When no one had showed up by 8:15, I again called the (877) number. After waiting for 25 minutes, I was disconnected. I called back again, and after a 30 minute wait I finally spoke to someone. He could not give me any answers or reasons for no one showing up, but offered to make me another appointment for tomorrow (even though, as he told me, they were already "jam packed"). I am now scheduled, again, for a 6-8 PM install. I made it clear to the CSR that this was TW's last chance to please me, and that I am done with them if I do not have my cards installed by tomorrow (I'm sure that my complaint was quickly rushed to the supervisor on duty). If I didn't have a $300 Tivo, I would have already called D*.....but I might bite the bullet anyways if things go as I expect again tomorrow. I have worked in Customer Service and I would have been so embarrassed to be on the other end of the phone with myself. I am not usually a fan of "I hate 'X' big business", but I guess everyone needs to draw the line somewhere.

So, does anyone know if I will get any kind of deal by calling D* and telling them that I want to ditch my cable, or am I better off by just ordering online?


EDIT" To be fair, I did get a whopping $20 credit on my bill since they failed to honor their "on-time guarantee". Whoopee.

Sorry bud, but I don't get this statement. I was never rude or anything to anybody specially the last person I talked to. In fact I was trying to be extra nice. I know you draw more flies with honey then you do with vinegar.

Anyway you wern't listening to my call so why do you assume it was something that I said? If you perceived it from my post that isn't the case at all.


Hookbill, no I wasn't listening to your call. What I was listening to was your boasting about calling them up to bluff them about cable vs dish, and then later claiming that it was a waste of time.

AdamPS,
I think you should make note of whatever deal D* has online, then call D* directly and see if they can do better. I'm always reading about people here on AVS getting better deals calling them and doing a little wheeling and dealing.

Just googling "directv deals" brings up lots of stuff. Looks like you should at the very least get a free dish, free install, and pay no more than $99 for an HDDVR bundled with the $59/mo channel package. Free HD DVR if you go for all the movie channels.

So, does anyone know if I will get any kind of deal by calling D* and telling them that I want to ditch my cable, or am I better off by just ordering online?



Yes, there are definite deals to be made by calling customer retention to setup a D* install instead of doing it online. It took me 3 separate calls to get what I wanted.....

Along with massive discounts on the hardware (HR20, H20 and a SD Receiver), I also received 2 credits of $10. One for 12 months and the other for 10 months ($220 in total credits), plus 3 months of free HBO, Sho and Starz.

The install was done professionally and right the first time. The installer even redid all my cabling outside of the house to make everything nice and neat.

I noticed the lip sync issue last night during terminator at 9 but not during prison break at 8. I was watching WJW via Cox HD Cable.

I noticed the lip sync issue last night during terminator at 9 but not during prison break at 8. I was watching WJW via Cox HD Cable.

Noticed it as well again just on Terminator. The news at 10pm was fine. (Watching via D*). Maybe this is a problem with the actual show, since various cable/sat providers have experienced the same thing........

Yes, there are definite deals to be made by calling customer retention to setup a D* install instead of doing it online. It took me 3 separate calls to get what I wanted.....

Along with massive discounts on the hardware (HR20, H20 and a SD Receiver), I also received 2 credits of $10. One for 12 months and the other for 10 months ($220 in total credits), plus 3 months of free HBO, Sho and Starz.

The install was done professionally and right the first time. The installer even redid all my cabling outside of the house to make everything nice and neat.

Thanks (and thanks Paule123 as well). I am leaning more and more towards calling D* regardless of how things go today. I am completely fed up with TW.

I know everyone that Directv has the "most" HD now, but Dish is coming on strong....and have announced cleveland locals in HD coming soon... I just say that because I am very happy with my 722 and with Dish service, but I also know that D* is kicking them in the groin right now with HD so if that is a must have then by all means call them. Also remember that while it may be bad now, a tivo and HD service from Time warner is not bad at all, if you have navigator I am sorry, it seems like its getting better just really really slow.

I and have announced cleveland locals in HD coming soon... .


Dish has been saying that and I'm not kidding for years. I'm sure it will happen some day but if you think this is something that's new I got some beach front property in Arizona I'd like to talk to you about.:D

Dish has been saying that and I'm not kidding for years. I'm sure it will happen some day but if you think this is something that's new I got some beach front property in Arizona I'd like to talk to you about.:D

Ya, it's the same with everyone now. Wether it be D*, E*, Toshiba, Sony, Time Warner, ect...ect...ect...
They tell you what you want to hear (lie through their teeth) to string you along for as long as possible... and if they get a bunch of your money along the way, then they've accomplished their goal :rolleyes:.

Hookbill, no I wasn't listening to your call. What I was listening to was your boasting about calling them up to bluff them about cable vs dish, and then later claiming that it was a waste of time.
:confused::confused::confused:

Whatever. If that's what you think, fine.

Here is an email I got from TW as a result of my previouse email.

I left you a voice mail yesterday in response to an email you sent on Sunday. I had the call you spoke about pulled and personally listened to it. Believe me, what I heard is not the kind of customer service that I expect of our staff. Please accept my apology for the way you were treated. I have taken the appropriate action to make sure that we help that particular agent understand what we expect. I appreciate you bringing the issue to our attention.

Speaking to your specific question about the HD signal of WBNX. We do not currently carry that, as you know. It is our understanding that the station is carrying roughly 12 hours of HD programming on a weekly basis. That is a relatively small amount and we are carefully managing our bandwidth to make sure that we provide our customers with the greatest amount of HD programming available. Having said that, we are working hard to bring as much HD programming as we can to our customers and will be making some announcements later this year. I cannot tell you for sure that WBNX HD will be among those that we carry, but I can tell you that we are looking at all HD programming available in the market.

To answer your question....why should you stay with us versus going to a satellite company, let me offer a few thoughts.
If something breaks, repairs are your problem. With our product, you get free service calls whenever something goes wrong. With a dish, you bear the cost.
Satellite equipment can become obsolete. Technology is changing at a very rapid pace. With Time Warner, you can be sure that we will keep up with technology and take that worry off the table. When you want to upgrade to a newer product or service, we take care of that for you. Simply call and we will make sure that you have the equipment needed to deliver all of our new products.
Satellite dishes are more expensive with each television you hook up. At Time Warner, one subscription brings TV to every set in your home. There are additional charges for any equipment on those sets, but you can get our standard level of service on all sets for no extra monthly charge.
With your interest in local HD channels, you should know that Time Warner is in the best position to add HD services going forward. The satellite companies have very limited capacity to add local HD channels. Over the long run, Time Warner will deliver more product.
Once more, please accept my apology for how you were handled during the call you made. Please contact me directly should you have any further concerns.

Don Jensen
VP Customer Care
Time Warner Cable
Northeast Ohio Division.

So he says they don't carry it because they don't offer enough HD programming? What, TBS does? I'm talking real HD here.

I didn't get a chance to call him but I will email him back.

Ya that 12 hours of HD content is kind-of BS. Nice apology though, that's actually a rare thing now-a-days. Sad that it is, but it is. Every reason he mentioned why to stick with TW is smoke and mirrors in my opinion. Everything is figured into the cost. Of course they'll come to your house and fix everything free of charge, it's included in the bill. That's why TW costs more than satellite.

Here's what I had to say. I should have mentioned that they have TBS in two channels 600 and 800 in my area as well. Forgot about that.

Dear Mr. Jensen,

You say you want to save bandwith and you don't want to waste it on a channel that only carries 12 hours of HD programming. What you consider wastefull bandwith is really a matter of opinion.

Let's look at TBS HD. Do they really carry that much HD? Much of their "HD" programming is just stretched out standard definition. TNT, which I do watch from time to time does the same.

"My 43"? Just how many shows do they have in HD? Let's see, the local news at 10:00 pm and, I think that's it.

And since you no longer have INHD2, that should have made more bandwith possible. And what about the analog channels that you have moved recently to digital. Analog signals are a huge waste of bandwith and you've moved several channels over to the digital side.

I personally don't watch most of the HD channels you offer. Mojo is a waste of time. Discovery is OK if you have nothing else better to watch, I will compliment it's quality HD.

So why do I want WBNX? 2 shows. Smallville and Supernatural. Those two shows alone make it worth while to me.

When you watch HD you want to see the shows that look and sound the best. Since you deliver these shows in analog only they are in poor quality. Look at the repeats of Smallville on HDnet. Beautiful.

And why isn't WBNX at least available in digital? It is the only local network you don't have in digital.
I'm not trying to be rude but don't blow smoke in my face talking about wasted bandwith. My 43 is the biggest waste of bandwith there is in HD on TW.

And then there's that message you run on the spot where the Tube use to be. We've all read it now. You can take it down and save a bit more bandwith.

As far as your equipment argument goes, I have a TiVo S3 because basically your DVR, the SA 8300 is a complete piece of garbage. You can't even program first run programs on that thing unless it's changed since I dragged it tied to my car bumper back to TW over a year ago.

I would have loved to talked to you in person but just like you I'm busy and during business hours I don't have time to talk about my cable tv.

I really do appreciate you taking the time for the personal response. I hope you don't find my response offensive. I'm just being honest.

Sincerely,

Hook, that may be a bit too harsh. It gives the impression that you are yelling the entire time. If your intention is to give him an "earful", then that will do it for sure. If you're looking for some empathy, resulting in maybe a cheper rate or something, you're not going to get it with a letter like that.
However, I do agree on all your points.:)

Speaking to your specific question about the HD signal of WBNX. We do not currently carry that, as you know. It is our understanding that the station is carrying roughly 12 hours of HD programming on a weekly basis. That is a relatively small amount and we are carefully managing our bandwidth to make sure that we provide our customers with the greatest amount of HD programming available. .

Are they kidding? TBS-HD:rolleyes: has NO HD!! Not one show on TBS has been HD since MLB ended. That 12 hours of programming on WBNX beats TBS. Even if TBS had dome HD content, I'd rather watch the hot chicks on "One Tree Hill" and the demons on "Supernatural" than repeats of Raymond and crappy movies. And unlike TBS, WBNX is expanding. WWE is supposed to be going HD this year.

And you make a good point about (NOT)My43. 19's Sleaze Cast at 10 is the only HD show, not worthy of an HD channel. I was afraid Sharon's face would crack my screen!:eek:

According to the artical at OMW, eliminating one analog channel frees up enough bandwidth for 2 HD channels. This year TW moved CSPAN2 off analog as well as ESPN Classic in some areas. That SHOULD equal FOUR new HD channels. Plus Akron eliminated two analog preview channels. And along with that, there are countless other channels that should be dumped from analog. I'll list a few: Inspiration, Fit TV, GAC, Hallmark, Discovery Health, Lifetime Movies, CNN Headline. That would be 14 more HD channels.

According to the artical at OMW, eliminating one analog channel frees up enough bandwidth for 2 HD channels.

Have a link to this article? I'd like to read it - something's bugging me about this 1:2 analog:HD ratio..

Have a link to this article? I'd like to read it - something's bugging me about this 1:2 analog:HD ratio..

http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/2008/01/some-random-items.html

And you make a good point about (NOT)My43. 19's Sleaze Cast at 10 is the only HD show, not worthy of an HD channel.

I must now take a station-time-out to chuckle, snort, and guffaw.... For some goofy reason, I'm remembering the days when 43 was "The Star Channel", and the guy two houses down from me was the envy of the neighborhood because he had cable and could get this station.... :)

Warning, Warning! Those ugly U-Verse Cabinets in tree lawns have been reported to systematically explode due to bad batteries! :eek: There has been several confirmed incidents, including one in Cleveland. Those who live near a box, please be forewarned.

See link: here. (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/16/atandt-u-verse-batteries-going-supernova/)

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2008/01/20080115-u-verse_batteries.jpg

Just to address some of the points the TW exec made contrasting cable to Sat at least regarding my experiences w/D*.
Here is an email I got from TW as a result of my previouse email.

To answer your question....why should you stay with us versus going to a satellite company, let me offer a few thoughts.
If something breaks, repairs are your problem. With our product, you get free service calls whenever something goes wrong. With a dish, you bear the cost.
D* does offer a service plan for ~$7 per month where all service calls are free as well as DVR replacements. 'Course now that the DVRs are leased the DVR issue isn't as big a deal, but I had a couple HD Tivos replaced when the hard drives failed for free under this plan. Yes, I guess I was paying $7 per month for the priviledge, but I had the option of paying that or not, while TW essentially forces you to pay it.
Satellite equipment can become obsolete. Technology is changing at a very rapid pace. With Time Warner, you can be sure that we will keep up with technology and take that worry off the table. When you want to upgrade to a newer product or service, we take care of that for you. Simply call and we will make sure that you have the equipment needed to deliver all of our new products.
This can be true - it did cost me $99 to upgrade my MPEG2 devices to MPEG4 under D* which included switching to the new 5 channel feedhorn and 3 HD DVRs, I can't complain a lot, and there don't seem to be any upgrades coming beyond MPEG4 anytime soon. After all Adelphia wanted $75 just to turn on the cable when I inquired about a cable modem a few years ago.
Satellite dishes are more expensive with each television you hook up. At Time Warner, one subscription brings TV to every set in your home. There are additional charges for any equipment on those sets, but you can get our standard level of service on all sets for no extra monthly charge.
True - D* charges an extra $5 per active receiver. But you can hook up a receiver to multiple TVs (using different outputs) so I have 1 receiver connected via HDMI to my HDTV that also feeds a 2nd TV by composite (very useful when I want to watch 2 games simultaneously). Obviously you have to watch the same channel on both TVs, but how many TVs are watched simultaneously w/unique programming in most houses anyway?
With your interest in local HD channels, you should know that Time Warner is in the best position to add HD services going forward. The satellite companies have very limited capacity to add local HD channels. Over the long run, Time Warner will deliver more product.
Doesn't D* have more HD capacity than anyone else right now? Currently they don't offer HD LIL versions of 25, 43, 55 & 61 (other than OTA) though so perhaps some of the criticism is valid.

Overall I don't think what the TW wrote was untrue, but there were some partial truths there, or at least not the full story...

Quote from TW letter:
With your interest in local HD channels, you should know that Time Warner is in the best position to add HD services going forward. The satellite companies have very limited capacity to add local HD channels. Over the long run, Time Warner will deliver more product.


This one is TOTALLY misleading. D* is about to launch another satellite that will pretty much handle local HD. Unlike national channels, it's not like there's going to be an infinite number of local HD channels. As DaMavs stated, once D* adds 43, 55, & 61, there won't be anything else, at least until 25 begins local HD programming, which is unlikely for a LONG time. Given that 61 currently has NO high definition programming, it really only means 2 channels and capacity won't be an issue for them.

Satellite dishes are more expensive with each television you hook up. At Time Warner, one subscription brings TV to every set in your home. There are additional charges for any equipment on those sets, but you can get our standard level of service on all sets for no extra monthly charge.
True - D* charges an extra $5 per active receiver. But you can hook up a receiver to multiple TVs (using different outputs) so I have 1 receiver connected via HDMI to my HDTV that also feeds a 2nd TV by composite (very useful when I want to watch 2 games simultaneously). Obviously you have to watch the same channel on both TVs, but how many TVs are watched simultaneously w/unique programming in most houses anyway?
This (like the service plan you mentioned) is also a potential cost savings for the consumer. If I had a bunch of TVs it would likely cost less for me to subscribe to TWC, but since I only have 3, I save some money by subscribing to D*.

With your interest in local HD channels, you should know that Time Warner is in the best position to add HD services going forward. The satellite companies have very limited capacity to add local HD channels. Over the long run, Time Warner will deliver more product.
This may not be as misleading as some may think. Cable companies only have to retransmit the local stations they have agreements with to for the customers they serve in a market. D* OTOH has to retransmit all of the local stations they have agreements with to all of their customers using their finite number of satellites. Things would be different if TWC had only one head end and had to retransmit all of the locals on their lines, but with the regional head ends they're able to divide up the load.

Dish has been saying that and I'm not kidding for years. I'm sure it will happen some day but if you think this is something that's new I got some beach front property in Arizona I'd like to talk to you about.:D

Yeah I know they made an announcement, but they have been testing Spotbeams at 61.5 and They Said this time we are in the first group to be launched, before announcements were just that cleveland locals were coming...now its they are going to be next...I say all that to say this, I do enjoy Dish network service, but in no way am I trying to sell anything as They are really in a bind right now as far as HD plans go ( I will give you a hint, they have none :) )

Hook, I see your last letter as not getting answered...not because you were too rude, but because these people really dont care about us..I think if they really wanted to make a difference, they would come to these forums and answer questions as they know them today, or be more forthcoming with their plans....as I have said before Look at D* very aggressive with their marketing (and they had the plans to back it up!)

okay so I am doing some reading as I am updating a Program on our computer and found this very interesting (this is from an article talking about time warner and how they are changing their internet pricing on avsforum)

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19813387-


notice them talking about a nationwide backbone for video, meaning could we see all markets have the same channels, HD, VOD and everything (well locals would be different plus local information, but you get the picture)? or am I reading that wrong :)

Hook, I see your last letter as not getting answered...not because you were too rude, but because these people really dont care about us..I think if they really wanted to make a difference, they would come to these forums and answer questions as they know them today, or be more forthcoming with their plans....as I have said before Look at D* very aggressive with their marketing (and they had the plans to back it up!)

Well, you never know. I did get a response:

No offense taken....I appreciate the honest feedback.

Don Jensen


This E-mail and any of its attachments may contain Time Warner
Cable proprietary information, which is privileged, confidential,
or subject to copyright belonging to Time Warner Cable. This E-mail
is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which
it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this
E-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,
distribution, copying, or action taken in relation to the contents
of and attachments to this E-mail is strictly prohibited and may be
unlawful. If you have received this E-mail in error, please notify
the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any
copy of this E-mail and any printout.

I left this part in just to show it was from TW. Not that I think any of you would think I was making it up.

Hook, that may be a bit too harsh. It gives the impression that you are yelling the entire time. If your intention is to give him an "earful", then that will do it for sure. If you're looking for some empathy, resulting in maybe a cheper rate or something, you're not going to get it with a letter like that.
However, I do agree on all your points.:)

First, I honestly was not looking for a rate reduction from TW from these guys. I just wanted my voice heard. I never mentioned in my email anything like, "I would like a lower price" or anything. I just did that with customer service and despite what somebody thought I was just testing to see what they would do.

I actually had a very nice email all set up and ready to go. Then I started thinking about it.

I then started editing. And the more I thought about it the more truthfull I got. I wanted him to know that he wasn't talking to some bozo out there who knows absolutely nothing about HD. While I may not be as smart as some of you guys, I'm not an idiot. And then I saw how lame his excuses were. So I let him have it.

And as you said, I didn't say anything that wasn't true.

As you can see from his "feedback" he really didn't have much of a response. What could he say? I had him by the short hairs.

Short hairs... is that the same as nose hairs? :D:D:D

What did you want his response to be? It sounds like anything less then "We're adding WBNXHD" would have been acceptable.

okay so I am doing some reading as I am updating a Program on our computer and found this very interesting (this is from an article talking about time warner and how they are changing their internet pricing on avsforum)

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19813387-


notice them talking about a nationwide backbone for video, meaning could we see all markets have the same channels, HD, VOD and everything (well locals would be different plus local information, but you get the picture)? or am I reading that wrong :)


Another article:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080117/time_warner_cable_internet.html?.v=2

I saw that, but I was more interested in this leaked document stating that they want a national backbone for video, meaning if the carolinas get FOODHD, then cleveland should have it too. The document basically stated that once they get the acquisitions then it will be easily accomplished, and they want to do this in 08.

I saw that, but I was more interested in this leaked document stating that they want a national backbone for video, meaning if the carolinas get FOODHD, then cleveland should have it too. The document basically stated that once they get the acquisitions then it will be easily accomplished, and they want to do this in 08.

Do you have a link?

see post 11210, or 11215

What did you want his response to be? It sounds like anything less then "We're adding WBNXHD" would have been acceptable.

Oh gee, I don't know. He could have tried to defend his statements after ripped them to shreds. But then he didn't have a defense for that so he said what he said. At least he was man enough to acknowledge my response.

I had no "expectations" from him at all. He threw all his canned responses out there and it just didn't work.

First, I honestly was not looking for a rate reduction from TW from these guys. I just wanted my voice heard.

Hmm... funny, I thought I read something from another "Hookbill" who recently wrote -

So what in the heck does TW have planned? Well, I think the first thing I'm going to do is as soon as I get a chance I plan on calling them and telling them about all these other marvelous choices around and hey isn't my cable bill awful high and why should I stay with them? Hopefully they won't know I'm bluffing because I have the S3 but knowing their CSR's I think that will go over their head.

They probably will respond with a "generous" roll back for a whole 3 months. At that point I will laugh and tell them I'll call them back probably tomorrow after I call D* and find out when they are coming out. Either they will say "have a nice day" or they will do the smart thing and put me on hold for a few seconds while they pretend to talk to a supervisor and offer me 6 months. I'll tell them I want a year or I'm splitting.


Must've been your twin, hmm?

What's wrong with this picture?:confused::confused::confused: Hookbill has the orbs to take on the criminal slime at Time Warner and HE is being attacked? I applaud Mr. Hookbill for speaking up and demanding an answer from Time Warner. Their lack of HD is unacceptable and they should be forced to answer to their customers.

I think if they really wanted to make a difference, they would come to these forums and answer questions as they know them today, or be more forthcoming with their plans

Maybe... There are basically two employee classes at places like TWC or any other big business - upper management, and the people under them. Both typically have valid reasons for not posting to forums such as this one. The "little people" don't dare talk about their employer or future plans for fear of losing their job, and management never wants to release any future plans in case things change down the road.

I'm in mgmt where I work - we started developing a new product about 18 months ago that probably will never be released due to "human factor" complications, but news about the project got out. Clients were leaked information saying it would be ready 1Q 2007, which was completely unrealistic. We're still working on it, but... I get calls all the time asking when it will be ready - never sure how to answer them.

I'm not trying to excuse TWC - they certainly have plenty of faults, but I do understand their reasons for not wanting to release too much information about future plans.

What's wrong with this picture?:confused::confused::confused: Hookbill has the orbs to take on the criminal slime at Time Warner and HE is being attacked? I applaud Mr. Hookbill for speaking up and demanding an answer from Time Warner. Their lack of HD is unacceptable and they should be forced to answer to their customers.

To follow up my previous post, I completely agree... Although I'm sure there's a lot going in TWC-land that we're not aware of, there comes a point when customers get ticked off enough to justify some prompt action on TWC's part.

To follow up my previous post, I completely agree... Although I'm sure there's a lot going in TWC-land that we're not aware of, there comes a point when customers get ticked off enough to justify some prompt action on TWC's part.

WBNX HD should be added, at least. I posted that link to the OMW article earlier and if there's anything to that
"1 analog=2 HD" there should be alot more channels, especially on the legacy system in Akron. We had ESPNC and CSPAN2 moved to digital as well as preview channels # 17 and 96 eliminated. There should be a few more channels added. Even though SDV most likely will not happen anytime soon, there's no excuse for TW's poor service. Even the former Adelphia channel alignment argument is weak. They've had over a year to make progress.

As U-Verse spreads and more HD is added there and DirecTV, I can only see more and more customers leaving. Advabced Fiber network my a--!

I don't get the "they only offer 12 hours of HD programming" response for Time Warner re: WBNX.

Only the fact that all the local news operations have gone HD prevents that statement from being true about ALL THE OTHER over-air networks! And before the local newscasts started going HD, they still added the stations, no?

Meanwhile, as pointed out, WUAB "My 43" has five hours a week in HD, only because they carry their sister station's 10 PM newscast...and unless there are changes coming to MyNetworkTV that haven't been publicized yet, that's not likely to change anytime soon.

...and if there's anything to that
"1 analog=2 HD" there should be alot more channels, especially on the legacy system in Akron.

Let's walk through this, since it's been thrown out from the blog to here.

A QAM channel on TWC generally carries either two 1080i channels, or up to three 720p feeds, if I remember right, on what would be a single analog channel. Is that correct?

It's been a while since I tuned through QAM. My Fusion5USB HDTV tuner bit the dust, and I'm not replacing it. To tune QAM on my upstairs HDTV, I'd have to disconnect the SA8000HD and run a cable directly into it.

If I remember right, say, channel 113 carried two local HD feeds, WKYC and WVIZ, or something like that.

The SD channels on QAM would be a lot more...I think I remember some of them having over a dozen subchannels.

Let's walk through this, since it's been thrown out from the blog to here.

A QAM channel on TWC generally carries either two 1080i channels, or up to three 720p feeds, if I remember right, on what would be a single analog channel. Is that correct?

It's been a while since I tuned through QAM. My Fusion5USB HDTV tuner bit the dust, and I'm not replacing it. To tune QAM on my upstairs HDTV, I'd have to disconnect the SA8000HD and run a cable directly into it.

If I remember right, say, channel 113 carried two local HD feeds, WKYC and WVIZ, or something like that.

The SD channels on QAM would be a lot more...I think I remember some of them having over a dozen subchannels.

I did a QAM scan on WOW last week with TSReader and the OnAir USB GT and IIRC, there's about 38Mbps per QAM (http://www.rccfiber.com/QAM%20Math.htm)

Generally there's 2 HD's per QAM on WOW, sometimes 2 HD's + 1 SD.

You are correct, there can be at least a dozen regular SD channels per QAM. I didn't count them all but I easily saw 12 to 16 per QAM, maybe more. PBS will run an SD subchannel in as little as 1.5Mbps, so if the cableco wanted to, they could pack as many as 25 SD channels per QAM. They would be gawdawful for any kind of motion, but it would get the job done.

I've noticed in the last few weeks WOW moving a bunch of stuff out of the analog 80's and 90's, presumably to make more room for HDs. This is where the analog PPV and pornos used to live. I guess WOW has reached the point where those folks need to upgrade to a digital set top box or no more porno. :D

Time Warner Akron has:
Two 1080i and two 480i-WKYC and WNEO HD on 101.1/101.3 and Weather Plus and WNEO-DT on 101.2/101.4

Also two 720p and one 480i-WEW-HD and WJW-HD on 104.2 and 104.3 and WOIO-2 on 104.8

Two 1080i-WOIO HD and WUAB HD:rolleyes: on 108.1 and 108.2

Now that we've cleared up digital vs. HD, what about analog vs. HD? I know getting rid of analog frees up a sizeable amount of bandwidth, but any ideas on an close to exact number? With CSPAN2/ESPNC/ and two preview channels(all analog) gone, how many more HD channels should there be?

Time Warner Akron has:
Two 1080i and two 480i-WKYC and WNEO HD on 101.1/101.3 and Weather Plus and WNEO-DT on 101.2/101.4

Also two 720p and one 480i-WEW-HD and WJW-HD on 104.2 and 104.3 and WOIO-2 on 104.8

Two 1080i-WOIO HD and WUAB HD:rolleyes: on 108.1 and 108.2

And are they showing TBSHD on two different channels? They are here in my area.

Isn't that a waste of bandwith?

And are they showing TBSHD on two different channels? They are here in my area.

Isn't that a waste of bandwith?

Yes, I have it on 546 and 600. Just like HBO and Showtime are on 380/381, 390/391 and 580/581, 590/591. The 300s numbers really don't make sense since all the HD channels are in the 500s. I never use the 300s or # 600.

I was thinking this was the beginning of a standardization but it wouldn't make sense to start the HD line up with TBS. And our HD channels are already situated in the 500s. If any standardization came I would expect to see other areas made to match the legacy system.

I think they went with TBS in two places to have a common number between systems to make promotion easier.

I don't get the "they only offer 12 hours of HD programming" response for Time Warner re: WBNX.

Only the fact that all the local news operations have gone HD prevents that statement from being true about ALL THE OTHER over-air networks! And before the local newscasts started going HD, they still added the stations, no?

Meanwhile, as pointed out, WUAB "My 43" has five hours a week in HD, only because they carry their sister station's 10 PM newscast...and unless there are changes coming to MyNetworkTV that haven't been publicized yet, that's not likely to change anytime soon.

Unless you also count MyNetwork TV's "superior" HD network feed. I'll never understand why the SD feed does not have a bug on screen but the HD network feed does. Even though everything on MNTV is SD there is still a bug in the right sidebar that slightly hangs over into the picture. If there was ever a good time to "forget to flip the HD switch" it would be on My43.

And are they showing TBSHD on two different channels? They are here in my area.

Isn't that a waste of bandwith?

Looked into this earlier today. Brought up both TBSHD channels on my friend's SA8300HD and went to the diagnostics screen - frequency and A/V program IDs were the same for both channels. Verified this on my TiVo. (Both of us are in the Akron area.)

Unless I'm missing something dumb, this means that the two TBSHD channels are pointing to the same RF "slot", for lack of a better term, and TW isn't actually sending out two separate TBSHD feeds.

At least they got THAT right... Why they're doing it is still a puzzle to me. Maybe TBS is paying them for the second channel appearance to boost ratings...

I'll look at the duplicate HBO and Showtime channels tomorrow. I expect it's the same situation. Using this method, they could have 40 channels assigned to TBSHD or any other digital slot and not use any more bandwidth than a single channel would. (Yes, I'm ignoring the trivial amount of additional bandwidth needed per channel for the program guide, etc.)

And are they showing TBSHD on two different channels? They are here in my area.

Isn't that a waste of bandwith?

Just because its their on two channel NUMBERS dosent meaning its taking up two channel spots. You can assign a unlimited amount of numbers to a slot. It happens on Dish network all the time, with HD channels in the 9400's and then mapped down (software telling the reciever to map it down to lets say 140 for ESPN, so if you tune to 140 you will get ESPNHD, hit the channel up and you will get channel 140 ESPNSD). there is no extra bandwidth in play as its just virtual numbers assigned to real channels.

Just because its their on two channel NUMBERS dosent meaning its taking up two channel spots. You can assign a unlimited amount of numbers to a slot. It happens on Dish network all the time, with HD channels in the 9400's and then mapped down (software telling the reciever to map it down to lets say 140 for ESPN, so if you tune to 140 you will get ESPNHD, hit the channel up and you will get channel 140 ESPNSD). there is no extra bandwidth in play as its just virtual numbers assigned to real channels.

Good point. I remember seeing that on D* as well where locals(SD) were available at their regular channel slots and then if you went into some crazy area where you would never thiink of goinng they would be there as well.

I'm glad now that I didn't bring up that point in my letter back to TW. :}

Unless you also count MyNetwork TV's "superior" HD network feed. I'll never understand why the SD feed does not have a bug on screen but the HD network feed does. Even though everything on MNTV is SD there is still a bug in the right sidebar that slightly hangs over into the picture. If there was ever a good time to "forget to flip the HD switch" it would be on My43.

The picture itself on HD is upgraded so it is a "superior" picture then the HD feed. But quite honestly that SD digital feed looks a little washed out on my S3. I have my S3 set for "best" quality on the analog feeds and I think that the pq is pretty close.

Even though everything on MNTV is SD...:confused:
The last time I checked MNTV they were showing a movie in HD, so the statement that "everything" is SD is not quite true. They did start out with more HD content, however when the "Novella" concept bombed they reverted to what they do best: wresteling :p.

Now that we've cleared up digital vs. HD, what about analog vs. HD? I know getting rid of analog frees up a sizeable amount of bandwidth, but any ideas on an close to exact number? With CSPAN2/ESPNC/ and two preview channels(all analog) gone, how many more HD channels should there be?

Wouldn't it basically be the same?

The digital feeds on those channels would replace the use of that channel as an analog, I presume...and you can squeeze in two or three HDs per former analog channel. I seem to recall that TWC here can fit three 720p channels in one channel, and I presume the bandwidth for the entire channel is the same digital or analog.

I could be wrong on this, as could others. I'm working on a lack of knowledge for the most part.

One thing is sure - dumping analog channels into digital cable does produce bandwidth savings, which is one big reason cable companies are trying to migrate analog channels wherever possible, and providing "digital" simulcast versions of the local affiliates.

What's wrong with this picture?:confused::confused::confused: Hookbill has the orbs to take on the criminal slime at Time Warner and HE is being attacked? I applaud Mr. Hookbill for speaking up and demanding an answer from Time Warner. Their lack of HD is unacceptable and they should be forced to answer to their customers.

No attack intended, nickdawg, only looking for consistency and honesty. Read my previous response again with this in mind.

No attack intended, nickdawg, only looking for consistency and honesty. Read my previous response again with this in mind.

You know dude you are so full of it. How dare you attack my honesty. I said with full intention that I wanted to see what kind of deal TW would give me if I threatened to leave. I said they didn't offer me anything. Then you took a totally unrelated post which was a response to an email I received specifically about WBNX and HD and made that seem like I was trying to get something from them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You have been attacking me and I've chosen not to respond but apparently you have not got the message. You have absolutely no right to question my integrity. So once again I'm going to explain that you are right, I did try to see what TW would do for me. You responded with the statement of "treating others like I would like to be treated" when you had absolutely no idea how I was treated.

The letter I sent to TW was to complain about the way I was treated by customer service and again to ask why I we didn't get WBNX.

Somewhere along the line you decided I wasn't treating someone nice. That was why I said "whatever" in hopes you would drop it. But apparently you can't.

So do me a favor. Drop it now because I don't want to get into a big fight over this. You want to keep it up, then fine I'll bring out a side of my personality you really don't want to see. And that is not a threat that's a promise.

Back off. Anymore comments on this and I'll consider it harassment. And I won't need a mod to intervene. Trust me.

FYI, for you D* people, they have activated the "remote booking" option where you can schedule a recording remotely via the D* website. You don't need the phone or internet connection on the HR20/HR21 DVR --- they send the command to record down from the satellite. Pretty cool. They also have a "mobile" site where you can do this from your cellphone.

As far as cable's capability to do this, to quote hookbill's sig line, "don't make me laugh" :D

I'm liking DirecTV more and more every day.

FYI, for you D* people, they have activated the "remote booking" option where you can schedule a recording remotely via the D* website. You don't need the phone or internet connection on the HR20/HR21 DVR --- they send the command to record down from the satellite. Pretty cool. They also have a "mobile" site where you can do this from your cellphone.

As far as cable's capability to do this, to quote hookbill's sig line, "don't make me laugh" :D

I'm liking DirecTV more and more every day.

I thought you could always do that with D*. FWIW you can also do this with TiVo from either their website or www.zap2it.com. I prefer option 2, it's easier to work with.

In addition if you have a Verizon phone you can program your TiVo that way as well.

Now having said all of that I still prefer to program in front of my TV. If there is a conflict of any kind I can see it right away without getting an email or a message on my S3. And as far as using my cell to program, well, small buttons big fingers.:D

I'm the exact opposite. I prefer to use a website, mostly because I find it much easier to search the program guide with a real keyboard, rather than having to use direction keys, etc. The D* function works quite well, both on my HD DVR and my SD DVR.

I thought you could always do that with D*. FWIW you can also do this with TiVo from either their website or www.zap2it.com. I prefer option 2, it's easier to work with.

In addition if you have a Verizon phone you can program your TiVo that way as well.

Now having said all of that I still prefer to program in front of my TV. If there is a conflict of any kind I can see it right away without getting an email or a message on my S3. And as far as using my cell to program, well, small buttons big fingers.:D

I got a new Panasonic set on Friday night. Unhooked the old Panasonic after my wife went to bed and hooked up the new one. Before I unhooked the old one we had been watching WOIO's HD feed on 19.1. After the new set was hooked up I ran the scan of digital channels and it did not tune in WOIO (actually the old set also tuned in a PBS HD signal on 25.1 I believe; the only channels I was able to get on this one were WEWS, WKYC, WJW, and WUAB). I've run the scan two or three times since then, but still no luck. My old set went to my folks who live in Ashtabula County; I was unable to tune in WOIO on my old set at their house as well.

I have cable through TWC, not using an antenna as I don't have one, but I was previously able to get these couple channels and I'm not now. I'm in South Euclid.

Help please?

I got a new Panasonic set on Friday night. Unhooked the old Panasonic after my wife went to bed and hooked up the new one. Before I unhooked the old one we had been watching WOIO's HD feed on 19.1. After the new set was hooked up I ran the scan of digital channels and it did not tune in WOIO (actually the old set also tuned in a PBS HD signal on 25.1 I believe; the only channels I was able to get on this one were WEWS, WKYC, WJW, and WUAB). I've run the scan two or three times since then, but still no luck. My old set went to my folks who live in Ashtabula County; I was unable to tune in WOIO on my old set at their house as well.

I have cable through TWC, not using an antenna as I don't have one, but I was previously able to get these couple channels and I'm not now. I'm in South Euclid.

Help please?

I'm not an OTA person but if you could get it on one, why not the other?

I know that WVIZ is next to impossible to receive OTA so if you were getting that my assumption is, and your probably not going to like this, you had a better OTA tuner on your old set.

Since you do have cable though if you're paying for the HD channels you might as well just use them. OTA as far as I'm concerned is good for picking up other stations in different areas so you don't have to put up with weather breaks (OMG, it snows in N.E. Ohio!).:)

Hang tight though. I'm sure someone else may come in with a better answer.

That's the problem though, is that I can't get them over my cable connection. I used to be able to on my old set (you're right, it wouldn't surprise me that the old one had a better tuner, though it was only a year old and they're both Panasonics). I'm trying to pick them up with the set's built-in QAM (I think that's the one that you use to tune in digital signals?) tuner.

I know my question is worded kind of strangely, but I'm not an uber-technical guy when it comes to the HD stuff.

Thanks!

Edit: I guess that "in the clear" is the term for the channels I'm talking about. Maybe that helps?

Adam P,

You need to call TW and tell them of your situation. Tell them that you got a new HDTV and can't get all the channels that you did on your old one. Try NOT to get into the QAM discussion, as the CSR will probably be too dumb/ignorant to even know what that is. Tell them you want a technincian to come to your house and check the line. More than likely you need an amplifier on you line because the tuner in your new tv isn't as strong as the one in the old tv. Not really the fault of the tv, it's more than likely because you are getting a weak signal from TW.
Your objective will be to get a technician to your house to check the line. When he gets there, tell him you think you need an amplifier on your line and probably a new "drop" too. The drop is the line between your house and the street.

FYI, for you D* people, they have activated the "remote booking" option where you can schedule a recording remotely via the D* website. You don't need the phone or internet connection on the HR20/HR21 DVR --- they send the command to record down from the satellite. Pretty cool. They also have a "mobile" site where you can do this from your cellphone.

As far as cable's capability to do this, to quote hookbill's sig line, "don't make me laugh" :D

I'm liking DirecTV more and more every day.

Thanks Paule123. This is great news! It's definitely a very cool feature that will make things super convenient. BTW, I just tested it by setting to record a show that was currently airing and from the time I programed it online from the time I saw the DVR record button light up on the HR20 was less than 2 seconds flat!!!! :eek:

I thought you could always do that with D*. FWIW you can also do this with TiVo from either their website or www.zap2it.com. I prefer option 2, it's easier to work with.

In addition if you have a Verizon phone you can program your TiVo that way as well.

Now having said all of that I still prefer to program in front of my TV. If there is a conflict of any kind I can see it right away without getting an email or a message on my S3. And as far as using my cell to program, well, small buttons big fingers.:D


Hookbill, when you setup the record from the internet, it gives you two options:

1) Record if possible. (Only if there are no other recordings scheduled for that time slot.)
2) Definitely record. (Make this a priority over any other recordings.)

Also, the key to this feature is that the D* DVR doesn't even have to be connected to the internet/phone to achieve this!

Hookbill, when you setup the record from the internet, it gives you two options:

1) Record if possible. (Only if there are no other recordings scheduled for that time slot.)
2) Definitely record. (Make this a priority over any other recordings.)

Also, the key to this feature is that the D* DVR doesn't even have to be connected to the internet/phone to achieve this!

We have pretty much the same options with the S3, and though I'm not certain I think you may be able to do this through a phone line. What it will do is move whatever your recording to the top of the "to do list." But since I have like 50 season passes I'm never sure if I really want to do this.

Remember when downloads for your D* Receiver use to come in by phone? That could tie up your phone for a good hour or so.:)

Anyway, getting this done by the dish is cool. I just thought you could always do those things.

Was anyone else experiencing lip sync issues with Fox 8 tonight, during the NFL Pre-Game? The commercials were fine, only the pregame so far. Every other channel is fine as well. If this keeps up, the Super Bowl could suck.

Anyway, I'm on U-Verse in NE Ohio.

Nope, looked fine to me.

Weird, my buddy on Time Warner down the street noticed it as well. Oh well, it's fine during commercials.

didnt notice here OTA through Dish 722 in Akron.

As reported in the Ohio Media Watch:

http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/2008/01/monday-and-new-stuff.html

STO will broadcast all regular season games in HD. Along with the WKYC and any Sunday ESPN games, this means that almost all the Indians games will be in HD this year. The only exception? Possibly Fox. During the regular season, Fox did not broadcast all the Saturday afternoon games in HD. I haven't read whether this will be different this year. I also forgot to mention that TBS's national baseball package starts in 2008, so I assume all of their games will be in HD.

I'm also wondering if Fox is making any noise about doing regular season games in HD this coming season.

I also forgot to mention that TBS's national baseball package starts in 2008, so I assume all of their games will be in HD.

I believe it was announced that would be the case, somewhere, when TBS HD launched. And it's already holding a place on the TWC lineup!

:D

Thanks for nothing Time Warner NE Ohio! I found this info at TW Albany about the "digitized channels. http://www.timewarnercable.com/CustomerService/FAQ/TWCFAQCategories.ashx?CatID=1482&MarketID=5


Q: How does this upgrade work?

A: This upgrade, sometimes referred to as Digital Simulcast, is enabled by digitally encoding the analog channels in the head end. In some cases, the networks digitally encode the channels at their location.



Q: How has Digital Cable been upgraded?

A: As a result of our latest network upgrade, all of our commercially available channels will be delivered in Digital Cable. This state-of-the-art digital format enables customers who lease digital set-top boxes to receive even better picture and sound quality on their TV channels at no extra charge. These improvements may be noticeable on channels 1-100, which were previously transmitted in analog format.

Thanks for nothing Time Warner NE Ohio! I found this info at TW Albany about the "digitized channels. http://www.timewarnercable.com/CustomerService/FAQ/TWCFAQCategories.ashx?CatID=1482&MarketID=5

Are you certain that TWC-NEO doesn't do this already? I know TWC-Cinci offered a completely digital simulcast for digital cable subscribers. If you can get into the diagnostic mode for your box, you can see if the channel you're watching has a Program ID (PID) to go along with the frequency. If each channel has a PID, then you have a digital simulcast. Now, this could be different for those former Comcast or Adelphia customers in NEO from those who were consistently TWC customers, but it's hard to say.

I'm not sure why Albany seems to be the only region that advertises this feature, but I'm pretty sure they are.

ATT U-Verse has launched VOIP service (available in Detroit area only)

http://att.com/uverse/voice

Looks like it's $25 unlimited when combined with UVerse TV and Internet service. ($40 minus $15 bundle discount)

To those who've been having sync issues with Fox 8, it appears to be a problem upstream with Fox. I called into Uverse when it was severe, and they knew the problem was occuring, and said it was coming in from the national feed that way.

This may explain why it's appearing on multiple providers. Take their blame with a few grains of salt as well.

ATT U-Verse has launched VOIP service (available in Detroit area only)

http://att.com/uverse/voice

Looks like it's $25 unlimited when combined with UVerse TV and Internet service. ($40 minus $15 bundle discount)

$ 25.00 seems to be the benchmark for most VOIP services. I personally know at least 20 people (myself included) with VOIP spread over about 8 different providers and all are $ 25.00 unlimited local & LD (plus the ***** taxes of course).

They will then usually offer a second VOIP line for about half ($ 12.00) of the original VOIP line, should you need a second line.

Please help me if you can.

Do any of you former Comcast people out there still have a motorola 6412/6416 cable box? If so can you please tell me how to turn off the closed caption feature. I don't know how it got turned on, but when I turned on the box this afternoon, there it was, and I can't figure out how to turn it off.

Thank you in advance,
Ben Music

Here's a link to the user guide. It looks like the information is on pages 17-20.

http://broadband.motorola.com/noflash/customer_docs/user_guides/512659-001-a.pdf

Here's a link to the user guide. It looks like the information is on pages 17-20.

http://broadband.motorola.com/noflash/customer_docs/user_guides/512659-001-a.pdf
Thanks for your help. I went thru the manual and found a few hints but nothing seemed to work. As a last resort, I e-mailed Moto support. Maybe they can solve the mystery for me.

Thanks again,
Ben Music

Time Warner in Green has had digital simulcast since at least mid-2006. It was advertised on the bill around that time, but knowing Time Warner's communications, they may have implemented it earlier (I did not have digital cable before mid-2006). I believe it was implemented in the Akron and Canton areas around the same time; someone I know in Canton had digital simulcast channels in October 2006 or earlier.

I picked up my first QAM-capable set a couple of weeks ago (A Samsung 50" plasma in case anybody cares :D), and I've spent some time going through the QAM channels available through Armstrong Cable in Medina. Mostly for future searchability, I thought I'd share what I've found.

I do not subscribe to any of the movie channels, so I don't know if any of those might be in the clear. Also, I know very little about this, so I have no idea if other sets would number the channels differently. All of the stations listed below come through perfectly fine for me.

It's interesting that there are a few changes from what's available on the analog feeds (2-77). Since that lineup is readily available online, I didn't feel the need to type it in again. One thing that I did find interesting today, though, was that Armstrong advertises on their website that WSEE CBS out of Erie, PA, is being carried on Channel 2. Since they dropped the HBO feed on analog 2 a few months ago, Armstrong has been running Sci-Fi on that channel. As of tonight, they still have Sci-Fi running. But I wonder if they're getting ready to carry a new CBS station?

All stations are SD unless otherwise noted.

Anyway, here's what I found:

82-1 ESPN
82-2 Fox News
82-3 CNBC
82-4 CMT
82-5 Travel
82-6 Comedy
82-7 Lifetime
82-8 AMC
82-9 HGTV
82-10 Discovery
82-11 FX
82-12 Bravo
83-1 ESPN2
83-2 MSNBC
83-3 CNN Headline News
83-4 MTV
83-5 USA
83-6 ABC Family
83-7 E!
83-8 A&E
83-9 Animal Planet
83-10 Nickelodeon
83-11 Spike
83-12 TruTV
84-1 Cartoon Network
84-2 CNN
84-3 The Weather Channel
84-4 VH1
84-5 TLC
84-6 History
84-7 TV Land
84-8 TNT
84-9 Food
84-10 TBS
84-11 WE TV
84-12 Sci-Fi
86-2 (PPV / VOD?)
86-3 (PPV / VOD?)
86-4 (PPV / VOD?)
86-6 (PPV / VOD?)
86-7 (PPV / VOD?)
86-9 (PPV / VOD?)
89-1 WKYC NBC
89-2 Fox Sports Net
89-4 Info
89-5 EWTN
89-6 WOAC Independent
89-7 (Armstrong Info?)
89-8 TV Guide
89-9 Local Access (Medina 36)
89-11 Sports Time Ohio
89-12 WGN
90-1 WEWS ABC
90-2 WUAB MyTV
90-3 WJW Fox 8
90-4 WVIZ PBS
90-5 WNEO PBS
90-6 Inspiration
90-7 WGN
90-8 WOIO CBS
90-9 WQHS Univision
90-10 FitTV
90-11 ION
90-12 WBNX The CW
91-1 ShopNBC
91-2 (unknown - showing infomercials every time)
91-3 Pentagon Channel
91-4 Home Shopping Network
91-5 C-Span
91-6 Disney
91-7 TCM
91-8 Nicktoons Network
91-9 QVC
91-10 (Armstrong Info?)
105-1 WKYC-DT NBC (1080i)
105-2 WOIO-DT CBS (1080i)
106-1 WJW-DT Fox (720p)
106-100 WEWS-DT ABC (720p)
112-13 Video On Demand Preview (upper right corner only)
118-1 Local Access (Medina 36)
118-2 (Blank or scrambled)
119-1 (Blank or scrambled)

Wow thats quite a vast selection of QAM channels! TW just gives me the locals, if I am lucky maybe one other...

I picked up my first QAM-capable set a couple of weeks ago (A Samsung 50" plasma in case anybody cares :D), and I've spent some time going through the QAM channels available through Armstrong Cable in Medina. Mostly for future searchability, I thought I'd share what I've found.

I do not subscribe to any of the movie channels, so I don't know if any of those might be in the clear. Also, I know very little about this, so I have no idea if other sets would number the channels differently. All of the stations listed below come through perfectly fine for me.

It's interesting that there are a few changes from what's available on the analog feeds (2-77). Since that lineup is readily available online, I didn't feel the need to type it in again. One thing that I did find interesting today, though, was that Armstrong advertises on their website that WSEE CBS out of Erie, PA, is being carried on Channel 2. Since they dropped the HBO feed on analog 2 a few months ago, Armstrong has been running Sci-Fi on that channel. As of tonight, they still have Sci-Fi running. But I wonder if they're getting ready to carry a new CBS station?

All stations are SD unless otherwise noted.

Anyway, here's what I found:

82-1 ESPN
82-2 Fox News
82-3 CNBC
82-4 CMT
82-5 Travel
82-6 Comedy
82-7 Lifetime
82-8 AMC
82-9 HGTV
82-10 Discovery
82-11 FX
82-12 Bravo
83-1 ESPN2
83-2 MSNBC
83-3 CNN Headline News
83-4 MTV
83-5 USA
83-6 ABC Family
83-7 E!
83-8 A&E
83-9 Animal Planet
83-10 Nickelodeon
83-11 Spike
83-12 TruTV
84-1 Cartoon Network
84-2 CNN
84-3 The Weather Channel
84-4 VH1
84-5 TLC
84-6 History
84-7 TV Land
84-8 TNT
84-9 Food
84-10 TBS
84-11 WE TV
84-12 Sci-Fi
86-2 (PPV / VOD?)
86-3 (PPV / VOD?)
86-4 (PPV / VOD?)
86-6 (PPV / VOD?)
86-7 (PPV / VOD?)
86-9 (PPV / VOD?)
89-1 WKYC NBC
89-2 Fox Sports Net
89-4 Info
89-5 EWTN
89-6 WOAC Independent
89-7 (Armstrong Info?)
89-8 TV Guide
89-9 Local Access (Medina 36)
89-11 Sports Time Ohio
89-12 WGN
90-1 WEWS ABC
90-2 WUAB MyTV
90-3 WJW Fox 8
90-4 WVIZ PBS
90-5 WNEO PBS
90-6 Inspiration
90-7 WGN
90-8 WOIO CBS
90-9 WQHS Univision
90-10 FitTV
90-11 ION
90-12 WBNX The CW
91-1 ShopNBC
91-2 (unknown - showing infomercials every time)
91-3 Pentagon Channel
91-4 Home Shopping Network
91-5 C-Span
91-6 Disney
91-7 TCM
91-8 Nicktoons Network
91-9 QVC
91-10 (Armstrong Info?)
105-1 WKYC-DT NBC (1080i)
105-2 WOIO-DT CBS (1080i)
106-1 WJW-DT Fox (720p)
106-100 WEWS-DT ABC (720p)
112-13 Video On Demand Preview (upper right corner only)
118-1 Local Access (Medina 36)
118-2 (Blank or scrambled)
119-1 (Blank or scrambled)

Exactly why I love being on Armstrong!!

Has anyone heard any more rumblings of Copper over Glass that they are rolling out in PA? Is it coming to Medina too!!

TWC in Cleveland (ex-Adelphia) does do digital simulcast, as discussed here many times... for the moment, generally it's only five of the local stations (3/5/8/19/43).

Thanks for nothing Time Warner NE Ohio! I found this info at TW Albany

Relax. AFAIK, this just means the analog channels are being sent in digital (not necessarily encrypted) form along with their analog counterparts. I noticed this a few months ago when TWC Akron added FoodTV at channel 714 - it was still at analog 43, but the 714 channel was much crisper. Recently, the 43 and 714 channels seem to pull from the same digital feed on my SA8300, but the analog 43 is still available.

Anyone know when Cox Cleveland will be adding the Travel Channel HD?

It debuted January 15, and it's a network owned by Cox Communications. The Travel Channel HD site advises it's coming, but gives no date.

Like Discovery and National Geographic, it seems like a channel meant for HD.

I picked up my first QAM-capable set a couple of weeks ago (A Samsung 50" plasma in case anybody cares :D), and I've spent some time going through the QAM channels available through Armstrong Cable in Medina. Mostly for future searchability, I thought I'd share what I've found.

I do not subscribe to any of the movie channels, so I don't know if any of those might be in the clear. Also, I know very little about this, so I have no idea if other sets would number the channels differently. All of the stations listed below come through perfectly fine for me.

It's interesting that there are a few changes from what's available on the analog feeds (2-77). Since that lineup is readily available online, I didn't feel the need to type it in again. One thing that I did find interesting today, though, was that Armstrong advertises on their website that WSEE CBS out of Erie, PA, is being carried on Channel 2. Since they dropped the HBO feed on analog 2 a few months ago, Armstrong has been running Sci-Fi on that channel. As of tonight, they still have Sci-Fi running. But I wonder if they're getting ready to carry a new CBS station?

All stations are SD unless otherwise noted.

Anyway, here's what I found:

82-1 ESPN
82-2 Fox News
82-3 CNBC
82-4 CMT
82-5 Travel
82-6 Comedy
82-7 Lifetime
82-8 AMC
82-9 HGTV
82-10 Discovery
82-11 FX
82-12 Bravo
83-1 ESPN2
83-2 MSNBC
83-3 CNN Headline News
83-4 MTV
83-5 USA
83-6 ABC Family
83-7 E!
83-8 A&E
83-9 Animal Planet
83-10 Nickelodeon
83-11 Spike
83-12 TruTV
84-1 Cartoon Network
84-2 CNN
84-3 The Weather Channel
84-4 VH1
84-5 TLC
84-6 History
84-7 TV Land
84-8 TNT
84-9 Food
84-10 TBS
84-11 WE TV
84-12 Sci-Fi
86-2 (PPV / VOD?)
86-3 (PPV / VOD?)
86-4 (PPV / VOD?)
86-6 (PPV / VOD?)
86-7 (PPV / VOD?)
86-9 (PPV / VOD?)
89-1 WKYC NBC
89-2 Fox Sports Net
89-4 Info
89-5 EWTN
89-6 WOAC Independent
89-7 (Armstrong Info?)
89-8 TV Guide
89-9 Local Access (Medina 36)
89-11 Sports Time Ohio
89-12 WGN
90-1 WEWS ABC
90-2 WUAB MyTV
90-3 WJW Fox 8
90-4 WVIZ PBS
90-5 WNEO PBS
90-6 Inspiration
90-7 WGN
90-8 WOIO CBS
90-9 WQHS Univision
90-10 FitTV
90-11 ION
90-12 WBNX The CW
91-1 ShopNBC
91-2 (unknown - showing infomercials every time)
91-3 Pentagon Channel
91-4 Home Shopping Network
91-5 C-Span
91-6 Disney
91-7 TCM
91-8 Nicktoons Network
91-9 QVC
91-10 (Armstrong Info?)
105-1 WKYC-DT NBC (1080i)
105-2 WOIO-DT CBS (1080i)
106-1 WJW-DT Fox (720p)
106-100 WEWS-DT ABC (720p)
112-13 Video On Demand Preview (upper right corner only)
118-1 Local Access (Medina 36)
118-2 (Blank or scrambled)
119-1 (Blank or scrambled)

If this is truly the case, why would anyone subscribing to Armstrong ever sign up for anything more than the lowest cost basic cable. With a QAM tuner, you could get everything offered on Extended Basic and save $40 to $50 per month.

If this is truly the case, why would anyone subscribing to Armstrong ever sign up for anything more than the lowest cost basic cable. With a QAM tuner, you could get everything offered on Extended Basic and save $40 to $50 per month.


As I said before, I'm note sure how QAM works exactly. But I already subscribe to everything Armstrong offers except the movie channels. Is QAM available to everyone on the system regardless of tier, or are they "cleared" based on the package you carry?

And this is certainly not all of the stations offered on their extended tiers. It's not even all that are offered on the basic tier. Quite a few, yes. But not all.

It may ask you for a zip code (you can put in 44256), but here is their published channel lineup (http://cable.agoc.com/channel.asp).

can someone with time warner confirm for me that Nick Noggin and Nick N are two seperate channels?

can someone with time warner confirm for me that Nick Noggin and Nick N are two seperate channels?

I don't think they are. I don't see it in my line up. Just Nick Noggin. They probably abbreviated it.

Actually they are separate channels. See the wikipedia entry below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon_(TV_channel)

The N replaced Nick Gas.

can someone with time warner confirm for me that Nick Noggin and Nick N are two seperate channels?

I believe they are now two separate channels officially. Noggin used to run from 6 am to 6 pm (toddler programming), and the N used to run from 6 pm to 6 am (tween programming). I'm pretty sure they are now dedicated full-time channels as of a couple of months ago.

http://www.the-n.com/

and

http://www.noggin.com/

I'm not sure whether TW carries both, but, not to sound like a total Armstrong fanboy (even though I am), they carry both channels separately.

$ 25.00 seems to be the benchmark for most VOIP services. I personally know at least 20 people (myself included) with VOIP spread over about 8 different providers and all are $ 25.00 unlimited local & LD (plus the ***** taxes of course).

They will then usually offer a second VOIP line for about half ($ 12.00) of the original VOIP line, should you need a second line.

I don't know why ATT is advertising a $40 ala carte price for VOIP when in fact you can't get their UVerse VOIP without having UVerse Internet or UVerse TV. Maybe there's some legal reason they need to mention the $40 price. It certainly isn't smart marketing.

They offer a bundle discount of $10 with one other service, and $15 with two other services. So they hit the competitive price point at $30 and $25 respectively.

I don't know why ATT is advertising a $40 ala carte price for VOIP when in fact you can't get their UVerse VOIP without having UVerse Internet or UVerse TV. Maybe there's some legal reason they need to mention the $40 price. It certainly isn't smart marketing.

They offer a bundle discount of $10 with one other service, and $15 with two other services. So they hit the competitive price point at $30 and $25 respectively.

Yeah, that pricing does seem silly. I suppose they are going for the package deals to show "greater savings" to the customer from inflated starting price points.

It's kinda like the situations when you see "50% OFF, today only". When, if printed honestly, it should read "50% OFF our already outrageously inflated retail prices". ex: Even with a 50% off sale at Radio Shack it is still 200% more than what I can pay for the same item elsewhere. :)

As I said before, I'm note sure how QAM works exactly. But I already subscribe to everything Armstrong offers except the movie channels. Is QAM available to everyone on the system regardless of tier, or are they "cleared" based on the package you carry?

And this is certainly not all of the stations offered on their extended tiers. It's not even all that are offered on the basic tier. Quite a few, yes. But not all.

It may ask you for a zip code (you can put in 44256), but here is their published channel lineup (http://cable.agoc.com/channel.asp).

Your views on QAM "in the clear" stations are incorrect. Not sure what you mean by "I already subscribe to eveyrthing Armstrong offers." Does that mean basic cable, digital cable or HD service?

QAM channels in the clear are basically channels you can get if you don't already subscribe to the digital and HD tier. Most places only offer the locals in HD, and occasionaly some "extras." For example, in old adelphia on the east side of Cleveland, I can get TNT-HD, DSC-HD, Bonus-HD, and a couple digital QVC's via QAM. I pay only $8 a month for the lifeline tier, as apposed to "everything Amrstong (or TW) offers," which I imagine is much more than $8/mo. Hope this helps.

I know they are seperate channels, I just didnt know if Time warner Carries both, right not Dish carries both, but at the same way as they always have (noggin 6-6, with n 6p-6a) Last night my Son was watching noggin, and it switched in the middle of a program to N, and the tears came..but thanks guys for your help so far.

Your views on QAM "in the clear" stations are incorrect. Not sure what you mean by "I already subscribe to eveyrthing Armstrong offers." Does that mean basic cable, digital cable or HD service?

QAM channels in the clear are basically channels you can get if you don't already subscribe to the digital and HD tier. Most places only offer the locals in HD, and occasionaly some "extras." For example, in old adelphia on the east side of Cleveland, I can get TNT-HD, DSC-HD, Bonus-HD, and a couple digital QVC's via QAM. I pay only $8 a month for the lifeline tier, as apposed to "everything Amrstong (or TW) offers," which I imagine is much more than $8/mo. Hope this helps.


Thanks for the info. I've had an HD set for about 7 years, but this is the first time I've made my way into the QAM world. I thought "in the clear" meant "unscrambled" or "available." I guess I was partly right.

I subscribe to basic, expanded basic, and the HD service. Everything above basic is digital and requires a cable box. I wasn't sure if that had anything to do with the channels that I was able to receive via QAM or if all QAM channels came to everybody regardless of the programming tier. But you answered that. Thanks.

How does the PPV / VOD stuff work via QAM? The other night I was clearly seeing some VOD programming that someone else had "purchased." How far does the circle go in terms of which neighbor was watching? And tonight I did a test by authorizing a VOD program on the DVR upstairs. I wasn't able to find that program on any of the QAM channels that had been carrying the VOD stuff the night before.

Last night my Son was watching noggin, and it switched in the middle of a program to N, and the tears came..

Aww, man, I'm sorry. As a father of 7- and 5-year-old boys and 10 month old daughter, I feel your pain. :o

I know they are seperate channels, I just didnt know if Time warner Carries both, right not Dish carries both, but at the same way as they always have (noggin 6-6, with n 6p-6a) Last night my Son was watching noggin, and it switched in the middle of a program to N, and the tears came..but thanks guys for your help so far.

Time Warner has both. Noggin is still on channel 125 and The N took over the slot vacated by Nick GAS on channel 143. Both channels run 24 hours of their programming.