Well, I'm pretty sure now that they have done something significant, most likely going full power. Right now, and it's not even completely clear outside, and my signal strength is currently at 100%, in the town of Prospect, about 24 miles from the tower. The highest I ever got before Sunday, was 72% on perfect, clear days. The only other station I get at 100% is WTNH, which is also at full power. I'm assuming WFSB is now, too. And what perfect timing, just in time for the Patriots vs. Titans!

I'm in Prospect also and have seen my signal increase to 100%!!Hope it last,now just get WVIT going and I'll be happy!!! Jim

I got this from WFSB yesterday:

Audio problems will be addressed this week. We have been waiting for a
certain part that unfortunately has taken a long time to arrive. I
promise you that we are in the process of correcting the problem

Please let me know when you notice a difference. Feedback like this is
very valuable to me

Victor
=====================================================

I got another email this morning:

I was wondering how your WFSB-DT audio was last night? We made some modifications to our audio stream. We are still working on it. It would be nice to hear from outside viewers.
Thanks
Victor
=====================================================

I'll check with him on the full power issue and also see if he has an update on 5.1.

What's Victor's e-mail address, I'd like to send him some observations also.

So can anyone confirm that WFSB-DT is now broadcasting at full power and what towns are receiving it?

Just got off the phone with Victor from WFSB. They did install new audio equipment this week. As noted above, it fixed the low audio issue. They expect the DD5.1 decoding chip from CBS later this week, after that it's DD51. on CBS!!!! Yahoo!!

A piece of not so good news, they have not yet completed their tower upgrades (steel reinforcement), so no timeline on full power yet. Weather dependent at this point.

Originally posted by BillN96
So can anyone confirm that WFSB-DT is now broadcasting at full power and what towns are receiving it?

The audio is definitely better, but the signal strength is the same for me.

Here in Tolland I am still receiving WFSB at only 15-20 %. This is not enough for a watchable picture. It is the same as they always have been. I can remember only one time back in November when the signal went to 40%. I would say it is still not full power and is weather dependant.


Pete

Originally posted by raoul5788
The audio is definitely better, but the signal strength is the same for me.


Same here in western mass. Been waiting for the audio fix forever...DD5.1.....priceless!

Thanks to WFSB.

WFSB has definitely taken giant steps forward over the last week. I complained to them about the sound and picture quality in an email.

Last night I sat down to watch NCIS and I didn't even have to bring my antenna out of it's storage place, whereas last week I had to bring it out, rotate it to exactly the right place and still get dropouts every 30 seconds. Last night . . . perfect. The sound was better also. I would like to think that our efforts (forum members) were responsible for improving the situation. Thanks.

Dorran

A little off the subject:

Tele-Media cable has received their HD converter boxs. The only thing holding them back is that the engineers are having some trouble with the HD head equipment. Once that is resolved they will begin offering the service. The costumer service reps are updated every Friday in their company meeting. If you are in their service area, feel free to call and let them know that you are interested in HD service and maybe that will light a fire under the engineers to get this done by (dare we say) Superbowl sunday.

Tele-Media's phone number is (203) 735-9504. I just thought people in the valley would like to know.

Has anyone heard anything from Comcast about getting CBS in HD (and / or ABC in HD) within the near future for CT. I've given up on the prospect of getting a HD DVR from Comcast anytime soon (only the non-HD DVR is rolling out).

I just want more than ESPN (it's nice for the games it does cover), the 2 iNHDs (not much on them but eye candy, IMO) and NBC-HD (To me I'd rather have ABC/CBS [Super Bowl, etc..]).

I have called several times to the very local comcast and the 1-800 comcast phone lines and both seem clueless as to a time-line or if it's in the works for more HD channels. I have noted that Boston (in the city) Comcast already has a boat load more HD channels than us CT folks. *Shrug*

BTW I'm in New London County, Groton area. Any information from those of you with better luck on the phones with Comcast would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm in the same area (Mystic) and in the same boat. I hate Comcast.

Anyone getting CBS-HD from anywhere OTA in the City of Fairfield or Bridgeport. I installed a RadioShack 32 elements with rotator but can not get CBS-HD from anywhere. I am thinking of adding the Channel Master 7777 to see if that makes any difference. Please let me know as I am desperate to get the SuperBall on HD....

Thanks

Are you talking about WFSB-DT out of Hartford, or WCBS-DT out of NYC? Being in the Fairfield/Bridgeport area, you should be able to at least pick up one or the other. FYI, incase you didn't know: WFSB-DT is channel 33, WCBS-DT is channel 44.

Beaker, in the Hartford/Windsor area we already get ABC in HD from Comcast, still waiting on CBS though... I heard directly from them on a response to an email I sent about CBS. I'll post it in a few...

Originally posted by Beaker1024
Has anyone heard anything from Comcast about getting CBS in HD (and / or ABC in HD) within the near future for CT. I've given up on the prospect of getting a HD DVR from Comcast anytime soon (only the non-HD DVR is rolling out).

I just want more than ESPN (it's nice for the games it does cover), the 2 iNHDs (not much on them but eye candy, IMO) and NBC-HD (To me I'd rather have ABC/CBS [Super Bowl, etc..]).

I have called several times to the very local comcast and the 1-800 comcast phone lines and both seem clueless as to a time-line or if it's in the works for more HD channels. I have noted that Boston (in the city) Comcast already has a boat load more HD channels than us CT folks. *Shrug*

BTW I'm in New London County, Groton area. Any information from those of you with better luck on the phones with Comcast would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

This is the response I got from an email yesterday. Note my original message below. Thanks

Thank you for writing.

The information we have is that we anticipate having CBS HD available in
most CT. communities by the big game, but it isn't guaranteed, and we do
not have additional details at this time. I apologize for the
incomplete answer, we are making every effort to provide our customers
the services that they desire.

If you have any future questions or problems, please feel free to email
us again. When replying to this address, please include this message as
well as all previous correspondence regarding this issue.



Sincerely,
Rich

Comcast Electronic Customer Care

Did you know that you could have received an even faster response to
your question? For instant answers, you can always count on ASK COMCAST.

To visit ASK COMCAST, please click on the following link or copy and
paste it into your browser:

http://www.comcast.net/memberservices/help/askcomcast/

You can also email us anytime at: AskComcast@Comcast.Net

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

Category: Comcast Cable Television
Sub-Category: Service

Account Number:

Comments:

I would like to know when we are to receive WFSB-HD(CBS-HD) in
High Definition? As I understand, Comcast is supposed to carry this
station shortly. Please let me/us know. This station is in High Demand
considering the football playoffs and of course the superbowl. It seemed
unfair that parts of western MA would receive this station while, the CT
residents were unfortunately out of luck. Thanks for your time.

I get WFSB on 3 OTA channels. Channel 3, channel 3-1 and channel 3-2. I used to think that all 3 of these channels were transmitted from Hartford. However this morning I was watching the local news and noticed that channel 3-2 was from Springfield, MA. Channel 3-1 was from Harford. I can't believe I am pulling in a station from MA. Can this be true. Is anyone else experiencing this.

What you are seeing in Western Mass is WFSB's new Springfield service which is an attempt to capitalize on Springfield as an advertising market. WFSB purchased a defunct low-power religious channel in Springfield, and has converted it to a "Springfield" station. You can find it "OTA" in Springfield on channel 67 analog. It rebroadcasts most of WFSB's programs, but WFSB promises that there will be some exclusive Springfield programming. Apparently, WFSB is using one of their DT sub-channels to relay the new station, whose transmitter is in Agawam, but whose signal comes from WFSB's Hartford studios. This is probably their answer to WVIT putting studios in New Haven and Mystic!

What you are seeing are inserts originating from Broadcast House in Hartford on Channel 3's digital channel that are promoting a new Channel 3 that is specifically tailored to the Springfield, MA market. Branded "CBS3", it actually is an over-the-air low power station intended for Springfield that is on analog Channel 67 with different call letters than WFSB, and will eventually move to Channel 45. website: www.cbstv3.com
It is owned by Meredith Corporation and is WFSB's new sister station.

Springfield residents have turned to WFSB Channel 3 for years because there is no other CBS affiliate in western Mass. With this new station, Meredith hopes to compete with WWLP(NBC) and WGGB(ABC) by offering commercial time to Springfield area businesses at rates that are cheaper than on WFSB in Connecticut. Ad rates are more expensive in the higher-ranked Hartford television market than in the smaller Springfield market.

CBS3 is simulcasting Channel 3's and CBS's programming from WFSB's Hartford studio but is inserting different commercials intended for Springfield viewers. WFSB hopes to have western Mass cable operators replace WFSB with CBS3. They eventually hope to open a studio in the Springfield area and perhaps have a newscast tailored for that area.

While watching WFSB-DT, I have seen station identifications made by stars of CBS network shows who declare "This is CBS3, Springfield." But this is not actually coming from Mass.; these promos are inserted on the digital feed from Hartford while viewers of analog Channel 3 are seeing something else.

I recently e-mailed Charter customer service to inquire as to when them would introduce addtional HD channels to the 3 they currently offer. Here's their response:

Thank you for contacting Charter Communications.

I received your email today. Charter is constantly negotiating to add more channels to our line up. You and everyone in your area will be notified if, when, and what new channels will be offered.

If you have any additional questions or need assistance please contact your local customer support center.

Jerome
Charter Communications

Sounds kinda rude to me, a supposed valuable customer spending $150 a month with them!

Here is the reply I recieved from Comcast regarding my request for info on if we would see CBS in HiDef before the Superbowl. It sounds like a canned response.

Thank you for writing.

Thank you for your channel request, we are working to provide as many
high definition channel broadcasters as possible. Here are some of the
factors involved with expanding our high definition lineup:

-the negotiation and contract process required to obtain the rights to
carry a specific high definition broadcast, such as Discovery-HD.

-the increased bandwidth resources that are required

-the relatively low subscribership (currently only a small minority of
customers have high definition compatible television sets)

We appreciate your channel requests, we hope to expand our high
definition channel lineup as fast as we can. Unfortunately we are unable
to provide specific details regarding the launch of new channels at this
time, please keep an eye on your monthly billing statement as the
announcement of any channel additions will appear on those statements.

You can also sign up for our HDTV newsletter at the following URL:

comcast-ne.com/hdtv.html

WFSB 3 is actually watchable here in beautiful Newington tonight.

Watching CSI for the first time in a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG time without ANY audio or video breakups.

Signal strength 66%

2.0 sound, but at least they DO have the level up to other channels.

Originally posted by Dallas777
WFSB 3 is actually watchable here in beautiful Newington tonight.

Watching CSI for the first time in a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG time without ANY audio or video breakups.

Signal strength 66%

2.0 sound, but at least they DO have the level up to other channels.

Oddly enough, here in beautiful Bristol, on Chippens Hill in line of sight of the transmitter about 9 miles away, WFSB-DT has been very unstable just for the past three nights. Up until then, I usually get a solid 85 on the DTC-100.

On the flip side, WEDN (PBS) Norwich is booming in at a steady 65 tonight. It was great to finally watch some PBS HD.

My antenna is a CM StealthTenna, mounted in the basement (!) pointed roughly due east through a wood framed wall (not concrete).

Last night low and behold CSI in HD..... Now Comcast of Danbury has

CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, Fox(ED), ESPN, InHD, InHD2, HBO and Showtime. Since we are NYC DMA we get are HD content from the NYC stations. We are told that Jan 15th CinemaxHD and StarzHD will also be added.

Could this mean WFSB-HD coming to Hartford as well?

Last night low and behold CSI in HD..... Now Comcast of Danbury has

CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, Fox(ED), ESPN, InHD, InHD2, HBO and Showtime. Since we are NYC DMA we get are HD content from the NYC stations. We are told that Jan 15th CinemaxHD and StarzHD will also be added.

Oh, you lucky Danbury folks. I would cry tears of joy if I got CBS, ABC,and Fox :(.

Word from WFSB is Comcast will have their HD feed in the next few days. Not sure if that means by the Weekend? Also DD5.1 is in test and should be up in a few days also.

I happen to strongly second madpoet's feelings.

So does anyone know if what Such stated about WFSB-HD could affect the New London county Comcast? Seems MA and select areas of CT are getting the HD channels before the south-east CT. I can only hope that this means they will adventually (hopefully soon) get around to us.

The hard thing is that Comcast seems IMO to like to keep the adding of HD channels a big secret for this area.

Any DirecTv subscribers going to try to get waivers from WTIC and WFSB to get HD feeds from DirecTV? Although the Fox announcement hasn't been made yet, I'm going to get the ball rolling now.


Oddly enough, here in beautiful Bristol, on Chippens Hill in line of sight of the transmitter about 9 miles away, WFSB-DT has been very unstable just for the past three nights. Up until then, I usually get a solid 85 on the DTC-100.

On the flip side, WEDN (PBS) Norwich is booming in at a steady 65 tonight. It was great to finally watch some PBS HD.

My antenna is a CM StealthTenna, mounted in the basement (!) pointed roughly due east through a wood framed wall (not concrete).


DDA,

I'm not far from you in Farmington, and I didn't notice any problems with WFSB. I have been trying to pull in WEDN over the last week but I can't get a bilp on my signal meter, not even when I rotate my antenna through all 360 degrees. Weird that we are having the opposite problems from so close a proximity.

One issue may be that this area was ATT before Comcast bought it out. I know when I had my cable hooked up in Octover it was a nightmare. Everyone I called kept transferring me around because they couldn't figure out what call center I was supposed to talk to. So we may be second class citizens here :).

Aleluia!!!! Im in Clinton and I just turned on my TV and low and behold I now have ABCHD and CBSHD along with my NBCHD and ESPNHD. I can now have the superbowl party at my house.
Finally, Thanks Comcast!!!

Out of curiousity, what channels are they on?

ESPNHD 173
INHD 174
ABCHD 180
NBCHD 181
CBSHD 182
PBSHD 190

Originally posted by AreBee
Any DirecTv subscribers going to try to get waivers from WTIC and WFSB to get HD feeds from DirecTV? Although the Fox announcement hasn't been made yet, I'm going to get the ball rolling now.

I contacted DirecTV earlier this week re: HD locals... The reply I got was:

Currently we do not have plans to add HDTV broadcast networks to our programming lineup and are unable to speculate if or when they might be added.


Sincerely,

Suzie
DIRECTV Customer Service

Given that, I don't think your ball is going to roll very far.

BTW, I'm in Danbury and have determined that in Fairfield County, you can't get a waiver from DirecTV: it's strictly the NYC-locals as designated by AC Nielsen Co.

To pull any OTA channels from my house would require a huge mast (hills on all sides)... so I really would like to get HD locals through DirecTV.

Would like to hear from anybody who's got feedback re: OTA HD in the Danbury area.

Would like to hear from anybody who's got feedback re: OTA HD in the Danbury area.

I'm in nearby Newtown. The only channels I get OTA in HD is WTNH and occasionally WEDW. I have a Blake antenna and Channelmaster pre-amp.

Sad but true... :(

UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would WFSB please get more power, WVIT and WTIC just get off your a--'s and start broadcasting HDTV OTA so this national feed stuff wont even matter!!!

Sorry, just had to vent!!!!

Originally posted by jpnuzzo
I contacted DirecTV earlier this week re: HD locals... The reply I got was:
.....
Given that, I don't think your ball is going to roll very far.


Go figure. I ask a question on Tuesday, get a reply on Wednesday, and post Friday... not knowing there was a press release at CES on Thursday.

See the DirecTV site, Headlines dated 01-08-2004.

The important parts:
The CBS-HD programming, from WCBS in New York and KCBS in Los Angeles, will be available to eligible DIRECTV customers in markets where CBS owns and operates stations, including Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Austin, Texas, and Green Bay, Wis. Similarly, FOX programming is also expected to be offered to customers in FOX O&O markets.
and
Customers who subscribe to the DIRECTV local channels package in CBS and/or FOX O&O markets will receive this programming free of charge.

UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't agree more. Very frustrating.

Woohoo! Mystic now has ABC and CBS in HD! Whichmeans Groton and I assume NewLondon do also.

Madpoet,
That should also mean Ledyard!! So sweet.... to bad it wasn't in time for CSI last night.

Thanks for most likely the greatest news (Entertainment related) you can hear on a Friday!! :)

:)

Madpoet:
Comcast covers Groton to the RI state line, but doesn't include West of the Thames River, which is Eastern Connecticut Cable Co., a locally owned cable TV company with limited resources. They don't have ANY HD capability, and can't tell anyone when they will have it, so consider yourself lucky that you are in Comcast territory! LOL!

Major Breakthrough day for CT!

Thanks for the posts guys, I just got off of the phone with Comcast. The CSR I spoke to told me that WTNH-DT and WFSB-DT have just been added to all of the "Classic" Comcast areas. She explained that to mean any of the areas that do not include the areas that were part of the AT&T takeover. She mentioned Middletown, New Haven, and Danbury. Sounds like great news! She verified that for me in Cromwell, they are available, along with the ones they allready had.


As mentioned by Jpnuzzo above, For you people in Fairfield county that have DirecTV, you should be able to get CBS-HD from them.

Does anyone know of any Comcast offers that they have seen for new customers lately? I always throw them away. I know the last one I received in the mail had an offer of 3 months of digital cable for $9 per month. That would be perfect for me. If anybody knows of any codes for special offers, please post them! Comcast won't be a long term solution for me because I am addicted to my DirecTivos, but it would be great to have this HD for 3 months!

Ouch... I feel for you cg :(. It's hard, once you get HD you never want to see anything else (well, maybe 2.35:1 films) again! Now I need to start pushing for us to get DiscoveryHD....

I just checked my cable box here in West Hartford, and WFSB-DT has shown up on channel 303! Ahhhh, at last! Looks pretty good, too! The sound is even good, though not yet DD 5.1...maybe tonight?

BTW, Does anyone know when NBC and WVIT will air DD 5.1. We have had WVIT-DT on cable for a while, but have never seen DD 5.1 from them. Does NBC broadcast DD 5.1 nationally yet?

The CBS-HD programming, from WCBS in New York and KCBS in Los Angeles, will be available to eligible DIRECTV customers in markets where CBS owns and operates stations, including Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Austin, Texas, and Green Bay, Wis. Similarly, FOX programming is also expected to be offered to customers in FOX O&O markets.

Customers who subscribe to the DIRECTV local channels package in CBS and/or FOX O&O markets will receive this programming free of charge.

And we aren't in and O&O market for CBS or FOX. Which means we need a waiver from the stations to get the HD feeds. WFSB isn't an issue for me because I'm lucky enough to get the OTA HD signal pretty well. But I have a tough time believing that WFSB will grant waivers to those who are within their analog range that can't receive the low power HD signal. I also have a tough time believing that WTIC will grant anyone a waiver for the New Fork Fox HD feed. They won't want us watching HD New York market commercials when we could be watching analog CT commercials. Maybe I'm wrong. I just know that WFSB fought my parents' analog waiver for two years. They live in New Harford in a valley. Even with a rooftop antenna their signal was awful, but the map said they should have a grade A signal so WFSB wouldn't budge. They finally caved after countless letters and phone calls, and three months later Hartford locals were offered over the dish. Go figure....

It's true! WFSB in HD on Channel 303 with Comcast. SuperBowl party planning begins!!!!

Watching Joan of Arcadia in HD... ahhh, got to love it.

WOOOOHOOOOO I think I'm about to cry!!! I just noticed that INHD2 was gone??? Hopefully we still get Bruins and Red Sox gameson INHD1

Originally posted by Paul Marold
It's true! WFSB in HD on Channel 303 with Comcast. SuperBowl party planning begins!!!!

I have to agree watching Joan in HD was definately something amazing. I think I only noticed a few audio slips and flipping through I noticed NBC-HD got messed up (it was basically like looking at the matrix, all green and outline like [it was kind of neat]) for a few minutes last night.

mfino, iNHD2 is also now missing from our channel lineup too (17x, SA system). I think I read someone else mentioned this in a MA area that got ABC and that they might be giving it back in a week or two. (Again this is just what I remember from reading about another area)

The CBS-HD programming, from WCBS in New York and KCBS in Los Angeles, will be available to eligible DIRECTV customers in markets where CBS owns and operates stations, including Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Austin, Texas, and Green Bay, Wis. Similarly, FOX programming is also expected to be offered to customers in FOX O&O markets.

Does this mean people with NY locals on DirecTV will HD CBS and HD FOX included for free while the rest of us need waivers? Did they say when this was going to happen?

Originally posted by fitsman
Does this mean people with NY locals on DirecTV will HD CBS and HD FOX included for free while the rest of us need waivers? Did they say when this was going to happen?

Yes, that's what it means. I highly doubt WFSB will give you a waiver, but it doesn't hurt to try! As of yesterday, I had seen no timetable for it to happen, but they did say it would be in time for the Superbowl. I get the feeling DirecTV will start getting a decent number of people "moving" to CBS O&O markets.

Has anyone received or heard any new subscriber offers from Comcast lately? I called last night, and they would give me no deal.:(

Well, I have my appointment set up to have Comcast installed on Tuesday. I told the guy I got that I had an offer in the mail for 3 months for $9. He said that the offer had expired. After pushing him a little bit, I told him I was a satellite customer willing to switch, but only if I got that offer. He said he would check, and came back and said that it would be $13 per month. I said great. Do you guys know what HD tuner are they installing right now?

Comcast uses the Motorola DCT 5100 in CT, and it seems to be a good unit, especially with the constant software updates that are downloaded to the unit. I remember thinking that the analog reception was poor when I first got mine back in August, but, several software downloads later, the picture has improved to the point where it is identical to running the cable directly into the set without the box. I think that you'll be pleased with the HD performance, too.

Hey, CBS HD just popped up with Comcast in Berlin Connecticut! That's what I "love" about Comcast, never tell you what they're going to do, just keep flipping through the channels and Surprise! there it is, 303. But I checked on the CBS page and tonight's AFC is not in HD. I know some Patriots fans who will be very unhappy.....

Not true. Tonight's Titans vs. Pats game is going to be broadcast in high definition. Not only does my on screen guide say so, but so does TitanTV. Rest assured fellow Pats fans, we will see a Patriots victory in HDTV tonight.

LAST NITE i STARTED A THREAD STATING THAT cOMCAST nEW hAVEN ADDED NOT ONLY WTNH-dt BUT wCBS-dt!! nOW WE HAVE CBS,NBC,+ABC IN HD !! HALLELUJAH !! cOMCAST RULES. CAN i BE GREEDY AND WISH FOR FOX WIDESCREEN AS WELL?? STARZ AND CINEMAX HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hi all,
a fellow HDTV enthusiast here in Cheshire, CT.
For the past couple of weeks I have been experimenting with different antennas, amps, pre-amps with very limited success.
I started with Radio Shack VU-90 XR antenna in the attic.
I am able to get WTNH ~70% and WTXX ~90% and WCTX ~50%.
Tried RS pre-amp to see if it improves things, did not seem very effective, I have about 100 feet of RG-6 cable run.
Tried a distribution amp, still no positive effect.
Then I got a Channel Master 3018 antenna from Lowes. It looks like a more solid antenna, little larger than RS. Put the new one into the attic hoping to get WFSB. No luck, still able to get the above stations, at the same percentage rate. I have a two story house, and nothing like foil or metal in the attic. Also tried adding CM 3041DBS pre-amp, do not see any difference.

Any suggestions from you guys? Would CM 7777 pre-amp be much better than the 3041 one? Is WFSB very directional? Right now the antenna is pointed in general nothern direction so that I can get WTNH (it is very directional, little off, and I get nothing at all). I bought a rotator, but have not had a chance to play with that yet.

I appreciate all of the suggestions,
thanx,
Max

My Comcast is still givng out the 3100 :(. I need the 5100 series for the dual output :)

Originally posted by cgorra
Comcast uses the Motorola DCT 5100 in CT, ....

Comcast also has Scientific Alantic systems (not just Motorola) in CT. Atleast in the areas near RI (East Thames for sure). I have the SA 3100HD box. I have no clue why some Comcast areas are SA headends and some Motorola.

Im trying to watch the game on CBS and I am getting drop outs and tons of pixelation. Anyone else experienceing this?

Im in Clinton

Yep, same here.

My Comcast 5100 seems to handle the animation channels - NickToons, AdultSwim on Cartoon Network - very poorly. There are always block artifacts around the edge/line work around the characters. If the frame remains unchanged then the blocks seems to go away but over several seconds. It looks just like JPEG artifacts. Too bad really, you'd think that compression could be made to excel at animation since it just areas of solid color and hard edges for the most part and never REALLY 30 frames per second. Anyone care to comment? Anyone get clean animation?

All better now...
Hope it doesnt happen during the Superbowl

Hi all,
a fellow HDTV enthusiast here in Cheshire, CT.
For the past couple of weeks I have been experimenting with different antennas, amps, pre-amps with very limited success.........
------------------------------------------------------------
mkosover,

Glad to have you join the chase, and a chase it is if using antennas in CT.

It seems you have been doing some reading and good work so far. A couple of thoughts. First, a highly directional antenna often is needed as our transmitters are in many directions, and/or there are multipath issues, and/or distance issues. This holds true for Cheshire as WCTX and WTNH are on Gaylord Mtn in northern Hamden and WTXX and WFSB are on Rattlesnake Mtn near New Britain. This is just too much for most antennas to handle if seeking HDTV signal. (WFSB is just about a "virtual station" as they have the CBS monopoly in CT so far but low low power so dont be surprised by reception difficulties for them). Conclusion: Rotator will be an excellent addition.

Second, cant you get the antenna on the roof, perhaps with a basic tripod mount even? This would be the best next step. Third, dont add pre-amps until you have tried without, for they can add their own set of problems, especially as you are very close to WTNH and close to others. The CM 7777 is very good

Overall conclusion: Wait a few weeks until temps above zero and put up rooftop ant with rotator, then wait for Directv or Comcast to end this mess with our locals.

Originally posted by AFIS
It seems you have been doing some reading and good work so far. A couple of thoughts. First, a highly directional antenna often is needed as our transmitters are in many directions, and/or there are multipath issues, and/or distance issues.


AFIS, thank you very much for your ideas.
I have been reading as much as I can, on this board and others. Unfortunatelly with HDTV OTA, there is no one single perfect solution for everybody. Thats why I finally decided to ask for opinion of others.

This holds true for Cheshire as WCTX and WTNH are on Gaylord Mtn in northern Hamden and WTXX and WFSB are on Rattlesnake Mtn near New Britain. This is just too much for most antennas to handle if seeking HDTV signal.


I can get WTXX with almost 100% and WFSB is not a blip on the radar. Would that suggest that no amount of tweaking will bring WFSB in until they go full power? Also, is Rattlesnake Mtn the future place of NBC and FOX (wvit and wtic) transmitters? If not, where are they located?


Second, cant you get the antenna on the roof, perhaps with a basic tripod mount even? This would be the best next step. Third, dont add pre-amps until you have tried without, for they can add their own set of problems, especially as you are very close to WTNH and close to others. The CM 7777 is very good.
Overall conclusion: Wait a few weeks until temps above zero and put up rooftop ant with rotator, then wait for Directv or Comcast to end this mess with our locals.


I do not want antenna on the roof, but I will try for the experiment sake. Just to see if it makes any difference. As you know, the warmer weather is a must for this adventure. I also want to try the rotator, maybe I can get a PBS station. Cheshire has COX cable, so none of the good HDTV news in this thread applies to them.
I would be interested in knowing what other Cheshire, or nearby towns residents can pull in, and with what kind of setup.
thanx,
Max

Max, I am in east side of Cheshire. We get WTNH, WTXX, and WCTX all the time with our Rat Shack VU-90XR mounted on a 10' mast on our deck. Can't get anything from PBS or NBC.

We can get WFSB some of the time depending on the weather (and the wind). Last Thu nite my wife watched both CSI's without a dropout. Last night I tuned into the Pat's game about 9:30 and watched till the end without a problem. Other nites we get dropouts to the point it is unwatchable (and switch back to SD on Cox cable :( ). I do have to rotate the antenna to switch between WFSB and WTNH. Rotation is definitely more sensitive with WFSB. Can't wait till they go full power and implement their 5.1 sound.

I know what you mean about Cox. They keep telling me they are negotiating with the locals but no time frame yet. :(
Allen

Originally posted by apaulct
Max, I am in east side of Cheshire. We get WTNH, WTXX, and WCTX all the time with our Rat Shack VU-90XR mounted on a 10' mast on our deck. Can't get anything from PBS or NBC.

We can get WFSB some of the time depending on the weather (and the wind). Last Thu nite my wife watched both CSI's without a dropout. Last night I tuned into the Pat's game about 9:30 and watched till the end without a problem. Other nites we get dropouts to the point it is unwatchable (and switch back to SD on Cox cable :( ). I do have to rotate the antenna to switch between WFSB and WTNH. Rotation is definitely more sensitive with WFSB. Can't wait till they go full power and implement their 5.1 sound.

I know what you mean about Cox. They keep telling me they are negotiating with the locals but no time frame yet. :(
Allen

Hi Max
I am in Cheshire also. Actually, very close to you! (Don't worry, I'm not a
stalker!) Anyway, I can pick up all of the locals OTA with a RS VU-120 on
my roof and a rotator. WTNH is strong enough to get with the antenna
pointed at Rattlesnake Mt so I don't have to turn it too much. I just picked
up PBS out of Norwich this morning, so don't dispare, you can get good
OTA in Cheshire!

I'm not sure if anyone else noticed it, I didn't notice it until this morning, I'm not sure if it was there last night or not for the Patriots game but I now have a channel 303 on Comcast in Windsor WFSBHD. This is big!

The CBS game is not in HD! Did someone at WFSB forget to throw the switch?

Originally posted by raoul5788
The CBS game is not in HD! Did someone at WFSB forget to throw the switch?

Has anybody out there tried calling Comcast? I am on hold right now...

I called WFSB. They claim the game is not in HD.
All the listings I have say that it is! RATS!!!!!!!

Originally posted by asunc
Has anybody out there tried calling Comcast? I am on hold right now...

They switched it around 1:15.

Funny how WFSB claimed it wasn't in HD and suddenly
they switched it on! Hmmm, sounds fishy to me!

Originally posted by sritter
They switched it around 1:15.

I just got through as they switched...

I don't think the 4x3 to 16x9 switch is made at Comcast, because the same issue appears OTA...the problem with the switching appears to be at the station itseld, or, perhaps the network

I sent an email to WTIC about getting a waiver in order to get the Fox ED feed via DirecTV. Here is the reply I received.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've forwarded a copy of your e-mail to the waiver appeal department. However, I suspect your best course of action is plan on taking our over the air signal, which will be available in a few weeks. Sadly there is no mechanism for a temporary waiver. If we give you a waiver you can watch an out-of market station even after we have a digital signal. Even worse, every waiver reduces the reasons for DirecTV to carry our digital signal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone understand that last sentence? Seems kind of strange to me.

Anyway, I hope we see WTIC-DT up and running before 24 ends!

Originally posted by AreBee
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
......Even worse, every waiver reduces the reasons for DirecTV to carry our digital signal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone understand that last sentence? Seems kind of strange to me.

Anyway, I hope we see WTIC-DT up and running before 24 ends! [/B]

Sounds like they are referring to Direct Tv's local channel broadcast, but direct tv already carries WTIC. There is noway direct tv will carry WTIC in high def any time soon.
Max

Comcast is getting all it's HD feeds OTA, so they see, what all us OTA HD viewers see. Any blame on switching from SD to HD is on the local broadcaster.

Actually, WVIT-DT is sent to Comcast via fiber optic cable, not OTA, as they don't even have an OTA signel yet, but the rest of your statement is correct.

Anyone notice that one of the INHD channels went missing over the weekend?


Comcast.
Tolland, CT

Originally posted by AreBee
I sent an email to WTIC about getting a waiver in order to get the Fox ED feed via DirecTV. Here is the reply I received.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<snip>Even worse, every waiver reduces the reasons for DirecTV to carry our digital signal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone understand that last sentence? Seems kind of strange to me.
!
Sure.

Let's see how this has worked so far:

That means they negotiated with the network parent companies
and no negotiations to-date with local affiliates to acquire the right to re-transmit the HD signals

If I'm not mistaken, that means the independently-owned local affiliates have little, if any, leverage in negotations with DirecTV. And let's face it: negotiations always come down to money.

So in a nutshell, they want you to do the negotiating for them. Without a set of complaints and no solutions (waivers) they have no leverage.

Otherwise DirecTV can point to the population segment able to get OTA signal, and the ability to get a waiver for the distant feeds, and defend their position in court for quite a while.

Ready for the bad news?

This is a PM I received from Arnold Chase who is an AVS member and the owner operator of the antenna complex on Rattlesnake Mt. in Farmington.

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

The behind the scenes situation is unbelievably screwed up, involving channel swaps and FCC battles. CH. 30 vs CH 61 & CH 24. The bottom line is that WTIC will be up in a few months with a temporary (but probably pretty decent) signal, but CPTV is still dealing with FCC issues. If it goes the way I think it will, CPTV will go on with more power than they ever dreamt of. Unfortunately until the FCC gives the final OK (and new channel assignments) to WTIC and WEDH, they can't order their antennas. Without knowing what antennas they will be using, I can't order (or build) the new candelabra. It will be 8 - 12 months from that time before the project is finished.

I'm probably more frustrated than you guys over this...

Regards,

Arnold
-----------------------

This sucks.

does this bad news apply to wvit also as far as the time frame is concerned or will they be ota soon with any luck???

scottte

Unbelievable, bad news for all of us and especially bad news for DirecTV in CT, because for them to not lose customers back to cable, they will be reliant on their HD customers being able to receive the locals OTA without too much trouble.

I have a question for you Comcast subscibers, is the digital audio out on your HD box optical, coax or both? Having it installed today, and want to know if I need to stop and buy a cable. Thanks.

Will this have any effect on WFSB going full power?

WFSB is on their own tower, and their channel assignment is locked in (they are on the air), so no it should not change their timing (a couple months out at this point). Though I'm hoping for DD5.1 for this weekends game.

jake14mw

My comcast Motorolla HD STB has both toslink and coax digital. One thing you might want to know is that there is a known issue with audio dropouts and static with the current crop of Motorolla STB's, here is a link to some information I shared with others.

Man I can't post a bloody URL as I have not posted more than 5 times .:confused:

hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=492178&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=3&vc=1

add a www to the above url, back up in the thread to read the entire discussion.

FYI the audi problems are nowhere near as bad as they were, I still have them but they only last about 5-10 minutes or so before going away

Even worse, every waiver reduces the reasons for DirecTV to carry our digital signal.

What they mean here is that way back a few years ago, they were one of the nice stations that actually gave out waivers to DirecTV customers. This was before the 119 sat was around. My friend has a waiver from them. He was also able to get one from WTNH becuase he is far from them. But all the other Hartford staions would not budge.

That sucks about the tower...you would think with all the waivers granted the FCC would have this finalized by now.

does this bad news apply to wvit also as far as the time frame is concerned or will they be ota soon with any luck???

I replied to Arnold's email in regards to WVIT. They are on a different tower, but I don't know if the lawsuits would be an issue. The engineer at WVIT told me that the antenna was on-site and ready to be installed when the antenna reinforcment was complete. I'm trying to find out if this
is true.

WFSB is on their own tower, and their channel assignment is locked in (they are on the air), so no it should not change their timing (a couple months out at this point). Though I'm hoping for DD5.1 for this weekends game.

Such, have you received any new information on the DD 5.1? I was under the impression it would be a while. I was praying we'd have it in time for the Superbowl!

The other INHD channel went out at the same time as WFSB-DT came on. Coincidence? I wonder if there is some sort of limitation of the number of HD channels they can carry. Still I'm not unhappy with the swap out.

sorry to seem out of touch, but does the above mean wfsb is also moving to rattlesnake mt for full power????

Originally posted by AreBee
The bottom line is that WTIC will be up in a few months with a temporary (but probably pretty decent) signal, but CPTV is still dealing with FCC issues...

But it does sound like WTIC be up soon, albeit at lower power. Right?

Andy

Got a note back from Victor today. He is waiting for one more piece of equipment from Dolby (a $15K part), he's struggling to get the PO through his finance department so he can get it here. I asked if it would be up for this weekend & he said his is doing everything possible.

As for the tower location, WFSB will be going full power on the same tower they are on today, on Avon Mt.

I emailed Comcast today about DVI update and PVR availability. Here's what I got.


At this time the Digital Video Recorder service is not yet available in
the New England region. Comcast is working hard to offer as many new
services as possible. Unfortunately we do not have an estimated launch
date to provide as to when this type of unit will be available.

I'm sorry, at this time the DVI port on the back of the DCT-5100 does
not function.

The DVI output is HDCP compliant, which is a copyright protection that
disables the ability to record HD programming. At this time it is not
active, Comcast and Motorola are currently in discussions with the
parties that defined the HDCP standards, unfortunately we do not have
any estimated availability date to provide at this time.

Doesn't seem like anytime soon for the PVR. I was told during my install that DVI was going 'active' early 2004. That doesn't seem likely since they are still in negotiations.

e is waiting for one more piece of equipment from Dolby (a $15K part)

That's a pretty important part! I'll keep my fingers crossed for Feb 1.

Originally posted by Such
Got a note back from Victor today. He is waiting for one more piece of equipment from Dolby (a $15K part), he's struggling to get the PO through his finance department so he can get it here. I asked if it would be up for this weekend & he said his is doing everything possible.

As for the tower location, WFSB will be going full power on the same tower they are on today, on Avon Mt.

Did he mention when the switch to full power would be? Is he waiting for the Dolby equipment to arrive to do it all at once?

Originally posted by AreBee
Ready for the bad news?

This is a PM I received from Arnold Chase who is an AVS member and the owner operator of the antenna complex on Rattlesnake Mt. in Farmington.

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

The behind the scenes situation is unbelievably screwed up, involving channel swaps and FCC battles. CH. 30 vs CH 61 & CH 24. The bottom line is that WTIC will be up in a few months with a temporary (but probably pretty decent) signal, but CPTV is still dealing with FCC issues. If it goes the way I think it will, CPTV will go on with more power than they ever dreamt of. Unfortunately until the FCC gives the final OK (and new channel assignments) to WTIC and WEDH, they can't order their antennas. Without knowing what antennas they will be using, I can't order (or build) the new candelabra. It will be 8 - 12 months from that time before the project is finished.

I'm probably more frustrated than you guys over this...

Regards,

Arnold
-----------------------

This sucks.


WTIC already got their new channel few months ago. They were suppose to be on ch6 but got new assignment for ch31. Are they still complaining?

No, read farther back in the thread.

They will be doing the Dolby upgrade first - what is going on right now, waiting for the one last Dolby part.

They just finished pouring the concrete footings for their steel tower upgrade last week. Adding steel to tower comes next & its weather dependent. Getting the tower upgraded comes before raising the new full power transmitter. My guess (this did not come from Victor but from my interpretation of his comments) is that it will be a couple months before their full power transmitter is up and running.

My info on WTIC is they do have their new channel number, they have ordered their antenna & are waiting only on tower construction to be completed.

Hard for me to argue with Arnie Chase however, given he owns the darn tower...........

Originally posted by AreBee
The behind the scenes situation is unbelievably screwed up, involving channel swaps and FCC battles. CH. 30 vs CH 61 & CH 24.


Well, this makes sense to me. Think about it, although I have heard CLAIMS that adjacent digital channels pose no problems, my experience tells me that in the real world there will be some interference, probably seen as a lower quality number on the signal "meter" on the DTV sets, possibly even wiping out channels entirely.

Think about it... I think Connecticut is rather unique in this situation. All these OTA channels are clustered together. First, you have WVIT channel 30 analog, a 3 MegaWatt analog powerhouse. (Remember analog stations run at a much higher ERP than digital). On another tower about a mile away, WTIC is supposed to be lighting up Digital channel 31. On that same tower, CPTV is occupying Digital 32. A few miles up the road, WFSB is on digital 33. Our friends from New London WHPX are on digital 34 (don't laugh at that one, I get WHPX-DT with a 75 signal strength in Bristol with a StealthTenna in the basement), and finally WVIT gets channel 35 digital.

Nowhere but on cable would you see channels 30-35 completely occupied. The problem is, on cable the signal strength of all the channels can be equalized. With OTA, this is impossible. The more powerful stations will interfere with the less powerful ones, the tower closest to the home receiver may overload the DTV box's front end and wipe out adjacent channels. This does not take into account atmospheric disturbances and other weather-related reception variables.

If I were in the middle of the fray, I know I would want a digital assignment out on my own somewhere so I can pump out a good signal and not have any interference.

BTW, if adjacent channels pose no interference issues, then why does AntennaWeb.org say I need to have a medium directional (code red) antenna to pick up WTIC-DT 31 when I live 6.6 miles from the tower in direct line-of-sight? In fact, the list shows WHPX-DT 34 AND TV analog 26 (New London) as EASIER to receive from my location than WTIC-DT!!

Originally posted by AreBee
If it goes the way I think it will, CPTV will go on with more power than they ever dreamt of.


I wonder if CPTV got a power boost for WEDN-DT 45? I could not get the station except for a minor blip once around Thanksgiving, but the past 3 weeks or so it has been booming in at 50-65, steadily improving as time went on. It is now very reliable to tune in at any time with very few dropouts.

I have been receiving WEDN-DT with good signal from the moment they went on the air. I admit though that I have big antenna on a rotor on my roof with the preamp. On the other hand I can't get WFSB reliably even though I am 7.5 miles away from transmitter.

Some infromation on adjacent channel interference can be found here. http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/On-RF/f_dl_rftechnology121003.shtml
There has been a fairly recent request for a channel swap by PBS for the Norwich and Hartford channels. This may be the new hold up on the WTIC et al tower. John

INHD & INHD2 problems !!! anyone else having issues receiving these channels ?? They won't lock in they flicker in and out , then they go blank ..


I sure am loving CBS high def though !!! Go COMCAST

I got an update today from the Rattlesnake Mountain transmission facility manager. WTIC-TV has decided not to go with a temporary DTV antenna (which was going to be installed by now), and instead they will install a permanent antenna at a temporary (side mount) location until the candelabra is installed. This should take place in a few months time. Their temporary location will be at about the 800' level, which will place it about 300' HIGHER than WFSB's permanent location. Once the candelabra is built (about 12 months from now) WTIC will move their antenna up another 500+ feet to their permanent location. This will result in a transmission location 200' higher than WVIT's permanent location, and 800' higher than WFSB.

Even with a temporary transmission power level (about half of what it will ultimately be), I'll bet that WTIC's temporary signal will FAR out-distance WFSB's full power coverage.

A good predictor of the differences that we'll see can be estimated by comparing the existing WEDH analog signal (450' tower on Avon Mountain) against WVIT's analog signal (1,139' tower on Rattlesnake Mountain). In UHF, the saying is as true as ever: "Height IS Might!!!".

Does anybody here in CT have Comcast with just the basic cable and the HD box? I am interested if that is available because I have the HD package from D* and I have just CBS-HD from E*. I would like to drop the E* one channel setup and get ABC, NBC, and CBS all in HD from Comcast. I figure this would only be about $16 for all three versus $6.50 for one channel.

achase,

any new word on wvit's dtv antenna???

scottte

Originally posted by HDDave
Does anybody here in CT have Comcast with just the basic cable and the HD box?

I have prefered basic(analog) and an HD box. No premium channels. I get the HD locals plus ESPN-HD, inHD 1&2 for the cost of renting the HD box.

Bfadams-

So do you pay about $16? And can you tell me what analog channels you receive on any regular TVs you have hooked up to cable? Is it just channels 2-22 or do you receive more? I was led to believe that they couldn't install a trap ( for basic cable only) if you were receiving the HD channels. A bandwidth issue, maybe?

I get roughly channels 2-99 minus the premium channels. I pay about $47 including taxes etc. The HD cable box is $6.95(price is included in the $47). I think the price will be going up a $1 or so soon for the box. The filter that they could put on would decrease my bill about $4. The Comcast CSR said they could install a filter that allows the HD signal to go thru if you wanted only minimal basic service.

Originally posted by scottte
achase,

any new word on wvit's dtv antenna???

scottte

WVIT is not a part of the big tower project on Rattlesnake Mountain. As such, I have no information on what they're up to.

does anybody out there know where the WVIT tower is and a timeline for them?? There analog signlay is great as noted prior, I am on the shoreline in Milford and can pull their analog signal in almost perfectly with my CM 4228!!! Hopefully their DTV signal will be just as good and that will complete my major network DTV signals as I pull FOX and CBS in from NYC right now, NBC is too weak to make to me, and of course ABC from New Haven.

scottte

I live in Old Saybrook Connecticut. I have DirecTV with a DirecTiVo and am holding out on getting HD until the HD DirecTiVo is released in March. I want to get prepared though, I watch a ton of CBS and really want to get CBS HD. The HD DirecTiVo will have an input for OTA with two OTA tuners as well as two Satellite tuners. I am really sad to hear all the trouble with WFSB HD signal in CT. DirecTV is getting CBS HD but they will only give it to people in an O&O market and WFSB won't give me a waiver to get the national feeds from DirecTV. I checked antennaweb.org and it said I would need a Large Directional Antenna. I only want to do this though if I will get CBS in perfectly. I don't really care about the other stations right now. I also need to find an Installer here in CT. I can't install it myself so I need to find someone or an installation company. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

-Joe

Originally posted by JosephR
II am really sad to hear all the trouble with WFSB HD signal in CT. DirecTV is getting CBS HD but they will only give it to people in an O&O market and WFSB won't give me a waiver to get the national feeds from DirecTV.

That's funny I just saw a mini commercial on WFSB (Hartford, New Haven, Norwich) watching the UCONN game on over enhanced crappy SD picture.

Ditto on the O&O, denied thru E*.

As far too what to do about it, talk too your neighbors about splitting the cost for a tower install.:D

Anyone with the Comcast 5100 box check to see if DVI is enabled recently? I was just reading posts that other markets were turned on and was curious to see if anyone checked...

Well, no DD 5.1 for WFSB-DT yesterday. We have two weeks before the Superbowl. I'll send out another email to see if there is any news on the needed equipment.

I also noted that WFSB's signal strength went down to its old power. Maybe whatever they did to get it better had to be undone to get 5.1 installed and it will come back when they are finished. (at least I hope)

This is odd. When everyone was joyous over WFSB's apparent full power, my signal went crappo - unwatchable. Now when we think they are back to lower power, my signal is in the 70's (go Pats). Inverse technology?

Arnie, thanks for the great WTIC update!

Andy

What if I get one of those really big Channel Master 3671 Deepest Fringe Crossfire Series that are supposed to pick up channels 100 + Miles and put a pre amp on it. It will cost like $300 for that and all the pieces to put it together but does anyone think that would be able to pick up WSFB HD in Old Saybrook?

-Joe

Eventually, you'll be able to pick up WFSB-DT with a Channel Master 3671, but probably not until they increase their power. For the time being, you may actually have a better shot at WCBS-Dt, channel 56 in NYC. Hasn't Comcast added WFSB-DT to the cable in Old Saybrook yet?

I already get digital quality CBS via DirecTV Locals but I want HD Quality. I have a Sony 30 inch wide screen xbr hd tv and the digital broadcast is pixelated at times and has occasional artifacting. I just ordered the HD package through DirecTV and I it will have an OTA tuner for local channels since they do not broadcast Locals in HD over DirecTV. Comcast in my area doesn't do HD either so I can't get it from them. Does anyone live in or near Old Saybrook and get CBS HD from Hartford or NY? I think someone in West Haven said they get NY but I am about 30 miles east of West Haven.

-Joe

According to Comcast, they DO offer HDTV in Old Saybrook: WFSB-DT and WVIT-DT, CPTV-DT are all available. You should contact them, because it will be cheaper than spending $400-600 for an antenna system that MIGHT get it for you. I have it in West Hartford, and have to admit that it looks pretty darned good! What you are getting from DirecTV is a digital SD signal, which won't look as good as what someone closer in can ger off an OTA antenna. The quality of the Hartford-New Haven DirecTV signals is nothing to write home about.

Well it's to late for comcast now. I just ordered and paid for the DirecTV HD setup and I have a one year commitment to DirecTV HD and Total Choice Premier. I checked a few days ago with comcast online and tried to order it and they showed HD and PVR for 06475 but when you go to order it says its not ready yet for my area but I could sign up to be emailed when it arrives. Plus the biggest reason is I want to use the HD DirecTiVo that will have two DirecTV tuners and two OTA tuners with a 250 gig HD, I already pre ordered that and it will be arriving in April. They do not make a HD TiVo for cable yet and there are no plans of when they may. I never watch live TV anymore so I really am just gearing up for when the HD DirecTiVo arrives in April. As of now I have already put the $900 for HD DirecTiVo and $400 for the DirecTV HD Package into this setup so another $400 isn't going to matter much at this point. It sounds like CBS will be going high power soon so at least I know it will work eventually. I will still have my 157 hour DirecTiVo to record it digitally as well as in HD Mode if I can at least get CBS in part of the time until they go full power. Does anyone know of an installer for this area that I could get to install the OTA portion of this?

Thanks.

-Joe

A quick note folks, don't forget tonight is UConn's first HD game on ESPN-HD. Should be a good game even not in HD, Saturday's vs. NC was fantastic. Tonight, Pitt, HD, I can't wait!

I also noted that WFSB's signal strength went down to its old power. Maybe whatever they did to get it better had to be undone to get 5.1 installed and it will come back when they are finished. (at least I hope)


In speaking with WFSB, the power increase was not due to anything the station did. It had to be atmospheric conditions that boosted the signal.

A quick note folks, don't forget tonight is UConn's first HD game on ESPN-HD. Should be a good game even not in HD, Saturday's vs. NC was fantastic. Tonight, Pitt, HD, I can't wait!

I can't wait! Hopefully the rebound (no pun intended) from Saturday's gut-wrenching loss. I hgot a chance to see them in HD in the last two NCAA tournaments. This year the Big East Tournament is in HD as well as the NCAA tourney. How great is that?

I called the local TV/Satellite retailers and they said the only place to order an antenna installed in the Old Saybrook area is through Radio Shack. So I checked there and they gave me an 800 #, I called that and they said I need a work order and can't order an install from them so I had to call Radio Shack back and they said you have to buy the equipment from them for about $200 then the install is $190. I was hoping to find an installer in the area that would know what is needed to pull in the signal, it sounds like Radio Shack will send someone from far away that won't know anything about this area.

-Joe

NO! NO! NO! Don't go to Radio Shack! Their equipment is inferior, and their installers clueless! Call Signal Electronic Supply in West Hartford, or Jan Electronics in New London, and tell them what you need: A Channel Master Crossfire 3671, A 9521 Rotor, a Titan 7777 preamplifier, and ask them for suggestions about an installer. If you want to PM me, I can suggest a couple of people who can do the job [

achase,

Thank you for the information regarding your Rattlesnake Mountain transmission facility.

Would you know if CPTV has interim plans to have a side-mount antenna on the tower or will they not have a digital signal for the greater Hartford area until after the candelabra is completed in 2005?

Thank you.

Originally posted by WHNB
achase,

Would you know if CPTV has interim plans to have a side-mount antenna on the tower or will they not have a digital signal for the greater Hartford area until after the candelabra is completed in 2005?


Their plans have not been finalized yet as they still have an application pending for a channel change at the FCC. When their license is granted, although the tower has the capacity to let them operate from a temporary antenna (if they want to do that), my guess is that their financial situation will not allow them to waste money on a temporary antenna. As soon as they know what channel/antenna they will use, the candelabra and antenna will be immediately ordered.

Things are not standing still, however. The preliminary ground work to add an additonal guy anchor level to support the candelabra has already been done.

Arnold

My life story...

After getting frustrated with the fact that as a DirecTV early adopter when they finally added the CT locals they put them on the lower satellite which is blocked by my trees, I shut down the service and went with lifeline cable. For whatever reason, I was getting more than just the very basic channels, so for about $10-11/month I was quite happy. In October I got a phone call from them offering me expanded basic for "only about $7 or $8 a month more" good for a few months. I took the deal and was happy with it but it turned out to be actually more like $11/month more (about $22/month total). That deal just ended apparently and they wanted to start charging me $43+.

In the mean time, my wife bought me an HP 856x (Win XP Media Center Edition PC). I've been disappointed with the quality of DVR with this. My standalone TiVo is noticeably better. I came across a post on the newsgroups that indicated that the problem was with the tuner card's RF input (or actual cable TV tuner) and that the S-Video input might be better. I really want to like this thing, partly because of all that it can do and partly because I'd save the $13/month TiVo service fee I currently pay. So that got me to thinking that if I had some other box to tune things in and could enter the PC via the S-Video input things might look better. Did a little reading on the forums here about the Comcast Motorola box and started thinking about using it via the S-Video output for an upgraded picture into my PC (if that's a realistic expectation). I also have an NEC LT85 SVGA DLP projector and a 80x45" Da-Lite Hi-Power screen which I would watch some occasional HDTV material on (hopefully the Superbowl).

Getting back to pricing...According to Comcast's site, HDTV service is available as a $7 add-on and requires "Basic service." Well, I called Comcast and was told that I actually needed Basic Digital service. I don't believe there's any package called Basic Digital, so if you aren't supposed to be able to get this as an add-on to just a true basic (analog) service, they need to clarify this much better. I certainly wasn't interested in paying $50+/month. Sigh. At that point, I asked to be transferred to their internet service division because I also received an email claiming that I could get $15/month off of my cable modem bill if I had any level of service (including the cheapo $10/month lifeline basic service). More disappointment. This rep I spoke with informed me that I was already saving $15/month because the cost for cable modem service if you don't have any cable TV service is $60/month. Is that true? If so, that's insane.

At that point I told her that my previous special offer for extended basic had expired and I wanted to switch back to the $11/month plan. She asked if I would be willing to keep it if she could guarantee me a price of $25/month (or something like that) for a year. At that point, I gave her my sob story about how I really wanted the HDTV service and could I add that to the price she quoted me. Once again, she informed me that I needed basic Digital. At that point I begged and pleaded and further explained that I didn't care about all those extra channels and I didn't want to pay $50+ when all I really wanted was basic service plus HDTV for $18/month. To my surprise, she said that there might be something she could do. She went on to do some computations (or who knows what) and came back with this deal:
1) Installer would come out tomorrow. Her system wouldn't let her give me a free install, but she was going to give me a $16 credit to accomplish the same thing.
2) My total monthly price including taxes would be $29.83. This would include basic cable, the digital plus package, and HDTV. According to her, this was not a "promotional" price but would be my normal price forever (or obviously until they raise their prices).

Rather than tell me what the "digital plus package" consisted of, she would send me out something which had all the channels I would get circled. I'm not sure if this means that they'll be filtering out certain channels or what, but if I even get what I used to get for $11/month plus HDTV for the major networks, I think I can be very happy with this deal.

Hopefully this will all come to fruition. BTW, I asked her about PVR and she said that it's not available yet but they'd be informing existing customers about it. She might have used the word "soon" but I can't say for sure.

So does this all sound legit? Did she give me a special deal or did she not know what she was doing? She seemed like she knew what she was doing and was extremely friendly.

Of course it's also possible that they got one over on me and I should have been able to get what I wanted for $18/month.

Scott

srauly:

I'm on Long Island and I subscribe to Cablevision. I too only wanted the broadcast basic package plus HDTV. The broadcast basic package is $10/month and I have to also get digital IO (similar to the basic Digital that you mention) which is $10/month. And on top of that I have to "rent" the HD box for $4/month. So for $24/month, I get only locals and locals in HD. With Cablevision, that's only CBS, FOX, and PBS right now. So you're price of $29.83 doesn't sound that far off. Hope this helps even though we have different cable companies.

Originally posted by Bfadams
I have prefered basic(analog) and an HD box. No premium channels. I get the HD locals plus ESPN-HD, inHD 1&2 for the cost of renting the HD box.

Scott,

I think you should PM Bfadams...

I thought we're able to get a basic locals pkg that would include the HD locals for a minimum amount (something like $10 + 7 for the box).

As for the Internet rate - yep it's 57.99 without any other Comcast service. That's kinda why I'm thinking about leaving Dish. My year is up and I have to seriously compare the programming costs plus internet cost and see what's best. It was pretty close before but Dish just raised their rates (I know so did cable) but Comcast is adding HD programming quickly (HD locals, etc.) and Dish is losing there edge for me.

Andy

From Comcast website - fine print:

"*HDTV Broadcast feeds are included in limited basic service."

But I think you need to have digital basic for ESPN-HD, INHD and INHD2.

Andy

While I'm here...

This was posted back in December

"Originally posted by usurpers26
Don't mean to hijack your guys OTA thread but WTNH is finally on Comcast (channel 304) in the Hartford area. Too bad such a crappy MNF game is on tonight... "

I just want to verify it. Is WTNH indeed on Comcast in the Hartford area (particularly Windsor)?

Thanks!
Andy

Yup, it looks like they don't know what they're doing over there. Since posting my last message I did some more reading in the forums here (as well as some PMs between another user) and it certainly sounds like I should be able to get lifeline basic plus HDTV (locals) for $16-18. What's funny is that after I tried to tell the first rep that I thought I should be able to get this, he said something like "well, maybe if you call back and talk to a rep that just came out of training they would do it." Looks like he was the one just out of training. ;)

My take on it is this...If that $30/month plan gives me some of the extra channels I do like, it will probably be worth it to me. If I end up with only lifeline basic and/or find that the other channels aren't really worth the extra $12-14/month, I'll call back and complain till I get what it sounds like I should be entitled to.

Scott

Yes, Andy. Comcast currently has HDTV in Hartford as follows:
WEDN-DT Channel 302
WFSB-DT Channel 303
WTNH-DT Channel 304
WVIT-DT Channel 305
ESPN-HD Channel 329
HBO-HD Channel 370
SHO-HD Channel 377
INHD1 Channel 381

Since NBC just announced that they are broadcasting the Daytona 500 in HD, I have a renewed interest in the status of WVIT's antenna. Many deadlines have come and gone. Last I heard, January 15th was supposed to be the date but that obviously that didn't happen.

From Dorran:

This is the latest from WVIT, NBC 30 in CT. I received this message this morning from Dave Bondanza, their chief engineer in response to my question about when they will be braodcasting OTA HDTV and at what power.

"Soon. The antenna and tower modifications we started in August are almost complete. (We had a four year delay sue to legal and zoning challenges from others). We will be at full power, the transmitter is almost ready to be turned on in the load, the electricians are completing final connections to it. I would suspect mid-January." Dave

So the question is: When am I going to be able to get WVIT OTA?

(I won't even start on WFSB and the Superbowl. Stupid WFSB and stupid Tele-Media Cable)

I won't even start on WFSB and the Superbowl

I started another thread on that topic called "WFSB Sucks Unofficial Thread".
It may be time and appropriate to start a new thread called "OTA HDTV in CT Sucks".

WVIT OTA Status

This is the latest just received (1/21/04) from WVIT's Chief Engineer.

"Sorry we didn't make the 1/15 date. We bound up by the cold weather. Mounting the antenna in these temperatures is out of the question. Can you imagine being up in the air 950 feet high held to the tower with a nylon harness and trying to turn some bolts while the 50 mpg wind at -40 degrees is blowing at you? Not for me, but meanwhile the transmitter is putting out full power into the dummy load on the ground making lots of heat!!!

Frustrating for us as much as it is for you!! If it was about 10 degrees warmer, we could start the antenna mounting portion, expected to take about 3-5 days. That's it and we're done. I would suspect by 2/1 hoping that we get some above freezing weather days.

Dave"

Dorran

If the above is true, it is like a breath of fresh air!!!!

scottte

I hope it is true. I think we would all love to have just one UHF station at full power from either rattlesnake or Avon mountain just to guage whether the antennas we have will be OK for the others. I would think that once they're up and running, that would give us an idea of whether or not we could also look forward to getting WFSB and WTIC once they are up at full power right?

Thanks, CG. I just wanted to verify WTNH as the Comcast website lists the others but not WTNH.

Thanks!

Andy

I am encouraged by the news from WVIT. I think we might be OK with the antennas most of us have. Here in Tolland I can only get a watchable picture from WFSB when it is below 20 degrees. But the mere fact that I can get a watchable picture at times from a weak signal makes me feel that I should be able to get a good signal when they are at full power.

WVIT would be great since NBC is going to carry the Olympics this year.

Here are 2 independent and totally off current topic questions:

1. Where is Rattle Snake Mountain exactly? I want to plot how far it is to my home just for curiousity sake.

2. Have any of you CT D* subs checked out the guide on the D*web site??? I read the thread in the programming forum about CBS HD showing up in grid after jan 31, 2004. I went there and when looked at guide with "all channels" selected it showed 80 and 81 for LA and NYC cbs. When I check off just "my channels" it then only shows 81 for what I assume to be CBS HD out of NYC. Just curious if I made the cut, or is everyone in CT seeing that on their guides. Let us all know!! Thanks!!

scottte

Rattlesnake Mountain is in Farmington, and can be easily seen from I-84 near exits 34-38. There are two towers on the mountain: WVIT's 1171' tower, and WTIC-TV's 1690' tower If you want to plot it, here are the coordainates:
41 ° 42' 13.00" Latitude
72 ° 49' 57.00" Longitude

try using thiis locator:
http://www.2150.com/broadcast/default.asp

and here is a website to help you locate your own coordainates:
http://www.juggling.org/bin/un.cgi/map-find

have fun!

P.S.: It's 36 miles from Milford to Farmington...

cgorra,

Thanks!! Should not have any problem since I am actually on an elevated portion of Milford at least 200 feet above sea level if not more!!!

scottte

I just got my Samsung SIR-TS160 today. Hooked it all up and got DirecTV HD stuff it looks great. It's going to be a while before I can get my OTA antenna installed. I live in Old Saybrook on the shore, is there anything near here that HD would come in with some kind of indoor set top antenna? Just until I get my outdoor one so I can play around with OTA? Maybe WTNH from New Haven or something? If so what would be the best one of those indoor type antenna's I could buy?

-Joe

Originally posted by cgorra
[B]Rattlesnake Mountain is in Farmington, and can be easily seen from I-84 near exits 34-38. There are two towers on the mountain: WVIT's 1171' tower, and WTIC-TV's 1690' tower If you want to plot it, here are the coordainates:
41 � 42' 13.00" Latitude
72 � 49' 57.00" Longitude

Actually, your information is a little off. The TOP of the WVIT tower is 1,129' above a ground elevation of 720', or 1,849' AMSL (Above Mean Sea Level). The WTIC tower is 1,339' above a ground elevation of 710' for a AMSL of 2,049'. The 1690' you referred to for WTIC is the HAAT (Height Above Average Terrain) for the WTIC-TV analog antenna. This is the height of the main lobe from the top mounted antenna averaged against a number of points around the tower.

This is probably more information than you want, but...


The Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) is a calculated height based upon the height of the antenna above ground and the average height of the ground in the area surrounding the antenna. The average height of the ground above mean sea level is calculated over 8 radials at 0, 45, 90 135, 180, 225, 270 and 315 degrees from the antenna site beginning 3 kilometers from the antenna site and ending 16 kilometers from the antenna site. The average height of the ground along those eight radials is then averaged giving an average ground elevation. The HAAT of the antenna is then found by adding together the ground elevation of the antenna site and the height of the antenna above ground and subtracting the average ground elevation. Since the height of the ground along the eight radials can vary greatly from the ground elevation of the antenna site, the HAAT can be very different from the antenna height above ground. If the antenna is located on a mountain top the HAAT can be much larger than the height above ground.

A lot of people confuse tower heights with the other published data!

Regards,

Arnold

Originally posted by JosephR
I just got my Samsung SIR-TS160 today. Hooked it all up and got DirecTV HD stuff it looks great. It's going to be a while before I can get my OTA antenna installed. I live in Old Saybrook on the shore, is there anything near here that HD would come in with some kind of indoor set top antenna? Just until I get my outdoor one so I can play around with OTA? Maybe WTNH from New Haven or something? If so what would be the best one of those indoor type antenna's I could buy?

-Joe

_____________________________________________________

Joe,

I'm in Killingworth and have D* HD service using the Samsung TS160. I have not put up a full size antenna yet as I'm waiting for confirmation that WFSB is at full power. I'll also be waiting for warmer weather, but maybe that will come first?? For now, I hooked up a $15 set of rabbit ears I picked up at Circuit City. I'm able to pick up WTNH DT perfectly. I lay the rabbit ears flat in a horizontally opposed position and then point it at the WTNH antenna, which you can do quickly via trial and error). I would expect that you could do the same in Old Saybrook though you're 10-15 miles further east than me. Good luck.

Chris

Joe,

You should be able to get WHPX out of New London (Ch. 26) and WEDN out of Norwich (Ch. 53). I think WEDN (PBS) is up and I'm sure WHPX (PAX) is up. You might want check on RI stations too.

Check out antennaweb.org and put in your address to find out what you can get.

Andy

Got my Comcast HDTV hookup today. The guys (two of them) talked me into upgrading my package from the $31 "deal" I was getting to a $43 (or something like that) package. They were impressed with my front projector setup. I can't help but wonder how much better it would look if I had an XGA projector instead of my SVGA (which, I imagine is just giving me something close to the DVD 480P I'm used to, but still very nice). It looks like I got a 6200. My projector doesn't have DVI, so I'm not sure if there's any other advantage. When asked, one of the guys said that the DVR model should be out in February. I had no reason to think that he knew what he was talking about, though.

This may be slightly off-topic, but I suspect that an explanation of what sort of packages you should be able to sign up for with Comcast (in the Hartford area at least) would be helpful to a lot of people. Here's how I've interpreted it:

1) Basic (lifeline) cable w/HDTV. The Comcast reps I've spoken to insist that I need Digital cable for HDTV but several people at AVSForums claim that this should be possible. It should be about $16-18/month and would consist of analog channels 2-23 and 55-75 plus the HDTV locals and INHD (channel 381). ESPN HD would not be part of this.

2a) The "special" deal I was originally offered for about $31/month. This would be the same as #1 plus Digital Plus (which the card they gave me identifies as "Digital Classic"). This consists of channels 120-530. Some of the highlights there (at least for me) include the Encore channels, Noggin, Toon Disney, Nick Toons, Biography, History Channel International. I THINK this package also includes the digital music channels.

2b) Package #1 plus the "extended Basic" (analog) channels 24-53. These include such highlights as HGTV, MTV, Nickelodeon, ESPN, History Channel, TNT, CNN, A&E, USA, Cartoon Network, and the Sci-Fi Channel. Not sure what this would cost. It should also result in ESPN HD being added.

3) The "upgraded" package I got for about $43 plus tax. This is 2a and 2b combined.

4) Package #3 plus the "Digital Premier Pack" (according to my card) which includes TechTV, TCM, and several others. I'd like TechTV but nothing else on there jumps out at me. I don't know what this would cost.

I'm not sure what I'll end up sticking with. The "Extended Basic" additions are probably more desirable to me than the additional channels in the "Digital Plus/Classic" package, but I don't think I'd save much (if anything) from the $43 package I ended up getting. So, if we decide we need to save some money, I'll probably move all the way down to the $16-18 lifeline basic cable plus HDTV plan.

Scott

dorran

Can you ask WVIT engineer if they are set up to pass 5.1 audio from olympics and if they are going to multicast.

Thanks

Thank's Arnold, Your'e the man!

Anyone here having trouble getting a picture with WTNH-DT and WCTX-DT tonight? I get a 100 on my signal meter for both, but neither have a picture, just a blank screen. All the rest of the local digital channels work fine, like WFSB, WTXX, etc.

Originally posted by PaulieORF
Anyone here having trouble getting a picture with WTNH-DT and WCTX-DT tonight? I get a 100 on my signal meter for both, but neither have a picture, just a blank screen. All the rest of the local digital channels work fine, like WFSB, WTXX, etc.

Same thing here in Cheshire. Must be the same all over.

WTNH-DT isn't coming in tonight on Comcast here in Hartford, either...sounds like they are down, maybe doing some upgrades? We heard earlier that WCTX is getting their HDTV equipment from WTNH, maybe that's what is going on?

Originally posted by cgorra
Thank's Arnold, Your'e the man!

It's been exactly 20 years since I filled out the FCC forms for the tower, and although I can't remember where I left my glasses, the info from that filling is still burned in my memory!!!

Any news on when WTNH-DT and WCTX-DT are going to be back up and running?

Guess what I saw today on my Hughes HTL......Channel 35 is showing as WVITDT!! (although it is just snow)

Now while this seems great, I have also had WTICDT at channel 5 for a long time now with now channel. Hopefully this, coupled with the info in this thread stating they are aiming for Feb 1 for an on air date, maybe this could turn out to be the real deal!!!!

scottte

I also have WVIT-DT showing up on my Toshiba DST3000. Hopeuflly the signal will be available shortly. (I also have WTIC-DT listed as channel 5.)

(I also have WTIC-DT listed as channel 5.)

What's bizarre about this is that the digital channels always have a sub channel, 5-1, 5-2, etc. WTIC-DT comes up on plain old 5 like an analog channel would. When you go to the installation menu from channel 5, it brings up the local digital signal meter.

AreBee,

How are you getting the signal meter for channel 5?? Are you using a Hughes HTL or something else???

scottte

Originally posted by AreBee
What's bizarre about this is that the digital channels always have a sub channel, 5-1, 5-2, etc. WTIC-DT comes up on plain old 5 like an analog channel would. When you go to the installation menu from channel 5, it brings up the local digital signal meter.

I get the same display of ant for analog, not dig/ant like it should be for
a digital signal. This is for both WTIC and WVIT. Now who knows where
the information comes from? Is it in a subcarrier in the OTA signal, or is
it send down by DTV?

Well, it appears that WVIT-DT showing up on the progam guide is a very early teaser. According to Antennaweb and TitanTV, WVIT-DT won't be on the air until April 1st.

NBC 35 WVIT-DT Apr 1 2004

Originally posted by scottte
Guess what I saw today on my Hughes HTL......Channel 35 is showing as WVITDT!! (although it is just snow)

Scotte - what are using to receive Channel 35 (albeit snow)? I have a Blake JBX21 into a Samsung SIR150 and not a peep on the signal meter. I'm in Newtwon; approximately the same distance to the transmitter as you although the terrain between me and the transmitter is rougher than from where you are.

Originally posted by AreBee
What's bizarre about this is that the digital channels always have a sub channel, 5-1, 5-2, etc. WTIC-DT comes up on plain old 5 like an analog channel would. When you go to the installation menu from channel 5, it brings up the local digital signal meter.

Channel 5 was their original digital channel allocation. They got the FCC to change it to Channel 31 to avoid interference with Boston and New York analog stations. Apparently the databases never got updated.

bfogelstrom,

I am picking it up with a Hughes HTL D* receiver.....I have to believe that this info is obtained via a download when the unit does its dial up every few days. I am not sure how this works, but the same thing happened with WTICDT showing on channel 5 a couple of months ago.

scottte

Scottte,

I'm getting OTA HD on my Hughes E-86. You can go into the menu from any channel (digital or DirecTV) and get a signal strength on whatever digital channel or transponder that you are tuned to.

I haven't checked for WVIT yet.

Ralph

I will soon be getting a HDTV and was wondering what was available for OTA and on Cablevision for HDTV content. I live right on the Milford, Orange town lines (Turkey Hill) and would appreciate any feedback on what to go with regarding a source for HDTV. This HDTV thing is new to me so excuse my ignorance. Speaking of Cablevision, does anyone know the price of the HD packages and what channels are available?

I will soon be getting a HDTV and was wondering what was available for OTA and on Cablevision for HDTV content. I live right on the Milford, Orange town lines (Turkey Hill) and would appreciate any feedback on what to go with regarding a source for HDTV. This HDTV thing is new to me so excuse my ignorance. Speaking of Cablevision, does anyone know the price of the HD packages and what channels are available?

Mickeymann,

You could get more content form cablevision right now at now extra cost for HD (but you are paying more for the I.O. service) Within the next few months, D* should be rolling out many more HD channels while paying an extra $10.99 for those. You really have to figure out whats better for you right now.....

Cablevision will be basically no out of pocket and you will get your HD too!! Also, you will get CBS, FOX and PBS in HD without an over the air antenna. While I have a feeling that by year end 2004, D* will be loaded with HD, PVR, more dynamic channels and stuff!!!

I am a D* subscriber and like it, but willl be upset if no new HD should happen this year.

Bottom line, it may be good to start with the I.O. service and just watch these forums to see what is happening the HD world and change as is needed!!

scottte

Just got a note from WFSB. Engineer said half their DD5.1 equipment came in last week, other half scheduled to arrive by Wed. He is expecting to have DD5.1 up/operational for the game!!

Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed.

I second that.

Anyone have any tips for northeatern CT. I have Directv w/ sir-ts160 w/ Samsung 50" DLP. The programming that they do offer is spectacular in HD. I receicve my CT locals via Directv but can not get HD, and not being in an O&O market, I am out of luck. I have a 50 mile radius to the closest station, including Hartford, MA and RI. I have no arial for OTA broadcasts. What are my options for local channel HDTV?
chris

If you want HDTV OTA, expect to use a deep-fringe antenna with a rotor and a preamplifier. That's the price you pay for living in "The Quiet Corner"

WFSB 5.1? Are you sure they are talking audio and not the reach of their transmission signal in miles?

Not sure the WFSB signal reaches 5.1 miles......... ;) Only time will tell, just passing along what I'm hearing.

Scotte,

Thanks for the information. I will soon be the owner of a Sony Grand Wega HDTV as soon as I can be reasonably sure that Sony has ironed out the bugs (Problems with lamp and buzzing noise). When you say D*, are you talking about DirectTV? How is the PQ on the HDTV. I have a Big Dish and was disapointed when I say the SD picture in comparison to my Big Dish. Also do you know how OTA signal qualities are for WTNH and CTXX in our Milford Orange area? Once again any information would be appreciated for I am a Newbie but don't want to reinvent the wheel!

Mickeymann,

I do mean directv, that is the abbreviation everyone uses. I am content with the PQ of SD, it could use some help, but it fine for the family!!

As for OTA, I am near the shore line, I get CBS and FOX out of NYC with a Channel Master 4228, 8 bow antenna, with titan 7777 pre amp and rotor. Both amp and rotor are a must, and non negotiable, gotta have 'em!!! I cant get WFSB worth a hoot, but WTNH could probably come in with a coat hanger and WCTX is a little trickier than WTNH, but it comes in just fine. Hopefully you dont have trees blocking your line of site for an OTA antenna, if you do, then I would certainly try I.O first as then you will not have to worry about any line of site (D* dish) or obstructions from OTA signals. Let me if you need any more help.

scottte

Anybody watch Armegeddon just now and see what happened at the end of the credits.....It started all over again on 8-1 but on channel 8 was the news?!?!!?!? Did they pick up the west coast feed on 8-1??? It is 11:10pm and I going to bed, but wonder how long this will go on before they figure it out???

scottte

We are getting WFSB DT through Comcast in Tolland and are seeing frequent video breakups and audio "hiccups". Enough to make it unwatchable. The other HD's are OK. Is anyone else having the same problem? I've sent emails to WFSB and no reply. AskComcast replied with no reported problems and to schedule an appt.

Thanks.

bac2010

I am in Tolland and get WFSB over the air when the weather is real cold (they are broadcasting at very low power). No breakups at all. I do however have frequent breakups with WTNH (over the air).


Pete

Thanks eorcman.

It's beginning to look like it may be a Comcast problem unless the low power affects how the signal is being received by them. Maybe when they boost the power the audio and video (pixelization) problems will go away. I'm still interested in hearing from anyone else in Tolland (or elsewhere in the Hartford area) on the quality of WFSB DT and Comcast. It is disappointing to have it but not be able to watch it.

Hey bac2010, I don't live near Hartford but I get WFSB-DT from Comcast. I have never had a problem like yours but one of my friends did and it ended up being the cable box. You may want to log a call with Comcast.

I am in Tolland and get WFSB through Comcast and I haven't noticed anything unusual. Seems to come in the same as all of the rest of Comcast's HD.

Can anyone tell me if they are having frequent (several times per hour) freeze-ups and pixelation of D* provided local channels? I've been having this problem for about 3 weeks. It most often is slight pixelation, usually in the lower half of the screen. Once in a while, I get a 1-2 second freeze up of the whole screen. Audio is fine. I had assumed it was a D* signal issue at first, but now I'm beginning to wonder if it is my Samsung TS-160 or my Samsung DLP.

As for the DLP, I've never seen this issue on DVD playback, and only very occasionally on non local channels. Also, I have seen it less frequently on my upstairs non-HD CRT TV fed by a Hughes box.

If no one else is experiencing this, my guess would be that it is TS-160 issue. I've thought of feeding a second TV out of the TS-160 and putting it side by side with my DLP to be sure that it's not the DLP, but haven't tried that yet.

Feedback appreciated.

Chris

CHDinCT

I have the same problem. I am using a Hughes E-86 HDTV box and two RCA receivers for SD. I think it is a D* problem.

Pete

I think I got a real bad audio feed from WFSB on Comcast once, for the most part I would say it's ok. A little more pixelazation than the other local HD feeds. Thugh I do get WTNH (ABC) on very low volume, only when the programming is in true HD. Anyone else getting this? Thanks.

I'm from the Windsor Area

Originally posted by bac2010
Thanks eorcman.

It's beginning to look like it may be a Comcast problem unless the low power affects how the signal is being received by them. Maybe when they boost the power the audio and video (pixelization) problems will go away. I'm still interested in hearing from anyone else in Tolland (or elsewhere in the Hartford area) on the quality of WFSB DT and Comcast. It is disappointing to have it but not be able to watch it.

Originally posted by bac2010
We are getting WFSB DT through Comcast in Tolland and are seeing frequent video breakups and audio "hiccups". Enough to make it unwatchable. The other HD's are OK. Is anyone else having the same problem? I've sent emails to WFSB and no reply. AskComcast replied with no reported problems and to schedule an appt.

Thanks.

I receive WFSB-DT over-the-air via an antenna and have noticed exactly what you have described for the past couple of days. Normally the on-screen signal strength meter registers digital Channel 3 at 80-81%, but over the last few days it has been fluctuating between 67-78%.

My guess is that your cable company is re-transmitting a signal that is already inferior.

Interesting. I usually get a signal of around 68-75% for WFSB but last night I couldn't even get a lock - zip, nada, nil. Maybe they doing something...

Andy

I think the power source for the transmitter is down - the hamster died!

I wrote WTIC's Program Engineer, and he wrote back quickly telling me that they were waiting for equipment and hoped to have 720P up an running by the end of the first Quarter (2004). I'd get excited, except NBC-WVIT said told me they'd have their HD up and running before the 2002 Olympics :(

Does everyone get the WTNH (ABC) OTA digital signal with audio synch problems? Mine always seems to be a half second or so behind the video. Some nights it seems worse than others.

It's bad enough with dialogue. Explosions or other such events really show the time difference.

Thanks.

In a word: "yes"

Been going on for over a year.

Thanks Pete (eorcman),

I did not see any issues last night. I only have a set of rabbit ears right now that picks up WTNH-DT. So, I'm stuck watching locals via D* signal. I read elsewhere that they were going to be moving one of their sats that provides local channels. I'm thinking that might be the issue, or something they're doing with compression in order to make room for the CBS_HD and FOX-ED national feeds. Just gets annoying after a while.

By the way, Mrjulius, I get lots of audio and video drops on WTNH-DT, including audio sync issues. I have yet to see a program from beginning to end that didn't suffer from one or all of these issues. You would think that they would have worked out the bugs by now. This is one of the reasons that I might switch back to Comcast to get HD locals rather than drop several hundred on an antenna, rotor, and such for OTA. Will OTA DT signals ever achieve the reliability of the fiber-fed signals the cable companies have or will have?

Chris

"Will OTA DT signals ever achieve the reliability of the fiber-fed signals the cable companies have or will have? "
Good question

The short answer is yes, because the cable companies are using OTA antenna's just like the rest of us to get the HD broadcasts from the local affiliates.

Originally posted by Such
The short answer is yes, because the cable companies are using OTA antenna's just like the rest of us to get the HD broadcasts from the local affiliates.
________________________________________________________

I don't want to argue but I don't think that's true. I've read elsewhere that in most cases the cable company runs fiber (or leases existing fiber) to the local station's broadcast facilities. Would appreciate it if someone in the know could chime in.

Chris

Originally posted by CHDinCT
________________________________________________________

I don't want to argue but I don't think that's true. I've read elsewhere that in most cases the cable company runs fiber (or leases existing fiber) to the local station's broadcast facilities. Would appreciate it if someone in the know could chime in.

Chris

Well, you can be sure that is the case at least for WVIT because they are on Comcast, but not even broadcasting OTA.

Originally posted by dorran
WVIT OTA Status

This is the latest just received (1/21/04) from WVIT's Chief Engineer.

"Sorry we didn't make the 1/15 date. We bound up by the cold weather. Mounting the antenna in these temperatures is out of the question. Can you imagine being up in the air 950 feet high held to the tower with a nylon harness and trying to turn some bolts while the 50 mpg wind at -40 degrees is blowing at you? Not for me, but meanwhile the transmitter is putting out full power into the dummy load on the ground making lots of heat!!!

Frustrating for us as much as it is for you!! If it was about 10 degrees warmer, we could start the antenna mounting portion, expected to take about 3-5 days. That's it and we're done. I would suspect by 2/1 hoping that we get some above freezing weather days.

Dave"

Dorran

Fred, this was posted a week ago, and you just posted that somebody at WVIT told you by the Olympics. Who told you that, and when?

Does anyone else have this crappy 3100HD box from Comcast? I am served by Comcast Middletown, and they told me that it is the only one they have. One of the problems that I am having is that I am using the Coaxial Digital Audio out for sound to my receiver. On the analog channels (1-99) I get no sound. Is this box not able to pass sound from analog stations through a digital output? I asked a friend of mine who has the Motorola HD box this, and he says that he only has a digital audio cable too, and he has sound on the analog channels.

By the way, Chris, I also have DirecTV and have been seeing the same pixellation problems lately that you have. Most of the problem has been a thin horizontal block of pixellation occasionally.

I see that WCTX is showing Enterprise tonight in HD.
Is this the first time it has been shown in HD?

Comcast added two new channels today - MAX HD (Channel 368) and STARZ HD (Channel 375). They still haven't separated the costs from getting all the pay channels so it is expensive but at least they're adding.

Originally posted by Paul Marold
Comcast added two new channels today - MAX HD (Channel 368) and STARZ HD (Channel 375). They still haven't separated the costs from getting all the pay channels so it is expensive but at least they're adding.

Those channels are not showing up yet here in Madison.

Originally posted by eorcman
"Will OTA DT signals ever achieve the reliability of the fiber-fed signals the cable companies have or will have? "
Good question

This reminds me of a news article about a former FCC chairman who wants all digital over-the-air TV broadcasts to eventually end.

Local TV stations would get their signals into viewers' homes through a national broadband infrastructure that would be subsidized by federal taxpayers.

See: www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/business/technology/6263548.htm

or do a Google search with the words: former FCC chairman broadband

*****************

Over-the-air digital Channel 3 is back to normal this evening, with its signal strength topping off at 83% and none of the constant picture and audio break-ups that have plagued WFSB-DT since the weekend.

"By the way, Chris, I also have DirecTV and have been seeing the same pixellation problems lately that you have. Most of the problem has been a thin horizontal block of pixellation occasionally."
______________

Exactly - thin horizontal pixellation blocks. Thanks. I really didn't want to start the effort of trying to issolate the issue in my equipment, which I didn't think was the case.

I have been getting lots of the horizontal lines of pixelation on D* especially on the local CBS from the satellite the last few weeks. I get some stations that have audio drop outs also. It's been really annoying.

-Joe

Originally posted by jake14mw
Does anyone else have this crappy 3100HD box from Comcast? I am served by Comcast Middletown, and they told me that it is the only one they have. One of the problems that I am having is that I am using the Coaxial Digital Audio out for sound to my receiver. On the analog channels (1-99) I get no sound. Is this box not able to pass sound from analog stations through a digital output? I asked a friend of mine who has the Motorola HD box this, and he says that he only has a digital audio cable too, and he has sound on the analog channels.

By the way, Chris, I also have DirecTV and have been seeing the same pixellation problems lately that you have. Most of the problem has been a thin horizontal block of pixellation occasionally.

I also have the 3100 box. On mine I hooked up both audio connections to my Denon reciever. It automatically switchees when I put on a analog channel. Somehow it can tell there is no digital signal. Hope this helps you.

Originally posted by pmalve
I also have the 3100 box. On mine I hooked up both audio connections to my Denon reciever. It automatically switchees when I put on a analog channel. Somehow it can tell there is no digital signal. Hope this helps you.

Pmalve,

Thanks. If it's easy for you to do, can you unhook the analog audio and see if you get any sound from analog stations?

Pmalve - That's a great idea. My Sony reciever can do the exact same thing but I never thought to hook it up that way, lol.

There is no digital audio on the analog channnels. When I first got the box I had the same trouble as you. The way I found out how to hook it up so it would work both ways was from the Scintific Atlanta web page. The instructions Charter cable gave me were useless. We just started getting DVR service here in Bethlehem and are supposed to get the SA8000HD boxes. Hopefully the analog picture quality will be better. I have no complaints about the digital picture though.

pmalve,
Are you positive that Comcast is going to start distributing the SA8000HD DVR boxes?? They just rolled out this Jan the non-HD DVR SA boxes in the New-London area but act ignorant of even knowing the HD DVR exists. Currently the only way to get HD is from the 3100HD (and yes I have both the analog and Digital Coax hookedup using auto-source selection).

One thing they just did though was bring out Video On Demand. It's ok (because it has a FREE show sections), but needs a bigger library and have shows from the main channels. Currently it just looks like outdated shows from an odd mix of cable channels. I would gladly give back the VOD to have a HD DVR ASAP!

Pmalve,

Thanks for the info. Are you sure they are getting HD DVR? I know some areas have DVR service now, but I didn't know it was HD DVR. I hope so, once you get DVR you will never go without it.

Does anyone know whether this audio issue is common on most boxes? I'm trying to share a/v inputs on this device with a seldom used VCR, and the VCR is using the analog audio in.

Originally posted by JosephR
I have been getting lots of the horizontal lines of pixelation on D* especially on the local CBS from the satellite the last few weeks. I get some stations that have audio drop outs also. It's been really annoying.

-Joe

Same here only on E*. I would venture to guess that they are compressing the snot out of the locals.

Originally posted by CHDinCT
________________________________________________________

I don't want to argue but I don't think that's true. I've read elsewhere that in most cases the cable company runs fiber (or leases existing fiber) to the local station's broadcast facilities. Would appreciate it if someone in the know could chime in.

Chris

Cable companies can get the signal several ways. One is from a satellite, this is where a good portion of the channel lineups come from, including HBO, and PPV etc. The big difference between the 18" dish in your back yard and the 60' dish at the cable company office is just that, size. More area leaves more room for error. That is why unless something really big happens, like a lightning strike in the direct line of view of the dish and the satellite, you won't see the tiling on the digital channels. The dishes are also heated, so snow storms don't knock out the signal. Another is from Local Origination, this is the public access and town meetings. There is also OFF AIR, through antennas similar to the ones on your roofs, but in an industrial strength, and mounted on a nice tower away from trees and junk. There is also Microwave feeds, although not used as often as in the past, they still exist, and are used when OTA doesn't work. You can get more distance out of it, but it is still line of sight. Then there is fiber. Glorious Fiber. The sweet little strand of glass. Lots of distance, and no interference. Sometimes the ends get dirty, but still the best transport there is right now, in my opinion. YES some of the local networks feed the signal to cable companies over fiber. Some cable companies have agreements with other cable companies to share the feed. Some don't.

Hope this helps everyone.

jake14mw wrote: Fred, this was posted a week ago, and you just posted that somebody at WVIT told you by the Olympics. Who told you that, and when?

Jake, that was in December 2001, referring to the then upcoming Olympics. This thread is quite long, so I didn't see that WVIT is hoping for 2/1, though, from the looks of it, the weather won't let that happen anytime soon.

I wonder why they didn't put the coat hanger up in the Summer while they were waiting for all the heat generating equipment to show up.Then they'd be ready to go. I mean, it's not like there's a backlog on 12th century technology (okay, I'm exaggerating, but still, it's a piece of iron).

Fred

Originally posted by raoul5788
I see that WCTX is showing Enterprise tonight in HD.
Is this the first time it has been shown in HD?

WCTX is not broadcasting HD yet according to the programming director. Should be in a couple months. I have a call in to the Chief Engineer, Francine Du Verger to find out when she thinks it will be up and if the power will increase from the current output. Signal strength is significantly lower than WTNH which is broadcast from the same location.

Is anyone here using a Samsung SIR-T160 to bring in OTA-HD? I just received one through the DirecTV $99 HD deal. I hear they have issues with OTA HD that seem to be caused PSIP information. So the box works fine in some localities and can lock up quite a bit in others. I was wondering how it performs in CT.

Originally posted by Bfadams
WCTX is not broadcasting HD yet according to the programming director. Should be in a couple months. I have a call in to the Chief Engineer, Francine Du Verger to find out when she thinks it will be up and if the power will increase from the current output. Signal strength is significantly lower than WTNH which is broadcast from the same location.

I was going by my Sony's OSG. Obviously it was wrong!

WUTHCA has been added as channel 47 by my Sony HD-200.
There is no signal though. Anyone else have this happen?

Raoul, I'm picking it too, actually it's listed twice in my guide, once as WUTHCA and once as WNUU. Same programming though, same tower location (124 degrees from Wolcott (which is north of Waterbury). Hable Espanol? Too bad, the show that was looked like it might have been funny.

Not much has been made of the fact that Comcast New Haven is kicking some serious tail!! By adding MAX-HD and Starz-HD they are now up to 11 hidef channels -- 3 of those being "the big three" networks. They have addd 4 channels in the pasgt month. I'm getting ready to can DishNetwork and go for VOOM if and when they drop thier prices(which seems likely).

Im in East Windsor, and totally new to HDTV. I have Direct TV and am thinking of taking advantage of the $99.00 HD box deal. I pretty much understand what I can get from DTV for HD content and so on.

Locals have me at a loss, I know I need some kind of antenna, I live in a condo complex, so a huge roof mounted thing is probably out of the question. I do have an attic crawl space maybe this is possible. I basically have no idea what I need and what to use.

Any suggestions with ballpark cost would be off great help?

Sorry for such an open ended thread, but any general info what channels i can expect with what antenna would be of great help.

Thanks,
Drew

Originally posted by Mario66
...Sorry for such an open ended thread, but any general info what channels i can expect with what antenna would be of great help.

Thanks,
Drew

I have always found www.antennaweb.org to be extremely helpful. Just enter your address and you are set with a channel lineup, map with what direction to point your antenna in, etc... They also have a color code system for what size antenna brings in each channel (approximately). Hope this is of some help.

I know I need some kind of antenna, I live in a condo complex, so a huge roof mounted thing is probably out of the question. I do have an attic crawl space maybe this is possible. I basically have no idea what I need and what to use.

Any suggestions with ballpark cost would be off great help?

Mario,

My first suggestion would be to try a small set-top antenna first to see what you might receive with that. Radio Shack might be a starting point. They have somewhat liberal return policy. Many antenna retailers have a "no return" policy. Since my antenna was going in the attic, I put small rabbit ears in the attic and temporarily ran the coaxial cable up the stairs to see how reception would be. Reception was good enough for me to warrant a full set up.

In the end you will probably need either a combination UHF/VHF antenna or separate UHF and VHF antennae. Check out Signal Electronics in West Hartford. They set me up with a monster Winegard UHF/VHF combo antenna, a remote control rotor, mounting hardware and wires for about $120. They're a great help and they have great prices. Their website is www.signalelectronics.com but it doesn't list half of what they have in stock.

As I said before my antenna is mounted in my attic and it certinaly can be an option for you. You won't get the optimal reception that a roof mounted antenna will get, but it may be adequate for you. A lot depends on the construction of your attic. Aluminum siding is a signal killer.

Most people in CT use a rotor and if that's the case you may need some space. My antenna need 13' of clearance to rotate. I have it hung from the rafters about 6" off of the floor. Suspending it from the rafters of my peaked roof gives me more rotating room.


Ralph

am I correct in assuming i need a set top box to recieve even the locals with antenna.

Mario,

I replied to your PM.

am I correct in assuming i need a set top box to recieve even the locals with antenna.

You will need a set top box with a digital tuner to get digital locals. Much like the one you mentioned in the $99 deal from DirecTV. I just received a Samsung T160 HD box for $99 with a dish. The requirements are: you have been a subscriber for at least two years in good standing with at least $45 of programming. If you are less than two years they may not go below $199, but you must use the 1-800-600-8977 number.

Do you currently have an HD-Ready TV?

Yes I have a mits HD ready TV. Hmm never got the reply to my PM. Please try to resend it. Have been a customer for a little over two yrs so should be good to go.

Thanks for your help

Has anybody gotten confirmation from WFSB that the 5.1 audio will be ready for the Superbowl?

Has anybody gotten confirmation from WFSB that the 5.1 audio will be ready for the Superbowl?

I sent an email to WFSB earlier today to ask the same thing. No reply yet.

Hi, I'm an HDTV newbie. Just got my Comcast Motorola 6200 hooked up about a week ago. I've only watched a couple of things with it (I have to set up my DLP SVGA projector and move some furniture around whenever I want to watch something on the big screen), so I'm trying to get a feel for how the Superbowl will work. Will the game action be in HD and all cuts to the announcers be in SD or will that be in HD, too? I'm expecting that commercials will all be SD.

Regarding the audio, part of me is almost hoping that they don't try to rush the 5.1 in. I'd rather have working stereo instead of intermittent or completely non-working 5.1. Of course, if they can do the job right in time for the game, I'd obviously love to have it.

Scott

Great Web Site to Track CT Cable TV rate and channel changes!

Check out this web link to the CT Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC). It lists all of the cable company filing which are made in advance of notices to customers, it appears. Looks like a great way to stay on top of what the cables are planning in terms of line-up changes and rate changes. Only issue is that it just lists the date and the franchise. You have to follow the link to see what the actual filing is. My understanding is that even though they are not rate regulated, they do have to file tariffs with the DPUC notifying them of all customer affecting changes. Even though I have Direct TV, I'm going to keep my eye on Comcast-Clinton to see what's going on.

http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DPUCUndocketed.nsf/6e9beec82815c42f85256a61005a47fc?OpenView&ExpandView

Chris

Chris,

This is a great site - thanks for letting us know about it.

I'm noticing at 5:30PM that the audio is out of sync on over-the-air WFSB-DT, channel 33-02, their high definition channel. The voices follow the lip movements by a few seconds. Signal strength is 81%.

On channel 33-01, which is a feed intended for Springfield, Mass., the audio is in sync with the picture.

I'm noticing at 5:30PM that the audio is out of sync on over-the-air WFSB-DT

Today is the first day I'm getting WFSB-DT (on cable) and the first thing I noticed was the audio sync problem, and its been happening all night. I though it might have been from the cable company's re-transmission of the signal, but based the fact that you're getting the same problem OTA, the problem must be from FSB. I know they are working on installing Dolby 5.1, so I hope they get that done and as well as the sync problem fixed before Sunday.

I cant believe Charter got WFSBDT in time for the game. They just sent me a email Thursday saying that they weren't going to be able to get it. I wonder if they signed a temporary agreement or if it will stay on. Hope it is still on for CSI Miami Monday.

Cox got a one day agreement with WFSB to carry the Superbowl, the pregame, postgame and then Survivor. I had WFSB on CH 715 in the morning yesterday, but by early afternoon it was gone. The E-Mail I had waiting when I got home from work explained the one day agreement. One day is a good start. Now we just need to get it the other 364 days a year.

pmalve

Charter's agreement is a temporary one as well. At least we'll see the SB in HD, but I know I'll be disappointed when they turn the switch off.

I see other people noticed the audio sync problem last night, but around 10:50pm during the Handler the audio went to 5.1 for about 2 minutes. Not very good 5.1 either...No center and the rears were just like an echo...but it read 5.1 on my Anthem. So there are trying to get it ready.

Also, I had the oportunity last night to compare the OFA signal of WSFB with the DirecTV CBS-HD. The OFA was slightly better with just a bit more detail. This was definatly noticable on JAG where they would display the Green Lettering what time and where they are during the show. The lettering had some shimmering/jaggies on it over DirecTV where the OTA signal lettering was very sharp and clear.

I think DirecTV is compressing the signal more after it gets the feed from WCBS. It was still good picture, but just not quite as good as OTA.

I saw the audio sync problem on 3-1 last night. Audio on 3-2 (stretched upconvert) was fine. I'll have to keep an eye out for 5.1 tonight. COOL!

I saw a full page ad for COX cable in the Courant today in regards to the HD SuperBowl. It did say you needed an HD subscription and the right box, but did not mention that an HD-ready TV was needed.

Originally posted by AreBee
I saw the audio sync problem on 3-1 last night. Audio on 3-2 (stretched upconvert) was fine. I'll have to keep an eye out for 5.1 tonight. COOL!

I saw a full page ad for COX cable in the Courant today in regards to the HD SuperBowl. It did say you needed an HD subscription and the right box, but did not mention that an HD-ready TV was needed.

Technically you don't need a High Def TV to see the content. Of course it will not be a true High Def picture, but it will look better than a standard analog signal. It is all in the box setup. If you connect through an S-video cable and go into the user settings menu of the box and specify a 480i output you should be able to see the content in 480i. Obviously this isn't really what you want to do, but if you don't want to spend the money for a High Def TV, and you must see the Discovery HD content, than this is an option. Also the High Def content will be letter boxed on a 4:3 TV or you can zoom it and loose some of the sides and fill the screen.

"Also, I had the oportunity last night to compare the OFA signal of WSFB with the DirecTV CBS-HD. The OFA was slightly better with just a bit more detail."
__________________

How are you able to get the CBS-HD feed from Direct TV? Do you have a waiver from WFSB? Must have gotten it some years ago? I see CBS HD East and West in the D* program guide, but alas, it will not come up on my TV. Get a message to call customer service.

Chris

I have had DirecTV since 1995 and subscribed to what was then the "Prime something" package which gave me the networks for $5/month. Then about 3 years later they passed that law which permitted that from happening. But those of us who were subscribers since 1997 and before were grandfathered and I got NY locals since. Pretty cool. And it only cost me $1500. That was the cost for 2 RCA receivers and a dual LNB dish back then. I see the ads for free units for 3 rooms and cry...

Anyone hear any news about Comcast giving out the 6200 in CT? I REALLY want the firewire :)

Comcast has WSFB-DT at 5.1 right now. Audio is still out of sync.

Edit: 9:03 It's gone. Still out of Sync.

Edit: 11:00 No 5.1, but the audio is in sync.

Hi Madpoet, The 6200s are available in CT. I got one. DVI on the back isn't working yet, but was told it would be in Feb. :)

Hrm... need to go down and hound my local office then! With my HTPC and firewire out, I will be an HD archiving fool :)

I live in the "shadow" of Meriden mountain in the "foothils" I can get Long Island stations (don't remeber the channels) (analog), 26 from New London (analog...but who cares) 8 DT (and HD) 59 DT (no HD yet) and nothing that comes from the Northwest because of that damn mountain...no even a scintilla of signal from 30 (analog), 24 (analog), 20 (analog or digital), 3 (analog or digital) and they won't grant a waver because I'm in their primary coverage area....grrrr! Nothing I can do...any help out there? BTW antenna is a Ch Mstr 4228 w/ rotor DTC-100 rcvr. no preamp because the FM stations on top of Meriden mountain "blow its brains" with signal and any amp get significantly overloaded!