I noticed a while back that WNDU seems to replace the HD feed with the SD feed when their weather warning and map is up. Is there a reason they can't keep the HD feed? Do they not have the equipment, or what? (And does anyone else not care about seeing the damned weather if there isn't a tornado bearing down upon us?)

Yeah I see WSBT has the ability to overlay a weather notice, but oddly enough they are doing so on their Stormtracker channel instead of 22.1. I think all of these new digital broadcasters are going to have a lot to learn in over the next year which unfortunately is a very short time for them.

I noticed a while back that WNDU seems to replace the HD feed with the SD feed when their weather warning and map is up. Is there a reason they can't keep the HD feed? Do they not have the equipment, or what? (And does anyone else not care about seeing the damned weather if there isn't a tornado bearing down upon us?)
They explain on their web page at wndu.com/station/misc/4261836.html:

"Emergency Information for HD Viewers: FCC enforcement has been fining stations for not transmitting emergency messages and WNDU will do the best it can to adhere to all FCC regulations. When there is bad weather or school closing or other emergencies WNDU will squeeze-back programming and crawl this information across the bottom of the screen and the HD channel will be switched to upconversion to include the emergency information. WNDU apologizes for any inconvenience to high definition viewers."

Today (on New Year's Day) the SD weather warnings were very few during the Rose Bowl Parade and NHL's Penguins @ Sabres Ice Bowl.

Sorry but I don't think mocking them will likely make them stop weather warnings for those who do care.

Eventually HD viewership will earn enough to afford upgrading the weather map and crawl to high definition, but not sure that weather alerts will ever go away from local broadcast stations.

Thanks for the link JGTech. It confirms some things I have heard or read from other sources. My 56" 1080P DLP set is probably overkill but when I bought it a year ago I knew that at some point I would be buying a PS3 so that is really why I went to the 1080P, I wanted to take advantage of the blu-ray format. My 32" Vizio 720P LCD set has a great picture with ota hd programming using the tuners in my E* 722 dvr which seems to be better that the tv's internal tuner even though the vdeo hookup is component instead of hdmi.

They explain on their web page at wndu.com/station/misc/4261836.html:

"Emergency Information for HD Viewers: FCC enforcement has been fining stations for not transmitting emergency messages and WNDU will do the best it can to adhere to all FCC regulations. When there is bad weather or school closing or other emergencies WNDU will squeeze-back programming and crawl this information across the bottom of the screen and the HD channel will be switched to upconversion to include the emergency information. WNDU apologizes for any inconvenience to high definition viewers."

Today (on New Year's Day) the SD weather warnings were very few during the Rose Bowl Parade and NHL's Penguins @ Sabres Ice Bowl.

Sorry but I don't think mocking them will likely make them stop weather warnings for those who do care.

Eventually HD viewership will earn enough to afford upgrading the weather map and crawl to high definition, but not sure that weather alerts will ever go away from local broadcast stations.

I get that they have to show it, but I don't understand why they can't show it in high def yet. Obviously their map could be shown in high def because they show the map at full-SD resolutions on both the 24/7 Doppler and weather time on the news. Also, text shouldn't be a problem for displaying in HD. They obviously know how to overlay in HD because they display their WNDU Channel 16 NBC logo during HD TV shows. So, I just wish they would overlay the weather information over the original HD programming instead of shrinking the show down to SD. Even if they can't get HD weather information (don't see why not) then they could at least upscale ONLY the weather information, and not the TV show playing at that time.

Another thing, even when there is a tornado, or possibility of a tornado, I still DVR my shows, and I wish they didn't interrupt the entire show for a weather report, I wish they would do it on a separate channel, and say at the bottom, something like "for live tornado reports, tune to ____" which would be their 24/7 Doppler channel usually (I don't know if cable/sat has this channel yet tho)

There are many improvements that can be made ... for example if the station is airing a letterboxed show on SD they should put the banner below the box and NOT SHRINK THE SCREEN INTO A CORNER! It makes me wonder if anyone is watching their own station ... via NTSC or ATSC.

Some stations have done the upgrade so they CAN do crawls in HD. Others have not. Overlaying a static logo is easier than moving text and colored banners ... especially when one has to consider the rescaling of the screen (if you don't want to just lose part of the screen). HD gives them more screen space to work with. I wish they would use it wisely.

A subchannel for weather information may not get through. Not everyone gets their channel OTA and not every subchannel is carried on the rebroadcasting service. A line telling me that there "for tornado information tune to 16-3" doesn't help if the cable and satellite carriers are not carrying 16-3.

There are many improvements that can be made ... for example if the station is airing a letterboxed show on SD they should put the banner below the box and NOT SHRINK THE SCREEN INTO A CORNER! It makes me wonder if anyone is watching their own station ... via NTSC or ATSC.

Some stations have done the upgrade so they CAN do crawls in HD. Others have not. Overlaying a static logo is easier than moving text and colored banners ... especially when one has to consider the rescaling of the screen (if you don't want to just lose part of the screen). HD gives them more screen space to work with. I wish they would use it wisely.

A subchannel for weather information may not get through. Not everyone gets their channel OTA and not every subchannel is carried on the rebroadcasting service. A line telling me that there "for tornado information tune to 16-3" doesn't help if the cable and satellite carriers are not carrying 16-3.

I think they don't necessarily need to rescale the screen, as long as the scroll is slightly semitransparent, not as much as the station logo, but just a little. I know a lot of people wouldn't be able to tune into the sub channel, but I would prefer that the constant report remain on the sub channel and a normal scroll at the bottom of the screen, and then just cut to the weatherman during the commercials with maybe the weatherman and commercials running side by side or something, for people that don't have the sub channel. Severe weather rarely interrupts my DVR's recording so I wish I didn't have to wait to watch the show online at (most of the time) lower than DVD quality.

Since my last post, I decided to order an HD STB from Comcast which has been well worth it! The quality of the HD seems better on some channels than others. For the most part the OTA broadcasts even with the STB look to be about the same quality as it is on my other tuners. Of course the STB does display 25.1 fine as my Mediacenter does, however I still saw flashes through out Life is Wild. I did catch the tail end of CW Now and could see the flashes even more so, especially on the sides where there were black bars. The flashes appear identical through the STB as they have through the Mediacenter. At least as long as I'm going through the STB, I'm not getting the green scrambled flashing screen of death. LOL

On a side note, I'm looking forward to 69.1 on Comcast. I've heard that's going to be around the 10th or so. I can't remember which channel it's going to wind up on though.

I have gotten flashes on 25.1. I do remember seeing them OTA, but not sure if I've seen them on my Comcast HD DVR

I have gotten flashes on 25.1. I do remember seeing them OTA, but not sure if I've seen them on my Comcast HD DVR

Let me know if you see it on Comcast as well. That would tell me where to start looking.

Let me know if you see it on Comcast as well. That would tell me where to start looking.

I think you either misread or overlooked my last post. I saw the flashes on my Comcast HD STB I just got. I hope that helps. :)

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In hind site I realize you are probably trying to get a confirmation from other sources than myself. I guess I can't blame you there.. For all I know those flashes could be a local source of interference.. Although oddly enough it's on both OTA and cable whether it be through QAM or the STB.

I think you either misread or overlooked my last post. I saw the flashes on my Comcast HD STB I just got. I hope that helps. :)

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In hind site I realize you are probably trying to get a confirmation from other sources than myself. I guess I can't blame you there.. For all I know those flashes could be a local source of interference.. Although oddly enough it's on both OTA and cable whether it be through QAM or the STB.

Ahhhh.....yeah that works.

... I would prefer that the constant report remain on the sub channel and a normal scroll at the bottom of the screen, and then just cut to the weatherman during the commercials with maybe the weatherman and commercials running side by side or something ...I believe you're forgetting the first rule of television ...
The program is the filler between the commercials. :)

Obviously the program has to be good enough to get people to tune in and watch the commercials - but interrupting or diminishing the impact of commercials costs money.

They probably could get away with a small crawl on the bottom of the screen, but changing video - especially translucent - requires processing. Much more that a static bug or legal ID.

I believe you're forgetting the first rule of television ...
The program is the filler between the commercials. :)

Obviously the program has to be good enough to get people to tune in and watch the commercials - but interrupting or diminishing the impact of commercials costs money.

They probably could get away with a small crawl on the bottom of the screen, but changing video - especially translucent - requires processing. Much more that a static bug or legal ID.

Now I'm not 100% sure of this, but I believe The Office on NBC was scheduled to play during the recent tornado last year, and WNDU showed the weatherman through the entire hour, skipping all the commercials, so, if they can afford to do that, they can surely afford to show the weatherman only during the commercial break (side by side next to the commercials if needed) As for the translucency, I was thinking a scrolling text, the weather map and warning text (like Tornado Warning, Severe T-Storm Warning etc) all being overlayed over the original HD video, maybe being translucent if needed. I wouldn't think it would really need a lot of translucency (or maybe even any) unless the graphics were huge at the bottom of the screen. Heck, since it's HD, do they even need to upscale their weather graphics? Most HD sets are fairly large and clear, so the graphics and text at the same resolution (hopefully expanded to 16:9) would probably be pretty easy to read anyway.

Anyway, here's a mock up scroll I made using slightly upscaled graphics, and actually no translucency:

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7684/testscrollit3.th.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=testscrollit3.jpg)

EDIT: I tried making it with non-upscaled graphics and it did look a little too small, although these graphics aren't upscaled a whole lot.

I believe you're forgetting the first rule of television ...
The program is the filler between the commercials. :)


Been reviewing the "Television Truths" again? :D

Now I'm not 100% sure of this, but I believe The Office on NBC was scheduled to play during the recent tornado last year, and WNDU showed the weatherman through the entire hour, skipping all the commercials, so, if they can afford to do that, they can surely afford to show the weatherman only during the commercial break (side by side next to the commercials if needed)Honestly when it comes to stuff like this, public safety comes first. Now don't get me wrong, if a station has the ability to squeeze back programming and kill two birds with one stone then score them 10 bonus points. :D Most stations don't have effects like that set up and in the interest of public safety will break in. A station I previously worked for would cover programming/commercials for tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings. Anything else we worked with what we had.

As for the translucency, I was thinking a scrolling text, the weather map and warning text (like Tornado Warning, Severe T-Storm Warning etc) all being overlayed over the original HD video, maybe being translucent if needed. I wouldn't think it would really need a lot of translucency (or maybe even any) unless the graphics were huge at the bottom of the screen. Heck, since it's HD, do they even need to upscale their weather graphics? Most HD sets are fairly large and clear, so the graphics and text at the same resolution (hopefully expanded to 16:9) would probably be pretty easy to read anyway.
Every station has their ways. As far as SD vs. HD, well thats up to what the station can afford. I admit its REALLY annoying for programming to jump to SD just for weather related materal and believe me its just as annoying for the operators that have to make that jump, say every 10 minutes.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7684/testscrollit3.th.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=testscrollit3.jpg)Nice design ... now buy a machine that will do that in real time with scrolling text on a HD feed. THAT is the expensive part!

Now I'm not 100% sure of this, but I believe The Office on NBC was scheduled to play during the recent tornado last year, and WNDU showed the weatherman through the entire hour, skipping all the commercials,Yes. Their station policy is to stay live as long as there is a tornado warning anywhere in the viewing area. That was a nasty night with nearly continuous overlap of tornado warnings. (They probably aired 30 minutes total of the three hours of prime time.) But their decision was that potentially life saving information was more important than the commercials. Unfortunately that night had a lot of "life saving" information and no viewable shows. :(

At least they followed the policy.

BTW: The day after was a reminder of what Channel 16 doesn't have any more ... a helicopter! In the past the chopper would be up following the path of the storm and giving excellent arial coverage. It was noticeably absent - but I assume no longer having a chopper was another budget decision.

Nice design ... now buy a machine that will do that in real time with scrolling text on a HD feed. THAT is the expensive part!

Yes. Their station policy is to stay live as long as there is a tornado warning anywhere in the viewing area. That was a nasty night with nearly continuous overlap of tornado warnings. (They probably aired 30 minutes total of the three hours of prime time.) But their decision was that potentially life saving information was more important than the commercials. Unfortunately that night had a lot of "life saving" information and no viewable shows. :(

At least they followed the policy.

BTW: The day after was a reminder of what Channel 16 doesn't have any more ... a helicopter! In the past the chopper would be up following the path of the storm and giving excellent arial coverage. It was noticeably absent - but I assume no longer having a chopper was another budget decision.

If you have a powerful enough computer, or network of computers, I'm sure it could be done with a relatively low budget. My computer can process HD video with effects in nearly real-time, if I'm streaming directly to video output instead of encoding as well, and they already have real time encoding machines. So it shouldn't cost a whole lot.

I understand that their information is potentially life saving, but I think protecting yourself from the storm would be more life saving than watching the TV. :)

I realize that it's too late now, but couldn't this have been done through a forced closed captioning system... You know like the broadcaster could kick on an advanced form of closed captioning that would scroll text across the bottom of the screen. How much extra bandwidth would a little text take? However that's obviously out the window, but I think that's one way they could have gotten around overlaying text over DTV content with out breaking the bank or being major disruptive. However what do I know, it's probably not so easy to cram such data into an existing stream... That and I doubt it's possible now with so many DTV's already out there.. It's probably too late, but could it have ever been possible or even be possible in the future? I think a text (closed captioning) style system would have been the ultimate solution for weather warnings, but one that was likely missed.

I think I probably should mention that I'm really tired and I apologize if this was already mentioned.

I realize that it's too late now, but couldn't this have been done through a forced closed captioning system... You know like the broadcaster could kick on an advanced form of closed captioning that would scroll text across the bottom of the screen. How much extra bandwidth would a little text take? However that's obviously out the window, but I think that's one way they could have gotten around overlaying text over DTV content with out breaking the bank or being major disruptive. However what do I know, it's probably not so easy to cram such data into an existing stream... That and I doubt it's possible now with so many DTV's already out there.. It's probably too late, but could it have ever been possible or even be possible in the future? I think a text (closed captioning) style system would have been the ultimate solution for weather warnings, but one that was likely missed.

I think I probably should mention that I'm really tired and I apologize if this was already mentioned.

It's not uncommon for stations to use their EAS CG to relay weather alerts. It may look cheap but it works!!

Tonight during N.C.I.S & Lonesome Dove every once in a while WSBT 22.1 would show some vertical streaks in the picture. This only lasted for less than a second each time. One of the times it came up for a little longer as part of a color bar test patern and said it was from L.A. I thought it was network but then it happened during the 11 PM news.
Anyone else see this??

Tonight during N.C.I.S & Lonesome Dove every once in a while WSBT 22.1 would show some vertical streaks in the picture. This only lasted for less than a second each time. One of the times it came up for a little longer as part of a color bar test patern and said it was from L.A. I thought it was network but then it happened during the 11 PM news.
Anyone else see this??

Subliminal suggestions. :D

:D

I've DVR'd shows from WSBT-HD and the vertical streaks are the HD color bars, usually from WCBS-HD in New York. Does that mean this is in the stream from New York and WSBT has nothing to do with it, or is some piece of equipment at WSBT switching back to a different feed for a frame before switching back to the normal programming?

If it happened ONLY during national content I'd blame it on national CBS.
But it appeared during the local news (per Satsince1978)?

The only thing that makes sense is a completely crazy wild guess.
WSBT was using the national CBS feed to clock their station. A problem with that feed caused the glitches. Continued problems on that feed caused continued glitches that allowed the feed to bleed through the local content as the equipment resynced.

Probably totally wrong ... but it is a crazy wild guess.

It did it again tonight 22.1 OTA during Lonesome Dove AND twice during the 11:00 local news. When it stays on for a little longer you can see a partial color bar test pattern on the right side of the screen. The quick vertical lines are across the whole screen, in assorted colors, and it is just flash on and off! No other digital signal that I receive does this!

It did it again tonight 22.1 OTA during Lonesome Dove AND twice during the 11:00 local news. When it stays on for a little longer you can see a partial color bar test pattern on the right side of the screen. The quick vertical lines are across the whole screen, in assorted colors, and it is just flash on and off! No other digital signal that I receive does this!

Without knowing WSBT's setup, they probably have a small switcher on their DTV signal that switches between HD CBS, and local. Sounds like the GPI (data trigger that switches between the inputs) has random closures to CBS network. I have not experienced this before but it's possible.

So in short, nobody's crazy. :D

BTW, I recorded colorbars on ABC57 WBND Saturday morning. At about 7:09am (ET) the "infomercial" Fresh! from Farmers Market stopped playing, went to bars and about a minute later there was an 8 second count down and the program started over. 20 minutes later the "proceeding program" paid program screen was shown, a couple of commercials and on to the next program (GMA Weekend).

I'm recording again from another source (SBT-2 / 22.2) Sunday Morning so I can see the FULL program. :)

BTW, I recorded colorbars on ABC57 WBND Saturday morning. At about 7:09am (ET) the "infomercial" Fresh! from Farmers Market stopped playing, went to bars and about a minute later there was an 8 second count down and the program started over. 20 minutes later the "proceeding program" paid program screen was shown, a couple of commercials and on to the next program (GMA Weekend).

I'm recording again from another source (SBT-2 / 22.2) Sunday Morning so I can see the FULL program. :)
LOL, good ole automation. :eek:

BTW: The bars looked good (via Dish Network satellite) but the picture on Fresh! was squeezed. It looked like it was produced in 16x9 and displayed in 4x3. Most content (that I have seen) looks OK on 57 (except HD content that gets cropped, of course :)).

BTW: The bars looked good (via Dish Network satellite) but the picture on Fresh! was squeezed. It looked like it was produced in 16x9 and displayed in 4x3. Most content (that I have seen) looks OK on 57 (except HD content that gets cropped, of course :)).

The company that produces that infomercial shoot it in 16x9 and has no clue how to provide it in 4x3. I think we get a different version every time the tape is replaced.:eek:

Last Friday, I swapped out my trusty old Dish 942 for a new 722 and, lo and behold, 25.1 (27) now comes in perfectly. And I do mean perfectly.

So, while neither my 942 or the tuner in my Pio 6070HD could pull in a watchable picture on channel 27 - due to interference from the "other" 27 in Chicago - the 722 has no problem at all. Go figure.

Dish must put one helluva OTA tuner in this box...

or 27 in Chicago has been off the air since Friday.

Last Friday, I swapped out my trusty old Dish 942 for a new 722 and, lo and behold, 25.1 (27) now comes in perfectly. And I do mean perfectly.

So, while neither my 942 or the tuner in my Pio 6070HD could pull in a watchable picture on channel 27 - due to interference from the "other" 27 in Chicago - the 722 has no problem at all. Go figure.

Dish must put one helluva OTA tuner in this box...

or 27 in Chicago has been off the air since Friday.

Nope were still on the air.

Last Friday, I swapped out my trusty old Dish 942 for a new 722 and, lo and behold, 25.1 (27) now comes in perfectly. And I do mean perfectly.

So, while neither my 942 or the tuner in my Pio 6070HD could pull in a watchable picture on channel 27 - due to interference from the "other" 27 in Chicago - the 722 has no problem at all. Go figure.

Dish must put one helluva OTA tuner in this box...

or 27 in Chicago has been off the air since Friday.

I can't believe you were having interferrence issues with WCIU-DT in LaPaz. :eek: The better chipset in the new RX probably handles the 2 27's a little better. Glad you can see us now. :)

HVS.. Sorry I've been out of the loop a while, so please forgive me if this has already been addressed. I'm just wondering if you guys are any closer to figuring out why 25.1 is such a mess on some people's tv's. It's just plain unwatchable on my Vizio. However I did upgrade to an HD cable STB so that pretty much solves my problem. However there will be times I'll need to rely on my TV's tuner when Mediacenter will be recording off the cable STB.

HVS.. Sorry I've been out of the loop a while, so please forgive me if this has already been addressed. I'm just wondering if you guys are any closer to figuring out why 25.1 is such a mess on some people's tv's. It's just plain unwatchable on my Vizio. However I did upgrade to an HD cable STB so that pretty much solves my problem. However there will be times I'll need to rely on my TV's tuner when Mediacenter will be recording off the cable STB.

I wish I had the magical answer, but I don't. I've analyzed the PSIP data going out and it is a carbon copy to WBND and WMYS. Still there appears to be something in the data stream that is messing with certain tuners. The question is what. An even better question is what is causing it. (Besides WCIU-DT in Chicago)

BTW, I just noticed that WSBT filed a license to cover for their analog and DTV transmitters on their new tower. And tonight, I saw their 7 day forecast on analog, albeit snowy...from 60 miles west of Chicago on an indoor channelMaster 4228 antenna. :eek:

Or as HVS likes to say... :eek::eek:

:D

HVS.. Sorry I've been out of the loop a while, so please forgive me if this has already been addressed. I'm just wondering if you guys are any closer to figuring out why 25.1 is such a mess on some people's tv's. It's just plain unwatchable on my Vizio. However I did upgrade to an HD cable STB so that pretty much solves my problem. However there will be times I'll need to rely on my TV's tuner when Mediacenter will be recording off the cable STB.

OK I have a magical answer now. Seems an ajacent channel is bleeding over to 25.1 (RF 27) enough to throw off professional receivers. We will be working with the source to solve the interferrence.

OK I have a magical answer now. Seems an ajacent channel is bleeding over to 25.1 (RF 27) enough to throw off professional receivers. We will be working with the source to solve the interferrence.

Thanks for the heads up. :) Just let me know when you have it worked out with the source and I'll check it out on my Vizio.

OK I have a magical answer now. Seems an ajacent channel is bleeding over to 25.1 (RF 27) enough to throw off professional receivers. We will be working with the source to solve the interferrence.
OK let me restate my answer. The station I am refering to does meet FCC specs on their signal, but due to their transmission power and directiveness of their antenna, 25.1 gets "blacked out in certain areas and locations due to the power difference between the two stations, plus the directionality of the "ajacent channels" transmit antenna and the geometry of its major lobes and nulls." Does your head hurt yet??? :eek: In other words because of the 2 stations being on ajacent channels and the signal power/patterns aligning the way they do, there are dead zones in our signal. Unfortunaltely they rest right over the South Bend/Mishawaka area. So what does this mean short term? Well, we're not quite sure. Stay tuned!

(Thanks Geo for the added info!!!!)

In other words, it may get better next year ... or not?

The landscape:

W18CF Digital 18 (TBN)
WSBT Digital 22 (CBS)
WMYS Digital 23 (My TV 69.1)
WCWW Digital 27 (CW 25.1)
WSJV Digital 28 (Fox)
WNIT Digital 35 (PBS 34.1)
WNDU Digital 42 (NBC 16.1)
WHME Digital 48 (LeSea 46.1)
WBND Digital 49 (ABC 57.1)

Did I miss any? There are a lot of adjacent channels.

OK, where does 28's digital fit into this??
What channel are they on?

OK, where does 28's digital fit into this??
What channel are they on?

28 is on channel 58.

Sorry for the confusion ... my list was intended to be post 2/17/09.
As note 28 currently is digital on 58 - 22 is currently digital on 30.

The list above reflects 2/17/09 (in market stations).

Has anyone turned on WSBT 22.1 during prime time and when watching the HD feed there is sound but no voice to go with it? Commercials are fine but when the main HD programming comes back on no voice. Hasn't happened in a while except yesterday for the Mich. St. and Mich. basketball game. I emailed WSBT and the guy thought I may have SAP on but I don't believe I have SAP, am using a Vbox Cat’s Eye 3560 PC tuner with BeyondTV. Works great and only have this problem once in a while during HD feeds on WSBT. No other channel. WSBT is looking into it but he doesn't know what the problem is. Anyone else?

Has anyone turned on WSBT 22.1 during prime time and when watching the HD feed there is sound but no voice to go with it? Commercials are fine but when the main HD programming comes back on no voice. Hasn't happened in a while except yesterday for the Mich. St. and Mich. basketball game. I emailed WSBT and the guy thought I may have SAP on but I don't believe I have SAP, am using a Vbox Cat’s Eye 3560 PC tuner with BeyondTV. Works great and only have this problem once in a while during HD feeds on WSBT. No other channel. WSBT is looking into it but he doesn't know what the problem is. Anyone else?

I have this problem with my Marantz receiver and WSBT sometimes. Usually happened when they would switch to 2 channel for the commercials and then back to 5.1 for the program. The receiver would choke and only give me part of the audio. Switching sources always fixed it but, it's still annoying.

Since this was the first time I've been able to watch Smallville on 25.1 (thank you, Dish 722) I guess I'm just seeing the "flashes" issue raised here before?

HVS, I've been meaning to bring this up for a while.. Even on my Mediacenter PC not all is perfect with 25.1. Although it's viewable on the Mediacenter, i have noticed from time to time what appears to be quick flashes when I watch programming on that channel. I've noticed them several times when watching Smallville, but I saw one that really stuck out while watching Life I Wild tonight. About 4 minutes into Life Is Wild I saw the screen flash white. It kind of reminds me of that whole deal on Fight Club where they sneak in porn slides between the frames. You guys are sneaking porn past us are you? LOL Too bad my Mediacenter doesn't do frame by frame very well like a VCR. All I know is I do frequently see white flashes, sometimes the frequency of them seem higher than other times.. Of course only 25.1 is affected, this doesn't occur on the other channels.


I also have noticed some flashes in 25.1, could this be a testing feature or something?

I have gotten flashes on 25.1. I do remember seeing them OTA, but not sure if I've seen them on my Comcast HD DVR

I think you either misread or overlooked my last post. I saw the flashes on my Comcast HD STB I just got. I hope that helps. :)

Must have happened several dozen times during the hour...

Man, it was really, really distracting!

Any word on when we'll get 5.1 on ABC? I really wish I could get LOST in surround sound.

Since this was the first time I've been able to watch Smallville on 25.1 (thank you, Dish 722) I guess I'm just seeing the "flashes" issue raised here before?









Must have happened several dozen times during the hour...

Man, it was really, really distracting!


Most likely:
OK let me restate my answer. The station I am refering to does meet FCC specs on their signal, but due to their transmission power and directiveness of their antenna, 25.1 gets "blacked out in certain areas and locations due to the power difference between the two stations, plus the directionality of the "ajacent channels" transmit antenna and the geometry of its major lobes and nulls." Does your head hurt yet??? :eek: In other words because of the 2 stations being on ajacent channels and the signal power/patterns aligning the way they do, there are dead zones in our signal. Unfortunaltely they rest right over the South Bend/Mishawaka area. So what does this mean short term? Well, we're not quite sure. Stay tuned!

(Thanks Geo for the added info!!!!)

Any word on when we'll get 5.1 on ABC? I really wish I could get LOST in surround sound.

No word, sorry. :(

HVS, so it's likely that the green scrambled mess on my Vizio and the flashes I see on my Mediacenter tuners is probably the same issue? I had a hunch this was the case, what you said seems to confirm it.

However I should point out that I've noticed the flashes occur heavily during network shows like Smallville or Life is Wild. I haven't noticed them outside of CW's content as of yet. However since I mostly just watch Smallville and Life is Wild, it's hard to notice outside of those shows anyway. However there was something I was watching on 25.1 the other day that wasn't CW content and I did notice there was any flashing then. However I just watched Smallville last night and it was flash city as usual.

However I should point out that I've noticed the flashes occur heavily during network shows like Smallville or Life is Wild. I haven't noticed them outside of CW's content as of yet. However since I mostly just watch Smallville and Life is Wild, it's hard to notice outside of those shows anyway. However there was something I was watching on 25.1 the other day that wasn't CW content and I did notice there was any flashing then. However I just watched Smallville last night and it was flash city as usual.

Same for me. Actually, I have not seen any issues at all with any non-HD programs on 25.1. Never saw a glitch on any commercial during Smallville, either.

I've only ever had cable but the prices keep going up, and I've noticed DirecTV has more HD as well, so question for anyone with DirecTV HD: Does the signal ever interrupt because of weather, and, if so, how long and often are the interruptions. Is the HD quality good? Also, with the HD DVR, is there any way to pull recordings off the DVR HDD and put them on your computer? Thanks.

I know I've never really had great success receiving OTA HD, so I guess that's what concerns me about DirecTV as well.

Also, is CW available in HD on DirecTV, I don't see it on the lineup.

I had no signal on 57-1 tonight, 2/6/08. Is it my equipment, or did others have the same problem?

No problems here...

I've only ever had cable but the prices keep going up, and I've noticed DirecTV has more HD as well, so question for anyone with DirecTV HD: Does the signal ever interrupt because of weather, and, if so, how long and often are the interruptions. Is the HD quality good? Also, with the HD DVR, is there any way to pull recordings off the DVR HDD and put them on your computer? Thanks.

I know I've never really had great success receiving OTA HD, so I guess that's what concerns me about DirecTV as well.

Also, is CW available in HD on DirecTV, I don't see it on the lineup.

I only have the SD packages, but from what I've seen elsewhere it looks pretty good. Weather may cause outages. Mine are limited to severe thunderstorms and hail. They usually only last the duration of the storm blocking the signal.

No South Bend stations are available HD via D* at the moment, but they may be coming soon.

I had no signal on 57-1 tonight, 2/6/08. Is it my equipment, or did others have the same problem?

I didn't get any frantic phone calls last night. :eek:

HVS, so it's likely that the green scrambled mess on my Vizio and the flashes I see on my Mediacenter tuners is probably the same issue? I had a hunch this was the case, what you said seems to confirm it.

However I should point out that I've noticed the flashes occur heavily during network shows like Smallville or Life is Wild. I haven't noticed them outside of CW's content as of yet. However since I mostly just watch Smallville and Life is Wild, it's hard to notice outside of those shows anyway. However there was something I was watching on 25.1 the other day that wasn't CW content and I did notice there was any flashing then. However I just watched Smallville last night and it was flash city as usual.

I think I found a problem on our end. Let me know if the flashes go away over the next week.

I've only ever had cable but the prices keep going up, and I've noticed DirecTV has more HD as well, so question for anyone with DirecTV HD: Does the signal ever interrupt because of weather, and, if so, how long and often are the interruptions. Is the HD quality good? Also, with the HD DVR, is there any way to pull recordings off the DVR HDD and put them on your computer? Thanks.

I know I've never really had great success receiving OTA HD, so I guess that's what concerns me about DirecTV as well.

Also, is CW available in HD on DirecTV, I don't see it on the lineup.

Here is a link to "Getting content off of HR20 DVR."
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=118754

I think I found a problem on our end. Let me know if the flashes go away over the next week.

I can't speak for the flashes yet, but the green scrambled mess has gone away. Now it looks perfectly fine! I'll try to keep an eye on the CW Network programming to see if the flashes have gone away or not. I'm glad to see the scrambled mess go away though. :)

The next CW network show is Friday Night Smackdown which is on at 8:00PM. I haven't watched wrestling in a long time, so I guess now is a good time as any to tune in. I'll watch from my Vizio's tuner to see if I notice any flashes at all.

I decided I'd rotate tuners during commercials to watch for flashes as I've seen flashes on all of them with the exception of the Vizio previously just being unwatchable..I first started out on the Vizio's own OTA tuner..

8-8:10pm no flashes on the Vizio

8:10-8:24pm I saw some flashes on the Comcast HD STB although this is tough to call because it is pro wrestling, there's was a lot more camera flashes during this segment than the last one. I wish there were more network shows on tonight than this one because this show is making it difficult to monitor.

8:24pm - 8:34pm using my Mediacenter HDTV tuners.. Similar experience to the Comcast tuner. I'm convinced this time around the only flashing I'm seeing is from the camera flashes. Like I said of all shows, why only wrestling tonight? LOL

I'll keep an eye on the other network content and let you know what I see, but so far it's looking much better. At least now I can see 25.1 on my Vizio's tuner now should I need it.

:o:oI feel kinda embarrased. :o:o I was only feeding you guys 1280x1080 on 25.1. Now your getting your full 1920x1080!!!

:o:oI feel kinda embarrased. :o:o I was only feeding you guys 1280x1080 on 25.1. Now your getting your full 1920x1080!!!


I could see where some tuners may have an issue with that oddball resolution. :) At least I assume that must have been the problem my Vizio's tuner had with 25.1 anyway.

Well anywho, thankyou so much for getting this worked out. :) Don't feel too bad about your mistake.. I've dealt with troubleshooting mine and everybody else's computer's for quite a while.. I'll be the first to say I've found many of my own computer problems were just PEBKAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEBKAC).

:o:oI feel kinda embarrased. :o:o I was only feeding you guys 1280x1080 on 25.1. Now your getting your full 1920x1080!!!

cool thanks, I thought that was just a weird national CW resolution or something lol.

:o:oI feel kinda embarrased. :o:o I was only feeding you guys 1280x1080 on 25.1. Now your getting your full 1920x1080!!!

You cleared up the left-justified picture on my Samsung set too. Thanks!

:o:oI feel kinda embarrased. :o:o I was only feeding you guys 1280x1080 on 25.1. Now your getting your full 1920x1080!!!I'm glad you changed your signature ... sure, you have a full T3 - but apparently you were afraid to use it! :D

Thanks for bumping up the bits!

HVS, I just got the last few minutes of The Game, and the beginning of One Tree Hill. Looks like the flashes are still there, but they don't seem to be occurring as often as they were before.

HD commercials aren't exempt from them.. I just saw a a couple of flashes during a Sprint commercial.

HVS, I just got the last few minutes of The Game, and the beginning of One Tree Hill. Looks like the flashes are still there, but they don't seem to be occurring as often as they were before.

HD commercials aren't exempt from them.. I just saw a a couple of flashes during a Sprint commercial.

:(

I'm getting a pretty bad signal on wsbt during the grammy's tonight through comcast HD

I'm getting a pretty bad signal on wsbt during the grammy's tonight through comcast HD

You too huh? If it looked any blockier, they should worry about a lawsuit from Lego.

Did you notice any of the Comcast HD channels being messed up yesterday? I had a few that were really bad.. I was seeing color spots and lines that flickered on a few channels. The odd thing was it wasn't always on the same channels.. I noticed at first they were on 28.1, then eventually on 22.1. Even SciFi's HD channel eventually became a mess.. Thankfully it all cleared up though.

I'm getting a pretty bad signal on wsbt during the grammy's tonight through comcast HDDirect OTA on my DISH Network receiver (622) seems to be working OK. I have seen a couple of colorbar flashes ... but it 99.999% good picture and sound.

I'm on the east side of Elkhart. I was receiving OTA channels 57.1 and 69.1 just fine the last few weeks or so ... as soon as the temp dropped so did my signals on these two channels. 57.1 is stronger but both stations are now weak with signals that fluctuate between zero signal and 45. I was thinking it was the wind but the wind dropped to under 10mph now.

All other HD stations (22.1, 16.1, etc) are in the high 90's - 96-98 ranges which is excellent for this distance from the SB hill. So, if it was my equipment, I would expect a big drop across all channels.

I wonder if the big chill and 50+ winds the last couple days did some damage to their towers, like misaligned them in the easterly direction?

Does anyone from the stations ride the area and do signal checks, I wonder?

I'm on the east side of Elkhart. I was receiving OTA channels 57.1 and 69.1 just fine the last few weeks or so ... as soon as the temp dropped so did my signals on these two channels. 57.1 is stronger but both stations are now weak with signals that fluctuate between zero signal and 45. I was thinking it was the wind but the wind dropped to under 10mph now.

All other HD stations (22.1, 16.1, etc) are in the high 90's - 96-98 ranges which is excellent for this distance from the SB hill. So, if it was my equipment, I would expect a big drop across all channels.

I wonder if the big chill and 50+ winds the last couple days did some damage to their towers, like misaligned them in the easterly direction?

Does anyone from the stations ride the area and do signal checks, I wonder?

All are chugging along like they normally are. 25.1 has had some minor issues but thats it. Nothing is damaged or misaligned. If their going to move it's in a downward direction. :eek: Keep in mind we are low power digital and any reception issues will be noticed with our stations first.

I've only ever had cable but the prices keep going up, and I've noticed DirecTV has more HD as well, so question for anyone with DirecTV HD: Does the signal ever interrupt because of weather, and, if so, how long and often are the interruptions. Is the HD quality good? Also, with the HD DVR, is there any way to pull recordings off the DVR HDD and put them on your computer? Thanks.

I know I've never really had great success receiving OTA HD, so I guess that's what concerns me about DirecTV as well.

Also, is CW available in HD on DirecTV, I don't see it on the lineup.

i switched from comcast to directv earlier this past summer. i have lost signal twice. once, during a massive thunderstorm, and the other day, due to a very wet, heavy snow buildup on the dish.

i find the hd quality to be very good. the channels coming off the old satellite are still HD Lite as far as i know, so there is a noticeable quality difference between those old channels, and the new HD channels coming off the new satellite. from what i understand, those new channels are not HD Lite.

Just a follow-up on my original post about channels 69.1 and 57.1 going weak.

Yesterday, 69.1 digital was still weak - could not receive. signal varies between zero and low 20%. 57.1 picked up much better and actually could be viewed at around 32-42% signal but still glitchy.
However - Channel 69.0 analog signal was very good, no snow -- looked good.

But today, just the opposite. 69.1 digital comes in over 50% "normal" signal. 57.1 signal around 60-62%. Now the 69.0 analog very snowy and weak.

I'm not going to try a guess on this behavior ... just report it.

I have a radio shack uhf high gain reflector about 20 feet above ground pointed direct at the SB Hill from east end of Elkhart. I run about 60ft dual cable originally used for my primestar (going way back here) dish which I now split half the line with direct tv sat and locals. I have a line amp about 20ft down the line for uhf. Amp is protected from the weather and grounded located on rear of house.

If nothing else, I would suspect the line amp acting up as the temp varies ... but hard to believe it can be that "selective". But hey, weird things can happen in uhf feeds if the temp varies capacitance or something.

By the way watching smallville tonight and was still getting the flashes, I use comcast HD but have also seen flashes OTA.

By the way watching smallville tonight and was still getting the flashes, I use comcast HD but have also seen flashes OTA.

Yeah I dont think I fixed the issue at hand.

By the way watching smallville tonight and was still getting the flashes, I use comcast HD but have also seen flashes OTA.

I finally watched Smallville last night. I'm just posting this to add my "me too!".

I finally watched Smallville last night. I'm just posting this to add my "me too!".


Me three. But I only noticed them in the second half hour; the first half I kept thinking "hey, they're gone!" Then they came back...

Still 999999999% better than the crap Dish locals (why do they all look like the picture on the RCA color console - with the round picture tube - my parents had in 1973?).

Retro TV Network, that is.

http://ir.emdaholdings.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=289368

Lots of 60's, 70's and 80's shows such as Mork and Mindy, Happy Days, Gomer Pyle and much more. Betcha 28-2 lights up soon!

DIGITAL TV SIGNALS
When the wind blows(?) or whatever, the digital signals on some of the local stations goes in and out. Antenna is solid and not moving at all. Three questions come up!
1 Will the signals get any better when analog is gone??
2 Could it be that some analog or digital signals are now interfearing with each other?
3 Will 22-1 ever get rid of the color bars that flash on the screen every once in a while? This is a color bar pattern from CBS-LA or New York when it stays on long enough to read!

DIGITAL TV SIGNALS
When the wind blows(?) or whatever, the digital signals on some of the local stations goes in and out. Antenna is solid and not moving at all. Three questions come up!
1 Will the signals get any better when analog is gone??
2 Could it be that some analog or digital signals are now interfearing with each other?
3 Will 22-1 ever get rid of the color bars that flash on the screen every once in a while? This is a color bar pattern from CBS-LA or New York when it stays on long enough to read!

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Call them and let them know it is happening, and I betcha it stops sooner rather than later.

I did call them and the chief engineer is who I talked to! He said " it must be your TV as we have not had any other complaints about this - - check your wires to the antenna - - I watched our signal all last night and never saw anything wrong - - you must be getting this from somewhere else, cause it is not from us!".
Jim

I did call them and the chief engineer is who I talked to! He said " it must be your TV as we have not had any other complaints about this - - check your wires to the antenna - - I watched our signal all last night and never saw anything wrong - - you must be getting this from somewhere else, cause it is not from us!".
Jim

Yeah cause CBS color bars are widely available. :rolleyes: You should record it and send it to him. (and if you have a digital copy I would like to see it as well)

I did call them and the chief engineer is who I talked to! He said " it must be your TV as we have not had any other complaints about this - - check your wires to the antenna - - I watched our signal all last night and never saw anything wrong - - you must be getting this from somewhere else, cause it is not from us!".
Jim

This also gets a me too. It's annoying!

I am wondering if it's my equipment or the signal. I don't usually watch it, but as I was flipping through channels yesterday I discovered that I am no longer receiving it. I checked my other televisions - 3 sets, no reception on 46-2. All other channels are fine on all. Any ideas?

Hello JS! WHME was broadcasting their World Harvest Television on 46.2 but for some reason they quit doing that. The last time I scanned channels (a couple of months ago) 46.2 came up, but there was nothing broadcasted on it.

You cleared up the left-justified picture on my Samsung set too. Thanks!

Mine too (50" Sammy plasma). It was always oddly shifted (to the right, to the top, to the bottom, etc) totally unwatchable until recently.

The actual reception has a lot of break up tho....but at least the picture is complete.

I live downtown SB with an aerial on a 30' tower.

I watched Aliens In American on CW25 sunday night. I'm still seeing the flashes, but not as much. They seem to be a few minutes apart when the do happen.

I noticed this on both the cable STB and OTA.

Is 22.1 off the air tonight??

Is 22.1 off the air tonight??
Yes

http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/16252636.html

Michiana's public television station will broadcast at reduced power for nearly a year because station officials say a replacement part for their analog transmitter is too expensive.

WNIT-TV, like other TV stations nationwide, will switch to digital broadcasting next February.

Station officials says they were unable to borrow a replacement klystron tube and a new one costs $75,000.

FYI: The first round of DTV Transition Reports are being filed. All Michiana broadcasters intend to keep their analog stations on the air until the last day. WNIT, WHME and WNDU are done and are now on the air in digital on their final channel and power level (per filings).

WSJV will miss the deadline (analog off, but the final digital will not be on the air) ...
In addition, WSJV will seek an extension of the construction deadline beyond the current deadline of February 17, 2009 for a period of several weeks because WJSV plans to convert a transmitter that is currently being used for pre-transition digital operations by a commonly owned station (WAOW-DT, pre-transition digital Channel 29, post-transition digital Channel 9, Wausau, Wisconsin (FIN 64546)) as the transmitter for WSJV-DT’s post-transition facility and WAOW-DT’s pre-transition digital transmitter will be in service until the end of the DTV transition. So that WSJV may continue to provide digital service to viewers while the WAOW-DT pre-transition digital transmitter is converted for use for WSJV-DT’s post-transition operations, WSJV will seek special temporary authority to operate the station’s digital facility post-transition for a period of approximately 1 - 2 weeks with low power with a loaner digital transmitter.

WSBT has some work to do but should be ready ...
BY FEBRUARY 17, 2009, WSBT-DT WILL CONVERT A BACKUP TRANSMITTER CURRENTLY USED WITH ITS PRE-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL 30 FOR USE WITH ITS POST-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL 22.

(Low power stations didn't need to file.)

WSBT has some work to do but should be ready ...
Quote:
BY FEBRUARY 17, 2009, WSBT-DT WILL CONVERT A BACKUP TRANSMITTER CURRENTLY USED WITH ITS PRE-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL 30 FOR USE WITH ITS POST-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL 22.

Does this mean that WSBT will be digital back on on 22 and NOT on 30?
Any others going back to old analog channel after converting?

We have a slight null to the east but you (should) be able to receive it. The weather may be messing with ya. Try a re-scan later on.

Hello hvs10trk. I am on the north side of La Porte and I can never get 57.1 at all. :( I have adjusted my antenna multiple times and rescanned many times and have never been able to pick up WBND. Just so you are aware, 25.1 and 69.1 are rock solid, have never had any issues with wmys or wcww. I have tried to get WLS 7.1 but cannot lock it in like I can with WGN on 9.1 and 9.2 which comes in rock solid. When will it be possible to watch ABC here?

Do you think that WCHU-LD is causing the issues?

Hello hvs10trk. I am on the north side of La Porte and I can never get 57.1 at all. :( I have adjusted my antenna multiple times and rescanned many times and have never been able to pick up WBND. Just so you are aware, 25.1 and 69.1 are rock solid, have never had any issues with wmys or wcww. I have tried to get WLS 7.1 but cannot lock it in like I can with WGN on 9.1 and 9.2 which comes in rock solid. When will it be possible to watch ABC here?

Do you think that WCHU-LD is causing the issues?

I'm not sure if their up and transmitting yet. Can you see them if you aim towards Chicago? It's quite possible you're getting interferrence from them if their up and running. A newer generation tuner may help you get 57.1. I hear the 6th generation tuners work real well to cancel out interferrence and lock the stronger signals.

I'm not sure if their up and transmitting yet. Can you see them if you aim towards Chicago? It's quite possible you're getting interferrence from them if their up and running. A newer generation tuner may help you get 57.1. I hear the 6th generation tuners work real well to cancel out interferrence and lock the stronger signals.

WCHU-LD isn't up yet. I haven't heard anything on when they will be. Their two analogs, 6 and 61, are up.

I've got Comcast extended basic cable and have been watching local HD channels through the QAM tuner in my TV for the past several months. This has been working great for me, but over the weekend 22.1 stopped coming in. It seems to come in fine with my antenna, but through the QAM tuner it no longer comes in. Is anyone else having similar problems?

Same here. CBS is 106.1 now on my TV. CW and ABC also got shifted.

BTW, ABC now is transferring SD content with 720p format?



I've got Comcast extended basic cable and have been watching local HD channels through the QAM tuner in my TV for the past several months. This has been working great for me, but over the weekend 22.1 stopped coming in. It seems to come in fine with my antenna, but through the QAM tuner it no longer comes in. Is anyone else having similar problems?

BTW, ABC now is transferring SD content with 720p format?

Can you please elaborate on this?

WSBT has some work to do but should be ready ...
Quote:
BY FEBRUARY 17, 2009, WSBT-DT WILL CONVERT A BACKUP TRANSMITTER CURRENTLY USED WITH ITS PRE-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL 30 FOR USE WITH ITS POST-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL 22.

Does this mean that WSBT will be digital back on on 22 and NOT on 30?
Any others going back to old analog channel after converting?WNIT, WHME and WNDU are staying on their current digital channels. WSBT and WSJV are moving their digital to their analog channel.

Ok sorry about that. Yes you are correct WCHU-LD is not up yet so I cannot figure out why I am not getting WBND-LD. I have a indoor antenna and have no problem pulling in all the South Bend main channels and I can even get the low power ones fine except for 57.1. Do I need a new antenna?

Can you please elaborate on this?


The NBA game on ABC Sunday is supposed to be 720p, but in fact it was SD content.

Ok sorry about that. Yes you are correct WCHU-LD is not up yet so I cannot figure out why I am not getting WBND-LD. I have a indoor antenna and have no problem pulling in all the South Bend main channels and I can even get the low power ones fine except for 57.1. Do I need a new antenna?

We're pretty nulled out to the west so thats probably why. Especially with an indoor antenna. An outdoor antenna would definately help.

The NBA game on ABC Sunday is supposed to be 720p, but in fact it was SD content.

You are correct. That was an error on our part. Sorry for the inconvienence.

This web site was posted on the Grand Rapids, MI forum. A few months back I posted here with issues finding channels in St. Joe, MI on QAM. Just enter your zip and it lists off everything for you. Not sure how long it takes to get updated when Comcast decides to shuffle stuff though...

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

Where is WCHU-LD going to be located? LaPorte? Michigan City? Valpo.?
Jim

Where is WCHU-LD going to be located? LaPorte? Michigan City? Valpo.?
Jim

Looks like Hancock in Chitown.

Hey can anyone lock 23.1 (RF 39) over there? Just curious to see how our new LD on Sears tower is getting out.

My Dish 722 registers normal signal stregth, but cannot lock on.

I'm still not getting guide info through my Dish Network VIP622 for the newer SB digitals. Is this a broadcaster issue or a Dish issue?

I'm still not getting guide info through my Dish Network VIP622 for the newer SB digitals. Is this a broadcaster issue or a Dish issue?
Try power cycling your RX. If that doesn't work, call Dish. We only hand the data off to them, they have to do something with it.

My Dish 722 registers normal signal stregth, but cannot lock on.

Not off the air. Probably interferrence from ajoining markets.

Not off the air. Probably interferrence from ajoining markets.

Both channels? How weird.

My Dish 722 registers normal signal stregth, but cannot lock on.HVS, your Digital Stations are MIA here in SBN. (sorry)

My ViP211 shows that I have signal qualities for all three of your ATSC stations in the mid-to-high-80s, but goes to the Error 739: "The offair signal has been lost." slate. On my Toshiba 40RF350U, it shows absolutely nada for the Wiegel digital channels and has since removed them from my channel list. Before that happened, I was able to bring up the signal meter an channel 25-1 which showed a 80+ signal. However, there was no virtual channel #, just the physical channel.

It appears the transmitters are sending a signal out, but no PSIP is present. Can anyone verify?

HVS, your Digital Stations are MIA here in SBN. (sorry)

My ViP211 shows that I have signal qualities for all three of your ATSC stations in the mid-to-high-80s, but goes to the Error 739: "The offair signal has been lost." slate. On my Toshiba 40RF350U, it shows absolutely nada for the Wiegel digital channels and has since removed them from my channel list. Before that happened, I was able to bring up the signal meter an channel 25-1 which showed a 80+ signal. However, there was no virtual channel #, just the physical channel.

It appears the transmitters are sending a signal out, but no PSIP is present. Can anyone verify?

I lost them last night and did a rescan and the two that I can pick up, WMYS and WCWW are only on 23.1 and 27.1 the virtual channels are off. No EPG data.

I've been getting the EPG on my 622 since last year for 25.1 and 57.1 ... 69.1 EPG is not provided by DISH.

Just tried now and did not get a thing. 39 I assume is the digital number. I am getting ALL of the high powered stuff from Chicago with NO problem.
Any special time to try or are you on the air now??
Jim

Just tried now and did not get a thing. 39 I assume is the digital number. I am getting ALL of the high powered stuff from Chicago with NO problem.
Any special time to try or are you on the air now??
Jim

I am not able to recieve it either and I am maybe 10 miles from Lake Michigan. hvs10trk, is it possible that WHCH-LD on channel 40 is effecting it? 40.1 must be a low power from the Michigan City / Chesterton area broadcasting World Harvest Television?

Guys, there was a PSIP problem affecting all three of our South Bend DTV signals. All should be well now. Thanks for your "eyes". Unfortunately, we use professional tuners (Sencore) that are so robust that they did not see any issues. That's why I really like using consumer set top boxes for off-air monitoring.

As for the person in LaPorte, There is a low power analog station on channel 49 in the Valpo area that WBND-LD has to protect. That's why we have a directional antenna with a null to the west. WCWW-LD is an omni and WMYS-LD is a very tight cardioid protecting channel 24 in Fort Wayne.

-Kyle

Just tried now and did not get a thing. 39 I assume is the digital number. I am getting ALL of the high powered stuff from Chicago with NO problem.
Any special time to try or are you on the air now??
Jim
You'll never get our LP-DTV 39 (WWME-LD 23.1) over the lake in the South Bend market. Its a very directional antenna that goes maybe 10 miles east. It's designed to cover west of the sears tower over the Chicago market. It's weak in NE Indiana.

You'll never get our LP-DTV 39 (WWME-LD 23.1) over the lake in the South Bend market. Its a very directional antenna that goes maybe 10 miles east. It's designed to cover west of the sears tower over the Chicago market. It's weak in NE Indiana.

It was worth a shot to ask. :D

As for the person in LaPorte, There is a low power analog station on channel 49 in the Valpo area that WBND-LD has to protect.I've seen that transmitter ... It was just put on the air last year replacing a service on channel four broadcasting from Burns Harbor.

The site for 49 is just off of SR49 on a tower right next to a tower holding two LeSea digital translators -- 24 which should be doing it's flash cut soon and 40 which cut to digital in August after being displaced from channel 54.

Hmmm, not good. I'm still missing WMYS-LD on my Toshiba and my ViP 211. If I try plugging 23-1 into my Toshiba, it tells me there is low or no signal. Same thing on my 211; punching in 23 on the Add Digital screen shows nada/goose-egg/null/zip.

Edit: It just came back.

WNIT CHANNEL 34 JUST YESTERDAY MORNING LOST IT'S SECOND KLYSTRON TUBE AND THE ANALOG SIGNAL IS DOWN FOR GOOD! (Oops, sorry about all caps!) South Bend Tribune says this morning that they petitioned the FCC to drop the analog as it would be to costly to replace both tubes for the short period of time till Feb. 2009.
I guess we have our first analog to digital switchover in South Bend now!
Jim

As for the person in LaPorte, There is a low power analog station on channel 49 in the Valpo area that WBND-LD has to protect. That's why we have a directional antenna with a null to the west. WCWW-LD is an omni and WMYS-LD is a very tight cardioid protecting channel 24 in Fort Wayne.

-Kyle[/QUOTE]

I am about 8 miles, west to northwest line of site to the tower for WBND. Does your null effect that short of range? As I do have very low signal on 57-1, but a strong signal on 25-1, and 69-1.

WBND http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=LD1211632.html
WAAA http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TX1191867.html

The gory details of WNIT's problems ...

March 7th STA Filing (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=623874) (pdf) at the FCC requesting low power and, on the same day, a second STA Filing (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=623877) requesting termination of the analog signal.

They requested a June 5th, 2008, termination date ... the tubes just didn't live long enough to let that happen. :([E]quipment failures beyond the licensee’s control have already substantially reduced the WNIT analog facility operation. Repair of the facility would require a replacement klystron tube, at a cost of $70,000. Given noncommercial educational broadcaster Michiana Public’s annual budget of only three million dollars, and the fact that the new equipment would be of use for only nine or ten months, such an expense is completely unaffordable and impractical. At the moment, WNIT(TV)’s analog operation is just “limping” along. Michiana Public fears the analog operation could fail completely at any point, and thus seeks approval to simply terminate analog service early, by June 5, 2008.The completely fail point came way too soon.

WBND http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=LD1211632.html
WAAA http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TX1191867.html

Interresting pattern for WAAA.

Hvs10Trk.. I watched Smallville last night, but did not notice any flashes. I wasn't looking for them either but I did think about it after watching that show. I'll let you know if I do see them again. Any other me too's out there?

i live east downtown la porte on lincolnway ave. I'm using a outdoor winegard sensar GS-2200 - Amplified with rg-6 cable. can't lock 57.1 and 69.1 signal bounces from 64-61-0. already raised it,lower it, turned it one way the other way and nothing need help. please.

Interresting pattern for WAAA.WAAA (as W04CQ) applied for a move and channel change to 49 in July of 2004 (11.82kW @ 91m AGL). They filed a modification in March of 2006 to make that 87kW @ 95m AGL. They had to protect WHME-DT 48 (as well as other stations) which may explain why they didn't come further east with a pattern.

WBND's companion channel was filed seven months in October of 2006 ... protecting WAAA but no real protection of WHME-DT 48 is needed since the towers are so close and they are so powerful.

You can thank WHME for protecting that frequency for you. :)

Hvs10Trk.. I watched Smallville last night, but did not notice any flashes. I wasn't looking for them either but I did think about it after watching that show. I'll let you know if I do see them again. Any other me too's out there?
I don't remember seeing any flashes either, but one thing has been bugging me week after week with smallville more than the flashes. It seems at least once per episode the audio fizzles out for a second or two then comes back. I've noticed this on Comcast HD, but I don't really watch OTA very much so I couldn't tell you whether it happens OTA or not. It's quite annoying and usually happens at least once per episode if not more. Does anybody else get this?

I don't remember seeing any flashes either, but one thing has been bugging me week after week with smallville more than the flashes. It seems at least once per episode the audio fizzles out for a second or two then comes back. I've noticed this on Comcast HD, but I don't really watch OTA very much so I couldn't tell you whether it happens OTA or not. It's quite annoying and usually happens at least once per episode if not more. Does anybody else get this?

Me too and this is from the OTA recordings of Smallville. Yeah that drives me nuts too when that happens.

I don't remember seeing any flashes either, but one thing has been bugging me week after week with smallville more than the flashes. It seems at least once per episode the audio fizzles out for a second or two then comes back. I've noticed this on Comcast HD, but I don't really watch OTA very much so I couldn't tell you whether it happens OTA or not. It's quite annoying and usually happens at least once per episode if not more. Does anybody else get this?

I use OTA and it happens once during pretty much every show I watch on 25.1 or 57.1. Every time I watch a CW or ABC show I pray that it won't happen during an important scene.

I use OTA and it happens once during pretty much every show I watch on 25.1 or 57.1. Every time I watch a CW or ABC show I pray that it won't happen during an important scene.

Ditto.

Cool then I'm not the only one. Not sure if I've noticed it during LOST, but I'll be sure to check next time.

Did anyone else watch that snorefest last night on American Idol. Well actually I'm not posting about it being a snorefest although in my opinion it was.. But did anyone else see at one point the picture actually rolled? I didn't think that could happen with ATSC. Maybe it's just me..I must be seeing things.. ATSC can't do that, can it? LOL

Did anyone else watch that snorefest last night on American Idol. Well actually I'm not posting about it being a snorefest although in my opinion it was.. But did anyone else see at one point the picture actually rolled? I didn't think that could happen with ATSC. Maybe it's just me..I must be seeing things.. ATSC can't do that, can it? LOL

Yeah I saw that, it probably was a problem at the national end, because yeah that doesn't make sense for ATSC to do that.

Yeah I noticed the audio problem during LOST tonight.

Yeah I noticed the audio problem during LOST tonight.

I feel like I'm in a echo chamber! Yeah that audio problem reared it's ugly head while I was watching Lost as well. I was watching Lost over the cable STB.

As for Smallville, again didn't see any flashes. So at least things are looking up. :)

The gory details of WNIT's problems ...

March 7th STA Filing (pdf) at the FCC requesting low power and, on the same day, a STA Filing requesting termination of the analog signal.

They requested a June 5th, 2008, termination date ... the tubes just didn't live long enough to let that happen. :(The completely fail point came way too soon.Update: WNIT refiled on Tuesday (March 25th) the STA application noting the termination of signal on March 12th and updated their DTV transition report to reflect the end of analog broadcast.

it is me or is CBS channel 22-1 totally messing up right now?

They fixed the problem the WV and Xavier game looks awesome again...

Are any of you 22-1 watchers seeing flashes of vertical lines every once in a while. Showing up local and network!

I saw a flash during smallville tonight

FYI:
All this morning 5:30am-onward 16-1 digital kept writing pixel snow, freeze frames and causing tv decoder resets. No other digital station was doing this. Had to switch to analog to watch wndu this morning.

Also, last night WNIT 34-1, 34-2 off the air for some time. Back on air this morning.

Anyone else having issues picking up 34-1?

Anyone else having issues picking up 34-1?

Yep, I'm not picking it up either.

I haven't been able to pick up 34.1 since Thursday evening...anyone know what's up?

34-2 is there (and is being received by DISH Network for their satellite feed.
The HD 34-1 seems to be missing.

I tried to rescan the channel to see if it changed pids or something simple and all I see is 34-2 on the stream.

I shot off an e-mail to WNIT to see what they had to say. I wondered if there was some issue with the PBS-HD feed. It seems odd that this coincides with the shutdown of NTSC operations...

I shot off an e-mail to WNIT to see what they had to say. I wondered if there was some issue with the PBS-HD feed. It seems odd that this coincides with the shutdown of NTSC operations...

I've not been able to find 34.1, even after rescanning the channels. I've lost my TVGOS since 34 analog went off the air. Anybody know if there's another channel to pickup TVGOS data from?

Fred

Looks like PBS HD 34-1 has returned.

I also had a problem with my PC that turned into a blessing in disguise. I've had trouble with Vista Media Center keeping guide listings for 25.1, 57.1, and 69.1. Recently 22.1 mysteriously quit working on my Media Center but worked on the AverTV app and on my tv's tuner. That I think was the warning shot something more serous was about to happen.. Well eventually Media Center decided it didn't even want to work with any of my tuners.. I was going to restore my computer anyway so I did.. Got everything working and I got all 3 of Weigel's stations up with guide listings.

However there's a trick I had to pull to make it work. Media Center won't just put those channels up, you have to enter them in manually.. But that's not even the half of it.. I had to look up the frequencies for each channel on wikipedia, then I had to name each channel exactly the same way each channel is listed for Comcast's digital listings in the EPG. As long as they are named exactly the same, Media Center will match up the guide data. This should put an end to my disapearing guide data forever just as long as Zap2It doesn't change the name of those channels. :)

The channels are NOT available to the public, and NO announcement has been made that they ever will be ... but ...

The four major South Bend HD channels (ABC 57, CBS 22, NBC 16 and FOX 28) have been uplinked to a DISH Network satellite at 61.5°. It looks like DISH Network is warming up the transponders to offer these South Bend channels in HD! :)

(Source: JohnH at DBSTalk.com)

JL, the report I saw listed the channels as being MPEG4, but SD, not HD. Dish has enough trouble getting Local-into-Local HD via their satellites to Indianapolis and Cleveland, much larger markets than ours. I think we'll be waiting a few more years here in DMA #89.

HDs are there ... 5190 to 5193 (as well as the unavailable mirrors of the SDs 7094 to 7097).

See http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=1532497

Reminder to all: These channels are unavailable to subscribers. Don't expect to find them on your receiver today.

Wow. That totally floors me. #89 gets linked before #26. My friend that moved to Indy 5 years is gonna be peeved if we get HD LiL before he does! :)

69-1 disappeared earlier tonight, but it came back.

I got my DTV converter coupon today, which gives me until July to find a converter. I guess I'm off to spend time in electronics stores, my third-favorite hobby!

69-1 disappeared earlier tonight, but it came back.

I got my DTV converter coupon today, which gives me until July to find a converter. I guess I'm off to spend time in electronics stores, my third-favorite hobby!

Yeah, we've been catching it sneaking off to the bar towards the end of the week. :D

I live in a very busy street and any time a car passes by, my signal breaks up. anybody knows why this happen.

I live in a very busy street and any time a car passes by, my signal breaks up. anybody knows why this happen.

Sounds like multipath from the cars. Are you close to the towers?

there is a water tower two blocks away. forgot to mention i live in la porte.

there is a water tower two blocks away. forgot to mention i live in la porte.

I think he meant near the transmitting towers that are south of the bypass in South Bend. ( ?? )

Does it do this with all the channels?

I live in La Porte also, near Pine Lake.

there is a water tower two blocks away. forgot to mention i live in la porte.

How high would you say your antenna is compared to the road?

How high would you say your antenna is compared to the road?
about 30 feet. And it's mainly with the low power stations, by the way i live on lincolnway by the water tower. what can i do?.

about 30 feet. And it's mainly with the low power stations, by the way i live on lincolnway by the water tower. what can i do?.

Honestly it sounds like your antenna is in the perfect sweet spot to get a "bounce" off of the cars from our 3 antennas. (although from that far out it's almost unheard of) Do you experience any interferrence on analog stations? How new is your tuner? An older generation tuner would not handle reflections as good as a newer one.

Honestly it sounds like your antenna is in the perfect sweet spot to get a "bounce" off of the cars from our 3 antennas. (although from that far out it's almost unheard of) Do you experience any interferrence on analog stations? How new is your tuner? An older generation tuner would not handle reflections as good as a newer one.
I am using directv H20-100. I dont know if this answers your ?, but I don't know much about this... All I Know is that when cars go by my signal breaks up.

I have two questions. One that fits with this topic and one that doesn't. I just don't know exactly where to ask the question that isn't directly related, but I thought maybe someone here might know.

First the unrelated question. I'm wondering if anyone knows if any of the local radio stations are broadcasting HD Radio yet. I've been thinking about getting an HD Radio, but whats the point if no one is broadcasting HD Radio yet?

The second question is related to the first. I'm wondering why tv broadcasters don't broadcast their related radio stations on a minor channel. I know that isn't the same as HD Radio, but would probably be about as good quality wise. I'd think this would also be a good way for the TV stations / radio stations to use the screen as sort of a bill board too. I think broadcasting radio on the minor channels would be welcomed.

I think WAOR and WSBT are in this area.
Use ASK or Google for HD radio for lists

I am using directv H20-100. I dont know if this answers your ?, but I don't know much about this... All I Know is that when cars go by my signal breaks up.

Thats a newer generation of tuner. Do you know what kind of antenna you have?

Thats a newer generation of tuner. Do you know what kind of antenna you have?
I 'm using the winegard GS-2200 - Amplified with about 30 feet of RG6 cable, I've tried the channel master 4221 and it was doing the same thing

Im up is St Joe, MI and am looking for a HD OTA to pull in the WNDU, WSBT, WSJV HD channels. Anyone have any suggestions for an indoor antenna???

Anybody have TSReader at their disposal? If you do can you tell me what bitrates Comcast is running WCWW-HD, WBND-HD and WMYS-SD?

Okay. PLEASE tell me I'm not the only person tired of the insufferable and intolerable audio level of WSJV!!! I tire of having to crank the volume a good 50-60% higher than all the other stations locally! Tell me I'm not the only one. TELL ME!!! Okay, now that I've vented, are there any cures for this? Does WSJV know or care? Is it a network thing? That'd be my guess. I find it curious that I've never really seen this issue addressed much. I am annoyed by it . Can any of you engineer-types elaborate? Isn't there some kind of decibel standard for broadcasting that all networks should adhere to? I'm not really trying to be a PITA, but I'd like to know what the deal is! Thanks for allowing me to scream my fool head off for a few moments! :o

I don't notice 28.1 being too quiet as much as I notice 22.1 being too loud.

The gory details of WNIT's problems ...

March 7th STA Filing (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=623874) (pdf) at the FCC requesting low power and, on the same day, a second STA Filing (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=623877) requesting termination of the analog signal.The FCC dismissed WNIT's application for the "Request for Early Termination of Analog TV Service" on Tuesday ... they still have not ruled on the Silent STA.

I expect the STA will be eventually granted. WNIT will not be forced to return to the air in analog.

I see that Directv shows an address for their HD Local Receive Facility in South Bend, and it's at WNDU.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=P1400108)

I see that Directv shows an address for their HD Local Receive Facility in South Bend, and it's at WNDU.

what does that mean? Im still new to this

what does that mean? Im still new to this
It means that Directv is getting ready to offer South Bend HD locals (the big 4) by satellite. The SD channels have been available through Directv for over 3 years.

hvs10trk, I wanted to mention that I now pick up WBND in La Porte. I did some re-arranging and moved the antenna around. Now its on the other side of the room by a window and 57.1 is now coming in pretty strong. :)

It means that Directv is getting ready to offer South Bend HD locals (the big 4) by satellite. The SD channels have been available through Directv for over 3 years.DISH Network has had the big four on a satellite for the past couple of weeks. Hopefully they will turn them on soon.

Any idea when DIRECTV will put the locals on in HD?

Anybody have TSReader at their disposal? If you do can you tell me what bitrates Comcast is running WCWW-HD, WBND-HD and WMYS-SD?

I don't know what TSReader is, but I took my TS from Smallville on Thursday night and Comcast is running CWHD at:

1920x1080i MPEG2 ~15176kbps
Dolby 2.0 192kbps

I don't know what TSReader is, but I took my TS from Smallville on Thursday night and Comcast is running CWHD at:

1920x1080i MPEG2 ~15176kbps
Dolby 2.0 192kbps

Excellent, exactly were it should be. :D

69.1 has crowd audio only, no announcer audio!
26.1 Audio and picture are OK tonight!
Good thing I can get both!
Hey, is WCIU connected to WGN in some way?? Sister stations or what?
Jim

69.1 has crowd audio only, no announcer audio!
26.1 Audio and picture are OK tonight!
Good thing I can get both!
Hey, is WCIU connected to WGN in some way?? Sister stations or what?
Jim
We're part of the trio that broadcasts these games. (CSN, WGN, WCIU)

69.1 has crowd audio only, no announcer audio!
26.1 Audio and picture are OK tonight!
Good thing I can get both!
Hey, is WCIU connected to WGN in some way?? Sister stations or what?
Jim

I noticed that. Infact it seemed like the crowd mics were turned up way too high and the announcer audio was turned way down. I changed over to WCIU and the audio was correct there but not 69.

Any idea when DIRECTV will put the locals on in HD?


I wish we all knew the answer to that question. I would guess it would be in the fall, when they make D11 "live"?

I just have my HD locals coming in through antenna, which works fine.

hvs10trk,

I just captured Lost from ABCHD on comcast tonight and got the following bitrates:

1280x720p MPEG2 ~14350kbps
Dolby 2.0 192kbps

Any word on 5.1 sound yet?

hvs10trk,

I just captured Lost from ABCHD on comcast tonight and got the following bitrates:

1280x720p MPEG2 ~14350kbps
Dolby 2.0 192kbps

Any word on 5.1 sound yet?

Thanks for the info. Sorry no update on 5.1 yet.

Once again Channel 57 has taken the Nascar race and not switched on the HD. This is very frustrating. It's not like this is new technology anymore.

Mike:mad:

Once again Channel 57 has taken the Nascar race and not switched on the HD. This is very frustrating. It's not like this is new technology anymore.

Mike:mad:
Sorry Tivo, looks like a scheduling error on our end. I appologize for the inconvienence.

Once again Channel 57 has taken the Nascar race and not switched on the HD. This is very frustrating. It's not like this is new technology anymore.

Mike:mad:Is it maybe because the NASCAR race was on Fox? WSJV-DT is channel 58, not 57. hvs10trk doesn't have anything to answer for (this time;)).

For what it's worth, I watched the race from time to time and it was full 720p each time. Maybe WSJV missed throwing the switch at the start of the race?

Is it maybe because the NASCAR race was on Fox? WSJV-DT is channel 58, not 57. hvs10trk doesn't have anything to answer for (this time;)).

Wrong day Foxbat. It was on ABC yesterday.

Wrong day Foxbat. It was on ABC yesterday.Ah, my bad, then. Sorry, TivoMaster. I was a little upset that Ryan was running in the top 5 and got in the wrong draft line at the end, finishing 8th.

I think WNDU has more work to do regarding throwing the HD switch as Pysch is on right now in WNDU's 14:9 Warped-o-Vision™. I can't stretch or zoom using my TV's Format function to make watchable. Grrr™

Did anyone else notice the awful noise on Smallville on 25.1 the last couple of weeks? The other week ago it wasn't as long, but this past week the sound occurred through the first segment and made the shows own audio inaudible. Thankfully when commercials hit, the awful noise went away. Unfortunately I totally missed any dialect in that first segment of the show. I"m crossing my fingers that this is a trend that won't continue.

Did anyone else notice the awful noise on Smallville on 25.1 the last couple of weeks? The other week ago it wasn't as long, but this past week the sound occurred through the first segment and made the shows own audio inaudible. Thankfully when commercials hit, the awful noise went away. Unfortunately I totally missed any dialect in that first segment of the show. I"m crossing my fingers that this is a trend that won't continue.

I only noticed it this past week, but it was pretty bad. Thankfully it was a part with no speaking and that part also happened again later on.

Did anyone else notice the awful noise on Smallville on 25.1 the last couple of weeks? The other week ago it wasn't as long, but this past week the sound occurred through the first segment and made the shows own audio inaudible. Thankfully when commercials hit, the awful noise went away. Unfortunately I totally missed any dialect in that first segment of the show. I"m crossing my fingers that this is a trend that won't continue.

Was it on analog 25 as well?

Was it on analog 25 as well?

I watched it as a recording on my Mediacenter PC, so I have no idea. Hopefully someone else who watched it on analog could answer this.

Was it on analog 25 as well?
Yes, it happened on 25 & 25.1 but other cities were fine.

Hey all, sorry for the detour, but I have been a DTV user for about 7 years and have been picking up my HD content OTA. We just bought a new house and they were comcast users, can any one give a bried synopsis of HD content on comcast? I understand their locals are in HD without an antenna correct?

Of course DTV will "move" me for free, but I am worried about if I can get a direct view of the southern sky. I know DTV probably has more HD content, but I don't make use of most of it. Either because the content is not HD (not DTV's fault) or because I just don't watch those channels. I know I would stand to lose the Big Ten Network (which REALLY sucks).

Also, is pricing expensive if you don't "bundle" other services? I'll pass on their internet service, because I don't like the way they handle BT users, though I have heard that have changed their ways a bit on that. I pretty much would just want the cable/HD/DVR service.

Thanks!

And tonight the beginning of Smallville got cut off since the Friends rerun before it seemed to end 3 minutes late. :confused:

And tonight the beginning of Smallville got cut off since the Friends rerun before it seemed to end 3 minutes late. :confused:

Don't ask. I'm trying to forget the last 36 hours. :eek:

Did anyone else notice the awful noise on Smallville on 25.1 the last couple of weeks? The other week ago it wasn't as long, but this past week the sound occurred through the first segment and made the shows own audio inaudible. Thankfully when commercials hit, the awful noise went away. Unfortunately I totally missed any dialect in that first segment of the show. I"m crossing my fingers that this is a trend that won't continue.

Shouldn't happen again, but PM me if it does.

And tonight the beginning of Smallville got cut off since the Friends rerun before it seemed to end 3 minutes late. :confused:


I wondered what happened that it seemed like Clark was in this weird alternate universe where he doesn't exist on earth although you figure that out at the end of the episode.. I just thought it was a little odd that there wasn't anything that lead up to this.

HVS, the audio seemed to be great last night on Smallville.. Thanks again!

Quick reception question:
I live in Warsaw Indiana. I have a (basically new) Optimized for Digital indoor uhf antenna with a 45db amp. I get 16, 22, and 28 in near perfect reception in analog. Picked up a dtv converter box and hooked it up. I picked up, barely, 22.1 for a little while stuttering but nothing else. Adjusted the antenna while watching the analog feed and then went back to digital and get nothing at all.

Do I have a bad box? Do I have to do something else? Any good reason I get no dtv?

You need a good outdoor UHF antenna to get them!
Winegard or Channel Master will do.
Can you turn your antenna amp off? Try that first!

Which converter box did you pick up? Just wondering.

How do 25, 34, 46, 57, and 69 look on analog?

Do you have ghosts in your analog picture?

- Trip

I can get 46 quite well. No ghosting on any of the channels, just a very light static. Can still read all the text on the screen including text in the logo's though so not bad.

Lets see...
25 looks kinda nasty. Plenty of static but I can still tell what's going on on the screen and read the text in a dvd movie ads...

Can't get anything out of 34 or 57 but neither can the tv at work with an antenna on the roof 45 feet in the air, so those are pretty much out for here anyway.

69 doesnt show here but that's also a, it barely shows up at work with antenna on the roof so I didn't expect that one to come in.

I'll try later with the amp off. Maybe that'll help. I thought it was a digital compatible amp though. hrm.

I can get 46 quite well. No ghosting on any of the channels, just a very light static. Can still read all the text on the screen including text in the logo's though so not bad.

Lets see...
25 looks kinda nasty. Plenty of static but I can still tell what's going on on the screen and read the text in a dvd movie ads...

Can't get anything out of 34 or 57 but neither can the tv at work with an antenna on the roof 45 feet in the air, so those are pretty much out for here anyway.

69 doesnt show here but that's also a, it barely shows up at work with antenna on the roof so I didn't expect that one to come in.

I'll try later with the amp off. Maybe that'll help. I thought it was a digital compatible amp though. hrm.
Yeah, try taking the amp out of line. Check all your connections as well. BTW there's no such thing as a "Digital Compatible" amp or antenna. They all use RF which is the same whether its analog or digital.

Now that I think about it, 34 analog is off the air now. Never mind that one.

The problem is that amps don't always help. If you already have a lot of signal, an amp can overload your receiver.

There's no such thing as a "digital-compatible" amp or a "digital antenna." It's all marketing nonsense. As long as you have an antenna which receives the analog signals, it should work for the digitals.

EDIT: Beaten to it! :)

- Trip

We live in Granger, near Fir and Brick. On a Dish Vip 622, 25.1 comes in horribly pixelated and can barely see anything. 16.1, 22.1 come in at 100%, 57.1 comes in at 75%, 46.1 at 83% and 69.1 comes in at 65%, but the picture is fine. So, why is 25.1 so bad? Thanks

We live in Granger, near Fir and Brick. On a Dish Vip 622, 25.1 comes in horribly pixelated and can barely see anything. 16.1, 22.1 come in at 100%, 57.1 comes in at 75%, 46.1 at 83% and 69.1 comes in at 65%, but the picture is fine. So, why is 25.1 so bad? Thanks

It'll be a lot better when analog 28 signs off in under a year. There are some RF anomolies that we encounter between the 2 channels that are hit or miss depending on where you live.

WSJV 28.1 will be on physical channel 28 after transition ... hopefully the digital signal will be a better neighbor.

WSJV 28.1 will be on physical channel 28 after transition ... hopefully the digital signal will be a better neighbor.

Sorry forgot about that. :(

FYI: WSBT 22.1 will be on physical 22 after transition ... right next to WMYS-LD 23. The others (WNDU, WNIT, WHME) are staying on their current digital channels (42,35,48 respectively).

DTV after Feb. 2009
What with all the drop outs and pixilation that happens now, how in the world are we going to be able to get a solid 100% picture and sound when the Analog signal is gone? I now can just switch to analog and watch it but after Feb. 2009 WHAT DO I DO????

Well, I moved my antenna to a completely impractical place (on top of some random empty boxes jutting out into the room off of a large fish tank and balanced with rubber bands... oy) and managed to get the most clear, perfect analog tv reception I have seen in years. Yipee... Turned on my fancy new box and dig a channel search and... poof, nothing. Got mad at it and fiddled for a while and FINALLY found a signal strength screen...

0%... eh? Ok, so apparantly my box is a defect. Heard they were failing left and right anyway so i'll go swap for a new one when there's some in. Probably get all the channels fine...

We had a signal amplifier and I tried removing it. Now, 28.1 comes in at 100% while 25.1 stays close to 70 (slightly better but still bad pixellation!!) Would reducing the signal strength of 28.1 help? Now, 57.1 comes in at 90 during day times and 100 at night

Hey all, sorry for the detour, but I have been a DTV user for about 7 years and have been picking up my HD content OTA. We just bought a new house and they were comcast users, can any one give a bried synopsis of HD content on comcast?

Same here. Does Comcast broadcast any non local stations in QAM?

Anyone up around ASH and ADAMS with good reception?

HVS, not that you need to know but Smallville looked and sounded great this week. I didn't encounter any issues with this week's Smallville on 25.1. Just FYI.

HVS, not that you need to know but Smallville looked and sounded great this week. I didn't encounter any issues with this week's Smallville on 25.1. Just FYI.

:)

Ok, took a few days but new box. Put my antenna in the completely unreasonable location again. Got my perfect reception on 16, 22, and 28 analog. Swapped over to the box. Ran channel search. 0 Channels. Went to antenna signal level meter. 0% on all channels.
AAAARRRRGH...
Took box in to work with me and hooked it directly to a DTV satellite reciever which just happens to have an atsc transmitting coax hookup on it. Ran channel search to see if the box would work at all...
Whoo! Signal! It picked it up so the box is working.
Went to signal level. Keep in mind it was at the time attached DIRECTLY to an atsc channel source with 3' of cable.
74%.
WTF?
Anyway. I'm giving up on the crap box now.

Now for some help. I actually have a 480p television. So I'm thinking I'll just skip trying another of the crap coupon boxes and go straight for an ED/HD tuner.

I see the following models on a dtv review site:
Grandtec Tun-5000
PHD-205
Samsung DTBH260F
Sylvania 6900DTE
Tivax STB-T1
Winegard RC-1010

Are any of these good? Is there a better model? What's great for reception?
Thanks in advance. :) And if ya know of a great price on any of those let me know too.

Oooh....

Is the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Networked dual tuner box any good?

***drools***

Laptops plus that box = fun...

Wait... that's things network only... crap. Nevermind...

Oooh....

Is the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Networked dual tuner box any good?

My brother bought one and loves it. It is network based, so any computer on the network can access it. Two tuner, QAM and works great with Windows Media Center.

My brother bought one and loves it. It is network based, so any computer on the network can access it. Two tuner, QAM and works great with Windows Media Center.

I cant find much info on the box itself. I'm wondering if you can set the resolution of the steam? As in. Can I instruck it to stream a channel only in 480i or 480p? As I do have an older laptop with a tv hookup that works great, I know it can handle 480 but not a chance of it doing full hd...

I cant find much info on the box itself. I'm wondering if you can set the resolution of the steam? As in. Can I instruck it to stream a channel only in 480i or 480p? As I do have an older laptop with a tv hookup that works great, I know it can handle 480 but not a chance of it doing full hd...

You know, I'm not sure. I'll see if I can find out.

north east side of Elkhart WNDU 16.1 signal varies widely from 0-20% for a few seconds to normal and very good most of the time. This causes picture freezes perhaps once every two minutes or so.

To eliminate the TV or rooftop, I put rabbit ears on either of my two digital TVs, and the signal still drops out but at a much lower signal level (of course). So I believe it is OTA in my location. This happened in the past but cleared up for months but now in the last 2 weeks or so it seems to have returned.

All other stations come in rock solid .. even 69.1 is better now than 16.1!

Hope someone over at wndu takes a signal check in this area....

I don't remember seeing any flashes either, but one thing has been bugging me week after week with smallville more than the flashes. It seems at least once per episode the audio fizzles out for a second or two then comes back. I've noticed this on Comcast HD, but I don't really watch OTA very much so I couldn't tell you whether it happens OTA or not. It's quite annoying and usually happens at least once per episode if not more. Does anybody else get this?

I noticed this on the analog 57 the other day. Any guesses on what is causing it?

I noticed this on the analog 57 the other day. Any guesses on what is causing it?

It happens at least once during every show I watch on 25 or 57. It happened just last night during Desperate Housewives.

I noticed this on the analog 57 the other day. Any guesses on what is causing it?

Yep. ABC network has a digital audio glitch that comes down the line to us. When we reveive it, its enought to throw our processing gear into a momentary panic mode. (Hense the audio fizzle and momentary slience) It's difficult to pinpoint since I don't get alarms for it anymore. I catch it during The View if I'm watching it and I've been working on catching it on the DVR so ABC has some examples.

Yep. ABC network has a digital audio glitch that comes down the line to us. When we reveive it, its enought to throw our processing gear into a momentary panic mode. (Hense the audio fizzle and momentary slience) It's difficult to pinpoint since I don't get alarms for it anymore. I catch it during The View if I'm watching it and I've been working on catching it on the DVR so ABC has some examples.

I could probably provide samples of either a transport stream or simply the part of the ac3 file that messes up if you want, but it sounds like the problem is on your end, which then gets encoded to ac3 2.0 192kbps and sent over the air, so samples probably wouldn't be too helpful.

Now that I think of it, why does ABC's incoming audio stream even have to be processed in the first place? Is it a non-ac3 stream or something? Otherwise I would assume you could simply bitstream the original ac3 5.1 stream, and maybe switch over to the locally processed 2.0 stream for commercials and other non-HD programs right? (Same for CW) I know the other stations (NBC,CBS,FOX) switch between 5.1 and 2.0 often during commercials.

I could probably provide samples of either a transport stream or simply the part of the ac3 file that messes up if you want, but it sounds like the problem is on your end, which then gets encoded to ac3 2.0 192kbps and sent over the air, so samples probably wouldn't be too helpful.

Now that I think of it, why does ABC's incoming audio stream even have to be processed in the first place? Is it a non-ac3 stream or something? Otherwise I would assume you could simply bitstream the original ac3 5.1 stream, and maybe switch over to the locally processed 2.0 stream for commercials and other non-HD programs right? (Same for CW) I know the other stations (NBC,CBS,FOX) switch between 5.1 and 2.0 often during commercials.

Just general level processing. At the moment we only take the 2.0 feed from ABC. What happens is the leveling processor doesn't like what it hears, panics, and switches to the analog inputs. There's nothing on the analog inputs so then it switches back. (All this even though it's forced to listen to the digital input.)

I heard WSJV is going to UHF 28 after the transition. Is that true? If so, why? There are plenty better less interfered channels available. WTMJ (NBC) Milwaukee will be on 28. Signals propagate very well over that lake and there is a good chance of pixelization due to co-channel interference (especially in the summer months) on the shore communities like Benton Harbor/St. Joe, I would think.

Just general level processing. At the moment we only take the 2.0 feed from ABC. What happens is the leveling processor doesn't like what it hears, panics, and switches to the analog inputs. There's nothing on the analog inputs so then it switches back. (All this even though it's forced to listen to the digital input.)

This happens on CW too. Is it the same problem?

This happens on CW too. Is it the same problem?
For the most part yes.

I heard WSJV is going to UHF 28 after the transition. Is that true? If so, why?Their temporary channel, 58, is outside of the new core ... WSJV needs to "return" to 28 or find a third channel for their digital signal. The easiest path is to put their digital on 28, which they plan to do by using a transmitter currently in use on channel 29 at WAOW-DT in Wausau, Wisconsin. That station will move to channel 9 for transition. WSJV-DT plans to continue operating on channel 58 for one or two weeks while the transmitter is converted and installed.
(Per FCC Filing (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=618637))

WSBT-DT, currently operating on channel 30, will also "return" to their analog channel (22). WSBT-DT expects to make the move in March of next year (late - but they will get there).

BTW: On May 15th the FCC approved the premature turn off of Channel 34 Analog (WNIT). WNIT is now operating only their "post transition" facilities.

Their temporary channel, 58, is outside of the new core ... WSJV needs to "return" to 28 or find a third channel for their digital signal. The easiest path is to put their digital on 28, which they plan to do by using a transmitter currently in use on channel 29 at WAOW-DT in Wausau, Wisconsin. That station will move to channel 9 for transition. WSJV-DT plans to continue operating on channel 58 for one or two weeks while the transmitter is converted and installed.
(Per FCC Filing (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=618637))



What's the range that this transmitter can tune to? +/- how many channels?
Beginning Feb '09:
25 is in use in Milwaukee, 27 is in use in Chicago, 28 is in use in Milwaukee 29 is in use in Chicago, 30 S.B., 31 Chicago, 33 Milwaukee, 34 Milwaukee, 35 Milwaukee... seems like 32 or 26 would be a logical place to move...

I have an automated search on my site for these openings. Here's one generated for WSJV's tower site.

http://www.rabbitears.info/search.php?request=channel&zipcode=&latitude=41.616&longitude=-86.194

WSJV is in Zone I.

You'll note that of the four UHF openings, two are shared with Milwaukee.

Believe it or not, 28 is fully spaced, even if the Lake causes the signal to propogate further than usual.

You'll also find that every station besides WNDU will have this problem next year. The area is simply too crowded.

- Trip

What's the range that this transmitter can tune to? +/- how many channels?
Beginning Feb '09:
25 is in use in Milwaukee, 27 is in use in Chicago, 28 is in use in Milwaukee 29 is in use in Chicago, 30 S.B., 31 Chicago, 33 Milwaukee, 34 Milwaukee, 35 Milwaukee... seems like 32 or 26 would be a logical place to move...

Well changing channels isn't quite that easy. Antennas are usually channel specific and associated RF filters are always channel specific. The newer 8VSB exciters will let you select a transmit frequency.

Believe it or not, 28 is fully spaced, even if the Lake causes the signal to propogate further than usual.


- Trip

Well, I hope it works out that way. Fully spaced over land (with considerable attenuation) is one thing, over water is another. Plus, WTMJ is 1MW ERP.

Getting 100% signal strength on all channels at Ash and Adams with a Radio Shack U-75R.

WNDU continues to be unwatchable on 16.1 and 16.2, both drop out 30% of the total time. Now I'm forced to watch WNDU analog 16.0.

All other digital channels solid (22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 25.1, 28.1, 34.1, 34.2 46.1, 57.1, 69.1) all good - no drop outs. For example, ABC Indy 500 fantastic HD pic.

What's up with digital WNDU? One of the best networks for HD content but unwatchable in my area (Elkhart north east side).

The strange part is that WNDU came in rock solid for months since DEC, now it does not.

WNDU continues to be unwatchable on 16.1 and 16.2, both drop out 30% of the total time. Now I'm forced to watch WNDU analog 16.0.

All other digital channels solid (22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 25.1, 28.1, 34.1, 34.2 46.1, 57.1, 69.1) all good - no drop outs. For example, ABC Indy 500 fantastic HD pic.

What's up with digital WNDU? One of the best networks for HD content but unwatchable in my area (Elkhart north east side).

The strange part is that WNDU came in rock solid for months since DEC, now it does not.

What type of antenna are you using? Are you using an amp on it? Have you tried repositioning it?

I can sympathize with you though. I get every channel in the area very well except for 57 on my media center PC.. However my TV pulls it in perfect and that's off the same exact antenna! However I think the signal I'm pulling in is just good enough for my TV, but not my media center. I may try to go out soon and reposition my antenna again to see if I can get media center to pull in 57 with out a hitch.. However I'm worried in doing so I'll lose another channel.. That almost always happens when I do that. I'm in Jimtown just FYI.

What type of antenna are you using? Are you using an amp on it? Have you tried repositioning it?

I can sympathize with you though. I get every channel in the area very well except for 57 on my media center PC.. However my TV pulls it in perfect and that's off the same exact antenna! However I think the signal I'm pulling in is just good enough for my TV, but not my media center. I may try to go out soon and reposition my antenna again to see if I can get media center to pull in 57 with out a hitch.. However I'm worried in doing so I'll lose another channel.. That almost always happens when I do that. I'm in Jimtown just FYI.

It is hard to believe that an amp or coax lead can be that selective to mess with a single station, but after fussing around with some rabbit ears I was able to get clear strong signals from just an indoor. So, either the indoor location is blocking some kind of interference or my coax lead in is very selective. I'll upgrade the coax and see what happens.

CONVERTOR BOX
OK folks, who around the South Bend area has these boxes in stock?
What is the best one to get?
I am finding it a scarce item around here!
Jim

I'm not sure about in South Bend, but I have heard in general that the one's sold at RadioShack tend to be better than the ones at places like Walmart or Target. I'm not sure if their boxes are supported by the coupon program or not. Well anyway, I've heard from a couple different people that the Radioshack boxes are the ones to get.

Did anyone see the letter in Consumer Reports about using their coupons at WalMart and having to return the boxes after they didn't work at their location? WalMart would not refund the $80 value of the coupons, and the government would not reissue them.

I have one coupon and have not used it yet, but I still have two weeks before it goes *poof*. The sales staff at RS said that their converters are eligible for the $40 DTV Coupon.

Did anyone see the letter in Consumer Reports about using their coupons at WalMart and having to return the boxes after they didn't work at their location? WalMart would not refund the $80 value of the coupons, and the government would not reissue them.

I have one coupon and have not used it yet, but I still have two weeks before it goes *poof*. The sales staff at RS said that their converters are eligible for the $40 DTV Coupon.
I have 5 "Insignia's" running nonstop in our rackroom and they have many software glitches.

1: When listening to and "HD" station, the stereo audio is tinny, switching to mono helps but its not a cure.
2: About every week, each box will freeze video (still have audio), and display software code on the screen in white text with blue background. Physically unplugging the box is the only way to reset this problem.
3: (Dont know if this happens in every situation) If one of our shows has a generic description, and you press "Display", the box shuts off!!

Insignia tech support (he he he) has been worthless. They constantly refer me to Geek Squad because of my "Special Setup". I have some contacts at LG I have yet to contact. I hear the newer Insignia's have resolved some of the issues.

CONVERTOR BOX
OK folks, who around the South Bend area has these boxes in stock?
What is the best one to get?
I am finding it a scarce item around here!
Jim

I bought mine (Zenith) a few months ago from Circuit City. I haven't had any problems with it. As soon as I had my coupons in hand, I called them, found out they had two left in stock, and ran over and grabbed them up.

If you can wait, they are saying the Echostar DTVPal-TR40 is the one to get. Solid Signal has them on preorder. They should be available after June 16th. You cannot use the government issued coupon unless converter box is in stock though....

Anyone know why Channel 57 has been in and out all day?

Anyone know why Channel 57 has been in and out all day?

Transmitter got a bit warmer than it likes. Should be fine now.