I'll ask again since no one has addressed it: When will we get Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in HD? Anyone?

It appears D* will be adding local HD channels for Jax by the end of the year:

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061010006082&newsLang=en

It appears D* will be adding local HD channels for Jax by the end of the year:

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061010006082&newsLang=en

Cool. For once I am ahead of the game. I had the 5 LNB dish and a D* HR20 installed yesterday!

Peter-
If you don't mind my asking, did you get a discount for your dish and HR20?

I'm wondering if there will be some promotions for new D* subs with the rollout of HD locals similar to when the SD local channels first appeared. I'm tempted to switch back to D*, assuming they can deliver on the promise of 100-150 national HD channels by mid-2007 and return to full resolution HD.

Scott

Peter-
If you don't mind my asking, did you get a discount for your dish and HR20?

I'm wondering if there will be some promotions for new D* subs with the rollout of HD locals similar to when the SD local channels first appeared. I'm tempted to switch back to D*, assuming they can deliver on the promise of 100-150 national HD channels by mid-2007 and return to full resolution HD.

Scott

I don't mind at all.

They originally quoted $299. I whined and got them down to $199 plus the new dish and install, payable over 3 months. They came when promised and the new HR20 has some really nice features (I also have a 10-250 in the living room so I am able to compare the two).

Actually, when I called the rep to order the HR20 for the bedroom, she said there was a flag on my account that they wanted me to swap out the existing 10-250. They would sell me a new HR20 for $299, then give me a $299 account credit. I no for the moment. They still haven't activated the OTA antenna on the HR20, though they claim there will be a software update "by the end of the year".

I would put a bet on the channels, but not on the return to full resolution (though I hope I am wrong).

I don't see how Comcast, or any cable co., will be able to offer the number of national HD channels that D* will be capable of, at least until the analog channels go away. I guess an option is to sub to both Comcast and D* and scale back Comcast to the basic digital package.

I've heard the 5 LNB dish is quite a bit larger?

I don't see how Comcast, or any cable co., will be able to offer the number of national HD channels that D* will be capable of, at least until the analog channels go away. I guess an option is to sub to both Comcast and D* and scale back Comcast to the basic digital package.

I've heard the 5 LNB dish is quite a bit larger?

I of course subscribe to D*. However, I am also subscribing to Comcast's basic analog cable package so I can get a break on thier high speed internet.

I also am spending $9.95 a month to subscribe to their basic HD package (all the locals plus INHD, MTV-HD and NFL HD). I have to rent their HD receiver for the living room because the Mitsubishi HD RPTV doesn't have a QAM tuner in it.

However, in the bedroom I have a Sony KDF-50E2000 which does have a QAM, so I can tune into 103.1 and get INHD there as well.

Even though Jacksonville is getting LIL HD from D* by the end of the year, I will probably still keep the Comcast HD package for those "rain fade" days.

The 5 LNB dish is bigger than the 3, but really not that bad. From descriptions I have read other places, I envisioned a real monster, but it isn't.

Does anyone know when we will get Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in HD?

I emailed the station and they said they have budget'ed for the equipment they need to make that happen in JAX. Of course no timeline was given. I am guessing early 07.

Where can you check on the time table for Directvs rollout of HD Local in Jacksonville...???


How about Dish Network rolling out Local HD? Anyone know...Inquiring for my brother in jacksonville, fl...


TIA,

Charlie

How about Dish Network rolling out Local HD? Anyone know...Inquiring for my brother in jacksonville, fl...


TIA,

Charlie

Well, I don't know about DISH, but D* has announced Jacksonville is on the list for local HD before the end of this year:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=914114&highlight=

Hya guys, Great thread!
How about Dish Network rolling out Local HD? Anyone know...Inquiring for my brother in jacksonville, fl...
Dish Network HD Local cities... so far UPDATED 7706
DBSTalk thread# 54667

I've been rather disturbed with DTV (why use D*, cant tell which D we're talking about?) lately & looking at other HD options in OP. Thinking of switching to Dish & the new Vip622 box, looks like this news will force me into it...

Official HR20 Sold Out - DBSTalk post# 692841

Sorry cant post urls yet...

DTV = Digital Television
D* = DirecTV
E* = Echostar aka Dish Network

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/faq.php?faq=gtp_glossary#faq_d

Hya guys, Great thread!

Dish Network HD Local cities... so far UPDATED 7706
DBSTalk thread# 54667

I've been rather disturbed with DTV (why use D*, cant tell which D we're talking about?) lately & looking at other HD options in OP. Thinking of switching to Dish & the new Vip622 box, looks like this news will force me into it...

Official HR20 Sold Out - DBSTalk post# 692841

Sorry cant post urls yet...

I you want only local HD stations, Comcast has a basic package for $9.95 if you subscribe at least to basic analog cable. Even though I have D*, I am doing that until D* turns on the local HD feeds.

Thanks, hadn't seen the E*, guess it makes sense. Had bad experiences with cable & MediaOne/ATT in OP, not too sure I want to go down that road again. Picture quality was horrid... think the cable to my loop had been spliced by bubba 10 times & run via rusty barbed wire. They could tune high channels some, or low chan... not both <sigh>. Promissed BBand for 4 years & never got it, so went with D* 5yrs ago & had good svc. My last exp with OTA wasn't very good either off CR220 near Whiteys, would it be worthwhile to try a new OTA DTV Ant or just go cable? Is there an advantage to both?

For locals 10/month isn't too bad till the locals show up on SAT. Just tried to order on Comcast (CC?) and their billing/schedule system is down. Not getting that warm fuzzy feeling...

Does anyone know when we will get Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in HD? Are you serious? Game shows, that's like asking for South Park in HD. I'm looking forward to Molly Sims in Vegas myself ;)

As far as I know, South Park is not being shown anywhere in HD.
Both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are being shown in HD in other areas right NOW.
There is no reason for us not to have these shows in HD.
The good thing about this country is we all have choices and they don't have to be the same.
Good luck with Molly.

Are you serious? Game shows, that's like asking for South Park in HD. I'm looking forward to Molly Sims in Vegas myself ;)

I live in the mandarin Area. I am a long time D* tivo user. I am going to upgrade to a hr10-250 Soon. In order to do this, I need to have my dish changed out to an oval and add an antenna (I think). What type of Antenna do you use? Is it outside or in your attic?

I have comcast internet access and subscribe to basic cable. Does that include HD local channels?

Anyway, what I am looking for is the name of someone who does this type of installation.

I already have two cables going to my Directivo, so I don’t think I will need another drop. Can cable be sent over the same cable as Sat with the use of a diplexer?

I would need the dish replaced and the HD feed sent to the TV area. Thanks in advance guys!!

DirecTV is coming out next week to swap my DirecTV receiver and dish for the new 5LNB and HR20 HD DVR.

My current over the air antennae is worthless for receiving over the air HD broadcast.

Three questions.

1) Will I not be able to receive any HD broadcast (even with the OTA antennae) until the new local HD service goes into affect? I have been told that the OTA tuners are disabled, currently.

2) If this is the case, does anyone have a firm date on when we are supposed to start receiving local HD channels in Jax?

3) What has been your experience with the new dish/sat? More reliable? As easy to use as the Tivo? Better picture quality, etc. etc?

Thanks

I live in the mandarin Area. I am a long time D* tivo user. I am going to upgrade to a hr10-250 Soon. In order to do this, I need to have my dish changed out to an oval and add an antenna (I think). What type of Antenna do you use? Is it outside or in your attic?

I have comcast internet access and subscribe to basic cable. Does that include HD local channels?

Anyway, what I am looking for is the name of someone who does this type of installation.

I already have two cables going to my Directivo, so I don’t think I will need another drop. Can cable be sent over the same cable as Sat with the use of a diplexer?

I would need the dish replaced and the HD feed sent to the TV area. Thanks in advance guys!!

You probably aren't going to be able to find a new 10-250 from D*, although there may still be some available from other sources. D* is sending out the HR20-700 now as the replacement for the older model.

If I were you, I'd do what I did: call DirecTV and get everything through them. I got the HR20-700 for $199 installed, plus the new 5 LNB dish. The last I heard was that the HD locals would be coming "before the end of the year" here in Jacksonville.

The OTA HD tuners are not yet activated on the HR20-700, but supposedly they will be through a software download, again "before the end of the year".

If your TV has an ATSC tuner, and you want to run an antenna to it to get OTA, then I would suggest you not get the dish add on antenna that D* sells. It is too omnidirectional. A good directional antenna would be better.

As for Comcast, I am subscribing to their basic analog cable TV so I can get a break on the high speed internet price. I also subscribe to their basic HD package for an additional $9.65/mo I can get all the local HD stations, plus INHD and MTV.

I realize that is a little overkill, but this way I have HD locals either OTA or through Comcast. Sometimes one signal souce is better than the other. Not sure what I will do down D* actually turns on the HD locals. I might wind up keeping the Comcast package, just to guard against those "rain fade" days.

DirecTV is coming out next week to swap my DirecTV receiver and dish for the new 5LNB and HR20 HD DVR.

My current over the air antennae is worthless for receiving over the air HD broadcast.

Three questions.

1) Will I not be able to receive any HD broadcast (even with the OTA antennae) until the new local HD service goes into affect? I have been told that the OTA tuners are disabled, currently.

That is correct.

2) If this is the case, does anyone have a firm date on when we are supposed to start receiving local HD channels in Jax?

I've been told, "By the end of the year."

3) What has been your experience with the new dish/sat? More reliable? As easy to use as the Tivo? Better picture quality, etc. etc?

Well, so far, no complaints. Certainly setting the equivalent of a Season Pass (now called "Series Link") is so much faster. That in itself was worth the upgrade. The new dish has actually improved the picture on the old 10-250 I am using in the living room. The HR20-700 is in the bedroom.

You probably aren't going to be able to find a new 10-250 from D*, although there may still be some available from other sources. D* is sending out the HR20-700 now as the replacement for the older model.

If I were you, I'd do what I did: call DirecTV and get everything through them. I got the HR20-700 for $199 installed, plus the new 5 LNB dish. The last I heard was that the HD locals would be coming "before the end of the year" here in Jacksonville.

The OTA HD tuners are not yet activated on the HR20-700, but supposedly they will be through a software download, again "before the end of the year".

If your TV has an ATSC tuner, and you want to run an antenna to it to get OTA, then I would suggest you not get the dish add on antenna that D* sells. It is too omnidirectional. A good directional antenna would be better.

As for Comcast, I am subscribing to their basic analog cable TV so I can get a break on the high speed internet price. I also subscribe to their basic HD package for an additional $9.65/mo I can get all the local HD stations, plus INHD and MTV.

I realize that is a little overkill, but this way I have HD locals either OTA or through Comcast. Sometimes one signal souce is better than the other. Not sure what I will do down D* actually turns on the HD locals. I might wind up keeping the Comcast package, just to guard against those "rain fade" days.

I already have a h10-250. I don't want to get one from d* as I would like to add some additional functionality :). Nothing illegal, but stuff that makes it more fun for me.

So I get the same 9.65 comcast. Is that enough for the HD feed? That being the case, I won't need to add an antenna. Correct?

Will a diplex work to send the comcast signal and Sat on the same cable?

Anyone know any installers in the JAX area?

Has anyone had problems tuning 30.1 in the past day? Withing the first 10 minutes of yesterdays Dolphins/Packers game the HD signal downgraded to the SD signal, and about 5 minutes later I lost the signal all together and haven't been able to get it back. I am however able to tune to 32.1 on my PC with the ATI HD Wonder, but can't get 32.1 on my TV (55" Sony KDS-55A2000). I've emailed WAWS but haven't heard anything back. Any one experiencing the same issues?

I already have a h10-250. I don't want to get one from d* as I would like to add some additional functionality :). Nothing illegal, but stuff that makes it more fun for me.

So I get the same 9.65 comcast. Is that enough for the HD feed? That being the case, I won't need to add an antenna. Correct?

Will a diplex work to send the comcast signal and Sat on the same cable?

Anyone know any installers in the JAX area?

well, if you already have a 10-250, especially with the 6.3a upgrade, you have a great box. I know some people have reported problems with the upgrade, but I had only a couple of hiccups, but after and hard reboot, they all cleared up.

If you want the locals in HD from Comcast, in addtion to the standard analog cable fee, you also need to sign up for the HD locals package for another $10. You can pick up the HD receiver from the Southside office. You can't get a DVR, though (if you wanted one). That is only available with the digital package.

Hello All -

What is the current best route to go for HDTV in jacksonville?

Sat?

Cable?

Antenna?

I just want to make sure I am understanding what is available correctly here. Back when I got my first HDTV experience in helping my grandfather pick one out (4 - 6 years ago I believe) there were only 2 or 3 HD channels available on Sat. I understand things have changed.

I know for sure there are no local HD channels via Sat here, but as I understand it they are available via comcast and OTA. OTA can have issues due to weather/trees/etc. And, obviously, OTA gives me only locals... So, with all that in mind, I would assume cable would be the ultimate for HD in jax, at the moment. So, why is everyone fiddling around with OTA and/or paying for Sat? Fed up with local cable? Not available in your area?

The main reason I inquire about this is because I have multiple family members locally who look to me to give them technical advice regarding such things. They are both currently on Sat... but I know they would love to get local channels in HD. I considered encouraging them to get OTA antennas, but it seems like it would be more logical for them to just cancel Sat and go with comcast. Are there any real drawbacks to comcast versus Sat/OTA?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for the help.

Hello All -

What is the current best route to go for HDTV in jacksonville?

Sat?

Cable?

Antenna?

I just want to make sure I am understanding what is available correctly here. Back when I got my first HDTV experience in helping my grandfather pick one out (4 - 6 years ago I believe) there were only 2 or 3 HD channels available on Sat. I understand things have changed.

I know for sure there are no local HD channels via Sat here, but as I understand it they are available via comcast and OTA. OTA can have issues due to weather/trees/etc. And, obviously, OTA gives me only locals... So, with all that in mind, I would assume cable would be the ultimate for HD in jax, at the moment. So, why is everyone fiddling around with OTA and/or paying for Sat? Fed up with local cable? Not available in your area?

The main reason I inquire about this is because I have multiple family members locally who look to me to give them technical advice regarding such things. They are both currently on Sat... but I know they would love to get local channels in HD. I considered encouraging them to get OTA antennas, but it seems like it would be more logical for them to just cancel Sat and go with comcast. Are there any real drawbacks to comcast versus Sat/OTA?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for the help.

Welcome to the forum. When you have the time, you might want to read through some of the earlier posts since there has been a good deal of discussion concerning these questions.

However, here is the Cliff Notes version:

OTA provides the best picture with no compression. With a good antenna, you can get all of the local HD stations for no cost. For those who just want network HD, that is probably the cheapest route.

If you want just the HD locals without going thorugh the hassle of an antenna, Comcast has a basic package for $10/plus a month. The only catch is you have to subscribe at least to their basic analog cable pacakage, so you are looking at at least $20/month. In their higher tier HD offerings, they have:

165 - ESPN2-HD - 720p / CS 5.1
166 - TNT HD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 106-2
167 - Discovery Theater HD - 1080i / DD5.1
168 - FOX HD (WAWS) - 720p / DD5.1 - QAM # 106-1
169 - Starz! HD - 1080i / DD5.1
170 - CinemaxHD - 1080i / DD5.1
171 - INHD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 103-1
172 - MHD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 103-2 (live on Sep 5, 2006)
173 - ESPN-HD - 720p / CS 5.1 - QAM # 102-1
174 - WB HD (WJWB) - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 105-4
175 - CBS HD (WTEV) - 1080i / DD2.0 - QAM # 114-2
176 - NBC HD (WTLV) - 1080i / DD2.0 - QAM # 104-2
177 - ABC HD (WJXX) - 720p / DD2.0 - QAM # 104-1
178 - Showtime HD - 1080i / DD5.1
179 - HBO HD - 1080i / DD5.1
181 - FSN HD - 1080i/ DD5.1
184 - NFL HD - 1080i/ DD5.1
190 - PBS HD (WJCT) - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 114-1
200 - HD PPV High-Definition TV

However, if you want Universal HD, or HD Net/HD Net Movies, you need DirecTV for that. Also D* will be offering HD locals in Jacksonville before the end of this year (as per their latest press release).

However, if you want Universal HD, or HD Net/HD Net Movies, you need DirecTV for that. Also D* will be offering HD locals in Jacksonville before the end of this year (as per their latest press release).

In my experience/opinion, HDNet programming is typically poor (minus Bikini Destinations of course)... so that probably wouldnt be missed too much. The main channel I was worried about is Discovery. I typically use that as my reference channel to show off HD to newcomers.

Comcast seems like it would fit the bill perfectly in my scenarios. Thanks a bunch for the help.

In my experience/opinion, HDNet programming is typically poor (minus Bikini Destinations of course)... so that probably wouldnt be missed too much. The main channel I was worried about is Discovery. I typically use that as my reference channel to show off HD to newcomers.

Comcast seems like it would fit the bill perfectly in my scenarios. Thanks a bunch for the help.

My pleasure.

165 - ESPN2-HD - 720p / CS 5.1
166 - TNT HD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 106-2
167 - Discovery Theater HD - 1080i / DD5.1
168 - FOX HD (WAWS) - 720p / DD5.1 - QAM # 106-1
169 - Starz! HD - 1080i / DD5.1
170 - CinemaxHD - 1080i / DD5.1
171 - INHD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 103-1
172 - MHD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 103-2 (live on Sep 5, 2006)
173 - ESPN-HD - 720p / CS 5.1 - QAM # 102-1
174 - WB HD (WJWB) - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 105-4
175 - CBS HD (WTEV) - 1080i / DD2.0 - QAM # 114-2
176 - NBC HD (WTLV) - 1080i / DD2.0 - QAM # 104-2
177 - ABC HD (WJXX) - 720p / DD2.0 - QAM # 104-1
178 - Showtime HD - 1080i / DD5.1
179 - HBO HD - 1080i / DD5.1
181 - FSN HD - 1080i/ DD5.1
184 - NFL HD - 1080i/ DD5.1
190 - PBS HD (WJCT) - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 114-1
200 - HD PPV High-Definition TV



Comcast keeps moving the QAM channels around. ESPN is no longer available on 102-1, Fox is now on 105-1, MHD is not on 103-2. Why don't they publish this list somewhere?

well, if you already have a 10-250, especially with the 6.3a upgrade, you have a great box. I know some people have reported problems with the upgrade, but I had only a couple of hiccups, but after and hard reboot, they all cleared up.

If you want the locals in HD from Comcast, in addtion to the standard analog cable fee, you also need to sign up for the HD locals package for another $10. You can pick up the HD receiver from the Southside office. You can't get a DVR, though (if you wanted one). That is only available with the digital package.


So I can't pass the cable signal into the 10-250? That being said, then I need the OTA.

Anyone have a recommendation on an installer for both OTA and new Dish?

Comcast keeps moving the QAM channels around. ESPN is no longer available on 102-1, Fox is now on 105-1, MHD is not on 103-2. Why don't they publish this list somewhere?

I got this list from our first post in the thread.

PSPUN, can you change to reflect the new QAM?

So I can't pass the cable signal into the 10-250? That being said, then I need the OTA.

Anyone have a recommendation on an installer for both OTA and new Dish?

For HD locals with the 10-250 your only option is OTA. When we get HD local "soon", they will be MPEG-4, so you would need the HR20-700 DVR for that.

D* has a number of local contractors they use. I'd just call them and make the arrangements.

For HD locals with the 10-250 your only option is OTA. When we get HD local "soon", they will be MPEG-4, so you would need the HR20-700 DVR for that.

D* has a number of local contractors they use. I'd just call them and make the arrangements.


When the locals are mpeg-4, I will still be able to use the 10-250 and get the ota, correct? I don't have to use the D* mpg4 feed.

When the locals are mpeg-4, I will still be able to use the 10-250 and get the ota, correct? I don't have to use the D* mpg4 feed.

That is correct, and that is what I will be doing with the 10-250 I have in the living room.

Keep in mind, however, that when the new birds go up in 2007, D* will be offering new national HD channels and the best guess is that they will be in the MPEG-4 format. So, eventually, you will need the 5 LNB dish and a receiver capable of decoding MPEG-4 if you want to receive them.

I got this list from our first post in the thread.

PSPUN, can you change to reflect the new QAM?

I made the changes, please check and see if they are correct.

Comcast keeps moving the QAM channels around. ESPN is no longer available on 102-1, Fox is now on 105-1, MHD is not on 103-2. Why don't they publish this list somewhere?

Humorously enough, there is still an INHD channel on QAM 103-3 now, I believe. Most of the time, it shows a white screen with the INHD logo, but I've seen programming on it before.

I will double-check the QAM for this mysterious INHD as well as for MHD later tonight.

Finally got our OTA Antenna hooked up... getting local HD in for the first time! Cool stuff!

Ended up with this antenna from Radio Shack
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103085&cp=&origkw=outdoor+antenna&kw=outdoor+antenna&parentPage=search

With the poles .. grounding rod .. mounting hardware.. total came to around $100. Not too bad at all, especialyl considering its permanent, free hdtv.

30 miles out (according to antennaweb.com), we were able to get a good bit of channels in steady with the antenna merely sitting on the ground outside! Getting it 30+ feet up on a pole helped to snap in the rest though.

We immediately watched harry potter, I forget what channel it was on... but it was fantastic! Awesome picture. The jaguar game sunday was excellent as well... not the best but its HD and jaguars so we're happy to say the least.

Just wanted to share my success and say thanks for the help to the fine folks here at avs!

thought for the day.......just got satellite service hooked up and ran the OTA into their hd box-211, very nice to be able to do this, even shows up on the guide but......the pix quality is nothing like OTA hooked directly into my panny tv. i was disappointed. i then headed straight to espn hd and said d@mn. i was used to watching hd via OTA hooked directly into my set-the pix quality was/is fantastic. moral to my rambling, i am very disappointed in the pix quality when compared to OTA hd that does not run thru my satellite box. i hope the satellite companies can/will upgrade their hardware and hope they will bring up the resolution to true hd.

i see ads for tvs at 1080, why are they selling them when the signals coming in are not even close to that?

gosh- if all the hd channels on satellite looked like my OTA signal, i dont think i could leave the couch.......well...sure i could

thought for the day.......just got satellite service hooked up and ran the OTA into their hd box-211, very nice to be able to do this, even shows up on the guide but......the pix quality is nothing like OTA hooked directly into my panny tv. i was disappointed. i then headed straight to espn hd and said d@mn. i was used to watching hd via OTA hooked directly into my set-the pix quality was/is fantastic. moral to my rambling, i am very disappointed in the pix quality when compared to OTA hd that does not run thru my satellite box. i hope the satellite companies can/will upgrade their hardware and hope they will bring up the resolution to true hd.

i see ads for tvs at 1080, why are they selling them when the signals coming in are not even close to that?

gosh- if all the hd channels on satellite looked like my OTA signal, i dont think i could leave the couch.......well...sure i could

How are you hooking up the equipment?

Do you have the 211 connected with HDMI to the TV? Are you using Component?

If so, you should be getting ESPN HD at 720p. Now, make sure it is actually an HD broadcast (no "HD" sidebars). If the picture isn't fill the entire screen with content, it may just be an upconvert. Not everything in ESPN HD is actually in high definition.

I use DirecTV myself, so I am not familiar with how the 211 would handle an OTA signal passed through it. I do know that according to the Dish Network website, HD locals aren't available in the Jacksonville area yet.

Given that, and since the 211 isn't a DVR, I'd make sure you connect the OTA antenna directly to your Panny to make sure you are truly getting an HD signal from the local stations.

WOW - Jerry what is happening to 47-1 today?

Guide says Titans vs. Jags - but we are getting the Bears vs Phins (in HD) which I actually prefer to watch.

Now you have the jags on (stretched 4:3 with sound from Fox (The Rock)

Not good?

And now no sound at all.

They also screwed up most of the preshow.

Must have their crack tech staff on duty today. It's OK on rf47 and cable 6.

Has anyone watched the "Star Wars" Hexology available on Comcast HD OnDemand? Just like Atlas, Narnia and all the other videos in the HD category, they're all coming in 4:3 letterbox or cropped 4:3.

This has to be a local issue because the 'SW' thread on the Programming board would have mentioned it if other Comcast subs were getting anything other than OAR HD.

Anyways, just wondering if anyone else was experiencing this false advertising?

Im not sure is this if off topic or not but what company do you guys recommend as far as best HD channels value?? I currently have comcast basic cable that I think that im paying too much for ($45).

I mostly watch sports and movies, also I havent bought a HDTV yet but since im trying to decide what company to go with first then invest in a TV , so any help would be great.

Thanks peterg- i switched over to component video from s video and the pix was much better. i am now recving locals from OTA ant hooked directly into the 211. the pix quality now seems to be the exact same as running OTA directly to panny tv. wow, cable selection really makes a diff. now....would i get an even better pix if i upgrade and go to hdmi? i have read that there is not much diff btw the 2..(comp videa and hdmi)?

what are your thoughts?

thanks

Thanks peterg- i switched over to component video from s video and the pix was much better. i am now recving locals from OTA ant hooked directly into the 211. the pix quality now seems to be the exact same as running OTA directly to panny tv. wow, cable selection really makes a diff. now....would i get an even better pix if i upgrade and go to hdmi? i have read that there is not much diff btw the 2..(comp videa and hdmi)?

what are your thoughts?

thanks

In this case, yes cable selection is critical since HD can only be passed through component or HDMI. I have a Hughes 10-250 DVR running via component into a Mitsubishi RPTV in the living room. I have a DirecTV HR20-700 running via HDMI into a Sony KDF-50E2000 in the bedroom. I can't say that there is a significant difference.

There is a theoretical difference in that HDMI keeps the signal in the digital domain during the transfer and component is analog, but I haven't seen a problem.

peterg- thanks again for your thoughts. i realized that i cant use hdmi anyway bec my recvr does not have an output. anyway i'm happy now, ONLY thing left is.........do i get my panny calibrated or not? some say it is nec and after calibration, you never want to leave the couch........some say is does not help. i have read the calibrators are in my house for up to 8 hours. 8 hours should do something, i kinda figure that but is it worth 4-500 bigguns?

what company do you guys recommend as far as best HD channels value?? I currently have comcast basic cable that I think that im paying too much for ($45).

I mostly watch sports and movies, also I havent bought a HDTV yet but since im trying to decide what company to go with first then invest in a TV , so any help would be great

what company do you guys recommend as far as best HD channels value?? I currently have comcast basic cable that I think that im paying too much for ($45).

I mostly watch sports and movies, also I havent bought a HDTV yet but since im trying to decide what company to go with first then invest in a TV , so any help would be great

You really only have three choices (for pay services - you can always get OTA (over the air) for Free with receiver/antenna):

D* (DirecTV)
E* (Dish Network)
Comcast

For what each provider provides (at least D* and E*) check out this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=419472

For all the channels Comcast carries, just go to the first post in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=321055&page=1

As far as pricing you can check each companies website for that.


As far as pricing if you are only watching 1 TV (assuming HDTV with DVR with Locals and 1 movie channel and the regular HD package) - you should expect to pay somewhere around $75-85 +/-, this depends on what service and what packages, if you order Sunday Ticket from D* expect another 1 time fee of much more.

There you have it, sounds like you need to do some research

peterg- thanks again for your thoughts. i realized that i cant use hdmi anyway bec my recvr does not have an output. anyway i'm happy now, ONLY thing left is.........do i get my panny calibrated or not? some say it is nec and after calibration, you never want to leave the couch........some say is does not help. i have read the calibrators are in my house for up to 8 hours. 8 hours should do something, i kinda figure that but is it worth 4-500 bigguns?

Can't help you there. I've read reports from people on various AVS forums who swear by calibration. I've never had either the inclination or spare cash to have it done.

I suppose if I ever saw a properly calibrated set it might entice me, but I don't have access to one. In my current circle of friends, I'm the one considered to be on the leading edge of things (I'm not really, but they think so).

Has anyone watched the "Star Wars" Hexology available on Comcast HD OnDemand? Just like Atlas, Narnia and all the other videos in the HD category, they're all coming in 4:3 letterbox or cropped 4:3.

This has to be a local issue because the 'SW' thread on the Programming board would have mentioned it if other Comcast subs were getting anything other than OAR HD.

Anyways, just wondering if anyone else was experiencing this false advertising?

FLoss-
I have the same issue. I haven't had the time yet to watch the episodes but I did preview them and noticed they were all 4:3. However, I have gotten the StarzHD OnDemand movies such as Narnia and Chicken Little in 1080i and 5.1.

edit: I noticed that the Star Wars movies are listed in the HD On Demand menu but the titles themselves don't say HD. So, are we not going to get the Star Wars Hexology in HD at all?

could you guys tell me where the towers are located in jax for HD broadcast?

could you guys tell me where the towers are located in jax for HD broadcast?

The farm in on Hogan Road.

http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Hogan+Road,+Jacksonville,+FL

If you want exact co-ordinates from your house, go to http://www.antennaweb.org

Click on "choose antenna", fill in your street address, and you will get aiming directions for your antenna (if that is what you are wanting to do)

Scolumbo, I read somewhere that the hexology is coming in HD on cinemaxhd.

Scolumbo, I read somewhere that the hexology is coming in HD on cinemaxhd.

Thanks, I see it starting at midnight tonight and being repeated all weekend through Monday morning. It's still a shame we can't get it through OnDemand. My 3416 would fill up fast trying to record all 6 episodes. I guess I'll have to decide what I can get away with watching this weekend versus recording for later.

The Star Wars Hexology has now shown up in HD through OnDemand. All are OAR except Episode 2. In fact, Episode 2 is unwatchable due to pauses and breakups in the signal on my system. All of the other episodes seem to work fine and the PQ is very good in my previews.

edit: it's being reported in the HDTV Programming thread that Episode 2 being broadcast this weekend is OAR. It's being shown again at 4:10 p.m. today (Saturday) and a couple more times on Sunday.

I've been thinking of getting my HDTV's professionally calibrated. I could only find one ISF trained dealer with calibration equipment in the Jax area out of about 50 total throughout Florida. They are called Private Theaters on Old Baymeadows Road. Anyone here have any experience using them? Any others out there I may have missed?

never could get cbs 47 to flip hd switch sunday for the saints-bengals game.I even called the newsroom to tell master control.They did have dallas game in hd.

Which reminds me of the email from the WTEV engineer:

Our station prides itself in providing the best possible transmission to our viewers and reviews daily any irregularities. We carefully review all viewers complaints and concerns regarding reception and quality issues. We have teams of experts that research and resolves these issues and finds ways to prevent them from ever happening again.

We appreciate our viewers taking the time and informing us when there is a reception or technical problem. I hope that I have reassured you that we are continuously reviewing and improving our product. Please feel free to call or e-mail me when you have a question or technical issue"

Finally got our OTA Antenna hooked up... getting local HD in for the first time! Cool stuff!

Ended up with this antenna from Radio Shack
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103085&cp=&origkw=outdoor+antenna&kw=outdoor+antenna&parentPage=search

With the poles .. grounding rod .. mounting hardware.. total came to around $100. Not too bad at all, especialyl considering its permanent, free hdtv.

30 miles out (according to antennaweb.com), we were able to get a good bit of channels in steady with the antenna merely sitting on the ground outside! Getting it 30+ feet up on a pole helped to snap in the rest though.

We immediately watched harry potter, I forget what channel it was on... but it was fantastic! Awesome picture. The jaguar game sunday was excellent as well... not the best but its HD and jaguars so we're happy to say the least.

Just wanted to share my success and say thanks for the help to the fine folks here at avs!

Sup Ryan, I too live in Jacksonville (Westside) and wanted to just ask you this, are you getting channels 12.1 NBC & 25.1 ABC with really good HD reception with this antenna?

I took a look at the antenna you bought and I may give it a try. I had originally bought a Phillips HDTV Antenna from Wal-Mart and couldn't get one channel on that $24.95 antenna so I took it back. I found a very old set of chrome rabbitt ears and hooked it up to the back of my new Samsung 42" HL-S4266W and guess what, I get all the HD channels very crisp and clear. But I don't get 12.1 at all and 25 is really bad and of course no 25.1. And I would love to get 12.1 NBC for football games and 25.1 for shows like LOST and DH.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Sup Ryan, I too live in Jacksonville (Westside) and wanted to just ask you this, are you getting channels 12.1 NBC & 25.1 ABC with really good HD reception with this antenna?

I took a look at the antenna you bought and I may give it a try. I had originally bought a Phillips HDTV Antenna from Wal-Mart and couldn't get one channel on that $24.95 antenna so I took it back. I found a very old set of chrome rabbitt ears and hooked it up to the back of my new Samsung 42" HL-S4266W and guess what, I get all the HD channels very crisp and clear. But I don't get 12.1 at all and 25 is really bad and of course no 25.1. And I would love to get 12.1 NBC for football games and 25.1 for shows like LOST and DH.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Both ABC (10.1) and NBC (13.1) are broadcasting in the VHF band, while all the rest are UHF. That may be part of the problem. Try playing with the lengths of the antenna elements. I've managed to get them down here in St. John's county (though I have found that an attic mounted antenna works more reliably and with less messing around).

TNTHD is now on 75.1 but no sound..

thanks for the advice petergaryr, I'm thinking about picking up that antenna from Radio Shack in the next few weeks.

thanks for the advice petergaryr, I'm thinking about picking up that antenna from Radio Shack in the next few weeks.

When you get it, do go to http://www.antennaweb.org to get the correct coordinates for aiming it. Also, if you have the time, there are a bunch of posts back in this thread concerning our various experiences with OTA.

The short version:

mounting it in the attic works for some people, but probably cuts efficient by as much as 50%. Roof/pole mounts will probably be best. Don't forget to ground it!!!

Aiming is critical. Sometimes an inch or two one way or the other makes the difference between receiving/not receiving a signal

Just got off the phone with D*.

Apparently the date for HD local in local has now been pushed back to February, 2007.

I have the HR20-700 DVR, so I asked when the OTA antenna in that will be activated. They gave the same date.

So much for an early Christmas present :(

Just got off the phone with D*.

Apparently the date for HD local in local has now been pushed back to February, 2007.

I have the HR20-700 DVR, so I asked when the OTA antenna in that will be activated. They gave the same date.

So much for an early Christmas present :(


<groan> Guess I can stop checking D*'s News Release site every day for updates!

Any ideas on when we'll have a web portal for remotely setting up recordings for the HR20-700 DVR?

petergaryr, since I've never installed such a big antenna except the small rabbitt ear ones, how long would this take to install and is it fairly easy? I will definitely place it on the roof I guess for best reception. So I can most definitely get all the OTA channels with this antenna as long as I do it right, right?

petergaryr, since I've never installed such a big antenna except the small rabbitt ear ones, how long would this take to install and is it fairly easy? I will definitely place it on the roof I guess for best reception. So I can most definitely get all the OTA channels with this antenna as long as I do it right, right?

Well, I cheated. I placed mine in the attic just to see what would happen. For where I am located (N.W. St. John's county, specifically Fruit Cove), despite all the negatives of an attic install, mine works just fine.

It wasn't a pleasant job, however. Too much bending, crawling, trying not to step on a ceiling tile! However, with all that, it probably took around 2 hours to assemble the antenna, drill the holes and feed the RG6 cable through the walls.

Aiming was the tricky part, that is, finding the sweet spot where all the stations would lock. I wasn't kidding when I said a variance of an inch or two can make a difference.

I'll leave it up to others who have done roof or pole mounts to describe their experiences.

Now, having done all that, there is an alternative. If you subscribe to Comcast's absolutely basic analog package (like $10/mo), you can for an additional $10 subscribe to their local HD service. That will get you all the networks, plus INHD and MHD....although yesterday ESPN-HD was also suddenly unlocked. I've done that, even though I also have the OTA antenna. There are times when one or the other looks better.

Anyone else getting a crackling noise in the Gator game if HD? It doesn't do it on SD only HD even during commercials.

yes

It's fixed.

P.S. Catch the damn ball Harvin.

yes
and
yes

Anyone know if Jacksonville Comcast will be getting the Versus HD mentioned in this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=751387 ?

It says in that article that it will be replacing iNHD2 but that channel is no longer around here. I keep wanting to get rid of Comcast here but then they add this channel and it is a good reason to stay as I'm a golf junkie.

I guess we did not get the UF - FSU basketball game on Comcast on Channel 181. I wonder why they didn't show it there, instead of on HD on Channel 51? By brother lives in Oklahoma and he got it in HD. Go Figure.

I've been thinking of getting my HDTV's professionally calibrated. I could only find one ISF trained dealer with calibration equipment in the Jax area out of about 50 total throughout Florida. They are called Private Theaters on Old Baymeadows Road. Anyone here have any experience using them? Any others out there I may have missed?

scolumbo,

I have been thinking about doing the same thing, but I am trying to wait until my equipment combination has settled down! If you do follow thru with Private Theaters, please post your experiences. When I was looking, they were the only ISF calibrators I could find in the area.

Later,
pjdavep

Anyone know if Jacksonville Comcast will be getting the Versus HD mentioned in this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=751387 ?

It says in that article that it will be replacing iNHD2 but that channel is no longer around here. I keep wanting to get rid of Comcast here but then they add this channel and it is a good reason to stay as I'm a golf junkie.


If we do, it probably won't be anytime soon. We dont have UHD, NGEOHD, or A&E HD and since they aren't sports channels, I doubt we will get them anytime in the next 6 months. Some areas never lost UHD after the olympics. The national agreements are in place for us... just nothing to see..

TNTHD is now on 75.1 but no sound..

Anyone know what that's all about? I can pick it up with the QAM tuner on my Sony 50E2000 in the bedroom. Picture but no sound. Very strange.

when you say you can pick it up with your QAM tuner, is that what you guys are using to get HD channels and save some $$ without having to subcribe to a HD upgrade?>

when you say you can pick it up with your QAM tuner, is that what you guys are using to get HD channels and save some $$ without having to subcribe to a HD upgrade?>

A QAM tuner will display unencoded digital channels, some of which may be the local HD ones. Premium channels require either a cable card or a separate box.

With just the basic $10 cable plus a QAM tuner, you get all the locals in HD + INHD, NFLHD, MHD. You also get about 20 of the SD channels in the expanded tier. Here's a list:
[note] you don't get the correct audio for the analog channels. You need a STB for those.

103-1 INHD
103-3 NFL-HD
104-1 ABC25-HD
104-2 NBC12-HD
104-3 12 weather
105-1 FOX30-HD
105-4 CW17-HD
106-1 ?
106-3 M-HD
107-14 MTV2
108-7 FSB spanish
110-1 CNN
110-2 CNNHN
110-3 AnimalPlanet
110-4 CSpan2
110-5 Golf
110-7 GrtAmCountry
110-8 WE
110-9 Hallmark
110-10 FSN
110-11 CSS
110-12 Versus
111-1 CourtTV
111-2 CSpan
111-3 ESPN2
111-4 HSN
111-5 ESPN
111-6 Food
111-7 Lifetime
111-8 A&E
111-9 ?
111-10 Hallmark?
111-11 Bravo?
111-12 QVC
114-1 PBS-HD
114-2 CBS47-HD
114-4 PBS
114-5 PBS
114-6 PBS

With just the basic $10 cable plus a QAM tuner, you get all the locals in HD + INHD, NFLHD, MHD. You also get about 20 of the SD channels in the expanded tier. Here's a list:
103-1 INHD
103-3 NFL-HD
104-1 ABC25-HD
104-2 NBC12-HD
104-3 12 weather
105-1 FOX30-HD
105-4 CW17-HD
106-1 ?
106-3 M-HD
107-14 MTV2
108-7 FSB spanish
110-1 CNN
110-2 CNNHN
110-3 AnimalPlanet
110-4 CSpan2
110-5 Golf
110-7 GrtAmCountry
110-8 WE
110-9 Hallmark
110-10 FSN
110-11 CSS
110-12 Versus
111-1 CourtTV
111-2 CSpan
111-3 ESPN2
111-4 HSN
111-5 ESPN
111-6 Food
111-7 Lifetime
111-8 A&E
111-9 ?
111-10 Hallmark?
111-11 Bravo?
111-12 QVC
114-1 PBS-HD
114-2 CBS47-HD
114-4 PBS
114-5 PBS
114-6 PBS

Thank you so much for providing the updated list. It's been awhile since I've checked and I didn't realize we were able to get more HD channels (like NFL and MTV). Thanks!

Thanks for providing these lists of the Comcast unencrypted channels. I've printed them and have updated my channel listings. One thing, though. I notice that I'm unable to pick up '104-1 ABC25-HD' and '104-2 NBC12-HD' with my QAM tuner. I can get all the rest of the HD locals. Are any of you having this issue?

Thanks for providing these lists of the Comcast unencrypted channels. I've printed them and have updated my channel listings. One thing, though. I notice that I'm unable to pick up '104-1 ABC25-HD' and '104-2 NBC12-HD' with my QAM tuner. I can get all the rest of the HD locals. Are any of you having this issue?

Odd. They are coming in fine for me.

Thank you so much for providing the updated list. It's been awhile since I've checked and I didn't realize we were able to get more HD channels (like NFL and MTV). Thanks!

Sometimes it is a good idea to run the initial cable channel scan again periodically because Comcast has a tendency of switching channels from time to time.

Hmmm, I've tried adding them manually w/ my Channel setup, but I get nothing. I'd hate to do another auto scan, as I don't want to chance losing my titles and have to get rid of all the blank channels.

Hmmm, I've tried adding them manually w/ my Channel setup, but I get nothing. I'd hate to do another auto scan, as I don't want to chance losing my titles and have to get rid of all the blank channels.

I just (literally) got up from the PC and flipped on the Sony KDF-50E2000 in the bedroom to check. Good Morning American (ABC-HD) and Today (NBC-HD) were both on in HD.

I can't imagine what the problem is with your setup.

Maybe I should call Comcast and complain? hahaha!

Maybe I should call Comcast and complain? hahaha!

Yeah. Let us know how that works out for you :D

Thanks for providing these lists of the Comcast unencrypted channels. I've printed them and have updated my channel listings. One thing, though. I notice that I'm unable to pick up '104-1 ABC25-HD' and '104-2 NBC12-HD' with my QAM tuner. I can get all the rest of the HD locals. Are any of you having this issue?

Others of us here have had this problem, and unfortunately I haven't heard of a solution. See posts in this thread from around 7/31/06.

I am also unable to get channels 104-1 / 104-2. Have also tried rescaning & manually selecting the channels. No luck.

Bummer.

-robert

I am also unable to get channels 104-1 / 104-2. Have also tried rescaning & manually selecting the channels. No luck.

Bummer.

-robert

So, all QAM tuners are not created equal???

OOPS. Forget the list I posted earlier.

Seems I had the audio muted while I scanned the channels. Turns out the non-HD channels have the audio on a different channel than the video. Not good unless you enjoy watching a Hallmark movie while listening to Wolf Blitzer.

We just bought a Samsung HLS 6187 (1080p) TV. We have it a week and have been able to pull in HD channels with rabbit ears. I also have it hooked up to standard analog cable. The analog channels don't look that bad. It is better than I expected. My question to anyone out there that has this TV, does comcast digital stations look better than analog cable? I called comcast and I can order enhanced digital cable for $50 a month and for 5 dollars more have a high definition box. This doesn't give me any new channels. Is it worth the upgrade to be purely digital?

You spent the bucks for a high quality state of the art 1080P HDTV. Now feed it with HDTV!

But to qualify that, I still maintain that 98% of what you watch is based on the content/ story, not the format. So, in the beginning, watching HDTV programming that you never enjoyed in SD analog before will soon wear off and even in HD will not hold your interest. So, if you do watch some of what Comcast offers in analog SD but has it in HD, by all means feed your new set the HD signal. If you like movies, you may want to get onboard with the latest HDDVD and Blueray too since your 1080P set takes full advantage of those newest DVD formats. Good luck with it and I envy you having 1080P. That is a ways off for me at this point. Must stay with the 720P DLP for now.

Yes, Comcast digital is considerably better than the analog channels. You might also consider getting a DVR instead of the standard cable box. IIRC, it's $9.95/mo. for the DVR vs. $5.00/mo. for the standard STB. Although the DVR (Motorola 3416) is buggy, it's still cheap compared to the alternatives, and the DVR will definitely change how you watch TV.

Let us know how your Sammy works out. I have a HP 6580 (1080p) that will be fed with a new PS3 that Santa is delivering on Thursday. I can't wait to see how Blu-ray will look on the display.

Yes, Comcast digital is considerably better than the analog channels. You might also consider getting a DVR instead of the standard cable box. IIRC, it's $9.95/mo. for the DVR vs. $5.00/mo. for the standard STB. Although the DVR (Motorola 3416) is buggy, it's still cheap compared to the alternatives, and the DVR will definitely change how you watch TV.

Let us know how your Sammy works out. I have a HP 6580 (1080p) that will be fed with a new PS3 that Santa is delivering on Thursday. I can't wait to see how Blu-ray will look on the display.


But isnt channels 0-100 from camcast still analog?

But isnt channels 0-100 from camcast still analog?

Comcast here in Jax has digital simulcast of the analog channels - big improvement in PQ for most of the channels IMO.

can you clarify what digital simulcast is?

Im really considering switching over from comcast to dish since Im not to happy with comcasts' customer service

I have Dish here and with the VIP 622 and the 30 or so HDTV national channels, it's a no brainer. But, the cost is up there at $120 per month for everything. No HD locals though. You'll need that antenna for locals in HD. However, their tuner accepts the local antenna so your DVR will record those shows along with the sat HD shows.

Some new stuff on the horizon for Dish 622 is their external hard drive for archiving and some new VOD via IP connection through your broadband internet. Speaking of which, you won't do it any better than Comcast in Jax for High speed internet. You'll want to keep that.

can you clarify what digital simulcast is?

Im really considering switching over from comcast to dish since Im not to happy with comcasts' customer service

Each of the analog channels is also provided digitally for an improved picture.

I can't defend Comcast's customer service, I've had my share of problems also, but then the same was true with DirecTV when I was a sub. I guess I've just come to expect poor customer service everywhere. However, no company can come close to the shoddy service of the old AT&T Broadband cable system that Comcast bought out a few years back.

Each of the analog channels is also provided digitally for an improved picture.

I can't defend Comcast's customer service, I've had my share of problems also, but then the same was true with DirecTV when I was a sub. I guess I've just come to expect poor customer service everywhere. However, no company can come close to the shoddy service of the old AT&T Broadband cable system that Comcast bought out a few years back.

Ah yes, the old days when the Jacksonville city council was on the brink of revoking the cable franchise because they got tired of hearing the customer complaints!

Ah yes, the old days when the Jacksonville city council was on the brink of revoking the cable franchise because they got tired of hearing the customer complaints!

It's why I shudder to think what might happen if the AT&T and BellSouth merger is approved and they try to provide FIOS. Maybe the new AT&T/BellSouth will be new and improved.

Well, if they merge we will hopefully get the much lower DSL pricing that ATT (nee SBC) has.

It's why I shudder to think what might happen if the AT&T and BellSouth merger is approved and they try to provide FIOS. Maybe the new AT&T/BellSouth will be new and improved.

Well, one thing in its favor is that the "new" AT&T isn't the "old" AT&T.

I started work with AT&T 33 years ago. Then came the divestiture when it was broken up into companies like BellSouth and Southwest Bell Corporation.

Then, many years later, SBC bought the old parent company and re-named itself, um, "AT&T". Now, when it acquires BellSouth, the new AT&T will be like the old AT&T, only different.

Huh?

Well, one thing in its favor is that the "new" AT&T isn't the "old" AT&T.

I started work with AT&T 33 years ago. Then came the divestiture when it was broken up into companies like BellSouth and Southwest Bell Corporation.

Then, many years later, SBC bought the old parent company and re-named itself, um, "AT&T". Now, when it acquires BellSouth, the new AT&T will be like the old AT&T, only different.

Huh?

I'm glad you cleared that up for me. ;)

With just the basic $10 cable plus a QAM tuner, you get all the locals in HD + INHD, NFLHD, MHD. You also get about 20 of the SD channels in the expanded tier. Here's a list:
103-1 INHD
103-3 NFL-HD
104-1 ABC25-HD
104-2 NBC12-HD
104-3 12 weather
105-1 FOX30-HD
105-4 CW17-HD
106-1 ?
106-3 M-HD
107-14 MTV2
108-7 FSB spanish
110-1 CNN
110-2 CNNHN
110-3 AnimalPlanet
110-4 CSpan2
110-5 Golf
110-7 GrtAmCountry
110-8 WE
110-9 Hallmark
110-10 FSN
110-11 CSS
110-12 Versus
111-1 CourtTV
111-2 CSpan
111-3 ESPN2
111-4 HSN
111-5 ESPN
111-6 Food
111-7 Lifetime
111-8 A&E
111-9 ?
111-10 Hallmark?
111-11 Bravo?
111-12 QVC
114-1 PBS-HD
114-2 CBS47-HD
114-4 PBS
114-5 PBS
114-6 PBS
This is probably stunningly obvious to everyone else but how are you getting NFL HD? I have everything available from Comcast and I don't see NFL-HD in my channel lineup anywhere. The website also does not list it. It was up as a channel for a few days a while ago but it has been gone from the listings for a long time now.

TIA

NFL HD is only a part-time channel on ch. 184. It will have a white screen and INHD logo and show up as INHD in the on-screen guide during the times it isn't being provided by Comcast. Don't ask me why they do this, it just confuses people.

amI missing something here? how do you pay $10 for all those channels in Jax, fl?? comcast has a package for $10?

amI missing something here? how do you pay $10 for all those channels in Jax, fl?? comcast has a package for $10?

There is a basic analog package for just under $10 (I have it).

If you also happen to have a TV with a QAM tuner, you can do a scan for digital channels and pick up the ones mentioned. Well, let me amend that. I also subscribe to their "HD package" which includes the HD versions of all the networks, plus INHD and MHD.

For the TV in the livingroom, I need their Motorola box since the Mitsubishi RPTV doesn't have a QAM tuner in it, so there is an addtional fee for that (HD locals plus the box add another $10). In the bedroom, though, the Sony KDF 50E2000 does have a QAM tuner, so I can get all the stations in the package without an additional box. That works great for those times when I am having problems with the OTA signals.

so you your TV hook up straight to the wall and with a QAM you can get those SD channels? I thought that you have to have a cable box to pick up channels using QAM?

so you your TV hook up straight to the wall and with a QAM you can get those SD channels? I thought that you have to have a cable box to pick up channels using QAM?

Unencrypted stations can be picked up with just a QAM tuner. Encrypted stations require either a cable box, or if your TV has a slot (not all do), a Cablecard.

As corrected in post #2592, a QAM tuner only gets the correct audio on the HD channels. So you can see the local stations + INHD + NFL-HD + MTV-HD.

When we bought the samsung dlp I really wanted a TV with the qam tuner. But that would cost another 4 to 5 hundred more dollars. Eventually I want to build a computer with a qam tuner, but I am waiting to see how Windows Vista works out. In the meantime due to all the good advice on this forum I will rent the box or even the recorder. I live in Green Cove Springs and am surrounded by trees. I am surprised I can pick up all the UHF channels with rabbit ears. This is our first high definition TV and we have to lift our jaws off the floor when we view the high def channels. The best so far is the PBS channel. From 6pm to 7pm we get to travel Europe. This is saving us lot of money. <g>

Thank you again for all the good advice on this forum. I really appreciate it.

As corrected in post #2592, a QAM tuner only gets the correct audio on the HD channels. So you can see the local stations + INHD + NFL-HD + MTV-HD.

I'm puzzled about what might be different with my Sony KDF-50E2000.

A moment ago I punched in 110.3 and got Animal Planet on the QAM tuner with sound. I also tried 111.8 and got A&E, also with sound. At least in my case, both picture and sound are coming through.

For any HR20-700 DVR users:

I just got off the phone with DirecTV to see if there is any change in the start date for local satellite broadcasts of the HD locals. Although the website still lists Jacksonville, FL as "Fall, 2006", the CSR has re-confirmed that it isn't until February, 2007 when that will happen.

I also asked when the next software download would be to enable the off-air tuners in the box. He re-confirmed that they are still beta testing it in the L.A. area, but couldn't give a firm date for the national roll-out.

Peter, did the sound match the picture?

Also, since I don't have the TV here, try CNN at 110-1 and see if the sound matches there. I only checked a few channels.

There are a lot of complaints and even a law suit that DirecTV has down rezed it's HD lineup. I have seen it here on the compression to less than 8Mbps. I wonder what they are doing to local HD? They really need to get those other birds flying or all these local HD channels will soon be the death of real HD on D*. I know their HBO and other HD Nationals all look like SD DVD here or worse. It's really too bad too because people are being fooled into thinking what they see is HD but not much different from DVD.

Especially their newest ads boasting about their HD quality. Good thing they have a hot babe extolling the "1080" resolution. I'm surprised TWC is only suing them for the misinformation about getting NFL. They should sue about the low quality (unless TWC in NYC also does HD-lite).

Using myhd-130 computer tuner card, I get all of the digital simulcast channels for the 32244 area. My list has more channels than were posted, but Comcast has changed the lineup several times. I do record scifi, and sun network in qam digital every week. All of the channels have sound that matches just fine. My list has a ton of channels.

Troy.

Peter, did the sound match the picture?

Also, since I don't have the TV here, try CNN at 110-1 and see if the sound matches there. I only checked a few channels.

Yup. sound matched the picture on each channel.

There are a lot of complaints and even a law suit that DirecTV has down rezed it's HD lineup. I have seen it here on the compression to less than 8Mbps. I wonder what they are doing to local HD? They really need to get those other birds flying or all these local HD channels will soon be the death of real HD on D*. I know their HBO and other HD Nationals all look like SD DVD here or worse. It's really too bad too because people are being fooled into thinking what they see is HD but not much different from DVD.

I've been reading some posts on dbstalk.com where people who have both OTA and HD LIL and at least some are claiming that the MPEG4 locals look as good as OTA. Perhaps there is hope.

While I have both D* and E*, the E* PQ on HD channels is several levels better. They too are accused of HD Lite but from a technical angle they are only reducing the H res to 1440 which is all that they get anyway since that is the distribution standard. This 1920 on broadcast is a bit of a myth. However, 1080P x1920 on Blue Ray and HD DVD is not. I have no idea what Comcast is doing on HD channels but I would guess it a pass through.

Now here something interesting- Until the recent court ruling, I had WCBS HD via a friendly waiver from old WJXT 4 when it was a CBS affiliate. I can tell you that as of November, the PQ on WCBS is a bit better than it is on WTEV via Off air. Plus, all WCBS was DD5.1 and they never missed the switch! The only thing I never liked about WCBS was the SD with their gray bars. I sure wish, WTEV would do DD5.1 as those programs are awesome. CBS really knows how to program DD5.1 but local WTEV doesn't see the value in a good quality HD signal. Too bad it took a judge to punish me for having a legal authorized NY CBS here just because Dish gave away a few unauthorized years ago. OK so much for my rant! :(

As for MPeg4- All I'll say is they had some problems with stuttering and lip sync when they first started but today on E* it looks very good and you can't tell the difference between MP2 and MP4. It's just that MP4 takes up less bandwidth and it allows your DVR that records native DBS signals to store more capacity too! I'm still using the HD Tivo on D* and have few HD channels. When their PQ started to really go down hill this fall I cancelled everything except the HD Package and then hardly watch it now. It's basically my backup DVR when the 622 gets overloaded.

I solved the mystery of QAM. The answer is all QAM tuners are not the same.

I connected the cable to my Mits DLP set and it gets the correct audio with the video on the digital simulcast channels. The TV with the bad tuner is the Sceptre 32" that Costco sells.

I solved the mystery of QAM. The answer is all QAM tuners are not the same.

I connected the cable to my Mits DLP set and it gets the correct audio with the video on the digital simulcast channels. The TV with the bad tuner is the Sceptre 32" that Costco sells.

Well, then the mystery is solved.

For any HR20-700 DVR users:

...I also asked when the next software download would be to enable the off-air tuners in the box. He re-confirmed that they are still beta testing it in the L.A. area, but couldn't give a firm date for the national roll-out.

How fast things change. The national rollout of the lastest software began last night.

I think they are making this move to bring us NGC-HD and AE-HD

I hope you're right. From the reports of others on the Programming thread, AE-HD isn't much of an HD channel (mostly upconverts), but NGC-HD would be a nice addition.

Jacksonville OTA users, can you guys give me some suggestion on get a good indoor OTA antenna I can get locally? Im only about 10 miles from the towers

I have a home depot-rca antenna in my attic. All of the Home Depot's sell them. 2 Models to choose from, and it works well.

I am about 15 miles from the towers. Troy

Jacksonville OTA users, can you guys give me some suggestion on get a good indoor OTA antenna I can get locally? Im only about 10 miles from the towers

I have a Terk HDTVi as a "backup" antenna to the one I have in the attic.

It works very well for the UHF stations, but has trouble (at least for me) with the VHF ones: NBC 12-1 (13-1) and ABC 25-1 (10-1) so I will give it a conditional recommendation. You may fare better being so close to the towers. I'm around 25 miles away.

where did you get this at? thanks

I have a home depot-rca antenna in my attic. All of the Home Depot's sell them. 2 Models to choose from, and it works well.

I am about 15 miles from the towers. Troy

do u get both UHF and VHF channels???

where did you get this at? thanks

I got the Terk at RadioShack, though Amazon carries it as well.

I also got an attic antenna at RS that gets everything except WAWS 30-1 (that is why I also have the Terk--just for that station).

New to this forum, great place to get info and solutions. Didn't know until this morning there was Jax thread.

Has anyone solved the HDMI problem through the Comcast box to a Denon 2807 then to my Sony 60" DLP?

Live at Jax Beach and looking forward to best picture for Jags game Sunday or will go if its not raining?

Wolfie

New to this forum, great place to get info and solutions. Didn't know until this morning there was Jax thread.

Has anyone solved the HDMI problem through the Comcast box to a Denon 2807 then to my Sony 60" DLP?

Live at Jax Beach and looking forward to best picture for Jags game Sunday or will go if its not raining?

Wolfie

Sorry I can't help with any of your questions, but welcome to the forum!

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2992/welcomeac2.gif

Live at Jax Beach and looking forward to best picture for Jags game Sunday or will go if its not raining?

Wolfie

I'm in the same situation...going to the game if it's not a downpour, watching on TV if it is. Fortunately, the game's in HD this week which we haven't had for awhile.

Sorry, can't help you with the HDMI question either. I have HDMI running directly to my display but the latest firmware for the Moto 3416 messed up the HDMI handshake, so I'm using component until Comcast fixes the problem with a new firmware update.

However, since I have a new PS3 coming, I may have to use the HDMI for the PS3 anyway, and keep the 3416 on component since I don't have a HDMI capable receiver. I can't really see much of a difference using component vs. HDMI from the 3416 anyway.

I have the 3416 also, guess I will stick with Component, but now my new Phillips DVD won't work through the Denon 2807 using HDMI. Searching threads looking for solution.

Wolfie

I'm in the same situation...going to the game if it's not a downpour, watching on TV if it is. Fortunately, the game's in HD this week which we haven't had for awhile.

Sorry, can't help you with the HDMI question either. I have HDMI running directly to my display but the latest firmware for the Moto 3416 messed up the HDMI handshake, so I'm using component until Comcast fixes the problem with a new firmware update.

However, since I have a new PS3 coming, I may have to use the HDMI for the PS3 anyway, and keep the 3416 on component since I don't have a HDMI capable receiver. I can't really see much of a difference using component vs. HDMI from the 3416 anyway.

do u get both UHF and VHF channels???
Yes, I get all of them well. In fact, I also get all of the analog broadcasts except abc25 very well. 25 analog has some snow, and the tower for it is in another area. Troy.

Does anyone know if Turner South is available via Comcast in Jacksonville? Thanks.

EDIT: Just found out that station doesn't exist anymore:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_South

Let's try this:

Does anyone know if SportsSouth is available via Comcast in Jacksonville?

Does anyone know if SportsSouth is available via Comcast in Jacksonville?

Is that the same as Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS)? If so, it is available on ch. 54.

edit: I see there is a SportSouth that was formerly Turner South. I don't believe it is carried by Comcast here.

:) Sorry I can't help with any of your questions, but welcome to the forum!

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2992/welcomeac2.gif

New to this forum, great place to get info and solutions. Didn't know until this morning there was Jax thread.

Has anyone solved the HDMI problem through the Comcast box to a Denon 2807 then to my Sony 60" DLP?

Live at Jax Beach and looking forward to best picture for Jags game Sunday or will go if its not raining?

Wolfie

I dont know what your problem is, but I attempted to use a video switcher with my 3412 for hdmi, and it did not work. I ended up going to back component for cable, and only use hdmi for my hddvd player.

I think they are making this move to bring us NGC-HD and AE-HD

I wish they would bring UHD back. Id really like to watch battle star galactica in HD.

I wish they would bring UHD back. Id really like to watch battle star galactica in HD.

Me too. Watching Battlestar Galactica on SciFi in SD is painful. Adding UHD just for BSG would be my #1 choice.

The channel lineup changes announced for Jan. 9th list 2 new HD channels. One is Comcast Sports HD and the other is WAWS-DTMY. Anyone know what either of these are? Comcast Sports HD sounds like another part-time sports channel.

http://www.comcast.com/lineupchanges/

great... more channels noone wants and not the ones people are interested in.

great... more channels noone wants and not the ones people are interested in.

Yes, and very interesting how they say they're bringing them at no additional cost. Didn't the FTU just print a story about a new price increase for some packages?

Me too. Watching Battlestar Galactica on SciFi in SD is painful. Adding UHD just for BSG would be my #1 choice.

The channel lineup changes announced for Jan. 9th list 2 new HD channels. One is Comcast Sports HD and the other is WAWS-DTMY. Anyone know what either of these are? Comcast Sports HD sounds like another part-time sports channel.

http://www.comcast.com/lineupchanges/

I believe that WAWS-DTMY is separate subchannel for News Corp My Network. I'm not 100% sure as I'm not getting it using and antenna. In some cities where there isn't a new channel for the network, the affils for this network are putting the programing on digital subchannels.

I believe that WAWS-DTMY is separate subchannel for News Corp My Network. I'm not 100% sure as I'm not getting it using and antenna. In some cities where there isn't a new channel for the network, the affils for this network are putting the programing on digital subchannels.

So isn't MyNetworkTV also a part-time channel that has a couple of telenovas each night during primetime? I wonder how many more years before Comcast adds another full-time HD channel.

I must have gotten real bad reception because there's no way the Jag could have lost to the Pats, too important of a game? I almost thought I saw Garrard fumble away the game again. It couldn't be. :mad:

JagFan

I have the 3416 also, guess I will stick with Component, but now my new Phillips DVD won't work through the Denon 2807 using HDMI. Searching threads looking for solution.

Wolfie

My 3416 works fine using HDMI thru my Yamaha 2700. Also have a Replay and Panasonic DVD thru the 2700.

Antonio - welcome back from the Desert?

My Network will start broadcasting OTA in January, according to Jerry.

I believe that WAWS-DTMY is separate subchannel for News Corp My Network. I'm not 100% sure as I'm not getting it using and antenna. In some cities where there isn't a new channel for the network, the affils for this network are putting the programing on digital subchannels.

Antonio - welcome back from the Desert?

My Network will start broadcasting OTA in January, according to Jerry.

So, a subchannel of 30-1?

Gator99

hey Jeff- Tell Jerry we are still waiting for his 47-1 to get DD5.1. WTEV constantly airs it is on certain programs in the lower left corner of the screen but it is obvious they are still only doing DD2.0 I know this graphic "DD 5.1" is from the network but still it is not honest advertising to claim you are DD5.1 and only doing DD2.0.

Maybe we need to start a letter campaign to the station manager on this. It's about time WTEV get with it. Ask Jerry who at the station is the best person to badger on this. :) I wonder if now is the time, not too late, to get it in their annual budget for 2007.

Gator99

hey Jeff- Tell Jerry we are still waiting for his 47-1 to get DD5.1. WTEV constantly airs it is on certain programs in the lower left corner of the screen but it is obvious they are still only doing DD2.0 I know this graphic "DD 5.1" is from the network but still it is not honest advertising to claim you are DD5.1 and only doing DD2.0.

Maybe we need to start a letter campaign to the station manager on this. It's about time WTEV get with it. Ask Jerry who at the station is the best person to badger on this. :) I wonder if now is the time, not too late, to get it in their annual budget for 2007.

The same goes for WJXX and WTLV. It's long past time we should be getting 5.1 from our local stations.

Rathwine,

What package do you pay for on cable? Do you just have the basic package?

The COMCAST HD is up and will start on 1/1... It will show VERSUS and Golf Channel ( both owned by Comcast ) HD programming... VERSUS has NHL games which some were shown in HD on INHD. The big one is the Golf Channel which will have exclusive coverage of PGA tournaments first couple of rounds and will have some early and late season tournaments completely...... GOLF in HD is great... You can see the blades of grass!!!!

Thanks for posting the lineupchanges link for Comcast... I saw it briefly on a message but no way to get there from the main website I could find....

Cliff Watson EPG (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659993) I have the digital package with the dvr. It is a crap shoot if you are going to get all of the digital channels. Some homes have filters to take out that frequency band, others do not. From what I understand, if you have not had digital, and they have not changed anything lately, then you should be in the clear on most of the digital simulcast. If you have a digital package, and a digital reciever box of some sort, you definately get the feed. It is just a matter of getting a qam capable receiver, and finding the channels. The other problem is the habit comcast has of changing channel lineups, and channel assignments, making it hard to find your channels some times. I hope this helps.

Troy.

ps, I am using the following to record hd.
1 computer with MYhd130 and fusion4 tuners.
Myhd input 1 QAM digital cable
MYhd input 2 over the air antenna digital.
Fusion Over the air digital Antenna digital.

2nd computer
Myhd 120 with over the air on input 1
Cable analog on antenna 2

Cliff watson epg software to populate the myhd channel guide with 7 days of listings automatically.

Record this to schedule recordings on all 3 tuner cards automatically across the network, moving programs to an available tuner.

Playlist manager to monitor hard drive usage and space remaining, and populating the play lists across the network to all of the myhd cards, allowing playback of any recording from any computer, even if it was not the one recording the shows.

These programs are a great help, and have made my tuner cards work like a season pass for tivo, with much more hard drive space, and multiple tuners. I have 1 TB of space for tv recording, and it catches all of my shows for me.

Link to record this and playlist manager thread.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=591195

Link to Cliff Watson EPG
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659993

Antonio - welcome back from the Desert?

My Network will start broadcasting OTA in January, according to Jerry.

Thanks. It's good to be back. I've been back since Nov 06 but I start my new job on Jan 2 07 in Durham, NC so my stay was short lived. I read about the My Network digital station broadcast over the summer New Corp was trying to find affils for the net.

So isn't MyNetworkTV also a part-time channel that has a couple of telenovas each night during primetime? I wonder how many more years before Comcast adds another full-time HD channel.

I believe My Network is part time. They do show those English Telenovas. One has Morgan Fairchild as the lead, but I haven't watched that station so I wouldn't know.

We used to live in same building, moved next door. Good to see her health is good and hair growing. I see Tim out surfing almost every day.

JaguarFan

Donna Hicken married Tim Deacon sp?(weather man/surfer boy) a while back.

I went and got new HDMI cables to insure is wasn't bad cables. Same problem. I did get Optic cable to match with Component from MotoCable box to 2807 and the Phillips DVD is using Component and Coax sound (great improvement, wasn't getting 5.1 using component cables for sound). The picture and sound look great on my Sony SXRD 60", does anyone know what improvement HDMI in from Moto and DVD will do versus current setup? I understand that on 50" or less not much? Is this myth or fact?

Lets see what Jags do tomorrow, don't figure they will make the playoffs. I almost want them to lose so they go into 2007 season angry and get better draft choices. Very sad the recievers haven't lived up to expectation.

JaguarFan

My 3416 works fine using HDMI thru my Yamaha 2700. Also have a Replay and Panasonic DVD thru the 2700.

I went and got new HDMI cables to insure is wasn't bad cables. Same problem. I did get Optic cable to match with Component from MotoCable box to 2807 and the Phillips DVD is using Component and Coax sound (great improvement, wasn't getting 5.1 using component cables for sound). The picture and sound look great on my Sony SXRD 60", does anyone know what improvement HDMI in from Moto and DVD will do versus current setup? I understand that on 50" or less not much? Is this myth or fact?

Lets see what Jags do tomorrow, don't figure they will make the playoffs. I almost want them to lose so they go into 2007 season angry and get better draft choices. Very sad the recievers haven't lived up to expectation.

JaguarFan

I see no difference between HDMI and component from the Moto box to my 65" display. The HDMI does make an improvement over component from my Denon DVD player because it allows for the upconversion to 1080i from the DVD player instead of the display. I don't have an HDMI receiver so the HDMI is connected directly to my display and optical to the receiver for audio.

HDMI from cable boxes (not just the Moto) are notoriously flaky so I've just decided to stick with component. Besides, the Playstation 3 now occupies the other HDMI input on my display. Blu-ray on my 1080p display using HDMI looks fantastic.

oh, and I would be amazed if the Jags won in KC. The Chiefs have the best home record of any NFL team during the last 5 years and the Jags aren't exactly world beaters on the road.

I went and got new HDMI cables to insure is wasn't bad cables. Same problem. I did get Optic cable to match with Component from MotoCable box to 2807 and the Phillips DVD is using Component and Coax sound (great improvement, wasn't getting 5.1 using component cables for sound). The picture and sound look great on my Sony SXRD 60", does anyone know what improvement HDMI in from Moto and DVD will do versus current setup? I understand that on 50" or less not much? Is this myth or fact?

Lets see what Jags do tomorrow, don't figure they will make the playoffs. I almost want them to lose so they go into 2007 season angry and get better draft choices. Very sad the recievers haven't lived up to expectation.

JaguarFan


This is my first for using HDMI and running the video thru the amp. I moved my component storage about 30' away from my 62"HD set. I had to trench a tunnel in the concrete and installed a 1 1/2" conduit and special order a 32' HDMI cable. I was pretty nervous about the HDMI's ability to perform at that distance as I had tried a cheap Sony DVD player via HDMI directly into the TV a few months ago. The picture was terrible. It may have been the quality of the HDMI cable that came with the DVD player, or was a bad unit. I took it back. Was only buying it for a backup cause it was cheap. At that time I was using a a Yamaha 2095 just for audio and did not plan to get a HDMI switching amp anytime soon. Then lightning hit a nearby tree. So far everything looks better playing thru the 2700. Even my Replay TV dvr with its' best output via S video looks darn good upscaled to 1080i.
The recorded picture on the Moto 3416 HD is just perfect although I do get a little queasy when the screen goes blank when apparently the HDMI signal is iterrupted. From what I have read component and HDMI are the same quality.

Has anyone noticed over the last couple of days on CBS 114-2 any flutterring or shaking of the picture while watching the HD football games?. I notice this on my new Vizio 32 inch using the QAM tuner and mildly on my main TV using the Motorola HD box.

Jacksonville OTA users, can you guys give me some suggestion on get a good indoor OTA antenna I can get locally? Im only about 10 miles from the towers

I'll be honest, I bought a $7 antenna from Wal-Mart, put in in my living room, and hooked it up to my Samsung. I'm in Julington Creek (Antennaweb puts me at ~9.8-10.2 miles from the towers), and I'm getting all the OTA locals with good signal (occasionally 25 takes a little tweaking). It may be something you want to go ahead and try before climbing into your attic.

So much focus here is on cables from cable box to TV,DVD to tV etc,thought I'd share an experience.

Just had a chance to ditch the antenna and picked up a cable box from Comcast for new HD tV. Used component from cable box to TV,Digital coax to receiver,HDMI/HDMI from DVD to HDTV and a fiber optic HDTV to receiver. Turned it all on and first got tv guide channel.....other channels said "Channel available in a moment".....OK,I thought,cable lady said it would take about 20 minutes for cable box to "download" channels....whatever that means.


45 minutes later most of hi def was working,half of basic channels were working and some of those like Fox news were so snowy they were unwatchable. HUH? :confused:

Changed out component cables that came with box for better ones (I hoped) by
Phillips. OMG! now hD channel I was just watching (and it was getting interference from something) completely went away....Fox news was better but not like it was when basic cable was hooked up. :eek:

OOOoooooooK. I eyeballed the mid price power strip/surge protecter I had the cable tV cable routed through.....took it out of the mix with a direct wall plate to cable box hookup......and VOILA! Every channel, no digital breakups and stop motions and Fox News was great! :D

Now.....any experience out there with newer "coax/power strip surge protectors"....I'd hate to lose this setup to lightning.

You could of course go with the rather expensive Monster and Panamax systems, but I am using a Furman. It is typically sold through professional sound outlets. It has surge protection, plus a line filter for RFI. Works great.

http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl~waGroup1datarq~furman~eqint_KeyIDdata~40033~ itemNumber~M-8L%2001%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20~UID~200701030 4350929~disp_IMG~Y~catgroup~%5BcatGroup%5D

Many thanks......I'm still using the power strip portion.....I quit using the coax cable portion of it. Past experience....I've had lightening come in on TV cable,so I want some protection there as well. hat are you using there?

The best way to protect your system is plant some tall pines in your yard. That way - the lightning will hit the trees and not your house :). It is a lot cheaper than replacing TVs (although it isn't cheap - we're having a lightning damaged pine removed tomorrow).

Seriously - Florida is the lightning capital of the world. If you have a lot of expensive electronics - it makes sense to install a commercial whole house lightning protection system. We have one made by Ditek. I think it cost about $500 to install it about 10 years ago when we built our house. It is meant to "clamp down" the whole electrical system in the event of a strike. Doesn't take the place of lesser devices designed to filter out line surges and electrical "blips". We have those too. Panamax - Monster - etc. Of various vintages. The one on our home theater is a Monster which cost about $80. I liked the design - and it seems to work well. Don't forget to protect the cable and telephone lines you might have connected to your A/V equipment or computer equipment. Robyn

Whole house protector is a great thing to have but when it comes to lightning nothing will 100% protect you. If lightning strikes close to your house (say like 20' from house and in a tall pine) it can still fry components - I know from experience (lost cable modem, D* HD receiver etc) - not that I don't use both a whole house protector and both have a panamax (and monster) equipment on all my equipment.

I just don't expect miracles.

Also just as a FYI - if you are in Clay Co. you can have Clay County Electric install a whole house protector at your meter for under $200 -- I am not sure about Duval or St Johns (JEA) but I would ask.

Whole house protector is a great thing to have but when it comes to lightning nothing will 100% protect you. If lightning strikes close to your house (say like 20' from house and in a tall pine) it can still fry components - I know from experience (lost cable modem, D* HD receiver etc) - not that I don't use both a whole house protector and both have a panamax (and monster) equipment on all my equipment.

I just don't expect miracles.

Also just as a FYI - if you are in Clay Co. you can have Clay County Electric install a whole house protector at your meter for under $200 -- I am not sure about Duval or St Johns (JEA) but I would ask.

We're in St. Johns County with Beaches Energy Services. And if I recall correctly - it has a similar discount on whole house protection.

Agreed that nothing will protect you 100%. Robyn

Peter,how is the hr 20 -700 for picture quality and dependable recording? Do you have it connected with hdmi cables Is it hard to use? Directv has made me a tremendous offer on one but I dont want to get it if it performs poorly. I have no trouble getting ota here in st.augustine shores now,I would not want to lose that with the hr20-700. Thanks foe any info.

Peter,how is the hr 20 -700 for picture quality and dependable recording? Do you have it connected with hdmi cables Is it hard to use? Directv has made me a tremendous offer on one but I dont want to get it if it performs poorly. I have no trouble getting ota here in st.augustine shores now,I would not want to lose that with the hr20-700. Thanks foe any info.

Here is a link to the initial review I did of it for Epinions (this was pre-OTA):

http://www0.epinions.com/content_264281886340

As for your other questions:

I am currently connecting the HR20 to a Sony KDF-50E2000 with both component and HDMI so I can test how well the software downloads for the HR20 are doing in clearing up some of the initial HDMI issues. So far, the audio out of synch problem over HDMI seems to be fixed. I have no issues with component.

I'm not sure the tuner in the HR20 is the best. For example, I can get all of the local stations OTA fine with the ATSC tuner in the Sony, but the HR20 has periodic problems locking onto WAWS, and occasionally a couple of the others.

Recording reliability has improved considerably with the latest software download, but up to that point it has been somewhat quirky. I haven't had as many problems as others have reported in the HR20-700 thread on the DBSTalk forum:

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112

Now, there are some really nice things about it: a 90 minute buffer and a slick way of setting a series link (e.g. "season pass"): you just hit the record button twice while on a program in the guide. That's it. No waiting.

I would recommend it, but with caution. D* is still working on ironing out the bugs, and I believe it will evenutally be as reliable as my HR10-250. Keep in mind that the latest date I was given for HD locals for the Jacksonville area was February, 2007. So, if they are of interest to you, they are in MPEG4 and you will need the 5 LNB dish and HR20 to receive them.

My HR20-700 and 5 LNB dish was installed by D* last week. I am using an HDMI connection to my Samsung HL-S5087 DLP TV. No problems at all. The HR20 downloaded the lastest firmware during the activation. I can receive all of the local channels using a outside OTA antenna except channel 12. I am thinking about installing a preamp on the antenna to boost the signal. I live in the Mandarin area surrounded by lots of oak trees. I am currently using an inexpensive Radio Shack UHF antenna.

The dish is picking up all of the HD channels except the locals. The signal strength on 101, 110, and 119 is in the 90's. The signal strength on 103 is in the mid 70's. The D* installer told me that when the locals are turned on in Feb that they will come in on 103. I do not receive any signal on the 99 satellite.

So far I am pleased with the HR20. It took me almost five weeks to get it from D*.

Joe :)

QUOTE=butlerj2000: My HR20-700 and 5 LNB dish was installed by D* last week. I am using an HDMI connection to my Samsung HL-S5087 DLP TV. No problems at all. The HR20 downloaded the lastest firmware during the activation. I can receive all of the local channels using a outside OTA antenna except channel 12. I am thinking about installing a preamp on the antenna to boost the signal. I live in the Mandarin area surrounded by lots of oak trees. I am currently using an inexpensive Radio Shack UHF antenna.

Just a reminder, if you are using a UHF only antenna, a pre-amp isn't going to help with with channel 12. It actually broadcasts on 13-1 in the VHF range. You will need a VHF antenna to pick that up. I'm surprised you aren't having problems with 25-1 (ABC) since that also broadcasts in the VHF range (10-1).

The dish is picking up all of the HD channels except the locals. The signal strength on 101, 110, and 119 is in the 90's. The signal strength on 103 is in the mid 70's. The D* installer told me that when the locals are turned on in Feb that they will come in on 103. I do not receive any signal on the 99 satellite.

Did your installer happen to mention WHEN in February? Beginning of the month...end?

So far I am pleased with the HR20. It took me almost five weeks to get it from D*.

Joe :)


By the way, welcome to the forum!

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2992/welcomeac2.gif

Peter,

These are my signal strengths for the OTA channels on the HR20:
4-1 96
7-1 100
12-1 30
17-1 100
25-1 47
30-1 100
47-1 90

For some reason it locks on to 25, but not 12. The guys from D* did not know when the locals would be turned on. They were late installing my dish. It was dark before they got to my house, and it took 3 crews 2 and 1/2 hours to align the dish. They also told me that I had to use component cables. As soon as they left I switched out the component cables with HDMI and have had no problems. I got the impression that installing the 5 LNB dish with the HR 20 was relatively new to them.

Joe

Peter,

These are my signal strengths for the OTA channels on the HR20:
4-1 96
7-1 100
12-1 30
17-1 100
25-1 47
30-1 100
47-1 90

For some reason it locks on to 25, but not 12. The guys from D* did not know when the locals would be turned on. They were late installing my dish. It was dark before they got to my house, and it took 3 crews 2 and 1/2 hours to align the dish. They also told me that I had to use component cables. As soon as they left I switched out the component cables with HDMI and have had no problems. I got the impression that installing the 5 LNB dish with the HR 20 was relatively new to them.

Joe

Interesting that you are getting ABC with a signal strength of only 47, but hey, if it works...!

The last time I s/w a CSR at D*, she said February, 2007 for Jax local. I notice that their website has gone very non-specific datewise.

Did you get the new slimline dish? Mine is the old style: 3 lnb in one arm, then two others. It will be interesting to see what type of job my installer did when the MPEG locals are turned on.

I just put a terk A5 antenna on a Sharp 26D40U in my bedroom. Living rm has hd tuner with comcast. I was able to get all ota hd stations except for ABC. Can anyone explain why. Also, is there anyway to also get the reg digital channels? The antenna doesn't get anything else except hd stations, which is great but I guess if I could get both that would be ideal! Is it possible?
thanks as you can see...im the noob in town! appreciate any help...

Interesting that you are getting ABC with a signal strength of only 47, but hey, if it works...!

The last time I s/w a CSR at D*, she said February, 2007 for Jax local. I notice that their website has gone very non-specific datewise.

Did you get the new slimline dish? Mine is the old style: 3 lnb in one arm, then two others. It will be interesting to see what type of job my installer did when the MPEG locals are turned on.

According to the D* installer, they are only installing the slimline dishes at this time. My dish is mounted on a metal pole in my front yard. This is the only place on the lot that has a shot to the satellites. I am surrounded by large oak trees. Even with the slimeline dish, they had to install a bigger pole. It is quite larger than the triple lnb dish that I had before.

Ran into Bob Ross of CBS Network in the hall at CES. today. I mentioned to him that our local affiliate is still not doing DD5.1. He just shook his head in amazement and said You need to know that the cost to upgrade to DD5.1 is now only $6000!

Common WTEV, what's the hold up now on DD 5.1? Can't be the budget anymore. You guys probably have a bigger Starbucks budget than that! How about you do what the network wants, and the viewers want. Just add the DD5.1 and puty an end to all the harassment I plan to deal out on you guys until you add the equipmenty for DD5.1.
And you too Bill at WTLV. NBC doesn't do as much DD5.1 as CBS but you need to make the move as well, including ABC too. I still find it interesting how the poorest station in town had DD5.1 first. WJCT. Shame on you network affiliates. :(

And CBS can't even get their primtime in HD like last night. Not one show was in HD that I saw from CBS.

Ran into Bob Ross of CBS Network in the hall at CES. today. I mentioned to him that our local affiliate is still not doing DD5.1. He just shook his head in amazement and said You need to know that the cost to upgrade to DD5.1 is now only $6000!


Do you think we could all start a collection and donate the equipment to them? ;)

CBS was in HD last night. Just not on WTEV, except CSI-Miami. I guess the tech went back to work when the Gators had the game in hand.

I would be too embarrased to admit I worked at WTEV.

The Versus/Golf HD channel is now available on Comcast (ch. 405) although I haven't seen anything yet in HD.

No sign of MyNetwork. In fact, it is no longer listed on Comcast's channel lineup changes.

http://www.comcast.com/lineupchanges/

Do you think we could all start a collection and donate the equipment to them? ;)

We should all write a paper letter to the station manager with a copy to CBS Network! Same goes for NBC and ABC but I'm not up on the DD5.1 content on those networks.

CBS was in HD last night. Just not on WTEV, except CSI-Miami. I guess the tech went back to work when the Gators had the game in hand.

I would be too embarrased to admit I worked at WTEV.

Your statement is confusing. Which primetime show was in HD on CBS on Monday? I saw "How I met your mother", not in HD, "The Class", not in HD, "Two and a Half Men", not in HD. These were from 8pm-9:30pm.
This is the local thread so we are assuming everyone is talking about local channels. I was specifically commenting about the poor quality from our local CBS station in reply to Don's message also about CBS and no 5.1.

All the shows were in HD on CBS. Only CSI Miami was in HD on WTEV.

I got CSI Miami in HD, but all the others as mentioned were not. What is the deal with that, do they have to flip a switch at WTEV or something? During NFL weekends it happens quite often and usually on the jags game that it doesnt come in HD, but all the others do.

Yes, WTEV needs to flip a switch. They are the only station in town that routinely fails this high tech chore.

Admittedly, I don't watch much network HDTV in prime time but "flipping the switch" has always been the biggest failure as I recall by local stations.
For a long time I had the WCBS HDTV network via a friendly waiver from old WJXT when it was CBS and the WCBS was first to get DD5.1 a couple years ago. They also never missed the beat on switching from SD commercials to HD programming. As for PQ, when I did rarely do comparison between WTEV and WCBS, they were about the same, IMO, as I never really measured the bandwidth. When WJXT lost the CBS affiliation, under the FCC regs, my waiver simply continued because there was no provision in the law to re-examine and rewqualify until, I recall 2008. But as most of you know, I along with the rest of the country lost WCBS when DishNetwork was punished for not following waiver procedure on a few people some years ago. They were forced to cease all distants and have reduced the WCBS and other distants to spot beam only. The crime and the punishment were many years apart and the real victims were those who got caught up in this who actually had legal waivers. So, today I must watch local WTEV and while I have not recently witnessed any failure on the "switch" I surely do miss my DD5.1 on the few programs I do watch.

I've been reading everything I can about how to choose the best OTA antenna for a while now. And I figured it was time to ask if anyone has any firsthand advice for me. I live in Saint Augustine out at the World Golf Village. Here are my results from antennaweb for my zip code (32092):

* red - uhf WTEV-DT 47.1 CBS JACKSONVILLE FL 1° 21.6 19
* red - vhf WTLV-DT 12.1 NBC JACKSONVILLE FL 3° 21.4 13
* red - uhf WAWS-DT 30.1 FOX JACKSONVILLE FL 0° 21.9 32
* red - uhf WJCT-DT 7.1 PBS JACKSONVILLE FL 0° 22.0 38
* red - uhf WJXT-DT 4.1 IND JACKSONVILLE FL 3° 21.4 42
* red - vhf WJXX-DT 25.1 ABC ORANGE PARK FL 3° 21.4 10
* violet - uhf WCWJ-DT 17.1 CW JACKSONVILLE FL 1° 21.6 34

I bought a DA-5200 indoor/outdoor antenna from RadioShack just to see what I could get with my Samsung HL-R5067W. And I was able to pull in everything except ABC and NBC of course since they are VHF. CW came in, but the signal was really weak and I kept losing it.

So my assumption from the above results, is that I will need a directional UHF/VHF antenna with a pretty good range and also a pre-amp to be able to pull CW in well. Does anyone happen live out at the WGV who may be able to give me an idea of a set up that works well for them? Any help is appreciated.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=HD7080P

This is in essence what I have. I purchased something similiar from Home Depot (should be around $60 +/- dollars I think). I have mine on a 30' mast on the outside of my house on the north side of Doctor's lake but receive every OTA signal at 90+/-

You will need a larger directional UHF/VHF antenna, preferably outside on a mast but you might be able to get it to work in your attic but YMMV. As far as an amp I would just try this antenna without one.

Remember and inch to the right or left or inclination up/down can affect your signal, and I would imagine from WGV this will hold true.

From what I understand we have people in St Augustine receiving so you should be able to.

Good Luck

I don't know what may have changed, but the Colts-Ravens game on WTEV (CBS) yesterday was probably the best PQ for a football game I've ever seen from WTEV. This was via Comcast. There was only very minor pixelation in a few camera shots and the picture was razor sharp. I hope this wasn't an aberration and we can expect more of this from WTEV.

I noticed also that CBS was getting good marks around the country on the PQ for the game on the Programming thread.

I don't know what may have changed, but the Colts-Ravens game on WTEV (CBS) yesterday was probably the best PQ for a football game I've ever seen from WTEV. This was via Comcast. There was only very minor pixelation in a few camera shots and the picture was razor sharp. I hope this wasn't an aberration and we can expect more of this from WTEV.
I have to agree. Couldn't believe it was CBS because, for me anyway - via Comcast, it is the worst HD network for sporting events.

Fox is having some outage troubles today with the Bears game.

Questions about receiving receiving the VHF DTV from Orange Park. I live in the subdivision next to the boy scouts camp off of Dr's lake Dr.

I I have tried muliple indoor DTV antennas (amplified and non-amplified). Two of the antennas were supposed to receive VHF DTV but I get nothing on the scan for channels 12 or 25. I receive the UHF DTV channels with no problem. Even with a very cheap multiple years old antenna. VHF is my pain.

I have been looking at purchasing a Winegard Squareshooter antenna (not sure if I need amplified or not).

Is there any trick to getting the VHF Channels? I about about 13 miles from the antenna farm.

Is there any plan for these stations to change to UHF?

Mike

You really shouldn't have much of a problem with ch10 (abc25). Nbc ch13 is more a problem at lower power.

Anecdotally, I found a regular uhf/vhf antenna behind the house (looking thru the house roofline) was much better than the same antenna in the attic (looking only thru one roof). I'm assuming you are considering the Winegard for asthetic reasons.

All our local stations are on channels that will stay legal >2009.

Thanks for this info, I heard the HDMI was better than component for anything over 50", based on your comments, maybe not. Good, then I don't have to be pissed off and enjoy what I got. The picture is great, I always hope for better. LOL

By the way, all games today have been spectacular on Comcast.

JagFan

I see no difference between HDMI and component from the Moto box to my 65" display. The HDMI does make an improvement over component from my Denon DVD player because it allows for the upconversion to 1080i from the DVD player instead of the display. I don't have an HDMI receiver so the HDMI is connected directly to my display and optical to the receiver for audio.

HDMI from cable boxes (not just the Moto) are notoriously flaky so I've just decided to stick with component. Besides, the Playstation 3 now occupies the other HDMI input on my display. Blu-ray on my 1080p display using HDMI looks fantastic.

oh, and I would be amazed if the Jags won in KC. The Chiefs have the best home record of any NFL team during the last 5 years and the Jags aren't exactly world beaters on the road.

I have to agree. Couldn't believe it was CBS because, for me anyway - via Comcast, it is the worst HD network for sporting events.

The Pats/Chargers game is also very good PQ-wise. Nationally, CBS is considered by many to be the gold standard for football PQ, but WTEV has always seemed to screw up the national feed somehow with bad pixelation even though they don't multicast. These 2 playoff games have me hoping they have done something to correct the problems.

Mike - I am just three streets down from the boy scout camp, I have a UHF/VHF directional antenna (60") on a 20' mast, I have no amplifiers and receive everything just fine, but I have the antenna installed outside not an indoor.

With all the trees on our area, you might want to consider an outdour antenna or try an outdoor antenna inside your attic. Bigger the better.

Good Luck

Questions about receiving receiving the VHF DTV from Orange Park. I live in the subdivision next to the boy scouts camp off of Dr's lake Dr.

I I have tried muliple indoor DTV antennas (amplified and non-amplified). Two of the antennas were supposed to receive VHF DTV but I get nothing on the scan for channels 12 or 25. I receive the UHF DTV channels with no problem. Even with a very cheap multiple years old antenna. VHF is my pain.

I have been looking at purchasing a Winegard Squareshooter antenna (not sure if I need amplified or not).

Is there any trick to getting the VHF Channels? I about about 13 miles from the antenna farm.

Is there any plan for these stations to change to UHF?

Mike

Thanks for this info, I heard the HDMI was better than component for anything over 50", based on your comments, maybe not. Good, then I don't have to be pissed off and enjoy what I got. The picture is great, I always hope for better. LOL

By the way, all games today have been spectacular on Comcast.

JagFan

HDMI is still a work in progress, and from my own experience and everything I've read, the reality is that HDMI may or may not be an improvement over component based on how it is implemented, the equipment used, etc. Now, HDMI 1.3 promises to be the holy grail of connections. We'll see.

If you are into home theater, perfection is always the goal. :)

Two more great playoff games yesterday, both the PQ and the games themselves.

Regarding QAM reception from Comcast, it appears as though I'm picking up other people's On Demand selections. A week ago, I stumbled across the end of Ultraviolet, and while it was playing, it all of a sudden started rewinding. Then, last night, I saw Dane Cook, that "Remote Control" movie with Adam Sandler, and part of an episode of Girls Gone Wild. :D At the end of one or two of 'em, the screen went blank, then switched to 2 little windows that resemble that little picture you seen at the On Demand menu. Same music and everything. Interesting.

I have basic comcast and today I picked up a Vizio 47" LCD at Costco. After scanning for QAM channels, it seems that I am missing several from this recent list that I found on another site. I seem to have all the SD channels but missing several HD channels. Noted below. Anyone else experiencing similar issues.

HD Channels:

Channel Name
103-1 INHD HD -- YES :)
103-3 INHD HD -- YES :)
104-1 WJXX(25-ABC) HD -- NO :(
104-2 WTLV (12-NBC) HD-- NO :(
105-1 WAWS (30-FOX) HD -- YES :)
105-4 WCWJ (17-CW) HD-- NO :(
106-3 Music HD HD -- YES :)
114-1 WJCT (8-PBS) HD-- NO :(
114-2 WTEV (47-CBS) HD -- YES :)

SD Channels:

Channel Name
73-1 Discovery
73-2 TLC
73-3 Nick
73-4 Cartoon
73-5 AMC
73-6 USA
73-7 Comedy
73-8 SCI-FI
73-9 VH-1
73-10 BET
74-1 HGTV
74-2 Disney
74-4 ESPN Classic
74-5 Fuse
74-6 CMT
74-7 Speed
74-8 History
74-9 E
76-3 Public
76-4 Public
76-6 Real Estate
76-8 ShopNBC
77-1 Weather
77-2 TBS
77-3 Fox News
77-4 FX
77-5 TNT
77-6 ABC Family
77-7 TV Guide
77-8 Sun Sports
77-9 Weatherscan
77-11 EWTN
77-12 CNBC
78-12 Fox (30)
78-13 WJXT (4-Ind)
78-14 WJXX (25-ABC)
78-15 WTEV (47-CBS)
78-16 WTLV (12-NBC)
78-17 iTV
78-18 WJCT (8-PBS)
78-19 WCWJ (17-CW)
78-21 WAWS (30-FOX)
78-22 WUFT
78-23 WGN
79-7 ETV
79-9 USA
88-1 NBA Pass
88-2 NBA TV
88-13 Sprout
91-12 Movieplex
93-10 MusicChoice
93-54 MusicChoice
94-10 History
94-11 Bravo
104-3 WeatherPlus
107-14 MTV 2
110-1 CNN
110-2 HNN
110-3 Animal
110-4 C-SPAN 2
110-5 Golf
110-7 GAC
110-8 We
110-9 Hallmark
110-10 FSN
110-11 CSS
110-12 VS
111-1 COURT
111-2 C-SPAN
111-3 ESPN2
111-4 HSN
111-5 ESPN
111-6 Food
111-7 Life
111-8 A&E
111-9 Spike
111-10 TVLand
111-11 Bravo
111-12 QVC
114-4 WJCT-Create

wow you picked up all those channels for free?

I don't know what to tell you. I just re-check on my Sony KDF-50E2000 and they were all there. I also subscribe to the basic package. My only guess is that it must be something with the QAM tuner in the Vizio.

FYI - if anyone knows someone or has a HR10-250 Directv HD Tivo for sale let me know - I would like to purchase one.

Just thought I would post here as well as search the forums and ebay/Craigslist.

Thanks

Hello all,

I am in need of some expert antenna advice.
I live in Arlington, near JU and got a Sony BR2 for Christmas. I went to Wal-mart and got a basic $10 UHF/VHF antenna and I can not get ABC. NBC comes and goes depending on the antenna placement.

Here is my breakdown from antennaweb:

yellow - uhf WJXT-DT 4.1 IND JAX FL 163° 7.5 42
* yellow - vhf WJXX-DT 25.1 ABC O.P. FL 163° 7.5 10
* yellow - uhf WTEV-DT 47.1 CBS JAX FL 168 7.0 19
* yellow - vhf WTLV-DT 12.1 NBC JAX FL 163° 7.5 13
* yellow - uhf WAWS-DT 30.1 FOX JAX FL 169° 6.6 32
* yellow - uhf WJCT-DT 7.1 PBS JAX FL 169° 6.6 38
* yellow - uhf WJEB-DT 59.1 TBN JAX FL 167 7.0 44
* yellow - uhf WCWJ-DT 17.1 CW JAX FL 166° 7.0 34

As you can see, I'm only about 7 miles from the downtown antennas. I live in a single story brick home, with no major trees or buildings.
I would like to purchase an inexpensive ($25 or so) indoor antenna from a local brick and mortar store for ease of returning and trying another one it if it doesn't work.

I have done some research, but there are still several models that look good.
Any suggestions on models?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Hello all,

I am in need of some expert antenna advice.
I live in Arlington, near JU and got a Sony BR2 for Christmas. I went to Wal-mart and got a basic $10 UHF/VHF antenna and I can not get ABC. NBC comes and goes depending on the antenna placement.

Here is my breakdown from antennaweb:

yellow - uhf WJXT-DT 4.1 IND JAX FL 163° 7.5 42
* yellow - vhf WJXX-DT 25.1 ABC O.P. FL 163° 7.5 10
* yellow - uhf WTEV-DT 47.1 CBS JAX FL 168 7.0 19
* yellow - vhf WTLV-DT 12.1 NBC JAX FL 163° 7.5 13
* yellow - uhf WAWS-DT 30.1 FOX JAX FL 169° 6.6 32
* yellow - uhf WJCT-DT 7.1 PBS JAX FL 169° 6.6 38
* yellow - uhf WJEB-DT 59.1 TBN JAX FL 167 7.0 44
* yellow - uhf WCWJ-DT 17.1 CW JAX FL 166° 7.0 34

As you can see, I'm only about 7 miles from the downtown antennas. I live in a single story brick home, with no major trees or buildings.
I would like to purchase an inexpensive ($25 or so) indoor antenna from a local brick and mortar store for ease of returning and trying another one it if it doesn't work.

I have done some research, but there are still several models that look good.
Any suggestions on models?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

I live in St. Johns about 12 miles from the antenna farm and I haven't been able to find an indoor antenna that works well with the to VHF station, 12 (13-1) and 25 (10-1).

I finally put a Radio Shack $39 one in the attic and all is well. Now, an attic mount decreases the antenna's gain by as much as 50%, but given how close you are that shouldn't be an issue.

I currently have the basic Motorola Comcast HD cable box (my current HD TV does not have a built in HD tuner). Becuase I am a Comcast broadband user I am able to recieve all of the "basic" SD & HD stations without being a Digital Cable subscriber (I primarly use DT*). I use the Comcast HD box to get local HD. I gave up on using an OTA anntena (after trying several). So until DT* starts beaming down local HD I am stuck.

Now to my real question - Does anyone know if you can get the Comcast HD PVR WITHOUT being a Digital Cable subscriber. I recently added a small HD TV in another room (also with no HT tuner) and was thinking of moving my existing box to that room and getting the Motorola HD PVR for the main TV.

Thanks in advance for your help !!!

All I can say is GOOD LUCK. I am at St. Johns and Beach Blvd (also about 7 miles from the farm) and gave up after going through several antennas (indoor, attic and outdoor). I could never get consistant reception. And when I did I had to repoint the antenna to get differant channels. I ended up with the Comcast HD Cable Box ($8 a month since I am a broadband customer). I wouldn't even have needed that if my TV was newer and had a built in HD tuner.

Again good luck !!!!

Hello all,

I am in need of some expert antenna advice.
I live in Arlington, near JU and got a Sony BR2 for Christmas. I went to Wal-mart and got a basic $10 UHF/VHF antenna and I can not get ABC. NBC comes and goes depending on the antenna placement.

Here is my breakdown from antennaweb:

yellow - uhf WJXT-DT 4.1 IND JAX FL 163° 7.5 42
* yellow - vhf WJXX-DT 25.1 ABC O.P. FL 163° 7.5 10
* yellow - uhf WTEV-DT 47.1 CBS JAX FL 168 7.0 19
* yellow - vhf WTLV-DT 12.1 NBC JAX FL 163° 7.5 13
* yellow - uhf WAWS-DT 30.1 FOX JAX FL 169° 6.6 32
* yellow - uhf WJCT-DT 7.1 PBS JAX FL 169° 6.6 38
* yellow - uhf WJEB-DT 59.1 TBN JAX FL 167 7.0 44
* yellow - uhf WCWJ-DT 17.1 CW JAX FL 166° 7.0 34

As you can see, I'm only about 7 miles from the downtown antennas. I live in a single story brick home, with no major trees or buildings.
I would like to purchase an inexpensive ($25 or so) indoor antenna from a local brick and mortar store for ease of returning and trying another one it if it doesn't work.

I have done some research, but there are still several models that look good.
Any suggestions on models?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

I live in St. Johns about 12 miles from the antenna farm and I haven't been able to find an indoor antenna that works well with the to VHF station, 12 (13-1) and 25 (10-1).

I finally put a Radio Shack $39 one in the attic and all is well. Now, an attic mount decreases the antenna's gain by as much as 50%, but given how close you are that shouldn't be an issue.

I live near Beach and Hodges and also put up a Radio Shack antenna in the attic which works fine.

I currently have the basic Motorola Comcast HD cable box (my current HD TV does not have a built in HD tuner). Becuase I am a Comcast broadband user I am able to recieve all of the "basic" SD & HD stations without being a Digital Cable subscriber (I primarly use DT*). I use the Comcast HD box to get local HD. I gave up on using an OTA anntena (after trying several). So until DT* starts beaming down local HD I am stuck.

Now to my real question - Does anyone know if you can get the Comcast HD PVR WITHOUT being a Digital Cable subscriber. I recently added a small HD TV in another room (also with no HT tuner) and was thinking of moving my existing box to that room and getting the Motorola HD PVR for the main TV.

Thanks in advance for your help !!!

I am almost positive you cannot, but I am not sure I asked that question in Decmber when I picked up the 3416. By the way, mine works great. My TV has a HD tuner and just once so far, both tuners in the DVR were recording and we watched a third HD show on a different channel.

I currently have the basic Motorola Comcast HD cable box (my current HD TV does not have a built in HD tuner). Becuase I am a Comcast broadband user I am able to recieve all of the "basic" SD & HD stations without being a Digital Cable subscriber (I primarly use DT*). I use the Comcast HD box to get local HD. I gave up on using an OTA anntena (after trying several). So until DT* starts beaming down local HD I am stuck.

Now to my real question - Does anyone know if you can get the Comcast HD PVR WITHOUT being a Digital Cable subscriber. I recently added a small HD TV in another room (also with no HT tuner) and was thinking of moving my existing box to that room and getting the Motorola HD PVR for the main TV.

Thanks in advance for your help !!!

No. You have to be a subscriber to their DIGITAL package before you can get the DVR. I asked when I got the HD box for my Basic 1 subscription. Although I subscribe to DirecTV, I got the Comcast basic HD package just so I'd have a reliable way of getting the HD locals.

Last I checked, the D* LIL HD are supposed to begin in February (per the CSR I spoke with in December).

So until DT* starts beaming down local HD I am stuck.


Well appantly your wait is nearly over. I spoke to direct yestiddy and they said HD Locals will be available in Feb 2007! Yipee!!~! :D

I live in St. Johns about 12 miles from the antenna farm and I haven't been able to find an indoor antenna that works well with the to VHF station, 12 (13-1) and 25 (10-1).

I finally put a Radio Shack $39 one in the attic and all is well. Now, an attic mount decreases the antenna's gain by as much as 50%, but given how close you are that shouldn't be an issue.

Where is the 'antenna farm'? I thought it was downtown, but apparently not.

Where is the 'antenna farm'? I thought it was downtown, but apparently not.

Hogan Road. You can see it as you are travelling north on Southside Blvd.

Here is a link to the initial review I did of it for Epinions (this was pre-OTA):

http://www0.epinions.com/content_264281886340

As for your other questions:

I am currently connecting the HR20 to a Sony KDF-50E2000 with both component and HDMI so I can test how well the software downloads for the HR20 are doing in clearing up some of the initial HDMI issues. So far, the audio out of synch problem over HDMI seems to be fixed. I have no issues with component.

I'm not sure the tuner in the HR20 is the best. For example, I can get all of the local stations OTA fine with the ATSC tuner in the Sony, but the HR20 has periodic problems locking onto WAWS, and occasionally a couple of the others.

Recording reliability has improved considerably with the latest software download, but up to that point it has been somewhat quirky. I haven't had as many problems as others have reported in the HR20-700 thread on the DBSTalk forum:

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112

Now, there are some really nice things about it: a 90 minute buffer and a slick way of setting a series link (e.g. "season pass"): you just hit the record button twice while on a program in the guide. That's it. No waiting.

I would recommend it, but with caution. D* is still working on ironing out the bugs, and I believe it will evenutally be as reliable as my HR10-250. Keep in mind that the latest date I was given for HD locals for the Jacksonville area was February, 2007. So, if they are of interest to you, they are in MPEG4 and you will need the 5 LNB dish and HR20 to receive them.


I've had the HR20-700 for about three weeks... it was a swap from DirecTV for my old HR10-250 which was having some issues.

Took a little getting used to, but I like it. I was having some strange freeze/skip problems on local HD stations, but that seems to be OK now after an update I downloaded last night. At least it seems better...

I've had the HR20-700 for about three weeks... it was a swap from DirecTV for my old HR10-250 which was having some issues.

Took a little getting used to, but I like it. I was having some strange freeze/skip problems on local HD stations, but that seems to be OK now after an update I downloaded last night. At least it seems better...

I agree. The beta release 11b so far seems to be the most stable yet.

Well appantly your wait is nearly over. I spoke to direct yestiddy and they said HD Locals will be available in Feb 2007! Yipee!!~! :D

Anyone have word about when in February we might get HD locals?

Anyone have word about when in February we might get HD locals?

Their story changes periodically, but the last I heard it was supposed to be the end of the month...so time to order one of those HR20-700 DVRs if you don't have one already. The latest software release, 11b has SO much improved the reliability.

Did anyone watch Amercan Idol in HD tonight (1/25)? My DVR only picked up 2 hrs of SD w/ massive frame skipping.

Did anyone watch Amercan Idol in HD tonight (1/25)? My DVR only picked up 2 hrs of SD w/ massive frame skipping.

Same here. I thought I had set the DVR to record 30 instead of 30-1, but no. It apparently was not HD last night.

After a little investigation , I found out that one of the units in the path for the digital transmitter failed last night. In the process, it crashed the splicer, so they couldn't go HD.

After Idol was over they bypassed the bad unit, rebooted the splicer and got everything back on the air.

Since they had to do troubleshooting to find the problem, they wisely decided not to inturrupt AI, since the troubleshooting would require them to repeatedly go off digitial while they bypassed different units.

....although, come to think of it, there were several people I wish HAD been blanked out! :)

Did anyone watch Amercan Idol in HD tonight (1/25)? My DVR only picked up 2 hrs of SD w/ massive frame skipping.


I haven't tried to watch yet but I was trying to ck on the recording and see the menu at the same time, I heard the sound going in and out. I thought it was just because I had two recordings going at same time and I was asking it to show menus.

Since the subject is recording problems, I have tried three times to record Rome on HBO and it comes out blank. Is it copy protection on the HDMI cable?

Yeah idol skipped a lot last night. I tried to watch from the DVR in HD, totally unwatchable IMO.

Yeah idol skipped a lot last night. I tried to watch from the DVR in HD, totally unwatchable IMO.

Things should be back to normal now.

Their story changes periodically, but the last I heard it was supposed to be the end of the month...so time to order one of those HR20-700 DVRs if you don't have one already. The latest software release, 11b has SO much improved the reliability.

Last I heard no new HD Locals until the new Sats are launched.

Last I heard no new HD Locals until the new Sats are launched.

With D*, you can never be too sure! I may be wrong, but I believe that the capacity for HD locals in Jacksonville actually has already been cared for. They were supposed to be turned on for us in December, but the date was pushed back until February of this year.

It is certainly true that they are limited to roll out HD locals to other areas, as well as providing all of the new HD national channels they have announced until the 2 birds go up this year.

Thanks for the AI feedback everyone....BTW, the torrent still looks great. :D :D :D

With D*, you can never be too sure! I may be wrong, but I believe that the capacity for HD locals in Jacksonville actually has already been cared for. They were supposed to be turned on for us in December, but the date was pushed back until February of this year.

It is certainly true that they are limited to roll out HD locals to other areas, as well as providing all of the new HD national channels they have announced until the 2 birds go up this year.

Petergary,

I hope you are correct but reading the DBS forums says you are not. Several cities that are in the same boat as Jacksonville have been pushed back yet again and the prevailing wisdon is that no new Local HDs until the birds fly.

I spoke to Directv last night and the date is 02/28/07 for the Jacksonville HD locals.

I have the same QAM issues as mrpicken, except that I pick up 105-4, and the 114 QAM channels work, but are very very choppy. I believe it is the samsung tuner, since I have a samsung tv w/ built in tuner, and an external tuner for my other tv. My sisters SONY w/ built in tuner picks up all the QAM channels. Does anyone know the difference between the singals FOX sends out vs. ABC via comcast QAM? Has anyone called up comcast or the local tv stations to ask about this issue? I had to watch Grey's Anatomy on standard def (my antenna didn't pick up abc last night), and it sucked =( Any suggestions?

I spoke to Directv last night and the date is 02/28/07 for the Jacksonville HD locals.

You beat me to it! Just got off the phone with D*.

I spoke to Directv last night and the date is 02/28/07 for the Jacksonville HD locals.

Who did you talk to? CSR's have known to be clueless in the past. This is one time I hope to be wrong.

Who did you talk to? CSR's have known to be clueless in the past. This is one time I hope to be wrong.

I have spoken (within the last 2 days) to both a CSR and tech support. Tech support seems to be the more reliable....they are both saying Feb, 2007. Of course, in December they were both saying Dec, 2006, but you know how it goes!

In any case, I'm ready for MPEG4!

jaxhdtv.com A dedicated forum for jax folks. Its there, just waiting for yall to use it.

Anyone interested in being a moderator on it let me know.

According to my bill and DirecTV's CS, HD locals in Jacksonville went live last night. Cant wait to test when I get home... can anyone confirm?

According to my bill and DirecTV's CS, HD locals in Jacksonville went live last night. Cant wait to test when I get home... can anyone confirm?

Well, I called for my dad and I was told that they were pushed back to Mid-April 2007. That whole group of cities that was included with Jacksonville were also pushed backed to Mid-April. Directv must be having some type of problem with the sat.

This is getting ridiculous.

This is getting ridiculous.

It totally is. It went from Dec 06 to Feb 07 now to April 07. Realistically, knowing Directv, the HD locals probably won't go live until Aug of 07.

According to my bill and DirecTV's CS, HD locals in Jacksonville went live last night. Cant wait to test when I get home... can anyone confirm?

Nope. Nothing added. Still the same aweful SD versions.

just watched american idol OTA and it really shows off how good HD is on my LCD , even the coke commercial look great..wish all shows on HD was that good

Im glad I have an OTA antenna, at this rate, we are never getting the HD Locals over a D* feed.

Told you. No new locals until the birds fly which means not until this summer.

For those waiting for locals in HD on D*, it's looking bad.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6415378.html?display=Breaking+News

Note that they say the 1st bird is for the new national HD channels. Meaning local HD is on the (maybe) 2008 bird.

One issue which may have contributed to the push back by D* is that they were supposed to launch two birds this year...one was supposed to go up by a SeaLaunch missile in the Pac...about a week ago, SeaLaunch had a launch vehicle blow up on the launch pad at liftoff...this puts all of their future launch plans in question...D* may be re-evaluating their options for supplying HD nationals, possibly reprograming/re-allocating bandwidth to meet the national rollouts at the expense of the locals until SeaLaunch can resolve their launch vehicle failure...

For those waiting for locals in HD on D*, it's looking bad.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6415378.html?display=Breaking+News

Note that they say the 1st bird is for the new national HD channels. Meaning local HD is on the (maybe) 2008 bird.

I was under the impression that the Spaceway sats were being used for LIL HD. I know D* recently entered into a new contract with a vendor to provide the equipment needed to uplink the HD stations to D*. Maybe they just don't have the equipment in place yet.

I was under the impression that the Spaceway sats were being used for LIL HD. I know D* recently entered into a new contract with a vendor to provide the equipment needed to uplink the HD stations to D*. Maybe they just don't have the equipment in place yet.

That could be it b/c if it was satellite related you they wouldn't keep moving the start date back. And yes, the Spaceways are supposed to be for HD LIL so it seems to me that D* is trying to get somethings into place.

Help...Anyone one know when...?

I convinced my brother to go with Dish Network because i thought they were going to broadcast locals in HD....that was 4 months ago...

He is still mad at me...

I taught him how to get the Local OTA HD with a Terk UHF Antenna...

But, He can't get all the Local OTA with the Terk UHF antenna he has..( NBC not showing up) and its hard helping from up here in Northern VA...

It would easier for him just to get them from E*.. He just dosen't understand the concept of Local OTA working independent from the Dish...


Thanks

Charlie

Tell your brother that both NBC and ABC use VHF for HD here. Channels 13 and 10. And NBC is quite weak, so he needs a good VHF/UHF antenna.

Tell your brother that both NBC and ABC use VHF for HD here. Channels 13 and 10. And NBC is quite weak, so he needs a good VHF/UHF antenna.


That explains it....

Thanks for the help...

Charlie

I watched the Dayton 500 in HD via OTA (Channel 30-1) and the audio portion was broadcast in DD! Sounded great...when I switched to check it out on my D* H20, the audio was in stereo (I was watching the D*on 30-1 as with OTA). I would have thought the D* would have carried the DD thru to the amp,which is connected to the H20 by digital hookup.

Does anyone have word on when the other locals will have DD available for audio?