I am new to the "over air" HD stuff. I have a Samsung 42" plasma. I was curious what antenna you guys recommend to receive HD broadcasts. I got screwed with dish network as they don't offer local channels in HD. I was hoping to catch the football games over air. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

I am new to the "over air" HD stuff. I have a Samsung 42" plasma. I was curious what antenna you guys recommend to receive HD broadcasts. I got screwed with dish network as they don't offer local channels in HD. I was hoping to catch the football games over air. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

You can do a search of this thread for more detailed information on other's experience, but here's a short summary:

1. If you can do outdoor...that is your best option. Make sure it is both VHF and UHF since 12 (NBC) and 25 (ABC) are both in the VHF band (13-1 and 10-1). You typically can get by with a basic Radio Shack or Channel Master.

2. If you can't do outdoor for whatever reason, and you have an attic, that is the next best option. You will, however, lose up to 50% or more efficiency with an attic mount. However, in some cases that will be enough (it is for me).

3. Indoor antennas are spotty at best, even the powered ones. I went through many before finally giving up and doing the attic mount.

Don't want to start a D* versus E* debate, but just for information...with DirecTV only one dish is needed and we have HD locals (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox....PBS is supposed to be up toward the end of the year...no word on the CW).

They are aware of that and so am I. Dish is a no brainer for them because they would pay peanuts for it. They would share it with relatives next to them and the relatives only want $5 per each additonal box (they already have an existing account). That is a deal that no one else can even come close to. The problem is that the family next store has a very basic set up (no HD, no DVR), that's why I'm asking about the issue of the dishes.

Miniz: The sharing arrangement will violate the user contract. There are limits on how many leased tuners Dish will allow per address and the DVRs are probably going to require a phone connection. The relatives are looking at an audit from Dish and having the service turned off when they get caught. I would expect some penalties to restore service.

Peter: It was a joke. I think we agree that both providers have their strengths and weaknesses. When it is all said and done, both services are going to end up with almost the identical channels at comparable prices. It is only a matter of timing.

Ward

Miniz: The sharing arrangement will violate the user contract. There are limits on how many leased tuners Dish will allow per address and the DVRs are probably going to require a phone connection. The relatives are looking at an audit from Dish and having the service turned off when they get caught. I would expect some penalties to restore service.


What if they connect all the units to the same phone line? No one would ever know.

If they do that, they will be in violation of both user agreements/contracts with the phone company and Dish. User agreements are unique for individual physical addresses. From a legal perspective, they can be subject to damages from both companies and face lawsuits seeking treble (triple) damages for civil theft. It is also possible that they could be prosecuted for criminal theft which can be a felony or a misdemeanor depending on the amount owed to the service providers.

Bottom line, don't do it. Getting caught is not the issue. What they are thinking about doing is not legal. Yes, I am a lawyer.

...Peter: It was a joke. I think we agree that both providers have their strengths and weaknesses. When it is all said and done, both services are going to end up with almost the identical channels at comparable prices. It is only a matter of timing.

Ward

Never took it as anything but. :D

My advice to people is to find a provider that has the programming they desire and go with them. There are people who have success and horror stories with every provider...

You can do a search of this thread for more detailed information on other's experience, but here's a short summary:

1. If you can do outdoor...that is your best option. Make sure it is both VHF and UHF since 12 (NBC) and 25 (ABC) are both in the VHF band (13-1 and 10-1). You typically can get by with a basic Radio Shack or Channel Master.

2. If you can't do outdoor for whatever reason, and you have an attic, that is the next best option. You will, however, lose up to 50% or more efficiency with an attic mount. However, in some cases that will be enough (it is for me).

3. Indoor antennas are spotty at best, even the powered ones. I went through many before finally giving up and doing the attic mount.

I did the Antenna Web thing and it says I am in a yellow area, although that doesn't tell me much. Am I in the same boat as you? If so what do the attic mount antennas cost, maybe something similar to what you have or something comparable that will get me a decent broadcast.

Well, I'm down in Fruit Cove so this (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103085&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032205&parentPage=family) Rat Shack worked for me as an attic mount. It is the model VU90XR.

Attic mounts are a real pain, since I had to assemble it up there, then rotate it through the rafters without bending any of the elements. Finally, feeding the coax through the wall was a lot of fun....however....the results have worked fine.

I'm using the OTA tuners in a DirecTV HR20-700 and HR20-100 and they are pretty sensitive, so the 50% reduction in efficiency with the attic mount isn't a problem.

However, and here is the caveat, because that worked for me I can't guarantee you'd have the same results! OTA is tricky at best and believe it or not, having the aim off by as little as an inch or two means the difference between getting a signal and not. I know. I"ve been there.

Is anyone else getting annoying digital breakups every minute or so on the Olympics coverage via QAM?

Edit: It must be the live coverage. The commercials have no audio dropouts or digital breakups!

does anyone know if casey black from wjxt-channel 4 is recently married or engaged? thanks for any info.
She's married but her husband is over in Iraq fighting for 'your' freedom... Go from there.

How come there has been no mention of Fox News HD Comcast at 429?

I sure hope everyone is okay. Be safe. Ward

How's the reception been for everyone during Fay?

Comcast has had some brief dropouts and there have been some off and on problems watching the Olympics with the picture not being stable, but I've been surprised that there have been no major outages, at least for me (knocking on wood). I'm in the Deerwood area, how about other areas of town? Have there been rain fade issues for D* and E* subs?

Peter: Are you ok?

Peter: Are you ok?

Yes, thanks for asking. I didn't even know a tornado was passing through Fruit Cove until a friend called to let me know!

How are things your way?

How's the reception been for everyone during Fay?

Comcast has had some brief dropouts and there have been some off and on problems watching the Olympics with the picture not being stable, but I've been surprised that there have been no major outages, at least for me (knocking on wood). I'm in the Deerwood area, how about other areas of town? Have there been rain fade issues for D* and E* subs?


I'm in Orange Park and I had no rainfade issues during Fay. Other people I know who have D* said they had no issues as well.

I had slight breakup, but only for a few minutes.

I live in Mandarin and was without Comcast for 24 hours yesterday. We only had slight power issues, however.

I had read some where that some VHF HD channels might move to UHF after Feb. Has anyone else seen this? If so would this affect 12 & 25?

Thanks

I had read some where that some VHF HD channels might move to UHF after Feb. Has anyone else seen this? If so would this affect 12 & 25?

Thanks


I don't know about those two specifically, but I have seen some of the same things posted about other stations.

With ABC (10.1), moving to channel 25 would be a good thing since that would put it in the UHF band. NBC (13.1) would still be in the VHF range if it reverts to channel 12.

It sure would simplify OTA if all the local stations were in the UHF range though.

As far as I know, 12 and 25 are staying put on 13 and 10. I've seen no filings with the FCC to the contrary.

- Trip

Hello everyone - I was thinking of selling two rows (row of three and a row of two) Irwin Marquee theatre seats that I have had for several years but no long use. My wife and I have recovered them and I can snap a few pictues if you like. I posted these a while back (2005) but never got any nibbles just thought I would try again.

Below is the link with a picture from my post in 2005.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5771238#post5771238

I might put them on Craigslist if no one here has an interest, just shoot me a PM if you would like to see them. I am in Orange Park, close to US17 and Kingsley off of Doctors Lake Drive.

As far as I know, 12 and 25 are staying put on 13 and 10. I've seen no filings with the FCC to the contrary.


I have the same info, though I wish more DMA's were UHF only. There will be quite a few with only 1-2 VHF stations.

However, I show the Jacksonville PBS stations will be VHF as well for a total of 4 as of next year (7,8,10,13). However, WXGA 8 isn't exactly local. Perhaps I can find a better DMA for it.

What happened to WCWJ's plans to move to a top mount? The latest Form 387 says they are ready, so I'm assuming they scrapped the prior plans:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=618862

I cant get ABC in HD to save my life. Comcast is pissing me off. I get everything else. I tried 1.6 and 70.6.

Check out this site for QAM listings. I have been using it and I want to know if you guys find it to be a good source and reliable. Also, I wanted to knwo your opinion of how quickly it updates after a change by comcast.

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32256

Anyone in the Drs Inlet experiencing a total Comcast outage this afternoon? We didn't experience any problems during the storm but we're out this afternoon. Everything was ok this morning and internet is up and running but no TV. Can't get through to Comcast - but then I expected that.

Anyone know if WJXT is planning on passing the HD signal from Raycom of next weekend's Hawaii vs Florida game?

I'm also curious how the Gator feeds work for JAX. This is the first season we've lived in JAX during the football season. Not sure if its considered "blacked out" and you have to do PPV or if the local affiliates show the game.

The DirecTV guide is showing it as the Gator game, but WJXT website is showing Paid Programming :(

Yes, thanks for asking. I didn't even know a tornado was passing through Fruit Cove until a friend called to let me know!

How are things your way?

Everything is fine. Amazingly little damage and almost no street flooding, which given the part of the beach where I live is stunning.

Jerry, I know you'll see this. Kudos to you and the crew at 47. I never saw a picture loss or signal break-up anytime I watched your broadcast. But, can you explain the signal strength issue when it is sunny and clear. Just kidding. Thanks again.

Ward

I cant get ABC in HD to save my life. Comcast is pissing me off. I get everything else. I tried 1.6 and 70.6.

Check out this site for QAM listings. I have been using it and I want to know if you guys find it to be a good source and reliable. Also, I wanted to knwo your opinion of how quickly it updates after a change by comcast.

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32256

That's a great find. Never saw it before, and it would be a really great resource if it is kept up to date, given how Comcast apparently likes to play with the QAM channels.

How do you get these QAM channels that you speak of?

You have to subscribe to at least a basic Comcast package and have an HDTV with a QAM tuner built in. You will then be able to receive any of the unencrypted channels, including the local HD stations.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082608/met_322935743.shtml
ATT officially launched U-verse in Jacksonville today. I put in my westside address into the U-Verse site but it came up as unavailable.
Dan

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082608/met_322935743.shtml
ATT officially launched U-verse in Jacksonville today. I put in my westside address into the U-Verse site but it came up as unavailable.
Dan

Don't forget the last time AT&T was the cable provider in Jax. They lost the franchise to Comcast because there were so many complaints.

Any more info on 25-1 ABC getting the transmitter fixed. it is very hard to get a stable picture on my antenna any more. They seem to have so little power compared to all the other stations ,i get just fine in southern St Johns country. Thanks for any info.

I don't have any inside information, but you can bet for sure that they will be full power by February 17, 2009 when they have to shut off analog broadcasting.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082608/met_322935743.shtml
ATT officially launched U-verse in Jacksonville today. I put in my westside address into the U-Verse site but it came up as unavailable.
Dan

Same here. I'd like to know where they have actually launched service in the Jax area. Even though I had horrible experiences with the old AT&T Broadband, I don't believe there is much similarity.

Since I already have voice and internet through AT&T, it appears I could save some money through U-Verse. The HD channel offerings are better than what Comcast has currently, and the DVR has to be better.

This information may already be known - but for us newer folks I thought I'd pass on WJXTs answer to the Gators HD question:


We are in the process of upgrading our equipment and systems, as well as
obtaining HD programming. We hope to be broadcasting in HD later this
year. We appreciate your patience as we go through this process.

That's a nice response from them. I'll look forward to actual HD from them instead of the current stretch-o-vision.

Thanks for checking with them.

I believe AT&T U-Verse is up in the Argyle Forest area 32244. I checked the channel line-up, looks pretty good. Can't wait to come to my area.

At&t has not made it to my area of argyle, 32244, near the corner of shindler and collins. We are one street back from argyle forest drive.

at&t has a great lineup but i would like them to pick up FSN in HD

It looks like WJXT found a way to broadcat the Gator game in HD. Kudos to their engineers!

Just flipped on 4-1 OTA and it sure looks like a 720p HD broadcast. First actual HD I've seen on that station since it stopped being the CBS affiliate.

Nice job WJXT.

Peter: I stayed home yesterday, too hot in G'ville and too early to drink beer. 4 looked HD to me OTA. One of my neighbors complained that it wasn't HD from Direct and someone told me last night that 4 is only SD on Direct. Any info? Thanks. Ward

Actually on DirecTV, 4, and 17 (CW) are both SD. 7 (PBS) and 59 (TBN) are not carried.

As far as yesterday's game being in HD on 4-1 OTA, it most definitely was---and pretty good too. I did some spot checks later in the day to see if anything else was being broadcast in HD, but didn't see any. I guess the Raycom Sports feed was it.

Thanks, I'll pass the info on. It sounds like 4 doesn't have their own hd cameras and since they don't have a network affiliation, the shows they buy will be in sd. It is an interesting question though on why they can broadcast an hd feed ota, but not send it to Direct. Must need some other equipment.

gatorman - it is not a question of why 4 doesn't send a HD feed to Directv, Directv at this time doesn't carry the digital channel (ie HD) for Channel 4 and as Peter mentioned they don't for PBS or CW either.

Maybe one day, but for now we all have to watch via OTA

Any of you fine folks having issues with D* and the big three? I've noticed over the last week or so regular, say 1-2 times/minute, audio and video breakups on ABC (Alabama/Clemson), CBS (US Open), and I think NBC HD (PGA). The SD equivalents do not do this, nor do any of the others I have been watching a lot of (ESPN HD for football, USA HD for tennis for instance). Interestingly, US Open Tennis on USA HD has been flawless, but when CBS had it over the weekend it was bad enough to force me over to SD. That, ladies and gentlemen, means it was serious. ;)

Thanks for any assistance!

We've had spotty weather lately. I'm finding that the MPEG4 channels seem a bit more prone to "rain fade" than the MPEG2 ones. That may be the problem.

I've seen the same things.

Jeff: So I guess that means it is a D* decision, probably tied to financial negotiations. You are still better off than I am, given that E* has no locals here in HD. Ward

I don't think it's weather-related. This is going on pretty much whenever I look (via D*) at ABC, CBS, or NBC in HD. Seen it on ABC's Saturday night college football game, CBS coverage of the US Open over the weekend, NBC golf coverage on Monday, and NBC Nightly News. Didn't happen during the Olympics, but started soon after. Again, SD on all is fine, and other HDs are fine. Weather was pretty good yesterday and still saw it during NBC Nightly News. Friend at work has also noticed it during Leno. I wonder if it is specific to our locals on D*.... I'll check OTA tonight, see what it's doing and keep you posted.

From what I've read, it isn't the weather you see and may be experiencing, it is what is actually happening in the upper atmosphere that causes the "rain fade" effect. That apparently is why it can be raining and it have no effect on the picture, yet another time it is clear and there is interruption.

Not stating this as a fact, just the way it was explained to me.

Now, we also have to factor in possible load balancing that DirecTV may or may not be doing between D10 and D11.

Understand and appreciate the info Peter. I know that weather on line-of-sight with the sats can affect the signal, and can be far away. What has been strange has been the regularity and frequency of it for a week now.

Of course, now that I've just come back from watching a couple of possessions of Redskins/Giants on NBC, I'm not seeing it now. I'll keep watching for it and see what happens.

It's just like taking your car to the mechanic with a funny noise--it goes away when you get it there. I should've just said something the first time I saw it and it would have stopped immediately! :rolleyes:

Are the QAM channel listings posted on 6-7-08 by Buzbee2 (page 116) current? Last football season I was able to get FOX and CBS HD on QAM but not today on the channels listed.

All those channels are still the same, but with the caveat that some tuners will see the 1-x virtual numbers and some won't.

The big four real frequencies are
abc 70-6
fox 114-2
cbs 115-1
nbc 115-2

If one doesn't tune, try 1-1, 1-2, etc.

WJXT showed Entertainment Tonight and Dr. Phil in HD this evening. Looks like they have their equipment in.

Also, it appears they have abandonded the stretch-o-vision they had been using. An excellent choice. Nice job.

Anyone watching the Jags game on Directv HD channel 47 and having pixelation issues? Seems to have started Friday for me and is frequent enough to be really annoying.

Yep, I'm seeing it too. This is much like I was reporting a couple of weeks ago and then it stopped. Came back a few days ago--Friday sounds about right--and is on CBS HD and NBC HD at least. My previous observation also included ABC HD, but haven't watched any of it the last few days to know.

Oh, and it's not happening OTA.

Sounds more like an MPEG4 coding error.

I've confirmed since my last post it is on all 4 of our local HDs on D*. ABC and FOX HD both do it also, and I remember specifically seeing it on SNL (NBC) last night. OTA's are clean.

Yeah - I called it into Directv, I suggest everyone that sees it do the same - I can't hurt to notify them of this. Definitely some type of MPEG4 issue.

Yeah I'm having the same issue. Very annoying, especially with the fall TV season right around the corner. When you called DirecTV to tell them, who did you talk to? Just a customer service person or is there someone better to talk to? I want to make sure it gets to the right people so this is fixed as soon as possible.

you probably can call customer service but I tried the Advanced Tech support line that was for HD Tivos back years ago it still works and I just explained to them the issues.

888-713-7772

I live in Jax, too, and am seeing the same issues. Been l like that for a couple of weeks, but worse lately. All the HD locals are spotty. I think they come in on 103s tp 1. My signal on the tp is only 21 ish. That explains why it is spotty. we have perfect weather, and I don't have any obstructions. I wonder is directv moved our locals to a different transponder that does I (we) don't receive well. I live south of Jax off CR210.

I have a call in to have a tech realign my dish on Friday, but I don't think that is the issue.

John

well, according to this thread, the issue is resolved. mods, sorry if posting this link is in violation, delete if necessary, but it is pertinent info.
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=1794096&posted=1#post1794096

Thanks for the link. Good to know DirecTV is taking care of it.

We already have comcast's hd dvr for one tv, but we want to set up a second system in a different room with a projection tv. Since we need to buy a qam tuner for the projector, I know the qam will give us access to the local hds, but will we also be able to see the other hd channels (like espn hd, etc), or do we need to rent a cablecard to descramble these hd channels? Also, does anyone have any recommendations on a qam tuner with a cablecard slot if we need to descramble the non-local hds (besides tivo). Thanks.

You will not be able to get HD except for the locals and discovery theater.

You can't buy a QAM tuner with cablecard except as part of complete system.

Just rent another cable dvr.

anyone else having issues with CBS HD (Directv and OTA)?

Yeah, its WTEV 47 usual quality signal. They can't have single game without having a crappy HD picture at some point.

Edit: They just turned the HD broadcast off. as of 4:46 p.m.

Edit: HD Broadcast back on as 4:55 p.m. They must have called a real CBS station on how to not have macroblocking in your picture.

NBC also has had problems.

Last night SNL and this morning Meet The Press were messed up.

I'm guessing there is no correlation.

since CBS HD sort of fixed their signal any else notice that the volume is very low. I have had to up my volume 25% to even hear the commentators

NBC also has had problems.

Last night SNL and this morning Meet The Press were messed up.

I'm guessing there is no correlation.

CBS 47 is the worst though. You can always bet on either the SEC saturday game or NFL Sunday games in HD will have problems at some point. Look at the jags pre-season coverage. I saw the "we're having technical diffuculties" screen up so much, I thought that was the name of a new jaguar player.

since CBS HD sort of fixed their signal any else notice that the volume is very low. I have had to up my volume 25% to even hear the commentators

At about 5:50pm, my sound went really screwy. Using a 5.1 system, the sound would move around the speakers, but mostly end up on the L Surr one. During commercials, it would go back to normal on some of them.

I know WTEV doesn't pass 5.1, instead sending DD2.0 (stereo). How it put the front audio on a surround speaker is beyond my limited knowledge of audio.

But the game was so exciting, I couldn't get concerned about it.

maybe instead of airing all those ads for people to get ready for the hd switchover, they should heed their own advice. It's a constant embarassment for a tvstation that's supposed to be leading the charge. Let's all hold hands n pray for them

Having skimmed the thread on today's CBS games, there were problems lots of places. Same macroblocking and audio issues as here.

I'm seeing a periodic breakup on ABC during the Emmy telecast.

maybe instead of airing all those ads for people to get ready for the hd switchover, they should heed their own advice. It's a constant embarassment for a tvstation that's supposed to be leading the charge. Let's all hold hands n pray for themI'm praying for you.

There's not going to be an "HD Switchover"...

No HD on 47 today for Price is Right.

Last night and this morning, lots of pixellation and freezes again on locals (NBC in particular during the Today show). Anyone else see this problem popping up again?
JOhn

12, 25 and 47 (on the DirecTV HD feed) are all messed up with sound. OTA is fine.

If anyone has things to be recorded tonight, better use the OTA signal.

Just got off the phone with DirecTV. They are aware of the problem with the sound and are working on it (no estimate of time to fix, however).

12, 25 and 47 (on the DirecTV HD feed) are all messed up with sound. OTA is fine.

If anyone has things to be recorded tonight, better use the OTA signal.Comcast HD locals were messed up as well. Lots of clicks, pops and sound cutting in and out. Video was getting pixelated as well.

Hi all, I'm in Arlington in Jax, I am using the tuner in my lcd and receiving my signal through comcast cable. All of the local broadcast HD channels(FOX/NBC/CW/CBS are heavily pixelated and audio issues lately. The only HD signals I have been getting without issue are HGTV(108-3),Palladia(105-3), Club1080(101-3). It seemed to be sporadic with the signal issues. Last Sunday for football, it poked it's head in on the Sunday night on NBC.??? Is there some maintenance that is going on with Comcast and is anyone else having these issues?

Jerry, the station engineer at 47 and 30, sent me a message that we are currently experiencing sunspot activity that will affect satellite signals.

What's the deal with 12 and 25 HD? No HD for 2 nights in a row.

What's the deal with 12 and 25 HD? No HD for 2 nights in a row.

Yeah same for me...

Same here too.

Ok, this is frustrating, no HD on ABC and NBC 3 nights in a row now. I called comcast last night to inquire and they claim they are not receiving the content in Hi-Def from the networks. That doesn't fly for me. Has anyone heard anything else?

It's not comcast at fault this time. They send what they get.

WJXX is sending SD. WTLV is sending window boxed.

So what's the deal? I called wjxx this morning and got something about auto hd switching stuff they're working on.

But no word on when it's supposed to be fixed. Huge OU/Texas game and no HD. the Suck.

Seriously five years into HD broadcasting and they're still having problems. Is this really rocket science? If it is, NASA is only a couple of hours away, call in a favor.

^ I have no inside information, but if they are installing an autoswitching solution, that is a good thing. That would get a person out of the loop who has to manually switch to the HD feed.

I have a friend who lives just outside of St. Augustine and he asked me what he would need for a DirecTV set up with 2 regular receivers and 1 DVR. Can he get SWM LNB slimline yet in St. Augustine? Does he need a 3 or 5 LNB slimline? He is in a rental property and can't run another wire for the DVR so hopefully one line will work with SWM. The house is wired for cable now.

Also, how is rain fade on SD channels with the slimline and a properly aligned dish?

anyone?

It's not comcast at fault this time. They send what they get.

WJXX is sending SD. WTLV is sending window boxed.

Yep, same thing has been going on with 12 and 25 on DTV most of the week.

Here's a post from earlier this evening on a different forum: I sent an e-mail to three of the managers at Channel 12/25 regarding the loss of full HD and how frustrating it is to their viewing audience. This afternoon I received the following answer from one of the managers:

"We had to go back to SD temporarily to accomodate closed captioning. We are installing new equipment. Thanks for your patience."

EDIT: Also, the First Coast News website now has a web alert on the top of their page saying they are having issues with the HD broadcast on 12 and 25 and are working on it. No estimated time of resolution given. Would have been nice to post that when it started several days ago.

Ok, this is frustrating, no HD on ABC and NBC 3 nights in a row now. I called comcast last night to inquire and they claim they are not receiving the content in Hi-Def from the networks. That doesn't fly for me. Has anyone heard anything else?

I am getting hd signal on cbs right now, Florida/LSU but the pic is "tearing" constantly. NBC is showing as 1080i, but the picture is obviously SD. :confused:

anyone?

Your friend will need a 5 LNB dish. Unfortunately I have no experience with SWM, so can't answer that one. I have 4 lines running from my dish with 2 DVRs.

The MPEG4 channels are a little more sensitive to rain fade, but not dramatically different than the old MPEG2 were.

...
"We had to go back to SD temporarily to accomodate closed captioning. We are installing new equipment. Thanks for your patience."..

Certainly an important update....but who ever said we were patient?? :D:eek::)

Any idea what the new equipment is? Weren't they going to do something this fall to fix the broadcast tower?

Your friend will need a 5 LNB dish. Unfortunately I have no experience with SWM, so can't answer that one. I have 4 lines running from my dish with 2 DVRs.

The MPEG4 channels are a little more sensitive to rain fade, but not dramatically different than the old MPEG2 were.

Anyone have experience with SWM? It really seems like the perfect solution for a rental property.

still not getting HD on abc or nbc. Whats the deal? has anyone heard of a timeline for this getting fixed?

This (http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=120890&catid=3)is the extent of what we know.

Anyone have experience with SWM? It really seems like the perfect solution for a rental property.


miniz - have you checked out dbstalk.com? They are the ones you should be inquiring about SVM - I have read about it but not in a month or two - is it even available to be purchased for retro installs and for that matter will Directv install it in new installs?

if you find something let us know. I'll check around as well.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=142307

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SL5-SWM -- I answered my own question.

I wonder if the dish needs to be realigned if you install the new unit (DIRECTV SL5-SWM) or can you just replace your old lnb?

miniz - have you checked out dbstalk.com? They are the ones you should be inquiring about SVM - I have read about it but not in a month or two - is it even available to be purchased for retro installs and for that matter will Directv install it in new installs?

if you find something let us know. I'll check around as well.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=142307

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SL5-SWM -- I answered my own question.

I wonder if the dish needs to be realigned if you install the new unit (DIRECTV SL5-SWM) or can you just replace your old lnb?

I've checked but it doesn't give me any local info. I was hoping to find someone around the St. Augustine - Jax area who has SWM. Are the local installers offering a SWM LNB dish to new customers if they want/need one without paying to upgrade?

"We had to go back to SD temporarily to accomodate closed captioning. We are installing new equipment. Thanks for your patience."

So... no HD so we can have closed captioning, do we really need closed captioning for football games?.. and wouldn't it be better if they could give us HD without CC as long they can still do captions on SD.

The FCC requires closed captioning. Fail to include it and be fined. Their hands are tied.

- Trip

I subscribe to high definition tv through Comcast. I returned from an out of town trip on Wednesday 10/8 and my service on ABC and NBC has been out of order since then. Even Friday's Oprah on Comcast's channel 437 was not in high definition anymore. It would be helpful for Comcast or the networks to send its customers notifications of the problems. Customers could be a lot more reasonable if we were advised as to 1) the existence technical difficulties 2) a description of the difficulties 3) what action is being taken to correct the difficulties and 4) an estimated time as to when the difficulties will be corrected. Whether the problem is with the networks or Comcast, someone owes the customers more information than has been provided!!

"JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Cost News is experiencing technical difficulties when it comes to our high-definition broadcast.

Currently NBC and ABC are not broadcasting in high definition.

Our staff is working to fix the problem.

We apologize for the inconvenience."

Spellcheck doesn't catch the right spelling of the wrong word, "cost" versus "Coast". :confused: I understand they ordered some parts off E-bay and didn't want to pay the overnight delivery charge. So the parts are coming USPS. Pretty sad when public TV has better and more reliable transmission than NBC and ABC. Very sad. :( BTW, been out for more than 24 hours.

What a cracker box operation.

I just bought a Tivo HD and can manually type in the digital channels and add the channels in the settings menu. The problem is that the new channels only show "To Be announced" in the guide. Anyone else gotten around these problems?

I just bought a Tivo HD and can manually type in the digital channels and add the channels in the settings menu. The problem is that the new channels only show "To Be announced" in the guide. Anyone else gotten around these problems?

Over-the-air, cable or Sat?

no signal at all in southern st johns county today on 12-1 25-1 ota.

Just checked both stations.....they are both on here in northwest St. John's.

I am certainly not here to defend our local stations as they all have their technical issues, but your comments below are they really needed. Do you actually think that this equipment is massed produced and they just contact CompUSA or other provider and FED EX them to them and they install them in an hour.

I am also not here to bash you either so please don't take this that way - just consider that what they are dealing with might take quite a bit longer than you and I going to the store to purchase a router and configuring our house with it.

As far as comparing the other stations - I wouldn't do that as they have had their fair share of issues and what is to say tomorrow PBS or others have technical issues - what then?

"JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Cost News is experiencing technical difficulties when it comes to our high-definition broadcast.

Currently NBC and ABC are not broadcasting in high definition.

Our staff is working to fix the problem.

We apologize for the inconvenience."

Spellcheck doesn't catch the right spelling of the wrong word, "cost" versus "Coast". :confused: I understand they ordered some parts off E-bay and didn't want to pay the overnight delivery charge. So the parts are coming USPS. Pretty sad when public TV has better and more reliable transmission than NBC and ABC. Very sad. :( BTW, been out for more than 24 hours.

What a cracker box operation.

I have a friend who retired as head engineer at an ABC affiliate. He recently was at the station and they showed him the manuals on the latest HD gear. Something like 600+ pages of gobbledygook.

NBC isn't a real problem. They are sending 16x9 HD, and a zoom gives a good full pic. ABC sending 4x3 is annoying. Especially for football.

[QUOTE=jstachowiak;14858637]"JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Cost News is experiencing technical difficulties when it comes to our high-definition broadcast.

Currently NBC and ABC are not broadcasting in high definition.

Our staff is working to fix the problem.

We apologize for the inconvenience."

QUOTE]

This is truly annoying. Bring back the hidef! The least they could do is give an estimate of when it will be fixed.

back to getting the signal for 25-1,12-1.only in the low 60-67 range.every other station is 75-85. will be happy when power goes full for them,and hd returns.

[QUOTE=jstachowiak;14858637]"JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Cost News is experiencing technical difficulties when it comes to our high-definition broadcast.

Currently NBC and ABC are not broadcasting in high definition.

Our staff is working to fix the problem.

We apologize for the inconvenience."

QUOTE]

This is truly annoying. Bring back the hidef! The least they could do is give an estimate of when it will be fixed.

Appears that it was fixed last night in time for HD Obama and McCain, yipee.

NO NBC FOX CBS CW WJXT HD signal tonight????? ABC is coming in but tearing all over the place. Still have HGTV, Palladia and Club1080 without issue.

The OTA stations aren't affected.

Last evening in AB, WJXX, 25-1, was totally unwatchable via OTA...breaking up so bad I couldn't watch the football game...same true on OTA SD and D*...

When are our stations going to get their act together???? If it's not one station, it's another and they're not even owned by the same companies!

I just bought a Tivo HD and can manually type in the digital channels and add the channels in the settings menu. The problem is that the new channels only show "To Be announced" in the guide. Anyone else gotten around these problems?
For the TiVo Series3/HD/XL, you'll need CableCard(s) in order to get the program information for the digital QAM channels from Comcast. You can tune them manually, but the TiVo doesn't have an ability to map the channel numbers to the Comcast channels without CableCard(s) or something from Comcast themselves.

That doesn't keep you from recording it manually by channel number, you just can't get guide data or automatic Season Pass information.

The OTA stuff should map just fine, though.

Looks like HD but not full screen tonight. Are you DTV ready?

Looks like signal strength the issue for Comcast??? Have HD unit for my laptop, checked signal strength for NBC/CBS HD and it's around 28-29db and breaking up, all other HD are around 34+ that have no issues. ABC/PBS HD are coming in @32db and look good. I am getting the signal through tv and laptop via cable.

Just curious about your sarcasm - "Are you DTV ready?" is that a shot at the local stations or we the viewers?:confused:

Looks like HD but not full screen tonight. Are you DTV ready?

Ok guys I've got some questions. I just got DISH but they don't offer any locals in HD. I live in Fernandina but can't pick up NBC and ABC with my 10 dollar antenna. I've tried 50 dollar antenna's and get the same result. I would like to be able to pick up all locals so I can save $5 a month from DISH and get the HDs. What do you recommend I do to get these channels in? Should I get an amplifier or get an antenna for my roof or something?

Thanks.

Your best bet would be a roof-mounted VHF/UHF antenna since both NBC and ABC are in the VHF range (NBC: 13-1, ABC: 10-1).

No indoor antennae that I have tried have worked.

Your best bet would be a roof-mounted VHF/UHF antenna since both NBC and ABC are in the VHF range (NBC: 13-1, ABC: 10-1).

No indoor antennae that I have tried have worked.
Peter,

Is there a specific antenna that you would recommend or have had success with?

Peter,

Is there a specific antenna that you would recommend or have had success with?

Personally I am using one from Radio Shack mounted in my attic. That isn't the best arrangement since it loses about 50% of its gain up there, but I'm close enough to the antenna farm that it doesn't matter.

If you go to http://www.antennaweb.org (http://www.antennaweb.org)you can get really good instructions on how to aim the antenna, and what size is recommended for your location.

I should point out that properly mounting and aiming an antenna is a real pain and requires patience. A slight shift of sometimes less than an inch one way or the other can make the difference between getting a signal or not. I speak from painful experience.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to the forum.

Petergaryr,

Thanks for the welcome. I tried many different indoor antennas (UHF/VHF combo) to no avail. In fact, these more expensive antennas perform the same or worse than my $10 antenna. With the antenna plugged into my TV I get 22 digital channels. I don't get ABC & NBC (12 & 25). With the antenna plugged into my DISH network receiver, I only get about 15 channels for some reason. I don't know why there is a discrepancy. I was thinking about the Terk 44 because I need to be able to hook up an antenna to the same cable that goes from the roof to my jack inside. I'm good at figuring stuff out, but I'm completely new to this wiring thing so I don't want to get in over my head. Antennaweb says that I need a red vhf for 12.1 and blue vhf for 25.1 and that I'm 24 miles away and 187 heading.

Has anyone had success with getting ABC & NBC from that distance away? If so, what did you do and what model antenna did you use?

Thanks so much for the help.

Petergaryr,

Thanks for the welcome. I tried many different indoor antennas (UHF/VHF combo) to no avail. In fact, these more expensive antennas perform the same or worse than my $10 antenna. With the antenna plugged into my TV I get 22 digital channels. I don't get ABC & NBC (12 & 25). With the antenna plugged into my DISH network receiver, I only get about 15 channels for some reason. I don't know why there is a discrepancy. I was thinking about the Terk 44 because I need to be able to hook up an antenna to the same cable that goes from the roof to my jack inside. I'm good at figuring stuff out, but I'm completely new to this wiring thing so I don't want to get in over my head. Antennaweb says that I need a red vhf for 12.1 and blue vhf for 25.1 and that I'm 24 miles away and 187 heading.

Has anyone had success with getting ABC & NBC from that distance away? If so, what did you do and what model antenna did you use?

Thanks so much for the help.



What dish receivers are you using? It does make a difference.

You will get more antenna info here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623

I'm 14 miles away in St. Johns county and have two Antenna Direct Y5-7-13 VHF-high antennas, one for each Flat Screen and two DB2's, one for each TV, for UHF and combined the VHF and UHF for each TV with the UVSJ, everything is in the attic, I've got a large attic, and reception improved over my rabbit ears combined with the DB2. My antenna leads are plugging into a Dish VIP722 in the familyroom and a VIP622 in the bedroom. Signal strength is 100% on all UHF stations and VHF NBC and ABC are now 85% to 90%. I got everything from Solid Signal, great people to work with.

I tried the Terk HDTVo and it did not work at all.

Is WJXX (ABC 25) ever going to fix their HD signal?

It was lost for quite a while yesterday during FSU/Ga Tech.
When it was on, it was pure pops/stutters/5 second audio delay/etc....


I understand they and channel 12 had some issues, but man was it ugly.
I had to unhide my SD duplicates in my DirecTV box to watch the game.

Even OTA was just as horrid, everyone else watching on other stations had no issues.



Get your signal fixed! I thought the new equipment was supposed to fix it, but everywhere I read, I see that some HD shows never get "flipped" or the audio issue is still there.

Jandar, were you watching ABC on cable or OTA?

I watched the Texas game and it had many bad spots on cable, but was mostly good OTA. I'm only 5 miles from the towers.

Oops, I see you also had problems OTA.

New to this forum but learning a lot from what I've read so far. I see references to the first post, for QAM channel info. I was doing my own search of channels and the HD's do not match up with my Comcast cable in Jacksonville. Is there a more recent update in a different post? Example, I find CBS HD on 115-1 vs 114-2. maybe I'm reading something wrong?
Thanks for any help or pointers, just getting used to the new HDTV.

Welcome to the forum.

I don't think you are reading anything wrong. It seems as though Comcast periodically moves the QAM channels around, which is why it is hard to keep the list current.

I have DirecTV myself, so I don't pay much attention to what is happening with cable. However, if you have found the correct channel mapping you can always PM the original poster and ask that the chart be updated.

Yes, thanks for the reply. I can see the issue -- some of the channels I found last night are already moved elsewhere.

:(

This listing is usually correct for our local QAM channels.
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32201

Chefette902, welcome to our community. I got your message and have made changes to the channel lineup. Everyone, please check it and give me the corrections. I will try to keep it up to date as much as I can.

Regards, pspun

Anyone have any insight as whether the two above stations in Jax are going to increase theier power output in Feb?

I live in Orange Park and with an internal antenna I can pick up the other uhf stations with no problem.

I am sure if I put up an external antenna I could get the others but I have multiple tvs in the house and I do not run cable all over the place.

Internal antenna are much easier.

I do recall reading the two stations had antenna problems. Is this the real problem?

mike

I'm sure they will get the issues straightened out with the tower well before February.

Keep in mind though that unless something changes, ABC (10-1) and NBC (13-1) will always be in the VHF range, not UHF....so whatever antenna you use will need that capability.

Anybody else notice that our ABC affiliate has cut their bitrate in half? Started yesterday.

Looks like us Qam users lost FSN Florida (110-10) on Comcast. Seems to be scrambled now. Could it have been relocated?

Looks like the pixelation problem is back in full effect on DTV. I've had pixelation on all local HD channels all week long and last night Fox HD would lose signal on and off most of the evening. We had the problems many reported with 12/25 a few weeks back, then they went to SD only for a while and then when they went back to HD everything was good on the local HD channels for about a week. Then starting this week all local HD channels are pixelating so often it is almost unwatchable in my opinion.

Same here with the pixelation on all DTV HD local Channels. I called and reported it again yesterday.

Same here too. I looked at sat strength and the two spotbeam satellites had abysmal numbers for me. All the CONUS (national) sats were very strong. Oh well, at least it's not just me.

Anybody know a Comcast sales representative in Jacksonville that can waive the $39.99 installtion fee for an upgrade to Digital Starter TV with HD? I am currently getting the limited basic and expanded basic service. I do not have the value pack (15-24).

There use to be guys that would leave door hangers but they haven't been around in a couple of years. They use to offer free installation.

Looks like we got A&E HD on Comcast QAM 108-2 now.

I was looking at the comcast channels available and I noticed they had added several new ones including Cartoon Network HD, E HD!, and Travel HD. Any idea when these will actually show up on our program guides?

Looks like Dish has uplinked 12 and 25 in mpeg4 HD on the 77 satellite. We should be able to watch them sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon, if you receive that satellite and have the new purple smart cards.

ShadeRF:
The new HD channels are scheduled for Dec 1 with the new price increase.

Anyone notice any differences with 12 and 25 OTA last night? All of a sudden I have no signal problems with either channel. Maybe the tower has been repaired.

436 My Network TV HD (ClearQam 93.3) has been added to Comcast.

Looks like Dish has uplinked 12 and 25 in mpeg4 HD on the 77 satellite. We should be able to watch them sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon, if you receive that satellite and have the new purple smart cards.


Gatorman, I just got DISH last month. How do I get those channels in HD?

Gatorman, I just got DISH last month. How do I get those channels in HD?

We don't know yet. It depends on a number of factors. What dishes and receivers do you have now and what satellites are you receiving?

Out of curiosity, anyone know why WJXT has stopped the syndicated HD broadcasts and gone back to SD for shows like Dr. Phil, Oprah and Entertainment Tonight?

The Raycom broadcasts on Saturday seem to be the only ones actually in HD anymore.

Hello everyone.
I have been reading on and off for the last couple of months. I finall joined up. I have a digital converter box and still do not get channel 12 and 25. typical stuff I have already read on here
Did anyone see the broadcast on the bottom of the screen the other day on channel 12 about going digital exclusively sometime in December? Just wondering if anyone else had any extra info.
Cheers

Welcome to the thread.

What did the crawl say? Are they turning off the analog signal early?

yes, the crawl said that they were turning off analog signal on some date in december....I cannot remember the date but it also said to goto firstcoast news website for info. I could not find info on site. I guess I did not look hard enough??

This I believe is going to be their test of the systems and also a test for people who think they are setup correctly to know or for those who don't already know about the transition will certainly know when the turn off the analog signal.

It is not permanent but I am not sure how long it will be - maybe an hour or so.

Better to do this sort of test now, rather than wait until February!

The message said on 12/18 WTLV will permanently modify its analog operations .... and if you watch analog via antenna _AND_ your signal is disrupted, then blah blah.

So why the "_IF_ your signal is disrupted"? Shouldn't all people get the same result, unless the change is to very low power?

This I believe is going to be their test of the systems and also a test for people who think they are setup correctly to know or for those who don't already know about the transition will certainly know when the turn off the analog signal.

It is not permanent but I am not sure how long it will be - maybe an hour or so.

There is supposed to be a test on all the stations on 12/17. It will be in the local news block from 6:25 to 6:28. They will be broadcasting in digital only for those three minutes.

RedHot - you are correct - but it will be only 2 minutes.

This is to test their switchboard more than anything - can you imagine what 02/17/09 will be like if you are answering the phones - it is going to be a nightmare.

Also they are also going to run the same test in January.

yes grittree, that is what the scrawl said...anyways I hope that the digital signal will be boosted enough so my inside rabbit ears boosted antenna can get the signal..I get all the other channels in digital no problem.
If I still do not get the signal then I will look in to putting a larger antenna in my attic.:)

If I still do not get the signal then I will look in to putting a larger antenna in my attic.:)

I am from Orange Springs, technically in the Orlando DMA but I watch Gainesville Digital OTA (also have DirecTV). But have friends in Interlachen, FL that is in the Jax DMA that have outside antennas, some up 50 feet on towers.

WTLV and WJXX aren't even on the meter. Granted there is interference from Tampa analogs if you are up high. But it doesn't look good.

The people in Interlachen are getting 2 NBCs from Jax and Orlando now. Post transition they will probably not have NBC. WTVL and the new WNBW for Gainesville are too low power. WESH moved to Bithlo tower farm and is now too far away even though they are running 55KW.

Then WJCT will be switching to low power back on CH7. How can they simulate that on the test in Dec? It will be a joke to test them on 38, which we can see in Interlachen. But I think with their post transition down tilt, Interlachen will loss WJCT.

This means even though they are in the Jax DMA, they will watch ABC and PBS out of the Gainesville DMA, and probably lose NBC.

Then the FCC does stupid stuff like give a license to Marion County (Ocala) School Board for a CH7 LD station that won't even cover their school district, but restrict WJCT from increasing power.

It's a wonder they let WTVL to increase to 25KW considering Tampa also has major broadcast channels on 10 and 13 post transition.

Speak of WJXX on 25 puts a nice signal down here from Orange Park, but when they move farther away, to 10KW on CH10, it's gone. Then WTSP will be pouring out 37KW from it's Largo (north of St. Pete) tower, so I bet they picked a channel where they can't run more power. Unlike WPLG on 10 in the clear down in Miami that has asked for a whooping 156 KW, serious digital power! I wish WNBW or WESH could get that kind of power. WESH is on a clear digital channel post transition, but has no application for more power. WNBW on Ch9 is somewhat in the clear and could go much higher than thier 4.7 KW.

What a mess with these high band stations running such low power which sounds like you need an attic antenna even living in Duval County.

Just thought I would jump in and add my 2 cents.

I know I have posted this before, but if anyone is looking for cheap theater seating - I have 5 irwin marquee seats for sale, will sell them $25 less than my add on craigslist to a local forum member.

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/fuo/948735475.html

Maybe relevant for some. Cross-posted in Gainesville.

WJXX-DT and WTLV-DT both filed applications with the FCC yesterday. They seek to replace their fried digital antenna on 12/15 and will, in the process, slightly boost power. The new antenna will be directional to limit power over the ocean. Further, each station will boost power slightly (WJXX to 15 kW, WTLV to 30 kW, up from 11.1 kW and 25 kW, respectively).

Hopefully the new antenna will help with the reception issues.

- Trip

Trip: I live at the beach. 12 and 25 reception has been great the past few weeks after lots of problems for a long time. Any idea if the directional antenna will affect me. Thanks. Ward

Well, that they'll be operating with an antenna that isn't fried will probably help everyone. I can't really say whether or not it will help or hurt because I don't know how much the fried antenna is actually hurting the signal.

- Trip

Well, that they'll be operating with an antenna that isn't fried will probably help everyone. I can't really say whether or not it will help or hurt because I don't know how much the fried antenna is actually hurting the signal.

- Trip

Trip, how long ago did it fry. Last time I tried "DXing" Jacksonville from Interlachen was May 2008. That is when WJXX-DT and WTLV-DT didn't even wiggle the signal meter on an Insignia. I tested the Insignia before I took it to my mother in law on my antenna and it worked fine. She has an unknown V/U 2-69 antenna up 50 ft with an amp (also unknown). When I go there for Christmas or after the 15th, I will have to try it again. She is really upset she is loosing channel 25 ABC, because she doesn't like ABC from Gainesville, which she can get.

BTW, I am just under 3 miles south of the official Jacksonville DMA, which means I am also that distance from being in the NE corner of the Orlando DMA, and about 10 miles east of the Gainesville DMA (call it no man's land, or no pig's land.)

According to FCC filings, November 6, 2006.

- Trip

I've browsed the responses and haven't seen this particular issue.

I have 9 digital tuners (tv's and computer tuners in a PVR) all coming off of one Philips "flat" antenna mounted inside a closet in the house. The Philips feeds to an amp'ed 8 way distribution hub in a structured wiring panel.

On 7 of the tuners, everything is fine. I get all local channels pretty much perfectly. On two of the tv's though, channel 30.1 has what I can only describe as video lag. Audio is consistent. But when there's even the slightest hint of motion, the image pauses and then runs as if it's in fast-forward to catch up to the audio. A brand new Vizio 120hz tv does this as does a 1 1/2 year old Olevia tv. Everything else, including a different model Olevia, display channel 30.1 fine.

I simply can't fix this. I've checked the antenna strength. It's as strong as it's going to get. It doesn't appear to be the antenna. Plus, none of the other tv's have this lag/jerkiness problem. I ran the antenna straight into the Vizio without splitting it and it does the exact same thing.

Does anyone have any advice?

I'll take a guess based on my own experience.

There is a wide range of sensitivity in digital tuners.

I can run the same OTA feed to a DirecTV HR20-700 DVR, an LG 42" LCD (bedroom) and a 15" Element LCD (kitchen). The HR20-700 will not be able to lock onto channels 4.1 or 17.1, but the LG and Element will.

The other thing that might be going on is the quirkiness of digital TV reception (and which is related to the sensitivity of the tuners). I have found that a difference of sometimes less than an inch one way or the other in aiming the antenna makes the difference between receiving a signal and not.

I'm speculating that some of your tuners are more "forgiving" than others.

Trip: Thanks. We'll all find out.

Shawn: Based on my experience, I agree with Peter.

Has anyone noticed a signal strength issue with OTA 4. I've dropped from 90+ to about 70 over the last week.

my wife said that she saw on tv a couple of days ago that Mayor Peyton said
that Jax TV stations will be going all digital on December 17. She saw it on FOX 31.1. Anybody else hear this.
Thanks

my wife said that she saw on tv a couple of days ago that Mayor Peyton said
that Jax TV stations will be going all digital on December 17. She saw it on FOX 31.1. Anybody else hear this.
Thanks

All the stations are doing a test on Wednesday. Analog programming will be turned off between 6:25 and 6:27 p.m. If you don't get a digital signal, you'll see a blank screen with a message.

WJXT. I have directv and the signal they transmit for WJXT channel 4 is horrible. Does anyone know if Directv plans on transmitting this channel in HD anytime soon?
Also, is it just my setup (HR21 DVR) or is the top and bottom cut off on channel 4. It is particularly noticeable during football games. You can't even read the information (score/down/distance/time) that is usually at the top of a football game.

John

^ While anything is possible, I'd be very surprised if DirecTV carried WJXT. At this point, they don't even carry PBS or the CW network feeds, let alone an independent station.

Your best bet would be to get an outdoor antenna and connect it directly to your TV. They are starting to broadcast a few shows in HD, and those look fairly good (a little soft, but certainly better than SD). That's what I'm doing for Channel 4, 7 and 17 to get their HD signals. At least the HR20 DVR I have has an OTA tuner so I can record programs for those three stations.

As for parts of the picture being cut off, I would normally say your set may have an overscan problem. However, if this isn't happening on other stations, then something else must be going on.

^ While anything is possible, I'd be very surprised if DirecTV carried WJXT. At this point, they don't even carry PBS or the CW network feeds, let alone an independent station.

Your best bet would be to get an outdoor antenna and connect it directly to your TV. They are starting to broadcast a few shows in HD, and those look fairly good (a little soft, but certainly better than SD). That's what I'm doing for Channel 4, 7 and 17 to get their HD signals. At least the HR20 DVR I have has an OTA tuner so I can record programs for those three stations.

As for parts of the picture being cut off, I would normally say your set may have an overscan problem. However, if this isn't happening on other stations, then something else must be going on.

Thanks for the reply. I have the HR21, so can't (easily) integrate an anntenna. I don't really watch/record ch. 4 much (other than football) so it's not a big deal to me until next fall :)

It does LOOK like an overscan problem, but every other channel is fine and i have tried all sorts of zoom settings, etc and it doesn't help. I'm pretty sure DTV is getting the SD feed from WJXT and zooming it so it is full screen. My guess is it is zoomed too much.
John

Do you have a format function on the satellite box or the tv? If so, you should be able to change the picture to be displayed without being zoomed or stretched although you will get black or gray bars.

A friend just came home with his first HDTV. He has Comcast HD. Does Comcast broadcast the native signal, i.e. 720p or 1080i, or is the signal sent in a standard format? Probably a dumb question, but I know nothing about cable.

I hope everyone has a nice holiday.

Ward

Even though DirecTv is my primary source, I also have the extremely basic Comcast cable so I can get a price break in their HSI. The QAM channels of the local stations are native.

If you go skyreport.com, which is now media biz, you can get a link to an FCC web site that will allow you to check the FCC coverage maps for OTA in this DMA. The maps for each station show the area coverage for both current analog and digital as of 2/17. For the most part, digital has expanded the coverage area although there is some shrinkage.

I followed the breadcrumb trail and it was worth it. Interesting changes in coverage. Some people should be quite happy.

I wonder why WJXX, ch10 is licensed for 11KW, while sister WTLV, ch13 is 25KW.

I wonder why WJXX, ch10 is licensed for 11KW, while sister WTLV, ch13 is 25KW.

WTSP-10 and WALB-10 are much closer than the nearest 13, WEDU-13 and WMAZ-13.

- Trip

Thanks Trip, that makes sense. Funny how little (~5mi) it increases the coverage area by more than doubling the power.

Well, 15 kW to 30 kW is only 3 dB worth of extra power. When put in those terms, it suddenly doesn't sound like as much of a boost.

Digital signals, I find, are very resilient. I feel like after a certain power level, something less than 50 kW on UHF, stations do not gain much range, but become easier to receive closer in. I had no trouble receiving UHF digitals at 17.9 kW over 53 miles, and I had some issues with one at 1.1 kW over 79 miles, but even that one would show a fair amount of signal most of the time.

- Trip

Hi all...

My sister-in-law just asked me if I could help her set up OTA for her new condo in Jacksonville (I'm in Austin, but I'm going to trek out there to set hers up).

Her condo just north of the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club (just south of Beach Blvd). Anyone know if a standard Terk table-top (v-shaped) antenna works well from that area? According to antennaweb.org, she needs a yellow antenna, but my personal experiences with the table-top Terk haven't been that great.

Just trying to figure out in advance if I should get the ball rolling with buying a rooftop antenna or if she should be able to get away with an indoor one.

thanks,
Nate

I tried to get by with a Terk (among a number of indoor antennae) but the results weren't good. As with most indoor units, IF you can lock onto one station, you may need to shift its position and/or elements to get other stations. That was too much of a hassle, and 12 and 25 being VHF stations were always a problem to lock.

I finally settled on a standard outdoor antenna, but used an attic mount.

Hi all...

My sister-in-law just asked me if I could help her set up OTA for her new condo in Jacksonville (I'm in Austin, but I'm going to trek out there to set hers up).

Her condo just north of the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club (just south of Beach Blvd). Anyone know if a standard Terk table-top (v-shaped) antenna works well from that area? According to antennaweb.org, she needs a yellow antenna, but my personal experiences with the table-top Terk haven't been that great.

Just trying to figure out in advance if I should get the ball rolling with buying a rooftop antenna or if she should be able to get away with an indoor one.

thanks,
Nate

I live I Jax Golf and I have a full size antennae in the attic. Years ago I tried a rabbit ears when my cable was down and could barely receive a few of the channels. I doubt if much has changed.

I live in Lake Butler and I'm trying to get a digital NBC signal over the air to no avail. I currently have an outdoor antenna that I'm assuming is UHF/VHF but I'm honestly not sure, but it's pointing toward Jacksonville and we're definitely picking up a lot of stations. The problem is there's no WTLV.

Antenna web says WTLV falls in the violet vhf category for me and the station is 53.2 miles away. The thing is, WJXT and WJCT fall in this same exact category and are almost the exact same distance away, yet I'm able to pick up both of these stations with a 100% signal.

Furthermore, I can't pick up the new WNBW Gainesville NBC station either. Why on earth are these stations not coming in for me?

Do any of the locals plan on adding 5.1 audio when they do the final digital switch over?

^ One can only hope. Right now, Fox30 and PBS (occasionally) are the only ones doing 5.1 as you may know.

Anyone know what's going on with PBS? They seem to be mirroring the SD programs on their analog channel on what used to be their HD channel 7-1.....but nothing is in HD anymore.

The 24/7 PBS-HD feed ended on 12/21/2008. PBS is now like all the other networks, HD when available, otherwise upconverted SD. Now if they're not passing through HD even when available, that's a concern.

- Trip

I thought that might be the answer.

I've spot checked from time to time and shows that are supposed to be in HD are not being passed through.

One test should be tonight with Great Performances. It is listed as an HD presentation of Cyrano.

Well, Cyrano is in HD, so whatever was going on is apparently fixed.

I got a relative who lives in St. Augustine. He has Comcast.

He has an old Moto box on the main analog TV and two other analog TV's, which use their NTSC tuners. He has the Digital Starter Package. He has complained that Comcast is slowly moving analog channels off the analog tier and putting them onto the digital tier. He doesn't have much money to spend and won't go for extra boxes, so he has lost ESPN classic and just recently TRU TV. He lost MSNBC a while back. Only the main Moto box can see these channels now.

If he gets a QAM tuner, what will he be able to pick up? Is TRU TV or MSNBC in-the-clear? What other channels are in-the-clear on Comcast St. Augustine?

Thanks!

If he gets a QAM tuner, what will he be able to pick up? Is TRU TV or MSNBC in-the-clear? What other channels are in-the-clear on Comcast St. Augustine?

Thanks!


Look here:
http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32084

You need to click on the pics for the ones listed as "unknown" to see what they are. The two you listed are there.

Subject to change as Comcast rolls out their digital-only plants.

What is the cheapest STB Qam tuner he can get?

I have been looking into qam tuners for our first HD TV without a qam tuner. Toshiba puts out a dvd recorder that has a qam tuner. Toshiba DR560 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner. The price is about $159 at Amazon. It only records to dvd's and has no hard drive. So it is limited on the amount of hours it can record. Go to Amazon and read the reviews.

We have a second TV with a qam tuner and Comcast. There are many channels, but you have no idea what they are. I have had to write down each channel and label it. It is a pain in the neck, but better than paying for a second hd box. Comcast also encripts the HD version of channels like Discovery and TNT. You get them only in digital format. The only channels that you will get in high def. with a qam tuner are the network channels, one PBS channel, and A&E.

With a qam tuner you get all the analog stations and repeats of them in digital tier. You will also get tons of music channels. Your friends definately will get TRU TV or MSNBC in-the-clear. You will get more channels than you would want, but many are doubles. I am finding it frustrating because there is no channel quide for these digital channels. Just the channel 4 programing guide.

I am finding it frustrating because there is no channel quide for these digital channels. Just the channel 4 programing guide.

*cough* (http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32206)

wjxt news to go hd today at their noon broadcast.

More information about that here (http://www.jacksonville.com/news/2009-01-14/story/wjxt_first_station_to_broadcast_local_news_in_hd).

Watching it right now. Studio shots are excellent.

Field reports are, as expected, 4:3 with motion blue side bars. It is a nice start to local HD here in Jacksonville.

Has anyone with Directv been having probs with 25? My wife is pissed because Desperate housewives and some other show sunday recoreded as a black screen. The week before that they recorded in 4:3, no HD. I've noticed I'll be watching a show that is suppossed to be in HD, but is not, switch over to 20.1 out of Gville, and its in HD. Switch back to 25, nad after a commercial or something it will magically be in HD.

I saw the episode of Desperate Housewives and it recorded fine in HD. Must be something else going on.

As for shows that should be in HD being in 4:3 occasionally, that is often caused by someone asleep at the switch. I find it more often than not happens on weekends.

I thought the wjxt hd news shots were very soft.As expected the field reports were sd.Still all in all congrats to channel 4 .

Does anyone have an issue with the volume difference between the WAWS Dolby Digital material and non-Dolby encoded streams?

After American Idol last night, I had to send an email to WAWS....

>>>>>>
I have an issue with the Dolby Digital broadcasts of WAWS. There is a huge volume desparity between the Dolby Digital levels of the programming versus the audio levels of the commercials. Particularly bad are the local Fox news trailers, which are way louder than national commercials (which are already loud).

An example of this can be heard when watching American Idol. I need to turn my A/V receiver's volume up to about "-20db" to get adequate volume level to hear the show. I have to use a similar volume level when watching the Dolby Digital broadcasts of FOX football, whereas "-35db" is around the normal listening level for most of my TV watching. However, when the show cuts to commercial break and I'm not around the remote, the volume is so loud it can almost damage one's hearing.

No other channels, either national or local, exhibit this extreme of audio level change. I use an antenna to receive the digital broadcast, with a DirecTV receiver being used to tune the channel.

My thinking is that the Dolby Digital streams that FOX WAWS sends out have some meta-data that may be incorrectly set. Perhaps the "Mixing Level" parameter is not set right? Maybe something in the encoding reduces the overall sound level for the Dolby Digital stream?

Thanks for your attention to this matter.
>>>>>>

Later,
pjdavep

WAWS may not be able to do much for you outside of local commercials. I think the Fox splicer limits how much control the local operators have. I know every Fox station I've watched has that same audio level problem with regard to the HD versus national commercials. I think that's how Fox sends it.

What they might be able to fix, though, are the local commercial levels. That should be within their control. I don't notice any issues with levels changing between commercials on my Fox stations here.

- Trip

WAWS may not be able to do much for you outside of local commercials. I think the Fox splicer limits how much control the local operators have. I know every Fox station I've watched has that same audio level problem with regard to the HD versus national commercials. I think that's how Fox sends it.

What they might be able to fix, though, are the local commercial levels. That should be within their control. I don't notice any issues with levels changing between commercials on my Fox stations here.

- Trip

So you think the low dB levels on FOX's Dolby Digital programming are on a national level? No other channel do I have to turn it up so loud to hear, which IMO is the root of the problem. If I didn't have to crank the volume during the normal programming, I wouldn't be so bothered by the louder commercials.

Later,
pjdavep

So you think the low dB levels on FOX's Dolby Digital programming are on a national level? No other channel do I have to turn it up so loud to hear, which IMO is the root of the problem. If I didn't have to crank the volume during the normal programming, I wouldn't be so bothered by the louder commercials.

Later,
pjdavep

I'm not sure, I just know I have the same problem with the levels on the commercials sounding a lot higher. I don't channel surf during commercials, so I can't really tell you how the level compares to other stations, but next time I watch Fox-HD I'll listen for it.

- Trip

I'm not sure, I just know I have the same problem with the levels on the commercials sounding a lot higher. I don't channel surf during commercials, so I can't really tell you how the level compares to other stations, but next time I watch Fox-HD I'll listen for it.

- Trip

Same here and Fox cable is even worse. My smaller TVs have to have the volume all the way up to hear Fox News. On the big TV I hit the mute regularly. The remote is attached to my arm.

I guess I missed the memo about the announcement, but I just noticed tonight that DirecTV is carrying our local Channel 17 CW's HD feed.

Nice. I've re-set my series links for Smallville and Supernatural.

Thanks to everyone w/ the Channel 4 info. Maybe this will get the other locals to get off their a** and give us HD syndication and 5.1 . I noticed in the article how only the WTLV/WJXX rep couldn't be contacted.:rolleyes: That station is a joke and could care less about HD and 5.1.

Question: Does anyone here have Turbo HD from Dish? I'm finally gonna dump Comca$t when Dish starts issuing the new DVR w/ built in Slingbox(click) (http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137052-100.html). I also hear they are finally carrying all of our HD local feeds. How's the picture quality? Thanks in adv.

Thanks to everyone w/ the Channel 4 info. Maybe this will get the other locals to get off their a** and give us HD syndication and 5.1 . I noticed in the article how only the WTLV/WJXX rep couldn't be contacted.:rolleyes: That station is a joke and could care less about HD and 5.1.

Question: Does anyone here have Turbo HD from Dish? I'm finally gonna dump Comca$t when Dish starts issuing the new DVR w/ built in Slingbox(click) (http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137052-100.html). I also hear they are finally carrying all of our HD local feeds. How's the picture quality? Thanks in adv.

Dish has all of our locals but only 12 and 25 are in HD. They are on the 77 satellite which is part of the Eastern Arc. In order to receive those channels you have to have a 100.4 dish pointed SE instead of SW. If your dish picks up 110 and 119, you can't get the HD stations. I haven't called yet to see if they will send the new equipment. If you have a 61.5 satellite dish, it is a fairly simple matter to install the new 100.4 dish with the attached wing dish. With Eastern Arc equipment and new smartcards, everything will come off the 1000.4 rather than than a two dish setup.

Dish has all of our locals but only 12 and 25 are in HD. They are on the 77 satellite which is part of the Eastern Arc. In order to receive those channels you have to have a 100.4 dish pointed SE instead of SW. If your dish picks up 110 and 119, you can't get the HD stations. I haven't called yet to see if they will send the new equipment. If you have a 61.5 satellite dish, it is a fairly simple matter to install the new 100.4 dish with the attached wing dish. With Eastern Arc equipment and new smartcards, everything will come off the 1000.4 rather than than a two dish setup.

Thanks for the info. Not carrying all the HD locals may be a deal breaker.

It is really hard to figure out what Dish is doing right now. They have a new satellite moving to the 129 location which is part of the Western Arc. The Gainesville locals have been uplinked there. No telling where we are ultimately going to end up although I think I read that there may be some resolution in February. Given that it is Dish, sure.

If you want to go with Dish, you can connect on OTA to all the HD receivers and receive all the locals in HD. If you go that route, get a 622 DVR or a 722. I don't have a 722, but my OTA reception through the 622 is much better than that with a 612. Someday they will fix the software in that receiver.

I believe Direct has all or most of the locals in HD. Dish will eventually, but the negotiations take time. Dish seem to have the "my way or the highway" attitude.

Good luck with you choice.

Thanks to everyone w/ the Channel 4 info. Maybe this will get the other locals to get off their a** and give us HD syndication and 5.1 . I noticed in the article how only the WTLV/WJXX rep couldn't be contacted.:rolleyes: That station is a joke and could care less about HD and 5.1.

Question: Does anyone here have Turbo HD from Dish? I'm finally gonna dump Comca$t when Dish starts issuing the new DVR w/ built in Slingbox(click) (http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137052-100.html). I also hear they are finally carrying all of our HD local feeds. How's the picture quality? Thanks in adv.

I have no vested interest in either satellite company, so take this for what it is worth.

At the moment, DirecTV is carrying the HD feeds for NBC, CBS, ABC and the WB. I keep hearing talk that they will eventually add PBS in the "near" future.

Although I subscribe to DirecTV as my primary supplier, I keep the extremely basic Comcast service to get a break on their HSI. The side benefit is that they also have the HD locals, including MyNetworkTV in HD. While you can get that OTA as a subchannel of Fox (30-2), the OTA signal is SD, and not very good.

Your other option is, of course, to set up an antenna to receive the HD locals (which I still do have for those rare times of "rain fade", or when both tuners in the DirecTV DVR are recording something).

Thanks to everyone w/ the Channel 4 info. Maybe this will get the other locals to get off their a** and give us HD syndication and 5.1 . I noticed in the article how only the WTLV/WJXX rep couldn't be contacted.:rolleyes: That station is a joke and could care less about HD and 5.1.

Question: Does anyone here have Turbo HD from Dish? I'm finally gonna dump Comca$t when Dish starts issuing the new DVR w/ built in Slingbox(click) (http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137052-100.html). I also hear they are finally carrying all of our HD local feeds. How's the picture quality? Thanks in adv.

Not sure where you live but I live in St. Johns co. about 14 miles from antenna farm and pick up all the locals on attic antennas. I purchased two Solid Signal Y5-7-13 VHF-high antennas (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=Y5-7-13), one for each Flat Screen and two DB2's (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=AD-DB2) for UHF and combined the VHF and UHF for each TV with the UVSJ, 50 feet of cable from each antenna to each TV, everything is in the attic, I've got a large attic. I'm probably going to cancel my locals with Dish to save $5.99 a month since I do not watch them anymore and the signal has improved dramatically since they boosted their digital signal. The Dish 722 and 612 both download the local schedule to the on-screen schedule so it is seamless. The only drawback is the antenna signal/feed is not compressed so DVR shows on the antenna are quite large files. I've got about $150 invested and a lot of trips up and down the attic ladder.

petergaryr,

Following your posts, it sounds like you you have Comcast "Limited Basic Service" with the HD add-on. Using the QAM tuner, are you able to get all the SD digital channels (beyond the limited analog channels listed on the programming package for Limited Basic Service)?

And for HD, do you get all the HD channels (like Sci-Fi, for example) or just the local channels?

I'm going to have to cut costs and want to see what I am giving up from the digital starter that I have now. I'm sure others are in the same boat.

Actually, I have the cheapest, most basic Comcast cable--no HD add-on at all. I get all my "real" HD from DirecTV.

What I get from the QAM tuner in terms of HD are the local HD stations, HGTV and Discovery Theather (or I think I still get those last two---haven't checked in a while).

I also get a whole mess of SD channels which I never use.

However, I usually recommend that Comcast basic service to people who don't have the ability to put up an antenna for some reason, since it does get access to the HD local stations. It is $16.75 a month. While not overly expensive, it is still a recurring cost.

[QUOTE=petergaryr;15647407]

What I get from the QAM tuner in terms of HD are the local HD stations, HGTV and Discovery Theather (or I think I still get those last two---haven't checked in a while).
QUOTE]

Are you able to get local ABC HD? I live in Drs Inlet and can get all locals EXCEPT ABC via QAM tuner. Anybody else in that predicament?

I had comcast and it is totally unreliable, especially when hurricanes hit. Always been a satallite dish person and always will be. As long as I have power (generator) I have TV.

[QUOTE=petergaryr;15647407]

What I get from the QAM tuner in terms of HD are the local HD stations, HGTV and Discovery Theather (or I think I still get those last two---haven't checked in a while).
QUOTE]

Are you able to get local ABC HD? I live in Drs Inlet and can get all locals EXCEPT ABC via QAM tuner. Anybody else in that predicament?

One of the basic problems with QAM is that Comcast periodically moves things around, which can be a real pain.

I'm currently getting ABC on QAM 70.6.

[QUOTE=jagfan;15649317]

I'm currently getting ABC on QAM 70.6.


I also get ABC on 70.6 and 78.14, however, I believe those are digital signals rather than HD. I receive the local stations on HD on channels 1.1, etc. but ABC doesn't show up in that tier even though I've scanned multiple times.

Don't know what to tell you there. I just flipped to 70.6 and ABC was showing Desperate Housewives in HD (took them a little while to flip the switch tonight, but it eventually went to 16:9).

I also get ABC on 70.6 and 78.14, however, I believe those are digital signals rather than HD. I receive the local stations on HD on channels 1.1, etc. but ABC doesn't show up in that tier even though I've scanned multiple times.
1.1, 1.2 etc are comcast virtual channels, they have no relationship to the actual rf freqs. comcast even had some duplicate virtual channels here in st augustine, for some reason. 70.6 is the hd version of abc, right now. here's a link that might help you with finding your stations:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15012476#post15012476

my son lives at fleming island,maybe 10-15 miles from the transmitters.he gets all the digital stations except 10-1,12-1.he has rabbit ears and also has reprogrammed his converter box many times.any suggestions,so that he can get abc and nbc ota.thanks for info.

my son lives at fleming island,maybe 10-15 miles from the transmitters.he gets all the digital stations except 10-1,12-1.he has rabbit ears and also has reprogrammed his converter box many times.any suggestions,so that he can get abc and nbc ota.thanks for info.

Make sure those rabbit ears have VHF elements, since ABC and NBC are in that range. Many people have reported difficulty in receiving those two stations with simple indoor antennae, even when they are VHF capable.

An outdoor (or at least an attic mounted) antenna may be required.

1.1, 1.2 etc are comcast virtual channels, they have no relationship to the actual rf freqs. comcast even had some duplicate virtual channels here in st augustine, for some reason. 70.6 is the hd version of abc, right now. here's a link that might help you with finding your stations:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15012476#post15012476

I've had that link, but didn't understand the channel/program section. Just figured it out after Petergaryr indicated ABC is on 70.6. Thanks

Anyone have a list of the current QAM channels for comcast basic cable.

Not sure how up to date they are but check the first page of the thread, also a page or so back there was another post that had additional information.

I thought the morning news on wjxt was to be in HD by now.Any info on the delay? Thanks for any info.

Thanks Gator99, but those seem a little off...Really looking for FOX in HD. Also, anyone using Vista Media Center with OTA HD Antenna. I recenlty dropped FOX HD when going through Media center, but hook the coax up directly to the TV and FOX is PERFECT...Any Ideas...THANKS!!

Thanks Gator99, but those seem a little off...Really looking for FOX in HD. Also, anyone using Vista Media Center with OTA HD Antenna. I recenlty dropped FOX HD when going through Media center, but hook the coax up directly to the TV and FOX is PERFECT...Any Ideas...THANKS!!

These seem pretty accuate:

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32201

I thought the morning news on wjxt was to be in HD by now.Any info on the delay? Thanks for any info.


FROM: Denise Fox
Subject: News4Jax.com - Website Feedback

All of our newscasts are currently being broadcast in HD except The
Morning Show. If you subscribe to satellite, please know that although
we provide our HD signal to the satellite companies, they are not
transmitting it to their customers. You may try contacting your
satellite provider to see if they have any future plans for providing
you our HD signal. Thank you for watching Channel 4.

Please update your zip code to your specific location to get the correct listing:

http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineupui?Cmd=LocationProgramsWeb&Country=US&Postcode=32XXX

Every area has slight differences, but silicondust should be correct once you do this. Good luck, Karey

KSTAT, Thanks...I found my issue. When I am going directly to the TV, these channel correct. When I go through my HTPC running vista(got QAM to work with Media Center), The channels do not line up with each other. IE. FOX directly to TV is 1.2. 1.2 going through Media center is NBC and I can not find FOX. I guess I am going to have to go map all 200 channels.:mad:

I an a new owner of an HD homerun and have set it up with Media Center. (Still working on it) I just set it up with Comcast. In order to record and watch the HD network channels in high definition you must choose the channels that are 1800 and above. In the program guide the HD channels are 1803 CBS, 1804 is another, 1806 is WCWJ, 1807 is WAS, 1824 is WJCT and 1828 is WUFT. These are the HD channels I get with the are code of 32043.

The Program Guide in Vista Media Center can be confusing. To make sure you record a program in HD, you must look at the information about the program say HD if the program in in HD.

I have been working on this for days and still trying to figure it out. But last night I was able to record one of these channels in HD.

The White House wants your opinion on The DTV Delay ACT Bill
President Obama wants to hear what the public has to say, you can comment here

http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/dtv_delay_act/

Not sure where you live but I live in St. Johns co. about 14 miles from antenna farm and pick up all the locals on attic antennas. I purchased two Solid Signal Y5-7-13 VHF-high antennas (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=Y5-7-13), one for each Flat Screen and two DB2's (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=AD-DB2) for UHF and combined the VHF and UHF for each TV with the UVSJ, 50 feet of cable from each antenna to each TV, everything is in the attic, I've got a large attic. I'm probably going to cancel my locals with Dish to save $5.99 a month since I do not watch them anymore and the signal has improved dramatically since they boosted their digital signal. The Dish 722 and 612 both download the local schedule to the on-screen schedule so it is seamless. The only drawback is the antenna signal/feed is not compressed so DVR shows on the antenna are quite large files. I've got about $150 invested and a lot of trips up and down the attic ladder.

If you cancel your locals with Dish you will no longer get on-screen schedule on your 722 and 612

OK...Got all mapped EXCEPT TLC...anyone know what QAM channel is TLC, either SD or HD...THANKS!!! TLC is not what http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun...Postcode=32259 says it is...but most all else is correct.

TLC is 73-2.

I checked....3 times... No TLC on 73-2...Thanks anyways!
If anyone in the 32259 area knows where TLC on QAM is...please let me know!
THANKS!!!

I checked....3 times... No TLC on 73-2...Thanks anyways!
If anyone in the 32259 area knows where TLC on QAM is...please let me know!
THANKS!!!

There must be something wrong on your end.

I just checked 73-2 (and I'm in 32259) and TLC was showing Little People Big World. That is the correct QAM channel.

Petergary, I checked 3 times...The only thing I can think of is taking my splitter off and then checking. I will do that tonight and let you know the results...thanks again!