Originally posted by sikoniko
comcast came through and gave us discovery HD!!!!! ch167.


Thanks sikoniko-
I don't know how long I would have gone before realizing it was there.

Where's the best place to pick up an OTA Antenna in Jacksonville? What brands/models should I be looking at? Appreciate your help!

Jeff

Jeff,

Because we have a couple of VHF stations, you will need something along the order of the Radio Shack $36.99 VU-75 XR (which I am using). I am down in Fruit Cove, have the darn thing stuck up in my attic and receive all the local OTA. Signal strength is in the 90-100 range using a Hughes e86.

Having said that, I am not necessarily recommending this model or arrangement for you. A lot depends on where you are located, how far from the antenna farm, how much flexiblility you have in playing with different mounting places, the direction of the wind, phase of the moon (just kidding!) etc. If you are planning on doing this yourself, be prepared to experiment. For example, if I move my antenna more than two inches one way or the other, I lose either Fox or CBS. It took me a while to find just the right spot to get both of them.

Thanks for your reply. I did some research and went ahead and got something similar to the one you mentioned. I've been experimenting with a couple of indoor antennas and none of them panned out. Looking forward to experimenting with this.... ;)

I'm going to attempt to put it up on the roof on Sunday afternoon. Will let you know how it goes.

I sure wish they'd make it easy on us and allow the satellite companies to broadcast local stuff in HD. :(

If you haven't already, go to http://www.antennaweb.org Click the "choose an antenna" button and fill out the information requested. It will give you the compass orientation of the antenna farm from your location. I found it useful.

When installing your antenna, make the attachments tight, but not permanent. You may need to raise or lower it until you find the best compromise for signals, then make a record of it and store it somewhere in case wind, age, etc changes it on you. I am sure you will be happier than with the indoor type. I was constantly adjusting and re-adjusting with them.

FYI -- It's OFFICIAL - FOX HD Testing Complete - Splicers go Online 8/30!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=439520

Pretty cool, I am assuming that Jerry is ready to go, but I guess we will see, what will be the first primetime show that is going to be HD??

Jeff- Did Jerry ever say he was installing the "splicer" equipment? I know he said he was able to do HDTV with similar or same equipment as they use on WTEV but I was unclear as to what the WAWS splicer status was.

I'll be monitoring the forum but won't be able to check out the channel until next weekend.

Originally posted by Don Landis
Jeff- Did Jerry ever say he was installing the "splicer" equipment? I know he said he was able to do HDTV with similar or same equipment as they use on WTEV but I was unclear as to what the WAWS splicer status was.

I'll be monitoring the forum but won't be able to check out the channel until next weekend.

Don, according to one of the mods for this forum (CPanther95), the install company has installed the splicer for WAWS. There is even a thread over in the programming forum that shows what cities have the splicer installed and I linked someone to it in our Jacksonville thread a couple of weeks ago. The first step we saw in that process was WAWS going to 720p. After that Thompson GLV installed the splicer. The affil has to do 720p before the splicer can be installed and WAWS had the 720p euipment waiting to install it.

If any saw the preseason game between the Panthers and Giants last week you could diff see that some 720p upconversion was being done. Not actual 720p, but Fox network was sending out 720p upconverted for the affils who had the splicer installed.

for fellow comcast hd members, notice that our PPVHD dissapeared last night? no more 168. Hope it becomes foxhd.

Originally posted by sikoniko
for fellow comcast hd members, notice that our PPVHD dissapeared last night? no more 168. Hope it becomes foxhd.

Yes, and if I had a vote(which I do not) 178 would be my choice for FOX. Then we could surf CBS(175)NBC(176)ABC(177)FOX(178).

Originally posted by Ross Moody
Yes, and if I had a vote(which I do not) 178 would be my choice for FOX. Then we could surf CBS(175)NBC(176)ABC(177)FOX(178).

They probably should put all of the basic ones together and all of the movie (premium channels) together. That way you don't have to skip a channel or 2 (like discovery now)

Have you guys checked out the new Best Buy on Southside blvd ?
They have the new 52" JVC D-ILA RPTV which looks pretty good.
They are also selling Tivo 40GB for $99.99 - $100 rebate = free. (I did not see this offer in other BB stores).

"They are also selling Tivo 40GB for $99.99 - $100 rebate = free. "

Very Funny- If any are still in stock, it means they can't even pay people a penny to take them away.

What we need is an HDTIVO for $999.99 and a $1000 rebate. :D

Originally posted by taichinanda
Have you guys checked out the new Best Buy on Southside blvd ?
They have the new 52" JVC D-ILA RPTV which looks pretty good.
They are also selling Tivo 40GB for $99.99 - $100 rebate = free. (I did not see this offer in other BB stores).

I saw that. I havent heard of that technology. wanted to look into it.

found it. looks like it is what JVS calls LCoS.

found it. looks like it is what JVS calls LCoS.

Originally posted by sikoniko
found it. looks like it is what JVS calls LCoS.

I believe Phillips came out a year ago with a LCoS and either temporarily or permanently pulled it off the market.

read briefly on it, and it appears to be a better technology than dlp or lcd. I figure it will take a couple more years for them to figure all of this stuff out.

I think it would be neat to have a tv hanging on the wall for everyday use, then when you want to watch a movie click a button and a projection screen comes down in front of the tv. I know that is possible now, but prices are still dropping. I remember the first plasma I saw was in sound advice back in '97 and it cost 22k$. in comparison, 5k$ isn't so much, but it is still too much for me.

Does anybody know if ABC is going to show the FSU/Miami game in HD? I have not been able to confirm this? I contacted ABC 25, but they only said that it would be in HD if ABC sent it that way.

AFH is more informed than I, but it looks like it will not, but then again I stop reading the thread when it got into all the people were bickering over who has the most deliquents.... (Let's face it we all do or have)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=434013

If you have D*, Bravo HD has kicked in on channel 74 (though not in HD at the momement).

At 7:48...it switched to 1080i....US Open on now.

Originally posted by Gator99
AFH is more informed than I, but it looks like it will not, but then again I stop reading the thread when it got into all the people were bickering over who has the most deliquents.... (Let's face it we all do or have)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=434013

Thanks for the link Gator99! That thread ended up off topic pretty quickly.

Guys, these last two years have been fun in the Jax thread talking about hd and the like, but I am writing to let you know that as 5:00am this morning I am making my way to Phoenix (Chandler) AZ for my new home. After being unemployed for almost a year it is a relief to finally have a good paying job again doing what I have years of experience doing (government finance). My family still lives here and I have some family on the west coast so the transition will not be to hard. Another good thing to come out of this is that I got a bigger and newer hdtv and my parents will keep the first one I got almost two years, which is a good tv in its own right.

The bad thing is no more season tickets to FSU football with my dad and cousins.

I will still check in on this thread to see what you guys are up to and I will continue to post frequently on AVS as soon as I select a IP out there in Phoenix.

Enjoy

AFH
Good luck and you will be missed!
Jamie

AFH, Good Luck in Phoenix -- have fun with that Desert heat :)

AFH, good luck!

PS Pun

Antonio-

Have a great move out to Phoenix. I am saddened to receive your news that you will be leaving but happy for you at being able to find a new job you are excited about.
I enjoyed our two brief meetings with the local HDTV "club" and your many posts here.
Anyway, You will be about 4-5 hours from Las Vegas, so if you get some time to visit the CES show in January, we need to get together. You know how to reach me so let me know if you can go and we will do lunch or dinner or something.


I

Antonio--

I also enjoyed the 2 times that I met you and your continued support here on the local threads. I wish you the best move possible across the country. As you know, you're getting out of the path of the hurricanes! Yea, I mean the football game on Sept. 6!!!! Oh, and that other PITA too-- Frances!!!

MY ONLY GRIPE... you posted at 4:30A this morning that you're moving, and said that at 5:00A today, you'll be on your way... If you gave us another week or two notice, perhaps we could have pulled together a breakfast, or a BBQ, or something.....

I hope you drop back in on our local threads sometime, but I know that If I need you-- I can find you still on the forum.

Best of luck---
Bill

Please use the September/October thread, thanks.

Here is our Septrmber/October thread.

You guys mentioned get togethers. I'm kind of new to the forum, so I was wondering what kind of thing you did in the past?

Meet at someones house for some event? go to dinner?

I will fly to lax tomorrow for my planned vacation, just in time to run away from Frances. So I have taken down the dish, unplugged D* Tivos.
I also got the Comcast 6208 DVR yesterday, firstly to record some HD programs while I'm away, during the storm, (I assume I don't have to pay comcast for power surge damage), secondly to check out their HD channels.
They have StarzHD and CinemaxHD. With the firewire activated I will try to copy some movies to D-VHS. Has anyone tried ?
Take care , everybody.

sikoniko posted the below in our July/August thread after we moved to this thread:

"You guys mentioned get togethers. I'm kind of new to the forum, so I was wondering what kind of thing you did in the past?

Meet at someones house for some event? go to dinner?"

sikoniko, if I remember right (I was out of town and did not participate) the members had breakfast together one Saturday (I think) morning.

PS

Saw the new Hawaii show last night. It was okay and it was in HD. The station missed on the HD/SD transition a few times.

Hope everyone is okay for Frances.

Background info on the get-togethers...

We did two. First one was in January, I believe 2003. We met at a restaurant for a Saturday AM breakfast. Had about a dozen or so attend.

Meeting #2 was in the Spring and hosted by Jerry, AVSmember/BE of WTEV/WAWS. He gave us a tour of the Station. About the same number attended.

I don't believe there has been any large gatherings since, although I have had some luncheons with some of you all during the week in the past year as time permitted. I'm sure others get together like this too from time to time.

I read on the WB17 web site that they are available on Caomcast Channel 184. I do not get a channel 184. Has anyone else seen this? I sent them an email asking about it but they have not yet replied. Any ideas on what I need to do to get the channel?

Is anyone else experiencing problems with Fox OTA 32-1? All other OTA are fine, but Fox 30 is swinging in signal strength from 100 down to 0 and back again. Using a Hughes e86.

Originally posted by sysdoc
I read on the WB17 web site that they are available on Caomcast Channel 184. I do not get a channel 184. Has anyone else seen this? I sent them an email asking about it but they have not yet replied. Any ideas on what I need to do to get the channel?

I don't have 184 either.

I don't know about 184 but if you look on the channel lineup on the Comcast website, it shows FOX HD on 168. Can't wait. Football on Sundays should be nice.

Paul

where did you see the post on WB's site?

also, I can't say much, because I live in a small apt and wouldnt be able to comfortably have everyone over, but think it would be cool to have another meet soon.

here is what I got from WJWB in Jacksonville,

The decision to not sign a digital retransmission consent agreement with Comcast was a corporate one. Bottom line Comcast wants to control our signal, that is unacceptable. I for one like our companies position as Comcast will not agree to full-bandwidth retransmission.

sad day I guess. I was just thinking, if we didn't have politics, maybe things would actually get done. what a concept.

Well, FOX HD is on comcast now, well if you have a QAM capable receiver you can pick it up on 111-1. I'm wondering why it isn't on the cable box yet (Ch. 168) since it is on the website. I guess they want the grand unveiling to be NFL on Sunday!!

Too bad WJWB isn't being picked up. I have a hard time getting it on the antenna.

Paul

Thanks for the information about Fox, Paul. Can you get Discovery HD via QAM tuner? I found it on 102-2 for one day, then it was gone the next.

I guess our administrator changed our thread title for a good reason.

PS

Paul, I tried to get Fox on QAM cable tuner channel 111-1 as you said, but there is no signal there now.

Anyone know what happened to ota 17-1? Cannot pickup any signal from the WB anymore--it was fine pre-Frances.

Yea peter, mine went out also. Any news anyone?

Here is something from WB:

The problem some in our viewing area may be experiencing with our digital signal is based on us only transmitting low-power DTV, 36KW. We are budgeted to construct a full-power transmission system, 1000KW beginning next summer with the project being completed by July 2006.

He also said he doesnt know if MGBG (parent company of WJWB) and comcast will EVER come to terms on an agreement for digital retransmission.

Are there many of us here that are using comcast because we have no other choice at the moment and want it to work? If so, maybe we can make our voice heard to both comcast and MGBG, but I think it will definately take us speaking up to both parties before anything will happen.

right now, he says they have zero ROI on the digital system.

BTW, I just called the WB to find out why they are off the air. They had a part failure and are waiting for a FexEx delivery (hopefully today).

Yep still getting 111-1 as FOX. 102-2 comes up as scrambled so I assume that is the Disc HD channel since I can't find it anywhere else. I have no idea which ones are the HD HBO,sho, etc though.

It seems as for all the locals/inhd's/espn that they are putting two HD channels per QAM channel. (That makes me think they can squeeze another channel on 111-2.) I have no clue what kind of bit rates that gives except that when I could record the movie channels from my cable box to my computer a while back they were a lot less than the locals. ~8 MB/s compared to 19 or so.

Paul

It seems as for all the locals/inhd's/espn that they are putting two HD channels per QAM channel. (That makes me think they can squeeze another channel on 111-2.) I have no clue what kind of bit rates that gives except that when I could record the movie channels from my cable box to my computer a while back they were a lot less than the locals. ~8 MB/s compared to 19 or so.

Paul -

I haven't checked for a couple weeks but on my F3Q card I actually had 3 channels on Comcast Jax 102 (or was it 103?), INHD1&2 and a 3rd that maybe was ESPN before it became encrypted or unavailable a month or so ago.

I don't remember the bit rates exactly except that a half hour Noir (when will these resume?) episode seems to be only about 2.5 GB, or 5 GB / hour. However normal OTA HD is 19.39 mbps giving about 8.5 GB / hour.

So I guess very some sloppy math would suggest a bit rate of 19.39 * 5/8.5 = 11.4 mbps, at least for INHD2 Noir episodes.

- Tom

Paul,

Can you list all of the QAM channels you do get now?

I still cannot get 111-1. Maybe it is because we are in different areas. I am in Clay/Argyle area. Where are you?

Just a quick question for those who receive PBS OTA, Has anyone else noticed the quaility suffer due to multicasting? Also, has anyone else noticed the lip synce problem with 7-4 when they are multicasting?

If Smitty still reads the forum, just wondering how we can tell the programming dept. to send the channel guide services (http://www.zap2it.com/index) the correct info so our guides display the correct programming info. Just a suggestion.

I surf through all the HD channels first before I land somewhere and PBS can be very informative, but lately (last month or two) the quality is lacking (pixelation, soft, etc) this could be due to source material, but I believe it is the multicasting.

One last question for those that can monitor bandwidth, when WJCT (PBS) multicasts 7-1 (HD) and puts a static banner on 7-2, 7-3 but has material on 7-4 (with lipsync) how much bandwidth are they dedicating to each subchannel?

Thanks

equipment - E-86 clone

A few weeks ago after some experimentation I finally found an attic antenna location where I could get WB OTA. But the downside was I then lost PBS.

It seemed a good trade but that means I can't monitor PBS bandwidth now.

- Tom

I understand completly Tom, WB can be dificult to receive.

It certainly is! :(

I haven't watched it for weeks anyway due to rerun season but I just checked and it is now completely gone. Hopefully that is a temporary situation but if it turns out to be a new low power policy then maybe I'll re-adjust and get PBS back.

Or maybe even do as Don L. keeps chiding me about and finally take the darn rotor I brought to Jax from Michigan out of my closet and mount it up on the roof where it belongs. ;)

- Tom

Tom,
WB was off the air a couple of days due to a part failure, so it may not be your antenna.

I also have an attic installation, and I understand about moving an antenna slightly and losing a station. I kid you not, a difference of an inch or two one way or the other along the horizontal axis and a station disappears.

Just a list of the HD QAM channels; BTW I live up by Ft Caroline area.

102-1 ESPN
103-1 INHD
103-2 INHD2
104-1 ABC
104-2 NBC
111-1 FOX
114-1 PBS
114-2 CBS

Paul

Tom,
WB was off the air a couple of days due to a part failure, so it may not be your antenna.

Yep. Checked last night and today and WB is back for me. And for some reason I can also get PBS again.

- Tom

Some of you may get a laugh out of this, or find a useful tip.

Using an attic mounted antenna, I have been able to receive all the digital stations reliably except Fox 30. No matter how I oriented or re-oriented the antenna, the signal was just never good enough to lock for very long.

For the heck of it, i pulled out an old rabbit ears antenna, and sure enough, with enough fiddling with it, I could pull in a steady signal--but not on the other stations. Connecting both the attic and rabbit ears doesn't work because it creates a multi-path problem.

The solution? I purchased an electronic A/B switch from Radio Shack. For all stations except 30-1, I can use the attic antenna. For Fox, I switch to the rabbit ears. A goofy solution, but this is the first time I can actually get all the stations.

So is Fox going to be hidef today for the football on channel 168?

Originally posted by cschaul
So is Fox going to be hidef today for the football on channel 168?

Fingers crossed, hoping this is true. So far nothing on 168... we'll see soon enough ? Was pleased to see that we have Discovery HD (167) now !!

One hour to go now, and still nothing. Either they are going to wait until the last minute, or not do it yet. Im beginning to let myself down so I won't be overly disappointed if it doesnt come...

Are any of you getting Fox-HD on 30-1 ota? You should get 5.1 and see the pre-game show in WS 480p.

widescreen 480p but no 5.1

Also, commercials are WS, I wonder if Jerry is just upconverting the 480p signal ot 720p and stretching the signal??? anyone else notice this?

Originally posted by Gator99
widescreen 480p but no 5.1

Also, commercials are WS, I wonder if Jerry is just upconverting the 480p signal ot 720p and stretching the signal??? anyone else notice this?

Well, the studio show is supposed to be WS 480p but it should also be 5.1 if the splicer is working correctly. Here in Phoenix, I had it on the pre-game show and I was getting 5.1 and 480 WS OTA. Someone over in the big FOX hd ready thread mentioned that the 5.1 audio was going out and then coming back in.

Both of the games that you guys get on FOX today will be in hd. You should know if the Jax splicer is online at 1:00 EST for the first game.

still no channel 168 on comcast.

Jeff, is the game on Fox 30-1 in hd? I'm curious as to whether the splicer is online there.

NO - so far it is not in WS - actually every once in a while we get WS but mostly not WS - OH well - what is up Jerry??

Jeff, I guess that's good and bad. The good is that Jerry has the splicer somewhat online, the bad is it goes in and out of hd. Btw, there is no more 480 WS, except for the studio show, so when the pic goes to WS format during a game it is hd 720p. Maybe by the 4:00 game Jerry will have it working correctly.

Here in Phoenix the first game on Fox is the Cards game and that is the only game on Fox today that is not in hd. So I won't see any Fox hd until the second game.

Antonio - still 4x3 but the picture is 10 times better than the CBS Jags vs Bills game -- by the way how are you settling in???

Too bad Rix will never see a win against the Canes -- I saw a stat that will probably live with him for a while -- he is the only QB to lose to a single team 5 times.

Originally posted by Gator99
Antonio - still 4x3 but the picture is 10 times better than the CBS Jags vs Bills game -- by the way how are you settling in???

Too bad Rix will never see a win against the Canes -- I saw a stat that will probably live with him for a while -- he is the only QB to lose to a single team 5 times.

I'm pretty much settled in, thanks for asking. The first week of work was good. I'm still trying to adjust to the time. Hopefully Jerry will get the splicer working correctly for you guys. I am trying to watch the Jags game on the Sunday Ticket but I don't know how long I'll be able to stand that piece o' crap game. Do the Jags have an offense?

All I have to say about FSU is there needs to be a change in offensive coordinator, Rix needs to use his brain more, Mickey Andrews (D-coord) should stop running 3 down linemen and letting the corners sit 10 yards off a rec when the opposing team is down and trying to come back and State's kicker needs some help. How do you make a 45 yard fieldgoal but miss a 32 yarder? :rolleyes: Hey kicker, you make the field goal and State wins plan and simple. It is your fault. After all of the turnovers and blown defensive plays it was still within State's ability to win, all you had to do was make a simple 32 yard field goal. :rolleyes:

Even when Rix leaves next year FSU will still be in trouble on offensive. Why are you running a reverse on 3rd and 5 in your own territory? :rolleyes: Why is Jeff Bowden still the offensive coordinator? Nevermind, I know why! Also, State was just beat up across the offensive line. Some of those player were 3rd teamers. Mickey Andrews what the hell is your problem with play calling. He always runs a 3 down linemen set when a team is trying to come from behind on State. Always! Hey Mickey get a freakin' clue.

Rix why are you still throwing the ball? Running backs, do you know how to cutback and follow the open hole? I guess you don't!:rolleyes:

That whole effort pissed me off. There needs to be a major change across the board. If players act like they don't know how to play the position move them.

Ok, rant over. I hope Jerry gets the hd on Fox up and running. Like I said before, the good news is that the splicer appears to be in place and running, although not perfect. The bad news is it is going to take some more time before the splicer is up and running prefectly.:rolleyes:

Well, still getting QAM 111-1 for FOX HD, but not on 168.
No HD or DD5.1 anyway for the TB game.

Sunday ticket is definitely worth it though since I am getting 3 HD games at once right now.

Paul

Ugh, what the heck happened to WAWS today? First day of HD and so far, nothing!

Has anyone called??

I think it stinks that Sunday Ticket HD blacks out TB vs Wash and Philly vs. NYG cause they're show locally in HD

yet they aren't! Dunno if WAWS could have authorized DirecTV to show those games for us but if they could have, they should have.

any change for you OTA people in the foxhd front? seems rather typical for jacksonville that we wouldnt have it...

For some strange reason, I am getting WAWS-DT on 32-2.

I'm getting nothing on 32-2.

I think a lot depends on your tuner. Some remap to the virtual channel and some don't. Mine apparently doesn't, but that might be because I haven't run the channel scan in 8 months.

Are you seeing 32-1? Or a virtual 30-1?

Don't see 32-1 either.. and not sure how to see a virtual 30-1 :)

Why isn't it just on the normal 30-1 it's been on for weeks?

Anyone hear anything?

Anyone know the guy down at WAWS that can call and see what is going on?

Originally posted by sikoniko
Anyone know the guy down at WAWS that can call and see what is going on?

Here is the response I got from FOX:

Dear Mr. Moody:



We have been prepared for some time, and have just received the FOX equipment and currently installing and testing. We should be up and ready shortly.



Douglas Crall

Director of Engineering & Operations

WAWS / WTEV Jacksonville, FL



-----Original Message-----
From: Ross Moody [mailto:ross.moody@worldnet.att.net]
Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2004 10:32 AM
To: Crall, Doug
Subject: HD Progamming



When can we expect to see Fox digital High Definition programs on Jacksonville Comcast Cable?

Thanks



Ross Moody
Jax Florida
Retired

My semi-reliable (I try not to press him too much) source at Comcast told me several weeks ago that Fox on channel 168 would start up on September 15 (Wednesday).

I wrote back and told him if they could push that date up just 3 short days they'd be up in time for NFL opening day. His lack of a reply indicated to me that this discussion had already taken place numerous times and 9/15 would be the EARLIEST (this is before any hurricanes came through) we'd be seeing channel 168...

Im about to flame the corporate of our local WB for not signing a digital retransmission agreement with comcast. Can you find out if comcast has the same agreement with everyone? I think it is stupid for WB to hold out, or possibly not sign. I need information though to put together a valid email, instead of sound like im whining... which i guess is what i am doing.

Originally posted by Gator99
Too bad Rix will never see a win against the Canes -- I saw a stat that will probably live with him for a while -- he is the only QB to lose to a single team 5 times.

Rix chokes against the Canes once more but he usually saves his best games for the Gators.:D

Yeah that is usually what happens here in the Sunshine state lately -- :(

Not being ready for Comcast transmission doesn't explain OTA does it? Why was 30-1 OTA HD for weeks now, for every preseason game etc, then finally on the first Sunday, they drop the ball?

Being that FOX is already working on the QAM channel pretty much shows that they have it ready to go (Testing??). Probably some written agreement is set for 9/15. Therefore they can't turn on the STB channel 168 until that time. Just speculating.

It pretty much means nothing until WAWS actually transmits real HD anyway.

Paul

Phod, why do you assume the WAWS-DT was ready for HD (splicer installed)?? I think we all assumed (including myself) that they had it installed and tested properly.

Jerry has always said they had the capabilities to upconvert 720p but only mentioned they were installing the splicer (Network engineers) -- from what I under stand they have an issue with splicer technology working with WAWS-DT equipment and I would assume they are working on it - patience is a virtue.

Don't get me wrong I want Fox HD working ASAP

Well why aren't they still upconverting even if they don't have the equipment in place?

I'd rather see upconverted 720p then what I saw yesterday and am seeing now.

I also seem to remember Jerry posting in one of these threads that WAWS was ready to go just waiting for Fox to "turn it on"

Good question about why they aren't upconverting - maybe they have more issues than I am aware of?? As far as Jerry saying he was ready and waiting for Fox to "turn it on" that was probably the case, but as I had mentioned difficulties seem to have arisen between the splicer and other equipment and they should be working on it.

Technical difficulties seem to be WAWS-DT problem, hopefully they will have it up by next Sunday or sooner.

Anyone getting pixellation during MNF? I receive a perfect picture for 1-2 min and then I get pixellation and will lose the signal intermittently. Any thoughts? I had no problems during preaseason. Go figure.

I had bad pixellation and a soft picture. This game was the worst football broadcast so far this year, including last Thursday's game.

Comcast digital guide is showing WAWS Fox DTV on channel 168, but there is no picture yet. Just a heads up, it will probably be active tomorrow.

I have 168 now and it is showing king of the hill..

yes, 168 is on the air. It may be several days before we see anything in HD though. The true test will be Sunday.

Paul, I'm getting 111-1 Fox now on Comcast cable QAM. It finally showed up today. Can you get DiscoveryHD? Can you rescan and try to find it?

Rescanning is a real pain for me. I don't know what you are using or if it is the same agonizing process for you. I did check all of the surrounding channels and found nothing.

Thanks.


Originally posted by protsch
Just a list of the HD QAM channels; BTW I live up by Ft Caroline area.

102-1 ESPN
103-1 INHD
103-2 INHD2
104-1 ABC
104-2 NBC
111-1 FOX
114-1 PBS
114-2 CBS

Paul

can't find DiscHD but my scanning process usually entails punching in the QAM channel number and seeing what comes up. I have 2 QAM rcvrs: 1 on my MITS TV, the second (which is what I usually play with ) is the LG-3410. My main box is in the living room(Motorola 6200).

The Mits has a nice scan feature but I don't usually have the cable hooked to it and it doesn't sort the scrambled channels out.

The LG box takes some time to tune in, so it doesn't scan very well, but it will skip scrambled channels when you are channel surfing.

Paul

Any updates on 30-1? I can't remember the last time I saw even a widescreen presentation on it.

Are we in for another weekend without even upconvert?

I assume they are still working on it, by the way no one will see Fox Widescreen again, the next time you see widescreen will be from the splicer and that should be 720p

Gator, why can't they give us ED while fixing the HD problem? At least the HD entertainment shows do arrive on usenet in a couple of days, but football won't.

Exactly, I'd rather have the widescreen upconvert then nothing for approaching 2 weeks now.

Especially when they were supposedly ready.

I believe from what I have read (see link below) FOX has ended their transmission of ED (phased it out)

I am not sure where I read it but I think it is in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=409554

I just called the station. They are still in the process of installing and testing the equipment. As Jeff mentioned, Fox widescreen doesn't exist anymore. It is either the 16x9 HD feed or 480i.

Can I get the UPN network from my antenna here in ST Augustine.I do not have cable,but do have Directv,but I dont think they carry it.I would like to see the new Kevin Hill show.Thanks for any info.

Quinton - UPN is FOX - in other words -- starting at 11PM the primetime UPN schedule is shown on WAWS and WAWS-DT (30)

so if you can receive Fox, then you can get UPN.

Originally posted by Quinton
Can I get the UPN network from my antenna here in ST Augustine.I do not have cable,but do have Directv,but I dont think they carry it.I would like to see the new Kevin Hill show.Thanks for any info.

You're going to have to use a Directivo to record shows on UPN unless you don't mind staying up until 12:00am. My sister in Jax uses a Directivo to record the shows b/c the UPN shows come on too late on Fox 30 and it is just better to watch them when you're actually awake.

Also, Jeff and Peter are right about Fox not sending out any more ED feeds. It is either hd or 480i with black bars on the sides.

Awesome, another week of crappy looking football I guess.

The least they could do is allow DirecTV owners to see the scheduled game in HD instead of making DirecTV black it out.

Very frustrating.

Actually, we might see HD this weekend, but I believe you all should be aware that there is a temporary fix to the situation and transistions between commericals/splicer/local and other things might be choppy at best, but we should have HD this weekend -- just don't cuss -- they seem to be working on it

Thanks Gator

Well - it looks like WAWS-DT has got their "temp" fix working - not too bad either - it sure is nice to see HD from Fox - good job Jerry

I second Jeff's comments. Excellent picture and Dolby 5.1 is incredible with the "crowd noise".

3rd ;)

A milestone here. Kudos & props to Jerry & crew.

- Tom

Picture and sound was great! Not sure I understand how that was a "temporary fix". Is it loaner equipment or something?

Well I missed the debut of HD on FOX, but instead saw a thrilling offensive showcase by the Jaguars. I guess all it takes is one touchdown a game with this defense.

2-0 and in first place in the Division!

I think that FOX, last weekend, had the best presentation of HD football I have seen yet. I hope this gives the other local stations a kick in the pants to upgrade to DD. I thought that was awesome.

Really happy to see FOX here was HD and DD too. I have Sunday ticket and it looked as good as any of the FOX games on there. I was amazed that I appeared to enjoy the 720 games better than the 1080 ones from CBS. I was never really convinced that there was that much of a difference between the two, but yesterday I saw it with my own eyes. FOX wins hands down with 720 and there more modern productions.
Jamie

here was an interesting article from the times union.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/092004/bus_highdef1.shtml

I think this kind of attitude only slows down progress.

Let the rant begin (sorry in advance)
Really sad that the WB rep has such a bad attitude, ""For the eight people who have it, we didn't think the expense was worth it," Liff said."
Wow, if they would turn up the power then maybe more than eight would receive it. I for one decided not to watch ANY WB programming after I inquired about the power being transmitted last year and I received a reply stating that I, being from SE Gerogia (Kingsland), was not a viewer they were concerened about. Let me see. I fall into a demographic that is prized by most networks, 33 single, 50K/yr income, large amounts of income devoted to SPENDING (DirectTV HD in 3 rooms, VA VA Voom in two, two front PJ, 65" HD set, 30" HD set in the BEDROOM, 7 DVD players, 3 computers etc) and an early adopter of technology. I actually convinced a half dozen people to throw up antennas to rcv HD tv and know of another dozen who already rcv HD. My 70 yr old neighbor just bought a new HD set and he is like a kid in a candy store. He may not spend a lot of money on this hobby, but he has a tv with built in tuner and all he needs is to connect an antenna. The time is NOW for HD.
Sorry, my ranting is over...
Jamie

I dont like the writer because it only confuses people who don't have friends like us into thinking they shouldn't buy in yet.

I agree that the time is now. I think more could be done other than just the NFL to push HDTV, (thinking PGA, NASCAR which is minimal at best (none of which do I watch, but it would certainly help sales)) but it is bleeding over.

Does anybody have any contacts at Comcast who could get figures on how many of their customers are subscribers to their HD tier? I know that there are more than 8 of us here who have HD, and Lord knows how many shy lurkers!

And Jamie, you make an interesting point. I think if broadcasters/sponsors took a good look at the demographics of the "early adopters" they would find that there is more money to be made than they think.

I know somebody has to break the log jam. Back in 1965, there were a handful of programs broadcast in color. Suddenly in 1966-67 it was everywhere...and equipment sales soared.

I read that article also and I think that the article was all over the place. As a writer you should not leave your readers guessing at what the point of the article is. I'm still trying to figure out if he was talking about the 2006 all digital mandate or how to get hdtv. I think the writer wrote the column half-as* as he does most of his columns.

One place in the article where I thought he could have done a better job was being truthful about the amount of hd that is available during primetime on the nets. The article was written with a slant towards hdtv difficulties and the lack of programming. The author says "Consumers don't want to spend big bucks on HDTV equipment while there is still relatively little HDTV programming to watch". At this point I'm saying to myself what is he talking about. From the outset you see the slant of this article. If he wanted to be truthful, which I doubt he wanted to be totally, he would have mentioned that the majority of Americans watch the primetime programming on the nets. Once you make that point based on the ratings that come out everyday, you can move on to the next point.

The next point being that the nets such as CBS has all of its primetime shows and movies in hd and that the news mags on CBS will be going hd, FOX just went to hd and all of its primetime programming is in hd, with the exception of a few reality shows and the same thing for NBC and ABC. And he would have mentioned that every new primetime non-reality show is broadcast in hd by the nets. I guarantee that if people knew that the primetime shows they watch are available in hd, interest in it would be much higher. If you're going to write something in a newspaper try to be accurate. But as we all know it's all about getting a slanted viewpoint out there.

I don't know why people like to make the point about sports driving hd, b/c in reality it will not drive it in the long run. What will drive hd is people knowing that they can watch stuff in hd that they watch on a everyday basis. Not one event that you happen to watch on Saturday or Sunday. Everyday basis being the tv shows you and the majority of Americans watch Monday - Friday on the nets, which gets the largest ratings for shows in the primetime slots. Lets get real here. Primetime programming in hd on the nets is here and it keeps growing and until people know that CSI Miami is in hd, the non techy or home theater person will not care about it. Get it right and stop getting it twisted.

Stores like BB, CC or Sound Advice need to show recorded hd clips of shows like CSI, CSI Miami, ER, George Lopez, Bernie Mack, Las Vegas, The Gilmore Girls, Reba and so forth to bring home the point that hd is here to stay. It would drive home the point that you (the consumer) can watch the shows you like in hd. Instead, the non techy or home theater consumer is left thinking that hd isn't right for him or her b/c the only thing they can watch in hd is some show on bugs and flowers or the Superbowl and that the tv is good only for making dvds look better and wider. Who watches football, tennis, basketball,baseball, hockey or bugs on a everyday basis? I have your answer and it ain't pretty. NO ONE! At least not a lot of viewers. Sponge Bob beats hockey and baseball on ESPN in the ratings. Look for yourself if you question it. Football gets good numbers but not the kind that a decent, not good primetime show gets.

Kill the sports argument b/c Tim or Jenny, who work 8 hours a day and are living in the 4 bedroom house with two children probably could care less about relaxing after a long day at work watching some sports event. They most likely will want to watch The O.C. or some comedy that allows them to escape for an hour. And guess what, it gets betters when they know that the show is in hd and that they can get a 47in hd tv for 1500 dollars. That makes selling hd much easier.

I too am disgusted with the shallow, vanilla, immature article written by Mark Bash, Titled "The future of high def TV remains blurry". I plan to email him my thoughts. Some of you might want to also. His email is mark.bash@jacksonville.com tel 904-359-4308 His boss is dale.hokren@jacksonville.com tel 904-359-4402 Also I going to invite him to review the comments posted on this thread if I can figure out the URL. I think he is laying ground work for an ulterior motive that the local broadcasters are planning. That motive being to sell or sub-lease "so-called excess bandwidth" to highest bidder just to turn a profit. That is not a good thing for us viewers in many ways. :mad:

Jerry what is with the Fox logo way off the screen to the bottom right?? not that I mind it being "almost" missing.

Way to go WAWS, Football looked great!!

As far as that article, I read a couple of paragraphs and I had to stop because it made no sense. Not enough programming, what? I have to record half the programs I watch because some other HD show is on I want to watch at the same time. Not to mention with the new FOX HD (and CBS)on NFL Sunday ticket. I counted 7 games on at the same time yesterday. Not to mention the 10 other HD channels I have that were showing HD at the same time.

HD is here and the future is clear . . . more HD!!!

Paul

Antonio, I'll take part of your reply as a response to what I wrote. I see your point and totally agree. If there was better marketing of what IS out there, instead of what is not, then there would be more desire for people to make the move.

I believe as more channels come on line, it will be important that providers are prompt in delivering the content. While prime time is largely in HD, there are still a lot of channels that are not that people enjoy.

for example, to possibly grab a hold of women in a broader manner, they could make lifetime, HGTV, and food network HD.

regardless of what networks make the upgrade, if the providers (comcast, direct tv, dish) can not deliver it into our homes, it doesnt make much of a difference.

I noticed the FOX bug too.

The Fox logo is in the bottom right hand corner of the screen on all Fox stations. The Fox people in LA are leaving it like that for know. That is according to someone who works at Fox Corp in LA who posted over in the big Fox thread in the programming forum. It's in the bottom right hand corner of my tv. I'm glad it's like that seeing as though the logo is really big and not transparent.

I emailed Mark Basch back in June about an article he wrote, and gave him a direct link to an article here. He wrote back and said he couldn't find it!!

Perhaps the T-U has nobody on the staff who understands technology and he keeps drawing the short straw.

Originally posted by grittree
I emailed Mark Basch back in June about an article he wrote, and gave him a direct link to an article here. He wrote back and said he couldn't find it!!

Perhaps the T-U has nobody on the staff who understands technology and he keeps drawing the short straw.

Amen. Well I emailed him again and included the URL for this thread again. Also sent a copy to is boss, Dale Hokrein. Maybe the two of them can figure it out.:(

From reading the TU article, is it correct that WJXX (ABC) is the only local station currently multicasting?

The reason I ask is that the PQ for the football games on WTEV (CBS) have been by far the worst, compared to ABC and ESPN (I missed the game on FOX last Sunday). The pixelization has been very bad on the CBS broadcasts via Comcast, while on ABC and especially ESPN the problem has been almost non-existent.

btw, the article is exactly what I expected from a mainstream media source. What's more troubling is the attitude of the local station executives (assuming they are quoted correctly).

Originally posted by Ross Moody
Amen. Well I emailed him again and included the URL for this thread again. Also sent a copy to is boss, Dale Hokrein. Maybe the two of them can figure it out.:(

I hope he learns how to click on a link so that he can read my post.

scolumbo - PBS also multicasts and you are correct ABC multicasts but no others so far.

Also, I view CBS OTA with a Hughes E86 clone and I rarely see pixelation and with my RPTV which views 1080i native I think CBS is slightly better quaility than all the rest, but Fox/ABC very close behind. ESPN is compressed by D* so it is hit and miss sometimes

Originally posted by scolumbo
From reading the TU article, is it correct that WJXX (ABC) is the only local station currently multicasting?

The reason I ask is that the PQ for the football games on WTEV (CBS) have been by far the worst, compared to ABC and ESPN (I missed the game on FOX last Sunday). The pixelization has been very bad on the CBS broadcasts via Comcast, while on ABC and especially ESPN the problem has been almost non-existent.

btw, the article is exactly what I expected from a mainstream media source. What's more troubling is the attitude of the local station executives (assuming they are quoted correctly).

As far as the CBS pq goes, I asked my dad on Saturday and Sunday about the pq for the Florida v. Tenn game and the Cleveland v. Dallas game and he said all was fine with the pic. He was watching ota. His words are "It was very clear and you could see every detail. He did mentioned that there were breakups at the beginning of each game but he didn't see any after that.

We had a few breakups on both games here in Pheonix and I am also watching ota so maybe it was a national issue.

As far as mainstream media goes, the Washington Post did a story a couple weeks ago on hdtv and they got it right. It was a three part story that explained things clearly for the novice. It told you what programs were available, how to get hd and what is currently happening on the hd scene. Now I have also seen the Dallas Morning News get it wrong just as this guy at the TU did. It all depends on how much time the writer is willing to put into the story or what slant they are going for.

PHOD, do you have the HTL-HD D* receiver -- I have started to do some research and am wanting to take advantage of D* giving rebates/free progrmamming and wondered if you could give me your opinion on this reciever and if you had any other recievers what your thoughts are.

Actually anyone here with D* that wants to give their opinions on D* HD receivers (excluding HD-Tivo) it would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind I am using a Hughes E86 clone for the past 2.5 years. I just think it is time to add another HD tv and would like to upgrade in my media room to a newer model.

BTW, I have tried to read the HDTV hardware section, but each thread as over 60 plus pages - way too many pages for each receiver.

thanks

Jeff,I have the Sony HD200 receiver.It has worked well for about a year.This is with Directv and ota.I have no complaints.

Originally posted by Gator99
PHOD, do you have the HTL-HD D* receiver -- I have started to do some research and am wanting to take advantage of D* giving rebates/free progrmamming and wondered if you could give me your opinion on this reciever and if you had any other recievers what your thoughts are.

Actually anyone here with D* that wants to give their opinions on D* HD receivers (excluding HD-Tivo) it would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind I am using a Hughes E86 clone for the past 2.5 years. I just think it is time to add another HD tv and would like to upgrade in my media room to a newer model.

BTW, I have tried to read the HDTV hardware section, but each thread as over 60 plus pages - way too many pages for each receiver.

thanks

Jeff, two months before I left town my dad had to replace the E86 that he had for almost two year. Directv first sent out the Samsung TS-160 and after that didn't work properly they sent out the Samsung TS-360 which is the newest model. The reception of hd locals on this thing is light years ahead of the E86. So you may want to consider the Samsung.

I have the newer hughes, the E86 replacement and though it does fine with PQ ota and Sat, I am not happy with the way it works. By this I mean the user interface and ease of use. Other than that I am fine and think it is actually slightly better in PQ than my E86, but less user friendly. But then I never read the manual, and I really don't like change so maybe I need to shut up :)

AFH
How is the heat treating you? Hope all is going well with the new job. I am still looking, but I won't get serious until the first of October. Glad to see you are still hanging around
Jamie

Originally posted by jamiecrane
AFH
How is the heat treating you? Hope all is going well with the new job. I am still looking, but I won't get serious until the first of October. Glad to see you are still hanging around
Jamie

Jamie, I tell the people out here that the heat in Phoenix is nothing. Yeh it gets to 112 degrees but it is a dry heat. I can drive around with my windows down in my car without sweating. The humidity in Florida makes the heat worse than what it is in Arizona. It actually feels comfortable outside when it 100 degrees. There is no breeze but the heat doesn't kill you. The job is going well and interesting to say the least.

I plan on hanging around on avs for as long as I can.

Originally posted by Gator99
scolumbo - PBS also multicasts and you are correct ABC multicasts but no others so far.



Actually I forgot about PBS. It's usually so poor, I can't watch it for more than a few minutes without the picture freezing for several seconds at a time or breaking up completely.

I'm just surprised that ABC seems to not show any effects of multicasting, while CBS is noticeably worse, especially for fast action during football games. Since Comcast supposedly doesn't compress HD, I assumed the problems would be the same OTA. Through Comcast, ESPN and INHD have the best overall PQ for sports IMO.

scolumbo - PBS also multicasts and you are correct ABC multicasts but no others so far.

I think it's more than that. I just checked this evening with the following results:


Station Channel # of channels

WJXT 4 2
WJCT 7 5 (mostly place holders)
WJXX 25 2
WAWS 30 1
WJWB 17 2
WTLV 12 1
WTEV 47 1


So 4 out of 7 have sub-channels.

Also I notice I can barely get CBS tonight for some reason so maybe I should call it 4 out of 6 for me.

- Tom

PS - and what happend to the "..." commands to get unformatted text? Isn't that what it's called?

I have had no problems w/ cbs on comcast. The only one I can complain about is PBS. I cant watch a program without it freezing up, and pixelating.

after last weekend, I think FOX has the best presentation of football.

Jeff,

I see what you are talking about on the CBS games. It's the blocky pixelation that happens when they pan across the sidelines. We have had this discussion at least two other times on this thread and half the people will see it, and some won't. I will try to do a side by side comparison with a few different receivers to see if it is the station or the boxes.

Paul

I have been saying CBS's picture quality is by far the worst for quite a while on Comcast. I again noticed major pixellation in fast motion on CBS during football this weekend. Fox's picture was outstanding, as was ABC and ESPN.

Well, I got a $200 credit plus other credits in programming from D*, but can't figure out which receiver to get - I think I have narrowed it down to the Samsung 360 and the Hughes HTL-HD, both can be purchased locally from CC or BB for $299+tax -- anyone have any other suggesions on what and even where to purchase locally or online?

Originally posted by DR Jax
I have been saying CBS's picture quality is by far the worst for quite a while on Comcast. I again noticed major pixellation in fast motion on CBS during football this weekend. Fox's picture was outstanding, as was ABC and ESPN.

On the money. I agree also. ;)

Anyone know if NFL Network GOTW is showing up in HD on Comcast yet in Jax? Evidently, it's appearing in many parts of the country this week. Some have said it's supposed to show up on VOD while others are saying it's coming through on INHD2 or an unadvertised channel in their market.

I will be diving into HDTV for the first time with my new Mitsu crt-rp in the next week. I will be getting the locals OTA. I live over by the Avenues Mall and I am looking for some suggestions from people here that might point me to the best antenna choice for my location. I guess if I am wondering if I am really going to struggle with an attic unit and constant adjusting to get all of the stations OTA?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

petercw2,
Congratulations on your new purchase.

All of the stations broadcast from the antenna farm on Hogan road. You can get an exact orientation by going to antennaweb.org and putting in your zip code.

Now, if only it were that simple! You will then most likely need to do some tweaking until you find the spot that gives you all the stations. I am using a Radio Shack antenna mounted in my attic and while that works for me....attic mounts, depending on what's up there and your roof construction will cut the strength of the signal. That may or may not be a problem.

After seeing the superb PQ on Fox, along with the high quality on ESPN, I'm becoming convinced that 720p is more suitable for fast action, at least on my plasma. Fox and ESPN easily beat out CBS and ABC on their football broadcasts with little or no pixelation.

petercw2... I don't think you'll have a problem. I live in Hampton Glen, which is down the street from the Avenues, and I get all stations fine with a Radio Shack double bow tie in the attic. Though it is breaking up a fair amount right now while I'm watching the Colts-Packers.

Ralph

Originally posted by rcibera
petercw2... I don't think you'll have a problem. I live in Hampton Glen, which is down the street from the Avenues, and I get all stations fine with a Radio Shack double bow tie in the attic. Though it is breaking up a fair amount right now while I'm watching the Colts-Packers.

Outstanding. I am thinking about one of the Terk tounge depresser looking things. After looking at the site suggested earlier in the thread it appear that I just need to point to towards downtown and it should be good. I seem to be less than 10 miles from any of the HDTV channels.

thanks!

I am about 1 mile due west of the Avenues (east end of Losco Rd) and I stuck a mid-sized channel master from lowes in my attic. It works great.

I have heard quite a few bad things about the small terk hdtv andtenna, and if you are looking for a small set-top antenna, I would recommend the silver sensor.

As far as aiming, I believe my antenna is pointing at 8 degrees

Originally posted by bmccrea
I have heard quite a few bad things about the small terk hdtv andtenna, and if you are looking for a small set-top antenna, I would recommend the silver sensor.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to one of Terk's attic type antenna's that look like long straight boards (tounge depresser)..

Thanks!

Peter, just make sure it is both UHF and VHF - other than that I can't speak to that particular antenna -- good luck and be patient when dialing in OTA signals - you might get lucky on the first try but remember when you move an antenna an inch it can affect the signal of other stations even though all stations are pratically at the same location.

Peter, just make sure it is both UHF and VHF ...
Currently the only VHF Jax digital station I know of is ABC which uses RF channel 10. But I have no problem with that one using my UHF only attic antenna for some reason.

I don't know if any of the other stations intend to switch to VHF frequencies once the transition is complete.

- Tom

NBC is also VHF. Channel 13.

I tried that Terk antenna - and I didn't like it!! I would go for a rooftop (or attic installed job). But different areas act differently. So who knows?

BTW, ABC is 720p so the only real football locally in 1080i is on CBS.
BUT I have HDNet and they are 1080i. The picture is far superior than the local CBS picture so I don't think it is the format. In fact, I think that the ABC/ESPN football presentations lack some color details compared to other channels. (That may be display related though)

Paul

did anyone else have problems with last nights game? it seemed choppy, and the picture seemed degraded. I had to quit watching it in hd because it gave me a headache.

The picture quality of last nights game was indeed poor.It was fuzzy at times and dull in color in my opinion.

Originally posted by Quinton
The picture quality of last nights game was indeed poor.It was fuzzy at times and dull in color in my opinion.

It was the same way here in Phoenix. I noticed that the picture was really bad on far out shots and better on close ups. You may want to chalk this up to ABC issues.

Hey all,

I live in Orange Park and I'm having issues with channel 25-1. The video is perfect but the audio keeps dropping out. The signal strength meter on my Samsung HD satelite receiver is at 100%, and I using a Silver Sensor indoor antenna. I get all other OTA sations just fine. Does anyone know if ABC is having issues with this or is this my setup?


Thanks, Dave

Hey Dave,

Since I haven't mentioned it you you before, welcome to the local forum.

I just watched about 5 minutes of LOST on 25-1, and I had no dropouts with my antenna in the attic. I'm near the Avenues, so I'm much closer than you, and I'm on a HDtivo-- which has been noted to have a more-sensitive tuner the earlier generation receivers. (i've experienced that I had to cut some some signal strengths downward to receive them).

So, it's an apples to oranges comparison, but in my sample, I had no problems with audio or video dropouts at about 8:15 tonight.

Welcome Dave, which samsung do you have 160 or 360? and what software version do you have?

Did anyone try to watch the last episode of Veronica Mars here on Fox?

I tried to record it on my brand new Comcast PVR and it disintegrated into total garbage after a few minutes.

Then tonite I noticed that for some reason I had also recorded it OTA on one of my PCHD cards. But that recording was also trash, starting in the same place.

So I guess it was a Fox or UPN problem. Any ideas.

- Tom

I didnt pay attention last night. can any comcast subcribers say whether or not we got the nflhd/inhd3 channel added to our line-up?

Originally posted by sikoniko
I didnt pay attention last night. can any comcast subcribers say whether or not we got the nflhd/inhd3 channel added to our line-up?

Don't think it's shown up yet.

Subject says it all guys...

Gator99, I have the 160 as for software version I have no idea.. This is a recent problem, channel 25-1 used to come in perfect last year during football season (I only watch Monday Night Football on ABC). I get 30-1 and 47-1 just fine so I can get the other games. The problem with channel 25-1 is frustrating though..

Thanks everyone,

Dave

Dave,

I have a suggestion. My "problem child" is Fox. My attic mounted antenna has worked fine for more than a year. Suddenly, Fox 30 doesn't lock in. One day I even called the station engineer to see if they were having problems and he confirmed they were broadcasting at full strength.

I disconnected the attic antenna and attached some rabbit ears and was then able to tune in Fox 30, but none of the others. I wound up buying an "A/B" switch from Radio Shack. For all stations except Fox, I use the attic "A". For Fox I switch to "B". It is an absurd solution, but it works. Ya gotta love OTA. And I thought the days of putting tin foil on the tips of rabbit ears was over!!!

Anyone with Comcast notice the audio cut outs and video freezes on all digital channels starting around 3PM today(10/02/2004). Called Comcast they said it is problem all over Jacksonville. Just checking to see if that is correct. Trying to watch GA/LSU game and the reception stinks. Analog is OK. :confused:

Well O/A 7 pm the problem went away?????? At lest for now. Digital channels seem "normal" again. Since I heard no gripes, I must have been the only Indian with no arrows?????????

Please use our new thread: Jacksonville, FL - HDTV - 2004 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=454302).

heh. its too hot!

great!

OK, next question: I am receiving HD from DirectTV, but am attempting to get locals OTA. Can I feed these OTA-HD channels on the same cable that I am feeding my Sammy360's sat data?

I know you can do that with regular local channels, but is it different with HD?

Yes you can, you will need two diplexors, that is what I use with no lose in video quailty that I have been able to see. you can get them from Home Depot for around $10 a piece - when you get them you will see how to hook it up.

You will need two and make sure they are diplexors

I have been getting my HD via OTA for the past 2 years however have just signed on with Comcast HD and thier dish buyback offer. (previously had Dish network) The HDTV channels we have available here in Jax do great for the most part, occasionally I will get some pixelation on INHD and INHD2 but I am pretty impressed. I would of course like to see more HD channels added such as Bravo, TNT, UPN, WB, HD.net, and HD.net movies. ooh and WJXT channel 4 in HD!!! This is the channel I watch religously for news and I cant stand seeing it on analog.

Another thing I would like to see Comcast do is simulcast thier analog channels on the digital side. Then it wouldnt be so painful for us who crave those crisp sharp images to have to live with analog channels that arent very clear.

Lastly, I currently have the comcast 6208 w/dvr hooked into a 55inch mitubishi 55859. Anyone here in Jacksonville know when the 6408 or 6412 dual tuner will be offered to us??? I want one for PIP.

I have been getting my HD via OTA for the past 2 years however have just signed on with Comcast HD and thier dish buyback offer. (previously had Dish network) The HDTV channels we have available here in Jax do great for the most part, occasionally I will get some pixelation on INHD and INHD2 but I am pretty impressed. I would of course like to see more HD channels added such as Bravo, TNT, UPN, WB, HD.net, and HD.net movies. ooh and WJXT channel 4 in HD!!! This is the channel I watch religously for news and I cant stand seeing it on analog.

Another thing I would like to see Comcast do is simulcast thier analog channels on the digital side. Then it wouldnt be so painful for us who crave those crisp sharp images to have to live with analog channels that arent very clear.

Lastly, I currently have the comcast 6208 w/dvr hooked into a 55inch mitubishi 55859. Anyone here in Jacksonville know when the 6408 or 6412 dual tuner will be offered to us??? I want one for PIP.

If you guys want to start a new thread, can someone summarize in the first post what the current offerings are in Jacksonville? Then instead of starting a new thread every month, only the first post needs to be updated. Or better yet, the OP of this thread can update his first post.

Thanks.

Lastly, I currently have the comcast 6208 w/dvr hooked into a 55inch mitubishi 55859. Anyone here in Jacksonville know when the 6408 or 6412 dual tuner will be offered to us??? I want one for PIP.

Maybe 6 weeks ago when I was inquiring into getting my 6208 I was told by the Comcast rep I would be able to replace it with a dual tuner model sometime around the middle of October. But given the feedback for the 6412 in the hardware forum (at least for Cox cable) it sounds like it may not be quite ready for prime time and I'll stay with the 6208 for a bit anyway.

- Tom

Originally posted by CPanther95
If you guys want to start a new thread, can someone summarize in the first post what the current offerings are in Jacksonville? Then instead of starting a new thread every month, only the first post needs to be updated. Or better yet, the OP of this thread can update his first post.

Thanks.


I am guessing that CPanther wants us to keep one thread (as well as every other city) - I am not sure if I like the idea of 1 giant 500 page thread to search thru. I do however like how CPanther is organizing these threads and appreciate the effort, but I am sure feedback is appreciated (not bashing)

above he mentions that we should put "Jacksonville's offerings" on the first page - I have not kept my spreadsheet up to date, but will look at it again if I do, will you guys comment and add/change what needs to be changed/added - that way we can put our Jacksonville Grid of options on the first page and keep updating it -- I also suggest since this might be our master thread we change the title of the thread to not include the date.

I'll admit, now that we are keeping a database of Official Threads, my job is easier without having to repoint to a new thread every month. However, the number of cities doing that is small enough that I can handle it - so that's not the primary motivation.

Here's my thinking. IMO the ideal thread would have the current HD offerings summarized on the first page. As the market changes, that initial post would be updated to reflect the changes. Since there is an easy way to navigate to the first post and the last page - there really isn't a downside to having 75 pages in the middle instead of 5.

There is a fairly significant advantage to a single long thread. Historical searches are possible for those occasional times that you need to recall specific information. With monthly threads, you may need to "hop" back thread-to-thread until you locate what you are looking for - and you're limited to the threads that haven't made their way into the archives.

This became an obvious problem when I was compiling the Master list of all HD stations in the country. I would go into a local thread to see what stations were in HD, and very few had the summary on the first post. Searching the larger threads was difficult, because even if you found a list of HD stations, you had no idea if it was current without reading the remaining posts. However, with a shorter thread - like Jacksonville's monthly thread - the fact that you can read through much easier is moot if there is no summary of current offerings. The option is to hop back month by month, or just post the question that has probably been asked and answered repeatedly.

You can't expect a newbie to be that diligent, but you can expect someone to at least read the first post before posting.

If you guys decide to go with a longer thread, I can combine all threads back to Nov/Dec 2003. Anything before that is already in the archives. Otherwise, early in 2005, all those threads - and all the 2004 threads prior to this one - will also be moved to the archives.

Post any thoughts.

I think the idea of a master thread may have merit. If we posted stickies at the beginning that listed the status of the various stations, what we have learned about OTA in terms of pointing, aligining, tweaking, what stations are on Comcasts, etc...it may make it easier for new posters to find what they need.

I am always excited when we have a new poster because it shows our ranks are growing. Even if I have answered a question 4 months ago for another new poster, I'll go ahead and answer it again without sending them looking. I know others here do the same. It may be more convenient to them to have FAQs permanently at the top. I can't personally think of any reason not to change this thread to the Jacksonville Master Thread and organize it as suggested.

Looks like comcast will be releasing its new i-guide soon I went to comcast(dot)com/newguide and saw a preview. Sorry dont have 5 posts yet. Looks pretty cool - a major improvement to what we have today.

Also saw an advertisement that the dual tuner pvrs are coming soon! :)

I like the idea of a single thread also, with the current local offerings contained in the first post.

Originally posted by CPanther95
If you guys decide to go with a longer thread, I can combine all threads back to Nov/Dec 2003. Anything before that is already in the archives. Otherwise, early in 2005, all those threads - and all the 2004 threads prior to this one - will also be moved to the archives.

Post any thoughts.

It sounds like most of us wants one thread. Let's combine into one thread (name it "Jacksonville, FL - HDTV"), but only include from Jan/Feb 2004 on. Please also include an icon in front of the thread so we can find it a little easier.

CPanther95, thank you for your help.

P S Pun

Sounds good to me - One Thread with "Jacksonville, FL - HDTV" works for me -- I'll post that spreadsheet so we can all tweak it and post it in the first post...

Originally posted by pspun
It sounds like most of us wants one thread. Let's combine into one thread (name it "Jacksonville, FL - HDTV"), but only include from Jan/Feb 2004 on. Please also include an icon in front of the thread so we can find it a little easier.

CPanther95, thank you for your help.

P S Pun

You sure you don't want 11-12 / 2003 also included? If not, that's another 163 posts of info that will be lost to the archives. You were the OP for that thread, so you'll still have access to Post #1 for editing.

How do you get on the list for a new STB from Comcast, one with the PVR functions? Is there an additional monthly cost for those boxes?
Also, when is the new i-guide supposed to be out for Comcast?

Originally posted by fljeremy
Looks like comcast will be releasing its new i-guide soon I went to comcast(dot)com/newguide and saw a preview. Sorry dont have 5 posts yet. Looks pretty cool - a major improvement to what we have today.

Also saw an advertisement that the dual tuner pvrs are coming soon! :) Thanks for the heads up fljeremy. The URL is below.

http://www.comcast.com/newguide

OK, guys as CPanther has suggested and I think it is a good idea as well, I have attached a zip file(with an excel file inside) with options here in Jax for DTV/HDTV -- I need updates/comments and or edits since I do not have DISH or Comcast and want to be as accurate as posible.

After we update it we can post it on the first page in one format or another and periodically (sp?) update it and point new Jax AVS'ers to the first post of our thread.

Here you go.....

Nice new guide by Comcast - it is about time.....

Originally posted by CPanther95
You sure you don't want 11-12 / 2003 also included? If not, that's another 163 posts of info that will be lost to the archives. You were the OP for that thread, so you'll still have access to Post #1 for editing.

I was trying to have the thread starting on the first day of a year, but either way would be fine. CPanther95, let's just do it going as far back as you can. Thanks.

Threads combined. pspun is still OP, so when you get the update, let him know.

Jeff,
Great spreadsheet. I have a couple of questions/comments:
1. Probably should change Fox30 format to 720p
2. Is ABC upconverting the 720p feed to 1080i?
3. When the wind blows right, I get WJEB as 44-1, not 44-3 and it remaps to 59-1

For the newbies, maybe we should put in a note that different receivers may tune in stations differently?

Peter - thanks for the clarification - I have not changed the spreadsheet in quite a while -- I will make the changes to Fox and also put some general note about how diferent receivers map differently. As far as ABC, I remember a while back that ABC was sending 1080i, but that could have changed - anyone have any comments on this??

As someone relatively new to the Jacksonville threads, I also really like a master thread that I can more easily search through. Thanks.

Regarding the dual tuner HD-DVR, if it's anything like the 6208, I heard about it's availability here long before Comcast notified me, even though I was on their e-mail notification list. It seems Comcast would prefer to have a soft roll-out rather than being swamped with requests the first day it becomes available. As soon as I heard about it here, I was able to pick it up at the Southpoint facility within an hour. I was notified it was available by Comcast about a month later.

Jeff,

1. PBS is now HD for OTA and Comcast. PBS is also DD 2.0/5.1 now!
2. The QAM channel number is 111-1 for Fox HD on Comcast. Fox is also DD 2.0/5.1.
3. Discovery HD is on Comcast. (Can someone provide the QAM channel? I can't find it.)
4. ABC HD and NBC HD on Comcast cannot both be on QAM 104-1. One of them is 104-2.
5. ESPN HD on Comcast moved to QAM 102-1.
6. In your notes for Comcast you have "$9.65 STB rental fee". This is not true for QAM channels if you have your own tuner, there is no STB for QAM.

The URL in my latest email alerting me that a new post has been made, is incorrect. Says something about invalid something? Also when I stumble back to correct location and select "first" it takes me back to OCT 2003. Is that correct? Where is the beginning that everyone is commenting on?
LOST
:confused:

I have updated the spreadsheet w/ comcast info minus QAM stuff.

Originally posted by Ross Moody
The URL in my latest email alerting me that a new post has been made, is incorrect. Says something about invalid something? Also when I stumble back to correct location and select "first" it takes me back to OCT 2003. Is that correct? Where is the beginning that everyone is commenting on?
LOST
:confused:

Hopefully, it's just a brief transition period where the old URL was sent, but new posts will generate the proper URL to subscribers.

The spreadsheet people are discussing is the current Jacksonville HDTV info that will eventually be posted in that first post. That will have the current info for easy reference so people don't have to read through all the pages to find out what's up.

OK I have updated the spreadsheet (updated from sikoniko's update)- with the things that I can change I have, but I do not know what changes need to be made to Comcast (Qam) and Dish.

Also, please re-examine the entire sheet for any other errors - this is going to take a while -- I suggest that if any additional changes are made to the attached spreadsheet that that person - color the cell that they are changing with "Yellow" so we can all tell what has been changed/edited.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by CPanther95
[B]Hopefully, it's just a brief transition period where the old URL was sent, but new posts will generate the proper URL to subscribers.

Thanks, thought for a second that I have been unceremoniously dumped from the forum.:)

Jeff,

1. CBS HD on Comcast is on QAM 114-2 now.
2. For Comcast, You don't have to pay the $9.65 for the HD STB if you have your own QAM tuner. Your note is still not clear on this.
3. Again, ABC HD and NBC HD on Comcast cannot both be on QAM 104-1. One of them is 104-2.

Originally posted by DR Jax
Jeff,

1. CBS HD on Comcast is on QAM 114-2 now.

2. For Comcast, You don't have to pay the $9.65 for the HD STB if you have your own QAM tuner. Your note is still not clear on this.

3. Again, ABC HD and NBC HD on Comcast cannot both be on QAM 104-1. One of them is 104-2.



1. OK, I'LL MAKE THAT CHANGE
2. WHAT ABOUT "$9.65 STB rental fee/ if you have Set Top Box (STB) then QAM channels are Free" IS NOT CLEAR - IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE JUST DO SO

3. SINCE I DON'T HAVE COMCAST - WHICH ONE IS ON 104-1 AND WHICH ONE IS ON 104-2 - I DON'T KNOW - NEED CLARIFICATION.

Sorry for the Caps, just wanted to make sure where I commented at.

I did a quick summary based on the spreadsheet. We can't add a file after the fact, so it has to be converted.

Originally posted by CPanther95
I did a quick summary based on the spreadsheet. We can't add a file after the fact, so it has to be converted.

CPanther95, thank you for your help.

PSPun

Hi, guys, isn't ABC HD in 720p? Let me know and I will make the correction in the first post.

PSPun

I believe it is. Comcast upconverts everything to 1080i. I didn't put that on the spreadsheet.

I have added some useful links to our first post, any other suggestions?

PS Pun

I finally got all my crap hooked up. My square shooter is in the attic space above my 2nd floor bonus room. I can get all of the digital channels, I am just 6-8 miles from the tower by the Avenues Mall, and here are my results

(dig only)
7, 12, 25, 30 all come in fine

4 - pic can be choppy, but least important channel to me
17 - picture but no sound (I get both on 17-2 and SD 17)
47 - picture, but the audio is choppy at times. no matter how much I turn the SS it only gets worse. At its best I get a fairly solid signal, but choppy audio..

any thoughts?

Peter, keep tweaking, but I will say that today, audio on CBS is choppy for me as well, especially during the UT vs Ga game - so this might not be an issue of your antenna, so check tomorrow or after the game. As far as WB (17) for some reason that can be a tricky channel. I am however surprised you are having problems with 4 - it is usually pretty strong for most of us.

I will say that 1 inch to the left, right or even up and down can make a difference -- with that said keep tweaking and good luck

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gator99
[B]Peter, keep tweaking, but I will say that today, audio on CBS is choppy for me as well, especially during the UT vs Ga game - so this might not be an issue of your antenna, so check tomorrow or after the game. ]

Choppy audio on Comcast 175 CBS also. Not your equipment.

Why would I have good signal strength for 17-1, but no audio? I am getting audio on 17SD and 17-2.

Good question - I don't know, check your settings on your HD receiver then check your settings on your audio receiver (if you are using one)

Didn't you say you are using a Samsung 360 -- if so, I think I remember Antonio having issues - search on his nickname (AFH) in this giant thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4100967&highlight=WB+audio#post4100967

Confirm audio problems at WTEV too. I don't use cable and have same problem on 3 different receivers. I'm sure Jerry, et al at WTEV is on top of it. I lost his e-mail or I'd give him a heads up just to be sure. I don't think he monitors this forum any more.

1. 104-1 is ABC on Comcast QAM. 104-2 is NBC on Comcast QAM.

Originally posted by Gator99
1. OK, I'LL MAKE THAT CHANGE
2. WHAT ABOUT "$9.65 STB rental fee/ if you have Set Top Box (STB) then QAM channels are Free" IS NOT CLEAR - IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE JUST DO SO

3. SINCE I DON'T HAVE COMCAST - WHICH ONE IS ON 104-1 AND WHICH ONE IS ON 104-2 - I DON'T KNOW - NEED CLARIFICATION.

Sorry for the Caps, just wanted to make sure where I commented at.

Originally posted by petercw2
Why would I have good signal strength for 17-1, but no audio? I am getting audio on 17SD and 17-2.

Peter, if you are using a Samsung TS-360 the answer to your problem is in my post on page 44 of this thread. The short answer is to not load the guide data for the OTA stations.

Originally posted by AFH
Peter, if you are using a Samsung TS-360 the answer to your problem is in my post on page 44 of this thread. The short answer is to not load the guide data for the OTA stations.

How did you unload them? Just thrown in "00000" as a zipcode?

What is going on with WTEV and football? Yesterday 19-1 has audio probs and ch47 had "noise" in the video. Today (Jags game) ch47 has a soft almost blurry picture, while ch19-2 is sharp. And why the shift to the -2 subchannel?

Some time back Jerry explained that his upconverter was factory preset for -2 subchannels for any upconverted signal. I think that is what he said. The brand upconverter reserved the -1 subchannel for 480i That was some time ago so what he uses now may be different. Then again, just a guess on my part, the (new) equipment that allows for user selectable subchannels may have broken and caused him to remove it for repair and put the older -2 upconverter back in service.

If your receiver does remapping, you should activate that feature since what ever they send out as a primary channel will be set in his PSIP for 47-1.

Some here will recall I was against using PSIP but that was to accomodate my older DVHS recording equipment which didn't support PSIP. I don't use that anymore and have a 921 and HDTIVO, both supports PSIP.

Just know that if your system is set up for PSIP channel remapping, you will benefit as long as the station's PSIP computer is working properly. I know all Jacksonville PSIP systems are properly set except for WJWB and that station I am not sure about because they do have something peculiar which I won't go into here. The last two signals in Jacksonville to adopt PSIP was WTLV and WJXX. They had a week or so of problems but after getting the tables set properly, all is well with their signal.

Antonio-

Howdy! Is that how it's said in Phoenix? :)

I have one question. Are you still a Jaguars fan? I know you are homesick because you keep coming back here to visit. :D

Thanks Don. A little hard to understand, but I guess you are saying they use a different subch depending on whether the source is SD or HD.

Yes, all my tuners handle it automatically. If I punch in 19-1, it switches to 19-2. The others use virtual ch 47-1, which also handles the change thru some magic I probably am glad I don't understand. If I ever watch a recording expecting to see CSI and instead get Dan Rather pretending to be a journalist, then I'll want to understand it. :>

Originally posted by petercw2
How did you unload them? Just thrown in "00000" as a zipcode?

You have to go into the menu where you enter your zipcode and clear the info that is already there. I don't remember exactly how I cleared it but I believe you can enter "0000" or whatever is necessary to remove the Jacksonville zipcode. When you do the receiver will reset itself and you will have sound on 17-1. The first time you clear the info, the sound on 17-1 may go out again. In such a case just go back in and clear the info and let the rec reset itself. After that the sound will not go out again.

Originally posted by Don Landis
Antonio-

Howdy! Is that how it's said in Phoenix? :)

I have one question. Are you still a Jaguars fan? I know you are homesick because you keep coming back here to visit. :D

Don, how are you? Yeah, I think that is how they say it out here ;) I'm am a closet Jags fan so to speak. I'll watch when they are doing well but if they go south I try to avoid them as much as possible. I got Directv for my apartment about a month ago and DTV gave me the Sunday Ticket deal so I have been watching the Jags. The Jags haven't performed so well today, but at least I have two tvs setup so that I can watch two games at once.

Hey, the reason I keep coming back here is b/c there isn't a Phoenix thread on AVS, at least not a large one where people participate on a regular basis. The hd contingent here in Phoenix decided to setup their own Phoenix area website and I go there every now and then but the activity on that website is not as active as it is here on AVS so I spend the majority of my time over here. Plus it is always good to check in and see what is going on in the Jax thread. My dad and mom still have the hd tv that I bought 2 years ago and the Directv Samsung TS-360 rec Directv sent to me/them a couple of months ago so I like to come in and see what is going on so that I can keep my dad informed. He has been enjoying the hd games on CBS and Fox so coming here to checkout any issues that maybe out there is valuable for me.

I'm somewhat homesick but I'm starting to get used to this area. I just wish that I could import some of the women from Jacksonville and Florida out here and I think that would help me alot.

Originally posted by AFH
You have to go into the menu where you enter your zipcode and clear the info that is already there. I don't remember exactly how I cleared it but I believe you can enter "0000" or whatever is necessary to remove the Jacksonville zipcode.

Yeah, I figured it out. There is actually a "clear" button that does this. How odd is that? It must be something the way the local WB station has their audio setup.

thanks!

"I just wish that I could import some of the women from Jacksonville and Florida out here and I think that would help me alot."


Go to Vegas! I'll be there in January for the CES show!

CBS 47 on Comcast 175 was screwed up all day and night , Sunday 10 Oct. O/A 4PM they turned on the Colts game in HD for 30 seconds then turned to Jaguars game in SD and continued SD. As usual the game, commercials and pregame hoopla caused the regular schedule to slip 15 to 20 minutes. At 8 PM Cold Case (HD) did not start on time but O/A 8:17 PM CBS 47 flashed in HD 10 to 30 seconds of Cold Case with the story line 15 minutes into it. Then in goes back to SD and starts at the story beginning in SD and remains in SD. Called Comcast got usual duh??? What's with CBS/47 and HD? :mad: Conversely BOTH Fox games were excellent in HD.

Relax everyone, CBS 47, sure was screwy this weekend - I bet they had some kind of equipment issue and they are working on it. Jerry still "lurks" around here and he still reads our thread, so just because he doesn't post doesn't mean he is not paying attention.

Thanks, Jeff. I know you maintain a direct line of contact with Jerry so we all don't need to waste his time with everyone buggung him on the same issue. I do the same with Bill at WTLV/WJXX. The station engineers seem to prefer it that way and I agree it is probably best for all.

Originally posted by Don Landis
"I just wish that I could import some of the women from Jacksonville and Florida out here and I think that would help me alot."


Go to Vegas! I'll be there in January for the CES show!

My sister and some of here friend were talking about coming out here and going to Vegas in the spring or summer. Don, what is the exact date of CES? I may try to make it out to Vegas for CES if the date fits my schedule. Vegas is about five hours from Pheonix so the drive shouldn't be too bad. I am not sure whether my work schedule will allow it, but if it does I'll probably be there. Don, are you going to CES? If so we have to meet up at the show.

Originally posted by Gator99
Relax everyone, CBS 47, sure was screwy this weekend - I bet they had some kind of equipment issue and they are working on it. Jerry still "lurks" around here and he still reads our thread, so just because he doesn't post doesn't mean he is not paying attention.

Since this is directed at ME, how else can I discern that the problem might only be my equipment/programing source? Why are you so afraid that a discouraging word of any kind will make CBS (Jerry) take his basketball(HD) and go home? Some respond to kindness some to other.

Originally posted by Ross Moody
Since this is directed at ME, how else can I discern that the problem might only be my equipment/programing source? Why are you so afraid that a discouraging word of any kind will make CBS (Jerry) take his basketball(HD) and go home? Some respond to kindness some to other.

I guess my comments were directed at you, but in reality it was a reminder to all (including myself) that we need to be patient, I am no hypocrite, I was disturbed by the glitches this weekend as well.

As far as your statement about how to discern the problem - whether it be your equipment or programming source - that is fine, obviously a few post ago it was mentioned and confirmed that we were having these problems. I am not saying don't bash/comment away, by all means do so, but as you say, "some respond to kindness some to other" - well, we sure have not been hearing from local engineers in quite some time and in today's corporate world I don't expect to see anything from them any time soon.

I have complaints really with any of the posts (negative or not) in our thread - we actually are quite civil in terms of our posts, unlike other threads I read -- then again if I don't like what I read then I don't need to read those posts or comment on them.

I just feel here in Jax, it sure would be nice to have an open line of communication with our engineers (in a public forum) - unfortunately we will not have that anytime soon

pspun,

Comcast HD Channels

CBS QAM is wrong in your list. You have 102.1, that is ESPN.
CBS QAM is actually now on 114.02.

Can you edit it? Thanks.


Originally posted by pspun
Free Over-The-Air Digital Channels Available


ABC - WJXX 25 (rf 10)
25-1 Network Programming - HD 720p / DD2.0
25-2 ABC News Now - SD 480i

CBS - WTEV 47 (rf 19)
47-1 Network Programming - HD 1080i / DD2.0

FOX - WAWS 30 (rf 31)
30-1 Network Programming - HD 720p / DD5.1
30-2 Network Programming - SD 480i

NBC - WTLV 12 (rf 13)
12-1 Network Programming - HD 1080i / DD2.0

PBS - WJCT 7 (rf 38)
7-1 Network Programming - HD 1080i / DD5.1
7-2 ???????????????? - SD 480i
7-3 ???????????????? - SD 480i
7-4 ???????????????? - SD 480i

WB - WJWB 17 (rf 34)
17-1 Network Programming - HD 1080i / DD2.0

Independent - WJXT 4 (rf 42)
4-1 Regular Programming - SD 1080i / DD2.0
4-2 ???????????????? - SD 480i

TBN - WJEB 59 - (rf 44)
44-3 Regular Programming - SD 480i / DD2.0

COMCAST HD CHANNELS

167 - Discovery Theater HD - 1080i / DD5.1
168 - FOX HD (WAWS) - 720p / DD5.1 - QAM # 111-1
169 - Starz! HD - 1080i / DD5.1
170 - CinemaxHD - 1080i / DD5.1
171 - INHD - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 103-1
172 - INHD2 - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 103-2
173 - ESPN-HD - 720p / CS 5.1 - QAM # 102-1
174 - PBS HD (WJCT) - 1080i / DD5.1 - QAM # 114-1
175 - CBS HD (WTEV) - 1080i / DD2.0 - QAM # 102-1
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


USEFUL LINKS

Antenna (http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx)
HDTV Schedule (http://www.titantv.com/TTV/Grid/Grid.aspx) [/B]

Antonio-

CES is January 6-9, yes, it's over the weekend! I will plan to be there for a week as the air travel is really bad on the day before and last day of the show. I will also be at the NAB show in April.

Originally posted by DR Jax
pspun,

Comcast HD Channels

CBS QAM is wrong in your list. You have 102.1, that is ESPN.
CBS QAM is actually now on 114.02.

Can you edit it? Thanks.

Thanks doc, done!

PS Pun

I also get WB 480i network on 17-2.

- Tom

After trying 3 indoor antennas and 3 outdoor antennas I was on my way to Radio Shack to pick up an attenuator to try and tweak my signals. I'm located at Baymeadows Rd and Southside Blvd. so I haven't been able to figure out why I couldn't recieve good signal from an antenna farm that's only 4 miles due north of me. So on my way to the Avenues' RS I stop off at Best Buy (the new one right by the Avenues) to return a cell phone battery (generic that wouldn't take a charge) and decided to wander into the TV section to see if there were any new HDTV antennas. I literally bumped into a sales person so I asked if there were any antennas that worked in this area. The sales person gets all excited and says that they just started stocking a SAMSUNG indoor HDTV antenna thats been flying off the shelves. Luckily he had a few left so I bought one, even though it was $109.00. He swore it was the best and worth it. So I plunk down my dough, keep my fingers crossed all the way home and hook 'er up.

So tonight I watch 5 shows from NBC, ABC and CBS (Everbody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, Las Vegas LAX and CSI Miami WITHOUT ONE LOSS. No pixelation, no audio drop, just pure beautiful HDTV. All WITHOUT having to rotate, realign or otherwise adjust the antennas position between stations. I get ALL the digital feeds at varying strengths between mid 90's for CBS and PBS to high 60's for NBC and ABC, all rock steady. This is with no tweaking, ie I just set the antenna on top of my TV, aimed it at due North and boom all staions are there.

So my HD Tivo finally can record local OTA HD. I'm ecstatic. My $80 per month Comcast fee just went back down to $8.99 basic and their digital STB goes back tomorrow.

I Googled the "samsung digital hdtv uhf amplified indoor antenna" (this is how the product is listed on the user manual) and got absolutely nothing? The Best Buy site doesn't even have them listed. So sorry there's no link but give BB a call and ask 'em.

The black magic wizardry necessary to get OTA HD just went up in a poof of SAMSUNG smoke.

Congratulations Familyman, -- the antenna sounds like the rebranded Zenith Silver sensor, but at $109 - that sounds really high$$, take a look at this thread to see if this is what you have?

http://www.zenith.com/sub_prod/product_Display.asp?cat=49&id=131

There seems to be alot of rebranding of this product at different stores.

Definitely a different unit. The Samsung's antenna elements are enclosed in a plastic shell. Both are yagi and the basic design looks similar. I'm thinking about moving mine to the attic and splitting the signal for multiple TV's. Will report back on the results.

Originally posted by trbarry
I also get WB 480i network on 17-2.

- Tom

Thanks, Tom. It is added.

FamilyMan- Glad you are working with your new antenna. Generally the problem with being as close as you are and using the HDTIVO is not signal strength but too much signal and overload. I found the HDTIVO to be very sensitive to having just the right signal as opposed to all my other receivers. But once you find the proper setup it seems pretty consistent. One problem all indoor antennas seem to have is inconsistency over long periods of time as opposed to an outdoor in the clear antenna. You will know if what you installed is working perfectly once you have excellent reception over several months. I, fortunately, can now make that claim here. But, I use an outdoor antenna. Anyway, it seems your current system is working well now and you can concentrate on having fun with the HDTIVO.

Originally posted by FamilyMan
Definitely a different unit. The Samsung's antenna elements are enclosed in a plastic shell. Both are yagi and the basic design looks similar. I'm thinking about moving mine to the attic and splitting the signal for multiple TV's. Will report back on the results.

FamilyMan, glad to hear it works out for you. Can you post the model number of the Samsung antenna? Thanks.

PS Pun

It's part of the "Axession" line of product, model TV5.2 / TV 5.4 (both are listed on the unit).

Don - Thanks for the comments, I hope the unit has long term stability. As you said, only time will tell.

Not to seem ungrateful for the HD channels we have today with Comcast but I think we should all email, call or write them and request more HD. I would like to see HD.net, HDnet movies, TNTHD, Encore, Bravo, UPN, WB. Hopefully comcast will keep up with adding more HD.... I am tempted to try Voom but will give comcast some more time.

fljeremy - have at it you guys with Comcast should send an email or two once a week to see what the hold up is. One thing don't hold your breath for UPN - UPN is broadcast "after hours" on Fox 30, and Fox 30 from what I understand does not have the capabilities to tape the HD feed that UPN sends during primetime.

The waiting game does suck for all of us - there are certainly channels that all providers aren't showing that we would like to see.

Yes good idea. UPN is the least of my interests but see that they have been adding more content. It would be nice to have more than what we have currently. - After watching HD its hard to switch back to the SD and analog channels.

* The waiting game is hard for all of us, but if we keep letting the providers know we want these channels in HD it may speed the process up.