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.

Maybe we should all chip in and buy them an HDPC card or a DVHS box so they can timeshift Enterprise for us.

- Tom

Tom,
Seriously....I was wondering how much a recording device would cost the station...is it comparable to a $999 HDTivo...or do they need more professional broadcast quality gear.

Tom,
Seriously....I was wondering how much a recording device would cost the station...is it comparable to a $999 HDTivo...or do they need more professional broadcast quality gear.

Actually I don't know what format they receive HD signals from UPN, or if they can even get them at all.

But I was indeed at least half way serious about chipping in for the recording equipment if that's what it takes. ;)

- Tom

Originally posted by trbarry
Actually I don't know what format they receive HD signals from UPN, or if they can even get them at all.

But I was indeed at least half way serious about chipping in for the recording equipment if that's what it takes. ;)

- Tom


I know they use DVCPRO format and I'm not sure what they would need but just to give you a ball park idea...

Panasonic AJ-HD150 DVCPRO HD Studio VTR MSRP $45,000
Then they may need some additional hardware to integrate it into the board but most likely they have that already. As for the UPN receiving equipment... Don't know what they would need there either.

So, if you were thinking about all of us chipping in a share, probably $3000 a piece would do the trick! LOL! :) :)

You know, Enterprise doesn' t look THAT bad in SD after all :0

I don't know about that. I got spoiled on ws to the extent that for Enterprise I get the good version from **********. Same for when wtev messes up their shows.

Originally posted by petergaryr
You know, Enterprise doesn' t look THAT bad in SD after all :0

That is when I get to actually WATCH Enterprise! I've been out of town for the last 2 1/2 weeks and with Tivo I've been able to catch all the season premiers that aired while I was away. That is, with the exception of Enterprise.

Let's see, the Season opener began about 30 minutes later than the time they had provided to Tivo and so my recording missed the last 30 minutes. The second episode for the season began 30 minutes EARLIER and so I missed the first 30 minutes of the 2nd show, or about an hour out of the middle of the two-part season beginner.

Since Tivo is having NO problems with any other show, it sure sounds like a major muck-up at the station!

I have no idea when next Friday's episode will actually air, but I have low expectations of seeing all of it either. Has this bothered anyone else?

Thanks,
Jonathan

Hey all,,

The problem I had with audio dropouts with 25-1 is gone. I had to get a new dish installed, as my old one was ripped off the roof during francis. And now 25-1 works.... Maybe the dish wiring somehow acts as a counter-poise to the OTA antenna???? Wierd, but everything works now


-Dave

Wondering if anyone else is experiencing audio 'burping' or 'drop out' on the Cowboy game?

Originally posted by petercw2
Wondering if anyone else is experiencing audio 'burping' or 'drop out' on the Cowboy game?

No, it sounded fine to me. I use OTA.

PS Pun

Me too. I guess it is a reception issue. More attic-climbing / fine tuning for me

Does anyone know if the dual tuner DVR is available in Jax on Comcast yet?

I just called Comcast today and was asking the same question. The CSR said they were delayed by the MFR and wouldnt be available to us until end of November to 1st part of December.

Being new to pulling HD via OTA, I wonder if this situation where one day the signals are clear and easy to recieve and the next very difficult from station to station, is a common occurance?

EX: Before tonight I have never had an issue getting 25-1, tonight is it a beeyotch.

I know in the 2 years I have had it, the signal levels on my Hughes e86 have fluctuated from time to time. There are days when it pegs the signal strength of the stations at 100. Other days, the signals vary.

My antenna is located in the attic, so it is not susceptible to movement by the wind, yet something changes the signal strength from time to time, sometimes making a station unwatchable. I have actually resorted to installing an A/B switch and have installed a second antenna in the garage aimed slightly different from the one in the attic. Some nights I have to switch to the "B" antenna---yet the next day "A" works fine. Go figure.

I long for the day D* will start carrying all the local HD stations.

"My antenna is located in the attic, so it is not susceptible to movement by the wind, yet something changes the signal strength from time to time, sometimes making a station unwatchable."

Locating an antenna inside a dielectric enclosure such as a house will affect it's performance far greater than slight wind shaking. As people walk around the house, as a roof changes temperature with sun light, as the roof goes from wet to dry, all affect the reception pattern greatly. I have a small antenna located 10 ft, above my roofline and the signals from all stations in Jacksonville are solid and never vary. When I used to have it inside, wild fluctuations happened by the minute. Even during our two hurricanes with 75 mph winds, the signals were steady. Wind is generally not a factor until the antenna is damaged.

That's the best explanation I have heard so far to account for the variations.

Thanks, Don!

What is the deal on channel 12 news anchor Jeannie Blaylock eyes?She wore glasses most of the week,thenthe last two nights no makeup around the eyes.My family even noticed noticed her eyes looked swollen and
brusied.Does anyone in the know have any idea of what happened?I supposed it could be nothing,but even our kid noticed it.Thanks for any info.

Jaguars game on sunday is in HD on CBS!!! is this our first? I dont remember seeing one last weekend.

Last week against KC was in HD too but blacked out in Jax, at least it was listed on the HD channel 90 on NFL ST HD channels.
Our stadium is too big and ticket prices too expensive to sell out anymore. They even closed down some seat sections and we still can't sell out. Therefore blackouts will become the rule until we have a Superbowl quality team. The only reason why we had games on the air lately is because either major businesses bought the remaining tickets before deadline or as in the last time, The team (Weaver himself) bought the remaining tickets.
The solution- Set the ticket price so that the seats sell out. In other words, they need to get their pencil sharp on the cost of tickets vs. what the people can and are willing to pay.

They need to have a tiered ticket price structure that is based on team winnings. One that allows the price of tickets to start low in the opening season, but based on last seasons winnings, and stay low as long as we are not winning but gradually increase as the team wins. I'd also like the salary contracts to be tiered the same way. In other words, the price of tickets tied to the winnings and structured in a way that makes the tickets in demand and hard to get.

I believe that a team plays well based, in part, on the level of cheering by the crowd, not whether the person in the crowd paid $60 for his seat in the nose bleed section or whether he paid $20. Make the tickets priced so they sell out! And in case you didn't understand, I'll say it another way- Make the tickets priced so they are hard to get and they sell out, with all sections open! Raise the price gradually as the team wins. Make winning bonuses a significant portion of the teams salary.

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find it through searching. When will we see (or rather hear) 5.1 audio passed by the local network stations? I'm especially disappointed the local ABC station doesn't pass 5.1 for my new favorite program LOST.

For the first time this season, Enterprise actually was shown at the advertised time, so my Tivo was able to capture it and I could finally see a complete episode.

However, the audio was only in the RIGHT channel. This isn't the first time I've seen this happen and it sometimes happens on other channels too, though sometimes it's only the LEFT channel instead. My taping is via Comcast so the problem might be there.

Does anybody else ever see (hear) this problem and/or has an opinion as to the source of the problem?

Thanks!

I just flipped to the World Series (of baseball-- not poker) and I see that it has side bars) What's up with that????? I'm going to check the HD programming forum to see if it's a widespread thing...

Well, I checked the programming forum, and no one else mentions that there's a problem. I'm not going to be watching any more tonight, because I'm off to bed anyway.

JD, If you are still monitoring, please ask your guys to watch the HD LCD monitor on the panel a bit more on big events. I'll be watching quite a bit more baseball before it's all over. I really hope it's an operator thing, and not an equipment issue.

--Bill

Jonathan,
I Tivoed Enterprise and didn't hear any audio problems. My signal is coming through D*.

Originally posted by petergaryr
Jonathan,
I Tivoed Enterprise and didn't hear any audio problems. My signal is coming through D*.

Hi Peter,

I always forget, D*, is that Direct or Dish? Also, does that mean the receiver was pulling it in off a satellite channel or was it bringing it in via an antenna off the air locally? At a minimum it sounds like Comcast is not in your equation. I'd just like to determine if the local station is the problem or if it's Comcast.

Thanks,

Not getting today's Jags vs Colts game in HD via CBS (WTEVDT) and Comcast? Is anyone seeing game in HD?

No HD for me either. Whats wrong with 47?

They suck perhaps???


ANyone have the extension #?

642-3030 is the main #.

I called the newsroom # - and asked for a message to be brought back to the engineers. Maybe a few others should call also.

No HD OTA for me either. What's up with this? Was looking forward to this.....

Originally posted by rww2442
No HD for me either. Whats wrong with 47?

An engineer asleep at the switch perhaps?

I called and asked the message to be passed on.

The regular sat feed on a 65" WS looks like crap. It's like watching through the heat off the road.

Sunday seems to be their screwup day. Maybe there's only a couple of interns there watching MTV.

So next time they mention HDTV on WTEV we can laugh at them?

this does suck, I called Jerry, but he is not in town until 6PM, so I called the main number and told them to flip the switch - obviously we are all calling, I just don't think the news room has a clue on how to get a hold of engineering -- oh well maybe we should keep calling until it comes on.

Jerry who fell asleep today?

Well I just saw them flip the switch and all we got was test pattern for NY feed?

What the hell?

I saw the same thing. These guys stink. I was also looking forward to the Jags in HD today.

So ***IS*** the game in HD or is there really NOT any HD equipment in Indianopolis filming this game?

What's the problem?

I called no one is home at CBS. I can't believe it. The Jags first HD game we can see and they blow it. I know last weeks game was in HD but it was blacked out. Maybe we should have a flash mob so up at the studio at halftime.

Keep calling, the game is in HD check the HD Programming thread, the rest of the US is seeing it just fine....

I am assuming WTEV is having technicall difficulties, whether that be equipment or operators not knowing what to do.....

The news department is saying that aren't going to get it going today. What a bunch of losers.

The woman I talked to in the newsroom said it wasn't available to them in HD. What incompetents!

Originally posted by jeburnett
Hi Peter,

I always forget, D*, is that Direct or Dish? Also, does that mean the receiver was pulling it in off a satellite channel or was it bringing it in via an antenna off the air locally? At a minimum it sounds like Comcast is not in your equation. I'd just like to determine if the local station is the problem or if it's Comcast.

Thanks,

D* is DirectTV (E* is Dish). DirectTV is taking the local WAWS signal and broadcasting it through one of its transponders.

Just as an FYI, I watched a couple of minutes of OTA via 30-1 just to see if they might be carring it in HD (I keep hoping for a miracle). I know they don't have the ability to record the HD. Anyway, the sound was fine.

Wow, they finally flipped the switch. It took until the 4th Quarter, what a bunch of losers.

Sure nice to see a few seconds of the game in HD, Huh?

How could WTEV screw this up so bad. Did you get the name of the person in the news room who lied to you? Letters to the station manager need to be sent. I had to work today but had hoped to come home to watch the game on the HDTIVO. It is playing now but very poor PQ in SD.

If anyone still has a line of communications with JD, maybe he can explain why Master control didn't know what to do and the news room lied about the signal from CBS. If they stick to that story, we'll sent a note to Bob Ross at CBS letting him know he is being blamed for WTEV's lack of HD feed. I'm sure he will find that interesting.
OK, I'm done with my rant. Too bad I couldn't have joined you all today in the call in campaign.

When I asked the woman her name, she refused to give it to me. She also refused to let me talk to anyone else in the newsroom. She basically just hung up on me. Needless to say I was furious. Good thing the Jags won to take some of the sting off.

Well, looks like the movie is again in SD. Despite it showing the HD logo.

It looks like us HDTV owners are of no interest to WTEV on weekends. I'm changing the channel.

Grittree, I confirm that the movie on CBS tonight is in SD. The info for the movie says HD, but it is SD with sidebars.

I was irritated this afternoon regarding the Jags game, because, as I posted in this thread last night, when I tuned to the World Series on FOX, it was also in SD. (for those who don't know, WTEV (CBS) & WAWS (FOX/UPN) are both owned by Clearchannel, and are run out of the same studio/engineering facility.

So, for the weekend, it looks like 3 HD failures by clearchannel...

Sat. World Series (FOX)
Sun. Jags Game (CBS)
Sun. evening movie (CBS)

All I can say is that this is unusual for our FOX/CBS local stations. To my experience, they have done very well in the automation of the switching of SD/HD. In the early days, as they were integrating the original HD equipment (pre the fox splicer), they had some issues, but they were worked out before too long, and since then they have been pretty reliable. Now, I've seen issues on both stations in 2 days. Hopefully, Jerry will communicate with us again to tell us what's happening, and when it should be reliable again.

Maybe Jerry can also explain why people in the newsroom are lying to us.

I wish CBS would have shown the Pats vs. the Jets yesterday... Had to go to Gators to watch it.

Well, looks like the movie is again in SD. Despite it showing the HD logo.

It looks like us HDTV owners are of no interest to WTEV on weekends. I'm changing the channel.

For the benefit of any advertisers reading, I'll mention I also turned it off after seeing it was not in HD.

- Tom

I just received a call from someone at WTEV since I had left my name and number to call back regarding the Jags game and he stated that CBS changed to a different satellite over the weekend for their HD broadcast and didn't communicate that to the station.

Since they did switch to HD in the fourth quarter of the game, I'm not sure why the movie last night wouldn't be in HD though.

I did explain to him that I felt the response on Sunday was unacceptable, especially since the only people that could be reached were in the newsroom.

Maybe you should tell that someone that the prior Sunday they did the exact same thing, broadcasting the movie and cold case in SD.

Either they are real slow learners or they pulled the wrong excuse out of their bag of canned excuses.

Isn't it amazing that when BIG college football news breaks in FL, all complaining stops? Hmmm.

In a discussion with Bob Ross about local station excuses similar to this he said that it is simply not true. There are always lots of communication between the networks and the locals. But, they can't help it if the locals ignore these memorandums.

I suppose I find it strange that CBS in Jacksonville is not included in a communication from their own network. After all we know the other local affiliates got the word.

edit- I should have stated that my discussion with Bob on this was in person and was some time ago, not directly as a result of this past weekend. I assume CBS policy of notifying their affiliates has not changed. I apologize if any of you felt my information was as a result of this past weekend snafu.

Simple solution, just admit there was a screwup and that new measures are being taken to make sure it doesn't happen again. Is that too much to ask? It sure is a lot better than to disseminate lies from the newsroom. How does that fly- WTEV news people lie to jacksonville TV viewers about HDTV.

My thoughts on the HDTV snafu situation....

As it has been communicated in the past to us by the stations, HDTV is not a moneymaker for the station. They met the HCC requirement for broadcasting a digital broadcat signal. SD Digital was the requirement.

They are surpassing the basic Digital Conversion FCC requirements by obtaining, installing and operating equipment that not only meets the digital conversion deadline, but they were also doing the following: Planning for the future.

Sure, the FCC requirement was SD digital broadcast, but the stations have purchased and installed HD capable broadcast equipment (including the tools to upconvert NTSC feeds to HD). This basic infrastructure improvement took a huge hit on the budget of many stations, once you consider that everything from engineering to the output of new digital antennas had to be bought/installed/operated for an small (at the time less than 1%) selection of the viewing community. Now, the viewership is growing but is is still less than 5% OTA reception.

Because the huge expense of the initial conversion, this is why we see items like stations focused on SD first, because everything that is not related to the minority of HD viewers is SD-related. Cameras. In-studio monitors. Mobile News production equipment. Production panels. Editing equipment. Commercial insertion equipment. Video archival. etc....

The HD side of the house is considered an after-thought, and because everyone "knows" the ntsc equipment, they are really not concerned about the HD side. Until there's an HD problem and we call and complain. At this point in time there is no impetus for the engineering staff to all be HD experts, because 480i is king. So, the HD knowledge is kept by a limited number of people at the stations.

This will only change when the stations make a commitment to the new technology by considering technology in their financial budgets for embracing the technology. That will mean a complete overhaul of the stations which could be accomplished in phases, with HD-capable replacement all of the current equipment noted above. There will come a time where stations know only HD, but that is still 3-5 years away---and maybe longer depending on the $$$ that the corporations want to throw at HD.

This is my opinion, and, I may be wrong, but I am entitled to an opinion, and no, I do not work for any station.

"I'm a local HDTV viewer, and I approve this message" :)

Originally posted by bmccrea
Isn't it amazing that when BIG college football news breaks in FL, all complaining stops? Hmmm.

Was there big college football news in Florida today? :) Actually, us Noles were hoping the Zooker would have stuck around for oh, say another 4 or 5 years.

Lies and excuses from stations, networks, cable companies, and satellite companies just seems to be the norm when it comes to HDTV. Maybe in a few years it will be different.

Bill-
Parts of what you said are certainly correct but I have to disagree that the station does not rely on HDTV for their core bread and butter yet is an excuse for what has gone wrong now at both WTLV and WTEV in past months. I'm referring to errors in failing to switch to HDTV when HDTV is available from the Network on a popular program and the real reason is that the person on duty is simply not trained to do this task.
I happen to hear the excuse from Master control technicians directly that they are not trained so I know that this is a primary cause for the problem.
In addition the news room personel should never assume they can fake a story or lie to a caller on ANY issue as it speaks to their integrity as a news room. I don't expect a news room employee to explain a problem with horizontal blanking in ther signal but to make up a non-technical story just to cover their butts as a station when they are airing the wrong signal is wrong.

While HDTV is not a prime bread and butter at the stations yet, it has been added at significant expense and for a control operator to ignore the signal from the Network feed because he has not been trained, is inexcusable and should not have anything to do with the ROI. I actually doubt a MC operator is charged with the responsibility of deciding whether he should ignore airing a program based on the ROI of the signal format. The idea of that as an excuse seems to me , silly.

I do agree that when a signal goes down on HDTV it does not get the attention it should and that is based on the fact that a small number of viewers are reporting it. But it would also appear that at WTEV, no system of logging a signal problem and tracking it to repair is in place. Some of us have insider connection to Jerry and I know he responds quickly when he knows about a problem. The issue is that what happens when Jerry can't be contacted. What system is in place to alert the station that there is a problem.
I would start with a simple practical suggestion in that the station needs to establish a "push 8 if you need to report a problem with our signal" when you call in. I know this is a double edged sword but we need to start somewhere. Maybe the concept needs to be modified and specialized since it appears to be that HDTV is where frequent problems happen then it could be" push 8 if you wish to report a problem with our HDTV signal" Being more specific may reduce the cry wolf reports that could flood the Voice mail black hole.
I believe in not just complaining about a problem but also, suggesting some starting points in fixing the problem. It may not be the workable answer in the end but until someone begins to start thinking in the lines of a fix, nothing will change. I also don't believe in making lame excuses for the problems. Bill, with all do respect, I fill using the ROI as an excuse for poor station operation quality is lame. That excuse only has some validity when discussing adding future station improvements but not when talking about using the equipment they now have and it appears to just be an operator error.

Can anyone suggest a good certified ISF calibrator in the Jax area? I have a new CRT RPTV and am considering spending the money to have this performed. Any input pro or con would be appreciated.

Don, I hear and agree with your disagreement, but I can also link some of your disagreement the valid parts of my post.

As far as the training issue for the Master Control Operators, this is either an issue with the knowledge-transfer (on-the-job-training) between those who do know how to handle issues, or the price of training to the company for the MCO's to get to level of knowledge that they need to be invaluable in their position about 3-5 years from now. This is defintely debatable.

As far as the news room providing false information to the masses, whether it's broadcast, or to a single viewer on a telephone, That's deplorable.

As far as an MCO disregarding a network HD feed (for this example...HD is an area in which he has not been trained) for a SD feed, well, The affiliates do have communications with the networks which inform the affiliates where the feed is going to be, and timings for the feed, including scheduled breaks (for items such as series--not live sports). If the MCO has basic HD switching training and has the network information, and misses the cut to a HD scheduled feed-then it's a flub. Otherwise if the MCO is not trained for HD issues, it's a MCO error in not contacting a HD-knowledgable person regarding the error--especially if there's been multiple reports.

I am the (1&only) software engineer for the HR, Payroll & Financials systems at my company , and I have no backup who can handle the issues that do get elevated through the help-desk to me. My company would be in the same situation if I am unavailable for a period of time. Luckily, our service levels don't require uptimes like television stations have. But simiarly to the stations, when I schedule a vacation, I have to keep a consultant on contingency who knows the environment on standby to step in to resolve issues.

By the way, in the original post, I was not really attempting to link station operation to ROI, but to a degree, they are inseperable.

--Bill

Originally posted by petercw2
Can anyone suggest a good certified ISF calibrator in the Jax area? I have a new CRT RPTV and am considering spending the money to have this performed. Any input pro or con would be appreciated.

Peter, I had my Toshiba 57HDX82 calibratrated by a out of town guy - Gregg Loewen (http://www.lionav.com/services.html) - I utilize http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=

for most of my reading/question/inquiries on brand specific items like my AV equipment - they can be pretty helpful.

Just noticed that "The King of Queens" season premiere is suppose to be HD, but guess what --- no HD, hmmmmmm

Further observations- I recorded (HDTIVO) and 921 a few HD shows on CBS this week so far and noticed that the audio was all choppy. WTEV may be having issues with sound lately. I also heard the problems on 60 minutes which is in SD upconverted to 1080i.
As I recall from our visit to the station, Jerry demonstrated how the MCO station was manned by 2 operators. It doesn't seem right that both were new and not familiar with the "big switch" as describbed by Jerry at the time. Based on the above observations, maybe the HD end of WTEV is indeed having technical difficulties that have not been resolved. NCIS, however, was fine.
Bottom line things are not right at WTEV and I trust Jerry and others there are making all efforts to fix it. The one thing that remained with me after meeting Jerry is that the station is very much pro HDTV. I believe all the stations are and while doing digital was a requirement, HDTV is voluntary, although a must have for any network affiliate to stay in business.

Originally posted by Don Landis
Bottom line things are not right at WTEV and I trust Jerry and others there are making all efforts to fix it. The one thing that remained with me after meeting Jerry is that the station is very much pro HDTV. I believe all the stations are and while doing digital was a requirement, HDTV is voluntary, although a must have for any network affiliate to stay in business. I agree with you fully on this. There seems like there might be some technical issues occurring with WTEV, but my take-away thoughs from the station visit are they are definitely pro-HDTV.

Jerry and Crew seem to be doing fine with HD.

There needs to be better communication though with the newsdesk, especially on weekends. Since the only person we can reach on the weekends are the newsroom, you would think they would't lie to the end user on HDTV issues.

This is where most of us that got ticked off during the Jags game can agree on.

- Jack

Jack, et al- I'm sure that behind the scenes there was a bunch of concern to resolve the problem. In some businesses, the policy is to not give the impression that things are going wrong, but, having been there done that I can assure you that is normally not the case. Why, the problem occurred and why it appears to happen most on the weekend, I really can't say other than that's when the NFL games are on. :) . All of us just know that we would like a bit better explanation and treatment when a call is placed to alert there is a problem. I trust Jerry is still monitoring this thread and measures have been taken to make some changes, especially in the way things are handled with the viewing public who take the time to call in.
One thing is certain, problems will happen in the future. Maybe it will be handled with more finesse and with greater dispatch to our liking. I think that is all we can hope for.

The best response (for me) is a quick fix to the problem. I don't need to know why there was a problem, just assurance that they are working on it and it will be fixed soon.

A simple "There seems to be an issue, no ETR" works for me.

I work in IT, I know many things just go wrong, hence the reason many of us have stable jobs.


Jerry - if you read this, is there any way you can get a status line setup? A simple recording would suffice.

- Jack

I like the idea of a positive feedback situation similar to what jack just proposed, but I would do in in the form of a link hidden in the station's webpage-- to where you could (A) report a digital signal problem (as a simple form to capture how the user is getting the signal (cable vs OTA) and (B) get a status update. Hit counters could be put on both pages to gauge # of reporters of an issue, and emails could be generated to key personnel to keep everyone informed. Ohhh, the possibilities of that (I've created one of those type setups before to notify me of issues with my computer systems, and it worked so well that another company wanted to buy the code! Since I developed it as an employee of a company in South Carolina, the company owned it, but they never did sell it either)

I just re-read my last post, and to quell any possible thought....

I am not trying to solicit any business from any station. I was just relating a past experince that I had: creating a web based monitoring system for a 24x6 manufacturing operation.

I went by the comcast office off Butler Blvd after work yesterday and swapped my moto 6208 for the new 6412. So far I like it much better than the 6208, The Iguide is on it and it is a VERY NICE improvement over the last guide. The digital channels are very good and HDTV very good. Analogs are still well you know not so good. (Hopefully they will eventually convert or simulcast those to digital soon.)


If you go to get one of these new boxes bring your remote also as you will get a new remote with more features with the 6412.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be at at the Southpoint facility when it opens at 10:00 this morning.

Are you using DVI or component? I was hoping there would be at least some improvement in the analog channels.

I am using component, my mits 55859 doesnt have DVI :( however it does have IEEE1394 (firewire) I may try to see how that looks, but cant use the guide with that input. As far as the analogs, there is an option on the box to push them from 480i to 480p which will make them look a little better.

Bill- The greatest negative to any form of complaint center such as a press 7 to post a problem with the signal on voice mail; or, to a link on the web site to do same is that the station will get tons of personal TV breakdown issues not exclusive to cable and antenna failures and even not having the TV set plugged in. Trust me on this, it will be the bulk of the complaints that will flood the Voice mail or e-mail box. They will also use it to complain about non-technical issues, like What happened to "xxxxx" on the news last night she seemed upset about something! yada yada
No, while I appreciate the slick efforts you guys have made in your fields, my desire is to use the present tools at hand. The best thing about this AVS forum is that it is already established to be a collection point of self policing volunteers who are, for the most part, a hundred times more knowledgeable than the general viewing public about technical issues. Several of you have opened a line of communication with the stations behind the scenes and this is because these engineers have developed a level of respect for the integrity of your reports. They don't need nor desire to spend their time sifting through the e-mails of Voice mail boxes on stuff like ghosts and TVI problems that are best resolved by a professional TV technician / installer. But if you open the complaint line to the general public, I see station engineers getting bombarded with TV repair issues when they should be focusing on making sure the outbound signal is right, not your inbound signal.

Just my opinion, but then as a PC and broadcast engineer myself, I certainly have my bias.

Well, there was quite a line forming at Comcast this morning. The new DVR is obviously going to be quite popular. There was a small article in the business section of the TU which I'm sure contributed to the number of people that showed up at 10:00 with old DVR in hand.

My overall first impression is that the PQ for HD is outstanding via component. The PQ for digital is about the same as with the 6208, and while it may be wishful thinking, I believe the analogs are slightly better.

I also like the look and placement of the new guide, although I'm looking forward to the day Comcast ditches TV Guide altogether and goes with the MS guide. It still lags behind the D* guide in fuctionality IMO.

I went about 11:30 and they were out of the new remotes. No big deal, the old ones still work.

Best part is there is no additional fee for the two tuner model.

Although it's a different remote, it looks to me like it has the same buttons, only a slightly different layout. It has Picture-in-Picture buttons on the bottom, which I can't use anyway on my P50, but otherwise I can't see any difference.

As you stated, it has the same codes as the 6200/6208, so if you're using a universal learning remote (I have the HTM mx-500), you won't have to reprogram it with the new remote.

I went about 11:30 and they were out of the new remotes. No big deal, the old ones still work.

I haven't tried it yet on my 6208 but according to this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=416868&perpage=20) it is possible to program a 30 second skip feature into the older silver remote.

Has anyone tried this with either the 6412 or the new remote? Otherwise my 6208 is just way too slow on the FF compared with my Tivo. I'd hate to give up that feature to switch to a 6412. Though I guess if it's the same IR code I should program it into my Sony learning remote now before going to Comcast to swap.

- Tom

Wow, having now used the 6412, it's going back on Monday. Either my unit is defective or this thing is not ready yet. The two tuners seem to compete to be the one connected to the output.

According to another thread, the 30 sec skip has been eliminated on the 6412. It supposedly does have a 15 min skip although I haven't tried it yet.

Having now used the recording function, I'm not sure how you use the 6412 with the remote for the 6208. Does it have a button equivalent to the Swap button on the 6412? At first, I didn't realize it was used to switch tuners since it's included with the other PIP buttons. Otherwise, I don't how you would be able to switch to the second tuner while recording. It would seem without the remote for the 6412 you couldn't use the dual tuners.

To switch with the old remote, use either the guide or myDVR as applicable.

What's the problem you're experiencing that would make you want to return the unit?

Almost too numerous to list.

Pushing 'live' changes tuners.
One firewire port dead, the other doesn't work (to a PC)
Sound stops intermittantly.
Fast forward changes tuners (not often)
etc
etc

I don't have any of those problems, although I haven't tried the firewire ports. Sounds like you have a defective unit.

I am not having any of those problems with mine either. Sounds like you got a bad apple. I havent tried my Firewire on mine yet either but will report when I do, need to buy the cable.

Anyone watching CBS NFL pregame show - I ussually don't watch it, but turned it on noticed it looks like the national feed with non-black side bars, but I have a audio issue(Crackling sound??) on my Hughes HTD-HD (Directv) system - is anyone else having issues as well? How about you guys on comcast?

I am seeing the black side bars on comcast, audio seems to be fine however.

It seems the national feed had the issue during the pregame but the Jags game is fine for me??

ABC is not showing Desperate Housewives in HD tonight. *sigh*

It's fixed now.

Greetings! After months of suppressing the "itch" for HDTV I finally took the plunge this weekend and bought a Samsung 46" DLP (HLP4663). Now I need help in determining the best way to feed the HD signal. I've read the last 25 or so pages of this thread but am hoping to get some more directed suggestions from those that have already been where I am now.

I currently have Dish for my primary TV feed (with 18 months left on my contract) along with a minimal Comcast analog subscription to feed some smaller tvs. I also have a PVR on my primary Dish feed and don't think I could live without it. I'm ok with receiving the HD signals OTA as I have read positive things about that here, as long that they can be integrated with the rest of the channels via the Dish receiver or whatever else. I also don't have much of a problem with going to Comcast digital and eating the Dish subscription if that's the best solution.

I live across from the Avenues Mall and so don't expect any issues with OTA signals.

I'd love some assistance.

fsujay, Welcome to the forums!

It looks like your new TV doesn't have an ATSC tuner (Don't worry, many don't), so, for Digital signal reception you need a separate receiver(aka set top box) for this.

I'n not the expert, and I didn't stay in Holiday Inn last night, so I'm going to give you a link to the current Set Top Boxes thread in the hardware forum....

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=179095

That thread is grouped by type of reception---
Directv & OTA,
Dish network & OTA,
OTA only,
Cable ...etc....

You can get your list of options there. I personally have Directv, and I've got a HD-Tivo and an older Hugues E86. I am about 1 mile due west of the avenues, and I have no problems receiving any of the digital local stations, as most are broadcasting from the area just north of Tinseltown. By the way, I have a medium sized channel master antenna in my attic.

If you have any more questions-- Ask away!!!

fsujay,

I was on another forum and I came across a thread regarding issues with teh DLP engine in similar samsung sets. here's a link to the forum... http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203645

That link also refers back to threads on this forum. I did a quick search on your model #, and came back with this thread... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=449627&highlight=HLP4663

I'm not trying to scare you about your purchase, but If you didn't buy extended waranty coverage, you might want to reconsider gettting it.

Also, because some others are having problems really doesn't mean that you are going to have a problem. I just wanted to alert you to this info that caught my eye this afternoon.

--Bill

Thanks for the feedback... Yes, I bought the 4 year service program since it might pay for itself in just bulb replacement. Also, I talked to Dish this afternoon about their HD offerings and was underwhelmed at their lack of knowledge and general interest in selling me anything.

Comcast has a nice lineup for HDTV.

I left D* this year for it and have been pretty happy. They have a good lineup of channels without having to fiddle with an antenna:
167 - Discovery Theater HD
168 - FOX HD (WAWS)
169 - Starz! HD
170 - CinemaxHD
171 - INHD
172 - INHD2
173 - ESPN-HD
174 - PBS HD (WJCT)
175 - CBS HD (WTEV)
176 - NBC HD (WTLV)
177 - ABC HD (WJXX)
178 - Showtime HD
179 - HBO HD

Only missing WB-HD (Jax has no fulltime UPN). From your location, OTA HD is pretty easy. For a lot of us, WB is the hardest to deal with. Almost impossible to pickup for some of the outer areas.

The Comcast HD-DVR is nice, not quite as good as a TIVO, but it has its moments to shine. Im still using the single tuner 6408, I need to get the 6412.

Welcome to the HD lifestyle. You'll destest SD shows from now on and you'll find yourself watching HD shows that have poor content (they just look so darn good)

- Jack

Picked up a box from Comcast yesterday and must say I was stunned by the PQ on the HD channels! Can't wait for the DVR that was out of stock until later in the week.

Question, however: I was surprised that cable could deliver the HD "digital" signal over my existing cable and not disrupt the standard analog signal to my other TVs. Am I correct in thinking that this isn't really a digital signal? All other things being equal would this mean a lesser PQ than what would be delivered from DISH or OTA?

Also, jandar, you were correct in that I found myself watching travel shows on destinations I could care less about just to marvel at the picture.

fsujay, are you waiting on the dual tuner DVR? When will they have more available?

Got one... signed up on Tuesday last week and they called me on Wednesday saying they got the dual tuner receivers in. Works pretty good but miss the 30 second "skip ahead" that I had on Dish.

After having a HD TV for over a year, I finally purchased an OTA tuner. I did a lot of research and I purchased the infamous Silver Sensor. I live in Fruit Cove about 12 miles from the towers. I am able to pull in only channels 4, 7, 47 and 30. However I can't pull in 25 (ABC) or 12 (NBC). Which is strange since they are about the same distance as 47.

All the channels come in at about 50% signal strength.

I know the Silver Sensor is for UHF only, but it pulled channel 4 and I would have expected it to find 12 and 25 also

I prefer not to install an outdoor antenna. Does anyone have any suggestions (amplifers, antenna etc)

Thanks,
Mike

Mike,
Hey, another soul from Fruit Cove...I am not alone! Channel 4 actually broadcasts on 42-1 so it is in the UHF range. 12 and 25 are 13-1 and 10-1 in the VHF range, so that is your problem.

I have a Radio Shack antenna mounted in my attic and get all of the stations, though I do get an occasional breakup on PBS and FOX.

I have a Square Shooter and am less than 6 miles from the towers, but for some reason on WEDNESDAY nights I lose a strong signal for 25, just when I want to watch LOST. I can get 25 just about any other time.

I watched it yesterday and it was flawless. I live on the intercoastal near atlantic. Rooftop RadioShack antenna.

Originally posted by fsujay
Got one... signed up on Tuesday last week and they called me on Wednesday saying they got the dual tuner receivers in. Works pretty good but miss the 30 second "skip ahead" that I had on Dish.

Please someone tell me what the 'dual tuner' dvr is. I currently have only the dvr one.

Nevermind. Just spoke with Comcast. It's exactly what I've wanted. Sick of taping something, but not able to watch something else. Look forward to it in a few days.

I put my name on the list a couple days back for the dual tuner drv from comcast. anyone have any idea how long the wait it?

also, I am buying a second hdtv and will need another box. is there extra fees for having 2 dvrs? i only will need to use one, but since I already have an HD box, I don't see a need to take this one back when the 6412 comes out.

The CSR said 2 - 3 days. Apparently there was a news article in the Times - Union about the tuner and Comcast ran out of them immediately.

Originally posted by sikoniko
I put my name on the list a couple days back for the dual tuner drv from comcast. anyone have any idea how long the wait it?

also, I am buying a second hdtv and will need another box. is there extra fees for having 2 dvrs? i only will need to use one, but since I already have an HD box, I don't see a need to take this one back when the 6412 comes out.

I picked up my first HD dvr box from the comcast office last Tuesday, got on the list for a two-tuner box and got a call the next day to come pick it up. They must be coming in regularly.

Peter,

Thanks for the advice from Fruit Cove. I thought channel 4.1 was the real channel. I now understand the chart at antennaweb.org. I guess I will buy a VHF/UHF antenna or join another VHF antenna with the silver sensor.

I assume that I can use a plain old splitter as a combiner? Is that correct?

Originally posted by mcpagano
Peter,

Thanks for the advice from Fruit Cove. I thought channel 4.1 was the real channel. I now understand the chart at antennaweb.org. I guess I will buy a VHF/UHF antenna or join another VHF antenna with the silver sensor.

I assume that I can use a plain old splitter as a combiner? Is that correct?

Should be ok. Personally I'd get just a VHF antenna to avoid introducing any multipath from a second UHF antenna.

Your other possiblility is an A/B switch (I am using a remote control one I got from Radio Shack). These typically have good isolation to keep the two antennas from interfering with one another.

Most of the time, the antenna I have in the attic pulls in all the stations. Some days, though, Fox just breaks up like crazy. I then flip to the "B" antenna mounted in the garage. It is an absurd system, but what can I say, it works!

Originally posted by sikoniko
I am buying a second hdtv and will need another box. is there extra fees for having 2 dvrs?

Comcast will charge you 9.95 for each DVR if you get a second one.

It's Sunday afternoon and I'm getting lots of freezing and pixilation on both the INHD channels and the PBS station. One of the INHD channels isn't coming in at all. ESPN, CBS, and Discovery all seem to be fine. Is that typical? Should I be calling comcast? (I'm new to all this).

WTLV Question----

I've got both an older Hughes E-86 and a D* HDtivo on the same TV, and I took a look at my OTA reception from wtlv (12-1) for the nascar race a few minutes ago. On the older receiver, I'm getting video breakups every 5-10 seconds or so, with audio breakups at the same time. On the HDtivo, I'm getting continuous video, but the audio is breaking up at about the same 5-10 seconds. can anyone confirm this -- either on cable or OTA? On the E86, i've got a continuous 100% signal. I think that it's a station-related issue-- because on my d* local satellire channels, I have no dropouts.

Followup to my previous post... I called the Newsroom and reported the experience a few minutes after the above post, but I ultimately reverted back to catching the last 15 laps of the race off the SD satellite channel-- ugh. But, at that time on the satellite SD channels, there were no audio nor video dropouts.

As of now, there is no issue with either video or audio.

(by the way, regarding the HDtivo & E86 on the same TV...) I only use the E86 for watching the NFL sunday ticket, because channel flipping is so much faster, and the channel lists are easily customizable for the random channels that I watch when I'm only watching from a limited number of channels. So on Sunday's at about 12:45, I swap inputs to the e86, create a football channel list for the current game channels of this weeks games, and I never tend to vary from those untill I switch back at about 7:30 when the 4:00 games are over.

It helps to have a girlfriend who is a football fanatic!!!! The only problem is that I really need to have another HD monitor for each of the games that we want to watch at the same time!!!! (let alone the finish of a late-season nascar race!)

--Bill

Bill,
As of 10 last night, the breakups in audio and video were continuing. I also have a Hughes e86. Crossing Jordan was unwatchable.

Went to the game yesterday and saw the FOXHD trucks sitting outside. They are bigger than I expected. Was kind of surprised that another game was in HD. figures it wouldn't be aired...again.

NFLST is a ripoff due to blackout rules. I have had even Tampa aired games not airing in Jacksonville blacked out here. I called DirecTV and they claim it was a decision by NFL, not a mistake, that Tampa blackout rules also apply in Jacksonville this year! and they can't do anything about it. I trust this is true but the bottom line is I will not pay for NFL ST again until they remove blackout rules for at least HD games.

IMO, if I pay to watch a game which I did, then regardless of blackout rules I should be able to watch what I paid for.
If I buy a stadium ticket and go to the game, I would not expect the NFL to say, sorry, we have decided to keep you out because we canceled your seat today.

I suggest if any of you are disappointed in NFL ST cost vs. benefit, you complain to the NFL. They will continue to expand the domain of blackouts until the customers of NFL ST complain with their money. And, yes, blackout rules were expanded for the past 2 years. Next year you will probably not be permitted to watch any of the Florida teams on NFL ST.


Alternative suggestion- If any game is blacked out that I paid to watch through NFLST then I want a $30 refund just for that game. If you (NFL)don't want me to watch your game then you need to pay me to go away. After all I paid for that stadium with taxes so it belongs to the tax payers!

Don, I hear ya but doubt the NFL will give a rat's a$$ as they already have their $$ and a signed contract from DirecTV for the next 6 years. My guess is that their blackout concern isn't with you and me and our NFLST package, it's with the sports bars.

Oh I do understand and what you said. I don't necessarily agree that the sports bars are the culprit though. I actually think is is far more complicated issue that is a multifaceted deal where the NFL has arranged with the Networks to broadcast the games and pay to do it in exchange for some arrangement forcing viewers onto the stationsin a very complex formula to garner huge viewerships to the stations to build very expensive advertising rates. Remember I work in this business and know what the buttons are. Besides, Sports bars already pay a commercial rate for the public viewing rights and if they don't, that is, they lie about their DirecTV use they can suffer under federal copyright law wrath.

My point is that the ONLY way to speak back is to blame the ones who sold ME the service that is not worth what they charged. I simply do not buy and state my reason. The NFL will bend to public pressure. They are not stupid. But, if they are not checked by us the paying public, they will continue to expand their blackout control every year until you NFLST addicts will be down to paying $200 a game that you actually watch.

Additionally, I should state that the "Blackout rules" are stated in very nebulous wording and we know this up front if we read the agreement. But the perception of what was blackout rules years ago is not what it has grown into because the people have accepted it what the NFL has ruled. Not being an NFLST addict but rather just an enthusiaistic Jaguars and Florida Teams fan, I find the NFL ST with blackout rules a ripoff! Initially, DirecTV is caught in the middle and they lose, unfortunately!

12-1 still breaking up? Anyone else experience this last night? NBC was unwatchable again.

NBC was fine 9-10pm, both on cable and OTA. But I'm ony 3.5mi from antenna.

Originally posted by grittree
NBC was fine 9-10pm, both on cable and OTA. But I'm ony 3.5mi from antenna.

Thanks for checking. Something odd has been happening down here in Fruit Cove the last two nights. I've been getting 12-1 fine for the last 2 years---haven't changed any equipment---suddenly it is breaking up. I love OTA.

Hi,

I'm looking to get my first HDTV (probably a Sony 55" or 60" LCD RPTV). I live in St. Augustine and therefore have Time Warner Cable. Do any of you have experience with TWC with respect to HD and SD picture quality? How is Comcast Cable? Also, any idea where and using which bargaining strategy I can use to locally purchase a Sony LCD RPTV at a great price?

Thanks....wjr

Peter,

I have my vhf antenna set up with an A/B switch and it is working fine. I can get all local channels. However, I am having the same problem you are having with 12-1.

It must be a Fruit Cove issue

Mike

Originally posted by mcpagano
Peter,

I have my vhf antenna set up with an A/B switch and it is working fine. I can get all local channels. However, I am having the same problem you are having with 12-1.

It must be a Fruit Cove issue

Mike

Glad the dual antennas are working for you. WTLV seems to have cleared up.

Peter,

I just tried channel 12-1 and it cleared up for me too

Mike

Yet another WTLV HD failure
The Seinfeld retrospective, which has been touted to be HD since late september is both letterboxed and pillarboxed on WTLV-DT (12-1). It's now 10:45, and I had called the newsroom to get the message to engineering at about 10:10. Tomorrow, I'll send an email to Ken Tonning about it, but I don't expect it to do much good. (short staffed... training issues... people on vacation.... not notified by the network...(aka-also not monitored by local engineering)...

It's so great having HD when the stations cannot reliably pass HD during daytime work schedules <--READ THAT AS PRIME-TIME.

To be objective on the topic, reports from the master thread for this show are reporting some outages elsewhere also. But other locations are fine with no problems.

Master thread for the show: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467699

Not to mention that the sound was also scratchy and therefore, the digital channel was completely unwatchable. C'mon WTLV, someone answer up and address these concerns.

Skip

Originally posted by MrGibbage
Not to mention that the sound was also scratchy and therefore, the digital channel was completely unwatchable. C'mon WTLV, someone answer up and address these concerns.

Skip

I was noticing clicking and popping in the sound as early as the Macy's Thanksgiving parade---plus very low volume compared to the other stations.

I have heard in other forums that Comcast is planning to simulcast all of thier analogs to digital agressively over the next 6 months more likely during Q1 of 2005. Anyone here in Jacksonville hear anything about this? I sure hope we are included in this.

My father-in-law lives in Palm Coast and I wanted to see if any one is having success receiving Jacksonville DTV stations that far south. I wanted to help out my father-in-law with his setup. He currently has a RCA 3036W antenna pointed south to get Orlando stations and can only get 6.1 from time to time. I wanted to find out about Jacksonville stations before we reoriented his antenna. According to Antennaweb.org only 26.1 is possible but I know that is not correct. I hope the forum members in Jacksonville are as helpful as the forum members in West Palm Beach :-).

ansek - the furthest south I think we have anyone on this forum was from St Augustine Shores which is north of Palm Coast by a few miles and I think they stopped trying OTA and went with Cable.

As far as your Father in Law's antena is concerned, how is it installed, attic, roof, pole on roof -- what height is it at?

Man from Palm Coast zip 31264 - you are almost midpoint to the towers in Jax compared to Orlando (actually Orlando looks like 4-5 miles further)

Give us a few more details of his antenna setup and how many Trees (Pines for sure) are in his line of site in the imediate area of his location.

Originally posted by Gator99
ansek - the furthest south I think we have anyone on this forum was from St Augustine Shores which is north of Palm Coast by a few miles and I think they stopped trying OTA and went with Cable.

As far as your Father in Law's antena is concerned, how is it installed, attic, roof, pole on roof -- what height is it at?

Man from Palm Coast zip 31264 - you are almost midpoint to the towers in Jax compared to Orlando (actually Orlando looks like 4-5 miles further)

Give us a few more details of his antenna setup and how many Trees (Pines for sure) are in his line of site in the imediate area of his location.

The Antenna is mounted on the roof (side of the house) 15 to 18 feet above the ground. No tall pine tree in line of site from 310 degrees to 30 degrees. There is a palm tree in his neighbors yard at about 330 degrees.

Ansek - I am not sure about Orlando, but here in Jax our Digital antenna farm is located basically in one spot in Jacksonville (close to Touchton Rd & Southside Blvd - I believe) - the only thing I can suggest is have you father point his antenna in the direction of the antenna farm and give it a try. -- you might be able to pick up WTEV-DT (19-1 or Channel 47 CBS) and possible Fox 32-1(30) they seem to be broadcast with the strongest signal - the rest (see first post in this thread for channel information) might be tougher especially WB 34-1(17) since they are not broadcasting at full strength.

By the way how big is that antenna of your Father in Laws? I live in Orange Park, which is 12-14 miles from the Antenna Farm and have a 60" UHF/VHF antenna on a 30+/- foot pole and I receive all channels clear except WB.

Good luck and keep us informed

I live off Greenland now and pick up all HD awesome but will be moving to Bartram Springs at Racetrack and Phillips late next year. Anyone live there? How's your reception? Antennaweb says it's only like 2 miles further than my current house, so I don't expect any problems. But would like to hear some first hand reassurance :)

I live off CR210 and 95 and I get OTA 4.1, FOX, ABC, CBS, PBS VERY GOOD, WB is so-so, and hard to get NBC. Hope this helps and I am using a small indoor terk amplified antenna.

I am assuming that since you will be north of where I am (as long as you have a decent antenna) you will have no problems.

Cool, yeah that's definitely much more south than I'll be. The antennas I have now are pretty good but I certanily don't mind investing in a better indoor antenna if necessary.

thanks!

I also live off of CR 210, about 2 miles west of 95. I get all OTA, including NBC, with no problem. I have a channel master antenna in my attic. You should be fine.

I am not sure if anyone can help me out but I have misplaced a AC adapter for a IR/RF remote device that came with either my Mitsibishi SR-SD1 or HD5 (both Hughes clones) - I was hoping someone here might have one and be able to read the specs off of the AC adapter so I can purchase a new one.

The device can be seen at this website:

http://www.a1components.net/stores/itemdisplay.asp?store=2&col=&loc=site&item=5223&ourl=

it is the nose cone adapter that fits on a HRMC5 remote and a separate rf receiver that needs the AC adapter. Thanks for the help, as I have searched the internet and can't find the specs.

Jeff-- it's your lucky day.... I've got one of those... and here's the specs off my power adapter...

PLUG IN CLASS 2 TRANSFORMER
MODEL NUMBER: MULD3515150
INPUT: AC 120V 60Hz
OUTPUT: DC 15V 150mA

Connector config: the center is positive/ outside is negative

UL LISTED
4H87
E181627(H)


-------
I got it a long time ago, but it looks exactly like the picture. On the bottom of my base unit it is labeled as "REMOTE EXTENDER RE 200" and and the following infomation:

TD FCC ID GB740DW EXTENDER TX
RX FCC ID: GB74DW EXTENDER RX

along with the manufacturer identification:

Windmaster Manufacturing
DeFuniak Springs, FL

(but of course, Made in China....)

Hope that helps.

--Bill

I just did a bit of googleing on that manufacturer, and found this page,

http://www.controlav.com/minireview.asp?d=irrf&t=Windmaster%20Manufacturing%20Remote%20Extender&r=

which leads to a link to http://www.remoteextender.com/index.html

There's an 800 number on that page... and maybe you can see if you can get an oem part from them.

Cool, thanks - I'll check Rat Shack for a replacement - just needed those specs --thanks Bill

This morning (Thursday) we removed the dynamic PSIP generator for both WTEV and WAWS to install an upgrade to the equipment. Until it is reinstalled early next week we will not have extended PSIP information such as the VCT which remaps our stations and the EIT which provides program information. The main effect you will see is that you cannot receive WTEV by selecting 47-1 or WAWS by selecting 30-1. Instead you must select 19-2 for WTEV and 32-2 for WAWS.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but its the price of progress.

Jerry
Chief Engineer
WTEV/WAWS

Thanks, Jerry for the update.

Hope the updates are worth our short outage.

Just as an FYI there are additional consequences of lack of any PSIP info on the digital signals in some but not all receivers. e.g. The DishNetwork DVR921 will not receive any channel that lacks PSIP call ID or channel remap info. The RF signal can be seen but, unfortunately the software upgrades made last July cause the receiver to fail to lock whether we tune to 19-2 or to the remapped channel. DishNetwork is aware of this limitation in their PVR921. Their view is that since the FCC made PSIP channel info mandatory back in August, they will not develop an update to that limitation. In certain tests run with Channel 12 and 25 last summer, it was discovered that there are several other receivers that will fail to lock on digital channels lacking PSIP. Bill Schneider has details on this.
Based on this it would be advisable that you proceed to return to PSIP ASAP which I'm sure you will do.
Again, your notification here is greatly appreciated. I hope there will be few blackouts for your station on digital this weekend.

For those who do experience blackouts on WTEV and WAWS this weekend, the only suggestion I have based on my experience last summer is to use a tuner that is not affected if you have a backup. Sorry, but this outage will definitly affect me on the 921. I will update this post if it affects my HDTIVO but last summer it did not. They have had 2 software updates since, so we'll see.

Originally posted by Don Landis
Thanks, Jerry for the update.

Hope the updates are worth our short outage.

Just as an FYI there are additional consequences of lack of any PSIP info on the digital signals in some but not all receivers.

Without ANY PSIP info, there would be no way ANY receiver could decipher what is in the stream. PSIP refers to all the info that tells the receiver what PID's are what. Its the road-map for it all. So, there is still PSIP info, just not all the tables. The TVCT, ETT, EIT tables, and a few others are not being transmitted. So, I think you mean the TVCT table (Terrestrial Virtual Channel Table). We expect the unit to be back in town on Monday. Until then the PSIP will only contain the PMT, PAT, and a few other basic tables. More info is at http://www.psip.org )

Thanks for the info, Don. I was not aware that some of the receivers required the TVCT. Only a short time back, it seems, there were receivers that could not use the TVCT info. Time flies, huh?

As far as the updates being worth it, to us they are, since the FCC mandates the new capabilities and we'd like to keep our license. <G>

Jerry

I'm using a Huges E81 and I still get WTEV on 47-1. Pleas don't mess with it too much--just make sure that I can still watch TV by 6:00 on Saturday. Warrrrr Eagle! Go Auburn!

Skip

Hi Jerry,

I have problem with a UPN broadcast each Friday night that I'd love to hear your opinion on. When I watch "Enterprise" on UPN, I only receive audio in the RIGHT channel. For the longest time I was thinking this was a Comcast issue because I usually Tivo record from Comcast. But last Friday, I was actually able to tune in live using my digital tuner to watch on 30-1. Same thing there, only the RIGHT channel had any audio.

Since that transmission is direct from you to me, I guess we can exclude Comcast as the cause. Do you know this is happening and why? Is it something that can be corrected? It sure would be appreciate if you could.

And, just because we haven't asked in a while, what's your best guest on when we can expect the UPN HD feed to begin broadcasting locally?

Thank you,
Jonathan

"So, I think you mean the TVCT table (Terrestrial Virtual Channel Table)."

Yep! My error. I haven't been to the HT room since yesterday but I'm planning to get to watching some TV soon tonight. I'll let you know what receivers are doing what with your channels later.

Anyway, if anyone wants to read a nice PDF on the PSIP station implementation here's another link that I found good.:

http://www.sarnoff.com/products_services/government_solutions/psip_tutorial/psip.pdf


I believe this is a bit dated in some of the most recent FCC requirements but the technical is pretty good especially with the block diagrams.

There was a time and probably still is when people here thought the concept of broadcasting a TV signal on the digital channels was easy, simple. This PDF will give one some idea of the scope of all a station needs to deal with that many of us users take for granted.

Jerry- This is confusing!

On the PVR921, I still have 47-1 but I can now see and lock 19-1, not 19-2. On 19-1 there is no call identifier but on 47-1 I see WTEV call identifier. I rebooted the receiver just to be sure any residual data was reset.

Same with 30-1 and 32-1.

There was one software update on this receiver since the loss of signals lacking TVCT. Maybe they did bring it back and didn't tell anyone. Wouldn't be the first time they said one thing and then did something else.

What I don't understand is why we would still be seeing your station call if you are not sending it.

On the HDTIVO, no change but then the TIVO prioritizes the service provider info. Same with VOOM, it works by zip code over your PSIP data. In other words I can change the channel lineup by entering a different zip code.

About time I think I understand what's going on, something like this enters the picture and confuses it all.

I just installed the Sasem Onair USB HDTV on my laptop and I cannot pick up any QAM channels on Comcast.
Has anyone had any success with Comcast's QAM channels ?

Read the very first post in this thread. The QAM channels are listed there.

Originally posted by taichinanda
I just installed the Sasem Onair USB HDTV on my laptop and I cannot pick up any QAM channels on Comcast.
Has anyone had any success with Comcast's QAM channels ?

I haven't used it much recently but, FWIW I can get & record the network HD channels + INHD 1&2 on my F3Q card.

But that card is very sensitive to signal strength and I had to have Comcast come out and replace a couple filters and sell me a $50 splitting amp to get it working right.

Needless to say, while the card is completely legal, I still based my low signal strength complaiints to Comcast on HD picture dropouts while using their box.

- Tom

I could finally tuned to all QAM channels except INHD which had sound but no pictures. All channels' pictures were so unstable, my laptop crashed a few times. Not sure Sasem's or Comcast's fault. Back to using OTA only.
Thanks

Good job CBS! The SEC Championship game looked very, very impressive. And the fact the Auburn won made it even better! Thanks WTEV! Thanks Thanks Thanks!

Skip

WTLV?

I knew that :) (I fixed my original post) Thanks.

Skip

Hey all. I live approx 68 miles west of JAX (Lake City) and am interested in receiving the HD feeds OTA from WJXX-ABC, WTEV-CBS & WAWS-FOX (all UHF feeds, as I gather). Receiving WTLV-NBC via VHF would be a bonus, but not required, as I already get the NBC HD feed via NYC on D* due to my distance from JAX (extra $1.75 a month, sheesh!).

I'm looking for some advice on antenna selection, as I've read so much conflicting info on the web with regards to reception quality of the different antennas available at the distance I have to deal with (~70 miles).

Can someone provide some guidance? I certainly dont want to waste money and time on a solution that doesnt result in getting those 3 UHF feeds listed above.

For all UHF, I recommend you install a 7 ft dia parabola antenna on about an 80 ft. tower. 10 ft tower height per 10 miles rule of thumb minimum. That should get you decent picture. Contact Computer source in Jacksonville. They stock these for locations like yours.

Good gravy, I hope you are joking.

Either that, or the antenna manufacturers are lying. The deep-fringe yagi's I see on manufacturers websites' claim 60-mile UHF range and dont specify extreme tower elevations like you describe. With a bit of pre-amplification, I would think I could pull in the stations in JAX that are 67.5 miles away from me.

I'm not looking to spend that kind of money to receive a few tv stations, nor do I think my wife and neighbors would appreciate the 80 foot tall eye-sore in my back yard.

Are the simple, deep-fringe, roof mount antennas not going to cut it for me? If not, I wonder why it is so difficult to get a waiver from the networks so I can receive the network feeds from D*. Funny how difficult this seems to be!

Originally posted by Gunny_Highway
Good gravy, I hope you are joking.

Either that, or the antenna manufacturers are lying. The deep-fringe yagi's I see on manufacturers websites' claim 60-mile UHF range and dont specify extreme tower elevations like you describe. With a bit of pre-amplification, I would think I could pull in the stations in JAX that are 67.5 miles away from me.

I'm not looking to spend that kind of money to receive a few tv stations, nor do I think my wife and neighbors would appreciate the 80 foot tall eye-sore in my back yard.

Are the simple, deep-fringe, roof mount antennas not going to cut it for me? If not, I wonder why it is so difficult to get a waiver from the networks so I can receive the network feeds from D*. Funny how difficult this seems to be!

I assume that if you are getting NBC-HD from DTV, you would be able to get a wavier for the other nets b/c you probably had to get one for NBC-HD. Try that route. I highly doubt that a Yagi will work for you as far out as you are. Maybe amplification would help, but you would really be pushing it. If you were 40 miles away, yes. 70 miles away no;

I'll try the waiver route, though DTV said I automatically qualified for NBC and FOX (though they still are working on getting their FOX HD feeds up), but they show me as "Grade B" for the ABC and CBS affiliates, which are really the most important to me, for their Sports programming. They state that "much of the time, waiver requests for Grade B signals are not granted by affiliates."

It's really a heartbreaker though, as even if I do get those waivers, the feeds from DTV will, of course, be compressed far more than the local feeds, and therefore, much less enjoyable to watch. Argh!

So to sum up, in your opinion, a ChannelMaster 3020 deep-fringe antenna with manufacturer-claimed range of 60mi UHF/100mi VHF connected to a quality pre-amp will definitely not suffice for my 67.5 mi range, correct?

Thanks for the help, gents...please feel free to provide any additional advice, it is appreciated.

Don't worry, there is a law of diminishing returns at about 100ft for UHF TV frequencies.

Sorry if I scared you but I am interested in not just getting a signal but having one that locks 24/7 for quality TV watching. In the case of analog, I'm also talking about noise free/ snow free TV watching. If you just want to play with it, then don't bother with the height.

I am familiar with your area and I know that many just south of Lake City use 60- 80 ft. towers aimed at Jacksonville with a rotor for Gainesville and Tallahassee. I visited one location a while back and their TV signal was solid. Keep in mind also that the digital stations are not outputting as much power yet as their analog. With Digital you have to jump over the lock threshhold while analog just goes snowy and fades in and out. There are some people locally that can't get some of the channels in Orange Park, so Lake city is a but much without a proper antenna.
I do have a bit of experience in Orlando and in the metro Philadelphia to NYC area and the idea of height is a must for deep fringe locations 50-100 miles.

Plus, using a dish for UHF is far superior for capture of signals than a LP yagi which is basically a compromise antenna for design VHF-UHF.

Wow, OK. I too am interested in maintaining lock 24/7, so it looks like OTA is OOQ (out of the question, har har) for my environment. Too many trees and way too much distance it would seem.

WJXX and WTEV better approve my waiver or I'm gonna be bumming!

Thanks again!

The sound is all messed up on WTEV and CSI: Miami is on. Bummer.

Skip

No sound at all tonight on 47-1 30-1 is fine. Did anyone call the station?

I called and they didn't seem to know anything about it. Figures.

I switched my receiver over to analog and got the sound that way. Picture on Digital HD and sound on analog. I wonder how many non-techies will figure that one out?

Where is Jerry when we need him?

To Gunny_Highway:
I dont know what part of Lake City you are in, but I think you may have a better chance at getting WGFL-HD (CBS gainesville) than the CBS of jacksonville. Right now they are operating at low power, but they just went HD 2 weeks ago, here is a map of the coverage area, with my expirience with the silver sensor, if you are in the blue line, it will pick that channel up http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DS596811.html

Thanks a lot. I didnt know WGFL was broadcasting in HD now. I'll have to give that a shot.

Are you telling me that that tiny indoor antenna (silver sensor) has locked on stations when just barely within the blue radius? If so, I would think my channelmaster 3020 would have no problem getting the extra 5-10 miles range beyond the described radius.

Is anyone having problems with receiving WTEV on remap or call sign display (PSIP)?

Since the WTEV PSIP upgrade, the 921 will not see their PSIP data as valid. I can watch the channel with certain settings on the receiver and tuned to 19 as a result of the latest software upgrade but it will not remap to 47

I've been having a lot of problems lately with pixilation and video/audio breakups on HBO HD from Comcast. Anyone else seeing this?

anybody know if/when CBS in jax is gonna support 5.1? I saw that CSI was in 5.1 this week.

Originally posted by sikoniko
anybody know if/when CBS in jax is gonna support 5.1? I saw that CSI was in 5.1 this week.

The line we usually get is that HD is not a moneymaker for any of the stations so there is no incentive to upgrade at this point.

That I have never gotten. We are watching the same commericals as everybody else and if anything, the demographics of those investing in HD probably have more disposable income. I guess they have not found a way to measure the viewing audience.

I have read some reports that say though sales of HD sets are increasing, many people do not also buy the HD receiver, so as high as 50% or more of the people who have HD ready sets are not viewing in HD....so the investment to upgrade to 5.1 wouldn't be noticed by most of the people anyway. Yet so many people are subscribing to cable and satellite, I don't see why that is an issue.

Personally, I want it all. Having heard some of the Fox and PBS broadcasts in 5.1, not to mention Discovery HD, HDNet and HDNet Movies it really makes a difference.

I agree Peter,

I think that if nationals feel that it is a worthy investment, the locals should comply.

After further thought, they already have the 5.1 investment in FOX anyways, and clear channel seems to be on board w/ HD since they have been an early adopter, I don't understand why they wouldn't.

Peter- Let me help you understand the statement:

"The line we usually get is that HD is not a moneymaker for any of the stations so there is no incentive to upgrade at this point.

That I have never gotten. We are watching the same commericals as everybody else and if anything, the demographics of those investing in HD probably have more disposable income. I guess they have not found a way to measure the viewing audience. "


From a TV broadcaster's POV it's like this. They sell a spot time for, say $20-$1000 per spot depending on the time. That spot is sold on the basis of market share which is measured by whom watches the station at a particular time. Whether we watch the channel via analog or digital, SD or HD is not measured. The station does not offer a deal for advertisers that says, the spot is $50 ea for NTSC and you can have another x# of viewers if you pay another $15 per for the HD channel. Nor, do they just offer HDchannel broadcast spots for a price by itself. The channels are simulcast so whatever airs on one airs on the other.
Some may argue that we HDTV enthusiasts watch a program now that we didn't before because it's in HDTV but I would rebutt that the number like that represents a very very small insignificant count and would not make any impact on the HD digital budget ROI.

Because of the above your assertion about HDTV people are upscale and have more disposable income does not measure up in the overall scheme of things, like the numbers involved.

Also, if the HDTV would have to stand on it's own leg, it would fail. The only thing allowing us to have HDTV today is that the stations must make the move by law to digital and two, the desire to have HDTV is a competitive thing needing to keep up with the other station.
So why was one station first then? Going back in history it had to do with the affiliation changes in Jacksonville when WTLV bought out WJXX and acquired the digital station transmission equipment. (WJXX was built for digital from the ground up because it was a new station and saw the future and didn't want to be obsolete when it went on the air. It's NTSC was a downconvert from the digital infrastructure, just the opposite of the established stations. )
ATSC was in the works and WTLV had acquired a contract commitment as part of that buyout to supply WBSG a signal. The easiest way to do that was to use the existing WJXX equipment in the digital transmitter for a sort of Studio to studio link between Jacksonville and Brunswick. So that's what "forced" WTLV management to get underway with Digital early on. When the Olympics aired and NBC took the lead, WTLV manager, Ken Tonning led the way and went to Bill Schneider and asked, What would it take for us to offer this and established the "First on the First Coast" theme? Bill said I need,.... and Ken got it for him and we had the first HDTV here in Jacksonville, mostly with equipment orphaned and put to a different use as a part of a buyout but also completed with litterally borrowed equipment. a few months later WJXT, not to be left out got their 1080i upconvert stuff on line for CBS but soon lost the affiliation contract when they refused to pay the fee to CBS.

So the real reason we have HDTV in Jacksonville is because of the desire of one man to make it happen first, that was Ken Tonning of WTLV. After that it was a "me too" and the need to keep up. But none of this ever has shown to actually justify the cost in the form of advertisers coming to the station and asking to pay for the privledge of being on the HDTV channel to reach the few upscale buyers that would be watching.

I suspect that the Dolby Digital DD5.1 will follow as a me too thing, FOX and PBS has it and I expect that ABC and CBS will soon follow, but olny from pressure from the networks and only as a me too. Station managers will laugh you out of the building with the claim that it's the upscale viewers that is the reason they need to get more invested in DD5.1 now.

Then there is the practical side of the issue of DD5.1. As much as I want it too, I have to point out that very few programs are actually built for DD5.1. It is easy to split up a stereo source to DD5.1 and set the flags to show it being broadcast but that is not DD5.1 in sound placement. It is just stereo split up to make you believe you have six discrete sound sources. Even many DVD's today fake the DD5.1 and very few will really offer true 5.1 sound advantage. Those with DTS are good because for DTS to license that process tough standards must be met. Dolby (this will be news for you) has very loose standards. In fact all you need is 3 channels flagged for DD5.1to get the DD5.1 license and those three channels can be sourced from the Hafler 3 channel system at worst case conditions, so IMHO, blowing smoke for DD5.1 for the purpose of a better sound is not worth it.
But I do agree that without the equipment in place, when a good DD5.1 program comes along, we will not get it. That equipment has to be in place first.

Thanks for the info., and thanks to all who brought us as far as we are with HD in Jacksonville. I bought my Mitsubishi HD, and a Hughes e86 just in time for the Winter Olympics. We have come a long way since Crossing Jordan and Leno were basically it.

I do recognize that HD and 5.1 are like the old color vs b&w debates back when I was a kid. I know the corner will eventually be turned. At this point, judging from responses on this thread and others across the country, broadcasters are facing more ill will than good when they fail to "flip switches" on shows that should be broadcast in HD. I suspect the complaints will eventually include lack of multichannel sound.

I have learned, though, it is never wise to underestimate the influence of a small, vocal minority.

True, Peter but I equate the transition from ATSC to HDTV like B&W to color but the transition of DD2.0 to DD5.1 like the transition of MTS stereo from mono sound in the analog world. That took over a decade to catch on.
And, few people cared. Color was a much bigger issue, don't you agree?
Yes, biggest priority and most common screwups will be failure to flip the switch for HD and second will soon be improper PSIP setup that will cause all sorts of inconsistent issues with receivers. The training in the PSIP fiasco is poor and stations often think they have it right but don't understand why it is not working right especially when not everyone observes the problems.

Originally posted by Don Landis
True, Peter but I equate the transition from ATSC to HDTV like B&W to color but the transition of DD2.0 to DD5.1 like the transition of MTS stereo from mono sound in the analog world. That took over a decade to catch on.
And, few people cared. Color was a much bigger issue, don't you agree?
Yes, biggest priority and most common screwups will be failure to flip the switch for HD and second will soon be improper PSIP setup that will cause all sorts of inconsistent issues with receivers. The training in the PSIP fiasco is poor and stations often think they have it right but don't understand why it is not working right especially when not everyone observes the problems.

Good point re: MTS stereo (of course, I cared...had one of the first of them there new fangled FM STEREO tuners...right up there with my Sony SQ decoder and Panasonic Quadradisc demodulator and eventually one of the first Magnavox VideoDisk players--you think by now I'd have learned my lesson about being an early adopter!).

Fast forward 20 years from now:

"Grandpa, what's wrong with that picture? There isn't any color and it has funny black bars on each side."
"Well, back in my day, that's the way they showed Casablanca on TV."
"But Grandpa, was't that the movie we watched last week on TBS-HD?"
"Well, yes, but that was the 1080p zoomed and upconverted, colorized, 7.1 Dolby EX version that Mr. Ted Turner III did. The original looked like this copy we are watching now."
"Ewwwwww"

Don,

I'm not sure if you heard or not, CBS is now presenting CSI in 5.1 w/ the intention of more programming this year.

I hope clear channel will adopt for CBS as they did for FOX. I only watch FOX on Sunday's, but the sound is noticeably better during games when you hear that fan shout from the rear left or right!

"had one of the first of them there new fangled FM STEREO tuners...right up there with my Sony SQ decoder and Panasonic Quadradisc demodulator "

Oh my gosh, memories. You had the Sony one with the 4 VU meters on the front? So did I. I had all the quad stuff. I still have my Akai 7" R2R quad tape recorder and a stack of quad tapes collecting dust. Plus, I still have some records in quad. Then there was the 8 track quad cart player from Akai. I skipped over the Laser disk stuff. Always figured they'd have a disk the size of the CD soon and I was right. :)

Originally posted by Don Landis
"had one of the first of them there new fangled FM STEREO tuners...right up there with my Sony SQ decoder and Panasonic Quadradisc demodulator "

Oh my gosh, memories. You had the Sony one with the 4 VU meters on the front? So did I. I had all the quad stuff. I still have my Akai 7" R2R quad tape recorder and a stack of quad tapes collecting dust. Plus, I still have some records in quad. Then there was the 8 track quad cart player from Akai. I skipped over the Laser disk stuff. Always figured they'd have a disk the size of the CD soon and I was right. :)

Yup, same model Sony. That was the one that incorporated the logic steering. Channel separation was pretty good. I still have all of the quadraphonic and quadradiscs, but with nothing to decode them with.

Now you understand why 5.1 (and beyond) is a dream come true for me!!!

OK guys. I decided to fiddle with my CM3020 just to see what I could get. I'm getting decent lock on the JAX area stations broadcasting in HD (~70 mi away), but I would love to have a strong signal 24/7. I've decided to try the 91XG from AntennasDirect. It will be mounted only about 20 feet off the ground, but I figure it should suffice for my needs, given the reception my CM3020 got at 10ft.

My question is, what are my options as far as rotators? All I've seen for the TV application is the old school dial jobs and the CM9521A rotator w/ IR remote. Are there any other choices out there that wont cost a bundle? I know there are plenty of satellite and ham radio rotators, but I imagine those are a bit more than I'd like to spend. Also, what are some interesting powering options for these things? I'm trying to figure out how to get power up to it.

Thanks!

A rotor is powered through the 4 or 5 conductor rotor ribbon cable that controls it.

Hey guys,

I was looking for the best place in town to buy an outdoor Antenna for the HD locals..I live about 25-30 miles outside of town in Bryceville. Its inbetween Baldwin & Callahan. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Brad

Brad, I bought mine at Home Depot - 60 inch UHF/VHF

Originally posted by Don Landis
A rotor is powered through the 4 or 5 conductor rotor ribbon cable that controls it.

Thanks, as usual Don. Appreciate your willingness to answer even the simplest of questions.

I should have been a bit clearer, I actually meant are there any power/control solutions that can be controlled remotely, but dont require the power/control cable be run all the way to the controller? I imagine there are plenty of RF-type solutions, but they probably cost a pretty penny.

I just went with the CM9521A rotor with controller and IR remote. Thought of a neat way of interfacing the control box and 3-conductor cable, since I am really concerned with keeping the viewing room as clean looking as possible.

I ran the 3-conductor cable through an exterior wall just adjacent to a power outlet which I am not using, near the TV. I disconnected power to the outlet and connected the 3 conductors to the outlet leads, bought a 3ft power strip for $3, cut the strip off and connected the 3 wires to the controller. So now to connect the control box, I just plug it and it's real power supply into the corresponding outlets. I thought it was a cool idea. Overkill perhaps, but quick and easy.

Hey all. I'm curious if any knows if WGFL are broadcasting the 1:30pm Steelers@Giants game in HD? TitanTV doesnt seem to think so. WTEV looks like my only hope.

On another note, does anyone know how to read these records and determine if the station is broadcasting in HD?

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=35576

Naturally, I can read the service designation that mentions DT. Does that imply that if the parent network is making a program available in HD, that the specified station with the DT designation will broadcast in HD? Or is it more likely hit or miss, depending on if they have the appropriate equipment, someone on duty to "hit the HD switch," etc, etc?

WGFL is broadcasting in HD, the fcc does not designate a channel if it is HD or not, only if it is digital, since that is all they are going to be required to do. Cox cable on 12/1 put WGFL-HD on thier cable system, and was broadcasting over the air before the beginning of the month. Here is the Cox link for their HD channels: http://www.cox.com/gainesvilleocala/digitalcable/hdtv_channels.asp

Here is what another member robfox68 said recently "CBS-4, WGFL Gainesville, Florida is broadcasting 1080i on 28-1. Excellent reception of NFL fooltball in HD using a simple Zenith Silver Sensor aimed out the window. Finally."

I am wondering, could you pick up the WGFL HD with your antenna? And ignore titan tv for now, they have yet to update thier system about WGFL

Does anyone know if the Jaguars game will be in HDTV today on 47.1?

I see it is a HDTV game on Direct Ticket.

If they remember to flip the switch.

Yes, I remember earlier this year when CBS changed the satellite and it was the 2nd half before 47.1 got it going. Having an open house today for Xmas,would be nice to have the game on in HDTV.

Quick question for you guys, anyone else having this happen to them when tuning NBC-DT OTA (I am using a Hughes HTLD) -- it shows no signal for 15-30 seconds (0 signal strength) then all of a sudden high 90's on signal strength and all OK, this has been occuring for the past week or so, as far as I can tell.

Also, on my Hughes HTLHD - PBS 38-1,-2,-3,-4 have been re-adding themselves to the channel list all of a sudden (last two days or so) They are also mapped to 7-1,...-4 and I have then removed from my channel list but they just keep showing up. Actually I will take them off my list and 10 minutes later they show up again.... funny huh?

Originally posted by Gator99
Quick question for you guys, anyone else having this happen to them when tuning NBC-DT OTA (I am using a Hughes HTLD) -- it shows no signal for 15-30 seconds (0 signal strength) then all of a sudden high 90's on signal strength and all OK, this has been occuring for the past week or so, as far as I can tell.


I had that happen a couple of times during the spring but the channels that it occured on varied.

Hey, Hey - Antonio - how's the desert? good to hear from you, hope all is well and you have a great holiday...

Well the game was off to a rough start. WTEV management really needs to get some training for these MC techs, the ones who work the board on Sunday afternoon for the game. They need to learn when to break for commercials and when to switch to HDTV.

Originally posted by Gator99
Hey, Hey - Antonio - how's the desert? good to hear from you, hope all is well and you have a great holiday...

The desert is the desert if you get my drift. It's going okay out here. I wil be coming home for Christmas and I cannot wait. I hope all of you are doing well.

Originally posted by Don Landis
Well the game was off to a rough start. WTEV management really needs to get some training for these MC techs, the ones who work the board on Sunday afternoon for the game. They need to learn when to break for commercials and when to switch to HDTV.

How did they do on the Denver v. KC game? You would think by now that the techs would know what to do. BTW, the tech at the CBS affil here in Phoenix have the hd switch working properly for the Jags game. Let's hope WTEV switch hd for you guys.

I still see that WTEV has errors in the PSIP transmission that is failing in channel remapping and call sign ID.

Here is yet another article, an excellent summation of the FCC requirements.

"Now That I Have To Do PSIP, What Do I Do?

By Christopher Lennon

This is the question many broadcasters find themselves asking now that the FCC has ordered all U.S. terrestrial DTV stations to include PSIP in their broadcasts by February 1, 2005.

To understand just what is required, it is helpful to first read one of the pertinent passages from the actual FCC Report & Order. (If you would like to access the full Report & Order from the FCC, go to http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/ FCC-04-192A1.doc.)

“We conclude that adoption of ATSC A/65B (PSIP) into our broadcast transmission standards will serve the public interest. As pointed out by commenters, during the development of PSIP, the ATSC carefully considered which elements of PSIP should be mandatory and which should be optional...We therefore require that broadcasters fully implement PSIP to the extent that ATSC A/65B requires. In order to give broadcasters..."

see the rest of the article at:


http://digitaltelevision.com/articles/article_834.shtml

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

I hope Jerry will not wait until the last minute before doing a careful analysis on WTEV TSID to determine why a PSIP recognition receiver, the E*921 is not recognizing WTEV. The same problem happened when WTLV had errors in the tables last August. as soon as they corrected the errors, WTLV instantly popped up and the signal came on. It is curious to me that WTEV's PSIP was fine prior to Jerry's announcement that he was pulling it down to make some changes. Since that time, the basic channel identifier has been unrecognizable.

Confusion still rests with certain receivers: The interesting part of that that will confuse many is- How come some receivers see "WTEV just fine and remap to 47.1 just fine? The answer to this is that some receivers do not use PSIP to control the receiver's remap and call sign display. They use a listing service and display it on your receiver based on a zip code or account information. The VOOM receiver and HDTIVO both use a listing service and not PSIP for this data so those receivers appera to display and remap fine. Receivers like my PVR921 have to rely on PSIP for the call display ever since July software update. At that time both WTLV and WJXX which were not sending call sign and remapping information properly simply went dark. When they fixed it the station came on at channel 12 and 25 like magic. When WTEV began work on their PSIP the channel went dark on the 921. I since worked around this by going into the channel remap screen and set the receiver to ignore the PSIP on channel 19 digital and view this channel that way. IT's kind of a kludg but it does work. I can't simply channel up/down to see it. I have to manually switch the receiver to receive w/o PSIP then punch in the 019 channel number and it comes in.

The point is that was stated in the article, that while the FCC has taken the step, finally, to force all stations into ATSC compliance, stations will not be inviolation until 2-1-2005 and it doesn't force all receiver manufacturers into compliance.

While the PVR921 does use the fixed one time setup PSIP from each station now, it doesn't use the EIT PSIP data yet. E*'s first implementation of this Program information is designed to come from the subscription service, meaning you have to pay for the guide to the tune of $5.99 per month or your guide is blank! This has resulted in quite a protest nationwide among 921 users. E* is looking at this as a cash cow if the 921 owners bend over and spend another $5.99 per month. If the FCC requires at least the 12 hour EIT compliance, then they may soon require it for the 921 and if that happens, the guide info will become free for at least 12 hours. E* could still require you spend the $5.99 per month for the remainder of the 921's guide life which is 9 days. This all depends on regulation and a software modification on the receiver.

What was with PBS? I got no HD channel from PBS last night. I have been out of the country for three weeks, are there anything new with PBS? I noticed the changes posted by Jerry on CBS and FOX (but they are not 19-2 or 32-2 as reported by Jerry, they are 19-1 and 32-1, right?).

PS Pun

Well, PBS HD was back last night.

I've lost OTA reception on my Hughes E86 box. I used to have great reception with my Radio Shack attic antenna. The past week or so it seems i've lost reception. At first all the OTA channels were just breaking up. I went up into the attic to adjust the antenna and now I can't get any channels to hold for more than a few seconds before seriously breaking up. Help! I even walked my whole attic with the antenna and can't get a decent signal. Did the towers lower the strength of the signal or something? Could this be weather related? I've checked all connections and am really getting frustrated. Nothing looks corroded (it's in the attic). I live in Orange Park, Fleming Island Plantation. Antennaweb says i'm about 15 miles from the antenna farm.

Gator99 - How is your signal?

Thanks for any help out there.

Adam, that does not sound good. My signal is fine but I am now using a Hughes HTLHD (except WB).

Your E86 might be on its last leg, at least what you are describing is what I have read extensively happens to a dying E86 or one of its clones.

Since we live so close, if you want to test out my Hughes E86 clone for a few hours just send me a PM and I'll let you borrow it. I currently am not using it.

Thanks for the offer Jeff.

I think I fixed the problem. It took a couple of hours of messing with it up there, but I finally found the signal again. It only takes a hair for it to lock in. I'm getting everything but the WB at 95 - 100%. Still can't really get the WB at all (about 52 %). Apparently, opening and closing the doors of my house rattle the antenna in my attic around, eventually moving it ever so slightly out of place. I've got it mounted on a piece of pvc pipe, with telephone cords supporting it upright. This time it accidentally fell as I was trying to secure it just right with the telephone cords (I know, pretty ghetto, but I only had extra telephone cords around to use as string), it fell over on it's side securely against the rafters and I hit a good signal. It's pretty much laying on it's side against the middle rafters of my house right now. Oh well, hopefully it stays that way.

What STB box are you using now? I got rid of satellite and am currently using the E86 for just analog cable and my OTA HD. We mostly watch movies here on DVD and have not needed SAT for some time. I really only miss ESPN HD.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Bad enough you have to mount the antenna inside which makes it about 10% effective but then you strap telephone cord to it???? If the "cord" means there is wire in it and you attach it to the antenna it will further reduce the reception of the antenna. Better to use something like nylon cord that does not have wire in it. But then if it works, why mess with it?

Adam, I have a new Hughes HTL-HD - pretty good, I am getting a new Panasonic AE700 and moving my Toshiba 57" to another room and will put my old E86 clone on it.

Can't wait :)

Happy Holidays All :)

You guys should check this out - pretty funny, I was doing some research on cell phones and came across several new sites that I have never been too and starting reading their forums (as I need another forum to read - I think I am up to at least 5 now that I track - mostly AVS though. (www.howardforums.com) -- anyway I have never posted on this particular forum and probably never will, but let me tell you this much they are not the nicest of people sometimes (not that AVS can be a joy for Newbies) - and this link was a Sticky in the Nextel forum

http://www.trials-shack.co.uk/posting.html

Merry Christmas to all.

Anybody been having issues with low sound levels on local NBC and ABC HDef feeds? If you are watching EPSNHD or DiscoveryHD and switch to NBC it's as though the volume isn't even on. A switch the other way, however, will blow you out of the room.

Receiving the signal via Comcast and the new dual tuner PVR.


Thanks

Forgive me for being slightly off topic, but I am hoping that some one from the Engineering Departments of FOX/30 and CBS/47 will take notice of this post. The feeds of these two stations thru both Dish Network and DirecTV are terrible! Anytime network programming is broadcast, the video is out of focus and the color saturation is too low. I am aware of compression issues thru the dbs providers, but I don't think this is the problem as the other Jax stations seem to be ok. I have e-mailed FOX/30 and CBS/47 and they never responded back to me. Dish Network did respond to my notification saying they made adjustments on their end. However, the video quality remains poor. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS at FOX/30 and CBS/47: PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE! THANK YOU!

Amen! FOX/WAWS/30 and CBS/WTEV/47 via DirecTV are absolutely abysmal. Watching them makes me feel like I've been transported back to 1979! It is definitely not a DirecTV compression issue. All other locals I've ever had via 119 west have never been as bad as these two stations. It would be nice if they could address it before the NFL playoffs start (thank God for FOX-HD feed now on DirecTV, so at least the SuperBowl and NFC playoffs wont be an issue).

Just curious guys - but what type of TV are you watching Fox/CBS on D* on? (HD or regular SD)

I don't watch the D* channels on my HDTV but receive them OTA so I don't notice the quaility, but I do watch them on my 32" Standard Def TV and they are great (for SD broadcasts - viewing on a Tivo) -- of course I also can't comment on E* as I don't have E* (Dish network)

I watch them both via D* (only when I have to) on a Samsung HLP-5085W (50" DLP HDTV) with Samsung TS-360 receiver and a Sony KV-36FS16 (36" CRT SDTV) with a Philips DirecTivo. They look like garbage on both. Glad to hear that OTA they are fine. Perhaps its just an issue with their uplink and they can get it squared away.

While, WTEV has had some recent issues with PSIP tables that have affected audio and channel remapping, I do not see any problem with their video quality. I receive them on several different receivers, 5 to count them and the video quality has been quite up to par. I had scoped the signals some time ago and saw a well in spec chroma and luminance as seen on a waveform and vectorscope. While I do not keep the scopes in the video chain permanently, I do not notice any degrading of the image in recent months.

I believe that video chroma and luminance are about the easiest spec to maintain during air. So, it is doubtful that the program quality would be consistently bad. Now having said that, there may be some independently produced programs they air that may sneak by their engineers during a one time airing. There are TV independents out there who, with the new computer editing systems,will record shows with no knowledge of broadcast specs. Most of the time the engineers will flag these but sometines they get by. If you are noticing issues on the network programs then I would certainly examine what you are doing locally. Again, I am only referring to video chroma and luminance levels that output from the station directly. The levels from DirecTV, Comcast, and Dishnetwork may have some issues as I do not see those signals here.

Don, arent you talking about OTA? OTA quality isnt our problem, it's the uplinked feeds from D* and E* that we are complaining about.

"it's the uplinked feeds from D* and E* that we are complaining about."


Gunny- What system are you using to monitor the "uplink" ? :)

All you can see is the downlink from the satellite after being filtered through the DBS systems. To blame Clearchannel Broadcasting for what you see on the DBS downlink is not valid, however, advising them that DBS companies are, possibly not doing a proper job is certainly advisable.

I suggest it is the uplink because every other spot-beam local I've ever received from 119 West (5 locals in VA, 4 locals in NC) have had no such issues.

It just seems unlikely to me that my DBS provider would have the settings hosed for my locals here in FL but had them running fine everywhere else I've ever lived. Based on those experiences, I figure that chances are good it is a "garbage in, garbage out" issue.

Dont know how applicable it is, but those same locals on my free Time Warner analog cable (comes with my RoadRunner service) also look horrible. But then again, they are analog.

Your thoughts?

-David

GIGO theory may apply but unless you can get some evidence, like from D* or E* that the signal is coming in from the birds bad and they refuse to do an adjustment... So here's something for you to ponder-

All video has a standard, ie 7.5 IRE black 100IRE white. That pretty much sets the luminance for the video. Then you have the chroma. This can be adjusted easily with a calibration benchmark and then the chroma is adjusted so the vectors do not exceed a certain level as set by the smpte bars. AS I said before these things are easily adjusted along the signal path. So, let's say the delivering agency, D* or E*, receives a signal that does not meet the minimum specs but does have the signal components. It is not a difficult adjustment to calibrate the inbound so it delivers on spec video. eg. when I receive commercials here on a beta tape or other, The first thing I do is adjust the proc amp TBC so the video levels are on spec. This is done before I do anything else with that signal from the VCR. The same is true for the DBS providers who set the levels before rebroadcast on their satellite uplink.
IMO, you complain to the delivering agency, not a signal intermediary like WTEV. Let the delivering agency do that if they determine that their inbound is poor.

Thanks for the jargon dump. I'll be googling half of what you mentioned (proc amp TBC, e.g.) for self-education!

I called D* and spent about 30 min on and off hold with 2 tech's who told me that it was an issue with the local affiliates and that they would work on getting it resolved. Faith factor that they will even call the stations? Oh...about 1 or 2.

What do you suppose the "out-of-focus" symptom we are experiencing could be related to? Is this a typical thing you find at your job (what do you do by the way?)? If so, what do you do to cure this particular ailment?

Thanks again.

TBC- This is a Time Base Corrector that stabilizes the video sync pulses that get out of sync when the video is supplied by unstable sources such as VCR's. The actual device used in syncing video from satellites is called a Frame store synchronizer. Very similar but does not require a source sync to stabilize and mesh videowith local feeds. These devices are usually combined with a Processor amplifier, (Proc Amp) here you can adjust the levels of luminance and chrominance and phase shift (green-magenta shift) Some better procamps also permit RGB balance YUV balance and white balance.

"Out of Focus" I suspect what you are seeing is not out of focus but a softening of detail. To the amateur eyeball, it may look the same. There is no way to defocus video without actually doing a digital process special effect. However, Video is often softened naturally as it is processed over and over. There are several things that cause this. In a low res TV monitor it looks like out of focus but really is a convergence shift that is an artifact of codec, analog to digital to analog to digital etc. conversions. A one pixel convergence loss looks like out of focus on a low res monitor. On a high res monitor you can see the red blue green outlines depending on which color is delayed from the others in timing. Here again, some better proc amps can readjust this at the receiving end from time delays happening in transmission.
Another cause is compression by product. Overly compressed video can also cause a softening look to the picture.
Another cause is loss of high frequencies in the signal. Detail loss of this sort can be regenerated in the receiving end by adding detail back but this can also add a degree of busy busy dirtiness to otherwise solid color regions as it adds video noise as well.

By now you are probably realizing that with all the tools I have mentioned and all the artifacts with various sources, making video look good, is mostly an art with a bit of engineering knowledge as it is a balance of happy medium to make it right. Typically at DirecTV the RF engineers are at the throttle all the time tweaking and adjusting as the signals change from program to program. They don't just set it and forget it.

"what do you do by the way?)? " I have a degree in broadcast engineering and own a TV production company, I produce independent TV programming and commercials. What I do is not perfect, it is the state of my art! :)

Hello All,

Last week i called Direct TV stated i wanted their CBS, NBC, & Fox eastcoast/westcoast feeds for local HD..They said i would need a waiver & that im not far enough away from stations (Bryceville bout 30 miles outside of Jacksonville) Then all of a sudden 3 days latter on Dec 23rd low & behold i got the eastcoast feeds....Then Sunday the day after Christmas they are gone again? ...Should i call Direct TV & ask them why they cut it on then shut it off? Am i entitled to get those channels? Im more than willing to give them another $1.50 a month for those locals in HD....Any suggestions are appreciated.

Cheers,
Brad

They brought up FOX HD around that time, so perhaps they accidentally gave you those channels for a bit until they figured out the mistake?

Seems unlikely to me that any of the stations in JAX would approve a waiver if you are only 30 miles from them. Have you gone to http://directvdnseligibility.decisionmark.com/app/AddressEntry.asp yet and input your address to see your status?

Keep in mind that new law was passed this month that changes the rules. From what I gather, the new SHVERA rules disallow waivers for customers who are able to obtain local-into-local service (HD doesnt seem to enter into it) from their DBS provider (you and me). D* has even changed their Distant Network Service webpage to reflect this: http://www.directv.com/see/landing/dns.html

Pre-existing waivers are supposedly grandfathered, though even those of us who receive the Superstation feeds via waiver might lose them soon, as the DBS providers are required to provide a list to the local stations of customers to which they supply those feeds, presumably so the locals can confirm that a given customer truly is unserved by their local broadcast.

When Spaceway 1 & 2 are up and operational sometime this spring/summer, we will most likely be able to obtain the JAX HD feeds via one of those birds (though I've read some rumor that these birds will be at 72 degrees W, meaning another LNB and a different, larger dish, something along the lines of 30+ inches), as they will be providing ~500 local HD feeds on spot-beam, hopefully including the JAX feeds. So, I guess you can either put up an antenna and get them OTA, or wait until they become available to us via D*.

Wow! Thank you for the quick informative response. Well if they will have it up within 6 months then i can take back the antenna i just bought & wait..But why would they give us 500 different local HDTV channels throughout US? I dont care if they are Jax local or not. I just wanna beable to watch all the abc, nbc etc... shows in hd. But i guess if they do that there will be no need for the NFL ticket or college sports because we can to to that region and watch whatever is playing in their area.

Cheers,
Brad

No problem, I'm sure the other guys who are more grizzled vets in this area than I, can confirm or deny anything I've had to say.

The 500 locals are on spot-beams, directing certain feeds to certain specific areas. For instance, when I moved from VA to FL and had yet to update my account information, my account was still authorized to receive the Washington DC area local feeds. However, since they are on spot-beams, here in FL, we are unable to receive them.

Also, the laws dont allow us to choose our local channels, they are determined by your geographic area. If a customer is in a so-called "white-area," meaning, unserved by any local affiliates, only then are they eligible under SHVERA rules, to receive the superstation feeds.

You and I are in the same boat with regards to our desires for locals. I too am only interested in getting the network feeds in HD. SD matters not to me.

Yeah, it would be great if we could get any local channel at any given time, but I dont think that will happen anytime soon, as the laws would have to change in a big way.

Oh, I forgot to mention, along with the rumor regarding the future 30+ inch dish facilitating HD locals at 72 West is the rumor that D* will also be transitioning from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4, which would mean new receiver equipment for everyone getting those particular feeds. Lord have mercy. Dont you love being an early adopter?

Dave

Hey! As long as they dont try to charge me & i get more than half a dozen or so HD channels i get now...They can put up an old school Nasa looking dish if it will give me more channels in HD...When is this new equipment & channel announcement supposed to take place. Do u think it would even be worth putting up the antenna i bought or just take it back?

Cheers,
Brad

Hey Brad, I would put up the antenna. Gunny is correct that there are new satelites coming but I would not bank on Jax being on the initial list of HD locals via satelite - from what I have read (here on AVS) the top 30 markets are to be provided potentially by this summer or just latter - don't hold your breath - too many factors can create delays. Also I belive Jax is in the 50's as far as market size - so we will not be in the first round.

Agreed, put that bad boy up and start enjoying locals now. If you're a football fan, you're going to want to be receiving CBS and FOX OTA, so you can watch the NFL playoffs and SuperBowl in HD.

One other thing - Fox/CBS here in Jacksonville is adamant about NOT giving waivers for their station (Clear Channel)

If you ask why, it has everything to do with revenue, if they gave you a waiver they could quite possilby loose big dollars on adverstising etc.

gunny, did u ever get WGFL HD? I'm just curious how that cbs looked like

Fraid not. Their 5kW output is probably good within town limits and that's it. I keep meaning to call their engineering dept and ask them when they plan on bumping the power output, but I never get around to it.

I guess the more people that ask, perhaps the sooner they will do it. Feel free to give them a call at 352-375-5300, extension 18.

WGFL just recently completed or is going to complete a new tower next to thier regular analog one, and probably some time next year will be operational at 625 kw, which will easily power through lake city and as south as inverness

PSIP news from Jerry, WTEV ch 47 DT:

Just received word from Jerry that he has corrected the PSIP tables at WTEV to comply with the FCC requirements and to match what the other stations are doing.

Correction from Jerry--- Jerry said that all the stations will be making some adjustments to their PSIP table entries as all bring their PSIP in line with the new FCC regs. This is important to note since it may create reception problems on all stations in the near future, requiring a rescan of the channels. Rule for the new year- When you have problems, try to rescan your local channels first before complaining to the station or cable.

I did a rescan of my PVR-921 which requires correct PSIP to work and once again WTEV is properly remapped and the call sign is present.

Everyone needs to understand that all Digital tuners are set up to react differently to a stations PSIP as during the transition period, many consumer devices were using different methods to remap channels and display call signs. eg. TIVO uses a subscription service, while Echostar switched it's software from none to PSIP requirement for locals.

Additionally, Comcast subscribers will have a double adjustment. Jerry said he is working with Comcast now to get them to make the necessary changes so what they do will work with his latest changes. I don't have Comcast digital here so if any of you are having problems now, it would be interesting for you to report here, for Jerry to monitor. Also, you should report the problem to Comcast so they know the urgency of making the changes. I know that Comcast prioritizes these things based on "trouble tickets" :(

If you experience problems with your STB / tuner, Jerry suggests unplugging it for several minutes to get the tuner to rescan the locals and bring your tuner in line with the new settings. I suggest you also check your manual and follow the procedure your tuner needs to rescan the channel(s). My 921 only required that I delete the existing RF19 channel for WTEV and rescan 19 to sense his new PSIP settings to make it work.

FYI- VOOM and TIVO ignore PSIP and use a subscription service for station call sign and virtual channel set by your zip code. Other receivers may or may not rely on PSIP.

Additionally, Comcast subscribers will have a double adjustment. Jerry said he is working with Comcast now to get them to make the necessary changes so what they do will work with his latest changes. I don't have Comcast digital here so if any of you are having problems now, it would be interesting for you to report here, for Jerry to monitor.

I haven't noticed any problems with WTEV digital on my Comcast 6208 however it is rerun season and I might not have. But a quick check this morning and it seems fine.

- Tom

Thanks for the suggestion guys,

I got the antenna that was suggested on an earlier post here...I got the mount & a pole to attach to the chimney. Any other suggestions on the best way to hook up? Certian type of connectors? Wires?...I have a 50' Samsung DLP & Direct TV sent me the Samsung model hdtv reciever for the hdtv package. Im at work so not sure of model #. Any other tips or suggestions guys/gals i will take to heart.

Cheers,
Brad

P.S. Yes i love football & would hope to do this tomorrow before new years bowls.

From what I've learned, get that antenna up as high as safely possible. Naturally, use a high-quality pre-amp.

I believe I read RG-11 cable is the least lossy of the coaxial cables you can use, but RG-6 should be fine for you too. 30 miles isnt that far, and RG-11 seems hard to find around here.

What antenna do you have? Does it have a coaxial balun? If so, make sure your preamp has coax input and output, then you can easily run the RG-6 cable from antenna balun, a couple feet to the preamp, out of the preamp all the way to your TV room, into the preamp power supply, and out to your receiver.

Be sure to go to a site like www.antennaweb.org to get the bearings for all your stations. If the stations you want to watch are at different bearings (most likely they are), you will probably want a rotator. I just use the CH model, available at Lowe's, etc. http://www.channelmaster.com/Pages/TVS/Rotators.htm Keep in mind, if you use a rotator, you will want a small section of pipe for mounting the antenna to the rotator (the bottom-end of the rotator will be mounted to the lengthy bit of pipe that you are using to elevate the entire rig). I used a spare section of pipe about 1.5' long which I had from an extra DBS rig that was collecting dust.


Hey, which 50" Sammy do you have? I have the 5085W and am quite pleased with it. What do you think of yours?

I made a small correction to my post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4889497#post4889497)
that Jerry requested regarding other stations and PSIP changes.

Tom- As I understand, Comcast was notified immediately by Jerry as to the change so they might have gotten right on it with little interruption noticeable by us. That is how it should work. :)

Thanks Gunny!

I have the Sammy HLP...Im not sure which #...got mine in August..I love it....My DVD's look great...the couple of HDTV channels we got look great too..I got RG-6 cable...But umm...I feel stupid now..You said pre-amp...Im not sure about that..The only thing i know to do is plug it into the HDTV reciever itsself...Is there some other device, a "pre-amp" i should purchase also? Oh boy my wife is gonna kill me...Thanks for taking time to read my rants.

Brad

Is it the one with its own pedestal, or is it a regular cabinet that requires a stand or entertainment center, etc?

Yeah, you'll want a pre-amp. I've read lots of recommendations for CH's Titan series, here: http://www.channelmaster.com/Pages/TVS/TitanAmp.htm

Depending on your antenna type (UHF/VHF, VHF-only, UHF-only) and/or on which band the stations you want to listen to are (antennaweb will tell you), get the appropriate pre-amp. Dont forget the rotator too! The rotator rig with IR remote will prob run you about $100 and a good pre-amp ~$50. Oh, and 75' of rotator control wire (this runs from the rotator itself, down into your TV room, where you will place the little box that sends the signals to tell your rotator where to point) will prob cost $5-10. It's just 3-conductor, 20 gauge, 7-strand copper in a poly jacket, so if you have any 3-conductor cable of equal or thicker gauge, you can use that.

Yeah, my wife had a fit when I kept having to add on pieces/parts. It's the price we pay for being early-adopters (though it seems rather late to be considered early still!).

No Gunny, its not the Capt Kirk model, its the regular one...The Capt. Kirk was outta budget. :-) The antenna is the one Radio Shack has:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-2156

Where in town could i pick up the pre-amp & rotator?

Looks like i better get an early start of it tomorrow. <G>

That's cool. I bought the 50" Kirk online about 1 month ago. Happened to be at Best Buy today. Their sale price is still $700 more than I paid, shipped to my door. No way I'll buy a TV retail again.

Anyway, I bought my CH preamp and rotator at Lowes. You can probably get them at Home Depot as well. I would think Radio Shack would have them too.

Yeah, make sure you have someone give you a hand putting that badboy up. It's a bear to do by yourself.

Good Morning everyone,

Well gunny..I found a Pre-Amp at Radio Shack..weekend was busy so i havent had anytime to go any further. It will probably be next weekend before i get it set up..

On that Kirk model...How sturdy is that stand? I could just see my 5 year old nephew trying to swing on it or a future child trying to see saw on it...How many DVI inputs does it have?

Cheers,
Brad

Here is some WTEV problems for you to note with Comcast. Last night couldnt watch "Behind Enemy Lines" some other program was on, and the Jags - Raiders game had some problems also besides the fact it wasnt shown in Wide Screen 16:9 it kept trying to switch to another game in 16:9 for a second or two about 4 times that I noticed. -- Wasnt on the screen long enough to notice what game it was but was very annoying. I was hoping they were working on getting our Jags game on Full screen.


I have noticed the Comcast guide has also been innaccurate quite often lately. Anyone else noticing these problems?

I believe "Behind Enemy Lines" was not shown anywhere HD, but I could be wrong, of course if that was the case then that is why it was not "full screen" I did notice the schedule was pushed back a while 30 minutes plus - that was probably because of the football games earlier screwed up the schedule. But it definately aired last night as advertised, but 4:3 and no 5.1 made for poor viewing.

As far as the Jags game being HD or Widescreen - it was not suppose to be --

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=489805

I did however see the Colts/Denver Feed flip over a few times as you mentioned.

Viewing OTA with D* recievers

I've noticed inaccuracies in the Comcast guide, particularly for the PBS HD channel.... it's been wrong most of the time. Also, I continue to have sound level problems on the local feeds for NBC and ABC (much lower than all other channels). Is this a comcast problem or a source problem?

Anyone receiving these channels OTA have this issue?

Brad,

Sorry to hear of your delays. So much for bowl games in HD then, eh? Oh well, at least you'll have it up in time for NFL playoffs, right?

The Kirk's stand is pretty much flush with the ground (it has silver 1.5" diameter, .5" thick discs on the underside of the glass at each corner). The TV itself doesnt really wobble on the stand. Depending on the surface where you place it, whatever give that surface has, that will be your wobble factor. The TV has plenty of mass in the lower tower portion, so that helps keep the center of gravity down.

Nevertheless, it is certainly possible to tip the unit over. The easiest way to tip it is frontwards. It wouldnt be easy for a kid, but it is possible. We've managed to train our 9-month-old that the TV area is off-limits, so she just doesnt go crawling there at all. The TV is too high for anyone to attempt to see-saw on it, but a 5-year-old might be able to get himself in trouble, given he has some pretty strong muscles. Next time you are at BB or CC, go give the Kirk model your own wobble test and see what you think.

Oh, it has 1 DVI and 1 HDMI input.

Good luck next weekend.

Dave

Originally posted by fsujay
I've noticed inaccuracies in the Comcast guide, particularly for the PBS HD channel.... it's been wrong most of the time. Also, I continue to have sound level problems on the local feeds for NBC and ABC (much lower than all other channels). Is this a comcast problem or a source problem?

Anyone receiving these channels OTA have this issue?

OTA - guide issues with PBS

Yeah it is the same with us, actually everyone.

if you notice the analog/D*/E* or regular PBS's guide is correct for that channel, but when PBS goes HD they are using the HD feed (National), I use Titan TV and look at PBS HD - Gainesvillle WUFT-HD for a correct guide

I wish Smitty over at PBS could address this, but I am sure he is swamped with everything else - at least we have HD on PBS and sometimes they have 5.1 as well

fljeremy - I stand corrected, "Behind Enemy Lines" was HD according to this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=490226

I wonder if it was not in HD because WTEV-DT does not have recorders to record HD? I know that to be true but for that to be the cause of our lack of HD, your guess is as good as mine??

Originally posted by Gator99
fljeremy - I stand corrected, "Behind Enemy Lines" was HD according to this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=490226

I wonder if it was not in HD because WTEV-DT does not have recorders to record HD? I know that to be true but for that to be the cause of our lack of HD, your guess is as good as mine??

60 minutes comes on after the games so the local station wouldn't have to tape the movie from the net b/c the movie wouldn't come on until 60 minutes finished. So it appears that WTEV just forgot to "flip" the switch.

Is there any station in the country that fails to "flip the switch" as often as WTEV does? I would be embarrassed if I worked there.

WJXX messed up during the bowl games, but usually does it right.

NBC has only one bowl game and can't send a HD truck to it. sheesh!

/endof new year rants

"Is there any station in the country that fails to "flip the switch" as often as WTEV does? I would be embarrassed if I worked there."

The real embarrassment is that the implimented technology requires a human to sit on that switch. Such a common function on an HDTV channel yet engineering has not devised a way to execute this automatically, eliminating that switch. I suspect that the reason this is so is that so many engineers across the nation continue to think inside the box when it comes to signal flow within their master control board.

Don, while that may be true, why does only one of our stations mess it up so often?

It appears that some humans are more equal than others, to borrow from Orwell. That makes it a management problem.

Has anyone heard if Comcast is going to carry ESPN2 starting on January 6th? Just wondering. I am a college basketball fan and it would be great if they carried it here in Jacksonville.