Looks like Netmaster jumped the gun by three days. Charter and Sinclair are finally in bed together. IMO, they deserve each other. I'm sure the PQ will be top-notch on those Moxi units...

Looks like Netmaster jumped the gun by three days. Charter and Sinclair are finally in bed together. IMO, they deserve each other. I'm sure the PQ will be top-notch on those Moxi units...

Hmmm...I sense some sarcasm, LOL. Never watched anything on Charter's digital cable...from what I hear, I'm not missing anything. WLOS's OTA feed seems to be, overall, the best to me, especially the SD stuff compared to others. WYFF and WHNS aren't far behind. And WSPA is the worst. WNTV (PBS) is kinda rough too, but, it's because they're shoving 3 channels in there so it's obvious. No excuse for the PQ on WSPA. Sometimes I wonder if they care...

So, this was unexpected (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10285063&&#post10285063):

Anyone taken the step to ask Charter when LOS-HD and MYA-HD will be available on their systems?

Just called Charter and they have no ETA on when they'll be adding them onto the lineups.....Apparently, the operator and the people that she asked on her end weren't even aware of the deal that had been reached. They asked for the source of the press release (which was Sinclair's Website). So, stay tuned. More than likely, we'll flip through the HD Tier one day and they'll be there....

Wow...a miracle.

But knowing WLOS, they'll probably pull out some crap excuse like, "We currently don't have the equipment needed to relay our signal to Charter. First, we must wait for Mt. Mitchell to thaw out. Next we will hire a Sherpa and send a team to our tower. Then, with some duct tape and a coat hanger..."

The station usually has nothing to do but wait on the cableco to provide the equipment and that equipment is usually a receiver and antenna at the cableco head end and the encding equipment for the cableco system.

The station usually has nothing to do but wait on the cableco to provide the equipment and that equipment is usually a receiver and antenna at the cableco head end and the encding equipment for the cableco system.

We might be in trouble then... they probably can't pick up WLOS's signal either :D :D :D

From post #2755


Thanks for the welcome everyone...

As far as getting our HD-SD on Charter, all I know is that "negotiations are ongoing". I have been told that everything less the encoder has been in place at the studio for some time now, so as soon as an agreement is reached, it should be connected very quickly.........

"[...] First, we must wait for Mt. Mitchell to thaw out. Next we will hire a Sherpa and send a team to our tower. Then, with some duct tape and a coat hanger..."

"...we will toss a line from Mt. Mitchell over to the tower on Mt. Pisgah." :rolleyes:

It must be a real mess on either of those places tonight, by the way. Between my neighbors' trees thrashing around furiously and my antenna waving back and forth noticeably, only the strongest signals are making it through without frequent breakups.

Im moving and will be starting the whole process over. Currently with Charter (idiots - I paid the guy so I could set up my Moxi because "man, you got a bunch of wires back there") and would like to change. Also, I'm getting some rough looking feeds to my tv (Sony R50XBR1) and was hoping that Direct Tv or Dish would solve this problem. I was leaning towards Direct Tv (locals in HD) and was curious is anyone has any info/recs./etc...? Also, do you need a phone line for Direct and Dish? I ask because anybody that needs me calls the cell and I don't have any other reason to get a line. Thanks guys.

Im moving and will be starting the whole process over. Currently with Charter (idiots - I paid the guy so I could set up my Moxi because "man, you got a bunch of wires back there") and would like to change. Also, I'm getting some rough looking feeds to my tv (Sony R50XBR1) and was hoping that Direct Tv or Dish would solve this problem. I was leaning towards Direct Tv (locals in HD) and was curious is anyone has any info/recs./etc...? Also, do you need a phone line for Direct and Dish? I ask because anybody that needs me calls the cell and I don't have any other reason to get a line. Thanks guys.

As far as I am concerned Direct is for me. Good PQ on all channels especially locals. You do not need a phone line unless you want to order PPV movies. However , although Dish does not have locals, they do have quite a few more HD channels. I left Direct a year ago after being a customer for 5 years, went to Charter, and regretted it ever since. Last week i resigned with Direct and am very glad i did. Set everything up myself as i still had all the equipment.

AT-9 5 lnb dish
H20 reciever
36" panasonic HD 1080i CRT 16:9
Sony surround 5.1
2 SD recievers in bedrooms
$54.00 a month

AT&T DSL6.0
$64.00 a month

Total with Direct and DSL $108.00
Charter comparable package $170.00

Unfortunately for me, DSL isn't available in Taylors so Charter may be my only option. I was looking at the Dish package that sends internet through the dish as another option. Maybe an internet card that runs off of cell towers. Just tossing around some ideas. Thanks for the help.

Im moving and will be starting the whole process over. Currently with Charter (idiots - I paid the guy so I could set up my Moxi because "man, you got a bunch of wires back there") and would like to change. Also, I'm getting some rough looking feeds to my tv (Sony R50XBR1) and was hoping that Direct Tv or Dish would solve this problem. I was leaning towards Direct Tv (locals in HD) and was curious is anyone has any info/recs./etc...? Also, do you need a phone line for Direct and Dish? I ask because anybody that needs me calls the cell and I don't have any other reason to get a line. Thanks guys.

As far as I am concerned Direct is for me. Good PQ on all channels especially locals. You do not need a phone line unless you want to order PPV movies. However , although Dish does not have locals, they do have quite a few more HD channels. I left Direct a year ago after being a customer for 5 years, went to Charter, and regretted it ever since. Last week i resigned with Direct and am very glad i did. Set everything up myself as i still had all the equipment.

AT-9 5 lnb dish
H20 reciever
36" panasonic HD 1080i CRT 16:9
Sony surround 5.1
2 SD recievers in bedrooms
$54.00 a month

AT&T DSL6.0
$64.00 a month

Total with Direct and DSL $108.00
Charter comparable package $170.00

Unfortunately for me, DSL isn't available in Taylors so Charter may be my only option. I was looking at the Dish package that sends internet through the dish as another option. Maybe an internet card that runs off of cell towers. Just tossing around some ideas. Thanks for the help.

Try Verizon wireless internet

After 10 days with the HR20-100S receiver from DirecTV I appreciate the Samsung 160 more than ever. I have had a number of re-boots, re-sets, and am not really pleased with the picture quality. I lost all local over-the-air and had to re-install the Samsung to prove to DirecTV tech support that it was not my antenna. My recorder failed in the first week, and I was told to unplug the HR-20 for some 30 minutes while they sent new software over the Satellite. (I assume the new software was sent after I re-installed and turned on the HR 20.) It seems to have solved the problem. The unit now records ok, and ota is back.
My weakest signals are from Sat 103. Where can I identify the channels fed from that Satellite?
Anyone else experienced problems with the HR 20? By the way, the receiver has a date of March 17, 2007, on it, so I assume it has the latest software.

After 10 days with the HR20-100S receiver from DirecTV I appreciate the Samsung 160 more than ever. I have had a number of re-boots, re-sets, and am not really pleased with the picture quality. I lost all local over-the-air and had to re-install the Samsung to prove to DirecTV tech support that it was not my antenna. My recorder failed in the first week, and I was told to unplug the HR-20 for some 30 minutes while they sent new software over the Satellite. (I assume the new software was sent after I re-installed and turned on the HR 20.) It seems to have solved the problem. The unit now records ok, and ota is back.
My weakest signals are from Sat 103. Where can I identify the channels fed from that Satellite?
Anyone else experienced problems with the HR 20? By the way, the receiver has a date of March 17, 2007, on it, so I assume it has the latest software.

The installer should have forced an install of the latest firmware before leaving. I have an HR20-700 and while I've had some fits and starts with it (mostly around the December 06 timeframe), it's been pretty solid. Each successive firmware introduces new fixes and features. I believe orbits 99 and 103 are primarily for spot beamed MPEG4 local HDs, so you would only have a strong signal from the Greenville spot beam. I could imagine you could also get a weaker signal from the Atlanta or Charlotte spot beams. There's a pretty robust discussion group concerning the HR20s over on DBSTalk that the folks at D* monitor. Several requests/suggestions made there have subsequently been implemented. You also have the opportunity to beta test new firmware if you so desire (I don't).

I agree that for satellite, d* is the way to go, at least based on what's available right now and what's been announced. Obviously Greenville locals have just gone HD (WLOS, WYFF, WSPA, and WHNS). To my eyes, the picture is identical to the OTA signals. VOD and web-based DVR scheduling have been announced for June. The next satellite that will provide national MPEG4 HD channels is also scheduled to launch in June; it could provide programming by Fall (D* has announced 100 National HD channels, including their subscription sports packages). E* has more HD right now (though there is considerable argument whether or not VOOM channels are compelling programming) and their DVR can apparently be used by more than one TV fairly easily. They may have other plans up their sleeves, but have not announced any, to my knowledge.

--Cross

I was leaning towards Direct Tv (locals in HD) and was curious is anyone has any info/recs./etc...?

I left Charter for D* about 2 months ago, and wish I had made the move years ago. I never had satellite in my life, so there was hesitation in my jump, but I am completely satisfied now. Great PQ, no problems with dropouts, etc. I easily saved about $60/month by dumping Charter for TV and internet, and going with D*, DSL, and phone through Bellsouth. I currently pay $136 for all three (includes equipment protection, HD, & DVR fees), which would have come in just under $200 with Charter.

Hopefully D* keeps launching more HD nationals, and then I'll be one happy camper.

The Bellsouth bundle is EXACTLY what I had planned to do, just not available to a 29687 zip. Maybe I should have moved somewhere else. Anyone with Bellsouth info know when DSL may get over there?

I live in 29687 and get BellSouth DSL, so I would imagine it is your actual distance from the CO. Only BellSouth can help you with timetable for that.

I also saw that Verizon offers a bundle package of cell phone, DSL, and Directv...does anyone in 29687 have this (tried to look online but the available service search tool is messed up) or does anyone, anywhere have any experience with this?

I live in 29687 and get BellSouth DSL, so I would imagine it is your actual distance from the CO. Only BellSouth can help you with timetable for that.

Bellsouth for me is a pretty crazy situation. I have Charter High Speed right now...I would LOVE to get DSL and give Charter the boot, but, I can't get DSL right now. However, I can drive a golf ball and hit the roof of a house down the street where they CAN get DSL. At the bottom of the hill of my street, it changes from 895 (Blue Ridge, where I am) to 834 (Travelers Rest). And they want to charge me out the ying-yang to run a wire from their phone pole to my house. So I told them to forget it. It's crazy. Oh well, Charter has been pretty reliable, so, we'll see. Maybe one day. Isn't Verizon's wireless internet really expensive?

Anyone else experienced problems with the HR 20? By the way, the receiver has a date of March 17, 2007, on it, so I assume it has the latest software.
I got the HR20-700 about 2 months ago, and I haven't really had many problems other than the 1st week. It seems that they've been updating regularly enough to correct any issues. I have heard that the HR20-100S is actually running an earlier version of the HR20-700's software. I believe they're working on updates, but since the HR20-100's were pretty much just released, they're a little behind.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10310420&&#post10310420

So here are the internet options I have found:

1. Charter - Well its charter and if its anything like their cable, I may be paying some guy to watch me install it.

2. Bellsouth - Not available in my area although many people in 29687 seem to have it

3. Hughes - Sat. interent that charges out that backside - $99 a month seems a little steep

4. Verizon - Verizon broadband not available in Greenville because of Bellsouth. They do however offer a card that runs off cell towers at 59.99 a month

In the end, it looks like I'm going to have to man up and pay charter their 40-50 dollars a month and pray that it works well and then pony up 65-75 for Directv. Guess you can't win them all.

The installer should have forced an install of the latest firmware before leaving. I have an HR20-700 xxxxxprogramming) and their DVR can apparently be used by more than one TV fairly easily. They may have other plans up their sleeves, but have not announced any, to my knowledge.

--Cross
I appreciate your comments. My concern is the pixelization during fades and dissolves and any other fast movement such as waves on water. Only OTA channels that have that problem on a regular basis have been the PBS stations.
I continue to have problems with network recording, so I do most of that with OTA signals. My 103 signal strength is usually in the 60s but my installer says that is very acceptable for LIL. (I am not sure about that.) I plan to move my dish slightly to see if there is improvement.

So here are the internet options I have found:

1. Charter - Well its charter and if its anything like their cable, I may be paying some guy to watch me install it.

2. Bellsouth - Not available in my area although many people in 29687 seem to have it

3. Hughes - Sat. interent that charges out that backside - $99 a month seems a little steep

4. Verizon - Verizon broadband not available in Greenville because of Bellsouth. They do however offer a card that runs off cell towers at 59.99 a month

In the end, it looks like I'm going to have to man up and pay charter their 40-50 dollars a month and pray that it works well and then pony up 65-75 for Directv. Guess you can't win them all.

www.wildblue.com

Its been 3 weeks since directv released their local hd channels and they still havent gotten the close captioning issue fixed. Are any deaf or hard of hearing people having problems with their close caption on local hd channels?? It works fine on wyff channel 4 and the other hd national channels and the sd channels including local sd channels.. Please call directv and let them know that your close caption is not working on hd channels... more they are aware of it the sooner they can fix it and the sooner we can enjoy the clear view of hd channels.

www.wildblue.com

CC has improved in the past three or four months in this area in that at least Fox has stopped the 1 to 3 second delay...which I found more of a distraction than a comprehension aid. WLOS was also erratic in its CC for a while, but recently it is much improved. I usually watch OTA for the locals, and have not closely observed the LIL signals.

I've got a question...I want to be able to backup my HD recordings on DVD. Right now, I have at my disposal a DirecTV H20R-700 and a Dish VIP211 receiving OTA HD (DirecTV receiver is also receiving their newly acquired local HD stations), and a Samsung T451 hooked up to Charter Cable (Greenville, SC).

Right now, I have a Panasonic DVD burner, I bought several years back, hooked up to all of this -- which means I can record at 480 resolution with the 16:9 ratio at the max. However, with all of these RJ45 & USB connections on these boxes, it seems as though I must be able to backup my recordings/viewings on a DVD somehow -- possibly using a laptop?????

I mean...I'm aware of copyright, and am not trying to violate ANYTHING. However, fair use doctrine says I can record a program for my personal viewing, and I assume that includes the ability to record it in HD???? Does anyone have any advice, or am I running into the wall of DRM?

I have Charter internet and haven't had any problems (going on 4 years now). I think their internet service is much more stable than their cable service. We have very few outages - perhaps 4 during the four years we've had the service and they were all short term in length.

Maybe I am in the minority, but I'd give Charter internet a positive review.

I've got a question...I want to be able to backup my HD recordings on DVD. Right now, I have at my disposal a DirecTV H20R-700 and a Dish VIP211 receiving OTA HD (DirecTV receiver is also receiving their newly acquired local HD stations), and a Samsung T451 hooked up to Charter Cable (Greenville, SC).

Right now, I have a Panasonic DVD burner, I bought several years back, hooked up to all of this -- which means I can record at 480 resolution with the 16:9 ratio at the max. However, with all of these RJ45 & USB connections on these boxes, it seems as though I must be able to backup my recordings/viewings on a DVD somehow -- possibly using a laptop?????

I mean...I'm aware of copyright, and am not trying to violate ANYTHING. However, fair use doctrine says I can record a program for my personal viewing, and I assume that includes the ability to record it in HD???? Does anyone have any advice, or am I running into the wall of DRM?
I'm not sure how you go about it, but it's certainly possible. A quick browse through certain places on the Internet will turn up HD recordings of certain TV programs. :eek:

Now, to store them on DVD, you would probably need to transcode them with something like Divx.

Bellsouth for me is a pretty crazy situation. I have Charter High Speed right now...I would LOVE to get DSL and give Charter the boot, but, I can't get DSL right now. However, I can drive a golf ball and hit the roof of a house down the street where they CAN get DSL. At the bottom of the hill of my street, it changes from 895 (Blue Ridge, where I am) to 834 (Travelers Rest). And they want to charge me out the ying-yang to run a wire from their phone pole to my house. So I told them to forget it. It's crazy. Oh well, Charter has been pretty reliable, so, we'll see. Maybe one day. Isn't Verizon's wireless internet really expensive?
DSL is a mystery, even tho I understand why it happens. I have a new neighbor who moved into the house formerly occupied by a retired Bell engineer. The former owner finally got DSL two years ago, but now the new owner cannot get DSL in the same house. (Bell is out of cards at the switch site 1.5 miles west and is not budgeted to expand the slots at this time! My new neighbor was not told that...only that it is not available for him.

I've got a question...I want to be able to backup my HD recordings on DVD. Right now, I have at my disposal a DirecTV H20R-700 and a Dish VIP211 receiving OTA HD (DirecTV receiver is also receiving their newly acquired local HD stations), and a Samsung T451 hooked up to Charter Cable (Greenville, SC).

Right now, I have a Panasonic DVD burner, I bought several years back, hooked up to all of this -- which means I can record at 480 resolution with the 16:9 ratio at the max. However, with all of these RJ45 & USB connections on these boxes, it seems as though I must be able to backup my recordings/viewings on a DVD somehow -- possibly using a laptop?????

I mean...I'm aware of copyright, and am not trying to violate ANYTHING. However, fair use doctrine says I can record a program for my personal viewing, and I assume that includes the ability to record it in HD???? Does anyone have any advice, or am I running into the wall of DRM?

Am I understanading your question correctly? Do you want to burn a standard definition DVD of a HD recording?

I often burn my HD recordings from my HD Tivo onto DVD. You have to change the output on your DVR to 480I. I have connected the Tivo to the DVD burner via S-video and composite audio cables. Your Panny DVD burner does not burn as HD.

Am I understanading your question correctly? Do you want to burn a standard definition DVD of a HD recording?

I often burn my HD recordings from my HD Tivo onto DVD. You have to change the output on your DVR to 480I. I have connected the Tivo to the DVD burner via S-video and composite audio cables. Your Panny DVD burner does not burn as HD.

Just to add to that, I have an older Panasonic DVD burner as well. I can record in 16x9 as well. It doesn't look quite as good as HD, of course, but it doesn't look absolutely horrible either. But, yes, it can be done... as the previous replier stated, switch the TiVo to 480i. Good luck!

Hey guys, finally got my first HDTV. What channels should I expect to be able to get with a QAM tuner from Charter?

Hey everyone, can anyone help me decipher this?

What do I need? A basic powered antenna I bought isn't doing much for me.

http://www.randomish.net/antennaweb.jpg

Hey guys, finally got my first HDTV. What channels should I expect to be able to get with a QAM tuner from Charter?

NBC Channel 4 (103.1)
CBS Channel 7 (103.2)
SC PBS (103.3)
FOX Channel 21 (104.1)

It's just been announced that Sinclair has come to terms with Charter nationwide and will be starting to send out HD broadcasts to Charter. This means we should also get ABC (channel 13) soon, but no time frame has been announced. In fact our local charter company had no idea about the deal when someone from this site called them shortly after the deal was announced.

You can also get the music channels (I think it is around channel 93 - going from memory here) and the "On Demand" Movie Channels where you can watch what someone else has ordered, but have no control over it (it's amazing how much people will fast forward or rewind their movies). These are found in channels 109 and higher.

All the other digital channels on Charter are currently encrypted, so your QAM tuner may "find them" but it will only display a black screen with no sound.

Occationally, some encrypted channels may be unencrypted for some reason from time to time (I was able to watch Universal HD about a year ago, etc), but this is the exception to the rule.

Hey guys, finally got my first HDTV. What channels should I expect to be able to get with a QAM tuner from Charter?

I would suggest you go with Direct TV. The HD picture is 6 times what charter is providing

I would suggest you go with Direct TV. The HD picture is 6 times what charter is providing
This isn't an option for me. It's not my house, and my mom hates the look of a satellite hanging off the side of the house. I'm just lucky that she's agreed to allow me to get the HD package.

I had her call Charter today to see if we could just pick up the box but they said a tech had to come out. I don't see why, it's just hooking up a few wires but they insisted. They'll be out Wed. Until then I'm going to try and pick up what I can with the QAM tuner.

My "powered rabbit ears" would only get me channel 7.1 out of the locals, and even it would break up a good bit.

Thanks for the provided info so far, any more info is appreciated.

This isn't an option for me. It's not my house, and my mom hates the look of a satellite hanging off the side of the house. I'm just lucky that she's agreed to allow me to get the HD package.

I had her call Charter today to see if we could just pick up the box but they said a tech had to come out. I don't see why, it's just hooking up a few wires but they insisted. They'll be out Wed. Until then I'm going to try and pick up what I can with the QAM tuner.

My "powered rabbit ears" would only get me channel 7.1 out of the locals, and even it would break up a good bit.

Thanks for the provided info so far, any more info is appreciated.

I have Charter in the Asheville area and I went directly to the local office on Hendersonville Road and got my HD Receiver from them (without needing to schedule a tech to come out). I'd just go to their office and skip the tech visit. If you do it, remember that you'll need component cables to run from the HD Box to your TV. (Charter might want to sell you one.....)

I have Charter in the Asheville area and I went directly to the local office on Hendersonville Road and got my HD Receiver from them (without needing to schedule a tech to come out). I'd just go to their office and skip the tech visit. If you do it, remember that you'll need component cables to run from the HD Box to your TV. (Charter might want to sell you one.....)
Trust me, she tried. The lady said, "Well hold on, and let me ask my supervisor" She came back and still said no. :mad:

Hey everyone, can anyone help me decipher this?

What do I need? A basic powered antenna I bought isn't doing much for me.

http://www.randomish.net/antennaweb.jpg

Go back through the earlier days on this forum and you will find plenty of discussions regarding OTA. First, your location is the major factor for consideration and AntennaWeb is a good guideline. Bottom line, think in terms of a CM 4-bay bowtie either in the attic or outside. Powered antennas of any type are always subject to a number of problems...again depending on location. Antennaweb also will give you the direction from your location to the various stations, and uaually over a 90 degree or better angle you can use a fixed position UHF antenna...especially the 4 bay.
BTW, Mom should not have a problem with an attic installation!
Good luck

Question about multipath.... Every fall 21.1 will graduallly fade, until no siganl is detected at all for a couple of months. Around the first of March, their signal will start to build in strength and as of today is in the low 90s. Could the leaves cancel out multipath? Of course mother nature has control, but I was just wondering.

Question about multipath.... Every fall 21.1 will graduallly fade, until no siganl is detected at all for a couple of months. Around the first of March, their signal will start to build in strength and as of today is in the low 90s. Could the leaves cancel out multipath? Of course mother nature has control, but I was just wondering.
I have asked that question many times to highly skilled RF engineers over the years, and the answer is Yes. Anything what will alter the reflections, moisture content of the ground, etc, can and will change the strength of each path. But another consideration is DX signals as the number of regional signals grew so did the change in my reception, and stations that originally were very reliable became less so. Especially with VHF. (Greenville's DT-9 and Charlotte's Analog 9; and Asheville's DT 25.

Otherwise, I find a rotor the best tool for detecting multipath...and often find an acceptable signal from a station from two directions..
Do you know a source for the channels on each satellite, especially the HD LIL?

I would really like to know the channels on Sat 103.

Do you know a source for the channels on each satellite, especially the HD LIL?

I would really like to know the channels on Sat 103.

Thanks for the response on leaves and multipath.

I am on Dish, so 103 does not come into play here. I took a look at Satellite Boys and there were several references to 103. If you haven't already been there, they may can help.

Every fall 21.1 will graduallly fade, until no siganl is detected at all for a couple of months. Around the first of March, their signal will start to build in strength and as of today is in the low 90s.

If you don't have a direct line-of-sight to the transmitter, you have to depend on tropospheric scattering to deliver the signal to your antenna. I think this isn't as strong in the winter, when the air tends to be drier and clearer. I notice something similar with my more distant stations. A couple of Charlotte stations (WCCB-DT and WSOC-DT) come in for me in the evening and at night (but not during the day) fairly regularly from about April through October, then fade out during the winter.

If you don't have a direct line-of-sight to the transmitter, you have to depend on tropospheric scattering to deliver the signal to your antenna. I think this isn't as strong in the winter, when the air tends to be drier and clearer. I notice something similar with my more distant stations. A couple of Charlotte stations (WCCB-DT and WSOC-DT) come in for me in the evening and at night (but not during the day) fairly regularly from about April through October, then fade out during the winter.
Tropo comes into play, but knife-edge at close range can be very stable and strong unless there are several knife-edge paths which can result in both cancellation and strengthening. Signals DO bend...although not much. Look at reference books regarding signals bending around tall buildings, mountain peaks, etc and re-joining at a short distance. Digital, I am convinced, is a new ball game.

[QUOTE=jtbell]If you don't have a direct line-of-sight to the transmitter, you have to depend on tropospheric scattering to deliver the signal to your antenna.

You guys are going beyond my bandwidth (tropospheric). If I go just past a line of trees about 300 ft. across the road from my location, I have a clear view of the mountains to the northeast. Also a member of our forum did a profile of the path of the 13.1 signal to my location, which showed a clear line of site to the WLOS
x-mitter. But curvature may have come into play which was not considered in the profile. 13.1 is 68 miles away, while 21.1 is only 56 miles away and of course at different orientation. I enjoy the opinions on the forum.. Thanks.....

Hey guys, just wanted to say I'm LOVING having HD. One question though, I'm a little disturbed by WHNS propping their Fox Carolina logo on the screen all the time. I'm a little terrified of burn-in on my new baby. Has anyone contacted WHNS about this? If so, what did they say?

I would really like to know the channels on Sat 103.

Jerry go here and you can see what DirecTV has up on 103:

http://www.lyngsat.com/hd/space1.html

Here's hoping that when I get home tonight WLOSHD will show up on Charter just in time for HD.

A guy can hope can't he. :)

Here's hoping that when I get home tonight WLOSHD will show up on Charter just in time for HD.

A guy can hope can't he. :)

Are you basing your hope on firm info? Any info that you care to share with the rest of us who are just as eager to receive ABC in HD?

I've hunted Charter's local office number via the BBB (a.k.a. Better Business Bureau) in Asheville and called their list of numbers two weeks ago. As of today, I've had no responses back from my messages asking when WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD would become available. I also spoke to the General Manager at WLOS a couple of weeks ago and it appears that the ball is in Charter's court as they now have the 3-year agreement to broadcast Sinclair's broadcast signal.

If I go just past a line of trees about 300 ft. across the road from my location, I have a clear view of the mountains to the northeast. Also a member of our forum did a profile of the path of the 13.1 signal to my location, which showed a clear line of site to the WLOS x-mitter. But curvature may have come into play which was not considered in the profile. 13.1 is 68 miles away, while 21.1 is only 56 miles away and of course at different orientation.

You might be interested in getting a similar calculation for all stations around you, which does take the curvature of the earth into account, at this new site:

http://www.tvfool.com/

It also offers "coverage maps" which are Google Earth overlays that show a station's signal strength as colored zones on top of Google Earth's aerial views of the landscape. The author has been working through metropolitan areas by size, and has gotten to #50 so far. Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson is #51, so the maps for our stations should show up soon, maybe next weekend.

His maps for the Charlotte stations correlate pretty well with what I see here.

Are you basing your hope on firm info? Any info that you care to share with the rest of us who are just as eager to receive ABC in HD?

I've hunted Charter's local office number via the BBB (a.k.a. Better Business Bureau) in Asheville and called their list of numbers two weeks ago. As of today, I've had no responses back from my messages asking when WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD would become available. I also spoke to the General Manager at WLOS a couple of weeks ago and it appears that the ball is in Charter's court as they now have the 3-year agreement to broadcast Sinclair's broadcast signal.
No hard info, I just know from reading the boards that they signed the agreement. I was just hoping on sheer luck it would show up by tonight's LOST.

No hard info, I just know from reading the boards that they signed the agreement. I was just hoping on sheer luck it would show up by tonight's LOST.

I'm with you on that. I'd stay up until 11 p.m. to watch it in HD rather than record it from SD and watch it later when I'm more coherent and can fast forward through the commercials......Maybe by 5/1, Charter will flip the switch on WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD....

Been lurking for awhile, and had a quick question on picture quality.

I'm a Charter subscriber at the moment (previously Dish). Our "new" house (now 2 years old) has so much tree coverage that I'm not sure if we can punch a satellite signal out, and that's why we went with Charter when we moved in. For DirecTV or Dish to come out and perform a signal strength test would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-$75.

My question is: Is the DirecTV or Dish HD picture quality really that much more superior than Charter's? I know that all of the signals are compressed to some degree, but my Charter HD locals like very similiar in quality to my OTA HD locals (WSPA, WYFF, WHNS). Should I invest the money for a tech to come out and give me a signal strength reading?

You might be interested in getting a similar calculation for all stations around you, which does take the curvature of the earth into account, at this new site:
tvfool com
It also offers "coverage maps" which are Google Earth overlays that show a station's signal strength as colored zones on top of Google Earth's aerial views of the landscape. The author has been working through metropolitan areas by size, and has gotten to #50 so far. Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson is #51, so the maps for our stations should show up soon, maybe next weekend.
His maps for the Charlotte stations correlate pretty well with what I see here.The Greenville coverage map has been added and I must admit I'm very impressed. This is a very interesting and useful piece of work.
For example, I now understand why my WLOS reception is worse than folks who are much further away. I'm clearly in the "shadow" of Caesar's Head.

I have DirecTV and Charter's HD service, am able to pick up ALL the GSP area HD channels OTA, as well as Dish's HD service (SD for locals). When talking about analog service, either satellite provider beats Charter - hands down....that is just the nature of the beast. However, I honestly cannot tell the difference between Charter's HD, DirecTV's HD, the Dish HD channels I can pick up, and OTA HD.

[QUOTE=jtbell]You might be interested in getting a similar calculation for all stations around you, which does take the curvature of the earth into account, at this new site:

Thanks JT. It is a very interesting site. I am sure I will make many visits there....

I'm with you on that. I'd stay up until 11 p.m. to watch it in HD rather than record it from SD and watch it later when I'm more coherent and can fast forward through the commercials......Maybe by 5/1, Charter will flip the switch on WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD....

Well, I went to Charter's Asheville office to pay my bill yesterday and asked about WLOS and WMYA's HD Signals becoming available. They were not aware that there was an agreement made between Charter and Sinclair a couple of weeks ago (until I mentioned it to them). I told them that I called WLOS and was told that the ball is in Charter's court to air the signals given that the agreement is now in place. The service rep sent an e-mail to the Marketing Rep. there detailing all of the information that I had. The service rep took my name and number and will call me when she gets a response back-either good or bad. If I receive any details, I'll post them.....Stay tuned!

Well, I went to Charter's Asheville office to pay my bill yesterday and asked about WLOS and WMYA's HD Signals becoming available. They were not aware that there was an agreement made between Charter and Sinclair a couple of weeks ago (until I mentioned it to them). I told them that I called WLOS and was told that the ball is in Charter's court to air the signals given that the agreement is now in place. The service rep sent an e-mail to the Marketing Rep. there detailing all of the information that I had. The service rep took my name and number and will call me when she gets a response back-either good or bad. If I receive any details, I'll post them.....Stay tuned!
How sad is it that the customers have to tell the employees information like that. :(

I really wish I knew if this was going to happen. I am about to buy a tv and am struggling with whether or not I want one with an ATSC tuner or not. I really like the Westy LVM37 for $999 newegg.

How sad is it that the customers have to tell the employees information like that. :(

Well, I went a step further and did the Charter Live Chat Feature via Charter.com and spoke to one of their customer representatives via chat. I asked about those two channels being added and was told that they have nothing to indicate that those they'd be added anytime soon. They filed a request form for adding those two channels and also suggested that I send an e-mail to them via Charter.com asking the same. I did so (mentioning that there are others on Internet Message Boards such as this one who are eager to receive them and are awaiting any new info) and received the following information about 15-20 minutes later:

"Thank you so much for contacting Charter Communication.
My name is ****. I would be glad to assist you in the
best manner possible.

We always appreciate feedback from our customers on what they
enjoy watching. At this time, we do not have plans for adding
that channel to the lineup in your community. The next time the
channel line up is changed in that area, your request will be taken
under consideration.

If you have additional questions, please let me know."

So, that's the latest from this end (still awaiting response from the Rep. at the local office in AVL). It seems like the only way WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD are going to be added on Charter is if we continually make these requests to them.

Well, that pretty much sounds like a script they send out. I still have a feeling we'll get ABC any day now.

Well, that pretty much sounds like a script they send out. I still have a feeling we'll get ABC any day now.

If you want WLOSDT get DirectTV

If you want WLOSDT get DirectTV

Unfortunately, there's a lot of this area (especially mountain valleys) where the only option is either cable or very bad OTA (a.k.a. PBS and WLOS if we're lucky on a clear day). That's due to a combination of location, mountainous terrain and non-obstructive southern sky (a.k.a. no trees or mountains blocking it). Otherwise, I'd be the first in line to sign up (and adios Charter).

Got the same responses while dealing with Charter's Live Chat. They have no clue what is going on over there in regards to the ABC in HD issue. I was pressing the representative pretty hard and all I got were generic scripted responses. You would think they would care a little bit more...Oh well!!!

The idea I got from Charter (I work for Charter on the media side) is that no one knows. With WHNS last year, the made the deal with their parent company in the middle of April of last year, but it didn't come on line until the middle of May. Plus, I think having to carry channel 40 caught them off guard and it is an all or nothing deal.

On a related note, does anyone else have what appears to be "FSNHD" channel right above TNT? Could that be Fox Sports?

On a related note, does anyone else have what appears to be "FSNHD" channel right above TNT? Could that be Fox Sports?What's the channel number? If it's 799, it probably popped on for the Mayweather/de la Hoya fight this weekend.

I'd prefer to see the the CW affiliate in HD on Charter before MyNetworkTV if only to avoid commercials on Veronica Mars.

The idea I got from Charter (I work for Charter on the media side) is that no one knows. With WHNS last year, the made the deal with their parent company in the middle of April of last year, but it didn't come on line until the middle of May. Plus, I think having to carry channel 40 caught them off guard and it is an all or nothing deal.

On a related note, does anyone else have what appears to be "FSNHD" channel right above TNT? Could that be Fox Sports?

Well, here's an opportunity to voice a complaint in person. There's a Customer Appreciation Day for the Western NC Charter Customers on Friday (May 4th) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at their office at 89 Peachtree Road in South Asheville (off Hendersonville Road). Maybe another avenue to voice support for WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD.

BTW, anyone in Western NC with Charter notice that WYFF, WYCW, WHNS and WSPA are all displaying "One Moment Please. This channel should be available shortly." message on the screen? It's doing it on the SD and HD versions of each (except for WHNS which only HD is working fine). Other channels (SD and HD) are coming in fine (as far as I've seen during channel surfing).

*Update*: I turned my DVD-Recorder to which I have a 2nd coax (from splitter) running to and those channels don't appear on there, either. So, it isn't the digital box.....

On a related note, does anyone else have what appears to be "FSNHD" channel right above TNT? Could that be Fox Sports?

I'm getting a test pattern on 798 right now in Spartanburg....no channel info. Looks like something is about to be added.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of this area (especially mountain valleys) where the only option is either cable or very bad OTA (a.k.a. PBS and WLOS if we're lucky on a clear day). That's due to a combination of location, mountainous terrain and non-obstructive southern sky (a.k.a. no trees or mountains blocking it). Otherwise, I'd be the first in line to sign up (and adios Charter).

Sorry i assumed everyone had a fairly clear view of the SW sky. Charter sucked me in last year with the $99 deal. Last month it went to $180. I immediately cut the service and set up DirectTV agian and got my DSL back.

Sorry i assumed everyone had a fairly clear view of the SW sky. Charter sucked me in last year with the $99 deal. Last month it went to $180. I immediately cut the service and set up DirectTV agian and got my DSL back.

I understand your frustration.....If I weren't topographically challenged, I'd be signed up for DirecTV.......

The channel is 798. it is a test pattern, and 799 has test patteren with "PPVHD" on it. I think that should be the fight.

It appears that 798 is Fox Sports Net South HD (FSNSH). It is only a part time channel, sorta like the old BravesHD channel that was on the Charter system until Fox bought Turner South last year. It should be live tonight when the Braves play at 7:30 based on the guide data

Hey guys, finally got my first HDTV. What channels should I expect to be able to get with a QAM tuner from Charter?
You've probably already found them, but

77.3, 77.4; Hispanic and Great American Country
78.2, 78.7, 78.8; WYFF, WHNS, WSPA weather
86.8; one of the SCETV channels
90.1 thru 90.54; music
91.1; BET
103.1, 103.2, 103.3, 104.1; WYFF, WSPA, PBS, FOX (HD)
109.x, 110.x, 111.x; whatever folks in your area have on PPV or OnDemand.

I've enjoyed some of the 109/10/11 stuff, but you have to be very careful where I am, Greer suburbs, to be quick in tuning ... there is some raunchy stuff out there.

I would PREDICT that when Charter gets off their bottoms and adds ABCHD, we'll see it on 104.2 ... but that is little more than a guess.

Well it looks like Fox Sports Net isn't yet up and running, and to make it worse the ESPN-HD feed of the Braves/Phillies game is blacked out so it's back to SD

I am still currently not able to get Close Caption on HD local channels via Directv. Its been a month and I have called 5 times. They keep telling me that same thing over and over that its not their equipment but its the local stations equipment. Please help me out and help by trying to contact Directv tech support and tell them that the close caption is not showing up. I have been trying to do this for a full month... Please help me out!!!!

78.2, 78.7, 78.8; WYFF, WHNS, WSPA weather
91.1; BET



Anybody in Anderson getting these? I am not, for some reason.

I just got a new Sammy today and during the tuning process it asked me what type of cable system.

Can anyone tell me what Charter's cable system type is? The options are STD, HRC or IRC.

Thanks!

I watched the Braves game last night on 798 and it looked great!

I watched the Braves game last night on 798 and it looked great!

That's weird... all I'm getting here is a Test Pattern on that channel and there definitely wasn't any ball game. Who else got the game and who still gets the test pattern only?

I am still currently not able to get Close Caption on HD local channels via Directv. Its been a month and I have called 5 times. They keep telling me that same thing over and over that its not their equipment but its the local stations equipment. Please help me out and help by trying to contact Directv tech support and tell them that the close caption is not showing up. I have been trying to do this for a full month... Please help me out!!!!
Since switching from a Samsung OTA receiver to the DirecTV HR-20, I have lost all Captions... both OTA and Sat. I assume it is the receiver. I hope tomorrow to narrow the problem down a bit, and if I am not satisfied with the answer I find, I will start making calls to both the sources and the FCC. BTW, the FCC has been very responsive to complaints regarding captions in the past.

And, by the way, I am not thrilled with the performance of the HR20 for OTA and get strange picture breakup from time to time in both live viewing and in recordings. Next...I will record both OTA and Sat for comparisons.

Last night, I switched over at 8 and watched it, several co-workers did the same

I watched the Braves game last night on 798 and it looked great!
Yeah, I flipped over to it a couple of times once they got the kinks worked out and it did look good.

That's weird... all I'm getting here is a Test Pattern on that channel and there definitely wasn't any ball game. Who else got the game and who still gets the test pattern only?
It was test pattern for me as well, but all of a sudden it's like they realized they were supposed to switch the game on and the finally did.

hrm it must not be a universal flip then because we never got it on this side of the upstate.

hrm it must not be a universal flip then because we never got it on this side of the upstate.
I don't know, I'd check again for tonight's game. I think it was several innings into the game before they switched it on. You might have just stopped checking by the point they did.

Anyone else having trouble with 21-1 Fox via Antenna? The signal keeps going on and off and a couple minues ago I got some Fox test pattern.

Anyone else having trouble with 21-1 Fox via Antenna? The signal keeps going on and off and a couple minues ago I got some Fox test pattern.


All is well here, strong signal no drop-outs, but some time has passed since your post.

Since switching from a Samsung OTA receiver to the DirecTV HR-20, I have lost all Captions... both OTA and Sat. I assume it is the receiver. I hope tomorrow to narrow the problem down a bit, and if I am not satisfied with the answer I find, I will start making calls to both the sources and the FCC. BTW, the FCC has been very responsive to complaints regarding captions in the past.

And, by the way, I am not thrilled with the performance of the HR20 for OTA and get strange picture breakup from time to time in both live viewing and in recordings. Next...I will record both OTA and Sat for comparisons.



I finally checked my HR20 for captions last night, and received them on all the channels I checked (WYFF, WSPA, WLOS, WHNS) -- OTA HD, DTV HD, and DTV SD. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to like to deliver CC & have the TV decode them. Instead, I had to go in the setup & turn them on.

HD formats don't send CC on line 21. It sends it as packets of data so your TV can't decode what isn't there since no CC data is on line 21. That is why you have to turn CC on from the STB.

HR20 Users-

Do you like the HR20? I currently have the HR10-250 connected to Sony 32 inch LCD. I've really enjoyed it - and going to keep it. Just got a Sony 40 inch XBR2. I'd like to add the HR20 for it. In addition to overall how you like the HR20, I have a few other questions:

1) I currently have the Phase III (?) dish feeding the HR10-250, a DTivo T-60 and two other stand alone receivers...so, current total of 6 feeds...I'll need to bump up to 8 with the HR20 added. Will the new dish and standard install include/handle this?

2) Also, regarding the new dish, how does it compare in size and sensitivity of line-of-sight? I've read in a few places that the dish is too large for a roof install (where my dish is now - on the ridge line, on back of house). I'm able to see the HD SAT now; however, it is a really tight line-of-sight with the surrounding trees.

Yeah, I flipped over to it a couple of times once they got the kinks worked out and it did look good.

Well the guide says there is a game tonight so maybe we will get another shot at it. Let's see if the switch gets flipped universally this time. Anyone who gets this channel please chime in around game time with a go/no go on the signal so we can complain to charter accordingly.

I was searching for information about Charter adding WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD and discovered these links via Wikipedia:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/savvyconsumer/story/03850FB242E8FF74862572C3000FE550?OpenDocument

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/savvyconsumer/story/BEAA311F148D4AC1862572CA001113E6?OpenDocument

Interesting things happening with Charter customers in St. Louis.....BTW, there's an e-mail address for Charter's Vice President and General Manager to voice your support for adding WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD to the lineup.

Anyone who gets this channel please chime in around game time with a go/no go on the signal so we can complain to charter accordingly.I turned it on at a quarter to nine and got the Braves game.

I turned it on at a quarter to nine and got the Braves game.
Yeah, looked great here again.

I was searching for information about Charter adding WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD and discovered these links via Wikipedia:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/savvyconsumer/story/03850FB242E8FF74862572C3000FE550?OpenDocument

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/savvyconsumer/story/BEAA311F148D4AC1862572CA001113E6?OpenDocument

Interesting things happening with Charter customers in St. Louis.....BTW, there's an e-mail address for Charter's Vice President and General Manager to voice your support for adding WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD to the lineup.
Good find. I shot him an email about the ABC issue, I suggest everyone else do the same.

I had posted a message on the "Charlotte, NC - Charter" Message Board back in mid-April about whether anyone had heard about when WLOS-HD and WMYA-HD would be added to Charter's system and received a response from the Digital Coordinator of Charter's Hickory Office:

"My contacts in Asheville tell me WLOS should be up within a few days in Asheville and WMYA should be in the works in the near future!" (spelling of Asheville corrected from original message post)

The wait continues, but it looks like the day of WLOS-HD on Charter is approaching very quickly with WMYA-HD to follow suit. If anyone notices these channels on their Charter lineup, please post to the rest of us. *fingers crossed*

.........The wait continues, but it looks like the day of WLOS-HD on Charter is approaching very quickly with WMYA-HD to follow suit. If anyone notices these channels on their Charter lineup, please post to the rest of us. *fingers crossed*

That is good to hear. I wonder if 798 Fox Sports Net South HD will show up on the line up in AVL like it has in GVL?

I turned it on at a quarter to nine and got the Braves game.

I got the game last night this time. Now I'm waiting to see what happens tonight. FSN (ch 27) lists the game tonight as being in HD, but it isn't listed at all on 798 (Fox Sports South HD.

It appears the whole what will be shown deal is a big guessing game with Charter right now.

That is good to hear. I wonder if 798 Fox Sports Net South HD will show up on the line up in AVL like it has in GVL?

That would be interesting.......In AVL, here's the current lineup:

770: HDNet
771: HDNet Movies
772: *empty*
773: ESPN HD
774: ESPN2 HD
775: Discovery HD Theater
776: *empty*
777: HBO HD
778: Showtime HD
779: Cinemax HD
780: *empty*
781: *empty*
782: *empty*
783: *empty*
784: WYFF-HD
785: *empty*
786: WHNS-HD
787: WSPA-HD
788: WUNF-HD
789: *empty*
790: Starz HD
791: *empty*
792: MHD
793: Universal HD
794: *empty*
795: *empty*
796: *empty*
797: TNT HD
798: *empty*
799: HD PPV

My speculation is that without shuffling the current lineup, Fox Sports Net HD (if it's ever added) could go to 772 (in line with ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD).....WLOS-HD could go to 783 and WMYA-HD (when it was added) could go to 789. A shoulda', woulda', coulda' situation.......WYCW-HD, if it's ever offered in HD on Charter, could go to 785. With a few of the CW shows that I watch on WYCW-HD having gone or soon going to TV Heaven, I'm not too concerned about when that channel is offered, but it would be nice to see Everybody Hates Chris or Supernatural in HD.

It would be nice if a few surprise channels could be added (i.e. National Geographic Channel HD, A&E HD, Food Network HD, Versus HD, etc.). That could come at an increased price, though. We'll see what happens......

7:30pm gametime for the Braves and no HD game right now in my area... anyone have it? Listed as HD on the captions but not in the program guide.

Re: How's the HR20

Jury is still out with me. I have a service call scheduled tomorrow. I consistently have some pixelization in recordings, whether off the air or via HD satellite. My signals on 103 and 99b are 70+, although only one of these feed the local DMA signals--not sure which. Last night was a typical problem, breakup while watching CBS off the Satellite hd signal with pixelization and usually lost of audio for a second or so...so I switched to the LIL from Channel 7, and the same pattern of breakup was on both. Today in a discussion with DirecTV's Tech, third level, I had to measure most of the Satellite channels and the different satellites and when I reported 100% on many transponders (except 103 and 99), I was told I have too much signal! So they ordered a service call for tomorrow. Later in the day on a second call, the Tech laughed at the first who said I had too much signal.

The second call dealt with CLOSED CAPTION. I was told the service call would include re-setting the Box for CC.

I will make a new post after the service.

I have it on Dish network. Fox HD South channel 370

Looks like Columbia DT is now uplinked on Dish,not available yet, so I guess that once again our market is being passed over for local HD on Dish.

...breakup while watching CBS off the Satellite hd signal with pixelization and usually lost of audio for a second or so....I don't have the HR20, but I had a very puzzling problem with very similar symptoms to yours, on two different DirecTiVos.
The S-video cable connection was directly adjacent to the sat inputs. If I unplugged the S-Video cable, the dropouts stopped. Plugged S-Video back in, got dropouts. Obviously some sort of interference, and it got worse as the units aged. You might want to experiment with that on your HR20.

Looks like Columbia DT is now uplinked on Dish,not available yet, so I guess that once again our market is being passed over for local HD on Dish.

An antenna won't work for you?

No problem for me,I get greenville, charlotte and columbia HD with my antenna setup, it's the folks in poor reception areas i was concerned about,it just seems like Dish is doing the big stall on this market and LIL HD. Do I smell Sinclair possibly?

Just got up this morning and there is a test channel on 783. I went over to that channel and there is no guide data but there are showing WLOS programming (Good Morning America was in HD in parts) and then they showed the local news. Looks like we are finally in business!

How's the HR20 ?
The followup service tweaked the signals for the LIL-HD rather dramatically, but also found the dish mount was not tightened fully, and possibly caused slight movement in wind. The service person knew nothing of the Closed Captions functions, so another call to tech support and to their amazement there are several different configurations in both the remote controls and the receivers. With their help, I finally found the CC "switch" in the setup menu, but not in the boxes for choices as expected, but in the tabs at the top of the screen. (Then you have to be sure the monitor is set for closed captions.) HOWEVER, while the off-air HD signals had good captions, the satellite LIL was unusable with missing letters, incorrect letters, etc.
While last night's experience most likely will not be the full story, the change was for the better, but still does not explain why both LIL and OTA in the past had exactly the same frequent pixelization pattern and audio dropouts.

Just got up this morning and there is a test channel on 783. I went over to that channel and there is no guide data but there are showing WLOS programming (Good Morning America was in HD in parts) and then they showed the local news. Looks like we are finally in business!
Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy I could do a jig right here in my bedroom! :D

I just did a scan & it looks like if you have a QAM tuner, WLOS is on 77-2. I just tuned in Martha Stewart, and even though the show is in SD, it still looks good. Someone, please double check me on the subchannel since (at least, on WHNS) my QAM TV sometimes gives a different subchannel than my Samsung QAM tuner.

Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy I could do a jig right here in my bedroom! :D

Cartwheels are happenin' in Weavervegas!!!! Now, I can watch last night's Grey's Anatomy again in HD........now, what's the next thing that we should lobby for being added on Charter? LOL :D

Added: I had checked ch. 783 around 6 a.m. and nothing was available....so it must have been between then and 9 a.m. when WLOS-HD went live....nevertheless, hallelujah!!!!!

Cartwheels are happenin' in Weavervegas!!!! Now, I can watch last night's Grey's Anatomy again in HD........now, what's the next thing that we should lobby for being added on Charter? LOL :D

Added: I had checked ch. 783 around 6 a.m. and nothing was available....so it must have been between then and 9 a.m. when WLOS-HD went live....nevertheless, hallelujah!!!!!

HD OnDemand. Isn't Starz rolling this out for some of their channels?

And just to be greedy, Fox Sports Network in HD :)

Any of you guys get the MOJO(versus) channel? My Tvguide says that i should get it on 799 but it just shows PPVHD. I want to watch NHL in HD.

On tvguide website
29609 Greenville SC Charter Comm

I have a Panasonic with a built in QAM tuner...if I get a splitter/A-B switch, will the PPV channels come through scrambled or will they show up unscrambled? I already have a box through Charter and currently subscribe to the HD programming but a splitter would be a nice investment for free PPV if possible!!!!

now, what's the next thing that we should lobby for being added on Charter? LOL :DIf Veronica Mars makes it to a fourth season, it'd be nice if Charter added WYCW to their lineup just so I could retire the antenna outright, but otherwise, I'm okay with the selection of locals.

Of the national channels currently available, we're missing:

A&E-HD
National Geographic HD
Mojo
Food Network HD
HGTV-HD
Lifetime Movies HD
Wealth TV
NFL-HD
Versus HD
Golf HD
The Outdoor Channel 2 HD
The Movie Channel HD

Honestly...there's not one in there that really makes me salivate. I'd almost rather start lobbying for us to have one of the eight quadrillion channels that will supposedly show up on DirecTV's lineup in the next year.

One of the regional sports nets would be the most worthwhile addition, I'd imagine, even though that's not so much an interest of mine.

I have a Panasonic with a built in QAM tuner...if I get a splitter/A-B switch, will the PPV channels come through scrambled or will they show up unscrambled? I already have a box through Charter and currently subscribe to the HD programming but a splitter would be a nice investment for free PPV if possible!!!!With present equipment used by Charter, you will get unscrambled what OTHER PEOPLE are watching on PPV. If they quit in the middle of a movie, pause, rewind, etc, so will you. I've read that newer equipment will eventually allow scrambled PPV.

To see without adding any components, hook the cable to the TV and look at 109.2 through 109.8, 110.1 through 110.8, and 111.1 through 111.8 ... at least here in the eastside; I suspect that there is area dependent activity. I have seen higher channels used when Charter ran their free HBO weekend. Activity is greater on the lower channels, that is, there is usually more 109.x than 110.x.

I've not found any of them to be in HD.

I have read that some local HD subscribers are getting WLOS in HD. I use the QAM capability to get just the unscrambled HD signals, and still find only NBC, CBS, PBS, and FOX. Has anyone identified the "channel" for ABC? A scan 15 minutes ago didn't find it here.

Thanks!

Has anyone identified the "channel" for ABC?I haven't verified, but this was posted upthread:

I just did a scan & it looks like if you have a QAM tuner, WLOS is on 77-2

I am in Williamston on Charter and I just got WLOSHD 783 added to my list. watched NBA last night. On a different topic. Does anybody know how I can tell which Braves games are going to be on the SS HD channel. I was really looking forward to last nights game in HD and had to watch it on 61 in standard DEF

I haven't verified, but this was posted upthread:
Looks like you are right ... it must have been inactive when I scanned. There is a 720p signal there showing the same thing I see in NTSC on 13. YIPEE! Thanks!

In case you missed it, here's the article that the Asheville-Citizen Times did on WLOS-HD being added and WMYA-HD being added down the road:

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770511117

In Asheville WLOS-HD is on QAM 91-3.

Still no sign of FSN-HD though.

In reply to an e-mail that I had sent last week to Charter's VP (see recent postings for more info), I received a response from the Director of Marketing for the Eastern Division of Charter Communications today informing me of the addition of WLOS-HD last Friday and the status of adding WMYA-HD:

"There is not a date that we can provide regarding the MyTV digital service. The amount of true HD programming on that network is not as significant as other potential additions we are evaluating in the near term. We will continue to monitor the progress of HD on MyTV and will launch it at a later date to be determined."

I agree with his response to WMYA-HD. I asked in a subsequent e-mail reply to the Marketing Director concerning the "potential additions" asking about WYCW-HD, Fox Sports Net HD and other national channels (i.e. NGC, A&E HD, Versus, etc.). I received an almost immediate reply to his message:

"All the networks you referenced are on our list for potential launch. In fact, we're working on getting FSN South HD along with SportSouth HD on the air right away. I believe we've already carried a SportSouth HD Braves game. Check channel 798. Some of the networks you mentioned we would like to launch, but are still in the process of negotiating a carriage agreement."

Please keep an eye out on ch. 798 for the Braves Games in HD and post whether you've received it or not (especially in Western NC; from the postings above, Upstate SC located them). It sounds like the HD Pipeline is going to get pretty exciting in the near future. :D Overall, I'm pleased with these responses (better late with great info than never).

Any thoughts on the quality of ABC HD in comparison to the other HD Channels offered on Charter? From here, I'm very impressed with how much better picture quality their HD shows are over CBS, FOX and NBC. Even the non-HD shows are a huge improvement (local and national).

In reply to an e-mail that I had sent last week to Charter's VP (see recent postings for more info), I received a response from the Director of Marketing for the Eastern Division of Charter Communications today informing me of the addition of WLOS-HD last Friday and the status of adding WMYA-HD:

"There is not a date that we can provide regarding the MyTV digital service. The amount of true HD programming on that network is not as significant as other potential additions we are evaluating in the near term. We will continue to monitor the progress of HD on MyTV and will launch it at a later date to be determined."............................



In general I would agree also because I basically never watch WMYA. But, if WLOS/WMYA gets their act together to have the ability to broadcast any available ACC games in HD (especially during tournament time whne some of the games or on WMYA) I do hope that it will be available in HD on Charter.

I just did a scan & it looks like if you have a QAM tuner, WLOS is on 77-2. I just tuned in Martha Stewart, and even though the show is in SD, it still looks good. Someone, please double check me on the subchannel since (at least, on WHNS) my QAM TV sometimes gives a different subchannel than my Samsung QAM tuner.

I verified that it is showing up as 77-2 here in Greenville. This is the actual QAM channel, not the remapped number that would be displayed on a cable box. I have a MyHD card and can tune into WLOS on 77-2.

...
Any thoughts on the quality of ABC HD in comparison to the other HD Channels offered on Charter? From here, I'm very impressed with how much better picture quality their HD shows are over CBS, FOX and NBC. Even the non-HD shows are a huge improvement (local and national).

Since d* launched HD locals a couple of months ago and I've been able to receive an HD signal for WLOS reliably (OTA is spotty for me), I've noted that their digital SD is heads and shoulders above the other local stations. The pic is incredibly high quality. As for HD, I think CBS takes the cake, although they have fewer HD shows that I actually watch regularly.

It's great to see Charter improving its selection of HD material. With what D* and E* have in store, it's finally becoming a great time to be an HD fan in the Upstate. E* is still lagging in providing HD locals, but they've announced some very nice national HD plans.

--Cross

I wonder why WLOS doesn't pass Jeopardy thru in HD? I was looking forward to that. Still, great to have the big 4 in HD finally.

Unlike the networks, Jep and WoF require stations to have a HD recording and playback system since the programs are fed to stations at off times like overnight, and then played back as much as 5 days later, not when you see the program.

I live in Anderson not far from the new YMCA and HWY 81. What type of OTA should I purchase and which channels can I expect to pick up?

If you can specify a make/model that would be great.

Thanks.

Where's the person at WYFF that flips the HD switch? It appears that they don't work weekend mornings and during the weekend sports coverage (i.e. the past two weeks of Today Show and today's NHL Game).....

yep, WYFF has been a F'ing joke today. No HD hockey, looks like the same for preakness. way to go, nincompoops...

Well, it's good that they remembered to flip the HD switch for a shortened "Nightly News".

Yet, ESPN had the rerun of the Preakness on Sports Center in stunning HD! What a difference. I think the phrase "Amateur Night in Dixie" applies to WYFF. At the company I worked for (not TV) heads would roll for a blunder like that. Apparently WYFF stand for something other than "We're Your Friend Four." Use your imagination.

IMO, We see these things happening more and more since the FCC loosened its grip on broadcast operations and their supervision of the adherence to technical standards. Once upon a time, if something like this occurred, a Second Phone license holder would be in search of a job.

I live in Anderson not far from the new YMCA and HWY 81. What type of OTA should I purchase and which channels can I expect to pick up?

If you can specify a make/model that would be great.

Thanks.
If you go back and read some of the earliest posts in this thread you will find a lot of info on OTA HD signals and antennas.

IMO, We see these things happening more and more since the FCC loosened its grip on broadcast operations and their supervision of the adherence to technical standards.

This isn't a technical standard issue, it is an internal QC issue. There is nothing for the FCC to get involved with here. The FCC doesn't require a station to transmit HD, even if it is available, just SD.

You may not like it that the Preakness wasn't in HD, but no one is going to loose their job over it, much to your disappointment. Until stations start to make money off of the digital side, the emphasis will still be on the analog side and as long as the digital side stays legal, no one internally is going to get out of shape about it. And that is the reality of it.

Just saw this on the programming board... I'm guessing it'll either be on the Special Events channel, or on 798 (SportsSouth HD, FSN HD, whatever they call it).

SEC Baseball Tournament on CSS to Broadcast in High Definition

Atlanta, Ga. -- Comcast / Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) today released its television schedule for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Baseball Tournament. For the sixth consecutive year, CSS will carry exclusive coverage of the opening rounds of the tournament live from Regions Park in Hoover, AL on May 23-24.

Wednesday, May 23

Game 1 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT #7 Seed vs. #2 Seed
Game 2 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT #6 Seed vs. #3 Seed
Game 3 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT #8 Seed vs. #1 Seed
Game 4 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT #4 Seed vs. #5 Seed

Thursday, May 24

Game 5 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 6 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 7 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 8 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

If necessary, additional games will be broadcast on May 26 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT and 9:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. CT on CSS. Specific game match-ups will be posted on www.css-sports.com as they are made available.

New for 2007 CSS will broadcast the SEC Tournament games in High Definition. Markets that will broadcast the games in HD include (with their respective channel number):

Atlanta, GA (Comcast) Channel 801
Birmingham, AL (Charter) Channel 861
Charleston, SC (Comcast) Channel 401
Chattanooga, TN (Comcast) Channel 420
Greeneville, TN (Comcast) Channel 448
Greenville, SC (Charter) TBD - Check Local Listings
Jacksonville, FL (Comcast) Channel 445
Little Rock, AR (Comcast) Channel 400
Memphis, TN (Comcast) Channel 828
Nashville, TN (Comcast) Channel 201

The SEC Baseball Tournament is an eight-team, double-elimination tournament modeled after the College World Series.

"We are excited to be able to offer the SEC Tournament games in High Definition" said CSS General Manager Mark Fuhrman. "With the participation of our SEC partner schools, we continue to look to provide our viewers the best sports programming available and that included programming in HD."

About CSS Network
CSS is a 24-hour regional sports network serving approximately 5.7 million cable subscribers across twelve southeastern states. Launched in 1999, the network is a partnership between Comcast Corporation and Charter Communications. CSS carries a full slate of college sports programming including over 50 live football games, 110 college football replay games, more than 200 men's and women's live college basketball games and 50 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the Southeast. CSS is only available on cable.

Attention WLOS:
I have observed two problems with your primetime HD signal via D*TV: There is frequent short burst of noise in the ABC network picture--as often as every 10 seconds, as infrequent as 5 minutes apart--that last a second or less and looks as if it is a slightly noisy analog signal (almost a dissolve between one feed and another). It definitely interrupts the High Definition experience. Switching back to OTA HD eliminates the problem. Yet for other reasons, I sometimes must use the D*TV signal.
Secondly, the CC over D*TV is usually garbage with most words missing letters or with wrong letters.
Have you received other similar comments?

Just so this post might help another newbie, I live in Anderson and picked up a Phillips OTA Indoor Antenna. I'm getting high 70's and low 80's signal.

I'm getting WLOS, WYFF, Local 40 and Local 62 (I don't remember their names right off hand).

My question is; If I can get these channels in so well with a cheap indoor antenna, would a larger outdoor antenna give me more channels, better signal and channels outside of my local area?

Just so this post might help another newbie, I live in Anderson and picked up a Phillips OTA Indoor Antenna. I'm getting high 70's and low 80's signal.

I'm getting WLOS, WYFF, Local 40 and Local 62 (I don't remember their names right off hand).

My question is; If I can get these channels in so well with a cheap indoor antenna, would a larger outdoor antenna give me more channels, better signal and channels outside of my local area?Go to antennaweb.org or tvfool.com with your address. It will give you the signals you might get with different types of antennas.

I live in Central and got by with an indoor Silver Sensor fine. I did have to reposition it if I wanted to get MY40, but it picked up WYFF, WHNS, WSPA, and WYCW just fine. A larger outdoor antenna in Anderson probably won't pull in too many more stations, but it would be an easy way of boosting your signal strength. I went between the two and installed an attic antenna.

I'm getting WLOS, WYFF, Local 40 and Local 62 (I don't remember their names right off hand).

My question is; If I can get these channels in so well with a cheap indoor antenna, would a larger outdoor antenna give me more channels, better signal and channels outside of my local area?

With a decent outdoor antenna you should be able to get the rest of the local channels: WSPA, WHNS, SCETV, and UNC-TV. Right now you can get away with just UHF, but for the long haul you'll need VHF also, because WSPA and WLOS plan to move their digital signals to their VHF channels (7 and 13) upon analog shutdown in 2009. Also, SCETV in Greenville is on channel 9, but their Greenwood station is on channel 18 anyway.

You probably won't be able to get anything from outside this area unless you're lucky. With a large combination VHF/UHF antenna from Radio Shack I can pick up most of the Charlotte and Columbia stations, but I think Clinton is pretty much at the edge of their reception area. In the other direction, Atlanta is too far away.

Word is, on Charter 799, It is SEC baseball. Would someone please confirm?

Word is, on Charter 799, It is SEC baseball. Would someone please confirm?

Yes, if you go back a page you'll see the press release. CSS is doing all the SEC Tournament games they air on their network in HD on Ch 799. I'm wondering if Fox Sports Net will also air their games in HD? I find it hard to believe they're not splitting a production truck.

I'm get the tourney on 799, but it doesn't show up on my guide. It says HD OFF AIR.

The SEC tourney is on 799. Broadcast by CSS (Charter Sports Southeast) HD.

Guys, I'll tell you what. The picture is UNBELIEVABLE! I'm not sure if the signal is getting less compressed due to it being a Charter originated channel, but it's head and shoulder above anything else on Charter's HD tier.

No way I can explain it, other that saying....everything looks sharper, there is much less pixalation, just very crisp.

Check it out and let me know what you guys think. The tournament will be continuing into the weekend.

They're doing a good job... better than normal for CSS. I hope this becomes a trend for college football, etc. The best part is they're sending out a raw satellite feed- no commercials! It stays in the park during the break and sometimes you hear chatter back and forth between the announcers, etc.

fasterthanlight-
You have a lot of options. Before mounting an antenna outside, try one in the attic. I put a CM 4228 (UHF only) hung upside down from the highest point in my attic in Inman. Rock solid reception of all the local channels. In Florida I am 52 miles from the digital antennas, but have good line of sight. I use a SS1000 on the eave of the house with a CM 7777 preamp driving 75 feet of RG6. Again, rock solid reception for all locals except NBC, which is VHF 11. I cut an antenna just for CH 11 and mounted it on top of the SS 1000, feeding into the VHF part of the 7777. Perfect.
Search the antenna section of this forum and you will learn a lot. OTA reception of locals is hard to beat.

I cut an antenna just for CH 11 and mounted it on top of the SS 1000, feeding into the VHF part of the 7777.

Mgtr...just curious, where did you purchase the specific channel antenna? I remember seeing specific channel antennas some years back, however have not found any lately. I am trying to acquire several HD channels in western NC that I cannot seem to receive with a typical UHF-only antenna. I thought a cut for channel antenna might be the way to go.

Thanks in advance for your help,
John

fasterthanlight-
A couple of comments regarding previous responses. Note that after the end of analog transmissions, there appears to be only two HIGH band DT frequencies slated for use, 7 and 13. This will result in more high-band only antennas (coupled with UHF) being offered. So, I would avoid installation of a 2-13 high gain antenna which loads your RF system with all sorts of signals that can cause other problems.
Some RF experts say a UHF bow tie antenna is wide enough in frequency response to provide usable reception of high-band DT stations... We will just have to wait and see. Meanwhile I think it is a mistake for continued use of the high-band for DT and I anticipate other reception problems emerging in that change over. I have to use a highly directional cut to frequency chanel 9 antenna to receive the SC PBS signal from Greenville and not receive the analog signal from Channel 9 in Charlotte.
I receive all local UHF DT signals with a 4-bay bowtie set in a compromise direction between stations and the reception is very reliable with a seasonal slight adjustment in direction.

AND, OTA DT wins hands down over the satellite LIL pictures! (A receiver problem?)

Around 5 p.m., WLOS did their station ID where they went from HD to SD. Wonder if they'll go back to HD once the race resumes........ :(

Around 5 p.m., WLOS did their station ID where they went from HD to SD. Wonder if they'll go back to HD once the race resumes........ :(

It appears that after the last local Station Break, HD resumed......whew!!!

i've been having problems with Fox as well. I used to have a great signal and over the last month its dropped to zero. I can't get them at all. I'm wondring if its leaves coming in because problems may have started earlier and I didn't realize it. Still wondering if others are having problems since I get NBC perfectly and they are next to each other.

Thanks for info everyone! I still have a lot to learn. I did go out and purchase an amplified indoor antenna this weekend but it was worse! My non-amplified unit performs much better.

I agree that the picture quality OTA is fantastic! I do prefer it over satellite. When I have more time, I'll go back through all the previous posts to learn more about the differences in UHF/VHF and the best antenna to use for my location.

I'm getting a 92 signal rating now with my simple indoor antenna for Fox.

I don't mind spending some money for a decent antenna. I just want to know which antenna to gamble on. You all have given me plenty of good info. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.
FTL

i've been having problems with Fox as well. I used to have a great signal and over the last month its dropped to zero. I can't get them at all. I'm wondring if its leaves coming in because problems may have started earlier and I didn't realize it. Still wondering if others are having problems since I get NBC perfectly and they are next to each other.


I get the opposite on the 21.1 signal this time of year. Today my signal is 94, and will remain good until fall. From Oct. thru March I get no signal. Apparently the leaves help me but hurt you. I guess it's all about location.

Happy viewing.....

I get the opposite on the 21.1 signal this time of year. Today my signal is 94, and will remain good until fall. From Oct. thru March I get no signal. Apparently the leaves help me but hurt you. I guess it's all about location.

Happy viewing.....
Thanks for the comment. Does anybody have an idea what todo to fix this type of problem. I have zero signal at this point but used to have 100.

Thanks

I've been looking through forums all morning and have found answers to some of my questions, but I'm hoping a reply to this post can answer them all.
I just bought a tv with a QAM tuner (in Greenville, SC) and I am quite happy with the additional programming that I am receiving (I only get basic cable through charter). However, I am not sure exactly what I'm watching. Can someone answer the following questions:
1. I now pick up some of the major channels in HD. Is there a channel listing somewhere for local HD programming?
2. It appears that I now pick up some sort of movie channels in various ranges, like 114.1, 114.2, etc. A previous post by gbynum mentioned these are on demand or ppv channels that other people are watching at the time. This could account for why some of the programs appeared to be fastforwarding, and at other times the program would just switch to another program. Is this indeed what is going on?
3. I also noticed that we pick up the Sopranos, which I don't think is PPV, so is this a channel that is not controlled by other users?
4. It also seems like sometimes when I scroll through the channels I won't see programs on channels where I previously did see programs. Maybe this is related to question 2.
5. If I used an antenna, would I receive different HD channels than I'm already getting through my QAM tuner?

Finally, I guess what I really want to know is what channels can I count on being there (and their channel number) as opposed to PPV channels where I have no control over the show at all.

Thanks for anyone's help!

I'll see if I can answer at least most of your questions.

With the QAM tuner you'll always get at least the locals. NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS

For programming info, I personally use tv.yahoo.com to see whats coming on, but the programming on those channels is the same as their SD counterparts.

You are correct about those other channels being On Demand and PPV channels. They are what other people around you are currently watching. That is also why you have noticed at times the channel will be fast forwarding etc. I would assume you were seeing The Sopranos because someone was watching it on HBO OnDemand.

You will never know what is going to come on those channels because you have no control over it, your neighbors do. You will however be able to count on the content on your locals staying the same, because as I said before, its programming is the same as the local channels you've been watching for years, its just now in HD.

The channel numbers you can count on being there with consistent programming are 103.1, 103.2, 103.3, 104.1 Also, ABC was just added but I haven't been using my QAM tuner to tune in so I don't know what number it's using. I'm sure someone can chime in with that info.

I hope that helps some. If I got anything wrong someone please feel free to correct me.

I just bought a tv with a QAM tuner (in Greenville, SC) and I am quite happy with the additional programming that I am receiving (I only get basic cable through charter). However, I am not sure exactly what I'm watching. Can someone answer the following questions:
1. I now pick up some of the major channels in HD. Is there a channel listing somewhere for local HD programming?Not that I know. 77.2, WLOS; 103.1, WYFF; 103.2, WSPA; 103.3, PBS; 104.1, FOX.2. It appears that I now pick up some sort of movie channels in various ranges, like 114.1, 114.2, etc. A previous post by gbynum mentioned these are on demand or ppv channels that other people are watching at the time. This could account for why some of the programs appeared to be fastforwarding, and at other times the program would just switch to another program. Is this indeed what is going on?I'm 99% sure of it. I have digital cable, and selected a free on-demand from the TV with the box and it showed up in those ranges. I have found that 109.x, 110.x, 112.x, 113.x, 114.x, and 117.1 are occasionally active. I'd bet that Charter will fix them.3. I also noticed that we pick up the Sopranos, which I don't think is PPV, so is this a channel that is not controlled by other users?Free on-demand?4. It also seems like sometimes when I scroll through the channels I won't see programs on channels where I previously did see programs. Maybe this is related to question 2.Mirrors my experience.5. If I used an antenna, would I receive different HD channels than I'm already getting through my QAM tuner?On my tv, I have to use a different input or different setting for the "OTA" (over the air abbreviation) channels. I've no antenna, but did find one additional one with just a wire.Finally, I guess what I really want to know is what channels can I count on being there (and their channel number) as opposed to PPV channels where I have no control over the show at all.The 4 networks and PBS are listed on Charter's website as "HD Lifeline", so I suspect those. 4,7,&21 have a weather subchannel that you'll likely get, 78.2, 78.7, 78.8. WNTV nas a subchannel on 86.8. I _SUSPECT that the music will not be encrypted; they are from 90.1 through 90.54. I've documented 90.5 thru 90.50. I put the channels into an Excel sheet and will be glad to send it to you either that way or as a .pdf. Shoot me an email at gwbynum atsign google dot com and I'll send you what I've done.

Thanks for y'alls help. I really appreciate it!

[QUOTE=nutherclemsonfan]5. If I used an antenna, would I receive different HD channels than I'm already getting through my QAM tuner?QUOTE]

I'll through a little bit in here, the antenna feed will have much better picture than charter can send out. I did some comparison and it was far better to watch the local feeds off of antenna than charter. To give you an example, when I did my tests, NBC had a hockey game on in HD. Antenna had a beautiful picture in the full resolution they were broadcasting. Charter was showing the SD broadcast with vertical bars to properly format to there standard HD output.

This was more of a mistake than the standard but it is not uncommon. Comparisons of the same images without formatting showed significant better picture off antenna. This is common both of cable and sat HD reception because they have to compress all the channels into a bundle and send them out. Each station is sending there own signal via antenna so they send all they have. Its worth the money to buy an antenna and see what you get. If you have an old Bow Tie give it a try and see difference.

Have fun.

jtdwab

I am having problems with the WLOS HD feed on both over the air and cable. But the strange thing is only on certain shows. For example I would be watching Dancing With the Stars and have a beautiful picture, sound in sync everything. But when Boston Legal comes on instantly the sound is out of sync and the picture is jerky. I had thought this was maybe due to low signal strength on my ant. but now WLOS HD is on Charter and I get the same problem on the cable feed. Anybody have any ideas?

Looks like Charter removed channel 799 which is HD PPV. Hope this doesn't mean they're not offering anymore PPV in HD. Not much PPV is shown in HD, but both the Boxing and UFC fights are must haves in HD. We'll have to wait and see if it shows back up I guess. I know for the last UFC last weekend I couldn't even get it in HD...had to watch it on regular PPV even though the program guide showed it available in HD on channel 799. Score another one for Charter's great service, ha ha.... :mad:

Anyone know of comparisons of charges made by D* for HD and the HD recorder; and specifically if a major package of analog program channels are required in order to (pay for and receive) what few HD channels they have and the LIL's? Are many sur-chages being passed on, such as "lease fees", service fees, etc, recorder fees?

Looks like Charter removed channel 799 which is HD PPV. Hope this doesn't mean they're not offering anymore PPV in HD. Not much PPV is shown in HD, but both the Boxing and UFC fights are must haves in HD. We'll have to wait and see if it shows back up I guess. I know for the last UFC last weekend I couldn't even get it in HD...had to watch it on regular PPV even though the program guide showed it available in HD on channel 799. Score another one for Charter's great service, ha ha.... :mad:
So far in Western NC, we still have HD PPV on ch. 999. Even though there's rarely anything shown on there, it is still available in the channel lineup.

Originally Posted by swurver
Looks like Charter removed channel 799 which is HD PPV. Hope this doesn't mean they're not offering anymore PPV in HD. Not much PPV is shown in HD, but both the Boxing and UFC fights are must haves in HD. We'll have to wait and see if it shows back up I guess. I know for the last UFC last weekend I couldn't even get it in HD...had to watch it on regular PPV even though the program guide showed it available in HD on channel 799. Score another one for Charter's great service, ha ha.... :mad:

Been trying to get an answer from Charter about channel 799 (HD PPV) mysteriously disappearing but nobody seems to have an answer. Would suck if we no longer have the option of ordering large scale PPV events in HD anymore here in the Greenville market.

Anyone in Western NC with Charter not getting FOX Carolina HD (ch. 786) and their 24/7 Weather Channel (ch. 286)? We're going into Day 2 with this. In the meantime, I'm still getting the SD version of FOX Carolina on ch. 6.

We're not getting the HD version of Fox Carolina on DirecTV either...second day now. Haven't checked the SD version, but I can pick up Fox TriCities via antenna in HD.

We're not getting the HD version of Fox Carolina on DirecTV either...second day now. Haven't checked the SD version, but I can pick up Fox TriCities via antenna in HD.


My ota receiver is showing a strong signal on 21.1 but I get nothing. Guess they have a problem.

WHNS had equipment failure.

I was wondering on 21.1. I show a strong signal but my receiver wont lock on it.

WHNS had equipment failure.

I sort of assumed that was the problem. I could not get them OTA or via Charter

WHNS had equipment failure.


With the priorities given the digital signals, I just hope they are back up by the time the NFL starts. Other than that IMO the whole network is useless. ;)

Charter now has the SD signal of WHNS on channel 786 instead of the digital signal. I hope this is not a sign of a long outage.

WHNS DT has had a weather-related outage for the past two days, and expects to return to the air sometime later today. Parts for the fix have arrived.

anybody else got the sidebars on WYFF-HD? I thought it was in HD? Flip the switch WYFF!!

According to my TiVo, looks like the WYFF-DT staff remembered they had HD about 30 minutes into their 2 hour broadcast. Uh... good job?

WHNS DT has had a weather-related outage for the past two days, and expects to return to the air sometime later today. Parts for the fix have arrived.

It looks like Charter in Asheville has substituted a simulcast of The Weather Channel on 246 and a simulcast of Fox Carolina's SD Signal on 786 (as oxb has stated).

Anyone know of comparisons of charges made by D* for HD and the HD recorder; and specifically if a major package of analog program channels are required in order to (pay for and receive) what few HD channels they have and the LIL's? Are many sur-chages being passed on, such as "lease fees", service fees, etc, recorder fees?

Jerry,

I switched to D* from Charter about a year ago and have been very happy. Here's what I know. Get any base package ( I have the equivalent of Choice Xtra) and add $10 for HD access. That gives you the HD locals and all other HD's besides premiums (SHO, HBO, etc.). If you have a premium package, you get the HD versions no extra charge if you have HD access. No other fees to lease your primary HD box. Additional boxes are $5 whether they're HD or not. To get one or more HD recorders, add $6. If the HD Recorder is your primary box, there are no other fees.

Here are a few examples:
- Choice xtra $45
- Choice xtra with HD $55 (HD box is free)
- Choice xtra with HD and HD DVR $61 (HD DVR box is a one time $200 fee)
- Above plus second box $66

Double check with D*, but this is my understanding. If you bundle with DSL like I do, you get some discounts from BellSouth and D*: $5 to $15 depending on the package. I have Choice xtra with a year of SHO and one HD (non-DVR) and one SD box and DSL, and my bill is less than $60 incl. tax. (That doesn't include DSL service. It just reflects the DSL bundle discount.)

One last thing, the HD locals don't include sub-channels or PBS. You still need an antenna for those. But they seamlessly integrate into your guide on the Sat box, so you don't have to worry about switching sources. The Sat box has an antenna input and an ATSC tuner.

Hope that helps.

WHNS DT has had a weather-related outage for the past two days, and expects to return to the air sometime later today. Parts for the fix have arrived.

Thank God; it seems like they've been off the air for three days. Of course, it was pretty much unwatchable since last Sunday. :(

They finally made it back on the air this afternoon, but without sound. Aaargh! :(

Did anyone else watch the NASCAR race today on Charter? Was it just me, or was it horribly compressed. The races just switched over to TNT and today was the first time I've noticed a problem. They looked great on FOX. It was borderline unwatchable for me today.

Had the same issue with the race as well...compression was horrible.

Had the same issue with the race as well...compression was horrible.
Glad to know I wasn't the only one then. It was god awful. I had a few friends over who I had been telling about how they just had to see a race in HD. I was embarrassed to say the least.

Having the same compression issues with Charter tonight...this time it's on FOX HD. They just can't seem to get it together. Man I would love to switch, but live in an apartment and they won't allow dishes!!! :mad:

As long as you meet this requirements, federal law prohibits apartments, condo's and other multi family dwellings from denying you access to dishes and OTA antennas.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Researched it as well...only problem is that in order to get a signal, the dish would have to extend out over the balcony which is not covered under the "exclusive use" area. They see it as an infringement on the shared common areas of the complex and thus the FCC rules do not apply in this situation. Bunch of BS if you ask me. We all know these complexes are in cahoots with the cable companies or at least that how it seems!!! It's an on-going battle discussed numerous times in this forum.

Q: Does the rule apply to condominiums or apartment buildings if the antenna is installed so that it hangs over or protrudes beyond the balcony railing or patio wall?

A: No. The rule does not prohibit restrictions on antennas installed beyond the balcony or patio of a condominium or apartment unit if such installation is in, on, or over a common area. An antenna that extends out beyond the balcony or patio is usually considered to be in a common area that is not within the scope of the rule. Therefore, the rule does not apply to a condominium or rental apartment unit unless the antenna is installed wholly within the exclusive use area, such as the balcony or patio.

mdavej-
Tnx for comprehensive review which should also help others.

Had the same issue with the race as well...compression was horrible.
Re WHNS-DT: I recorded an hour of prime time last night using the HR20 OTA's signal, and it was frequently breaking up (pixelizing and dropping out) and finally while watching it froze up my receiver and it had to be re-booted. Anyone else having continuing problems with this OTA signal?

Re WHNS-DT: I recorded an hour of prime time last night using the HR20 OTA's signal, and it was frequently breaking up (pixelizing and dropping out) and finally while watching it froze up my receiver and it had to be re-booted. Anyone else having continuing problems with this OTA signal?

Yup ... I'm having the same problem. Seems to only be with HD content though, the SD stuff coming on OTA over 21.1 didn't pixelate. Perhaps someone should contact WHNS to see if they're still having problems.

-Derek

Re WHNS-DT: I recorded an hour of prime time last night using the HR20 OTA's signal, and it was frequently breaking up (pixelizing and dropping out) and finally while watching it froze up my receiver and it had to be re-booted. Anyone else having continuing problems with this OTA signal?

I was having the problem before WHNS-DT had equipment problems. I was thinking about upgrading my antenna to see if that fixes the problem. I will check with my current but as I said I had problems before I would expect it will only be worse.

Yup ... I'm having the same problem. Seems to only be with HD content though, the SD stuff coming on OTA over 21.1 didn't pixelate. Perhaps someone should contact WHNS to see if they're still having problems.

-Derek
It appears that no one from WHNS is monitoring our forum these days. I'll try email.

jb

It appears that no one from WHNS is monitoring our forum these days. I'll try email.

jbI sent an email inquiry to:
jim.barnes@foxcarolina.com.,
and asked that a response be posted here.

Originally Posted by jerry birdwell
I sent an email inquiry to:
jim.barnes@foxcarolina.com.,
and asked that a response be posted here.
Thanks for looking out for us!!!

Looks like WHNS digital (21.1) went down again last night...every other channel looks fine.

Oh...I've sent email to that address at WHNS several times as well in regards to reception issues and have yet to receive any response. Hopefully you'll fare better than me.

Oh...I've sent email to that address at WHNS several times as well in regards to reception issues and have yet to receive any response. Hopefully you'll fare better than me.
So far...no.
I'll try the GM.

All:
Re WHNS DT -- I received this reply from Corporate:
<<quote>>
Neither Jerry Garvin nor Stan Crumley are at WHNS. Our Chief Engineer is Jim Barnes and the General Manager is Guy Hemple.
I have copied both on this reply and ask Jim to respond back to you.
<<end quote>>

13-1 had no sound this AM on GMA until they switched to SD from HD so they must have problems too.

Re WHNS, Jim Barnes advises he will review the recent comments here regarding WHNS DT.

I'd like to install a new roof antenna but the guy who did our last installation doesn't do that sort of thing any more... got too old for all that climbing. Does anyone have suggestions for someone in the Greenville / Spartanburg area who does it and might not mind driving down here?

I'd like to install a new roof antenna but the guy who did our last installation doesn't do that sort of thing any more... got too old for all that climbing. Does anyone have suggestions for someone in the Greenville / Spartanburg area who does it and might not mind driving down here?


give me the info on your house and what you are trying to accomplish ie large medium or small external - - two story downtown or country - i might be able to help you out with a quote
jason

email me and i will email my number

Re WHNS DT:
Here is the message I received in response to my email to WHNS:

<<quote>> If I overlooked you request for information during our recent outage, we were extremely busy getting our transmitter back on.
I apologize for missing your E-mail.
I attempted to answer everyone who contacted WHNS during our recent outage.
At this moment I was not aware of any problems WHNS was having until I received your E-mail today.
I was not aware of your local AVS form or how to access it. If you tell me how to contact you or your AVS form, I will help you with your problem(s) with WHNS's OTA HD signal. >>end quote

I sent our forum address. I am surprised we have no post from him here.

Anyone else getting WIS-10.1(41) nbc from Columbia lately. I only get the late news. 11-11:30pm. This is from off the side of a Radio Shack U-75R and CM7777 at a distance of 85 miles. This antenna is in fixed position to Charlotte. Also Fox-18.1(27) from Charlotte is better. Are the stations raising their power levels,new equipment,or some other reason anyone else can think of? Robby C - Spartanburg

I've not tried recently, but I do pick both stations up from Mauldin -- intermittently -- though my antenna is "buried" under the porch rail of a ground floor apartment. But, could skip be playing a part in this?

I waited 10 days to speak up. The signal for WIS leaves promptly after the news. I keep hoping that more stations on my fringe will go to full power for their digital signal. It's very nice to watch news from our state's capitol; and Charlotte ; and the Upstate. Robby C

I may be moving from the Charleston, SC area to the Clemson/Seneca area. I currently feed my Plasma and Sony HD DVR with a roof antenna and Time Warner basic cable (which does allow me to pick up a few HD channels via my digital tuners). I use Vonage over the high speed Time Warner cable down here.

a) how is OTA in the Clemson area?
b) what cableTV serves the area? Good HD lineup? Highspeed internet?
c) my Sony HD DVR gets the channel guide info OTA, does PBS or someone else broadcast that signal up there?

I did STFA for a bit but gave up. Any help would be appreciated......

I may be moving from the Charleston, SC area to the Clemson/Seneca area. I currently feed my Plasma and Sony HD DVR with a roof antenna and Time Warner basic cable (which does allow me to pick up a few HD channels via my digital tuners). I use Vonage over the high speed Time Warner cable down here.

a) how is OTA in the Clemson area?
b) what cableTV serves the area? Good HD lineup? Highspeed internet?
c) my Sony HD DVR gets the channel guide info OTA, does PBS or someone else broadcast that signal up there?

I did STFA for a bit but gave up. Any help would be appreciated......

There are several AVS members in that area, I'm sure one of them will be able to answer your questions soon. Also, for any other questions about the area, try out www.tigernet.com

Ha!
I have been visiting Tigernet.com DAILY for the past couple of years for my sports headlines. Not aware of area information at the site......

Just wanted to say Hello, my family and I moved here in May from Saint Louis MO to be closer to her family. My current set-up is a 27" Zenith HDTV Monitor(hopefully upgrading to a 37" or 42" LCD in a few months) Samsung surround system and Charter Moxi. One thing I do enjoy about Charter here is Starz HD, Saint Louis offered Cinemax but not Starz, nice addition, and now that I just got the Moxi 4.1 update I am pleased with their service, I know I am probably in the minority on that. Look forward to chatting with you guys. :D

Ha!
I have been visiting Tigernet.com DAILY for the past couple of years for my sports headlines. Not aware of area information at the site......
Well, you have to signup and go into the forum area. People will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Just wanted to say Hello, my family and I moved here in May from Saint Louis MO to be closer to her family. My current set-up is a 27" Zenith HDTV Monitor(hopefully upgrading to a 37" or 42" LCD in a few months) Samsung surround system and Charter Moxi. One thing I do enjoy about Charter here is Starz HD, Saint Louis offered Cinemax but not Starz, nice addition, and now that I just got the Moxi 4.1 update I am pleased with their service, I know I am probably in the minority on that. Look forward to chatting with you guys. :D
What did 4.1 give you?

The main enhancement is you can now hookup an external harddrive and download recorded programming thru the USB ports, also you now get a hard drive stats and storage meter to see how much space is left on the HD. Menu is much faster it seems, you can now set the amount of time the skip button will advance. A few new games, MOXi menu is more vibrant with more info on the guide, service message tab for those ppv updates etc......Much improvement over the old MOXi guide.

Well, you have to signup and go into the forum area. People will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Thanks! I will check it out.........

Maybe Willy K. can tell me about some nice neighborhoods to house hunt in. :p

The main enhancement is you can now hookup an external harddrive and download recorded programming thru the USB ports, also you now get a hard drive stats and storage meter to see how much space is left on the HD. Menu is much faster it seems, you can now set the amount of time the skip button will advance. A few new games, MOXi menu is more vibrant with more info on the guide, service message tab for those ppv updates etc......Much improvement over the old MOXi guide.
How do I check what version I'm running?

Just wanted to say Hello, my family and I moved here in May from Saint Louis MO to be closer to her family. My current set-up is a 27" Zenith HDTV Monitor(hopefully upgrading to a 37" or 42" LCD in a few months) Samsung surround system and Charter Moxi. One thing I do enjoy about Charter here is Starz HD, Saint Louis offered Cinemax but not Starz, nice addition, and now that I just got the Moxi 4.1 update I am pleased with their service, I know I am probably in the minority on that. Look forward to chatting with you guys. :D

We tried talking to a Charter Representative earlier today who tried to tell us they didn't offer a HD DVR! I was told that Charter offered the Moxi box. Your post makes me think the Charter rep didn't know what he was talking about. I am currently only receiving my signal through the TV cable input and have it going to my SD ReplayTV DVR, but I am already missing the fact that I can't record in HD! I have been to the Moxi site and it seems okay upon first glance, but I really don't have any options anyway.

Sorry for the rambling message, but I was excited to see that I should be able to get a HD DVR and that it's firmware is upgradable to increase its features.

Did you have to do anything special with Charter such as physically go to a location to speak to someone or did you just handle it over the phone or web?

Thanks.

Welcome all to the Upstate SC/Western North Carolina. Charter does have a HD DVR, and I can't believe someone from Charter told you that. I think you'll find some great people here with lots of answers. Just search through the forum and see if you can find the answer, and if not, post it.

OTA in Clemson, from my experience, can be very hit or miss. I know people who get WLOS (13-ABC) with little to no problem, while I cannot get the signal at all...ever.

I'm in the Central area and with an attic antenna I have little problems picking up WYFF (4-NBC), WHNS (21-FOX), WNTV (29-SC PBS), WMYA (40-MyNTV) and WYCW (62-CW). The only channel I really am missing is WLOS, and I think there's little hope of me getting it in my current location until they erect a new tower on Mt. Pisgah and can go full-power.

If you have a good roof-mounted solution and are near Lake Hartwell, you shouldn't have a problem picking up most if not all of these channels (including WLOS). I would strongly advise going with DirecTV, though (locals are available in HD now). Northland Cable is the main cable company for much of Central, Seneca, and Clemson and they are awful. The customer service isn't terrible, but if you want a DVR or the HD package, you will pay an arm and a leg for it when DirecTV offers more channels at a much lower cost (Northland's HD pack only includes like 3 local channels last I checked, no NBC or ABC). Charter is also available in the area and while many people in this forum have voiced displeasure over their customer service, their channel line-up is much better than Northland's.

If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.

You should just be able to call and ask for MOXi, when my wife called to get it installed they actually offered the MOXI instead of the regular HD box. As far as the version you will know if you have the update, in the About Moxi section you will see a new tab that says storage and stats, but also if you depress menu and the ok button on the box at the same time itself for a few seconds a diagnostic menu will come up and you can go thru it and see the version you are running.

We tried talking to a Charter Representative earlier today who tried to tell us they didn't offer a HD DVR! I was told that Charter offered the Moxi box. Your post makes me think the Charter rep didn't know what he was talking about. I...

Charter's offered the Moxi for years. Unfortunately a relatively large percentage of their customer-facing people are idiots. When I used their service before, I had to literally convince one of their counter people that they had digital set-top boxes that had s-video/optical outputs! Just come here to figure out what they have then give them a call and insist...

--Cross

Speaking of DVR's, the installer that was at my house a few weeks ago told me they have some type of new DVR they're offering starting July 1st. He didn't really know what was different about it except that they weren't supposed to start putting them in houses until the 1st. I'm just saving my pennies so I can get a Tivo Series 3. :)

It could have been the old Moxi with the new version of software that they are rolling out this month

Speaking of Moxi.....

I've been having trouble for quite some time with watching recorded HD content. About a third of the time there is so much blocking and stuttering of the picture that it's totally unwatchable. It only happens on HD content, and not every time. I had a Charter rep come out about a month ago and run "diagnostics" on it, and he proclaimed it OK. He said if it runs hot, that can cause the problems I'm having. He recommended puting it up on books or something to let it vent the heat (I did). Of course, it vents the heat from the rear, and is always hot as a firecracker. It is in a standalone unit, not in an enclosed area. Is anyone else having problems like this? We both work late, and DVR almost everything we watch, plus, I'm PAYING quite a bit for HD and DVR service, so I don't want to just tape SD material. The rep that came here said it was possible to change it out if the problems got worse, but he seemed really reluncant to do so.

Comments very welcome.

Is anyone else around Asheville experiencing deteriorating SD signals? The CNN signal for example is horrible right now (3:30pm 7/13).

Speaking of Moxi.....

I've been having trouble for quite some time with watching recorded HD content. About a third of the time there is so much blocking and stuttering of the picture that it's totally unwatchable. It only happens on HD content, and not every time. I had a Charter rep come out about a month ago and run "diagnostics" on it, and he proclaimed it OK. He said if it runs hot, that can cause the problems I'm having. He recommended puting it up on books or something to let it vent the heat (I did). Of course, it vents the heat from the rear, and is always hot as a firecracker. It is in a standalone unit, not in an enclosed area. Is anyone else having problems like this? We both work late, and DVR almost everything we watch, plus, I'm PAYING quite a bit for HD and DVR service, so I don't want to just tape SD material. The rep that came here said it was possible to change it out if the problems got worse, but he seemed really reluncant to do so.

Comments very welcome.
I get this from time to time, but from my understanding its from a weak signal. I'm on my second Moxi DVR, the first one just lost all SD sound, but HD sound was fine. The tech said that was the first time he'd seen anything like that.

My second one is already having issues. Sometimes when I come home from work it will just display a black screen. I have to reset it to get it back to normal operation.

Originally Posted by tommyp007
Speaking of Moxi.....

I've been having trouble for quite some time with watching recorded HD content. About a third of the time there is so much blocking and stuttering of the picture that it's totally unwatchable. It only happens on HD content, and not every time. I had a Charter rep come out about a month ago and run "diagnostics" on it, and he proclaimed it OK. He said if it runs hot, that can cause the problems I'm having. He recommended puting it up on books or something to let it vent the heat (I did). Of course, it vents the heat from the rear, and is always hot as a firecracker. It is in a standalone unit, not in an enclosed area. Is anyone else having problems like this? We both work late, and DVR almost everything we watch, plus, I'm PAYING quite a bit for HD and DVR service, so I don't want to just tape SD material. The rep that came here said it was possible to change it out if the problems got worse, but he seemed really reluncant to do so.

Comments very welcome.
I always have the same problems with Charter as well...never know what you're going to get when it comes to their HD programming. I've had many, many issues with their HD PPV. Same issues you guys have described here, picture is pixelated and stutters. I've given up trying to deal with them. On my 2nd box as well. All of their Customer Service is outsourced to other countries and they have no idea what is going on in our local area as far as signal strengths, etc. Charter sucks and that's all I can say about that!!!

I gave up on Charter in 1999 because of poor/nonexistent customer service. I see nothing has changed in 8 years.

Rain Shield Rain-fade Solution Protective
Spray For Satellite Dishes
This Product On Solid Signal Web Site,and Says Will Help With Doing Away With
Rain-fade.any One Ever Use This Product ,will It Work?
What Would Be The Difference Between This Product And Good Old Rain-x?
Rain Sheild-22.99 Plus Shipping 6.95 Total 29.94 For 5 Oz Can
Rain-x 6.95 At Advance Auto 12 Oz Bottle

Rain Shield Rain-fade Solution Protective
Spray For Satellite Dishes
This Product On Solid Signal Web Site,and Says Will Help With Doing Away With
Rain-fade.any One Ever Use This Product ,will It Work?
What Would Be The Difference Between This Product And Good Old Rain-x?
Rain Sheild-22.99 Plus Shipping 6.95 Total 29.94 For 5 Oz Can
Rain-x 6.95 At Advance Auto 12 Oz Bottle


This sounds like BS to me. If you are having a problem with rain fade IMO it would be better to have your alignment checked than buy this product.

Seems like car wax would work. Will rain x hurt the painted surface? Your just trying to get the drops to run off the dish I think.

Just ordered HD DVR from Charter in Spartanburg to be installed next week. I asked the service rep what make/model dvr I would get and of course she didn't know. Are they still using Moxi or is there any chance I'd get something else? I've heard good things about the Moxi box and would be happy with one of those -- just want to make sure I won't get stuck with some off-brand p.o.s. Thanks for the replies!

This sounds like BS to me. If you are having a problem with rain fade IMO it would be better to have your alignment checked than buy this product.
Here a couple of links that discuss this product.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/fta-mpeg2-equipment-reviews/33137-rain-shield.html

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/83570-kings-rain-shield.html

This sounds like BS to me. If you are having a problem with rain fade IMO it would be better to have your alignment checked than buy this product.

No i do not have alignment problems.
I am just like a lot of people i see on this site, and other sites that have a few
problems when it rains.
Signal is great when rain clouds are not around,and has to be real bad for signal
to go away.
They(solid signal) say if that rain,snow,ice,and,etc rolls off that dish quickly,it will
help with the so call rain-fade effect.
Now that might sound like BS to you,but if it helps the so call rain-fade effect
what could it hurt.

I just installed a Channel Master 4228 on a 5' mast connected to a CM 7777 pre-amp in my townhouse's limited attic and am finally able to receive WLOS-DT. It is not the strongest signal, but it is there. The antenna is VERY directional and aiming it for WLOS is very difficult. No WUNF, but that did not bother me as much as not having ABC at all OTA.

Now that might sound like BS to you,but if it helps the so call rain-fade effect
what could it hurt.

This IS BS. Rain fade is when a cloud or rain is so dense it will block the extremely short Ku/Ka signals. What you use to overcome rain fade is larger dishes and even then you will still have some sort of rain fade at times. Coating your dish will not help if the signal never gets to it in the first place and that is what rain fade is. It is a barrier of water/water molecules in the sky that blocks the signal.

The only thing it MIGHT and I mean MIGHT do is when you have ice, it will help keep ice from building up on your dish as bad for a short while. Beyond that, you are wasting your money.

Just ordered HD DVR from Charter in Spartanburg to be installed next week. I asked the service rep what make/model dvr I would get and of course she didn't know. Are they still using Moxi or is there any chance I'd get something else? I've heard good things about the Moxi box and would be happy with one of those -- just want to make sure I won't get stuck with some off-brand p.o.s. Thanks for the replies!

More than likely you will get the Motorola with the Moxi software. It's kind of a crap shoot though. I think its just up to what the installer has on his truck.

With my CM 4228 + CM 7777 I found that I get WBTV-DT (CBS/Charlotte) and WGGS-DT (Religion/Greenville) perfectly now (at least 5/8 bars). WLOS-DT is still a tad shaky and I hope to better aim the antenna tomorrow, but it was watchable. I was really surprised to pick up WBTV so well, that was a really pleasant surprise.

Unbelievable. I swung the antenna to the southwest and am getting WRDW (CBS-DT Augusta) and WJBF (ABC-DT Augusta). WJBF is coming in far clearer than WLOS ever did. I don't know if it is just good atmospheric conditions or what, but I love WJBF, WLOS can't hold a candle to it.

Yes, atmospheric conditions are very favorable tonight! From Augusta I can get WRDW-12, WJBF-6 and WAGT-26, all of which show up only occasionally here. From Charlotte I can get WCCB-18 and WSOC-9 which are irregular visitors at night; and WUNG-58 and WAXN-64 which are rather scarce; and even WTVI-42, I think for about the third or fourth time ever during the last two years. I can also see WUNE-17 from Linville NC, which I've seen only a handful of times.

(I can get the other Charlotte stations pretty reliably: WBTV-3, WCNC-36, WJZY-46 and WMYT-55. WBTV comes in the strongest.)

To top it off, this morning I saw the digital version of WXII-12 from Winston-Salem (150 miles!) for the first time.

I just did another channel scan and am picking up stations from all over, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Columbia, Augusta, Atlanta, but yet WLOS is still weak! I'm going to see how my current antenna aim works, but I aimed it for WJBF, as I'm still able to get all the Greenville stations (WYFF, WSPA, WHNS, WMYA, WYCW) no matter which way I orient the antenna and am actually getting WNEH MUCH better than WNTV (the antenna is pointed more that way and WNEG is UHF.

I hope it isn't just crazy atmospheric conditions giving me WJBF, I'm from Aiken, so having local news in Clemson is nice and WJBF is the best ABC affiliate anywhere around here (in my experience...WLOS loses a lot of points in my book for being behind Table Rock for me and for the awful Sinclair rebroadcasting hold-up with cable companies).

No i do not have alignment problems.
I am just like a lot of people i see on this site, and other sites that have a few
problems when it rains.
Signal is great when rain clouds are not around,and has to be real bad for signal
to go away.
They(solid signal) say if that rain,snow,ice,and,etc rolls off that dish quickly,it will
help with the so call rain-fade effect.
Now that might sound like BS to you,but if it helps the so call rain-fade effect
what could it hurt.
I have never had a rain fade problem start with rain falling on the dish...always it is falling between my location and the satellite. It sometimes moves into my immediate area, but I find drops falling on the dish make little difference! Put the question to any qualified RF expert...that's BS you are reading.
Just as rain reflects on the WX radar, it affects the transmission of the signal from the Satellite. I can give you the name of a brand of heavily advertised antenna that also will promise you less rain fade.

Unbelievable. I swung the antenna to the southwest and am getting WRDW (CBS-DT Augusta) and WJBF (ABC-DT Augusta). WJBF is coming in far clearer than WLOS ever did. I don't know if it is just good atmospheric conditions or what, but I love WJBF, WLOS can't hold a candle to it.
Without some indication of your location, your post means little to me.

Without some indication of your location, your post means little to me.


It says in his post that he is from Aiken.

"From Aiken" is not necessarily "in Aiken."

"From Aiken" is not necessarily "in Aiken."

Re-reading his post leads me to believe he is from Aiken but living in Clemson.

I figured that my previous posts would have been recognized/remembered, but I'm from Aiken, current living in Central/Clemson.

Is anyone else picking up an iNDemand HD PPV channel on 72.1 OTA? It wasn't there before.