Re HR20 receiver, I think I will start comments here. My receiver has locked up and re-boot, reset solved nothing. However, overnight unplugged resulted in working ok for two days. Then it turned off; and the power light would only flash a couple of times then nothing. Worked ok after a day unplugged. Tec support said it probably will continue that way. D* is replacing with re-furbished unit. Any comments/suggestions?

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

I haven't tried, but I sure hope it's there for the next UFC fight!

Before I switched to Dish, my HR20 did the same thing. The refurb arrived the next day after I called and worked fine until I cancelled. Good luck.

Quick question...does Fox have an HD channel in the area? I see antennaweb has one listed in Asheville...was wondering if Charter carried it. Thanks!

Quick question...does Fox have an HD channel in the area? I see antennaweb has one listed in Asheville...was wondering if Charter carried it. Thanks!All of the local network affiliates are broadcasting in HD. WHNS' high-def channel is on Charter on channel 786.

(Charter also carries NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS in high-def. You can only get MyNetworkTV and The CW in HD over the air.)

I am moving back to the upstate!
I will be living just outside the city limits of Anderson (N.East, not far from I-85). Anyway, my questions for the Anderson crowd:

a) Charter any good?
b) what 'free' HD channels can I get with my QAM tuner?
c) do they have a HD DVR and should I spend the money on it?
d) I already have a SONY HD DVR but it needs TVGOS/Gemstar.... is that signal getting to Anderson?
e) if I get a roof or attic antenna, can I count on good HD OTA? Or should I rely on Charter?

Thanks in advance! Go Tigers! :)

You'll be off of Hwy 81, I assume?

OTA in that area is pretty good according to my colleagues at work (one of whom lives in Brookstone Meadows, right next to Hwy 81 and I-85). Expect to get WYFF-DT (NBC), WSPA-DT (CBS), WLOS-DT (ABC), WHNS-DT (FOX), WMYA-DT (MyNetworkTV), WYCW-DT (CW), and WNTV-DT or WNEH-DT (SCETV-PBS) with an outdoor antenna. An indoor antenna will likely yield most of those channels except PBS (WNTV is on VHF Channel 9 and many indoor antennas have some trouble picking up VHF).

Your best bet for picking up OTA is to put up a Channel Master 4228 hooked to a Channel Master 7777 pre-amp. That's a pretty powerful combo. Both are available locally from Lowe's (last time I checked) or from online retailers like SolidSignal. I have that combo in an attic in a townhouse in Central, SC in a LARGE apartment complex (several hundred units). I have no bad multipath problems and with that combo I can pull in Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta stations at night. You may not need the pre-amp, but it may be easier to just go ahead and install it and be sure you won't have to worry about it in the future.

As far as Charter and QAM, I can't speak for everyone else, but I hear a lot of complaints about Charter's customer service. I have Northland Cable in Central, and they are just awful (I'm getting DirecTV here soon...finally got the landlords to come around on how bad Northland is). I think Charter has good HD offerings but poor support and customer service. I'm pretty sure you will pick up WYFF, WSPA, WLOS, and WHNS (NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX) with a QAM tuner on Charter. I don't think they have MyNetworkTV or the CW right now, and I'm unsure about the PBS HD feed and the SC Channel (subchannels -2 and -3 on SCETV stations), they should have SCETV on regular cable. They do have an HD DVR, but again, I don't know what exactly they offer. I've read a lot of talk about Moxi boxes and I think Motorola 6412s (at least I know that's what Northland offered...garbage compared to TiVo).

Re HR20 receiver, I think I will start comments here. My receiver has locked up and re-boot, reset solved nothing. However, overnight unplugged resulted in working ok for two days. Then it turned off; and the power light would only flash a couple of times then nothing. Worked ok after a day unplugged. Tec support said it probably will continue that way. D* is replacing with re-furbished unit. Any comments/suggestions?
FOLLOWUP--the refurbished unit was a hr20-700, without coax dt audio, replacing a hr20-100. For switching purposes, I need both RF and Optical DT audio. The replacement was some six months older.

A couple of days ago I was flipping channels and noticed that Fox was broadcasting a show on 21-2. I even watched it for a while (actually my kids did). However they have since gone back to broadcasting the local radar on 21-2.

Did Fox simply make a mistake or are they broadcasting shows on 21-2 sometimes?

Just curious if anyone has the answer.

Hey, thanks for the details!

Does anyone use Germstar/TVGOS for program guides in ANDERSON, SC?
Does PBS broadcast it OTA? Or, does Charter let it piggy back the signal on their cable signal?


You'll be off of Hwy 81, I assume?

OTA in that area is pretty good according to my colleagues at work (one of whom lives in Brookstone Meadows, right next to Hwy 81 and I-85). Expect to get WYFF-DT (NBC), WSPA-DT (CBS), WLOS-DT (ABC), WHNS-DT (FOX), WMYA-DT (MyNetworkTV), WYCW-DT (CW), and WNTV-DT or WNEH-DT (SCETV-PBS) with an outdoor antenna. An indoor antenna will likely yield most of those channels except PBS (WNTV is on VHF Channel 9 and many indoor antennas have some trouble picking up VHF).

Your best bet for picking up OTA is to put up a Channel Master 4228 hooked to a Channel Master 7777 pre-amp. That's a pretty powerful combo. Both are available locally from Lowe's (last time I checked) or from online retailers like SolidSignal. I have that combo in an attic in a townhouse in Central, SC in a LARGE apartment complex (several hundred units). I have no bad multipath problems and with that combo I can pull in Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta stations at night. You may not need the pre-amp, but it may be easier to just go ahead and install it and be sure you won't have to worry about it in the future.

As far as Charter and QAM, I can't speak for everyone else, but I hear a lot of complaints about Charter's customer service. I have Northland Cable in Central, and they are just awful (I'm getting DirecTV here soon...finally got the landlords to come around on how bad Northland is). I think Charter has good HD offerings but poor support and customer service. I'm pretty sure you will pick up WYFF, WSPA, WLOS, and WHNS (NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX) with a QAM tuner on Charter. I don't think they have MyNetworkTV or the CW right now, and I'm unsure about the PBS HD feed and the SC Channel (subchannels -2 and -3 on SCETV stations), they should have SCETV on regular cable. They do have an HD DVR, but again, I don't know what exactly they offer. I've read a lot of talk about Moxi boxes and I think Motorola 6412s (at least I know that's what Northland offered...garbage compared to TiVo).

FOLLOWUP--the refurbished unit was a hr20-700, without coax dt audio, replacing a hr20-100. For switching purposes, I need both RF and Optical DT audio. The replacement was some six months older.

FWIW, I've never had a problem with my hr20-700, so hopefully, it will work better for you. Unfortunately, as you know, you're out of luck with the coax audio. Both the 100 and 700 have new software updates to come in the next few days which should improve stability among other things. This forum (http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118) has a lot of good info about the hr20.

Hey, thanks for the details!

Does anyone use Germstar/TVGOS for program guides in ANDERSON, SC?
Does PBS broadcast it OTA? Or, does Charter let it piggy back the signal on their cable signal?

I'm in the Greenville market, and TVGOS works fine for me OTA and over cable. It's not really a piggy back, as I understand it. PBS embeds the data in it's normal analog signal in the blanks between frames. Cable passes it right thru unchanged.

A couple of days ago I was flipping channels and noticed that Fox was broadcasting a show on 21-2. I even watched it for a while (actually my kids did). However they have since gone back to broadcasting the local radar on 21-2.

Did Fox simply make a mistake or are they broadcasting shows on 21-2 sometimes?

Just curious if anyone has the answer.

I noticed a kids' show on 21-2 last weekend. Maybe they're fulfilling some sort of FCC requirement for educational programming?

-C

Does anyone use Germstar/TVGOS for program guides in ANDERSON, SC?
Does PBS broadcast it OTA? Or, does Charter let it piggy back the signal on their cable signal?

I have the Sony HD DVR also, two of them in fact. Down here in Clinton my TVGOS data comes from the analog PBS/SCETV channel in Greenville (WNTV-29). I think it's a safe bet that people in Anderson get it from the same station, whether via OTA broadcast or cable.

When we had the big ice storm a couple of winters ago, WNTV was down for several days, and when we got our power back here, my Sonys latched onto UNC-TV (WUNF-33) in Asheville for TVGOS data.

THANK YOU mdavej and jtbell!!!!!
(FYI, TV Guide/TVGOS/Gemstar is up for sale. Hopefully we are not S.O.L.)

Is 13.1 missing in action tonight? All other channels very strong.

It has been for me for a couple days via antenna.

Saw this in the State this a.m.:

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/134301.html

"AT&T Inc. said today it plans to invest $250 million over the next several years in network upgrades in South Carolina to provide a TV service that will compete with cable and satellite.

The phone company offered no start date or pricing for TV service that it calls U-Verse. An AT&T executive in Raleigh, N.C., yesterday said service could start by the end of the year."

I assume they will hit GSP, Chas, Cola, and the Charlotte 'burbs first.

HD lineup is here:

http://www.att.com/gen/sites/iptv?pid=8695

Saw this in the State this a.m.:

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/134301.html

"AT&T Inc. said today it plans to invest $250 million over the next several years in network upgrades in South Carolina to provide a TV service that will compete with cable and satellite.

The phone company offered no start date or pricing for TV service that it calls U-Verse. An AT&T executive in Raleigh, N.C., yesterday said service could start by the end of the year."

I assume they will hit GSP, Chas, Cola, and the Charlotte 'burbs first.

This is EXCELLENT news! Even if doesn't cause me to switch, which it might, it will at least provide more competition to Charter so they'll feel the need to lower prices.

If they are rolling out this, can we also expect them to be rolling out FIOS Internet?

FIOS is Verizon's equivalent offering. AT&T U-Verse is slightly different in terms of network architecture, fiber to local node as opposed to fiber to the home, but the basic idea is the same: delivering video and data via high capacity fiber optic lines.

AT&T isn't pushing the voice part yet for reasons that should be obvious.

Looks like they are offering up to 6mb data, which isn't all that impressive given that Charter offers up to 10mb, even if they don't advertise it well.

The website lists the following as being their top level package:

Over 300 channels including The Movie Package, HBO®, Cinemax®, and Sports.
3 HD-ready receivers - one with DVR - at no additional cost.
High Speed Internet Pro with wireless home networking capability.

For $120, that's a pretty good deal, one that kills cable in terms of HD offerings.

The real thing I'm excited about is the possibility of full resolution, full bitrate hd.

That's definitely better than the deal I get with Charter right now, with only 5MB Internet, so I'd be interested in switching.

FIOS is Verizon's equivalent offering. AT&T U-Verse is slightly different in terms of network architecture, fiber to local node as opposed to fiber to the home, but the basic idea is the same: delivering video and data via high capacity fiber optic lines.

AT&T isn't pushing the voice part yet for reasons that should be obvious.

Looks like they are offering up to 6mb data, which isn't all that impressive given that Charter offers up to 10mb, even if they don't advertise it well.

The website lists the following as being their top level package:

Over 300 channels including The Movie Package, HBO®, Cinemax®, and Sports.
3 HD-ready receivers - one with DVR - at no additional cost.
High Speed Internet Pro with wireless home networking capability.

For $120, that's a pretty good deal, one that kills cable in terms of HD offerings.

The real thing I'm excited about is the possibility of full resolution, full bitrate hd.
I wonder how long it will take for Verizon to announce their entry into the Carolinas with FIOS. Since AT&T isn't in Weavervegas, Verizon is the only hope for the terrain challenged here.

Has anyone here had any experiences w/ Charter and their Cable Cards? I'm thinking about getting one of the Tivo HD Lite units that was just announced, and it runs on a cable card. I was curious what the price was, etc for the cable cards.

Has anyone here had any experiences w/ Charter and their Cable Cards? I'm thinking about getting one of the Tivo HD Lite units that was just announced, and it runs on a cable card. I was curious what the price was, etc for the cable cards.

I haven't personally had any experiences but there are lots of stories over at www.tivocommunity.com

I haven't personally had any experiences but there are lots of stories over at www.tivocommunity.com

Thanks, but I know about TiVo, I was looking more for someone here who has a cable card from Charter who could tell me if it works as well as the tuner boxes (or better), and what their fees are for them.

Thanks, but I know about TiVo, I was looking more for someone here who has a cable card from Charter who could tell me if it works as well as the tuner boxes (or better), and what their fees are for them.

I knew what ya meant, that's why I offered the link to Tivocommunity. There's a whole Charter thread over there dealing with the cable card issue. Look in the Series 3 forum over there.

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH ESPN2 HD ON CHARTER???!!
It sounds like Porky Pig, what with the incessant stuttering audio....

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH ESPN2 HD ON CHARTER???!!
It sounds like Porky Pig, what with the incessant stuttering audio....
I haven't noticed it, but yet, I hardly ever watch it considering in the 3 months or so I've had an HDTV, I've yet to see a program on ESPN2 actually be broadcast in HD!

I haven't noticed it, but yet, I hardly ever watch it considering in the 3 months or so I've had an HDTV, I've yet to see a program on ESPN2 actually be broadcast in HD!
I watched the Indy Race "Rain Delay" yesterday (which wasn't in HD) and didn't notice the stuttering audio. From what I can tell from watching either HD or non-HD programs on ESPN2 HD, I haven't had it happen yet.

All: here is a DirecTV quote in a news article today that should be of interest to D* owners:

No New HD on DIRECTV/TiVo STB
Late last week, DIRECTV confirmed that its co-branded set-top box with TiVo will not be able to display the company's new slate of high-definition channels. Once the company begins launching its expanded HD channel offering, DIRECTV said its DIRECTV/TiVo HD DVR (HR 10-250) won't show the new programming content.

Beginning next month, DIRECTV will begin airing several new high-def channels, but will be using the MPEG-4 transmission system which is incompatible with the HR 10-250. According to TVPredictions.com, DIRECTV said the new channels will be available only on its MPEG-4 STBs like the H20, HR20 and HR21, and the Ka/Ku band dishes.

Anyone else notice stuttering audio and video on the satellite feed of WLOS-DT from D*? It only seems to affect HD content. I've tried opening an incident with D* without much success. Maybe if they get a few complaints about this they'll pay attention.

I'm watching on an HR20-700.

-Cross

Anyone else notice stuttering audio and video on the satellite feed of WLOS-DT from D*? It only seems to affect HD content. I've tried opening an incident with D* without much success. Maybe if they get a few complaints about this they'll pay attention.

I'm watching on an HR20-700.

-Cross
I have been watching WLOS for the past 15 or so minutes. Audio has been ok, but last couple of minutes the picture has pixelized (with audio continuing ok). Could be related to your observation. I am using HR20-100.

I have posted the following message on the COAT website, and urge all concerned with captions to do likewise:

As a retired television broadcast executive, and now with a hearing deficiency, I am very unhappy with the lack of concern with captions during the industry's transistion into the digital era. My local stations, especially Fox and ABC, have been very lax in passing on the network captioned programs, frequently using a technique that delays the captions. Captions that are 8 to 12 seconds delayed for many programs are more of a problem than no captions at all. Discussions with the stations personnel are most discouraging and show a total lack of concern, especially among the engineering staffs.

I have posted the following message on the COAT website, and urge all concerned with captions to do likewise:

As a retired television broadcast executive, and now with a hearing deficiency, I am very unhappy with the lack of concern with captions during the industry's transistion into the digital era. My local stations, especially Fox and ABC, have been very lax in passing on the network captioned programs, frequently using a technique that delays the captions. Captions that are 8 to 12 seconds delayed for many programs are more of a problem than no captions at all. Discussions with the stations personnel are most discouraging and show a total lack of concern, especially among the engineering staffs.

It goes much further than captions, Jerry. Lousy control of audio levels, sloppy (apparently manual) switching to/from network HD feeds, forgetting to switch all together, switching from HD to SD in the program, SD-Only character generators requiring format changes to do weather alerts, WYFF constantly referring to their Weather Radar as HD while transmitting SD, audio/video sync problems, breakup of digital signals - - - the list goes on and on!!

It's hard to believe that this system is now more than 10 years old, the end of Over-the-Air analog is in sight, and the broadcasters are still treating DTV as the poor stepchild of the industry. It's too bad the engineers are no longer in control!

I never thought I would see the day that the "cable channels" would surpass the broadcasters, but a look at Discovery HD seems to indicate that this may well be the case.

You have my sympathies...

Richard

It goes much further than captions, Jerry. Lousy control of audio levels, sloppy (apparently manual) switching to/from network HD feeds, forgetting to switch all together, switching from HD to SD in the program, SD-Only character generators requiring format changes to do weather alerts, WYFF constantly referring to their Weather Radar as HD while transmitting SD, audio/video sync problems, breakup of digital signals - - - the list goes on and on!!

It's hard to believe that this system is now more than 10 years old, the end of Over-the-Air analog is in sight, and the broadcasters are still treating DTV as the poor stepchild of the industry. It's too bad the engineers are no longer in control!

I never thought I would see the day that the "cable channels" would surpass the broadcasters, but a look at Discovery HD seems to indicate that this may well be the case.

You have my sympathies...


I haven't weighed in lately, but I can't pass up this opportunity to add my 2 cents worth to this discussion. I've known Richard for some time and since he was once "one of us" he understands how the business works (or doesn't work) and he does have some valid points.

DTV is not the primary source of viewers or revenue so it doesn't have first priority. Does this justify not doing it well? Certainly not! It just explains the reality of the state of the industry at this point in time. HDTV is a totally different format and converting to HD is not easy or inexpensive. It requires replacing EVERYTHING to do real HD television. As we move closer to the transition, the local DTV product will improve. But the move to HD is more involved (and more expensive) than any other transition television broadcasting has ever done. So there are bound to be bumps in the road.

We have had our own issues with HD switching as all the stations have. And yes, it is partially manual. But until NBC feeds all their shows in HD or at least upconverts them so the HD network feed is a complete mirror of the SD feed, then we are forced to locally upconvert some network programming and thus the possibility of human error. Another issue is the fact that NBC does not caption HD programming at all. We must take the SD captions and transfer them to the DTV programming locally. It works, but obviously is not ideal and presents issues.

I know how irritating switching from HD to upconverted SD in the middle of a show is and we minimize that as much as possible. But funding is simply not available to duplicate everything in HD yet so there are compromises.

There always has been and always will be signal issues with over-the-air broadcasting. All we can do is radiate the best signal possible. The end user is responsible for reception after that. And as we should all know by now, location is critical. I am a 100% off-air HD viewer. The only local station I don't receive at my home is WSPA due to terrain blockage. Everything else is rock solid. So if your experience differs, it that the station's fault? I'd love to double my power to fix some issues, but I'm afraid the FCC wouldn't go along with that idea.

As for Live Super Doppler 4 "HD", this has nothing to do with HDTV and is simply a marketing strategy. I understand how this could be considered misleading.

As I said earlier, it will get better. It's just going to take some time.

Doug
WYFF4

As for Live Super Doppler 4 "HD", this has nothing to do with HDTV and is simply a marketing strategy. I understand how this could be considered misleading.

As I said earlier, it will get better. It's just going to take some time.

Doug
WYFF4

First of all, let me say that my comments were not intended to be an attack on the technical proficiency of the staff at the stations concerned. I simply meant to point out that the engineers do not have the control they used to have with regard to the systems used.

As for the "HD" reference, I understand that this is a marketing ploy, but it is nevertheless inconsistent with the industry. The Consumers Electronics Society, in an effort to clarify the terminology, established the terms Standard Definition, Enhanced Definition, and High Definition, and the technical specifications that accompanied each of these.

It was my understanding that the Broadcasters had a say in this, and it was intended that the consumers would benefit from a consistent set of definitions. For a station, network, promoter, or advertiser to use these terms in a manner inconsistent with these standards does nothing except to add to the confusion among the consumers, and further slow the development of the industry. (Doug, perhaps you could find a way to pass this opinion on to your management).

As for the DTV signal being the main source of revenue, this may never be the case. With the Cable and Satellite providers not being required to carry DTV, the majority of viewers will only make the conversion when the benefits of High Definition become important to them, and if the providers continue to degrade the service (and don't even get me started on picture quality vs reduced data rate) the consumers will continue to have an indifferent attitude.

Finally, with regard to the cost of converting a station to HDTV, I realize that it is expensive, and once again, the engineers do not drive the budget. I might dispute, however the statement that it is the most expensive transition, since I expect the conversion to Color (adjusted for inflation) was higher. Anyone remember the cost of a color camera or VTR back then? I do acknowledge, however, that at that time the competition was just two or three stations, and not hundreds.

(kicks soapbox to the curb...)

Richard

Doug, Comments (and enlightenment) from the stations is always welcome! But I totally agree with rchalk regarding other issues. My comments and message posted on COAT was based on the subject under discussion, and which just happened to be a current pet peeve of mine. Put on a good set of ear plugs and try enjoying an otherwise good drama with 10 to 12 second caption delay. T'aint fair Magee!
But truly, the variation in audio volume has been addressed by me in both phone calls and correspondence with both the stations and members of the FCC for sometime. While progress has been made in some markets, this area remains the "pits."
Over the years in station management I have assumed direct responsibility for the "viewing and listening comfort level of some 25 different stations and it always proved to be valuable in building the stations' acceptance. I would not tolerate some of the things I witness today. My efforts took place in some very competitive markets, from Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Virginia Beach, Miami and in this hyphenate market. I have wrestled with the cost of new technology from gyrostablized helicopter cameras, color cameras and 2" video tape and the developing cable and satellite industries. Yet, without question, the public plays a major role in the successful transistion and growth of the TV industry. And the early investors have proven to have long memories. No wonder the local broadcasters continue to lose share. Too often corporate management either has lost contact with local viewers or never understood its importance in the first place. Yes, I understand priorities but I also understand critical issues of growth and development...and 2009 is not far off. Several of the local stations can do better and they should!

Hey guys, I want this list, but gwbynum's email below isn't working. Any have it? If so, please send to clemsonkev AT yahoo DOT com

thanks.......

Not that I know. 77.2, WLOS; 103.1, WYFF; 103.2, WSPA; 103.3, PBS; 104.1, FOX.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.Free on-demand?Mirrors my experience.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.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.

Hey guys, I want this list, but gwbynum's email below isn't working. Any have it? If so, please send to clemsonkev AT yahoo DOT com

thanks.......That is good, don't understand problem. I sent you the list at the given address. I check the spam folder regularly; they hold for 30 days; nothing from you there. Please don't publish the address from which you get the Excel file.

George

First of all, let me say that my comments were not intended to be an attack on the technical proficiency of the staff at the stations concerned. I simply meant to point out that the engineers do not have the control they used to have with regard to the systems used.


Richard, No offense taken. I enjoy a good healthy discussion.

There are some of us who totally agree with your point of the use of "HD", but that was a battle we lost. I will pass along your comments to upper management.

Although I've been in the business for quite a while, I don't go back to the days of the transition to color. But the move to color did not require replacing your transmitter or adding a second transmission facility. You and I both know that transmitters aren't cheap, and I'm in the process of purchasing my second digital transmitter so I can have an over-the-air signal on 2/18/09. I think the millions of dollars spent on digital transmission makes this more costly than the transition to color. But I could be wrong.

Jerry, I don't disagree with anything you have said. Closed captions are not optional for the broadcaster and you are absolutely correct that a 10-12 second delay is excessive. (I don't believe that's the case with WYFF.) My point was that the networks are part of the problem and need to be part of the solution. We are not completely the masters of our own fate in that regard.

As for audio levels, you know this is an ongoing problem for both broadcasters and viewers and the move to digital has not provided any solutions. Adjusting audio levels becomes even more difficult in the digital world with the move to embedded audio. So it's critical that the audio is correct at the source since there may be little or no chance to correct it further down the transmission path. There is plenty of blame to go around and the networks have issues with audio levels just as we do, but the local station is the one who usually gets the blame. Commercial producers that highly compress the audio in their spots makes our job harder too and many viewers find them objectionable. But once the audio is compressed, there is nothing we can do to change that. I regularly remind our operators to observe audio levels.

Doug

Richard, No offense taken. I enjoy a good healthy discussion.

There are some of us who totally agree with your point of the use of "HD", but that was a battle we lost. I will pass along your comments to upper management.

Although I've been in the business for quite a while, I don't go back to the days of the transition to color. But the move to color did not require replacing your transmitter or adding a second transmission facility. You and I both know that transmitters aren't cheap, and I'm in the process of purchasing my second digital transmitter so I can have an over-the-air signal on 2/18/09. I think the millions of dollars spent on digital transmission makes this more costly than the transition to color. But I could be wrong.

Doug

Since the transition to color was so long ago, my memory may be a little fuzzy, but I seem to recall that a TK-42 color camera was something like $300K when they first came out, and a Vr2000 VTR was about $250K. I think, if you take inflation into account, you can buy a pretty big transmitter for what those items cost.

I remember when I was selling RCA products in Western Canada, that I had an engineer complaining about the high cost of a replacement 50 KW Low-band transmitter, which was about $300K in 1978. I asked him (since I knew he was a meticulous record-keeper) to find the invoice for the GE transmitter they had bought in about 1954, and believe it or not, it was actually higher than the new one, and that was after 24 years!!

It seems to me that the same size transmitter, when we introduced all solid-state, was not too much more than that, and when was that, 1995?

Expectations get lowered, and we forget what these items used to cost.

Since the transition to color was so long ago, my memory may be a little fuzzy, but I seem to recall that a TK-42 color camera was something like $300K when they first came out, and a Vr2000 VTR was about $250K. I think, if you take inflation into account, you can buy a pretty big transmitter for what those items cost.

I remember when I was selling RCA products in Western Canada, that I had an engineer complaining about the high cost of a replacement 50 KW Low-band transmitter, which was about $300K in 1978. I asked him (since I knew he was a meticulous record-keeper) to find the invoice for the GE transmitter they had bought in about 1954, and believe it or not, it was actually higher than the new one, and that was after 24 years!!

It seems to me that the same size transmitter, when we introduced all solid-state, was not too much more than that, and when was that, 1995?

Expectations get lowered, and we forget what these items used to cost.

Richard,

There's no question that the cost of equipment has come down and the cost, adjusted for inflation, is better. But it's still expensive and budgets haven't grown much over the years. We'll get it done, but not as fast as any of us would like.

Doug

Has anyone noticed that WYFF DT keeps switching between SD and HD during the Tonight Show? They have done this all week and it is quite irritating. Is it that hard to choose one or the other?

I had put this up on Craigslist, but if anyone of you guys want it, it's yours for 25 bucks (knocking 20 off, just mention AVS forums when you email me).......

http://greenville.craigslist.org/hsh/400432366.html

thanks, Kevin
clemsonkev AT yahoo DOT com

So, I have HD programming through Charter with a MOXI box...has anyone else noticed that during the NFL games (and other sports) there are moments of bad pixelation...nothing too major. It seems to only happen for a quick second or so, especially during quick movement sequences on the field. The picture becomes blurry and pixelated for a split second. I've noticed this both on CBS and on NBC's programming. Is this an equipment (TV/Cable Box) or a broadcast issue? Would love to hear if anyone else is experiencing the same issue. I'm wondering if it is on the side of the major networks or ours here locally. Any insight is greatly appreciated!!!

So, I have HD programming through Charter with a MOXI box...has anyone else noticed that during the NFL games (and other sports) there are moments of bad pixelation...nothing too major. It seems to only happen for a quick second or so, especially during quick movement sequences on the field. The picture becomes blurry and pixelated for a split second. I've noticed this both on CBS and on NBC's programming. Is this an equipment (TV/Cable Box) or a broadcast issue? Would love to hear if anyone else is experiencing the same issue. I'm wondering if it is on the side of the major networks or ours here locally. Any insight is greatly appreciated!!!It has to be a broadcast issue since I'm with D* and have experienced the same thing on CBS and NBC. I will say that NBC's picture looks tremendously better than CBS, and the pixelation doesn't happen as often as it does on CBS. There is virtually no pixelation or blur on games aired on NFLN-HD.

I'm chalking this one up to broadcast issues, since it's seen on both Charter and D*.

It has to be a broadcast issue since I'm with D* and have experienced the same thing on CBS and NBC. I will say that NBC's picture looks tremendously better than CBS, and the pixelation doesn't happen as often as it does on CBS. There is virtually no pixelation or blur on games aired on NFLN-HD.

I'm chalking this one up to broadcast issues, since it's seen on both Charter and D*.

Regarding Broadcast issues, I suggest you read this post from a station executive:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=7407

Regarding Broadcast issues, I suggest you read this post from a station executive:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=7407

The url you posted is not valid.

So, I have HD programming through Charter with a MOXI box...has anyone else noticed that during the NFL games (and other sports) there are moments of bad pixelation...nothing too major. It seems to only happen for a quick second or so, especially during quick movement sequences on the field. The picture becomes blurry and pixelated for a split second. I've noticed this both on CBS and on NBC's programming. Is this an equipment (TV/Cable Box) or a broadcast issue? Would love to hear if anyone else is experiencing the same issue. I'm wondering if it is on the side of the major networks or ours here locally. Any insight is greatly appreciated!!!

I have the same setup, Charter service with a Moxi box. I've also noticed what you're talking about. I got used to it after a while though. I ruled out it being my TV because the games on ESPN look fantastic with no pixelation. It was worse on CBS than on NBC though.

I have the same setup, Charter service with a Moxi box. I've also noticed what you're talking about. I got used to it after a while though. I ruled out it being my TV because the games on ESPN look fantastic with no pixelation. It was worse on CBS than on NBC though.
You're exactly right, ESPN is spot-on perfect with their broadcast quality...just wish NBC and CBS were the same!!! I appreciate your feedback and I'm glad to know that it's not my TV's fault!!!!

The url you posted is not valid.

Here it is as posted:
Reply from WRAL Programming Manager

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

We appreciate all the comments -- positive and otherwise --regarding WRAL's NCAA coverage during the first two rounds of the tournament. I thought it would be good to provide some answers and feedback to some of you who had questions or concerns about the coverage, so here goes:



First let's deal with the HD issue. The fact that WRAL dropped its over-the-air HD signal for the first four days of the tournament is not new. We began multicasting all the tournament games seven years ago and the only way to do that over-the-air is by reconfiguring our digital bandwidth and dropping HD. CBS is well aware of this practice and even encourages us to provide the multiple games, so the claims of "false advertising" are a bit overblown in our opinion. As some of you mentioned here, we fed two HD games at a time to Time Warner via a fiber line, so many viewers did have HD. Bottom line - we know that the multicast is a trade-off between HD and SD, but we've been willing to accept it for one four-day period each year.



DirecTV was not able to carry WRAL’s HD feeds because it relies on the station’s over-the-air HD signal, which was not available for those four days. Unlike Time Warner, Direct does not have a fiber connection to WRAL – so it was only able to pass along our Standard Definition digital signal. Again, it’s part of the tradeoff that we accept during the first two rounds of the tournament.



Several of you questioned why PBS is able to provide one HD channel and several SD channels in its digital bandwidth. It’s all a matter of content. Basketball is fast-paced, high motion content and it requires lots of bandwidth. Otherwise, it looks “blocky” and ragged and is almost unwatchable. PBS does not normally carry this type of high-motion programming, so the local station can crunch down the channel size and use the bandwidth for more low-motion channel offerings. It’s simply a case of digital apples and oranges.



Finally – the question and concern over content and why the same game appeared so often on multiple channels. CBS offers stations two types of NCAA game feeds – a “flex” feed for most stations and a so-called “constant” feed for stations in areas where a home team is playing in that particular game. As we’ve all seen – there is no such thing as a truly constant feed. CBS has been very aggressive in jumping from venue to venue any time the action heats up. The network says it is televising a tournament, not just a bunch of separate games, and it wants viewers to get that full-tournament feel by having them look in at many different games. This often happens simultaneously on all the feeds and creates those maddening situations where the same action is being fed across all our channels. Even the constant feeds will occasionally jump to other action, as was witnessed in the second half of UNC’s first round game. These content switches are completely out of WRAL’s control. We must take the feeds as CBS sends them, and we acknowledge that it’s not always what some viewers want to see.



The good news is two-fold: WRAL-HD is back and the jumping feeds should improve from here on in. After the final game Sunday evening, WRAL reconfigured its bandwidth and returned to the standard set-up of one HD and one SD channel. This will remain in place indefinitely, so over-the-air HD viewers and those with DirecTV should be back in business. With only two simultaneous games airing on Thursday and Friday, we should also see less venue-jumping. This has been the pattern in previous years and we hope it continues this tournament. Again – WRAL has no direct control over the feeds and how often the action is interrupted, but we can assure you that we’ve voiced our opinion on this issue to the CBS brass in New York.



Thanks again to everyone who took the time to comment. The multicast is not perfect, by any means, but it is free to over-the-air viewers and gives people a chance to see all the games in some shape or fashion. We’ll keep an eye on this section the rest of the tournament and will provide more feedback if required. May your favorite team advance.
__________________
Chuck deCourt
Station Manager
WRAL-TV
cdecourt@wral.com

Anyone know what happened to ABC in HD via QAM?
It worked fine for me my first week with Charter basic cable here in Anderson.

Also, any word if The CW will ever be broadcast in the upstate in HD?
My kids love Smallville and would like a better picture.

thank you in advance,
Kevin ;)

WLOS OTA is down for me now, anyone else?

WLOS OTA is down for me now, anyone else?

While watching the 6 o'clock news this evening there were spotty degrading of the signal but they eventually cleared up.
After the news we went over to wyff for Andy Griffith.
At 8 we went back to wlos and the signal is totally shot!
Major degrade with ghosting.
This is ota analog.

Last night we tried to watch 101 Dalmation on My40 (digital 13-3) but didn't get any signal.
Checked digital 13 tonight, no signal.

WLOS OTA is down for me now, anyone else?


I was hunting the same thing although I am wondering if it has been a problem for longer. I re-scanned this morning because my antenna got bumped while I was looking for a leak. When it was done I had WUNF but no WLOS and I believe they are one the same antenna. I checked again tonight and have 100 on WUNF and 0 from WLOS. Transmitter may have taken a hit in the storms that came through last night.

hmmmm, this must explain why Charter doesn't have WLOS working in HD right now.
At least my QAM isn't finding it. Anyone with a Moxi box getting WLOS-HD with Charter now?

I've got the Charter HD box and I've been getting WLOS without interruption (last night around 11 p.m. and this morning around 9 a.m.). I'm on the Buncombe County/Asheville Metro System.

At least my QAM isn't finding it. Anyone with a Moxi box getting WLOS-HD with Charter now?In Simpsonville, not over QAM and not through the Moxi box...not for at least a couple of days now.

I hadn't noticed anyone else complain, but I wanted to check a few things since I am pretty new to the HD world at home.

Since Friday night, WSPA, CBS in Spartanburg hasn't been broadcasting in HD (at least that I can get via QAM and Charter). It appears that they can't put the "ticker" or weather alert on the screen without going to SD and I realize there have been a lot of storms in the area, but even when the notice was off the golf all day Saturday and today was in SD ;-(

Then tonight on NBC football the audio from the announcers wasn't on. With about 4 minutes or so left in the half WYFF decided to go to SD and then a few minutes later they switched back to HD and then Madden and Michaels audio came through as well. FWIW, I really didn't mind not having their commentary. In fact, it was kind of cool to still be able to hear the field audio and the refs, but no inane reporters or play-by-play. I assumed it was the national feed, but then I was surprised it took them so long to solve it.

Still loving my new Sony Bravia 46" XBR TV!

I hadn't noticed anyone else complain, but I wanted to check a few things since I am pretty new to the HD world at home.

Since Friday night, WSPA, CBS in Spartanburg hasn't been broadcasting in HD (at least that I can get via QAM and Charter). It appears that they can't put the "ticker" or weather alert on the screen without going to SD and I realize there have been a lot of storms in the area, but even when the notice was off the golf all day Saturday and today was in SD ;-(

Then tonight on NBC football the audio from the announcers wasn't on. With about 4 minutes or so left in the half WYFF decided to go to SD and then a few minutes later they switched back to HD and then Madden and Michaels audio came through as well. FWIW, I really didn't mind not having their commentary. In fact, it was kind of cool to still be able to hear the field audio and the refs, but no inane reporters or play-by-play. I assumed it was the national feed, but then I was surprised it took them so long to solve it.

Still loving my new Sony Bravia 46" XBR TV!


I noticed both of these things yesterday as well. It was disappointing to watch the final round of the Barclay's in SD after being used to CBS' fine coverage of golf all year. As for the Sunday Night Football game, at first I thought it was a national feed, but I checked the thread on the game and Wendel didn't mention it.
Also, I believe WLOS has been off the air since at least yesterday. Maybe one of yesterday's storms knocked them out?

...

Then tonight on NBC football the audio from the announcers wasn't on. With about 4 minutes or so left in the half WYFF decided to go to SD and then a few minutes later they switched back to HD and then Madden and Michaels audio came through as well. FWIW, I really didn't mind not having their commentary. In fact, it was kind of cool to still be able to hear the field audio and the refs, but no inane reporters or play-by-play. I assumed it was the national feed, but then I was surprised it took them so long to solve it.

Still loving my new Sony Bravia 46" XBR TV!

I have to second that emotion on enjoying the HD game feed with all field audio and no commentary. That was pretty awesome, actually! The broadcasters should consider making this a secondary audio track on all their broadcasts, as even the venerable Al Michaels/John Madden combo doesn't always add very much to the game.

-Cross

My kids love Smallville and would like a better picture.

thank you in advance,
Kevin ;)

Oh I absolutely love Smallville as well. I really wish an HD broadcast was available for folks in the Asheville/Swannanoa area. I'm beginning to think we'll never get one. I'd kill to be able to watch this upcoming new season in HD. I don't know if their is anything we can do though besides call and complain about it.

The broadcasters should consider making this a secondary audio track on all their broadcasts, as even the venerable Al Michaels/John Madden combo doesn't always add very much to the game.

Turn down your center channel speaker and you do the same thing.

I have DishNetwork with an 811 HD receiver. Using a small UHF antenna I am able to get WYCW (CW network) in HD. We have been watching "Smallville" in HD since the beginning of the 2006/2007 season.

WLOSDT isn't working for me either. Has it even been up for the last week? It seems it hasn't.

WLOS-DT has been down for several days. I don't get anything OTA or via D*. It would be nice if someone from WLOS would at least post on this thread with an update of their problem.

I got this response from WLOS through email:

The engineering team just told me that the digital signal might be back online later this week. A lightning bolt hit our transmitter on top of Mount Pisgah, and damaged both the digital and analog outputs. We are currently running on a back up antenna, which has a lower broadcast signal than the standard antenna. Hopefully we can get the digital signal (13.1) back online by the end of this week.

This of course has nothing to do with our usual subjects, but what happened to spell check, on the forum. Sorry guys, but I don't spell very well, and I hate to appear stupif... There must be a download somewhere???
Please have mercy with replies....

The audio was coming thru on the satellite feed of NBC last night. Must have been a local problem. Anybody with the newer D* stb get the audio thru mpeg 4 last night? mine was off OTA.

NFL Audio problem:

The problem with the announcer audio on the NBC NFL game last night was due to an input failure on our HD AES audio multiplexer. We took a lightning hit Saturday and have been discovering random problems since. Anyway, the input that failed was the center channel so this AES audio channel was moved to another input on the multiplexer and the configuration was changed accordingly.

My apologies for the problem.

Doug

NFL Audio problem:

The problem with the announcer audio on the NBC NFL game last night was due to an input failure on our HD AES audio multiplexer. We took a lightning hit Saturday and have been discovering random problems since. Anyway, the input that failed was the center channel so this AES audio channel was moved to another input on the multiplexer and the configuration was changed accordingly.

My apologies for the problem.

Doug

Thanks, Doug, for the update.

-Cross

Word from Jack Connors on WLOS-HD's signal:

We received a direct lightning hit at our tower location on Mt. Pisgah. Our digital/high definition transmitter is off the air entirely and our analog transmitter is on through a temporary antenna while we wait for repair and replacement parts to arrive. Our chief engineer, our regional chief engineer and our transmitter specialist are all on Mt. Pisgah now working on the problem and we will return to full power with both transmitters as soon as is humanly possible.

I have DishNetwork with an 811 HD receiver. Using a small UHF antenna I am able to get WYCW (CW network) in HD. We have been watching "Smallville" in HD since the beginning of the 2006/2007 season.

No way! WYCW actually broadcasts OTA in HD? So it is just Charter that won't pass along the HD love? Maybe that antenna I'm not using needs to go up in my attic!

Anyone know how I can tie the feed from the antenna to the cable hub in my attic so my whole house can enjoy cable -and- OTA from the same coax feed? (I don't believe this is possible):confused:

Anyone know how I can tie the feed from the antenna to the cable hub in my attic so my whole house can enjoy cable -and- OTA from the same coax feed? (I don't believe this is possible):confused:

Can't be done on one cable without a switch. Cable uses the same frequencies OTA uses and not the same channels. You would be interfering with yourself. The only way to do it is to provide two separate coax and switch them at the TVs.

Can't be done on one cable without a switch. Cable uses the same frequencies OTA uses and not the same channels. You would be interfering with yourself. The only way to do it is to provide two separate coax and switch them at the TVs.

Thanks for the info! I won't be setting up an antenna and routing coax, cutting into drywall, etc. for one program in HD (Smallville).

Anyone know if Charter has plans to pass along the CW feed in HD in the near future? :confused:

I have DishNetwork with an 811 HD receiver. Using a small UHF antenna I am able to get WYCW (CW network) in HD. We have been watching "Smallville" in HD since the beginning of the 2006/2007 season.

Well, I see you are in Boiling Springs. I wonder if I could just hook up a small inside UHF antenna once a week to my HDTV to catch Smallville in HD via OTA in the north part of Anderson........ :confused:

Where is that CW antenna broadcasting that HD feed?

I finally filed a formal complaint this week against Charter in Simpsonville with the Better Business Bureau. The thing that finally drove me to the edge with them is this past weekend I tried to order the UFC fight in HD on Channel 799 but it kept telling me it was no longer avaiable for purchase and to call Customer Service. Tech Support told me that they had no idea what the problem was and that it should be available. Some lady from Charter actually called me the other day regarding the complaint and said she would forward it to the "necessary department" for resolution. I know I'll never hear back from them. Out of the last 5 or 6 UFC fights broadcast and advertised in HD, only 2 have actually come through when I've ordered them. I keep having to watch them in SD on Channel 801 instead. If anybody else has had this issue, I emplore you to file a similar complaint so we can actually put some pressure on them to fix their issues!!!!

I wonder if I could just hook up a small inside UHF antenna once a week to my HDTV to catch Smallville in HD via OTA in the north part of Anderson........ :confused:

WYCW's transmitter is between Brevard and Flat Rock, about 50 miles from Anderson. You might be able to pick it up with a good indoor antenna like the Silver Sensor if you can put it in front of a north-facing window. I normally use a roof antenna myself, and get WYCW fine at about 60 miles, but I did experiment once with a simple $10 loop antenna and found that I could get marginal reception on a few stations like WSPA at 55 miles. A Silver Sensor would probably work a bit better.

According to the Google Earth transmitter coverage maps from tvfool.com, WYCW should be about as strong (maybe a bit stronger) in Anderson as WSPA is here.

Why does the HD signal on NBC golf look almost SD quality, while the US Open on CBS looks outstanding this afternoon? However, the NBC close up shots look great. Did NBC only have one HD camera to use at the PGA?

WLOS is back on. Great work. Robby C

Why does the HD signal on NBC golf look almost SD quality, while the US Open on CBS looks outstanding this afternoon? However, the NBC close up shots look great. Did NBC only have one HD camera to use at the PGA?

I've noticed them do this before on golf. I guess they don't have enough cameras to go around so some shots will look amazing, and then they'll switch shots and its SD.

WLOS is back on. Great work. Robby C

Hopefully it doesn't take Charter a year to figure it out before they switch back to the digital feed. They switched to the analog feed last week and they have yet to turn the correct feed back on.

Hopefully it doesn't take Charter a year to figure it out before they switch back to the digital feed. They switched to the analog feed last week and they have yet to turn the correct feed back on.Is that still the case? I noticed the QAM version (77.2) was back to 720p.

Is that still the case? I noticed the QAM version (77.2) was back to 720p.

All is good now. Yes, channel 783 is now 720p again :)

I heard from a friend at work today that Charter is now offering a new Moxi box. I confirmed it through Charter and indeed they are offering a newer MOXI box (not just the new software, but an entirely new box). The Rep told me that the old one is actually better. Anybody have any comments on this newer version yet and if it is better?

Last week I purchased the Vizio 37", nice set BTW, it does have a QAM tuner what are you guys able to pick up from Charter, I do have the Moxi with the HD tier this question is more for my bro-n-law he picked up the Toshiba Regza 32". Thanks for the help.

It has to be a broadcast issue since I'm with D* and have experienced the same thing on CBS and NBC. I will say that NBC's picture looks tremendously better than CBS, and the pixelation doesn't happen as often as it does on CBS. There is virtually no pixelation or blur on games aired on NFLN-HD.

I'm chalking this one up to broadcast issues, since it's seen on both Charter and D*.

I have noticed this as well. I was reminded of it last night while watching the Colts-Saints Game on NBC. During fast movement the pixelation is bad. As others have said this issue isn't present on ESPN, but I'd also like to add that it isn't there with FOX NFL Games either. To me the FOX games look even better than the ESPN games with no pixelation whatsoever.

If we're picking up on this you've got to believe many others are as well. My guess though is that a lot are thinking it's their own TV's. It would be interesting to know if Fox and ESPN are using different HD Cameras than the others, or what exactly is different in the way they broadcast the signal.

It would be interesting to know if Fox and ESPN are using different HD Cameras than the others, or what exactly is different in the way they broadcast the signal.

FOX, ABC and ESPN are 720p, the rest are 1080i.

I have noticed this as well. I was reminded of it last night while watching the Colts-Saints Game on NBC. During fast movement the pixelation is bad. As others have said this issue isn't present on ESPN, but I'd also like to add that it isn't there with FOX NFL Games either. To me the FOX games look even better than the ESPN games with no pixelation whatsoever.

If we're picking up on this you've got to believe many others are as well. My guess though is that a lot are thinking it's their own TV's. It would be interesting to know if Fox and ESPN are using different HD Cameras than the others, or what exactly is different in the way they broadcast the signal.

Pixelation is due to digital compression which is required to make transmitting HD content practical. ABC, Fox, and ESPN use the 720p HD standard while NBC and CBS use 1080i. The pixel resolution for 720p is 1280x720 which results in a total of 921,600 pixels. Pixel resolution for 1080i is 1920x1080 which is a total of 2,073,600 pixels. More pixels, more compression for the same bandwidth. This is not the whole story since one is progressive scan and one is interlaced but this is the basic concept.

1080 is better video in my opinion but those with 720 displays will never see a difference in raw resolution. Certainly the static resolution of 1080 is better but the dynamic resolution (motion) may not be due to compression artifacts. Those with true 1920x1080 displays will see a difference in some instances.

Doug

I just bought a 40"XBR4 last week. The cable DVR I picked up for it was the Motorola DCH6416. The lady at charter said they just started carrying it. I have not had any problems with it. Pics look great! I am using hdmi to the tv and an opictial cable to my receivier. Some shows have a slight lag in voice to pics but not bad when playing DVR recording back and using receiver. Just playing through the TV no problems. It has two tuners so you can record to things at the same time. You can choose to output 1080i, 720p, etc.

Last week I purchased the Vizio 37", nice set BTW, it does have a QAM tuner what are you guys able to pick up from Charter, I do have the Moxi with the HD tier this question is more for my bro-n-law he picked up the Toshiba Regza 32". Thanks for the help.

If you look back in this thread 10 pages or so someone made a list of all the QAM channels on Charter.

Hmm, the fact that ABC, ESPN, and Fox all broadcast in 720p as opposed to NBC and CBS may be part of it. After reading that I realized that College Football on ABC does look smooth as well.

Whatever the issues, NBC and CBS need to do something. Unless there is a Must See game on CBS, I'll always watch the NFL games on Fox. Since I've got the Sunday Ticket with Superfan there's almost always a good game on Fox that's available. I look forward to MNF, but I dread the Sunday Night Football on NBC just because of how bad the pixelation is.

Have those of you that subscribe to Charter Cable had any new HD channels added or received notices in the mail mentioning any future additions? I spoke with a CSR last night and they mentioned that there was nothing currently in their databases to indicate anything in the near future (except for the current availability of the ESPN Game Plan).

Not satisfied with the answer, I've searched online and found that the closest Charter Cable System with any upcoming lineups/additions was in the Athens, GA Market. There, it was mentioned by a customer that they've been notified of the addition of FSN/SportsSouth HD, Golf/Versus HD, A&E HD and History Channel HD to their lineup on Oct. 1st and the Fox Business Channel on Oct. 15th. (Source: http://www.satelliteguys.us/cable-television-discussion-forums/106153-charter-add-new-hd.html ). There are other Charter Systems in Wisconsin and Michigan that recently had channel lineup changes (Aug. 21-28).

I remember that the last time Charter did any major channel shuffling/additions in Western NC (excluding WLOS-HD's addition in May) was last March. Hopefully, it won't be that long before we get more HD.

Added after original posting:
Another interesting fact: Charter can offer up to three HD channels or 10 digital channels for every channel on the older analog system (Source: http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2007/08/20/news/849z.txt ). If I've done my calculations correctly in reference to the Asheville/Buncombe County System (and using 2 HD channels instead of 3), the system could possibly carry a maximum of 48 HD channels (based on 24 non-used Analog channels). Currently, we have 17 HD channels (if you don't include HD On Demand or WSPA's 24/7 Weather which goes widescreen on me).

ANYBODY having problems with 40.1 or 40.2. My Over the Air signal has been pixelated all day

Another day of low quality HD on NBC at the BMW Golf tournement.

ANYBODY having problems with 40.1 or 40.2. My Over the Air signal has been pixelated all day

I was having trouble during the latter part of last week (Wednesday through Friday), but didn't check it over the weekend. I was getting a strong signal according to the meter in my tuner, but there were frequent brief bursts of macroblocking ("pixelation") or freezing. Is that you're getting?

I've often had trouble with that station because of multipath interference from leaves waving in the wind, and electrical impulse noise (the kind of interference that shows up as white speckles in analog signals). Last week the weather was calm (no leaves waving), but I did have a bit of impulse noise on analog channels so I ascribed my problems to that.

Thank you for the information. I had just put up a uhf antenna a couple weeks ago and wasn't having any problems til thursday when it started macroblocking. From Saturday til today the signal from 40.1 and .2 has gotten to the point that I can not get picture or audio. Hopefully they are just working on the tower from the lightning last week.

When I checked about an hour ago, it looked like 40.x was off the air completely, so I had to go to 13.2 for the channel 40 programming. But it looks like they've dropped "Blind Date" as of this week. :( (one of my guilty pleasures)

............... Currently, we have 17 HD channels (if you don't include HD On Demand or WSPA's 24/7 Weather which goes widescreen on me).


HD On Demand? I have the Charter HD service in Asheville and I have never seen such a thing. And I just went and looked all through the On Demand menus:)

HD On Demand?I think he might've meant the PPV events (which I believe is code for "boxing and UFC"; I can't remember ever seeing much of anything else listed).

Regarding HD On Demand, I've had times where I selected a Starz movie and it says "Also available on Starz HD on Demand". Will we ever get the HD versions of On Demand for premium channels? That would awesome and probably increase my On Demand usage.

I think he might've meant the PPV events (which I believe is code for "boxing and UFC"; I can't remember ever seeing much of anything else listed).

Okay, that makes sense. The stuff that the red light (aka "the fight light" :D)on the cable box tries to make you buy.

HD On Demand? I have the Charter HD service in Asheville and I have never seen such a thing. And I just went and looked all through the On Demand menus:)
I was fixing to say....if Charter Asheville had HD On Demand, it's pretty hidden.....Hopefully, they'll had HD On Demand (with free options soon)....

Two quick notes on future HD channels and HD OnDemand for Charter Customers:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11587907#post11587907

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11620492#post11620492

Two quick notes on future HD channels and HD OnDemand for Charter Customers:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11587907#post11587907

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11620492#post11620492

Charter in Greenville is launching some new channels "mid October". There is no word on what the channels are quite yet.

While I've been around HDTV for several years I've just got my first set up of my own and need some advice. I've got a Sony KDL40V2500 set and need some advice regarding a better antenna for OTA HD singnals. Currently I'm using an RCA ANT525. I'm in North Asheville and am looking to get the best possible OTA receptioon for all the major networks(ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc) given the limitations I have at my apartment. Currently I receive WLOS pretty clear on 13.1, WYMA(looks SD) on 13.2, , WLOS SD on 13.3, occasional UNCTV on 33.1 and several other 33.x stations, WEMT (tri cities fox) HD pretty good 39.1 but with pillar box on everything whereas WLOS is always widescreen, along with the SD version 39.2. I also get WYCW 62 on 62.1 in pillarbox. Any suggestiosn and/or advice would be appreciated.

While I've been around HDTV for several years I've just got my first set up of my own and need some advice. I've got a Sony KDL40V2500 set and need some advice regarding a better antenna for OTA HD singnals. Currently I'm using an RCA ANT525. I'm in North Asheville and am looking to get the best possible OTA receptioon for all the major networks(ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc) given the limitations I have at my apartment. {snip}

Since you are in an apartment, I assume you'll have to use an indoor antenna. I've had very good success with the Silver Sensor (http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/silver.html), but it's UHF only. It's cheap enough (~$30) to give it a try without too much damage to the pockets if it doesn't work out.

-Cross

I'm in an apartment just outside of Weaverville and I've used Radio Shack's VHF/UHF/HD/FM Indoor TV Antenna (22dB amplifier with gain control). Cam501, I've pretty much received the same channels that you have {at times, I've also received WYCW-DT (wish we had that on Charter HD) and WYFF-DT}. Unfortunately, mountainous topography is our enemy and, in my case, the orientation and availability of my apartment's windows wrt the television signals is a disadvantage and, thus, causes the signals to be unavailable most of the time.

WSPA started out with the wrong game at 1 PM on Sunday. They switched over to the Panthers game but unfortunately they're showing it in SD. :(

It's still the 1st quarter so hopefully they'll realize the mistake. I called the station but of course no one is there to answer the call.

Panthers game is NOT in HD. SD 4:3 from CBS.

I'm in a situation where my rent includes some crappy no box feed from direct tv that's different than any package you could normally buy. So my only option for any HD programming is with an indoor OTA atenna. There is no place to put a dish and can't get charter here either (not that my budget really allows that anyways)

I have Charter-Greenville. A good friend has Charter-Greenville 6 miles away. His ABC/NBC.CBS/FOX/PBS channels differ from mine. I have a Sony; he has a Samsung. Is is likely that different amplifiers use different channels, or could 103.1, 103.2, and 103.3 be different things for us because of the QAM decoding? We seem to get the same channels, but in slightly different places.

Someone might can confirm for sure but it appears WSPA is about to make the switch to HD for their newscasts. I'm watching the 11pm news (actually 11:50 tonight because of football) and it's a full 16:9 picture and extremely sharp. Obviously a lot of the material is still in SD

Update: The newscast is now officially in HD, some of the early video is definitely shot in HD and looks pretty good. Props to WSPA for bringing us HD news, now if they'll use some of those cameras for the BIG Friday night football games!

WSPA news is indeed in HD from the studio. Picture looks great at the newsdesk. They're upconverting and stretching the news clips but it still looks pretty good. I am getting some weird scrolling lines during those clips; looks like some type of electrical interference or something. Only happens during recorded clips. Weather map looks great in HD as well. Glad that someone in our market has made this significant step.

I might be wrong but a few of the stories looked like genuine HD.... a lot was upconverted SD but I thought I saw a few true HD stories. The lead story about the Solider looked too good IMO to be HD, and I thought the Clemson clips from Saturday in the sports might have been HD.

I am thinking about pulling the trigger and buying either a Tivo Series 3 or the Tivo HD but I have been reading about something called SDV (Switched Digital Video) and how that SDV can all but cripple the Tivo service. Anyone have any insight on this or advice? I've read that Charter intends to upgrade all of their markets to SDV in the future.

I might be wrong but a few of the stories looked like genuine HD.... a lot was upconverted SD but I thought I saw a few true HD stories. The lead story about the Solider looked too good IMO to be HD, and I thought the Clemson clips from Saturday in the sports might have been HD.

You could be right. I had it on this morning while getting ready for work and didn't pay that close attention. I'm sure that as time goes by they will start doing more and more remote stuff in HD. I am pleased with their efforts. Also, the 60-cycle hum that I reported earlier was really only noticeable in a couple of shots, not so much later on, so I bet they were artifacts from the inserted clips, not the studio.

I am thinking about pulling the trigger and buying either a Tivo Series 3 or the Tivo HD but I have been reading about something called SDV (Switched Digital Video) and how that SDV can all but cripple the Tivo service. Anyone have any insight on this or advice? I've read that Charter intends to upgrade all of their markets to SDV in the future.

I'm about to make the same jump myself. It's true that SDV isn't supported right now, but I've read some reports that it could be in the future. The truth is virtually no device except for tuner boxes specifically designed for them support SDV. When/IF Chapter implements SDV in our area every person who uses a cable card or who plugs their cable into a cable ready TV would have to have a tuner box capable of receiving SDV because they won't be able to decode them most likely either.

So it WILL happen sometime I'm sure, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I don't think we're going to rank among the top Charter markets for SDV because there aren't that many HD channels in our area locally or regionally that need carriage, and Charter would get a ton of backlash from people not renting boxes and/or those using cable cards in their HDTVs now. My understanding is their current boxes wouldn't work either, so they would have to replace all the ones we're all using now too.

WSPA news is indeed in HD from the studio. Picture looks great at the newsdesk. They're upconverting and stretching the news clips but it still looks pretty good. I am getting some weird scrolling lines during those clips; looks like some type of electrical interference or something. Only happens during recorded clips. Weather map looks great in HD as well. Glad that someone in our market has made this significant step.
There were a few bugs that presented themselves (at least in tonight's 6 p.m. newcast), but I remember WRAL having the same type of problems when they went HD with their newscasts on Super Bowl Night in 2001 (at least when I viewed the live video SD feed from their website). WRT WSPA, I didn't like the stretch-o-vision of their SD video stories, there were some glitches with a few of the graphics and there seemed to be a little bit of trouble with the sound levels throughout. However, WSPA did very well with their HD Graphics and Weather Maps and the news set shots. Great work for their first day with HD News.

WSPA is the first in the market with HD Local News. Now, the countdown begins for when the others join the fray. :)

There were a few bugs that presented themselves (at least in tonight's 6 p.m. newcast), but I remember WRAL having the same type of problems when they went HD with their newscasts on Super Bowl Night in 2001 (at least when I viewed the live video SD feed from their website). WRT WSPA, I didn't like the stretch-o-vision of their SD video stories, there were some glitches with a few of the graphics and there seemed to be a little bit of trouble with the sound levels throughout. However, WSPA did very well with their HD Graphics and Weather Maps and the news set shots. Great work for their first day with HD News.

WSPA is the first in the market with HD Local News. Now, the countdown begins for when the others join the fray. :)

I saw the 5:30 news on WSPA and they were definitely having lots of little issues (like just trying to center the camera in the studio). However, its a great start. I do wish they would use side bars instead of the stretch-o-vision. It just makes everyone look fat and distorted.

I bought an open box Samsung DTB-H260F tuner the other week and have been enjoying the dramatic improvement of HD broadcasts over the poor analog reception I've been used to.

I've noticed, however, that the current time in the programming guide is sometimes very wrong (e.g.: 15 hours ahead) even though I've set the time zone and DST correctly. Can anyone tell me whether this is a common problem with this region (bad PSIP data), this model, or if it might just be an issue with the unit I bought?

The Samsung shows the time as indicated by the PSIP data for the particular station that it's tuned to at the moment. A week or two ago I checked all the local stations and found that one of them (don't remember which one, offhand) was off by about 12 hours whereas the others were mostly within a couple of minutes of the correct time.

You'll also find that the program title sometimes comes up as "No Information" or "DTV Program" on one station or another. Apparently keeping the EPG data accurate isn't a super high priority right now, at some stations.

What are your observations on sports with OTA HD? I am getting mine OTA and 4 and 7 still do not look that great. Sports on 21 and 13 look great however. I tend to believe that it is the 720P vs 1080i that makes sports look better on 21 & 13. However, others in different parts of the country say that CBS looks great on football. I can't agree with that here on WSPA although. They must be compressing their signal or something.

WSPA and WYFF both have weather subchannels which suck up some of their bandwidth, and with 1080i you need all the bandwidth you can get. I usually watch CBS sports on WBTV from Charlotte because it doesn't have any extra subchannels. There's a slight but noticable difference in PQ.

I have seen some good work on NBC's Sunday night football games on WYFF, though.

What channel # does the Charlotte station come in under? Do you have to rotate your antenna to receive it? What direction if yes? Thanks.

The Samsung shows the time as indicated by the PSIP data for the particular station that it's tuned to at the moment. A week or two ago I checked all the local stations and found that one of them (don't remember which one, offhand) was off by about 12 hours whereas the others were mostly within a couple of minutes of the correct time.


Thanks. If it's station-specific, that explains the inconsistency I've been seeing.

Connie LeGrand looks awesome in HD !!!

I wrote to WSPA last night (via the contact form on their web site) to congratulate them on the new HD news, and to let them know that I'd strongly prefer them to leave the SD material "unstretched."

What channel # does the Charlotte station come in under?

It shows up as 3-1, but it's actually on channel 23. On your Samsung box, try going to channel 23. If it finds a signal, it will change the display to 3-1 and you can tune it that way thereafter. Where I am down here, I have to rotate my antenna by about 50 degrees from Greenville to get it reliably. If you're actually in Greenville or nearby, it will probably be about 90 degrees for you. The transmitter is a few miles north of I-85 near Belmont (west of Charlotte).

Thanks I will try that and see if I can pick it up.

While you're at it, if you can get WBTV, see if you can get the other stations whose towers are also near Belmont: WCNC 36-1 (real ch 22), WJZY 46-1 (47), and WMYT 55-1 (39). In my experience, WBTV comes in best, then WCNC (also pretty good), and finally WJZY and WMYT which are usually marginal during the day but OK at night.

Anyone think there is any chance we could petition WYFF and WSPA to turn off the weather subchannel while they are showing football?

I am thinking about pulling the trigger and buying either a Tivo Series 3 or the Tivo HD but I have been reading about something called SDV (Switched Digital Video) and how that SDV can all but cripple the Tivo service. Anyone have any insight on this or advice? I've read that Charter intends to upgrade all of their markets to SDV in the future.
I'm about to get a TivoHD myself. I wouldn't worry about it becoming obsolete anytime soon. Technology like that will take years to roll out.

Lots of buzz that DirecTV has added HD channels in the past two days. Anyone spotted any in this area?

Wasnt on this morning 7am, when I checked

Lots of buzz that DirecTV has added HD channels in the past two days. Anyone spotted any in this area?

DirecTV's attempt to launch a great number of additional HD channels was called off last night around 7:00 p.m. when it was determined there were conversion issues with their boxes. For example, my HR20-700 was not receiving any HD signals today, and a lengthy reset session failed initially to solve the problem. The Tech tried to get me to order service call on the six month old receiver that DirectV owns (taking up space in my HT), but a supervisor finally came on the line and went through a multi-step process for restoring my service. She acknowledged that the HD launch caused the problem.
So...be forewarned, your HD receiver may fail as a result of the new service.

DirecTV's attempt to launch a great number of additional HD channels was called off last night around 7:00 p.m. when it was determined there were conversion issues with their boxes. For example, my HR20-700 was not receiving any HD signals today, and a lengthy reset session failed initially to solve the problem. The Tech tried to get me to order service call on the six month old receiver that DirectV owns (taking up space in my HT), but a supervisor finally came on the line and went through a multi-step process for restoring my service. She acknowledged that the HD launch caused the problem.
So...be forewarned, your HD receiver may fail as a result of the new service.Yeah, I heard it was a spot beam issue that D* engineers are working to resolve. Scattered initial reports that I have read in various places around the internet suggest that they could be delayed anywhere from tomorrow to mid-November. Should be interesting to see what happens.

I want my new HD just as much as everyone else, but obviously not even D* could have predicted the issue prior to "flipping the switch".

PS - You're actually the first person in all the things I've read, who had issues with their existing HD channels. Mine are still fine, and have been all day on my HR20-700.

Anyone think there is any chance we could petition WYFF and WSPA to turn off the weather subchannel while they are showing football?

I wish they would but unfortunately most of the stations don't really care about HD signal quality. HD users are still a minority so they are being treated like one.

Jerry,
Have you tried following this (http://www.dbstalk.com/announcement.php?f=112&a=112) process outlined by Earl over at DBSTalk? He's a DirecTV guru and his information is generally excellent. I'd give it a shot.

-c

DirecTV's attempt to launch a great number of additional HD channels was called off last night around 7:00 p.m. when it was determined there were conversion issues with their boxes. For example, my HR20-700 was not receiving any HD signals today, and a lengthy reset session failed initially to solve the problem. The Tech tried to get me to order service call on the six month old receiver that DirectV owns (taking up space in my HT), but a supervisor finally came on the line and went through a multi-step process for restoring my service. She acknowledged that the HD launch caused the problem.
So...be forewarned, your HD receiver may fail as a result of the new service.

I think he might've meant the PPV events (which I believe is code for "boxing and UFC"; I can't remember ever seeing much of anything else listed).

Another UFC fight is on this weekend so hopefully Charter won't have any ordering/broadcasting issues with it. As my previous posts have clearly outlined, I have had nothing but problems with Charter and trying to get these UFC fights in HD on channel 799. Crossing my fingers to see if it actually works out this weekend!!!

So, eventhough D* failed to deliver on September 19th, they still managed to change their HD page this morning, to add the following verbiage:

"DIRECTV is committed to bringing you the best in HD programming. Starting this month, we will be launching many of your favorite national channels in HD, including CNN HD, A&E HD, The History Channel HD, National Geographic Channel HD, Food Network HD, premiums like HBO HD, Showtime HD, Cinemax HD, Starz HD — and many more.

That's just the beginning. By the end of October, DIRECTV will deliver over 70 HD channels. And by the end of the year, you'll get up to 100 of the channels you really want to see in breathtaking HD. That's more than any other cable or satellite provider."

Another note from recent discussions with D*, all new HD channels will be at no extra charge until December. Thereafter three or four, including HDNet, will be split into another "minor" package add-on, and at "modest" additional cost.

Jerry,
Have you tried following this (http://www.dbstalk.com/announcement.php?f=112&a=112) process outlined by Earl over at DBSTalk? He's a DirecTV guru and his information is generally excellent. I'd give it a shot.

-c

Earl was right on target regarding the "reset issue," but in my case it was discovered the normal reset did not work and several tech support and engineering levels were required to restore the service. It also included reauthorizing LILs channel by channel.

Another disappointment...no UFC in HD on Charter tonight...purchased it and got nothing but a blank black screen. Was able to get it in SD on channel 801 but no go on channel 799 in HD.:mad:

Another disappointment...no UFC in HD on Charter tonight...purchased it and got nothing but a blank black screen. Was able to get it in SD on channel 801 but no go on channel 799 in HD.:mad:

That is our wonderful cable provider in our area at its best. I wish we could get them some competition going in this market. As long as they have a monoply I am afraid this is the level of service we are going to get.

That is our wonderful cable provider in our area at its best. I wish we could get them some competition going in this market. As long as they have a monoply I am afraid this is the level of service we are going to get.
In Buncombe County, Charter Cable has a 12-year Franchise Agreement that runs through Nov. 2014. That's a long time before renegotiation time, don't ya think?

Source: http://www.mountainx.com/news/2002/1113county.php

Maybe AT&T and Verizon can take advantage of NC's new State Cable Franchise Rules and eventually bring competition this way ( http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/576499.html ).

I guess that answers the question as to why they don't have to give good service.

Anybody using OTA watch NBC (Heros, Journey Man) tonight notice any specs floating in the image. I've got 100 on the signal but it had a lot of noise in the form of 1-2 pixel specs like snow of analog days.

Thanks,
jtdwab

Anybody using OTA watch NBC (Heros, Journey Man) tonight notice any specs floating in the image. I've got 100 on the signal but it had a lot of noise in the form of 1-2 pixel specs like snow of analog days.

Thanks,
jtdwab

I didn't see specs via OTA or D*, but I did hear an occasional popping noise on both sources.

-Cross

Anybody using OTA watch NBC (Heros, Journey Man) tonight notice any specs floating in the image. I've got 100 on the signal but it had a lot of noise in the form of 1-2 pixel specs like snow of analog days.

Thanks,
jtdwab

Glad to know I'm not going crazy. I was watching via Charter, but I was noticing some terrible compression and that awful popping noise that lasted for the first 5-10 minutes of the show.

Ibut I did hear an occasional popping noise on both sources.

-Cross

Yah I forgot to mention the popping. As it sounds the NBC feed either coming down off the Sat or the equipment at WYFF had problems for the shows. I recorded Journey Man but have not watched so I don't know if it was better or not.

Thanks for the replies.

I just noticed tonight that WYCW's 10pm news has gone HD. It figures, because they use WSPA's production facilities and anchorpeople, both stations being owned by Media General. I should have thought to look last week. They must have switched at the same time WSPA did.

The "look" is pretty similar to WSPA's news, with the same stretch-o-vision (mis)treatment of 4:3 SD material from field cameras.

Is WYCW's HD signal available on cable or satellite anywhere, or can only us OTA people see it?

I just noticed tonight that WYCW's 10pm news has gone HD. ....
Is WYCW's HD signal available on cable or satellite anywhere, or can only us OTA people see it?

62.1 is not available on D*, but I get it pretty reliably OTA on my Silver Sensor. I am thankful that the HR20 pulls in OTA channels directly so I can still DVR them. I don't know about Charter.

I wish it would get added, since they do have some can't miss shows, like Everybody Hates Chris....

-c

Directv subscribers with the proper MPEG4 equipment, don't forget to update your favorites to include the new HD channels (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4360044) that launched today.

-c

62.1 is not available on D*, [...] I don't know about Charter.

Down here Charter doesn't carry 62.1, at least not according to the channel lineup that I get when I enter my address on Charter's web site. But I don't know whether the lineup varies from one area to another within the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville region.

My own "must see" on 62.1 is the remastered Star Trek original series on Sunday afternoon. Even though it's upconverted SD, it looks pretty good. I think I'll spring for the forthcoming HD-DVD box set and a player to play them on, for Christmas. :D

Yah I forgot to mention the popping. As it sounds the NBC feed either coming down off the Sat or the equipment at WYFF had problems for the shows. I recorded Journey Man but have not watched so I don't know if it was better or not.

Thanks for the replies.

I just watched Journeyman and was still noticing the popping noise. It's not so bad that it becomes unwatchable but I really hope they fix this soon. It makes me paranoid that something is wrong with my TV.

Directv subscribers with the proper MPEG4 equipment, don't forget to update your favorites to include the new HD channels (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4360044) that launched today.

-cYeah, I didn't realize they were here until I updated my favorites. I'm definitely liking the fact that I don't have another appointment until 4pm today. 34 glorious HD channels (including locals) based on my existing programming package. If I keep my package the same, that'll make 50 by the end of October, and 59 by the end of the year. So glad I left Charter in anticipation of this day.

I just watched Journeyman and was still noticing the popping noise. It's not so bad that it becomes unwatchable but I really hope they fix this soon. It makes me paranoid that something is wrong with my TV.Nothings wrong with your TV, I had the same exact thing.

Down here Charter doesn't carry 62.1, at least not according to the channel lineup that I get when I enter my address on Charter's web site. But I don't know whether the lineup varies from one area to another within the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville region.

My own "must see" on 62.1 is the remastered Star Trek original series on Sunday afternoon. Even though it's upconverted SD, it looks pretty good. I think I'll spring for the forthcoming HD-DVD box set and a player to play them on, for Christmas. :D
Yeah, Charter doesn't carry 62.1 here in the Asheville/Buncombe Co. area, either. Wish they did for the sake of Smallville and Supernatural....

In a fast tour of the new DirecTV HD channels late yesterday, I found no high quality video, a lot of side panels and a number of upscaled analog originations. It was disappointing, after all these months of promises.

The "popping" noice was driving me crazy last night was OTA HD from NBC. I sent an email to WYFF engineering I will let yall know if/when I hear back from them.

In a fast tour of the new DirecTV HD channels late yesterday, I found no high quality video, a lot of side panels and a number of upscaled analog originations. It was disappointing, after all these months of promises.I guess it depends on the channel, but I know one thing, StarzHD looks great. Depends on what you're watching though, but we could always lobby Tim Allen to reshoot all Home Improvement episodes in HD so that TBS-HD will have something to play.

Part of me thinks I'd rather have upconvert than SD stretched.

As the content comes, I think the promises will be fulfilled.

Hello everyone. This is my first post in this thread. Been here about 3 months now, like it down here, but hate Charter with a passion. Unfortunately I'm stuck with them as I'm on the wrong side of my apartment building for D*. Does anyone know what the plans are for TBS HD with Charter? Any chance at all they'll add it at some point before or during the playoffs, or even put the games on 798?

If this has already been addressed, I apologize, but after a quick scan through the last few pages of the thread, I didn't see anything about it.

Welcome to the Upstate SC He-Man Charter Haters Club.

Hello everyone. This is my first post in this thread. Been here about 3 months now, like it down here, but hate Charter with a passion. Unfortunately I'm stuck with them as I'm on the wrong side of my apartment building for D*. Does anyone know what the plans are for TBS HD with Charter? Any chance at all they'll add it at some point before or during the playoffs, or even put the games on 798?

If this has already been addressed, I apologize, but after a quick scan through the last few pages of the thread, I didn't see anything about it.

I don't know about the rest of the upstate but in Greenville, Charter is adding these channels in October:
A&E
History
Golf/Versus

Sadly, based on that, I am not expecting TBS HD anytime soon.

The popping noise was still evident tonight during The Office.

I don't know about the rest of the upstate but in Greenville, Charter is adding these channels in October:
A&E
History
Golf/Versus

Sadly, based on that, I am not expecting TBS HD anytime soon.
Hopefully, this includes Asheville-Buncombe County, as well.

Looking through other AVS Forum Boards, it looks like the Hickory system (which shares Marketing Services with Asheville's office) will be adding Golf/Versus HD and Fox Business Channel HD by the end of October. Apparently, they'll receive notice in the mail about the addition those channels, changes in Music Choice and the migration of at least a couple of Expanded Basic Channels to the Digital Tier to accommodate the HD additions.

(Source: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=549252)

What' s the source on the A&E/History and Golf/Versus in Greenville? I would assume if Fox Business HD is added in Hickory it would be in the rest of Charter's markets.

Also Charter might add TBS just for the playoff games like they do FSN-HD and Sportsouth HD now.

As far as Charter QAM goes, is this current?

ABC WLOS-HD 77.2
NBC WYFF-HD 103.1
CBS WSPA-HD 103.2
FOX WHNS-HD 104.1

Are there any other HD channels in the clear available over QAM ?

Also, does anybody know what bitrates Charter pumps out over it's HD channels (I'm assuming they're MPEG2?). And what does the quality (Bitrate/Res) of their HD package compare to "HDLite" D* or E* ?

Has anybody switched out their Charter Moxi box for the new DCH-6416? Is it worth doing?

Charter hasn't added either FSN HD or SportSouth HD here in Asheville/Buncombe when the Braves games are happening or any other time. I remember a CSR telling me they were doing that several months back and I tried searching during the games on either channel to no avail.

As far as Charter QAM goes, is this current?

ABC WLOS-HD 77.2
NBC WYFF-HD 103.1
CBS WSPA-HD 103.2
FOX WHNS-HD 104.1

Are there any other HD channels in the clear available over QAM ?

Also, does anybody know what bitrates Charter pumps out over it's HD channels (I'm assuming they're MPEG2?). And what does the quality (Bitrate/Res) of their HD package compare to "HDLite" D* or E* ?

I don't know but I would love to see them if someone knows this info.

What' s the source on the A&E/History and Golf/Versus in Greenville? I would assume if Fox Business HD is added in Hickory it would be in the rest of Charter's markets.

Also Charter might add TBS just for the playoff games like they do FSN-HD and Sportsouth HD now.

Oh I hope we get the Fox Buisness channel! My favorite radio/financial guy Dave Ramsey is going to have a show on there.

As far as Charter QAM goes, is this current?

ABC WLOS-HD 77.2
NBC WYFF-HD 103.1
CBS WSPA-HD 103.2
FOX WHNS-HD 104.1

Are there any other HD channels in the clear available over QAM ?
PBS on 103.3

It is interesting to me that a buddy also on CharterGreenville has his 103 and 104 subchannels allocated differently; I don't remember what they were, but I believe that NBC and CBS were swapped and PBS was on 104.2.
Also, does anybody know what bitrates Charter pumps out over it's HD channels (I'm assuming they're MPEG2?). And what does the quality (Bitrate/Res) of their HD package compare to "HDLite" D* or E* ?My Sony receiver reports them as QAM256 if that helps. I've no comparison to anything else.

What' s the source on the A&E/History and Golf/Versus in Greenville? I would assume if Fox Business HD is added in Hickory it would be in the rest of Charter's markets.

Also Charter might add TBS just for the playoff games like they do FSN-HD and Sportsouth HD now.

A representative from Charter told me those 3 channels are the only ones being added in mid-October. So that leaves out TBS HD which is going to suck having to watch playoff games in SD.

i'm not a big fan of the dct6416. mine locks up frequently.

i'm not a big fan of the dct6416. mine locks up frequently.
How's the interface and the onscreen guides?

LilGator:

We just got D* at our mountain house and I have compared it extensively to the OTA signal from the local affiliates and there's virtually no difference. The MPEG-4 compression that D* uses for LIL seems to be much better than their national MPEG-2 compression.

I also just checked out the new HD channels while up there over the weekend and was impressed that they appear to be on track to have the capacity for 100 HD channels by the end of the year...now we're just waiting on more HD content to be sent out.

the coverage maps show Carolina/Tampa in HD. WTF is going on with WHNS????

the coverage maps show Carolina/Tampa in HD. WTF is going on with WHNS????

WHNS dropped the ball. I am getting the HD feed on DirecTV channel 725.

the coverage maps show Carolina/Tampa in HD. WTF is going on with WHNS????

Same here. This sucks.

I called WHNS and spoke to someone in the news dept who assured me they are sending it out in HD, and it must be a problem with the cable company. Then I called Charter who told me they only pass thru the signal they are provided from the local affiliate, so it must be WHNS.

Somebody is LYING. and SD football sucks.

Fox21 OTA is in SD. Robby C

Fox Carolina 864-213-2121

Well that did suck, CBS didn't broadcast the Atlanta game in HD, WHNS dropped the ball and didn't "flip the switch" and Carolina lost.

How's the interface and the onscreen guides?
on screen guide is fine. the remote i got does not allow you to do 30 second skip. the interface is simple and easy to use.

I have monitored the forum for the past few weeks concerning the "POPPING' on ch. 4, and it continues tonight. Do the folks at WYFF know they have a problem, or have I just missed a response?

I have monitored the forum for the past few weeks concerning the "POPPING' on ch. 4, and it continues tonight. Do the folks at WYFF know they have a problem, or have I just missed a response?

A couple of folks in other markets have complained on DBSTalk about the same popping, so I think it's probably a national NBC issue. I hope they get it fixed soon, because it's very annoying.

-c

Well that did suck, CBS didn't broadcast the Atlanta game in HD, WHNS dropped the ball and didn't "flip the switch" and Carolina lost.

I can pick up 39-1 Fox from Bristol, with a CM 4228 sitting on my porch facing North, and they had the game in HD.

Just FYI about the CW.....
It has some pretty good shows this season. And although Charter refuses to carry their HD feed, it comes in EXTREMELY well OTA with $2 rabbit ears. I plugged in some old rabbit ears, dropped them behind the TV onto the floor and I get the CW in near PERFECT digital bliss OTA 62.1 here in Anderson.

Give it a shot, we like Smallville and Reaper in HD.

And we really liked watching the Tigers in HD on ABC this weekend. If only the kicks were straight and the receivers could catch!!! :mad:

Just FYI about the CW.....
It has some pretty good shows this season. And although Charter refuses to carry their HD feed, it comes in EXTREMELY well OTA with $2 rabbit ears. I plugged in some old rabbit ears, dropped them behind the TV onto the floor and I get the CW in near PERFECT digital bliss OTA 62.1 here in Anderson.

Give it a shot, we like Smallville and Reaper in HD.


My TiVo uses the WYCW and WMYA OTA stations since they both come in very good in Greenville. I record everything else off of cable except those 2 channels. It would be nice if Charter would add them so I could remove the rabbit ears but I really am not bothered by it.

My TiVo uses the WYCW and WMYA OTA stations since they both come in very good in Greenville. I record everything else off of cable except those 2 channels. It would be nice if Charter would add them so I could remove the rabbit ears but I really am not bothered by it.

Does WMYA have anything in HD? If not, Charter's analog version will suffice.

Does WMYA have anything in HD? If not, Charter's analog version will suffice.

Yes, they show a few shows in HD but not many at all. Frankly, I don't think I have ever recorded/watched anything on the channel. But I do see a few things in the guide that are HD.

[QUOTE=cruxer;11775917]A couple of folks in other markets have complained on DBSTalk about the same popping, so I think it's probably a national NBC issue. I hope they get it fixed soon, because it's very annoying.


The Atlanta NBC outlet does not have the pop. ??? I have been watching the NBC evening news on both WXIA and WYFF, I only get the popping on ch 4. Some body somewhere has a problem.

This weeks episodes of NBC shows still have the popping! How long could it take to fix this?

This weeks episodes of NBC shows still have the popping! How long could it take to fix this?

that's what i want to know. the picture quality is pretty crappy as well. football is pretty much unwatchable.

Yea, this popping during BIONIC WOMAN sucked. Seemed to be most noticable while music was played in background during show.

Anyway, does anyone have TV GUIDE's TVGOS / Gemstar programming built into their TV or DVD/VCR, etc? The programming in my LG sets with built in DVRs have been ending recordings too short recently..... see post at:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11809904&posted=1#post11809904

This weeks episodes of NBC shows still have the popping! How long could it take to fix this?

Well I hopped on here to complain about the popping on WYFF but I see the ball is already rolling ... does anyone have a contact at the station that we can get in touch with regarding this annoyance?

Well I hopped on here to complain about the popping on WYFF but I see the ball is already rolling ... does anyone have a contact at the station that we can get in touch with regarding this annoyance?

I sent an email from their website to engineering over a week ago with no response. Maybe we could get "7 On Your Side" to investigate for us?

Does anyone know if Charter plans to add SciFiHD?

Maybe we could get "7 On Your Side" to investigate for us?

Now that's funny ...

Does anyone know if Charter plans to add SciFiHD?

They only have plans to add A&E, History, and Golf/Versus. Which is a shame since those seem like they would be the least requested of all the channels they can add. TBS HD should at least be high up on their priority but I get the feeling they don't even know the channel exists. So I wouldn't count on seeing any new HD channels this year besides those.

At least we now know where things stand between TBS HD and Charter Cable...

http://www.tvpredictions.com/bostontbs100507.htm

well correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the playoffs are the only thing TBS is actually showing in HD right now. That being the case I am willing to wait on that one if it means we actually get channels that show HD content.

Well, I sent my email to WYFF via this page (along with a link back to this page, so they could see I'm not alone---Hello, WYFF, if you're watching!):
http://www.wyff4.com/contactus/index.html

I sent it to "Engineering" but if someone else wants to try some different departments as well, go ahead. I am beyond fed up with this popping crap. You would hope it wouldn't take over 2 weeks to correct...

well correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the playoffs are the only thing TBS is actually showing in HD right now. That being the case I am willing to wait on that one if it means we actually get channels that show HD content.

Their original shows will also be shown in HD. Based on the press release, some of the syndicated shows will apparently be shown in HD (non-stretched) as well.

I sent it to "Engineering" but if someone else wants to try some different departments as well,

I sent a note to "Management.

I sent messages to both (Engineering and Management) ... surely after multiple weeks, though, they are aware of this problem ... right?

just a follow-up on the WHNS issues with the Panthers game last Sunday, did anyone ever get in contact with them and find out why the ball was dropped on that one? With the World Series on the horizon I would hate to see the same thing happen there!

just a follow-up on the WHNS issues with the Panthers game last Sunday, did anyone ever get in contact with them and find out why the ball was dropped on that one? With the World Series on the horizon I would hate to see the same thing happen there!

I sent them an email and they asked for more details about the problem. I never heard anything back from them after that though.

Here's hoping for HD for the Panthers/Saints game tomorrow. I really don't want to have to call them again.


But I have their number just in case.

I was just on TitanTV and they've added the new Charter HD channels to the lineup.

They list the following as new additions:

794 Golf/Versus
795 A&E HD
796 History Channel HD

so it looks like those are going to pop up shortly for sure.

I was just on TitanTV and they've added the new Charter HD channels to the lineup.

They list the following as new additions:

794 Golf/Versus
795 A&E HD
796 History Channel HD

so it looks like those are going to pop up shortly for sure.
I just added Spartanburg, SC to my TitanTV Account and they've added FSN HD (798) and MoJo (799) to its Charter Listing, as well (unless they've always been part of the lineup). None of these have been added to Charter's Asheville listing, yet.... :(

I just added Spartanburg, SC to my TitanTV Account and they've added FSN HD (798) and MoJo (799) to its Charter Listing, as well (unless they've always been part of the lineup). None of these have been added to Charter's Asheville listing, yet.... :(

Both have been there for a long time... FSN is only part time of course when an event is on, and MoJo has been listed as the PPV channel ever since they added it a long time ago. I wish they would actually add MoJo though.

anyone have any reccomendations on a good indoor antenna? I've got some amplified RCA junk I bought last month when I got my new TV and thus far am still picking up WLOS(13.1), and WYCW(62.1) with good signal all the time, WEMT(39.1) most of the time, and the occasional 33.x unc tv stations. I have been keeping it turned up all the way thus far. Unfortunately I'm in an apartment complex that does not allow me to put up a dish for directv or dish netowork, and am waiting on charter to let me know (i have to wait a week or more )if they can service my location or not (my address doesn't exist according to them).

anyone have any reccomendations on a good indoor antenna? I've got some amplified RCA junk I bought last month when I got my new TV and thus far am still picking up WLOS(13.1), and WYCW(62.1) with good signal all the time, WEMT(39.1) most of the time, and the occasional 33.x unc tv stations. I have been keeping it turned up all the way thus far. Unfortunately I'm in an apartment complex that does not allow me to put up a dish for directv or dish netowork, and am waiting on charter to let me know (i have to wait a week or more )if they can service my location or not (my address doesn't exist according to them).

Where's the general area that you're trying to get Charter Service? I'm just outside the city limits of Weaverville and can get the same stations that you've mentioned with the Radio Shack VHF/UHF/HD/FM Indoor TV Antenna (22dB amplifier with gain control). Unfortunately, we're at the mercy of the mountains and signals bounce like crazy in the valleys, so even these signals are very sketchy from where I'm at (wished CW were clearer since we don't get that in HD on Charter). My apartment is on a lower level (a.k.a. basement level) with trees obstructing the southern view, so I can't get any dish service with D* or E*.

BTW, your apartment complex can't prohibit you from having a satellite dish unless there's a legitimate safety or historic preservation purpose for doing so. There is an FCC Directive Online that outlines the rules, contains links to the laws established and a Toll-Free Number which you can report your apartment complex for the violation: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html .

Good luck with the Antenna Search!

Both have been there for a long time... FSN is only part time of course when an event is on, and MoJo has been listed as the PPV channel ever since they added it a long time ago. I wish they would actually add MoJo though.

I just did a Live Chat with a Charter Cable CSR to inquire once again whether AVL/Buncombe customers would be getting any new HD chanenls in the near future. While there wasn't any indication of channels being added here :mad:, I mentioned that TitanTV.com had added A&E HD, History Channel HD and Versus/Golf Channel HD to their listings for GSP Charter Cable. The CSR's response was "Yes, those are the new HD channels that Charter is going to launch." I didn't ask when they'd launch, but it looks like at least you guys in GSP will see those pretty soon.

According to the CSR, AVL/Buncombe is a different system from GSP, so it isn't a hook-line-sinker deal that what you folks get in GSP will be added at the same time here in AVL/Buncombe (this would explain the discrepancy between TitanTV's listings for AVL and GSP Charter Cable Customers). I figured you'd want to know this information.

I just added Spartanburg, SC to my TitanTV Account and they've added FSN HD (798) and MoJo (799) to its Charter Listing, as well (unless they've always been part of the lineup).There's a Mojo logo that periodically shows up on my Moxi for 799, but it's always been their HD PPV channel...or what they call HD PPV, at least.

Where's the general area that you're trying to get Charter Service? I'm just outside the city limits of Weaverville and can get the same stations that you've mentioned with the Radio Shack VHF/UHF/HD/FM Indoor TV Antenna (22dB amplifier with gain control). Unfortunately, we're at the mercy of the mountains and signals bounce like crazy in the valleys, so even these signals are very sketchy from where I'm at (wished CW were clearer since we don't get that in HD on Charter). My apartment is on a lower level (a.k.a. basement level) with trees obstructing the southern view, so I can't get any dish service with D* or E*.

BTW, your apartment complex can't prohibit you from having a satellite dish unless there's a legitimate safety or historic preservation purpose for doing so. There is an FCC Directive Online that outlines the rules, contains links to the laws established and a Toll-Free Number which you can report your apartment complex for the violation: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html .

Good luck with the Antenna Search!

I'm in North Asheville and I'm in a 2nd floor apt. and my apt. has no balcony with windows looking out to the southeast. There are 2 things that may allow them to find a loophole in the fcc directive though. One is that I have no place to be able to put a dish that is "exclusive" to my apt. They would have to put it in the flower bed at ground level, or attach it to the outside of the building. The other thing is that we have a boxless crappy custom channel lineup sd directv feed included in our rent. Charter is coming out to see if I can get service from them but it's going to take them a week or longer (blah) to let me know whether or not I can use them.

I just read some more of that FCC document and it looks like it doesn't apply to my complex. Because they have a common use dish/antenna they don't have to allow me to put my own dish up. This blows...I shouldn't be disallowed from spending my money on hd from directv or dish network just because we already have an SD dish feed coming in here.

I just read some more of that FCC document and it looks like it doesn't apply to my complex. Because they have a common use dish/antenna they don't have to allow me to put my own dish up. This blows...I shouldn't be disallowed from spending my money on hd from directv or dish network just because we already have an SD dish feed coming in here.

Ouch.....Well, at least you now know the complex isn't pulling a fast one on you. Hopefully, Verizon and AT&T will come in and make the market more competitive here...

Sorry to keep rambling on about this one, but I may have found another loophole in my favor where it makes note of whether or not the central antenna provides service equal or better to the individial one I would be placing. I'm calling the FCC monday to find out more info.

Sorry to keep rambling on about this one, but I may have found another loophole in my favor where it makes note of whether or not the central antenna provides service equal or better to the individial one I would be placing. I'm calling the FCC monday to find out more info.

Wait until Tuesday.....Federal Holiday is tomorrow (Columbus Day).

I keep checking WSPA and there is stuck on a frame of Poppy Montgomery from what looks like Without A Trace. Did/does anyone else see this? It wasn't this way earlier today.

(I attached a pic of the stuck frame)

I sent it to "Engineering" but if someone else wants to try some different departments as well,

I sent a note to "Management.

Evidently the emails from the web site are not being forwarded properly since I've not received any emails about this issue.

We are aware of the audio pops are are working to resolve it. From my observation it only happens intermittently on NBC programming. I've not heard it on any locally upconverted programs.

Doug

Re WLOS HD

The closed caption problems continue on WLOS, but only in prime time. Strange, but there is not only missing, garbled letters, but occasionally a foreign language caption is mixed in.

Re WLOS HD

The closed caption problems continue on WLOS, but only in prime time. Strange, but there is not only missing, garbled letters, but occasionally a foreign language caption is mixed in.

Is it possible its only an issue with the programs that are actually in HD? I've read it's a lot more complicated to put CC in HD programs.

Evidently the emails from the web site are not being forwarded properly since I've not received any emails about this issue.

We are aware of the audio pops are are working to resolve it. From my observation it only happens intermittently on NBC programming. I've not heard it on any locally upconverted programs.

Doug

Thanks for commenting on this. We watch a number of prime time shows on WYFF (primarily DVR'ed) -- The Office, Chuck, Heroes, ER, Law & Order:SVU. In the past few weeks, every episode that we have watched of these shows has had the popping. Some haven't been watched yet and are still on our DVR, so I can't say the popping is completely consistent.

I don't know if anyone has seen this, but "Titan TV" has listed channel 795 on Charter listed for A&E HD starting Friday, 9pm with the movie "Forest Gump" . MOJO HD is listed on 799.

I don't know if anyone has seen this, but "Titan TV" has listed channel 795 on Charter listed for A&E HD starting Friday, 9pm with the movie "Forest Gump" . MOJO HD is listed on 799.
It looks like it's the only movie/program that has that designation on A&E HD thru 10/22. You'd think "The Sopranos" and "CSI: Miami" would be designated as HD, as well.

I don't know if anyone has seen this, but "Titan TV" has listed channel 795 on Charter listed for A&E HD starting Friday, 9pm with the movie "Forest Gump" . MOJO HD is listed on 799.

Again MOJO HD has been listed with program listings for well over a year now and hasn't appeared, so I wouldn't count on that popping up.

Again MOJO HD has been listed with program listings for well over a year now and hasn't appeared, so I wouldn't count on that popping up.

A&E HD, History, and Golf/Versus are coming this month ("mid October") so it will appear in the next week or two is my guess.

Wait until Tuesday.....Federal Holiday is tomorrow (Columbus Day).

I just called the FCC today, only to find out that none of the regulations apply to my complex because there is no "exclusive use" area in my building that is outside. These apartments were designed with no balcony or patio, and have a central entrance stairwell to access all apartments. So I'm scrwewed it seems, unless I can convince them to let charter come in and get me set up with digital cable. What a crock of S***! Maybe this is a bit far fetched but I wonder if they intentionally designed the buildings this way so they could bypass fcc rules regarding antennas/dishes.

I just called the FCC today, only to find out that none of the regulations apply to my complex because there is no "exclusive use" area in my building that is outside. These apartments were designed with no balcony or patio, and have a central entrance stairwell to access all apartments. So I'm scrwewed it seems, unless I can convince them to let charter come in and get me set up with digital cable. What a crock of S***! Maybe this is a bit far fetched but I wonder if they intentionally designed the buildings this way so they could bypass fcc rules regarding antennas/dishes.

Is it a newer apartment building? If not, then it might not have been a necessary consideration when it was designed and built...

If you have a southern exposure window, there is nothing that says you can't set up a dish infront of the window. That does work, as long as the window doesn't have lead in it.

The problem I have had with CC was only with the stations broadcasting a 720p signal and that indirectly seems to have caused the garbled captions. Now, according to D*, they recommend the HR20 be set for only 1080i allowing the receiver to convert the signals to the needs of the HD set. The installer set my HR20 to automatically switch to the mode being received, and D*, says that is wrong. I am now reset to convert all to 1080i and it seems to have solved the CC issue; I await PrimeTime to confirm this.

A&E HD, History, and Golf/Versus are coming this month ("mid October") so it will appear in the next week or two is my guess.I got a letter in the mail today from Charter, and although I already chucked it in the trash, I believe it said these three channels would be coming on October 31st.

If you have a southern exposure window, there is nothing that says you can't set up a dish infront of the window. That does work, as long as the window doesn't have lead in it.

I'm guessing that there aren't any issues to be concerned with when being too close to the dish...just like being close to a computer screen or a TV.

I got a letter in the mail today from Charter, and although I already chucked it in the trash, I believe it said these three channels would be coming on October 31st.

My assumption is that it is only for the Greenville/Spartanburg customers...

Is it a newer apartment building? If not, then it might not have been a necessary consideration when it was designed and built...

Yes...it was finished in early 05. After I made my last post about it I talked to the office again and they said no to Charter coming in here also. They will only allow us the feed they include in the rent. As for foxeng, that would be rather big to have a dish in front of my window.

The problem I have had with CC was only with the stations broadcasting a 720p signal and that indirectly seems to have caused the garbled captions. Now, according to D*, they recommend the HR20 be set for only 1080i allowing the receiver to convert the signals to the needs of the HD set. The installer set my HR20 to automatically switch to the mode being received, and D*, says that is wrong. I am now reset to convert all to 1080i and it seems to have solved the CC issue; I await PrimeTime to confirm this.

D* suggested change in my HR20 setup only partially changed the CC problem. The over-the-air HD signal has good Captions, the LIL from the satellite for both Fox and ABC stations remains garbled. Looking for suggestions.

WSPA's News in wide screen HD --
Perhaps I missed previous acknowledgement of the new HD broadcasts of the Channel 7 news, but it is a real pleasure to see the change. The studio HD camera is excellent and the occasional HD field cameras are looking good. It's much better than watching side panels stretching the picture to achieve a HD claim.

Charter did announce 3 new HD channels, but they suck! I want SciFiHD!

WSPA's News in wide screen HD --
Perhaps I missed previous acknowledgement of the new HD broadcasts of the Channel 7 news, but it is a real pleasure to see the change. The studio HD camera is excellent and the occasional HD field cameras are looking good. It's much better than watching side panels stretching the picture to achieve a HD claim.

JB,

I agree with the points that you have made. It's great that WSPA is taking the initiative to be the first with HD Local News in this market. However, their newscasts have been painful to watch from all of the glitches that have occurred. For example,

Stretch-o-vision: Whenever SD video plays during their newscasts, the video is stretched to fit 16:9 on the HD channel. You can even tell in SD mode that people's faces and the aerial settings behind them are "Cartman-ed". At least they could put specially designed graphics bars on the sides for when the video isn't HD (ala NBC Nightly News).

Audio: I have to turn the volume up on my TV or Home Theater System in order to listen to anything that the News Anchors and Reporters, Meteorologists and Sports Anchors are saying. Then, when they go to commercial, I have to race to turn the volume down in order to not blast me out of the living room. (Granted, this is a problem that apparently is more common than I originally thought, even the Discovery Channel as explained in an online article today: http://www.tvpredictions.com/commercials101107.htm)

Graphics/Camera Shots: I can tell that everything graphic- and camera-wise is automated (by 'Ignite'). The lower graphics take a while to appear, the OTS graphics pause for a second or two before set to motion and motion graphics (i.e. newscast intros, segment intros) are very choppy. Shots from Air7 and from live field reports seem very grainy (maybe 16:9 SD?). Also, there have been at least one weekend morning newscast that have gone through total meltdown and a couple of the weekday newscasts that have been very sloppy (i.e. Intros to the newscast not appearing, thus showing the Anchors gracefully waiting for their cue to begin speaking and intro the top story).

To prove that I'm not a total gripe and to have an equal view, here are the things that I do like about their HD Newscasts:

The Newspeople: They appear more life-like and don't look as tired in HD. Also, they seem to handle the glitches with the Automated System with dignity.

The Graphics: Regardless of the glitches that are being experienced with them, the overall graphics design is great. Just get them to work properly and we're good to go.

Weather Segments: The HD Weather Graphics are, by far, the best in this TV Market. Just hope they don't let the competition surpass them in this respect.

Here's to hoping that they can greatly improve on their HD News and keep a step ahead of the rest of the pack. :)

My assumption is that it is only for the Greenville/Spartanburg customers...

794 Golf/Versus
795 A&E
796 History

Those channels were listed as of 10/31 for Asheville in a brochure that came yesterday (10/11)

Yeah, but where's SciFiHD??

Here's the graphic that was provided in the letter from Charter Cable dated 10/1/2007 and sent to customers regarding Channel Lineup Changes/Additions. Sorry, I couldn't capture the whole letter without compromising the scan quality. :( What's interesting is that the "Separate Full Channel Line UP" for Asheville doesn't mention the channel moves of MHD, Starz HD, TNT HD, Universal HD, and ESPN2 HD like the actual letter does. :confused: Also, rather than call the move of G4 a Digital View Channel, it mentions the channel as still being Expanded Basic (but you need the digital converter box to view).

At least it's a start in notifying customers of pending HD and SD lineup changes.

TitanTV has updated the Asheville and Hickory Charter Cable Lineups to include these channels...The addition of Fox Business Channel SD isn't included, yet.

I was just on TitanTV and they've added the new Charter HD channels to the lineup.

They list the following as new additions:

794 Golf/Versus
795 A&E HD
796 History Channel HD

so it looks like those are going to pop up shortly for sure.

Hey that is great about the channels Charter is adding for us. At the rate they are going it will just be 7-10 years and we will have has many HD channels as Dish and Direct.

Here's the graphic that was provided in the letter from Charter Cable dated 10/1/2007 and sent to customers regarding Channel Lineup Changes/Additions. Sorry, I couldn't capture the whole letter without compromising the scan quality. :( What's interesting is that the "Separate Full Channel Line UP" for Asheville doesn't mention the channel moves of MHD, Starz HD, TNT HD, Universal HD, and ESPN2 HD like the actual letter does. :confused: Also, rather than call the move of G4 a Digital View Channel, it mentions the channel as still being Expanded Basic (but you need the digital converter box to view).

At least it's a start in notifying customers of pending HD and SD lineup changes.

Mine does. Personally, I'd still like to see CNN and National Geographic in HD.

Mine does. Personally, I'd still like to see CNN and National Geographic in HD.

Interesting......the listing that they sent me only shows G4 as a mover (in bold green). The others remain in their current channel positions. If I remember, they did this same thing back in March when they sent me a channel listing noting more channels being moved than what actually occurred.