I did another automatic channel scan, but it would not even pick up 83-3 now as a grayed-out channel. Is there a chance these channels will come back?
Have they come back? We're getting them at my house, but I have had periods where they disappeared for weeks while others on this forum had no problem. There must be some aspect of the way OTW distributes its signals - filters, strenth on subnetworks - that causes these intermittent problems. - DR

>>Seems like we're pretty much in the dark as far as what goes on.<<

Amen to that.<sigh> My guess is that the stuff on 110/119 -might-be duplicated when D11 is launched into the 99 slot later this year or early next year (assuming SeaLaunch doesn't get smoked again). Those 14 transponders at 110/119 are worth million$. I covered my 110/119 LNBs with alum. foil and verified that ch. 206/9 ESPN/2 HD and 245 TNT HD (etc.) are indeed still coming off 110/119.
Ch. 267/Smithsonian HD and 332/MTV-VH1 HD sure do look nice. I wish it would rain so we could see how they hold up compared to Ku-band.

And much mahalos for those sig. readings!
Any idea of when we might get the locals in HD from DirecTV? After watching all the morning NFL games in HD, I can barely watch the KHNL game in SD.<g>

--Michael


I have only one dish in Honolulu --- thanks for the confirm that the HD ESPN's still not available to Hawaii

Directv continues to show utter contempt for Hawaii --- and I am not saying that regarding what they have or haven't provided as far as channels -- it is the way that you get treated when you try to get an answer out their customer service --- they want to transfer me to the International desk --- WE WERE ADMITTED TO THE UNION AS A STATE IN 1959 --- almost 50 years ago!

Have they come back? We're getting them at my house, but I have had periods where they disappeared for weeks while others on this forum had no problem. There must be some aspect of the way OTW distributes its signals - filters, strenth on subnetworks - that causes these intermittent problems. - DR

83-3 (NBC) came back a couple of days ago, but I still can't find the CBS HD feed. I also forgot to write down where it used to be -- could you tell me what number it's on? Thanks very much!

*edit* or am I imagining I used to get it? :D

83-3 (NBC) came back a couple of days ago, but I still can't find the CBS HD feed.
I've never pulled in CBS in HD except OTA, and that only for the US Open, which was broadcast live. - DR

I have only one dish in Honolulu --- thanks for the confirm that the HD ESPN's still not available to Hawaii

Directv continues to show utter contempt for Hawaii --- and I am not saying that regarding what they have or haven't provided as far as channels -- it is the way that you get treated when you try to get an answer out their customer service --- they want to transfer me to the International desk --- WE WERE ADMITTED TO THE UNION AS A STATE IN 1959 --- almost 50 years ago!


What I have been doing is calling the local Directv contractor (ironwood), explain to them what' s happening, they will have a much better idea on what you may need, they will note it on your account file, then call the national directv number and just have them read the notes.

Hawaii is such a small market for Directv. It's understandable that there's not much support or interest. But I'll stick with them as long as they carry the NFL ticket. On some positive notes, Directv's picture and especially sound is much better than OTW (SD, never had HD with OTW). I've had both at the same time and you could really see and hear the difference. And having all these new HD channels pop up every few days is a nice suprise (MHD being the latest I think). The only thing I miss about OTW is oc16 and the high school football games.

Vikingfan

I'm not a major poster on this gargantuan thread but I do avidly lurk. Many times I've been thankful for tips here.

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.

We each have our own reasons and seldom does anyone change systems. I for one have as much interest in reading about satellite stuff as I do reading my wife's postings on the house cleaning forum.

If others agree, how'bout making it Hawaii, not Honolulu? Other than over air reception, all the islands share pretty much the same issues. The only difference I can see is that the hours you city guys spend on H1, us country folk spend watching HD>:-}

I'm not a major poster on this gargantuan thread but I do avidly lurk. Many times I've been thankful for tips here.

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.

We each have our own reasons and seldom does anyone change systems. I for one have as much interest in reading about satellite stuff as I do reading my wife's postings on the house cleaning forum.

If others agree, how'bout making it Hawaii, not Honolulu? Other than over air reception, all the islands share pretty much the same issues. The only difference I can see is that the hours you city guys spend on H1, us country folk spend watching HD>:-}


Sounds good to me! This board had become infested with satellite chatter! Although, this has been brought up before and nothing became of it.

BTW.... Time spent in traffic on Kauai > Time spent in traffic on H1
I'll take H1 anyday rather than have to live in the country!

I'm not a major poster on this gargantuan thread but I do avidly lurk. Many times I've been thankful for tips here.

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.

We each have our own reasons and seldom does anyone change systems. I for one have as much interest in reading about satellite stuff as I do reading my wife's postings on the house cleaning forum.

If others agree, how'bout making it Hawaii, not Honolulu? Other than over air reception, all the islands share pretty much the same issues. The only difference I can see is that the hours you city guys spend on H1, us country folk spend watching HD>:-}
That sounds like a good idea. We probably need to ask the forum moderator, CPanther95, to split this thread or make new ones. Here's a link to message him: PM CPanther95 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/private.php?action=newmessage&userid=46723)

The thread title will continue to be Honolulu, HI because that's the TV market denomination for all of Hawaii. Also, if we split into cable and sat, do we need a third thread for OTA? Outer islands will get digital over-the-air sooner or later and OTA reception will become more of a topic.

Hilo's had OTA digital longer than anyone...

-E

I'm not a major poster on this gargantuan thread but I do avidly lurk. Many times I've been thankful for tips here.

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.

We each have our own reasons and seldom does anyone change systems. I for one have as much interest in reading about satellite stuff as I do reading my wife's postings on the house cleaning forum.

If others agree, how'bout making it Hawaii, not Honolulu? Other than over air reception, all the islands share pretty much the same issues. The only difference I can see is that the hours you city guys spend on H1, us country folk spend watching HD>:-}

It's not like this thread has a 100 posts a day. I'm sure it's pretty easy to know and choose which posts to read and which to ignore. Geez.

I already have 72 open tabs as it is... I don't see the need for multiple threads for Hawaii - unless the traffic picks up 10 fold (which may become an issue later on).

Michael, sat guy

The channels that are crappy blocky vary I have the dish dvr 622 and most of my locals are crappy, mtv clear, foxnews crappy, a&e good, i can go through the list, but some good some bad, my tv is cristal clear with dvd, OTA, just the dish stuff is hit or miss, i wanted to make sure it was all clear before i got the hd package

What I don't like is when for some odd reason it becomes a competition.. Cable Vs Satellite. It seems to be an internet thing.... like tribes or teams and the game is on. It is not like most of us even have a choice. So if this remains one thread, can we just forgo the "mine is better than yours' syndrome? Thanks...

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.
Where would the OTA people go? - DR

To that end - I'm sure I'm not the only one here that has OTA and "some other" source =)

Since the feelings are mixed about splitting the thread it should probably stay this way.

BTW.... Time spent in traffic on Kauai > Time spent in traffic on H1
I'll take H1 anyday rather than have to live in the country!

I so agree with you. When my wife's family in California and NY gush about how they want to retire here in Vacationland or even worse, come and stay with us, I urge them to go to Oahu, that there isn't anything at all to do here in the out islands:)

OTA, Cable or Sat . . . doesn't need separate forum threads . . . just need those with a vested monetary interest in either to step away from the "better, cheaper, smarter than you" soapbox.

i assume our local CW doesn't broadcast in HD over the air since they are a subchannel of fox. if that is true, would it still be possible for Oceanic to add it as an HD channel?

Michael, sat guy

The channels that are crappy blocky vary I have the dish dvr 622 and most of my locals are crappy, mtv clear, foxnews crappy, a&e good, i can go through the list, but some good some bad, my tv is cristal clear with dvd, OTA, just the dish stuff is hit or miss, i wanted to make sure it was all clear before i got the hd package

I look at CNN and FoxNews everyday on my 622 and they look fine .
A couple of weeks ago, I was doing some testing and had splitters in the LNB cables from 119, and noticed FoxNews blocking from low signal strength. I'd have DISH Network check out the system...could be just out of alignment a little(?).

--Michael

Am contemplating installation of DirectTV HD on the north shore of Kauai. Are 2 1.2m dishes necessary? Is this likely to change anytime soon? Heard the FCC was mandating equal satellite services to Hawaii and Alaska. Is this a "will take forever" thing or a pipedream. Obviously would not like to put up two 1.2's if not necessary or soon obsolete.

Thanks


Jwise,
This question has been posed before and unfortunately nothing has changed recently.
Expect to need 2 ea 1.2 MTR dishes to cover 5 satellite locations here in Hawaii for a while yet. However it looks like they have added another 20 or so new HD feeds to the 103 slot. So....there really isnt a whole lot on satellite 119 and 110 but a few 'primary' HD's (ESPN, Discovery etc) Someday we wont need a 1.2 for these handful of HD's (crossing fingers)

Well, just to set the record straight, they're 1.2m, not 2.5 (always wondered why some people have trouble telling 4 feet from 8 feet without measuring).

And it is possible to use -one- 1.2m reflector...I'm watching the Cubs right now on ch. 95 HD.

--Michael

Michael,
Yes you can get most of the programming from one 1.2 mtr dish, however as you know the transponders from 119 and 110 wont come in with out another 1.2 dish.

No reports of any issues with the b band converters. However I had a similar issue with one of the bars. Try this if you are still having an issue with some of your HD channels.


1) Go to your swtich outside (WB68 switch)
2) disconnect your port 1 INPUT from the dish
3) Barrel connect your H20 feed and the signal coming off your 99/101/103 dish (Port 1 input on your WB68 switch)
4) unplug your H20 wait 15 seconds then plug back in
5) go to menu on your H20 once it boots back up
6) Settings
7) 'Reconfigure dish set up' or 'reconfigure dish settings'
8) Be sure to choose '5 LNB set up' > continue
9) The h20 should then 'auto configure' its self to determine which satellites are being recongnised.

By going direct and by passing the switch you can eliminate a bad switch issue.



Question for directv subcribers with HD (two 1.2m dishes)

Anyone else losing channels 72 (espn2) and 79(hdnet)? Just wondering if it's just me.

I noticed that since I put the b band converters in (to watch the new HD channels), my ch 72 and 79 keeps losing signal (73-78 are ok). After troubleshooting a bit here's what I found:

I found that if I disconnect and reconnect the bband converters, ch 72 and 79 come back strong (75-85 signal). BUT, once I swtich to one of the new HD channels (eg. 77, or 212HD), I lose ch 72 and 79 again. Checking signal strength, a few transponders that I normally have signal on (sat 119(24,26,28,30) all go to zero and I notice signal drop on everthing on sat 119 and 110. If I quickly disconnect and reconnect the bband converter, ch72 adn 79 are back and my signal strengths are all back up.

If I remove the b band converters all together, ch 72 and 79 work like a charm, but then I lose all the new HD channels.

I thought it may be a grounding issue but this doesnt' happen on my HR20 (moved boxes around, also tried different bband converters). Sounds like the H20 is having a hard time switching with the B band converters.


Vikingsfan

I'm not a major poster on this gargantuan thread but I do avidly lurk. Many times I've been thankful for tips here.

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.

We each have our own reasons and seldom does anyone change systems. I for one have as much interest in reading about satellite stuff as I do reading my wife's postings on the house cleaning forum.

If others agree, how'bout making it Hawaii, not Honolulu? Other than over air reception, all the islands share pretty much the same issues. The only difference I can see is that the hours you city guys spend on H1, us country folk spend watching HD>:-}



Id be all for a 'Hawaii High Def' thread as all four services Dish, DTV, OTW, and OTA are available state wide..
my .02 cents

What I have been doing is calling the local Directv contractor (ironwood), explain to them what' s happening, they will have a much better idea on what you may need, they will note it on your account file, then call the national directv number and just have them read the notes.

Hawaii is such a small market for Directv. It's understandable that there's not much support or interest. But I'll stick with them as long as they carry the NFL ticket. On some positive notes, Directv's picture and especially sound is much better than OTW (SD, never had HD with OTW). I've had both at the same time and you could really see and hear the difference. And having all these new HD channels pop up every few days is a nice suprise (MHD being the latest I think). The only thing I miss about OTW is oc16 and the high school football games.

Vikingfan


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

MPEG 04 compression is nice and clean aint it?
Did you get the other 20 or so that came in last week?

I'm not a major poster on this gargantuan thread but I do avidly lurk. Many times I've been thankful for tips here.

I'm wondering if it would better suit everyone's needs if it was split up into two threads; one for those with cable and one for those with dishes.

We each have our own reasons and seldom does anyone change systems. I for one have as much interest in reading about satellite stuff as I do reading my wife's postings on the house cleaning forum.

If others agree, how'bout making it Hawaii, not Honolulu? Other than over air reception, all the islands share pretty much the same issues. The only difference I can see is that the hours you city guys spend on H1, us country folk spend watching HD>:-}


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

LOL, I just saw that last 'jab' about H1 and HD...nicely done and agree

Dish Network Question -

Has anybody with the ViP 622/722 HD DVR attempted to use the USB port to read a FAT32 filesystem that has jpg pictures on it from a Digital Camera (USB -> SD Card adapter)? Would like to know if it's possible to view your photos in 1080i on your HD set without formatting it to EXT3 - and to that end, if it requires EXT3 only, will simply placing a jpg file on the partition cause the DVR to read/view it?

Thanks

Michael,
Yes you can get most of the programming from one 1.2 mtr dish, however as you know the transponders from 119 and 110 wont come in with out another 1.2 dish.

I guess you missed the reference to Ch. 95 which was on 110 that day.

But yes, I am using -one- 1.2m reflector to receive 99/101/103 and 110/119.

As the old saying goes, "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it."<s>

--Michael

Attention KGMB and OTW

You both suck for forcing me to watch the Dallas / New England game this weekend on my awesome new Sony 52XBR4 in SD.

Attention KGMB and OTW

You both suck for forcing me to watch the Dallas / New England game this weekend on my awesome new Sony 52XBR4 in SD.
I'll second that motion. I just got a Sony 52XBR4 recently also and I can't stand it when I have to watch football on KGMB in SD. This has to be the longest ongoing dispute where the public is suffering as a result in the whole US.

I think it's about time to boycott KGMB!

they never forced you to watch anything... just don't watch the game, at all. Watch the HD highlights on KHON-HD or KHNL-HD and send KGMB an e-mail letting them know you're boycotting them. If everyone here gets together and e-mails them a specific complaint on the same weekend or monday after, they will pay attention. They are not reading your posts on this forum, though. I guarantee you that.

Dish Network Question -

Has anybody with the ViP 622/722 HD DVR attempted to use the USB port to read a FAT32 filesystem that has jpg pictures on it from a Digital Camera (USB -> SD Card adapter)? Would like to know if it's possible to view your photos in 1080i on your HD set without formatting it to EXT3 - and to that end, if it requires EXT3 only, will simply placing a jpg file on the partition cause the DVR to read/view it?

Thanks

Mea Culpa to the list (reply to my original post) -

In the interest of sharing information - I posted a similar question to the DishNetwork Support folks and have received the following response:

"The model 722 will allow you to display pictures from a digital camera on your screen"

Not as informative as I would have wished for, however it does answer the main question.

Thanks

http://www.speedtest.net/result/188607281.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Yeah, this is to San Jose, but tests to other points on the west coast give wildly different (and lower) results. Not sure how much these tests can be trusted. It's definitely faster though.

Hey, is anyone still having the higher upload bandwidth rate? I just tested my bandwidth on speedtest.net to a Los Angeles ISP and I'm getting 4797 kb/s down and only 293 kb/s up.

What the heck? Can someone test their Road Runner speeds and post them?

My stupid considerations:

- I live in Makiki... not exactly the most up-to-date wiring in this neighborhood.
- I live in a condo... not exactly the most up-to-date wiring in this bldg.
- I have the cable modem with the digital phone service. Inferior? (the modem)

Thanks in advance.

they never forced you to watch anything... just don't watch the game, at all. Watch the HD highlights on KHON-HD or KHNL-HD and send KGMB an e-mail letting them know you're boycotting them. If everyone here gets together and e-mails them a specific complaint on the same weekend or monday after, they will pay attention. They are not reading your posts on this forum, though. I guarantee you that.

I think that is the only way they will listen. Or plan a weekend to go in front of there studios and protest with bull horns and everything. Or maybe have a BBQ in there parking lot!

But eventually we will have it, the question is when.

Hey, is anyone still having the higher upload bandwidth rate? I just tested my bandwidth on speedtest.net to a Los Angeles ISP and I'm getting 4797 kb/s down and only 293 kb/s up.

What the heck? Can someone test their Road Runner speeds and post them?

My stupid considerations:

- I live in Makiki... not exactly the most up-to-date wiring in this neighborhood.
- I live in a condo... not exactly the most up-to-date wiring in this bldg.
- I have the cable modem with the digital phone service. Inferior? (the modem)

Thanks in advance.

i'm still getting the higher upload speeds:

Download: 3.98 Mbps (i always seem t get aroun4 4 even though i pay for 5)
Upload: 984 kbps

I think it's about time to boycott KGMB!

i don't have an official boycott but i pretty much don't watchc anything on CBS now due to the lack of HD here. i usually only scan through the network channels so often don't even know what is on CBS these days. I've watched every season of survivor but i didn't even know the new season started until it was 2 weeks in and since i missed the beginning i decided to skip the whole season. and i haven't checked out a single new show on CBS this fall while i've checked out several of the new shows on the other networks.

Hey, is anyone still having the higher upload bandwidth rate? I just tested my bandwidth on speedtest.net to a Los Angeles ISP and I'm getting 4797 kb/s down and only 293 kb/s up.
Not here in Waikiki. My download is about the same (just tested at 4814 kb/s), but soon after I posted that speed test shown in your post above, my upload has hovered around 500 kb/s. I just tested and its 576 kb/s. Just speculating, but maybe Oceanic is reducing the upload in areas where the speed increase was causing network instability.

Not here in Waikiki. My download is about the same (just tested at 4814 kb/s), but soon after I posted that speed test shown in your post above, my upload has hovered around 500 kb/s. I just tested and its 576 kb/s. Just speculating, but maybe Oceanic is reducing the upload in areas where the speed increase was causing network instability.

Which could happen more often when the 15Mbps Road Runner Turbo + is rolled out to more areas.

Hey, is anyone still having the higher upload bandwidth rate? I just tested my bandwidth on speedtest.net to a Los Angeles ISP and I'm getting 4797 kb/s down and only 293 kb/s up.

What the heck? Can someone test their Road Runner speeds and post them?

My stupid considerations:

- I live in Makiki... not exactly the most up-to-date wiring in this neighborhood.
- I live in a condo... not exactly the most up-to-date wiring in this bldg.
- I have the cable modem with the digital phone service. Inferior? (the modem)

Thanks in advance.

Waikiki in a Condo

http://www.speedtest.net/result/192643759.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Waikiki in a Condo

http://www.speedtest.net/result/192643759.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
Hmm, that's interesting. I wonder why I'm not seeing that too. It's kinda bumming me out.

Hmm, that's interesting. I wonder why I'm not seeing that too. It's kinda bumming me out.
Did you reset your modem?

Did you reset your modem?
I did. Like I said, I was getting the higher speed initially, but for the last couple of weeks it''s been around 500 kb/s upload.

The last couple of days I haven't been able to pick up KGMB's HD channel (9-1). This sucks because I had to watch LSU yesterday and the Patriots today on Oceanic's SD channel. Anyone else have this problem? I wonder if it's me or KGMB.

I live in Makiki and watched the Patriots game today on KGMB-HD OTA. Came in fine, had a pretty constant 99 signal strength.

Thankfully I'm still getting around 1Mbps upload speeds -- now I don't have to leave the computer on all night seeding torrents just to keep a good ratio.

The last couple of days I haven't been able to pick up KGMB's HD channel (9-1). This sucks because I had to watch LSU yesterday and the Patriots today on Oceanic's SD channel. Anyone else have this problem? I wonder if it's me or KGMB.

I'm having this problem too, to some extent. I have two indoor OTA antennas, 1 for upstairs and 1 for downstairs PC. They both used to catch 9-1, but I've noticed recently (within the las week) that my PC downstairs is no longer able to catch 9-1. The upstairs TV is fine. Anyone else having problems? Thanks

Hmm, what a choice . . . seeing CBS's Letterman in HD will probably mean having to see Guy Hagi in HD too . . . what a dilemna . . :D

I look at CNN and FoxNews everyday on my 622 and they look fine .
A couple of weeks ago, I was doing some testing and had splitters in the LNB cables from 119, and noticed FoxNews blocking from low signal strength. I'd have DISH Network check out the system...could be just out of alignment a little(?).

--Michael

What size is the TV your looking at, mine is a 50" Sony,

What size is the TV your looking at, mine is a 50" Sony,

A 61" JVC HD-ILA and a 32" Visio LCD.
I wish I could see what you're describing as 'crappy blocky'.
I only see blocking when the signal is bad enough such as that caused by rain-fade.
I'm afraid that if you go to HD, you won't be able to watch -anything- in SD again...(I'm just about there myself).<g>

--Michael

I guess you missed the reference to Ch. 95 which was on 110 that day.

But yes, I am using -one- 1.2m reflector to receive 99/101/103 and 110/119.

As the old saying goes, "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it."<s>

--Michael


you are receiving 5 sats with one dish, where do you live?

you are receiving 5 sats with one dish, where do you live?

Yes and I live on Maui.

--Michael

Attention KGMB and OTW

You both suck for forcing me to watch the Dallas / New England game this weekend on my awesome new Sony 52XBR4 in SD.
No chance of you getting them via a cheapo indoor antenna? The XBR has a tuner...

I think it's about time to boycott KGMB!
Whenever a show I enjoy is not in HD OTA (which is quite often) I watch another station's newscast. Not like it does much good, but whatever. I got tired of emailing them asking when they'll install the new equipment they said they already have.


This is what they told me on 7/16/07:
Thanks for your concern.
We got the servers in, but they still need to be set up. Like everything else, I just need to get a little more money to complete the installation.

David T.S. Soon, CBNT
KGMB9 Air Operations

This is what they told me on 9/4/07:
I am sorry to report that I am still waiting for money to complete the installation. With the kickoff of the new morning "Sunrise" show in 2 weeks, the HD server project has fallen behind schedule.



David T.S. Soon, CBNT
KGMB9 Air Operations

That guy's addy is dsoon at kgmb9 dot com. He's been nice enough to answer my questions promptly and politely so take it easy on him if you mail him. :cool:

What size dish are you useing?

I'm using a PRODELIN CORPORATION 1.2M Ku-BAND Rx/Tx SERIES 1123.

I'm using a PRODELIN CORPORATION 1.2M Ku-BAND Rx/Tx SERIES 1123.

Michael
Thx for the reply.
I looked thru your past posts and saw you were useing a 1.2m dish.
Deleted my orginal question. :o Sry bout that.
Steven

I live in Makiki and watched the Patriots game today on KGMB-HD OTA. Came in fine, had a pretty constant 99 signal strength.
Yeah, I was able to watch the game on KGMB-HD OTA as well. Excellent picture with a solid signal that seemed more stable than normal. However, I had to hunt for it as channel 9-1 had disappeared from my channel listing. Luckily I was able to find CBS-HD on channel 22-3. It still remains mapped to that channel as of this writing.

No chance of you getting them via a cheapo indoor antenna? The XBR has a tuner...

No luck for OTA out here, but thanks for the suggestion.

This is what they told me on 7/16/07:


This is what they told me on 9/4/07:

I'm glad you posted these. Please let us know if you hear anything else.
I'll post my response as well. I've decided not to include Donut in my name, so he might take me seriously. Thanks again.

No luck for OTA out here, but thanks for the suggestion.


This is what they told me on 7/16/07:


This is what they told me on 9/4/07:

I'm glad you posted these. Please let us know if you hear anything else.
I'll post my response as well. I've decided not to include Donut in my name, so he might take me seriously. Thanks again.
I'm interested in hearing an update from them. It's been a month since I last heard anything. I doubt there's any progress, though. :(

Michael
Thx for the reply.
I looked thru your past posts and saw you were useing a 1.2m dish.
Deleted my orginal question. :o Sry bout that.
Steven

No biggie, Steven.
It's much easier to get all 5 on a 1.8 or 2.4m, but it's doable on a 1.2, although I'm still working on getting a little more headroom on 119.

Aloha,

--Michael

channel 9-1 had disappeared from my channel listing. Luckily I was able to find CBS-HD on channel 22-3. It still remains mapped to that channel as of this writing.
We are getting CBS in digital today on both 9-1 and 22-3, with signals exactly the same strength. Not HD, though. - DR

Anyone still using Cable Cards for HD having problems with the network HD stations?

I have my S3 Tivo and SA DVR connected in parallel and feeding separate inputs to my TV. According to Oceanic's infamous letter, SDV is not supposed to affect the network stations (i.e. KHON, KITV, KHNL). However, several times in the past week, I've found that my Tivo can't see those stations, but the SA DVR can. The Tivo can still see the regular SD channels. The behavior is exactly as if the network stations are switched.

I haven't ruled out problems with my splitter, but the behavior is very suspicious. Just thought I'd poll to see if anyone else has noticed this.

Response:

Dear Sir,

I understand your frustration, and I am sad to report that Letterman is not being broadcast locally in HD yet. We hope to finish the installation of some new equipment which will allow us to do that. As for the issue of OTW, I am unaware of any change in the position of either KGMB or OTW.


David T.S. Soon
KGMB9 Air Operations

Response:

Dear Sir,

I understand your frustration, and I am sad to report that Letterman is not being broadcast locally in HD yet. We hope to finish the installation of some new equipment which will allow us to do that. As for the issue of OTW, I am unaware of any change in the position of either KGMB or OTW.


David T.S. Soon
KGMB9 Air Operations
Hmm, he didn't say when they expect to finish installing things. :(

Hello everyone, thought Id keep everyone abreast on more new HD content on DirecTV
Additional HD's launched:

This happened last Monday,
Sure looks like DirecTV is making good on their promise of 100+ HD channels by years end.

FXHD 248
HGTV 229-1
FSN WEST HD 652
FSN SOUTHWEST 643
Speedhd 607
Fuelhd 612
Fsn Primetickethd 653
Cartoonhd 296

This happened last Monday,
Sure looks like DirecTV is making good on their promise of 100+ HD channels by years end.

Well I hope they do. Because it might put some pressure on OTW to keep the HD channels coming. Unfortunately since DirecTV is not an option for the vast majority of Honolulu's viewers we have no choice. Is it still true that Hawaii has the lowest Satellite/highest cable penetration in the entire US? That is what I remember reading a while back. I think Satellite was under 5%?

Is is possible to wire a Condo for Satellite if enough customers could be signed up?

Is is possible to wire a Condo for Satellite if enough customers could be signed up?
See Directv's MDU page. (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/secondaryIndex.jsp?assetId=1400044)

Well I hope they do. Because it might put some pressure on OTW to keep the HD channels coming. Unfortunately since DirecTV is not an option for the vast majority of Honolulu's viewers we have no choice. Is it still true that Hawaii has the lowest Satellite/highest cable penetration in the entire US? That is what I remember reading a while back. I think Satellite was under 5%?

Is is possible to wire a Condo for Satellite if enough customers could be signed up?


Brad,
In most cases it is possible to get a 'central' dish installed. If you go to oahudish (dot) com and click on satellite news you will see a link to the FCC ruling, click on that and it will take you to the PDF file, the items that will interest you the most are the Q and A items geared towards condos. Weve set up quite a few central dishes in the state. As far as everyone else 'stepping' up their game to compete with DTV's HD line-up this probably will not be possible for quite sometime. At last count its something like OTW 16 to 20 HD channels available and Disnetwork (Hawaii) 20-24 HD (3 dishes).
And DTV Hawaii/Mainland 70+ HD

Is is possible to wire a Condo for Satellite if enough customers could be signed up?

Other than the physical requirements (viable location for the dish, etc.... nothing to do with the FCC), it's entirely in the hands of the 'Owners Association' and how they vote. Anyone who thinks that -that- isn't a hurdle hasn't tried it.

And to be fair, out of the the latest DirecTV HD channel announcement,

FXHD 248
HGTV 229-1
FSN WEST HD 652
FSN SOUTHWEST 643
Speedhd 607
Fuelhd 612
Fsn Primetickethd 653
Cartoonhd 296

only FX, HGTV and Cartoon have HD content. The rest should really be called 'HD-Ready' since the programming is exactly the same as the SD channel. Speed channel, for instance, has announced they will have HD content in the first quarter 2008. I'm sure there will be occasional HD programming here and there, but nothing like you'd think from the announcement.

--Michael

Has anyone noticed HCMAX that just came on the OTW lineup? An HD movie channel?
1622

Has anyone noticed HCMAX that just came on the OTW lineup? An HD movie channel?
1622
Erika Engle's article the other day about DirecTV mentioned that Oceanic plans to expand to 30 HD channels by the end of the year and up to 50 next year. I guess they started w/ Cinemax.

Has anyone noticed HCMAX that just came on the OTW lineup? An HD movie channel?
1622

Not there today.

must be testing...

Other than the physical requirements (viable location for the dish, etc.... nothing to do with the FCC), it's entirely in the hands of the 'Owners Association' and how they vote. Anyone who thinks that -that- isn't a hurdle hasn't tried it.

And to be fair, out of the the latest DirecTV HD channel announcement,

FXHD 248
HGTV 229-1
FSN WEST HD 652
FSN SOUTHWEST 643
Speedhd 607
Fuelhd 612
Fsn Primetickethd 653
Cartoonhd 296

only FX, HGTV and Cartoon have HD content. The rest should really be called 'HD-Ready' since the programming is exactly the same as the SD channel. Speed channel, for instance, has announced they will have HD content in the first quarter 2008. I'm sure there will be occasional HD programming here and there, but nothing like you'd think from the announcement.

--Michael


Agreed,
Very difficult to hammer out an agreement with associations/owners. And very difficult to get an agreement on something such as a right of entry or programming card, or dish placement. But our crack negotiation team has been if anything, consistent there.
Yes havent had time to verify content, however today watched nascar on channel 607, programming not in HD.

Hmm, he didn't say when they expect to finish installing things. :(

The installation of a good high-quality, reliable HD broadcast server is very expensive and complicated. The entire transmission chain for HDtv is complicated beyond your wildest imagination.

they never forced you to watch anything... just don't watch the game, at all. Watch the HD highlights on KHON-HD or KHNL-HD and send KGMB an e-mail letting them know you're boycotting them. If everyone here gets together and e-mails them a specific complaint on the same weekend or monday after, they will pay attention. They are not reading your posts on this forum, though. I guarantee you that.

====================
They do read the posts on this forum.

Is the only KGMB OTA game (Pats/Dolphins) in SD today?

hm... they just switched to the Baltimore game and that too, is in SD.

Way to go, CBS. Why not show it in B/W while you're at it?

The installation of a good high-quality, reliable HD broadcast server is very expensive and complicated. The entire transmission chain for HDtv is complicated beyond your wildest imagination.

I'd be interested in the equipment used in the satellite downlink segment if it's o.k. to post that, Kawika. I'd also like to know when the new site above Ulupalakua will start broadcasting in HD (?).

Mahalo,

--Michael

Is the only KGMB OTA game (Pats/Dolphins) in SD today?

hm... they just switched to the Baltimore game and that too, is in SD.

Way to go, CBS. Why not show it in B/W while you're at it?

The NE/MIA game on KGMB-HD off DISH Net has been alternating between HD and SD but only SD since the switch to Baltimore (and now TEN/HOU), fwiw.

--Michael

====================
They do read the posts on this forum.
that's great! I'm only glad if I was indeed wrong when posting that they don't read this thread. it's just that I don't recall anyone posting here to say hello or any such thing.

I'd be interested in the equipment used in the satellite downlink segment if it's o.k. to post that, Kawika. I'd also like to know when the new site above Ulupalakua will start broadcasting in HD (?).

Mahalo,

--Michael
Being on the West side of the Big Island, I'd also be interested in learning what the plans are for digital broadcasting from the new antennae site on Maui's Ulupalakua ranch. Are there towers up there, yet? Will they start broadcasting DT before 2009?

The installation of a good high-quality, reliable HD broadcast server is very expensive and complicated. The entire transmission chain for HDtv is complicated beyond your wildest imagination.



'complicated beyond your wildest imagination'
And that is probably understated!!
Kawika, good to see you on here, and a hearty welcome

Is the only KGMB OTA game (Pats/Dolphins) in SD today?

hm... they just switched to the Baltimore game and that too, is in SD.

Way to go, CBS. Why not show it in B/W while you're at it?


------------------------------------------------
Mindbender,
Nicely done, black and white, LOL. The video would prob be cleaner :)

====================
They do read the posts on this forum.
Do you know that because you are one of 'Them'?

FYI to everyone, looks like the VOOM programming on 129 popped up early this morning for Hawaii at about 2-3:00a.
official verification has not been given yet. But looks like Dish will be offering this package soon. (Bronze, Silver Gold HD) packages for Hawaii should follow suit

Being on the West side of the Big Island, I'd also be interested in learning what the plans are for digital broadcasting from the new antennae site on Maui's Ulupalakua ranch. Are there towers up there, yet? Will they start broadcasting DT before 2009?

The tower is up and the antenna should be stacked by now. They should be on the air very soon I would think.
Their plans for DT are what we'd both like to know.<g>

--Michael

FYI to everyone, looks like the VOOM programming on 129 popped up early this morning for Hawaii at about 2-3:00a.
official verification has not been given yet. But looks like Dish will be offering this package soon. (Bronze, Silver Gold HD) packages for Hawaii should follow suit


I'd appreciate hearing when it -is- 'official'.

Thanks,

--Michael

The tower is up and the antenna should be stacked by now. They should be on the air very soon I would think.
Their plans for DT are what we'd both like to know.<g>

--Michael
is that only the tower for KGMV-DT/CBS or do all major stations (PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) have towers up? When they start broadcasting digitally from Maui I'll see if I can pick up the signal from the Big Island... it should be a good test.

is that only the tower for KGMV-DT/CBS or do all major stations (PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) have towers up? When they start broadcasting digitally from Maui I'll see if I can pick up the signal from the Big Island... it should be a good test.

It's been 9 or 10 months since I've been up there, but as I was told, all the stations are going to be on one tower/antenna using a combiner. They were building the massive foundation for the self-supporting 199 ft. tower when I was there...lots of concrete.
Again, I don't know what any of their -DT- plans are, which is why I was hoping Kawika could give us some insight.
If it wasn't an hour of 4W drive and locked gates, I'd run up there and ask them myself.<g>
I've been holding off on putting up the 10 ft. Radio Shack antenna I have thinking I was going to move. Looks like it's time to get it up and see what's -really- going on. I'll also poke around on the FCC's site and see if I can find any Construction Permits.

--Michael

is that only the tower for KGMV-DT/CBS or do all major stations (PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) have towers up? When they start broadcasting digitally from Maui I'll see if I can pick up the signal from the Big Island... it should be a good test.

Well, the FCC search wasn't very fruitful.
The DT 'Construction Permits' are all for ~3000 meters AMSL (Antenna Height Above Mean Sea Level) which is Haleakala. The 'Applications' for ~1400 meters AMSL are all NTSC TV except there is -one DT- for KOGG (KHNL-KFVE).
Not very promising, but who knows what's really going on.<sigh>

--Michael

I did a search at the FCC recently for the Maui broadcasters and it's all kind of perplexing. It almost looks like all stations except for KOGG are moving the NTSC (analog) broadcasts to Ulupalakua. It is possible that that is what will happen and then they plan to flash-cut from analog to digital in 2009. Maybe because they have to get out of Haleakala to stop interfering with the telescope. That's one hefty task, though.

Let us know if you pick anything up when you put up your antenna. I don't have a digital TV tuner at the moment. I suspect you'll get nothing, though, because once a station goes on the air, the FCC database says it's "Licensed" and all the Ulupalakua ones are still at "Application" status.

I just got off the phone with Rick Blangiardi, president of KGMB. I had sent a complaint to programming@kgmb9.com, and he actually was the one who responded.

I asked that they make their HD feed available to OTW and he gave the usual excuses about how they want compensation, etc., since OTW is charging extra for the channel. I stressed that OTW doesn't really do that, since they send the local networks "in-the-clear" (do they still? I haven't tried this in a few months) and HD Pak is only for cable channels like espn and hdnet.

Rick does seem like a nice guy and is a big football fan, so maybe they can work something out, but I wouldn't hold my breath people.

He did mention that KGMB-HD will probably be available on the phone company's tv service, when that becomes available, and that it's available on dish network and directv.

He did mention that KGMB-HD will probably be available on the phone company's tv service, when that becomes available, and that it's available on dish network and directv.
Really? Wow. 'Cause they're still not doing all primetime/late night in HD over-the-air. More like one, maybe two shows, if anything. At least those providers will be ready when KGMB is. Like Oceanic and KHON, huh.

He did mention that KGMB-HD will probably be available on the phone company's tv service, when that becomes available, and that it's available on dish network and directv.

A lot of good that does all the OTW subscribers. What are we supposed to do, switch to SAT?!?

A lot of good that does all the OTW subscribers. What are we supposed to do, switch to SAT?!?

All we get on Sat is live feeds of sports, and some HD on the prime time schedule. Apparently, the local stations do not have the capability to record more than an hour or so of HD.

In my opinion, their attempts to change to HD are pathetic. Of course they have a monopoly.

A lot of good that does all the OTW subscribers. What are we supposed to do, switch to SAT?!?
Uh huh. The Satellite Guy's minions are putting up my dishes right now.

Uh huh. The Satellite Guy's minions are putting up my dishes right now.

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

Greg,
We have a sub that handles the residential DTV installs.
Also, you will be getting KGMB in MPEG 4 format, but NOT HD KGMB on DTV.
We are hopefull that DTV will start offering HD locals soon, but it hasnt happened yet. KGMB is available in HD (Mainly live broadcasts and a some prime-time programming) on Dishnetwork

Yes, in switching from Oceanic to DTV I'm losing some HD locals, sadly, but I might get them back in a few months when the D11 satellite is launched, scuttlebutt has it. DTV has lots of new HD channels to make up for it, as you all know.

Yes, in switching from Oceanic to DTV I'm losing some HD locals, sadly, but I might get them back in a few months when the D11 satellite is launched, scuttlebutt has it. DTV has lots of new HD channels to make up for it, as you all know.

Yeah...and when DTV launches their HD Locals, I'll bet KHNL-HD is there instead of the pi$$ing contest we're getting from DISH.

--Michael

Yes, in switching from Oceanic to DTV I'm losing some HD locals, sadly, but I might get them back in a few months when the D11 satellite is launched, scuttlebutt has it. DTV has lots of new HD channels to make up for it, as you all know.

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

Yes we should see locals in HD soon on DTV, I just cant imagine it would be a big jump at all from MPEG 4 to HD.

Did anyone else see brief video drop outs on the NBC HD channel last night? A few times during the office and 30 rock I got a black screen for a few seconds. Just wondering if it was my box/signal levels or if it was something that happened for everybody.

Yeah...and when DTV launches their HD Locals, I'll bet KHNL-HD is there instead of the pi$$ing contest we're getting from DISH.

--Michael

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

Yes the excuses of NO NBC HD thing with KHNL is hopefully running its course. I cant believe this issue continuing much longer

Did anyone else see brief video drop outs on the NBC HD channel last night? A few times during the office and 30 rock I got a black screen for a few seconds. Just wondering if it was my box/signal levels or if it was something that happened for everybody.


Been noticing it a lot on the KHNL-HD signal. We had "Life" on DVR and it was pretty annoying losing the second or so of signal on the recording. Then while watching "scrubs" last night it was also happening "live." We noticed that during "scrubs" the signal went from HD to SD somewhere in the starting minutes of the show.

I noticed a message on the OTW info channel (911) on Saturday that stated Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and Starz would be broadcast on HD channels starting November 1, for those who subscribe to the channels. The announcment was gone on Sunday. Was I seeing things?

I noticed a message on the OTW info channel (911) on Saturday that stated Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and Starz would be broadcast on HD channels starting November 1, for those who subscribe to the channels. The announcment was gone on Sunday. Was I seeing things?

Now that would be kewl. I haven't heard that specifically, but wouldn't be surprised. A recent newspaper article said that Oceanic was planning to have about 30 HD channels by the end of the year and 50 next year.

-E

Been noticing it a lot on the KHNL-HD signal. We had "Life" on DVR and it was pretty annoying losing the second or so of signal on the recording. Then while watching "scrubs" last night it was also happening "live." We noticed that during "scrubs" the signal went from HD to SD somewhere in the starting minutes of the show.

thanks for the info. at least i know it wasn;t just me.

I noticed a message on the OTW info channel (911) on Saturday that stated Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and Starz would be broadcast on HD channels starting November 1, for those who subscribe to the channels. The announcment was gone on Sunday. Was I seeing things?

Those channels are all live right now on OTW!

I can't fully confirm because I only subscribe to HBO and not the other premiums but they are all in the guide as of right now so I assume they are live.

Great news. Probably gonna dump HBO for Cinemax now. Not watching much of the former; the latter looks more appropriate for a movie buff like myself.

So, I'm guessing all these new channels are "Switched".

Those channels are all live right now on OTW!

I can't fully confirm because I only subscribe to HBO and not the other premiums but they are all in the guide as of right now so I assume they are live.

I subscribe to MAX, and as of last night it wasn't live even though it was in the channel guide. Although I suppose it's possible that I'm just not getting it for some reason. I had a dream last night that these channels went live at midnight Nov 1, due to contractual reasons. I gotta get a life.

I subscribed to Cinemax and Starz last night and they were activiated in about 3 minutes. Too bad they can't include these under the HDPak. That would be too nice.

I subscribe to MAX, and as of last night it wasn't live even though it was in the channel guide. Although I suppose it's possible that I'm just not getting it for some reason. I had a dream last night that these channels went live at midnight Nov 1, due to contractual reasons. I gotta get a life.


I tried to have Starz activated but I kept getting this channel is not available at this time... Restarted and everything. All the wiring is new as of last month. I didn't feel like going through the whole appointment thing so for now I canceled. I'll try again at a later date.

All other channels work fine including Showtime and HBO HD.. probably don't have enough time to watch all of it anyway :)

According to OTW this evening (via customer service) CinemaxHD was released this afternoon. As I don't subscribe to MAX, I can't confirm...but they are saying it is out there.

Hey you guys with Oceanic, go checkout channel 911 and keep paging down to the new HD channels. Holy crap!!!

Hey you guys with Oceanic, go checkout channel 911 and keep paging down to the new HD channels. Holy crap!!!

oh snap! that's a lot of new channels coming our way. i've already forgotten the complete list but i think there was MHD, A&E, Food, Lifetime Movies, History, HGTV...

This is kind of off topic, but does anyone notice that Oceanic is broadcasting an anamorphically squeezed 16:9 picture of KPXO on analog (27 on Oahu, 6 in Kona)? That's the local independent ION station. It looks like they're downconverting a digital broadcast without cropping out the gray pillarbox bars. Strange stuff. Digital to analog conversion is what Oceanic will be doing with local stations come 2009 and it looks like they don't have it down quite yet.

FCC Bans Exclusive Cable Deals for Apt Dwellers (http://www.news.com/FCC-bans-exclusive-TV-deals-for-cable/2100-1037_3-6216264.html?tag=newsmap)

Specifically, the FCC's order will prevent building owners from establishing deals that lock residents into only one TV provider. The rule impacts all new contracts between cable operators and apartment building owners. It also applies to all existing contracts that have exclusivity clauses.

I was hoping for a miracle announcement that Oceanic/KGMB would broadcast the Indianapolis Colts/New England Patriots game in HD but I guess it won't happen.

Anybody know if any of the UH Warrior Football games in Hawaii will be in HD on ESPN/ESPN2?

DIRECTV successfully launched new SD and HD stations in Honolulu



Honolulu, HI
KHON
2
Fox
Digital-HD programming available

Honolulu, HI
KITV
4
ABC
Digital-HD programming available

Honolulu, HI
KGMB
9
CBS
Digital-HD programming available

Honolulu, HI
KHET
11
PBS
Digital-HD programming available

Honolulu, HI
KHONDT2
2-2
CW
Analog

Honolulu, HI
KITVDT2
4-2
ABC
Analog

Honolulu, HI
KHETDT2
11-2
PBS
Analog

Honolulu, HI
KIKU
20
IND
Analog

Digital-HD programming available
Available how? I see in my DirecTV guide a new 2-2, 4-2, and 11, but no HD is evident.

Edit: I needed to be patient. Now I see HD on one Channel 11.

I guess Directv is having the same issue with KHNL/KFVE that Dish is.

Available how? I see in my DirecTV guide a new 2-2, 4-2, and 11, but no HD is evident.

Edit: I needed to be patient. Now I see HD on one Channel 11.


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

Yes as far as I know we were the first guys to know in the state of the addition of Honolulu local high definition, so I was probably a little too early on getting the news out to everyone here. Havent had time to check the guide on my HR-20 yet tonight

I guess Directv is having the same issue with KHNL/KFVE that Dish is.


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

It would certainly seem that way. We sent a request into our guy at DTV as to why KHNL HD wasnt included in the launch. Im just guessing, but I bet its a related reason as to why Dishnetworks local KHNL NBC HD was pulled.

Anybody know if any of the UH Warrior Football games in Hawaii will be in HD on ESPN/ESPN2?

I have been wondering about this too. Last year the Oregon St game was SD; ESPN didn't want to ship an HD truck out. They might be too big to put on a plane.

Anybody know if any of the UH Warrior Football games in Hawaii will be in HD on ESPN/ESPN2?
Two UH games scheduled in HD on ESPN2 (http://hd.espn.com/hd/schedule.jsp):
Hawaii vs Nevada - Nov. 16
Boise State vs Hawaii - Nov. 23

Someone posted an article on this thread a few months ago about the first HD truck being available on Oahu. maybe that's what they'll use.

edit: Washington @ UH on Dec. 1st will also be on ESPN or ESPN2 in HD

DirecTV has KITV showing an HD picture right now (Fri 9:45am, 11/2, "The View"), and KHET has displayed in HD off and on since yesterday. (Edit: Also, channels 2 and 9 have an HD signal now, though I haven't yet seen any HD programming.)

I'm very pleased with DirecTV, which I had installed 10/24, and especially now that I'm going to get some of our locals in HD. I'll be paying a little less than I did to Oceanic, not counting $200 I had pay for the HD DVR, and am getting more for it. The HR20 DVR is much nicer than the SA8300HD, I think. (And it has experimental versions of Video-on-Demand over the internet and media-sharing with my computer, which are not useful to me, but are fun to play with.)

Two UH games scheduled in HD on ESPN2 (http://hd.espn.com/hd/schedule.jsp):
Hawaii vs Nevada - Nov. 16
Boise State vs Hawaii - Nov. 23

Someone posted an article on this thread a few months ago about the first HD truck being available on Oahu. maybe that's what they'll use.

edit: Washington @ UH on Dec. 1st will also be on ESPN or ESPN2 in HD


Thursdays Maui News says:
"ESPN2 has added Hawaii's home game against Fresno State on Nov.10...
The game, however, will be blacked out in Hawaii and Fresno. Hawaii fans can view the game on pay-per-view."
<sigh>

FCC Bans Exclusive Cable Deals for Apt Dwellers (http://www.news.com/FCC-bans-exclusive-TV-deals-for-cable/2100-1037_3-6216264.html?tag=newsmap)

Specifically, the FCC's order will prevent building owners from establishing deals that lock residents into only one TV provider. The rule impacts all new contracts between cable operators and apartment building owners. It also applies to all existing contracts that have exclusivity clauses.



From SkyReport:
"MDU Ruling Not Such a Big Deal?
When the Federal Communications Commission banned exclusive clauses in video contracts for MDUs, many saw the ruling as a victory for telcos and a defeat for cable. While this sentiment is mainly true, some are saying investors may not see that much of an impact.

According to Bernstein Research's Craig Moffett, the ban will have no incremental impact on many of the urban states. Exclusive agreements are already banned in 18 states, the analyst points out, accounting for nearly one-third of the U.S. population - a large part of which are MDU dwellers. "Most affected will be MSOs operating in non-guaranteed access states, including California," he said.

Moffett also said that a minority of buildings even in the states where exclusives are allowed are covered by exclusive contracts. "In total, while approximately 25 percent of Americans live in MDUs, we estimate that only about 5-10 percent live in buildings covered by exclusives." And, the analyst noted, the FCC did not ban "preferred marketing arrangements" and other bi-lateral deals between properties and management associations and pay-TV providers. "Indeed, it remains legal even for buildings to bar competitors from offering services in the building, as long as the reason for barring the competitor is not 'exclusivity.'"

In addition, Moffett suggested not to forget that exclusives are far from the only - or primary - reason for limited competition in MDUs. "Technology hurdles, often inaccessible or choked risers, high urban labor costs, costly rights of way, and other factors have heretofore made competitive entry in urban markets less attractive than in suburban markets (with aerial drops)," he said. "Notably, overbuilding in the most urban markets, including those where exclusives have already long been banned – like New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, or Chicago – remains very limited."

As for satellite, the FCC said it will begin looking into exclusivity contracts held by the DBS companies as well... As such, the most controversial part of the ruling was the agency's decision to repeal existing contracts. "That the FCC chose to abrogate existing contracts leaves the ruling open to legal challenge," Moffett said. "It remains unclear whether the FCC has jurisdiction to do so."

yea - but htsportsnet still has the game posted as a stream feed. Any idea if Hawaiiantel will yank the stream?

yea - but htsportsnet still has the game posted as a stream feed. Any idea if Hawaiiantel will yank the stream?

I see no reason why htsportsnet would yank the stream since their agreement appears to have been in place for awhile now.

And thanks for the heads-up on that stream. I have 3.0Mb/768Kb with HawTel, but I don't have a hawtelcom E-mail address since my ISP is Flex.com, hence I didn't get any announcement about the free package.
I just sent them an E-mail with my acct. info, so...crossing fingers.<g>

--Michael

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

It would certainly seem that way. We sent a request into our guy at DTV as to why KHNL HD wasnt included in the launch. Im just guessing, but I bet its a related reason as to why Dishnetworks local KHNL NBC HD was pulled.

Well, I'd certainly be interested in what they have to say, especially since I stuck my foot in my mouth and bet they -would- have it in HD.<s>

Interesting how they 'launched' these HD channels. Same channel # and no mention of HD in the lineup or the programming in the guide (at least on my HR20), whereas DISH has dedicated channels for their local HDs.

--Michael

Just a little snipet from the HD Girl over at Honolulu Star Bulletin article came out on 11-03....

More local stations available in HD
KGMB's HD signal remains inaccessible to most isle viewers
By Erika Engle

Satellite television company DirecTV has added four local stations' high-definition signals in Hawaii, adding to the 72 DirecTV HD channels it announced in mid-October.

Competitor DISH Network has offered local stations' HD signals since earlier this year, according to KITV President Mike Rosenberg.

DirecTV added KHON, KITV, KGMB and KHET on Wednesday, according to its statement released yesterday afternoon.

That means the Colts-Patriots game tomorrow on CBS affiliate KGMB-TV will be seen in HD over-the-air and via both satcasters -- but not on Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

"We were really pleased to have been able to structure a deal which will work for both (KGMB and DirecTV)," said Rick Blangiardi, KGMB senior vice president.

Except for a one-day deal to carry the 2007 Super Bowl, the station and Oceanic have not reached agreement for KGMB-HD carriage.

Payment for HD content is the sticking point.

"It appears Oceanic can't make this decision on a local level," he said. "We're prepared to make a deal."

Oceanic has some 400,000 subscribers statewide, far more than DISH and DirecTV combined.

Oceanic recently designated 10 new channels for HD, which will bring its HD tier to 31 channels on Kauai and Oahu.

Three are operating now, while seven will debut over the next week.

It plans 50 HD channels by the end of next year.

NBC affiliate KHNL has an HD slot on Oceanic, but it is not part of either satcaster's HD lineup due to technical issues, according to Jason Gardner, president of the Satellite Guy, a local retailer for both services.

Also Honolulu advertiser Nov 03 Sean Hao reporting....


Oceanic cable, DirectTV add more high-definition channels

Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's high-definition TV lineup is growing.

Oceanic Time Warner Cable is adding 10 HD channels to its local lineup, including HD versions of seven "value" channels and three "premium" channels.

Separately, satellite provider DirecTV last week started offering HD versions of local affiliates Fox, ABC, CBS and PBS to its Hawai'i customers.

"We just started getting them the other night," said DirecTV subscriber and Waikele resident Randy Dixon. "I'm impressed."

The Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act, passed by Congress in 2004, requires both DirecTV and Dish Network to offer Hawai'i customers digital versions of local affiliates as of June.

However, DirecTV postponed adding the channels because of an unexpected delay in launching a satellite. Dish Network added HD versions of most local channels to its lineup in June.

The new channels give DirecTV customers a total of 72 HD channels, compared with 12 offered locally by Dish Network, said Jason Gardner, owner of the Satellite Guy Inc. in Honolulu.

At Oceanic Cable, which is Hawai'i's largest TV service provider, the HD channel lineup has roughly doubled during the past year to 21 channels, including pay-per-view and premium channels such as HBO HD and Showtime HD.

Starting Monday, that list will grow to 31 channels with addition of an HD version of MTV, Home & Garden HD, Food HD, CNN HD, History HD, A&E HD and Lifetime Movie Network HD. Three new HD premium channels were added last week— Cinemax HD, TMC HD and STARZ HD.

Oceanic Cable's lineup already includes HD versions of most local network affiliates except CBS.

"HD programming continues to be a hot topic, especially as more consumers are purchasing high-definition TVs," said Alan Pollock, vice president of marketing at Oceanic in a news release.

Oceanic Cable plans to add more HD channels to its lineup by the end of the year.

"HD programming offers enhanced quality over the standard channels in terms of the viewer's experience and it is our intention to expand this option choice with the continued acquisition of HD networks in the future," Pollock said.

There was article (http://starbulletin.com/2007/10/17/business/engle.html) on Oceanic implementing SDV here.

But I'm not sure if it was terribly accurate. It is my understanding that SDV caches the tv signal at the node instead of bombarding the cable box with
all these channels.

The way the article describes SDV make is sound like we'll need a cable box upgrade for digital cable and higher ?

My brother is in the process of buying a new home in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. As far as I understand, Oceanic only goes so far up into HOVE.
The place my brother is looking at purchasing is at 4,000 foot level.

So my question is, which is better DirecTV or Dish Network ?

DirecTV (but I've never seen Dish). Lots of HD and good quality picture (for HD, anyway).

Just noticed MHD on OTW 1593... Yay.... Keep em coming Oceanic!

CBS next please? :)

The way the article describes SDV make is sound like we'll need a cable box upgrade for digital cable and higher ?
The article's talk about our cable boxes getting too full of channels sounds like nonsense, to me. But SDV does require digital service, I believe.

I started to read about how SDV was going to make bandwidth room for loads of HD channels some months ago, but I've become very skeptical. Not on technical grounds -- I don't know anything about the technology, but just because SDV arrived, yet cable is still not competing with satellite in HD. If they really can deliver more channels than satellite, why aren't they doing it?

If I had to choose I would take KHNL over KGMB... other than an occasional sport event what does KGMB offer in HD on an every week basis?

The article's talk about our cable boxes getting too full of channels sounds like nonsense, to me. But SDV does require digital service, I believe.

I started to read about how SDV was going to make bandwidth room for loads of HD channels some months ago, but I've become very skeptical. Not on technical grounds -- I don't know anything about the technology, but just because SDV arrived, yet cable is still not competing with satellite in HD. If they really can deliver more channels than satellite, why aren't they doing it?

SDV only works for digital channels.
The memory issue is that software code has to be embedded in the channel to remap it from it's QAM number( like 114.6) to it's guide number(like 1006) and translate that. Without SDV all channels would have to be done this way, with SDV the box is only required to know the guide number. When you "request" 1006, Oceanic's servers assign it the QAM channel, match it to your box and the channel appears. It's similar in approach to VOD.
The savings in memory makes the cable box a more responsive box.

Ultimately SDV is a not a true solution for cable in the HD channel rat race. Oceanic( as well as most cable systems) are 750Mhz systems, while Directv in it's Ku and Ka services uses over 1Ghz of bandwidth.
The real bandwidth hog that holds cable back is analog. In Oceanic case 456Mhz of bandwidth is used for analog, that leaves 294Mhz of bandwidth for Digital cable, VOD, PPV, Road Runner, Digital Phone, Interactive and HDTV.

If I had to choose I would take KHNL over KGMB... other than an occasional sport event what does KGMB offer in HD on an every week basis?

CBS Primetime lineup is huge:eek:. Not to mention Football on Saturdays and Sundays. Late Night, David Letterman.

aw man what's going on at khnl? first no hd for the office and now no hd for heroes and journeyman. did they break their hd maker or did the flip switcher take a vacation?

CBS Primetime lineup is huge:eek:. Not to mention Football on Saturdays and Sundays. Late Night, David Letterman.

But is it shown in HD every evening? Survivor, Amazing Race, CBS Sunday Morning... those are 3 shows we watch. Don't watch the crime shows like CSI and its offshoots. I don't watch sports much.. with friends occasionally.

CBS's HD Primetime lineup: http://www.cbs.com/info/hdtv/index.php
Some of us like crime-dramas!

CBS's HD Primetime lineup: http://www.cbs.com/info/hdtv/index.php
Some of us like crime-dramas!

I know.. they are a big hit. KHON is not showing Primetime show in HD. I just wondered if most all the primtime shows on KGMB are shown locally in HD. I have no way of watching them in Waikiki... even if I wanted.

I know.. they are a big hit. KHON is not showing Primetime show in HD. I just wondered if most all the primtime shows on KGMB are shown locally in HD. I have no way of watching them in Waikiki... even if I wanted.

You are right. KGMB does not broadcast primetime shows in HD. They only show an hour(one show, usually CSI) of primetime for any given night. I believe it is the lack of HD recorders, which may limit capacity to an hour. Many of CBS shows are intended for HD broadcast(mainland viewing) but KGMB does not broadcast it in HD. :(

Kind of makes the whole KGMB-HD missing on Oceanic seem pointless. (Unless we are talking about NFL football, which looked great on Sunday=Pats/Colts) via DISH NETWORK

The same can be said for KHON(FOX): No HD programming in primetime. Many primetime shows are broadcast in HD on the mainalnd but none not even one primetime show is shown in HD. :( Once again other than live sporting events.

Sometimes I wonder what's the point of having HD set up(HD channels/ HDTV) if the local stations can not record/deliver primetime shows in true 1080i or 720P????:confused:

Why can't every station just be like KITV/ABC and deliver exactly what viewers want (HD for "EVERY" show that was shot in HD):)

Why can't every station just be like KITV/ABC and deliver exactly what viewers want (HD for "EVERY" show that was shot in HD):)
If you go back a few pages, you'll see some posts talking about how the Hawaii stations have to delay primetime programming using HD servers, a digital video recorder with all the intricacies of station broadcasting. That stuff costs tens of thousands of dollars and is complicated to set up. KITV somehow has had this equipment setup and running reliably for years, while the other stations are fumbling.

Most mainland stations don't need HD servers, they take the Eastern or Pacific time feed and pass it through to their transmitter. All they need is that digital transmitter up and running. That's why you'll see local HD more often on mainland stations, even in markets with much smaller audience than the Honolulu/Hawaii market.

At least we have ABC and NBC and KHET which for primetime is what I mostly record. I don't watch SD except for a few shows.

aw man what's going on at khnl? first no hd for the office and now no hd for heroes and journeyman. did they break their hd maker or did the flip switcher take a vacation?
I think Heroes will replay on Mojo tomorrow and Thurs. :cool:

[That stuff costs tens of thousands of dollars and is complicated to set up. KITV somehow has had this equipment setup and running reliably for years, while the other stations are fumbling.

I agree that it is an expensive proposition, but, the stations knew they had a mandate to provide high definition/ digital broadcast by June of this year. They managed to drag their feet and use the old "expense" excuse to avoid compliance.

In my humble opinion, I think the effort of local stations to provide Hawaii with quality entertainment, resembles something you might see in a third world country.

Whatever the issue is out here, all we get is excuses as to why things cannot be done rather than how they can be accomplished.

Not to mention the stations are getting compensation from cable, dishnetwork, and directv for those quality broadcasts.....

I think Heroes will replay on Mojo tomorrow and Thurs. :cool:

oh yeah, good call. i should have just waited to watch it. that's what i'll do next time (and there will be a next time).

I notice Oceanic appears to have ESPN's permission to record their Monday Night Football game for rebroadcast during primetime locally, starting at 7pm. It would be nice if they could do this for KHNL-HD and KGMB-HD as well. Maybe they can do it for KGMB in exchange for free carriage of their HD channel.

Yeah, right.

KHON should just pass through all live East Coast (or West Coast) HD primetime shows on their HD channel since they cannot record/delay them. That way if you want to watch in SD you can watch the SD channel at the correct primetime time and if you want to watch in HD you can record the early HD broadcast.

Or they could just borrow an HD DVR from Oceanic and record/playback the HD shows that way.

Come on KHON, let's get some bootleg initiative goiing since you obviously will never get the HD machines working.

What is the real problem about KHON cannot record HD programming? Why don't we all volunteer and try and solve what the problem is! LOL!!!!!! Didn't Oceanic say that they will help them with there HD server or was it that they will record it for them or something to that effect.

LOL, could you see Oceanic telling KGMB, 'Oh, we will help you guys record primetime HD programming in exchange that we get to broadcast it for free!' Yeah right! Or maybe VOD!

Earlier in the year I was told several times it would be working in a couple of weeks.. well, I guess we know how that went.

[That stuff costs tens of thousands of dollars and is complicated to set up. KITV somehow has had this equipment setup and running reliably for years, while the other stations are fumbling. .....

Years huh? KITV may have had Digital satellite Receivers and Digital Servers/machines. This doesn't mean they we putting out true HD. What show in HD were shown YEARS AGO? You make it sound like KITV has been airing HD programming for YEARS and YEARS!.. (maybe 2 years at most) They upconverted most of their stuff for YEARS!. Didn't you notice the elongated video?

KITV began transmitting Digital ever since they moved. But who had the equipment to watch? So what is the point? Now they already got rid of that first generation equipment and got a new transmitter.

[I agree that it is an expensive proposition, but, the stations knew they had a mandate to provide high definition/ digital broadcast by June of this year. They managed to drag their feet and use the old "expense" excuse to avoid compliance......

Do you have the section in the FCC ruling that MANDATES HD? This would mean that everytime the stations don't air HD they are violating FCC regulations? HD is a luxury. As far as Digital.. stations are broadcasting in DIGITAL (transmitter).. OTW has nothing to do with what the broadcasters are "MANDATED".

[In my humble opinion, I think the effort of local stations to provide Hawaii with quality entertainment, resembles something you might see in a third world country. .....

Are you critizing local production? or Local broadcast station signals? Have you ever seen TV in a third world country. Go to a third world country that doesn't give you as much choices.

[Whatever the issue is out here, all we get is excuses as to why things cannot be done rather than how they can be accomplished......

What ever "excuses" the stations have is really their business. I am guess you never hit stumbing blocks at your work place. Unfortunately, when tv stations hit a road block and need equipment.. cost $$$$ thousands.

[Not to mention the stations are getting compensation from cable, dishnetwork, and directv for those quality broadcasts.....

"Quality Broadcast".. If the show isn't in HD? Then you don't think it is quality?

What makes you think the stations are getting compensation? Haven't you read previous posts that the reason KGMB won't provide OTW is because KGMB wants compensation. KGMB and other stations have to spend Thousands of dollars and OTW charges YOU for the HD Box, and none of this goes to the station? Good for Blangiardi for holding out.

I will say the picture quality of KGMB is so poor compared to HD broadcast that I won't watch all but a couple of shows. Although some SD broadcasts such as HBO SD look alot better than local station SD. Even KHON SD looks alot better on 1003 than KGMB on 87. So even in the realm of SD, picture quality can be improved. I will sometime watch a show online rather than the SD version locally. Much nicer picture, but not as comfortable to sit at. I guess in time everything will be in HD... just as when I was a kid and color was only shown on Sunday nights for a couple of hours a week. It was a remarkable change.. it was WOW, Color!!

I agree that it is an expensive proposition, but, the stations knew they had a mandate to provide high definition/ digital broadcast by June of this year. They managed to drag their feet and use the old "expense" excuse to avoid compliance.

In my humble opinion, I think the effort of local stations to provide Hawaii with quality entertainment, resembles something you might see in a third world country.

Whatever the issue is out here, all we get is excuses as to why things cannot be done rather than how they can be accomplished.

Not to mention the stations are getting compensation from cable, dishnetwork, and directv for those quality broadcasts.....
The stations don't have to provide high definition and there's no date in sight when they ever will. It is their choice. The requirement is that they broadcast over the air in digital format (ATSC) by February 17, 2009. On that date, their analog broadcasts have to shut off. Stations can still give cable and sat. an analog signal after that date, though they may choose not to. Also, Time Warner has a clear policy of not paying extra for a local station's digital (HD or not) feed. That (and KGMB's lack of primetime HD) is why Oceanic and KGMB won't seal a deal to give us CBS HD programming through cable.

Years huh? KITV may have had Digital satellite Receivers and Digital Servers/machines. This doesn't mean they we putting out true HD. What show in HD were shown YEARS AGO? You make it sound like KITV has been airing HD programming for YEARS and YEARS!.. (maybe 2 years at most) They upconverted most of their stuff for YEARS!. Didn't you notice the elongated video?


That was my post you were replying to there... and I invite you to have a look at the first page of this Honolulu, HI - HDTV thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=329826#post2986729) to verify that KITV was broadcasting HD in primetime as far back as November 2003 (four years ago). There are posters commenting on MNF, which was a delayed primetime broadcast in Hawaii until it moved to ESPN.

Do you have the section in the FCC ruling that MANDATES HD? This would mean that everytime the stations don't air HD they are violating FCC regulations? HD is a luxury. As far as Digital.. stations are broadcasting in DIGITAL (transmitter).. OTW has nothing to do with what the broadcasters are "MANDATED".

I specifically wrote digital/ HD to cover the digital broadcasts. I fully understand that no one has a mandate to provide HD. However Hawaii was supposed to have Digital/HD on June 8th. This was to be provided via the satellite systems, and not the local cable etc....




Are you critizing local production? or Local broadcast station signals? Have you ever seen TV in a third world country. Go to a third world country that doesn't give you as much choices.

I spent nine years in various places in the far east, and i would say that our facilities in Hawaii are comparable.

What makes you think the stations are getting compensation? Haven't you read previous posts that the reason KGMB won't provide OTW is because KGMB wants compensation. KGMB and other stations have to spend Thousands of dollars and OTW charges YOU for the HD Box, and none of this goes to the station?

I had no idea that the local stations were prividing their signals to satellite out of pure generosity.

Years huh? KITV may have had Digital satellite Receivers and Digital Servers/machines. This doesn't mean they we putting out true HD. What show in HD were shown YEARS AGO? You make it sound like KITV has been airing HD programming for YEARS and YEARS!.. (maybe 2 years at most) They upconverted most of their stuff for YEARS!. Didn't you notice the elongated video?

I remember watching Alias on KITV in HD as far back as 2002 (during Alias' second season). 2007 - 2002 = 5 years.


What makes you think the stations are getting compensation? Haven't you read previous posts that the reason KGMB won't provide OTW is because KGMB wants compensation. KGMB and other stations have to spend Thousands of dollars and OTW charges YOU for the HD Box, and none of this goes to the station? Good for Blangiardi for holding out.

Although everyone is entitled to compensation in one form or another, OTW doesn't have to pay one particular station for the same service that other stations have found ways of providing. Likewise, if KGMB wants to get paid for providing a signal and are the last holdout broadcaster to do so, so be it. I personally think Blangiardi and his former owner were crazy to expect $ when the other Honolulu affiliates found a way to make it work.

But that's just my opinion.

I don't know what deals or work arounds the other tv stations did to strike a deal with OTW about carrying there HD signal. Didn't OTW ask KHON we will carry your sister station, CW, only if we carry your HD signal. Something like that. And what does KGMB have to offer. Pretty much nothing. Maybe there new morning news show???????

FYI, according to OTW customer service this evening, CNNHD, HistoryHD, LifetimeMovieHD and A&EHD will be released tomorrow. (Some of you may have seen them come up for a little while today and then disappear.)

I must say, as much as I like to complain, I am fairly happy with OTW right now...

Customer Service also mentioned more channels to come but wouldn't name names...

it is nice getting all these new hd channels. thanks oceanic.

I'm not exactly a fan of the cable industry in general, or Time-Warner in particular. And I do have a preference for KGMB. I like a lot of CBS's current prime-time line-up, and I prefer KGMB news. HOWEVER... in the case of the stalemate between KGMB and OTW over the HD feed, I feel I have to side, reluctantly, with OTW.

Why should OTW pay KGMB for something it gives away for free over-the-air (for those fortunate enough to live somewhere that they can received the signal? Especially since KGMB's HD broadcasting is on again/off again (mostly off. I believe someone previously posted that they have about one hour of HD programming per night). Unless KGMB can find a way to make OTA viewers pay a comparable fee for viewing the HD signal, their intransigent position in the negotiations with OTW is unreasonable and indefensible.

The $6.95/mo fee we pay OTW for the HD Pack is for all the other cable-only HD channels, and I'm pleased that they're finally trying to give us more value for money with more HD channels. None of the other local stations receives compensation for their HD feeds to Oceanic. Rick Blangiardi has the reputation of being a smart man, but on this issue, he and the station's owners are simply way off-base!

At least that's my $.02 worth.

The more channels OTW offers, the less I care about KGMB. I would like KHON to get their primetime going before 24 and Idol begins. I wonder what happened? Joe McNamara told me personally that he thought they were just about ready to go primetime... that was some 9 months ago. He seemed really sincere when he said it. Does anyone on the list know what happened?

FYI, according to OTW customer service this evening, CNNHD, HistoryHD, LifetimeMovieHD and A&EHD will be released tomorrow. (Some of you may have seen them come up for a little while today and then disappear.)

I must say, as much as I like to complain, I am fairly happy with OTW right now...

Customer Service also mentioned more channels to come but wouldn't name names...
Looks like OTW delivered on their promise. HDCNN, HDHIST, HDLMN and HDA&E just cane online! I am also happy right now! I think we are finally getting our moneys worth for the $6.95 we are paying for the HD-Pak :)

Washington, D.C. (November 7, 2007) -- HDNet has filed a lawsuit against DIRECTV to block a plan to move its two HD channels into a new programming package that will likely have far fewer viewers.

HDNet and its sister network, HDNet Movies, are now available to all DIRECTV high-def owners who pay $9.99 a month.

However, on December 15, the satcaster will move Universal HD and the two HDNet networks to a new programming package called "DIRECTV HD Extra Pack."

More at:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/hdnet110707.htm

Why should OTW pay KGMB for something it gives away for free over-the-air (for those fortunate enough to live somewhere that they can received the signal? Especially since KGMB's HD broadcasting is on again/off again (mostly off. I believe someone previously posted that they have about one hour of HD programming per night). Unless KGMB can find a way to make OTA viewers pay a comparable fee for viewing the HD signal, their intransigent position in the negotiations with OTW is unreasonable and indefensible.


If you need something to help you sleep at night, try reading up on Must-Carry vs. Retransmission Consent.<s>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retransmission_consent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Must_carry

--Michael

If you need something to help you sleep at night, try reading up on Must-Carry vs. Retransmission Consent.<s>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retransmission_consent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Must_carry

--Michael

The "Retransmission Consent" section is an interesting read:

(From the article)
These networks have usually attempted to gain further distribution of cable services in which they also hold an equity position rather than direct cash compensation, which cable systems have almost universally balked at paying. In some cases, these channels have been temporarily removed from distribution by systems who felt broadcasters were asking too steep a price for their signal.

As indicated by hdaniel1, the networks have usually used this provision to put their associated channels on cable systems (like hdaniel1 mentioned the Fox/CW channels).

But KGMB has nothing else to offer in trade. Nothing. And they are still attempting to play hardball with OTW over this HD feed (if KGMB even plans on broadcasting primetime HD programming at this point).

How does this benefit their advertising clients if other networks will offer them more avenues of exposure (i.e. putting their ads on standard AND hd feeds)? Strange logic.

all I know is that in 16 months KGMB's analog broadcast goes off and they will be forking over their 1080i digital broadcast to cable. Oceanic knows this, too.

From Oceanic:

EXPANDED HIGH DEFINITION OFFERINGS
We continue to expand your HD offerings with the recent addition of three new HD premium channels*: Cinemax HD (on digital channel 1622), TMC HD (1664) and STARZ HD (1655). We also plan to add HD versions of MHD, a non simulcast MTV (1593), Home & Garden HD (1323), Food HD (1321), CNN HD (1113), History HD (1327), A&E HD (1547), and Lifetime Movie Network HD (1449) this week. Additional HD channels are expected to launch by the end of the year. With the addition of the new channels, we now offer 31 choices of HDTV channels.

The current line-up of HD channels is as follows:

1003 FOX
1006 ABC
1008 NBC
1010 PBS
1113 CNN (11/8)
1216 GOLF & VS
1222 ESPN
1224 ESPN II
1226 FSN (part time)
1321 FOOD (11/5)
1323 HOME & GARDEN (11/5)
1327 HISTORY CHANNEL (11/8)
1333 HD DISCOVERY
1347 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
1355 HDNET
1449 LIFETIME MOVIE (11/8)
1547 A&E (11/8)
1551 TBS
1553 TNT
1561 MOJO
1593 MHD (11/5)
1603 HD MOVIES
1605 UNIVERSAL
1611 HBO
1622 MAX
1633 SHOWTIME
1644 TMC
1655 STARZ
1700 HDPPV
1900 HD SHOWCASE
1980-1990 HD MOVIES ON DEMAND

OMG, I'm loving all these new HD channels! I especially appreciate MHD. The only thing missing is CBS...

But KGMB has nothing else to offer in trade. Nothing. And they are still attempting to play hardball with OTW over this HD feed (if KGMB even plans on broadcasting primetime HD programming at this point).


"Without a Trace" is on KGMB-HD right now -in HD- (even the car commercials <g>) on both DISH and DirecTV. Not too long until the NFL playoffs either (at least the SuperBowl will be on FOX this year).

--Michael

Hi all... loving my Samsung TXS-3082 with built in ATSC tuner... :)

however, i noticed that the 2nd half of CSI fell out of HD, and went back to SD. Without A Trace, however, has been in HD. so far so good.

I've had a Samsung SlimFit HDTV for over a year without realizing that I didn't need OTW digital cable or a dish to watch local channels in HD. I bought an old-school antenna last night to see what HD channels I could get over the air. The only ones that came in HD were KHON-FOX, CW(digital) and KHET-PBS. Terrific quality, but none of the other channels came up at all. I'm glad the Super Bowl is on FOX this year!

I played around with the antenna but I could not get any HD signal for KGMB, KITV or KHNL (the analog channels all came in, but were all snowy of course). What could the reason be for this? From what I've heard, KITV-HD should be easy to pick up, whereas KHON-HD was supposed to be difficult to get.

I live near the Mililani Golf Course and I'm wondering if I'm not in a good location to pick up the other channels for some reason. Why would KHON-HD(Channel 2-1) and KHET HD(11-1) come in perfectly while the others did not come up at all when the tuner searched for channels? Is there something about my antenna/location that makes it easier to get those two and not the others? I don't want to invest in an outdoor antenna, but I'd sure like to watch more than just 2 HD channels (especially sports on CBS, NBC and ABC) without having to spend money on digital cable or satellite.

As you can tell, I'm pretty cheap, so I'm looking for the cheapest way to watch network TV sports at home in HD.

SDV only works for digital channels.
The memory issue is that software code has to be embedded in the channel to remap it from it's QAM number( like 114.6) to it's guide number(like 1006) and translate that. Without SDV all channels would have to be done this way, with SDV the box is only required to know the guide number. When you "request" 1006, Oceanic's servers assign it the QAM channel, match it to your box and the channel appears. It's similar in approach to VOD.
The savings in memory makes the cable box a more responsive box.

Ultimately SDV is a not a true solution for cable in the HD channel rat race. Oceanic( as well as most cable systems) are 750Mhz systems, while Directv in it's Ku and Ka services uses over 1Ghz of bandwidth.
The real bandwidth hog that holds cable back is analog. In Oceanic case 456Mhz of bandwidth is used for analog, that leaves 294Mhz of bandwidth for Digital cable, VOD, PPV, Road Runner, Digital Phone, Interactive and HDTV.

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

Ahhh. QAM huh? Interesting makes sense though since QAM runs between 600 and 800 MHZ? Digital overlay on existing analog infrastructure. Who 'owns' the technology on this

Why would KHON-HD(Channel 2-1) and KHET HD(11-1) come in perfectly while the others did not come up at all when the tuner searched for channels?
If your antenna is a rabbit-ears type, that is best for VHF, and KHON and KHET are broadcasting their digital over VHF frequencies. Find or make yourself a decent UHF antenna, and you're all set for at least some of the others. Look here for the DIY approach: http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9613. - DR

But is it shown in HD every evening? Survivor, Amazing Race, CBS Sunday Morning... those are 3 shows we watch. Don't watch the crime shows like CSI and its offshoots. I don't watch sports much.. with friends occasionally.


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

Yea, I was really looking forward to survivor in HD on dish KGMB, its not but the SD sure is nice for SD :)

KHON should just pass through all live East Coast (or West Coast) HD primetime shows on their HD channel since they cannot record/delay them. That way if you want to watch in SD you can watch the SD channel at the correct primetime time and if you want to watch in HD you can record the early HD broadcast.

Or they could just borrow an HD DVR from Oceanic and record/playback the HD shows that way.

Come on KHON, let's get some bootleg initiative goiing since you obviously will never get the HD machines working.


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

lol, yea suprisingly enough they CAN do this and have been approached with the idea, though the details were a little different i.e 942 DVR - Vip 722 :) The cool thing about the 722 is the storage expandibility via external hard drive
The 'hitch in the giddle' may be having the expertise to edit in commercials then rebroadcast?

Do you have the section in the FCC ruling that MANDATES HD? This would mean that everytime the stations don't air HD they are violating FCC regulations? HD is a luxury. As far as Digital.. stations are broadcasting in DIGITAL (transmitter).. OTW has nothing to do with what the broadcasters are "MANDATED".

I specifically wrote digital/ HD to cover the digital broadcasts. I fully understand that no one has a mandate to provide HD. However Hawaii was supposed to have Digital/HD on June 8th. This was to be provided via the satellite systems, and not the local cable etc....




Are you critizing local production? or Local broadcast station signals? Have you ever seen TV in a third world country. Go to a third world country that doesn't give you as much choices.

I spent nine years in various places in the far east, and i would say that our facilities in Hawaii are comparable.

What makes you think the stations are getting compensation? Haven't you read previous posts that the reason KGMB won't provide OTW is because KGMB wants compensation. KGMB and other stations have to spend Thousands of dollars and OTW charges YOU for the HD Box, and none of this goes to the station?

I had no idea that the local stations were prividing their signals to satellite out of pure generosity.


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

Nice, good points MG

Looks like OTW delivered on their promise. HDCNN, HDHIST, HDLMN and HDA&E just cane online! I am also happy right now! I think we are finally getting our moneys worth for the $6.95 we are paying for the HD-Pak :)

Great! looks like a good price point for OTW HD package too, hopefully not another one of their 'introductory price points'
Still a good deal though:p

Washington, D.C. (November 7, 2007) -- HDNet has filed a lawsuit against DIRECTV to block a plan to move its two HD channels into a new programming package that will likely have far fewer viewers.

HDNet and its sister network, HDNet Movies, are now available to all DIRECTV high-def owners who pay $9.99 a month.

However, on December 15, the satcaster will move Universal HD and the two HDNet networks to a new programming package called "DIRECTV HD Extra Pack."

More at:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/hdnet110707.htm

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

Yes, not sure if this is going to happen. IMHO, Completely pointless to have that other 'HD expansion package' at an additonal 4.99. I hope this trend doesnt continue on Dish.

I've had a Samsung SlimFit HDTV for over a year without realizing that I didn't need OTW digital cable or a dish to watch local channels in HD. I bought an old-school antenna last night to see what HD channels I could get over the air. The only ones that came in HD were KHON-FOX, CW(digital) and KHET-PBS. Terrific quality, but none of the other channels came up at all. I'm glad the Super Bowl is on FOX this year!

I played around with the antenna but I could not get any HD signal for KGMB, KITV or KHNL (the analog channels all came in, but were all snowy of course). What could the reason be for this? From what I've heard, KITV-HD should be easy to pick up, whereas KHON-HD was supposed to be difficult to get.

I live near the Mililani Golf Course and I'm wondering if I'm not in a good location to pick up the other channels for some reason. Why would KHON-HD(Channel 2-1) and KHET HD(11-1) come in perfectly while the others did not come up at all when the tuner searched for channels? Is there something about my antenna/location that makes it easier to get those two and not the others? I don't want to invest in an outdoor antenna, but I'd sure like to watch more than just 2 HD channels (especially sports on CBS, NBC and ABC) without having to spend money on digital cable or satellite.

As you can tell, I'm pretty cheap, so I'm looking for the cheapest way to watch network TV sports at home in HD.

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

Hapa,
Your best resource on this is http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

As far as needing to buy an antenna in Mililani? yea you will probably have to do this. Radio Shack in Mililani town can get you rolling. I prefer winegards 'square shooter' antenna for HD/digital OTA, not sure if Radio shack carries these, and if they do, probably fairly expensive. You can get a square shooter locally for about 150.00. Installation is quite simple if you run into hitches, local techs can get you pointed in the right direction for about 65.00hr. As you see you may unfortunately experience an 'upfront cost' to get more OTA channels, however you’re monthly out of pocket for those broadcasts? Quite reasonable.
Directv may be an issue in your neighborhood as 1.2 meter size dishes exceeds the FCC ruling on antenna size. With Dish you would be covered as far as dish size as they are .76 meters, well below the max at 1.0 meters.
Dish can get you at about 45-46.00 a month with locals in HD/SD a 'basic' SD package and the HD package. Again though, OTA is free! Tough to complain about that.
:)

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

Hapa,
Your best resource on this is http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

As far as needing to buy an antenna in Mililani? yea you will probably have to do this. Radio Shack in Mililani town can get you rolling. I prefer winegards 'square shooter' antenna for HD/digital OTA, not sure if Radio shack carries these, and if they do, probably fairly expensive. You can get a square shooter locally for about 150.00. Installation is quite simple if you run into hitches, local techs can get you pointed in the right direction for about 65.00hr. As you see you may unfortunately experience an 'upfront cost' to get more OTA channels, however you’re monthly out of pocket for those broadcasts? Quite reasonable. <snip>

Hmm, when you google for 'square shooter', this link from hdtvprimer.com comes up:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/SquareShooter.html

and says:
"This is a good antenna, but not as good as a DB-2. Obviously the Square Shooter was made to look like a satellite dish antenna, hoping for sales among people who have decided that having a satellite dish is “OK”.

The Square Shooter is advertised as being useful for VHF. In fact this antenna is an oddity in that it is horizontally polarized for UHF, but vertically polarized for VHF. For a TV receiving antenna, vertical polarization is usually worthless. When its response to vertical polarization is subtracted out, what is left is an antenna far worse than rabbit ears for both VHF-high and VHF-low. If you tilt this antenna slightly to the right or left you might see reception of a very strong VHF station."

I suppose you could try it on 2-1 and 11-1 and return it if it didn't perform.

--Michael

Hapa

You can get network channels on HD without the HD entertainment package. Just call Oceanic and tell them you want an HD box without the HD package. When I called Oceanic to get an additional HD box... the rep didn't know that it was possible. She had to refer to her manager. You might experience the same problem.

Hmm, when you google for 'square shooter', this link from hdtvprimer.com comes up:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/SquareShooter.html

and says:
"This is a good antenna, but not as good as a DB-2. Obviously the Square Shooter was made to look like a satellite dish antenna, hoping for sales among people who have decided that having a satellite dish is “OK”.

The Square Shooter is advertised as being useful for VHF. In fact this antenna is an oddity in that it is horizontally polarized for UHF, but vertically polarized for VHF. For a TV receiving antenna, vertical polarization is usually worthless. When its response to vertical polarization is subtracted out, what is left is an antenna far worse than rabbit ears for both VHF-high and VHF-low. If you tilt this antenna slightly to the right or left you might see reception of a very strong VHF station."

I suppose you could try it on 2-1 and 11-1 and return it if it didn't perform.

--Michael


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ive had one installed for almost 3 years? Great HD/digital performance, analog is spotty. AND I can see most of the 'translators' from the location of the antenna. Not to second guess my recomendation ealier, but a larger OTA due to his location would be better, especialy for the 100.00-150 range

One of the occasional posters here built an inexpensive clone of the square-shooter, and has had good success with it in West Oahu. The design is at the lumenlabs link I posted earlier. - DR

Yes, not sure if this is going to happen. IMHO, Completely pointless to have that other 'HD expansion package' at an additonal 4.99. I hope this trend doesnt continue on Dish.

Well, it looks to me like since Liberty Media has got its hands on the reins of DirecTV, it's going to be a pi$$ing contest between John Malone and Mark Cuban.<sigh>

DIRECTV Hit With Restraining Order
A temporary restraining order has been placed on DIRECTV keeping the satellite giant from bumping HDNet to a different programming tier. The move comes on the heels of the Mark Cuban-backed HDNet lawsuit which seeks to prohibit DIRECTV from moving the all high-def network out of its most widely distributed package.

Dallas U.S. District Court Judge Teresa Guerra Snelson issued the order that prevents DIRECTV from charging subscribers beyond the monthly $9.99 it costs for HD access, which includes HDNet and HDNet Movies. In a statement, the judge said HDNet would "probably suffer imminent and irreparable harm" due to the loss of customers if bumped from the satcaster's basic HD package. Guerra Snelson also said HDNet would suffer "irreparable damage to its goodwill, programming and business" if she didn't enter the restraining order.

In response, DIRECTV spokesman Robert Mercer said the company would continue to advertise its newly-announced "HD Extra Pack" despite the court's ruling. The company's Extra Pack is currently being offered to subs as a free preview until Dec. 15, and the temporary restraining order would not affect the company's plans during that time, he said.

A hearing on Dec. 7 has been scheduled to hear arguments from both sides regarding HDNet's request for a temporary injunction against DIRECTV.

From Oceanic:

EXPANDED HIGH DEFINITION OFFERINGS
We continue to expand your HD offerings with the recent addition of three new HD premium channels*: Cinemax HD (on digital channel 1622), TMC HD (1664) and STARZ HD (1655). We also plan to add HD versions of MHD, a non simulcast MTV (1593), Home & Garden HD (1323), Food HD (1321), CNN HD (1113), History HD (1327), A&E HD (1547), and Lifetime Movie Network HD (1449) this week. Additional HD channels are expected to launch by the end of the year. With the addition of the new channels, we now offer 31 choices of HDTV channels.

The current line-up of HD channels is as follows:

1003 FOX
1006 ABC
1008 NBC
1010 PBS
1113 CNN (11/8)
1216 GOLF & VS
1222 ESPN
1224 ESPN II
1226 FSN (part time)
1321 FOOD (11/5)
1323 HOME & GARDEN (11/5)
1327 HISTORY CHANNEL (11/8)
1333 HD DISCOVERY
1347 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
1355 HDNET
1449 LIFETIME MOVIE (11/8)
1547 A&E (11/8)
1551 TBS
1553 TNT
1561 MOJO
1593 MHD (11/5)
1603 HD MOVIES
1605 UNIVERSAL
1611 HBO
1622 MAX
1633 SHOWTIME
1644 TMC
1655 STARZ
1700 HDPPV
1900 HD SHOWCASE
1980-1990 HD MOVIES ON DEMANDJust got off the phone with Oceanic for the third time this week as the Maui lineup is sans the new HD channels. 45 minutes on hold (speaker of course) and after rebooting my box before they could tell me that Maui & the Big Island have not been activiated yet. No ETA either. Not that I was all excited about Home & Garden and Lifetime. Guess we're back to needing more All Bran... :rolleyes:

i'd like to see USA network in HD. They have a few good shows in HD, like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, and movies.

Just a note about the copy protection status of the new HD channels. All but one is set to copy once (FoodHD is set to copy free). The status of the pre-existing HD channels remains unchanged with the exception of HBOHD and SHOHD, which are now set to copy once. They had been set to copy free up until a few weeks ago or thereabouts. I'm also going to assume the new premium HD channels are also set to copy once.

Not that it really means a whole lot since the firewire ports on these SA boxes remain frustratingly buggy. And an HDCP compliant Vista Media Center PC with Cablecard isn't going to work either because the current generation of Cablecards and the SDV technology Oceanic is using are not compatable.

Another thing. I tried to convince my parents to go Hi-Def this Christmas, but when I told them that FOX & CBS primetime programming were not yet being shown in HD on Oceanic, they balked at the idea and have decided to wait until they were in HD (network primetime programming being their primary interest).

Just got off the phone with Oceanic for the third time this week as the Maui lineup is sans the new HD channels. 45 minutes on hold (speaker of course) and after rebooting my box before they could tell me that Maui & the Big Island have not been activiated yet. No ETA either. Not that I was all excited about Home & Garden and Lifetime. Guess we're back to needing more All Bran... :rolleyes:


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

Ouch, well nice job OTW. That puts DTV still solidly in the lead for HD offerings, OTW in the #2 spot and Dish in the 3rd spot.

Hi Everyone,
I'm new here to Hawaii - just moved in from Washington state. We love it here! :-) Does anyone know if you can get KHNL (NBC) in high-def anywhere other than cable? I have DISH network with the HD pack and get all the other stations but KHNL. I also have a TERK HD off-air antenna and get the other stations clearly from that, but no KHNL. Antennaweb.org says that the KHNL antenna is in approximately the same location as the other stations' antennas. I live up on the rim of the crater in the AMR (Red Hill area). Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks,
David

I just started a new thread dedicated to only over the air reception on Oahu. Thought it would be nice to collect the different results that people get from different vantages points in Honolulu.

Thread title: Honolulu, HI - OTA HD

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940630

-Les

Dave,
If you can see the setting sun from your house--- the towers for KHNL[NBC] 13.1, KHET[PBS] 11.1@11.2, and K-5[IND] are on that ridgetop. The other direction from the downtown stations. If your antenna is directional you may have to turn it back and forth depending on what station you want to see. I would like to know what set up you have to get DISH HD. Do you have to have 2 dishes and what size? Happy Hunting!
James

I just started a new thread dedicated to only over the air reception on Oahu.
This thread that we're on is the right thread for this discussion. Why should OTA get chased off by the satellite/cable talk which is less central to the stated description of the "Local HDTV Info and Reception" category than OTA?

BTW, we lost OTW yet again tonight because of the rain. Fortunately, we could switch immediately over to OTA. Looked better, too. - DR

I am in Mililani with a VHF/UHF yagi antenna in my attic pointed towards town. KHNL is about 90 degrees away from the downtown antennas. I can get KHET and KIKU OK, but have never gotten KHNL or KFVE. I intend to try a second UHF antenna pointed towards KHNL but haven't looked for a decent one yet (I have some indoor antennas, but never had success before this those so haven't attempted again).

scott s.
.

Does anyone know whether Oceanic is broadcasting the UH v. Boise football game in High Definition?

Dave,
If you can see the setting sun from your house--- the towers for KHNL[NBC] 13.1, KHET[PBS] 11.1@11.2, and K-5[IND] are on that ridgetop. The other direction from the downtown stations. If your antenna is directional you may have to turn it back and forth depending on what station you want to see. I would like to know what set up you have to get DISH HD. Do you have to have 2 dishes and what size? Happy Hunting!
James

James,
Thanks for the info on the KHNL antenna. I guess I am out of luck with NBC as the antenna I have (Terk) IS directional (it looks physically identical to the Winegard Square Shooter). As far as my dish setup goes, I have two 31" antennas, each with a single LNB. I get pretty good reception with the 119 antenna (SD channels), but the 110 antenna (HD channels) is kind of finicky. Also with DISH, you only get about 7 HD channels, as most of their HD channels are on the 129 satellite, currently available only on the mainland. The upside is I only pay $10 per month for HD, versus $20 that I was paying in Washington state. Also, I love my VIP 722 receiver, 500GB HDD, dual-tuner HD receiver!
David

I am in Mililani with a VHF/UHF yagi antenna in my attic pointed towards town. KHNL is about 90 degrees away from the downtown antennas. I can get KHET and KIKU OK, but have never gotten KHNL or KFVE. I intend to try a second UHF antenna pointed towards KHNL but haven't looked for a decent one yet (I have some indoor antennas, but never had success before this those so haven't attempted again).

scott s.
.

Scott,
Thanks for the reply and info. I was also wondering if since KHNL-DT is VHF and supposedly the Winegard/Terk antenna does not respond to VHF due to its' vertical polarization, I might not pick up any VHF digital signals with my "Square Shooter."
David

Does anyone know whether Oceanic is broadcasting the UH v. Boise football game in High Definition?

According to HD Sports Guide (http://www.hdsportsguide.com/), the Boise St game will be in HD. However, nothing is listed for the Washington game.

According to HD Sports Guide (http://www.hdsportsguide.com/), the Boise St game will be in HD. However, nothing is listed for the Washington game.

The game has to be a sellout for them to broadcast it and the Washington game has sold out as of todays news so it will probably be broadcast also.

Does anyone know whether Oceanic is broadcasting the UH v. Boise football game in High Definition?
Both the Boise State and Washington games are scheduled for ESPN2HD. Unless cable gets to black it out because it's a home game.

The game has to be a sellout for them to broadcast it and the Washington game has sold out as of todays news so it will probably be broadcast also.

I'm not sure a 'sellout' has anything to do with it.
This article explains it:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Oct/31/sp/hawaii710310406.html

"Under the terms of ESPN's contract with the WAC, there is no provision for blacking out games that fall within the five-game-per-school limit."

That article is from 3 weeks ago. I got this from an article in Wednesday's online edition:

Boise State vs. Hawaii

WHEN: Friday

KICKOFF: 4:05 p.m. at Aloha Stadium

TICKETS: Sold out (50,000 capacity)

TV: Live on ESPN2 (cable 21, digital 224) (Not blacked out in Hawaii)

RADIO: Live on 1420 AM

GATES OPEN: 10:30 a.m. to lower parking lot, 1 p.m. to stadium

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

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/21/br/br2910746583.html

That article is from 3 weeks ago. I got this from an article in Wednesday's online edition:


Even though the article is three weeks old and references the UH-Fresno game, the point of the article is that 'selling out' has nothing to do with the Boise St. game -not- being blacked out since it was one of the 5 games chosen by ESPN under their contract with the WAC.

The game has to be a sellout for them to broadcast it and the Washington game has sold out as of todays news so it will probably be broadcast also.

HDSportsGuide only lists games that will be in High-Def. It's a given that the Washington game will be on ESPN2. The question is whether it will be broadcast in HD. As it stands right now, the answer is no.

HDSportsGuide only lists games that will be in High-Def. It's a given that the Washington game will be on ESPN2. The question is whether it will be broadcast in HD. As it stands right now, the answer is no.
ESPN's HD schedule (http://hd.espn.com/hd/schedule.jsp) indicates that Washington @ Hawaii will be in HD. The Hawaii Bowl on Dec 23 is also on the HD schedule.

The Hawaii-Boise game was in HD on ESPN2 (OTW 1224) But at the begining of the game the signal broke up a lot. It got better as the game went on, but at first was really bad. The sound broke up thoughout the game. Did anyone else have issues with the picture/sound

I have a Terk HDTVs (evidently the s = Slim Profile) directional antenna (looks just like the Winegard Square Shooter antenna, 16"H x 16"W x 4"D), and I am able to get most signals OTA except 11-1/11-2 and 13-1/13-2.
I can get the 11-1/2 and 13-1/2 signals intermittently (signal strength hovers in the high 50's to low 60's percentages for several seconds), but then the signal will randomly drop to zero and unlock. The other stations' signals in the area I get anywhere from about 88% to 100% and stay locked.
I spent several hours trying combinations of azimuth angles, vertical angles, and skew angles and that was the best I could do. I live at the top of the AMR crater.
My question is, can I buy a signal booster that will help the reception of my antenna, specifically so I can get KHNL-DT? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for the help.

The Hawaii-Boise game was in HD on ESPN2 (OTW 1224) But at the begining of the game the signal broke up a lot. It got better as the game went on, but at first was really bad. The sound broke up thoughout the game. Did anyone else have issues with the picture/sound

I have a large satellite dish and was watching the distribution signal from the satellite. The signal from the satellite itself was rather weak compared to other feeds. I had to change to one of my really stable tuners to be able to keep the picture from breaking up too much.

I know that cable headends have larger dishes, but I suspect that the problem was with the uplink as opposed to OTW. This strictly an opinion of course.

Does anybody else have problems catching KHET-DT off the air? I can get it one day. Then the next day it is gone. Nothing changes on my end. I am only a few miles away from Makakilo.

Kawika

:(But is it shown in HD every evening? Survivor, Amazing Race, CBS Sunday Morning... those are 3 shows we watch. Don't watch the crime shows like CSI and its offshoots. I don't watch sports much.. with friends occasionally.

==============
Sorry to report that NONE of those news/reality shows (Surv/race/sun.morn.) are produced in HD format. Also 48 hours and 60 min. are not hd.

In reading the Honolulu Advertiser lately, it's interesting to see the backlash against KGMB over their "pay for play" position with OTW. Have any cable people taken KGMB off of their favorites list?

In reading the Honolulu Advertiser lately, it's interesting to see the backlash against KGMB over their "pay for play" position with OTW. Have any cable people taken KGMB off of their favorites list?

I am painfully aware of the poor video quality every time I watch a show. Other than the 3 shows I was quoted, I can't watch it. Just can't do it.

I am painfully aware of the poor video quality every time I watch a show. Other than the 3 shows I was quoted, I can't watch it. Just can't do it.

----------------
What are you watching that has such poor video quality? Oceanic-analog, Oceanic-digtal, or off air? FYI, when I bought a new LCD-HDtv (vizio) I noticed that Oceanic-analog pictures looked much worse than my 15 yr.old Hitachi CRT tv. Apparently my particular LCDtv does not like analog signals. Another problem is that the Oceanic SD digital channel is actually taking the very clean analog signal from the stations and digitizing it to show on their digital channel. Somewhere in that transmission chain, some quality is lost, probably due to their data compression. In fact somwtimes the Oceanic encoders lose lip-sync and need to be rebooted.:confused:

KGMB-DT looks great on OTA. OTW should pay up if they care about their subscribers.

scott s.
.

I see KGMB on ch 87... better than analog... but not as good as 1003 KHON even when they are showing SD ...

Just wondering if anyone has a current QAM list for OTW's feed? Got a coworker that just bought a new TV but doesn't want to subscribe to the digital package from oceanic.

I just started a new thread dedicated to only over the air reception on Oahu. Thought it would be nice to collect the different results that people get from different vantages points in Honolulu.

Thread title: Honolulu, HI - OTA HD

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940630

-Les


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Les
Thanks for the new thread

Hi Everyone,
I'm new here to Hawaii - just moved in from Washington state. We love it here! :-) Does anyone know if you can get KHNL (NBC) in high-def anywhere other than cable? I have DISH network with the HD pack and get all the other stations but KHNL. I also have a TERK HD off-air antenna and get the other stations clearly from that, but no KHNL. Antennaweb.org says that the KHNL antenna is in approximately the same location as the other stations' antennas. I live up on the rim of the crater in the AMR (Red Hill area). Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks,
David


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

David you may want to post to this forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940630

And a quick question to you, do you have the TERK OTA that fastens to the rim of the dish?

Dave,
If you can see the setting sun from your house--- the towers for KHNL[NBC] 13.1, KHET[PBS] 11.1@11.2, and K-5[IND] are on that ridgetop. The other direction from the downtown stations. If your antenna is directional you may have to turn it back and forth depending on what station you want to see. I would like to know what set up you have to get DISH HD. Do you have to have 2 dishes and what size? Happy Hunting!
James

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

And if I may interject,
David,
There is also a utility in your HD dishnetwork IRD that allows you to 'search' for OTA digital broadcasts, I 'tuned' in my squareshooter through this utility.

This thread that we're on is the right thread for this discussion. Why should OTA get chased off by the satellite/cable talk which is less central to the stated description of the "Local HDTV Info and Reception" category than OTA?

BTW, we lost OTW yet again tonight because of the rain. Fortunately, we could switch immediately over to OTA. Looked better, too. - DR

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

Eh, Im good either way. I like the idea of a OTA HD thread but again this thread is 'Honolulu - HI HDTV' so OTA HD seems applicable here.

This thread that we're on is the right thread for this discussion. Why should OTA get chased off by the satellite/cable talk which is less central to the stated description of the "Local HDTV Info and Reception" category than OTA?

BTW, we lost OTW yet again tonight because of the rain. Fortunately, we could switch immediately over to OTA. Looked better, too. - DR

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

Wow 'lost OTW'? Even the standard def? For how long?

Does anyone know whether Oceanic is broadcasting the UH v. Boise football game in High Definition?



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

Im on an old 942 dishnetwork receiver (MPEG 2) so I didnt get it in HD, but HD for both games was available to MPEG 4 DTV, Dish subs on ESPN 2

Just wondering if anyone has a current QAM list for OTW's feed? Got a coworker that just bought a new TV but doesn't want to subscribe to the digital package from oceanic.
The local HD channels are usually the first subchannel and can be anywhere between 80 and 125. I think KHNL/NBC HD was 86.1 and KHON/FOX HD was 119.1 last time I checked. But that was a looong time ago. Guaranteed it's moved.

Use his TV to do a scan on the digital cable channels. It takes a few minutes.

I'm not sure a 'sellout' has anything to do with it.
This article explains it:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Oct/31/sp/hawaii710310406.html

"Under the terms of ESPN's contract with the WAC, there is no provision for blacking out games that fall within the five-game-per-school limit."

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

Depending on who you talk to, the 'black out rule' is contingent on many different factors and formulas. Three of which I have been told of are:
1) Stadium sell outs
2) Owner option (To black out a specific game up to 30 mins before start of game)
3) contractual obligations. i.e. may only be available on ESPN or fox sports, thus 'blacked out' on local broadcast

Just wondering if anyone has a current QAM list for OTW's feed? Got a coworker that just bought a new TV but doesn't want to subscribe to the digital package from oceanic.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, I dont think this is published info, could be proprietary.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, I dont think this is published info, could be proprietary.
I think all he was asking was for someone to post the channel assignments they are currently getting via their QAM tuner. I'd do it, but my QAM tuner is too flaky to be of any use.

OTA...Can anyone see KHET (pbs) 11.1 and 11.2???
I had them last week and now it is gone. I tried 2 different receivers/tv's and cannot find it. Their xmtr is not far from my house in Waipahu and my antenna is pointed sort of that way. Need some feedback asap. Mahalo

dave:confused:

Nice to see KGMB switch up their HD programming tonight(Monday).

Usually they broadcast only CSI Miami in 1080i, but tonight it seems they switched their HD recorders to broadcast the 7:00-9:00 sitcoms.

First time I ever saw "Two and a Half Men" in HD.:)

*Wonder if they broadcast that infamous lingerie show, tomorrow night in 1080i??? :D (Already set the 622DVR)

Kawika96797 - KHET

My signal levels are greatly reduced for KHET (both channels) to the level of unwatchable.

What happened to "Heros" last night. "Life" was in HD...

What happened to "Heros" last night. "Life" was in HD...

yeah, i have set my dvr to record the HD replay on mojo tomorrow. i deleted the SD version from NBC without watching it.

KGMB is airing David Letterman in HD tonight :)

To L-M

Thanks for your feedback. What is your location?

Has anyone else here been having trouble getting KHET 11.1 and 11.2??
I watched Peter Frampton in HD a few weeks ago and it knocked my eyeballs out. But now my tuner cannot see 11.1&2

Thanks

Kawika
Waipahu-village park

For you people that added an external hard drive to increase storage, what SATA cable did you use? I got a Seagate FreeAgent Pro Hard Drive - 500GB from Sam's club that has an eSATA port on it. It didn't come with a SATA cable so I got a what I think was an SATA 1 to SATA 1 cable. The SA8300HD did not recognize the hard drive.

I've read that you need a SATA 1 to SATA 2 or SATA 2 to SATA 2 cable. Anyone know what the SATA connector the SA8300HD needs and what SATA connector the hard drive needs? Any place locally to get these cables?

To L-M

Has anyone else here been having trouble getting KHET 11.1 and 11.2??
I watched Peter Frampton in HD a few weeks ago and it knocked my eyeballs out. But now my tuner cannot see 11.1&2


There was a period of several months where I did not receive 11.1, but it came back a month or two ago, and since then I have never had a problem getting both 11.1 and 11.2. I am in lower Mililani Town with an attic mounted yagi-style directional vhf/uhf antenna pointed towards town with an amp. I am showing about 6 1/2 out of 10 bars on my Samsung stb. I can't get KHNL/KFVE with my current antenna setup, but get everything else.

scott s.
.

For you people that added an external hard drive to increase storage, what SATA cable did you use? I got a Seagate FreeAgent Pro Hard Drive - 500GB from Sam's club that has an eSATA port on it. It didn't come with a SATA cable so I got a what I think was an SATA 1 to SATA 1 cable. The SA8300HD did not recognize the hard drive.

I've read that you need a SATA 1 to SATA 2 or SATA 2 to SATA 2 cable. Anyone know what the SATA connector the SA8300HD needs and what SATA connector the hard drive needs? Any place locally to get these cables?

Check this thread out:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=516559

Seems like the FreeAgent Pro is one of the drives that's not compatible with the 8300HD.

Anybody having problems with OTW ch 1216 (Golf) or 1323 (HGTV) using OTW's 8300HD box? A screen shows that they are SDV channels and that they are "loading" but nothing ever happens. Did we lose those channels?

Anybody having problems with OTW ch 1216 (Golf) or 1323 (HGTV) using OTW's 8300HD box? A screen shows that they are SDV channels and that they are "loading" but nothing ever happens. Did we lose those channels?

Last week, I had a similar problem with some SDV channels. A reboot of the DVR took care of it. I have an 8300HDC.

Last week, I had a similar problem with some SDV channels. A reboot of the DVR took care of it. I have an 8300HDC.

It seems to be ok now. Might have been all the power outages I was getting. I had rebooted it but still had the problem, but yesterday after work it was ok

Check this thread out:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=516559

Seems like the FreeAgent Pro is one of the drives that's not compatible with the 8300HD.


Thanks peanutz.

I got a Western Digital My DVR Expander 500GB from Best Buy. Worked as advertised. I'm going to return the Seagate FreeAgent Pro today.

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Wow 'lost OTW'? Even the standard def? For how long?
Everything was gone for an hour or so. Digital didn't return until the next day. - DR

aw dang i went to watch my recording of journeyman last night and it wasn't in HD. in fact the picture quality was so bad (very muted colors) that i will just watch it online instead. pretty sad when you think you will get a better picture online than on the HD channel.

do the local engineers just forget to switch to HD in primetime, or are they having some kind of random malfunction that seems to hit my favorite shows every few weeks.

do the local engineers just forget to switch to HD in primetime, or are they having some kind of random malfunction that seems to hit my favorite shows every few weeks.

This happens ALL THE TIME. I've noticed that KHNL/NBC has been really bad over this fall season. KITV/ABC almost never has this problem, although they have had to switch from standard def to HD at the beginning of an episode a couple of times.

KHNL/NBC, however, is generally horrible when it comes to remembering to record in HDTV. If the first show of the night (on KHNL) isn't in HD, then the rest of the evening is pretty much shot.

Any response from the engineers at KHNL?

Be sure to call them at KHNL and speak to someone... and not the girl who answers the phone.

Thanks peanutz.

I got a Western Digital My DVR Expander 500GB from Best Buy. Worked as advertised. I'm going to return the Seagate FreeAgent Pro today.

I tried an external drive on an 8300 last year. But within the month I purchased it there were times programs didn't show up in the queue of recorded programs. Since I purchased it on Amazon and there was a 30 day return, I decided I didn't need the reliability issues and returned it. I didn't want more problems.. Have there been long time users of expanders without problems? Would love to hear exactly what your setup was.

I tried an external drive on an 8300 last year. But within the month I purchased it there were times programs didn't show up in the queue of recorded programs. Since I purchased it on Amazon and there was a 30 day return, I decided I didn't need the reliability issues and returned it. I didn't want more problems.. Have there been long time users of expanders without problems? Would love to hear exactly what your setup was.

I have had a Seagate HD for about a year. The only time I get issues is when I lose power and the drive turns off. If that happens I need to reboot the DVR. Other than that I have not had any real problems. It is 500GB and I have never gone over 35% full since I got it, and that includes a lot of HD shows

hows it going guys, i'm from Nuuanu. and just recently got a samsung 40" and Oceanic HD service. I just had a quick question as i don't know where else to look. Is oceanic going to convert its analog signals to digital. cuz from what i was reading it only applies to over the air transmissions so they don't have to. i dunno i'm confused. for example. CH. 337 (Discovery Science) is obviously digital (minor blockings) then you turn to ch. 555 (USA) and i think its analog. just wondering and looking for some further information FROM A HAWAII stand point as we seem to be behind in almost all the technology upgrades. thanks.

hows it going guys, i'm from Nuuanu. and just recently got a samsung 40" and Oceanic HD service. I just had a quick question as i don't know where else to look. Is oceanic going to convert its analog signals to digital. cuz from what i was reading it only applies to over the air transmissions so they don't have to. i dunno i'm confused. for example. CH. 337 (Discovery Science) is obviously digital (minor blockings) then you turn to ch. 555 (USA) and i think its analog. just wondering and looking for some further information FROM A HAWAII stand point as we seem to be behind in almost all the technology upgrades. thanks.
I haven't heard or read anything about Oceanic doing digital simulcast of analog channels. What I want to know is when Oceanic will start dropping channels from their analog lineup to free up bandwidth for digital/HD.

In the case of the USA channel, they probably won't put on a digital SD version of that because USA has an HD channel going. We just need to wait for Time Warner to get contracts for it (and a bunch of other HD channels), then for Oceanic to put it on their system.

Might as well take a seat and twiddle your thumbs while you're waiting.

yup just sit and wait. i was getting excited when i saw channels 0087, 0088 and 0085 are like simulcasts of them and was thinking they were gonna be doing away with the analog and just make all there programing digital...all be it aint the greatest quality on those channels....

also, are we going to be getting the so called NAVIGATOR software that everyone else seems to be getting for our set top boxes????

and one final question (sorry so many) how come like TBS and TNT HD are running either differnet programs than there analog counterparts, or they are about ahead 2 hours, especially on TNT-HD its about 2 hours ahead.