Hawaii2000...you are absolutely right on that stuttering problem. It ALWAYS happens when a show goes into the end credits...something like THE SOPRANOS, which uses a black background. Clearly to do with the compression levels changing dramatically.

Eric

Eric - technically, I don't live in Honolulu either since I'm in Ewa Beach. Hey, should I even ask what the heck you were doing up at 2:53 in the morning? :D

Hawaii2000 - exactly. I think I've noticed this occuring during broadcast as well but don't hold me to it. As far as I know, the 8000 is just capturing the digital bitstream since the compression is done upline so there should be no difference between the oriignal HD broadcast and the recorded HD signal. Frankly, I don't see this resolving any time soon unless OTWC gets off their duffs and release some more updated firmware for our 8000s. (sigh) Welcome to the thread, BTW!

Spleen

Originally posted by delar
egcarter

I've purchased a Mits DVHS VCR to record HD and the like off my new tv with CableCARD. I have tried to record from every HD channel, and regardless of the channel or program, my Mits gives me a copy protection error about 20 seconds after record initiation. I have no idea whether this is a problem with the connectivity between the tv and VCR or a 5C issue. My set does obey CP flags, but since it isn't a recording device shouldn't it pass the "record once" flag on to the VCR? Is that not what an STB does? I tried to record Drugstore Cowboy on INHD today to no avail.

This VCR goes back next week if I can't figure this out. Comments?

David

EDIT: Just watched A Clockwork Orange on HDNetMovies. WOW!!! Still couldn't record it though.:mad:

Well, I was going to call Oceanic on Monday and order the tweaked 3250HD when I came across this thread in the HD Recorder forum.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4340262

Apparently there is a problem with the CableCARD used on TWC systems in that it will take a "copy once" flag and pass it on to the tuner as a "copy never" flag. So I ask.....are all the HD channels here set to "copy once", because I get the CP error on all the HD channels.

I also read in that forum that there were problems connecting a Mits to the 3250HD running 1.56.4.1 (SARA). If I'm not mistaken that is exactly what they will give me, so a fix to the CableCARD would be much prefered.

Hi, been a long time reader, and this is my first post. After reading that ESPN-HD is available through TWC on the mainland, I got excited and gave Oceanic a call. There ended my excitement. The CSR spoke to her manager who spoke to their programming department and said they have no immediate plans to add ESPN-HD. They told me they are trying to negotiate a package, including ESPN-HD. This is a local Oceanic decision/negotiation. So in short, I was told, no ESPN-HD soon.

sekt,

I got a little different info, but my CSR did not speak to a manager. I was told that it would be coming soon and I should look at the box on my bill for announcements.

I guess that shows how much the CSR's and their supervisors know. I bet if I call again, I will get a third different answer. Maybe we should all call in just so that Oceanic will know that there is interest in this and they will move towards making available sooner.

Why, spleen93, I was in Indianapolis at CEDIA Expo when I posted that message... 5 hours later that HST...

Ewa Beach is at least in Honolulu County, I guess...

Eric

Eric - no fair, you cheated. :) How was CEDIA?

sekt - welcome! The CSRs are relatively clueless about pending programming decisions unfortunately. It's probably the equivalent of water cooler gossip for them.

Spleen

Too bad Oceanic still isn't carrying ESPN-HD now that TW corporate is allowing each region to negotiate carriage.

Just another reason to be glad that I have Dish. :)
It was beautiful to watch the Broncos in HD last night, as well as watch the Raiders lose in HD as well. :D

Fine, Charles - rub it in. :) I'm telling you, DirecTV looks more and more attractive every day.

Spleen

Hi everyone,

Aloha from Boston, MA! I'm a former kama'aina who has lived in the chilly Northeast for the past 8 years. I just thought I'd drop in and say hello to you all.

I recently got Comcast HD here in Boston using the Motorola 6208 HDTV/DRV box (which I believe is standard for all Comcast locations). Though the HD selection is limited, this is what we get here:

PBS HD
CBS HD
ABC HD
NBC HD
FOX HD (recently moved over to 720p)
Discovery HD Theater
ESPN HD
Cinemax HD
HBO HD
Starz! HD
Showtime HD
INHD
INHD2/NESN HD (which covers home Red Sox games)

Rumor has it we will soon be getting WB HD and UPN HD, and Bravo HD is rumored to be happening soon as well. Also, the Motorola 6412 cable box (dual-tuner capability - watch one channel, record another) is being deployed in October.

Hope all is well back in the islands. I can't wait to go back at Christmas. I haven't had a plate lunch in MONTHS!

Originally posted by tennberg

Though the HD selection is limited......



LOL :D

This begs the question....if Comcast can get all these HD channels to their customers but Oceanic has bandwidth problems that might make it impossible, is it because Oceanic offers many more non-HD channels and services or is it because the system itself has a lower overall capacity than, say, Comcast Boston.

Just curious.

BTW, isn't there an L & L in Boston? ;)

Originally posted by delar
LOL :D

This begs the question....if Comcast can get all these HD channels to their customers but Oceanic has bandwidth problems that might make it impossible, is it because Oceanic offers many more non-HD channels and services or is it because the system itself has a lower overall capacity than, say, Comcast Boston.

Just curious.

BTW, isn't there an L & L in Boston? ;)

delar:

I will post a couple scans of the channel card I was given to show you what's available in our area.

As for L&L, I heard there used to be one in Connecticut but that's no longer on L&L's website. I do see, though, they have a "New York - Coming Soon!" page. You can have your L&L. Give me Mixed Plate in Kona any day :-)

tennberg - if that's a "limited selection", our selections are as scarce as a Siberian supermarket! I hear you about plate lunches - I used to get the most intense cravings when I lived on the east coast.

delar - suspect it's the number of interactive services that Oceanic offers - true bandwidth hogs.

Spleen

Originally posted by spleen93

suspect it's the number of interactive services that Oceanic offers - true bandwidth hogs.



And with CableCARD, I can't use a single one. Not that I would anyway.

Originally posted by spleen93
tennberg - if that's a "limited selection", our selections are as scarce as a Siberian supermarket! I hear you about plate lunches - I used to get the most intense cravings when I lived on the east coast.

delar - suspect it's the number of interactive services that Oceanic offers - true bandwidth hogs.

Spleen

spleen93: We have quite a bit of interactive services too, if you count On Demand (including HBO On Demand plus several other premium movie channels on-demand), plus the ability to pause and rewind live TV. What other interactive services does Oceanic offer?

What HD channels does Oceanic offer there?

spleen:

In addition to those 13 HD channels, we get 69 analog, 114 digital, 52 pay-per-view, and 45 music choice channels. I scanned the channel card we get, but it was too large dimensionally to send. If you want, I can e-mail them to you if you're interested. That way, you can see what is offered here in Boston with Comcast.

tennberg - no thanks, it'll just make me sad. :) You can order pizza through your cable box from Pizza Hut here - weird, huh? You can pay your cable bill through your cable box. All that On Demand stuff too. Don't use any of it. (sigh)

Spleen

Originally posted by spleen93
tennberg - no thanks, it'll just make me sad. :) You can order pizza through your cable box from Pizza Hut here - weird, huh? You can pay your cable bill through your cable box. All that On Demand stuff too. Don't use any of it. (sigh)

Spleen

In lieu of HD I hear that Oceanic will be adding a few more interactives, including a Papa Johns, Dominoes and Boston North End Pizza channel. Rejoice! ;)

I took the time to write the following message to Oceanic:
I am writing to inquire about your plans to expand the HD
offerings here in Hawaii. I have learned that across the country ESPN
HD has become available on Time Warner Systems this week, yet we still
do not have it in Hawaii. Your CSR indicated to me this week that there
is no immediate date for addition of this station. In addition TNT-HD
has also been available on TWC systems for a few months yet we do not
have it here. I feel that since we are paying very similar amounts for
the HD tier here as on the mainland markets, Oceanic should be offering
similar services. Below are a sample of HD offings on TWC across the
country.
Charlotte, NC
UNC-HD
ABC-HD
CBS-HD
NBC-HD
FOX-HD
UPN-HD
WB-HD
TNT-HD
Discovery-HD
HBO-HD (east)
SHO-HD (east)
INHD
INHD2
HDNET
HDNET Movies
ESPN-HD
Albany, NY
FOX
ABC
NBC
PBS
Discovery HD
TNT
INHD
INHD2
HDnet
HDnet Movies
ESPN-HD
HBO-HD
SHO-HD
NE Ohio (Akron / Canton area)
Fox HD
NBC HD
CBS HD
TNT HD
PBS HD
ABC HD
Discovery HD Theater
INHD
INHD2
HDNet
HDNet Movies
ESPN HD
HBO HD East
HBO HD West
Showtime HD East
Showtime HD West
Columbus, Ohio
HBO-HD
SHO-HD
NBC
CBS
PBS
UPN/WB - one affiliate
Discovery HD
TNT-HD
INHD
INHD2
HDnet
HDnet Movies
ESPN-HD
Winston-Salem,/Greensboro, NC
HBO E&W
Sho E&W
PBS
FOX
CBS
NBC
DiscoveryHD
TNTHD
INHD 1&2
HDNet
HDNetMovies
ESPNHD
Raleigh, NC
UNC-HD PBS
ABC-HD
CBS-HD
NBC-HD
FOX-HD
TNT-HD
Discovery-HD
HBO-HD (east)
SHO-HD (east)
INHD
INHD2
HDNET
HDNET Movies
ESPN-HD
Los Angeles
CBS
NBC
ABC
KCET (local PBS)
FOX
DiscoveryHD
TNTHD
HBOHD
ShowtimeHD
INHD
INHD2
HDNET
HDNETMovies
FSNHD
ESPNHD
Beaumont, TX.
Discovery HD theater
TNT HD
Fox Sports SW HD
HBO East HD
HBO West HD
Showtime East HD
Showtime West HD
INHD
INHD2
HD Net
HD Net Movies
What is Oceanic's plans for HD? Since we are paying the same amount as
on the mainland and getting MUCH less service, I have been considering a
switch to a dish based system. Please provide any information you may
have on the HD plans.

This is the response I got:

Thank you for your recent inquiry. We were just notified about the
agreement with ESPN HD and are in the process of adding it to our
lineup. We expect to be able to release the channel by 10/15. We have
not added TNT HD due to the very limited HD programming on the channel
currently. Once they expand the HD programming on the channel we will
consider adding it to our lineup.

Once it is added, our HD package will be the same as all other divisions
of Time Warner, the HD package does not include the local affiliates nor
the premium channels HBO & Showtime.

Our HD package at $6.95 includes INHD, INHD2, HDnet, HDnet Movies, &
ESPN HD effective 10/15.

In addition, we also carry ABC (KITV), HD Discovery Theater & HD Sports
as free HD channels and HBO-HD, SHO-HD as premium HD channels.


Unfortunately the ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, WB, PBS, & UNC (University of
North Carolina) stations carried by other divisions of TW Cable are all
local affiliate stations. So far the only local TV station in Hawaii
that has begun broadcasting in HD is KITV, the local ABC affiliate.

Once the other local affiliates begin broadcasting in HD we will be
adding them to our lineup. Since there is no local UPN affiliate, this
station will not be added until that changes.

Following is contact information for the local affiliates so you may
request that they take the necessary steps to begin broadcasting in HD.

KHON - Fox affiliate phone: 591-2222 website:
KFVE - WB affiliate phone: 847-3246 website: (same
as KHNL, same owner)
KHNL - NBC affiliate, phone: 847-3246 website:/
(same as KFVE, same owner)
KGMB - CBS affiliate, phone: 973-5462 website: /
KHET - PBS affiliate, phone: 973-1000 website: /


If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail us again
or contact our Customer Care Department at 625-8100. When replying to
this e-mail, please include this message as well as all previous
correspondence regarding this issue.

Thank you,
Nick S.
Oceanic Time Warner Cable


So some good news. Maybe we should start a e-mail campaign to the local affiliates.

Originally posted by sekt
I took the time to write the following message to Oceanic:
I am writing to inquire about your plans to expand the HD
offerings here in Hawaii. I have learned that across the country ESPN
HD has become available on Time Warner Systems this week, yet we still
do not have it in Hawaii. Your CSR indicated to me this week that there
is no immediate date for addition of this station. In addition TNT-HD
has also been available on TWC systems for a few months yet we do not
have it here. I feel that since we are paying very similar amounts for
the HD tier here as on the mainland markets, Oceanic should be offering
similar services. Below are a sample of HD offings on TWC across the
country.

What is Oceanic's plans for HD? Since we are paying the same amount as
on the mainland and getting MUCH less service, I have been considering a
switch to a dish based system. Please provide any information you may
have on the HD plans.


I also inquired with Oceanic about the addition of ESPN HD and I got the same 10/15 date:

From: csrsupport@twchawaii.net

Aloha,

Thank you for your recent inquiry. We have just received notification of
the agreement and are currently working to add the channel to our
lineup. We expect to be able to release the channel by 10/15.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail us again
or contact our Customer Care Department at 625-8100. When replying to
this e-mail, please include this message as well as all previous
correspondence regarding this issue.

Thank you,
Nick S.
Oceanic Time Warner Cable



Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

Contact Us
***************************************

Comment: I got word that other Time Warner Affiliates are now starting
to add ESPN HD to their lineup after the negotiations between TWC and
ESPN/ABC were done. When is Oceanic adding ESPN HD to the Hawaii
lineup? Hopefully within the year or I may consider going to satellite.
Thanks.

Impressive, guys! Though KGMB *is* up and running with their HDTV broadcasts, aren't they? Sounds like they're not exactly up to date either ... ;)

So, 10/15, huh?

Spleen

Originally posted by spleen93


So, 10/15, huh?

Spleen

Maybe thats when they start using the higher compression algorithms. :D

Better late then never. Good work guys.

Great News on ESPN-HD coming to Oceanic by Mid-October. I wonder if they will, or the other TWC systems, include ESPN2-HD when it launches in Jan. '05. As far as the bandwidth issue, didn't Oceanic recently drop HBO-Family and NGN from analog. That would give them the ability to add 16 SD and 3 HD channels to their line-up.
As for the comment on TNT-HD, I have to agree on the "limited" HD on that channel. But they have signed deals for both Alias and Without a Trace in HD plus they will air all NBA games in HD.

I don't believe Kgmb has a recorder yet. The signal is EDTV 480p not 1080i execpt for LIVE events(correct me if i'm wrong). I wouldn't hold my breath for KGMB or KHON as emmis wants $$$$ for the feed and Oceanic WILL NOT PAY FOR (much like EspnHD) content that is a simulcast of the sd feed (that why discoveryhd is free and not part of the HD package),plus the owner has the idea that he can charge us for the OTA signal, (requiring a box be rented from emmis to decode the signal) at least that was the last i heard of the issue.
I thought, with the judges ruling on the two (top 4 ) stations in one market owned by the same company, emmis would have to sell one. Maybe the reason for the channel swap of the OTA signal (it will happen soon,for got the date)

Rick

Ooooooh, NBA in HD .... (drooooooooooool)

Spleen

Here is a response that I got from Oceanic regarding the availability of the local (KGMB, KHON, KFVE) stations and HD:

Aloha !

Thank you for your inquiry. KGMB is in the process of upgrading their
current equipment to broadcast a true HD signal. Once their equipment
upgrade has been completed we will be able to broadcast the HD version
of the their channel.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail us again
or contact our Technical Support line for assistance. When replying to
this e-mail, please include this message as well as all previous
correspondence regarding this issue.

Sincerely,
tiki
Oceanic Time Warner Cable

Update on KHON/KGMB:

The FCC has approved the switch in DTV channels for the stations.
KGMB-DT now Ch.8 will move to Ch.22, KHON-DT will operate on Ch. 8 after KGMB moves. Although technically KHON-DT could begin operating on Ch.8 after the public review period ends(30 days) and KGMB-DT would re-emerge when the transmitter upgrade on Century Center is completed. Emmis has been given 6 months (March 16, 2005) to complete the upgrade.

Been offline for a while, thanks to a broken computer...

Great updates, ESPN HD yahoo! About TNT HD, I don't care how limited their programming is, I'd rather have it up sooner rather than later so I can watch what they DO have.

Anyway, thanks for all the news.

FWIW, KHON-DT has re-emerged on ch.22 after a 3 month absence. However, it's still only 480i and transmitting from KGMB's tower on Kapiolani. Judging from the PSID, it returned on Sept. 23rd.

TitanTV.com is now listing ESPN-HD on channel 952.

It's about 10 am now and ESPN HD is on 952!! I hope it's not just some testing deal and it'll stay there. The picture looks great.

I can't wait to get home and check it out. Please tell me that this is not only on the Big Island!!!

I noticed it at about 11:45 this morning, too. Cool.

It's up!! Though the guide is blank. Very cool!

By the by, in the guide, channel 950 is listed as HDSPT - any ideas as to what channel this is supposed to be? It's also blank in the program description and seems to be showing a grey screen at this time.

Some sport (SPT) channel?

Spleen

It's 10:15 pm and I'm not getting it. Can't get it by punching in the digits 952 directly (gives me the three ??? ) nor by surfing up and down. Maybe I need to unplug the box to reset? Or did they take it off? I'll check again tomorrow morning. If Hiloboy is in Hilo and can get ESPN-HD, then I think we in Honokaa should be able to get it too?
:confused:

Spleen, Zap2it.com listings shows HDSPT as SPOHDTV, and yes, from the listings seen, this is supposed to be a sports channel. I say supposed to be because I don't think I've ever seen anything (yet) on this channel.

Hi Hawaii2000,

Sorry for the confusion; I'm actually living in Honolulu now. I was born and raised in Hilo though. Anyway, I'm sure Oceanic there will put it on soon .

Oh well, looks like the espn thing was at test, as it's not there anymore. I was really looking forward to the Air Force / Navy game tomorrow too.

Bummer. Oh well, hope they bring it back for real soon!

Spleen

Last night around 11:00 p.m., ESPN-HD was on channel 952.

Just noticed TitanTV lists FSNHD on channel 778. :confused:

Could be a mistaken listing.

Did anyone happen to catch the premiere of 'LOST' on HD-KITV? Both the first and second part of the pilot started off in SD, and then part way through, it's as though someone flipped a switch and it became HD. Annoyingly, for the second part, this didn't occur until approx 40 minutes into the episode! What gives?

They're re-broadcasting the entire two hour pilot tonight... hopefully the whole thing will be in HD. Great new show, for anyone who missed it the first time around...

This doesn't necessarily apply to HD, but I figure one of you HD-enthusiasts might know the answer.

I've got a Hitachi LCD rear-projection set, and I need to figure out a way to put my center channel speaker on top of it. The set is only about 3" wide on the top, and drops off steeply towards the back, so I can't just put the speaker on top of the set. The shelf under the set has a support brace right in the center, so I can't put the speaker there. There is a window directly behind the set, so I can't put a shelf on the wall, either.

I found something that might work by btech-usa (their BT14 shelf) but they don't ship to Hawaii.

Anyone been able to solve this problem with something available in Honolulu?

I don't have one of these, but I think it should do what you need.
https://www.sanus.com/cgi-bin/web_store.cgi?page=products/accessories/tvshelves.html&cart_id=3126856_19286

You can get it on Amazon Actually through Crutchfield
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00065GP94/qid=1097263237/sr=1-17/ref=sr_1_17/102-8361787-6710568?v=glance&s=electronics

Supposedly shipping to Hawaii is $5.99 for anything under $99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/shipping.html/102-8361787-6710568/?seller=A2EBKGKF3J2YXR

I have a Panasonic HDTV Crt. Would putting the speaker on the tv screw up the tv? I remember in college we had a phone too close to our tv and the colors got all screwed up.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, the legs on the Sanus unit aren't long enough. The slope of the back of the set is pretty severe (Hitachi 50V500, if you've ever seen it).

The speaker is magnetically shielded, so won't affect the set (I hope). I used to have it on top of my 32" CRT with no problems.

That's a tough one - how about installing a shelf on the wall above the TV and placing the center speaker on it?

Spleen

Yah, you might have to drop something from the ceiling because of your window issue. I have a 50V500, too, but my center channel speaker is a small cube, so it balances on the bezel, and then I secured the speaker wire to the little clip on the back of the TV... so it can't fall forward. I guess it could fall backward, but I usually try not to breakdance right in front of the set ;). If you have kids or a lot of traffic going right by your TV, this probably wouldn't be an ideal set up.

Incidentally, the 50V500 is an LCD projection set, so it's not affected by magnetic fields like CRTs are.

ESPN-HD is back up on 952! :)

When I first got the set, I had my center channel set up below the TV screen, but found it distracting -- too much separation of the image and sound. It's definitely ideal to have the speaker as close to the top of the screen as possible, IMHO.

That Sanus shelf looks like a good idea. Maybe you could modify the legs? How heavy is your speaker?

Originally posted by Hounsfield

ESPN-HD is back up on 952! :)

Is ESPN-HD working for the rest of you? Initially I was seeing it fine like the rest of you, but now all I get when I tune to that channel is 2 seconds of video then a frame freeze. My Mits then tells me there is no signal. I wasn't sure if all you folks are seeing the same thing or whether it's unique to CableCARD users like me.

ESPN-HD is working fine on the Hilo system. It would sure be nice if they had more HD programming, though... even the baseball playoffs are 4:3.

Eric

Is anyone else having a problem with their TWC Explorer 8000HDs? Specifically, mine seems to freeze up when I'm flipping through the channels and I pause for a millisecond too long on one of the "interactive" channels, like the billing channel. It even happened on 950 tonight, when no signal was present. The only thing I can do to alleviate the problem is unplug for 10 seconds, and then reboot...

Also, I've noticed that if you have it set to record every episode of a show, it won't let you adjust the "padding" -- that is, you can't tell it to begin recording a few minutes earlier and end a few minutes later. It will let you think you're doing it, but then when you tell it to save the changes, it reverts back to its default settings.

If you're only recording one show, though, it will let you do it. It only seems to be when you're recording every episode of a show, that it won't let you pad.

I noticed the padding problem also. Its a real pain. Hope they can fix this in a software update soon.

Tim

Hounsfield,

I have all the interactive channels on the parental lock so they do not start to load to begin with. That should solve one of your problems.

If you can not find any ready made shelves that will work any sheet metal shop can cut and bend up a bracket. Say a U shaped bracket that goes under your TV, up the back and then over the top to support the speaker. Also if the window is a plate glass window and the speaker is not too heavy you could glue (with clear silicone like aquariums use) a glass shelf directly to the window. You would need a couple of triangular glass brackets also. You can remove it with a razor blade if you decide to move the TV later.

Thanks, KOA, that sounds like a great idea! I'll give it a try. :)

Originally posted by ppity
There is a window directly behind the set, so I can't put a shelf on the wall, either.

That'll teach me to read more carefully before replying ... (grumble) The attaching a shelf to the window using silicone is an interesting idea. I also like the idea of suspending the speaker from the ceiling. Maybe something like this (http://www.griplocksystems.com/)?

Hounsfield - have you tried just waiting? My 8000HD seems to freeze up on the interactive channels initially but if you wait a while (what seems like 2-3 minutes), it eventually gives you an error and lets you change the channel. I guess another reason why not to use channel up/down controls on the unit.

Spleen

Yes, the interactive services like Pets to be adopted or Jobs are incompatible with the DVR. If you just wait, it will time out and say error. Then you can move on.


Eric

Hmmm, yes, I have occasionally had that happen, where I would wait and get the error message, but lately I sometimes don't even see the "loading data" screen -- it just goes black and never recovers. To see what would happen, I just left it on for about 30 minutes the other day... it never changed, so I had to unplug.

Maybe there's something wrong with my machine, but except for this problem and the annoying padding issue, it does everything else ok (and I could do without those advertising channels anyway). KOA's suggestion seems to be working, too, so I guess I won't have to call Oceanic just yet.

Thanks for the tips, guys! :)

I just realized today that there's an optical audio out jack on the 8000HD!

Of course, I realize you probably all already knew that, but I guess I must have overlooked it when I originally set it up. Well, I ran out to the store and got an optical cable, and WOW, does it make a difference in the sound quality! I'm amazed. I never imagined it would be that noticeable.

Now if they would just activate the DVI port... :p

Thanks everyone for the replies regarding the center channel shelf. My ceiling is vaulted above the TV, so suspending it, while possible, wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing. I decided to have a friend in LA order the b-tech BT14 for me, then he'll ship it to me. I can't post the link, but go to btech-usa.com and do a search for BT14. I'll let everyone know how it works out.

Here you go: BT14 Speaker Mount (http://btech-usa.com/bt14.html)

http://btech-usa.com/images/brackets/bt14sop.jpg

Looks like a good solution. Burns me up that they can't ship that little thing to Hawaii! :mad:

Anyway, hope it works out for you.

Originally posted by Hounsfield
Now if they would just activate the DVI port... :p A friend of mine just got a new 42" Plasma TV with a DVI port. Since his DVD player is using the component input, I suggested he call Oceanic and ask if he could get a 3250HD with a DVI output. They said, "sure, we can have one in a couple days." When it came in, he hooked it up to his display, plugged in his brand new DVI cable and viola...HD via DVI!!

Not so fast... after either turning off the display or the box, when turning either back on there is no signal, like it looses sync. But if he unpluggs the power from the box and then pluggs it back in, the box resets (I'm guessing) and it works again. He called Oceanic to ask about the problem and of course they say it shouldn't work at all.

So then the obvious question is...why the hell did they order the box in the first place when they know the DVI port is inactive?? My friend is also pissed because he spent $100 on a DVI cable. WTF Oceanic??

I talked with a tech guy myself and he said if he had a display with firewire input they could supply a box with the firewire output enabled. If that's the case, why can't they enable the DVI??

I'm going to guess that this is a HDCP issue. Welcome to the wild and crazy world of digital copy protection. BTW, why did he spend $100 for a DVI cable? He could have used a cheapy computer DVI cable and gotten the same results ... not that it helps any at this point, sorry.

I haven't even tried to hook up the DVI port on my plasma for this very reason at this time. Waiting for the bugs in the HDCP flag pass-through issues to get worked out ...

Spleen

Originally posted by spleen93
He could have used a cheapy computer DVI cable and gotten the same results ...

Spleen Didn't know you could do that! Thanks for the tip...I'll let him know. I think he was able to return the other one. Regarding HDCP... then why will Oceanic supply a firewire enabled box if requested??

They have the firewire boxes for those of us with HD VCRs. That's it. If you don't have one, you're not eligible for one. And that's because of an FCC edict that they are giving us that! I have a firewire-enabled 3250HD. It works.

DVI-equipped boxes are supposed to be active by July 2005, last time I talked to the Oceanic guy.

Eric

Originally posted by egcarter
They have the firewire boxes for those of us with HD VCRs. That's it. If you don't have one, you're not eligible for one.

Eric Thanks for the reply Eric. That's not what the Oceanic tech I talked to said. He said if I had a display that had a firewire input (Mitsubishi) they would supply a box with the firewire enabled. He said nothing about having to have a HD VCR. This was the same tech who said the DVI port is not enabled, although it works if you don't mind jumping through a few hoops.

I bought a $6 DVI cable on ebay, which works fine (I use it to connect my HTPC to my TV). Purists may tell you that there's a difference between the $100+ DVI cables and the cheapies, but the only difference I can tell is in my wallet! ;)

I wonder if Oceanic would activate the firewire port if you have a firewire capable camcorder? My camcorder has a pass-thru feature, that lets you pass a signal through the camcorder to a PC. I have no idea what the camcorder would do with the HD signal, though, since it's not an HD camera, but I'm wondering if it would pass it through to the PC unaltered?

What do they ask you to establish that you meet their requirements for firewire activation? What if I just told them I have a digital VCR with firewire capabilities (and omit that it's not DVHS)?

Housfield,

I was told by the man in charge of STBs for Oceanic that you must have an HD VCR. Maybe now a firewire-equipped HD display is fine (I don't see why not). But I doubt if other devices qualify. PC's are a no-no.

Eric

Thanks for the info, Eric. That's too bad... How do you prove to them that you have a DVHS deck? Do they come out to your place to set up the firewire? Have you ever tried feeding the firewire to your PC (just for grins, that is)?

Man, I wish there were a way to backup HD content without investing in a DVHS recorder! :eek:

Hounsfield,

They send a tech to your place to install the box. (except for me, where they sent it over to Hilo from Oahu and I picked it up and installed it myself...special case) No, I haven't fed the output to a PC.
I was told of an incident where the tech went to a guy's house in Honolulu to install one of these. He said there was no DVHS deck so he couldn't do it. While the tech wasn't looking, the customer switched boxes!

He realized that the switch was made after he left and they made him go back and retrieve it.

Eric

Hello,

Does anyone else have a firewire equipped cable box from Oceanic in Honolulu? I was thinking about getting the JVC HMDH5U to record some of the HD material but haven't had much luck with HD related stuff from Oceanic. It took forever to get my 8000HD , for some reason my name kept dropping off the wait list or they weren't even bothering to put it on every time I would call. I asked them for a cable card for my new tv 3 times and have given up already. The last time I asked 3 or 4 weeks ago the rep said someone who is in charge of that division will call me to set something up and of course nobody called. Before I spend the $600 on this VCR I just wanted to make sure us "regular people" not related to Oceanic can get this box and also am curious how your experience with it is.

Thanks,

Bill

Oceanic says that to qualify for a firewire-equipped STB, all you need is a device where the guide passes through to the display (VCR, Display, etc).
A PC won't do...it's apparently a regulatory issue. like Tsunami or H-bomb warnings getting through to you.

Eric

I've had my CableCARD about 2 months now and it works almost as planned. I can't receive any music channels and can't archive HD to my Mitsubishi DVHS, otherwise it works as it should. Both these issues appear to be inherent problems with the Scientific Atlanta CableCARD, and for this reason I will be ordering the firewire enabled 3250HD from Oceanic (haven't gotten around to it yet). This way I can daisy-chain the 3250HD->Mits 8000HD->Mits 52525 DLP via firewire while keeping the CableCARD as my secondary tuner until it works as it should.

Oceanic may be avoiding CableCARD install requests because of continuing interface problems with various sets, especially Sonys and Panasonics. I've been reading that this is a tactic Comcast is using in some places on the mainland. I can't blame them really 'cause it's a money losing venture for the cable companies, especially when it doesn't work right and the techs spend time fixing something they can't. A fix from SA is supposedly in the works, but I can't find any info on it.

I was wondering if anyone has purchased a sub from SVS. I am thinking of getting a PB2ISD or the PB2+. How did the shipping company they use work out for you and are you happy with the purchase? Thanks.

delar,

Apparently Oceanic is having Cablecard problems, particularly the card not seeing all of the channels. The highest numbered channels (like all the HD ones in the 900's) are invisible for many people. And the point at which the channels disappear is variable. Some go to the 700's, some to the 500's. They are confused at present and trying to troubleshoot the issue.

Eric

Originally posted by KOA
I was wondering if anyone has purchased a sub from SVS. I am thinking of getting a PB2ISD or the PB2+. How did the shipping company they use work out for you and are you happy with the purchase? Thanks.

KOA - not directly related to what you're asking but when I was deciding on my sub, I was trying to choose between SVS and Hsu subs (who also happen to be AVS sponsors). I ended up going with the Hsu VTF-3 (link) (http://www.hsustore.com/vtf3.html) because I liked the user reviews of it. Mine's the rosewood model (got it when they were running a special for AVS members and got it for cheap) - shipping/packing was exceptional to my door. This sucker's a heavy beast - had a difficult time getting it indoors! Looks gorgeous in the room (using it as an end table) and it moves MASSIVE amounts of air and yet sounds musical. Pipe organ music sounds amazing. If I turn it up during movies, my walls shake and vibrate like an earthquake ...

Just another option ... I'm sure you'd be happy with either one.

Spleen

Spleen,

Thanks for the suggestion and link.

I have a very open floor plan plus open beam ceiling so even though the area we watch TV is small, my cubic feet is about 6500. That's why I was leaning toward SVS rather than Hsu.

I've got 4300 cubic feet in my viewing area ... :)

Spleen

Spleen,

So you think the PB2ISD is overkill? Reading the posts about Hsu and SVS a lot of people have bigger subs in smaller rooms! Realistically, you think the Hsu would work? My house is single wall after all, and movies are listened to about -17 from reference.

I hope this isn't getting too far off the intended thread.

KOA - we're talking about the PB-12ISD, right? The specs on both are essentially interchangeable. For most people, I think either would work well - but I don't see the PB-12ISD being a *better* performer than the Hsu. Rather, I think of them as being two faces of a coin - one subwoofer will usually appeal more to one than the other. For me, the Hsu worked well. For you, the SVS might be a better choice. From my readings, the Hsu had more of an emphasis on musicality which swayed me to it. The SVS sure does crank though based on what I read! :)

Spleen

Thanks Spleen. Actually I was talking about the PB12-ISD or the PB12-PLUS. Still trying to decide. When you mentioned the Hsu in 4300 cubic ft and indicated it can shake the house makes we wonder if I "need" the SVS with its two 12" drivers. Everyone says you can't have too much bass! But I'm not so sure. The Hsu does look nice in rosewood.

What's up bruddah's,

This is my first post in this section and I'm letting the locals know that I have a Brand new (unopened) Hsu VT-12 Ventriloquist speaker system on ebay for $149.99 I decided to go with a different set up.


Mahalo's

BIGLC:cool:

The 12-PLUS is a nice looking subwoofer as well (I like the Mercury-Red finish!). I'm sure you'll like whichever choice you make ... hard to go wrong when you're talking about subs of this quality. :)

welcome BIGLC! You have a HD set?

Spleen

I just picked up a new HItachi 57S715 rear-projection CRT from Sears and the PQ for HDTV is sweet!!!:D

The SD (lower) channels have a lot of pixelization due to a weak signal (possibly because of a splitter) and Oceanic is supposed to come to my place and install a signal booster. Hopefully that will improved the SD quality.



BIGLC

Good luck with the lower channels - most people report that the lower channels look better than the higher (digital) channels overall - no digital compression artifacts. If yours are looking worse, then it probably is a weak signal that's causing that. Hopefully it'll look better after the booster!

Spleen

Whats up with KITV's Monday night football HD broadcast. The picture has been getting numerous interuptions and the sound is about 2-3 seconds ahead of the picture which makes for horrible overall quality.


BIGLC

They mentioned during KITV's 6 pm newscast that they're having satellite problems causing dropouts during HD broadcast of the game.

Spleen

BIG NEWS!!!

KHON-DT has gone HD! Of all things during the BOS/NYY game. They also tested the FOX HD splicer, during the 7th and 8th innings it was in HD. Hopefully for Game 7 HOU/STL they broadcast the whole game in HD. Can't wait for HD Football this Sunday.

WOOHOO! :)

Hi Charles,

Thanks for passing on the good news! What channel is this on? I have to go out and buy an antenna now; can't wait for Oceanic to pick it up.

Bill

Bill,

KHON-DT is on ch.22, but they still are broadcasting in low power. If you can see the Honolulu transmitters you should be able to receive KHON-HD, beyond that it's going to be hit and miss.
I'm tivo'ing Game 7 of the NLCS and will see if(how) they handle regular primetime programming on Friday.

Charles

That's bad news for me. Are you saying where you put your HDTV antenna, it has to have a direct site view of KHON (is the antenna on the Hawiki tower across from Ala Moana)? I live very close by, in a walkup on Piikoi (close to the freeway), but my lanai where I would put the antenna is facing toward the mountains. Do you think it's worth a shot? I'm a die hard football fan and would love to see the games in HD.

Bill,

KHON-DT is transmitting from KGMB's tower on Kapiolani. Your close enough that your probably okay. But it's best that you can see the tower to avoid problems with multipath. You can always try a pair of rabbit ears first to see what you get. I'm in the Ward Centre area and use the Silver Sensor(indoor antenna) and easily get KHON, KITV, KGMB and KIKU.

KHON did pass the HD signal of the NLCS today. By the looks of things I need to wait til Monday to see if they can do Primetime programming. But I too can't wait for Sunday to see FOX's HD NFL programming. :)

Good Luck!

Charles

Thanks Charles, I'm going to get an antenna tomorrow. One thing though; I'm pretty much a newbie at this kind of stuff and wanted to ask you, do I just plug the antenna into the uhf/vhf input and then tune to channel 22? I've only been getting HD with oceanic's box up to this point. I know my tv does have an internal HD receiver and was wondering if it's that simple.

Bill

Just to let you guys know...

I live in Aiea, so I'm about 12 miles from most transmitters. I have a USDigital tuner from Walmart and I'm using rabbit ears. I can catch KHON, KITV, KGMB, KIKU, and KWHE. Have only watched HD on KITV and KGMB. KITV breaks up occasionally. Looking forward to seeing HD on KHON.

Herb

How much does that USDigital tuner cost? I live in Niu Valley and can't pick up anything right now. Maybe that tuner is just what I need. Does anyone think this might work?

Bill,

Most TV's with built-in HD tuners will have a "scan" or "search" feature to tune in the DTV stations. So once you hook-up the antenna, do the scan and see what happens. If any of the stations are missing, there is also likely a manual input selection on the TV and a signal strength bar so you can adjust the antenna to improve reception.

Just for reference, here are the Honolulu DTV stations and the transmitters locations:

KHON DT 22- KGMB Tower on Kapiolani
KGMB DT 8- Ditto
KITV DT 40- Ala Moana Hotel
KWHE DT 31- Century Square(Bishop/Beretania)
KBFD DT 33- Centuty Square
KIKU DT 19- Palehua Ridge(Above Makakilo)
KAAH DT 27- Palehua Ridge
KPXO DT 41- Wiliwilinui Ridge (Above Aina Haina/Kailua)

Good Luck!

Charles

P.S.: Herb, good to know that you get reception in Aiea. I have heard great things about the reception from the USDTV tuner.

Is it really the tuner that makes the difference? I always understood that the antenna made more of a difference. I guess for multipath, it would make a difference if it had technology to distinguish the correct signal ...

Spleen

Originally posted by boneless6220
How much does that USDigital tuner cost? I live in Niu Valley and can't pick up anything right now. Maybe that tuner is just what I need. Does anyone think this might work?

boneless,

It was $218 at the Walmart in Mililani. It's cheaper at the Walmart online site. Don't know what they charge for shipping. I have no idea how much difference the tuner makes.

Herb

The USDTV receiver is $199 on-line plus $9 standard(7 days) USPS shipping. Shipping is $18 via USPS Priority(3 days) shipping. Wal-Mart on Keeaumoku is soldout(with just about 1/2 of everything else). OTR: Doesn't anybody have anything better to do now that it's open in town than shop at Wal-Mart. ;) hehe

I saw Wal-Mart has a Panasonic indoor antenna like the silver sensor. Anyone try receiving HD from East Oahu?

Anyone know where I can get The Silver Sensor locally? The Radio Shack amplified antenna never worked because of suspected multipath and I took it back. I'd like to give the SS a shot now that Fox-HD is up. Hobron Lane area walkup here.

Thanks for the help guys. I did get an Indoors Phillips antenna today from Walmart for around $25 and it works! My hdtv tuner in the tv picked up cbs, fox and abc digital channels. It couldn't get the rest though, but I don't mind since I got the main ones. I wasn't able to tune the channels directly, but had to use the auto scan thing that Charles suggested. The 3 digital channels the tv found were on weird channels like 2.2 and 9.1 . My tv says the kgmb signal is 1080i and 16x9, but it is not. Are they broadcasting anything in HD?

Also, KITV has been going blank (no signal) for a second or two periodially during the Faith and Hope sitcom. Is that what you guys with antennas normally get or should I try moving my antenna around to get a better reception (doesn't seem to help)? I noticed though the picture quality is a little better with the antenna than with the cable box. Hopefully the world series game tommorow will be in HD.

Bill

Originally posted by Hiloboy
My tv says the kgmb signal is 1080i and 16x9, but it is not. Are they broadcasting anything in HD?


Bill,

Try KGMB on Saturday and Sunday. Usually at least one of the college games on Saturday is in HD. I believe this weekend's game is Tennessee vs. Alabama. Also on Sunday, the NFL game, if broadcast in that way nationally, will also be HD.

I understand that KGMB cannot time shift (apparently they don't have the recorders) so the nighttime programs that are delayed for us cannot be shown in HD.

Hopefully, KHON will be showing the World Series in HD. Don't know if they have the same time shift problem as KGMB.

Herb

boneless.

If you live in Niu Valley, you are NEVER going to get anything. I lived In Hahaione Valley in the Sixties and that's why cable TV came to Honolulu. In places like that you can't get TV reception over the air. Remember, it's "line-of-sight", so fugeddaboudit.

Eric

Boneless,

I bought the Phillips antenna from Walmart that looks like the Silver Sensor and it works. I live in Makiki and am surrounded by buildings. I just don't know how good it works since this is the first time I've used any antenna to pull in HD and I don't have nothing to compare it to. There are some periodic dropouts mostly on KITV, don't know if this is normal for here either. My signal strength on the tv says i'm mostly between 84-92% strength, except for when it goes blank for a second, where it goes down to 41%. Does anyone know if this is good? Is anybody getting near 100% strength? I guess the true test will come tomorrow; hopefully the world series will be in HD and sit there and watch the whole thing and see if I get any picture dropouts.

Herb,

Thanks for the info on KGMB. Can't wait to check out thegames in HD this weekend.



Bill

Delar,

I just looked at the box and the Phillips antenna I got from Walmart is called the Silver Sensor also. I did a google newsgroup search and apparently it's the same antenna as the Zenith model, only sold under the Phillips name.

Bill

Thanks Hiloboy. I'll walk down there and get one this morning.

Delar, I saw it on buy.com a while back. Don't know locally though.

Thanks guys. I bought the last Phillips Silver Sensor on the shelf at Walmart. It works like a champ for KHON DT-22. No pixellation whatsoever, and the antenna is pointed in the opposite direction of the transmission tower. Seems I'm getting a (good) reflection off of the Discovery Bay towers.

I did the Channel scan for digital channels and KHON came up as channel 22-3. The World Series game however is showing up as SD 4:3 on this channel. Are they broadcasting it in HD here?

Delar,

The world series game is in HD. I'm getting a great signal from KHON too, 95-98 on the signal strength meter. It's in the 9th inning and I was able to see the whole game without problems; the picture went blank once for 1 or 2 seconds, and that was all. It shows up as channel 2.2 on my tv.

Bill

Thanks Hiloboy. Where were you 4 hours ago? ;) Unfortunately I was under the mistaken impression that I'd find it on channel 22 and never bothered to check channel 2. But there it is, in glorious HD. Looks good too, no pixellations. I'll try again tomorrow.

Yep, the DT stations use their analog number then a ".x" in the digital stream to identify themselves.

So by those means:
KHON 2.2(was 2.1 until the HD channel went online)
KITV 4.1(some boxes identify it as 40.1)
KGMB 9.1
KWHE 14.1
KIKU 20.1
KBFD 32.1
KPXO 66.1

Where I am in the Ward area:
KHON 88%
KITV 85%
KGMB 94%
KIKU 72%
KWHE 51%(doesn't lock)
KBFD 49% (doesn't lock)
KPXO 58%(sometimes lock)

Sunday shapes up a a great day for HD Sports OTA:

6AM NFL Sunday Pregame KHON
7AM Lions at NY Giants KHON
10AM Cowboys at Packers KHON
10AM NY Jets at Patriots KGMB
1:30PM World Series Game 2 KHON

Does all of this necessarily mean that Oceanic will eventually begin broadcasting these channels in HD? Or is there something more involved? Just wondering.

I'm in Nuuanu, in a high rise that faces mauka, as well as several other high-rise buildings. I was assuming that there is no way that I'd ever get a good signal, so I haven't even bothered trying... do you all think that this is a valid assumption? Is it possible to tune in to a signal that's "bounced" off of an object, like another building, or will you always run into ghosting issues?

I've been thinking of trying out an ATI HDTV Wonder antenna/tuner for my HTPC, but have a feeling it will end up being a waste. Anyone else in Nuuanu, or have experience receiving bounced signals?

Yes, Oceanic will eventually transmit all of the local HD channels. The major issues with KHON and KGMB are negotiations which are at the corporate level at Time Warner Cable on the mainland with Emmis Broadcasting, which owns both stations and a bunch of others that service other TWC systems. and the local HD stations showing the Real HD lineup, rather than just live sports programming. They need to get their act together at the local stations to show the full HD lineup, too.

Eric

Hounsfield

My Silver Sensor antenna is pointed in nearly the opposite direction of KHON-HD's transmitter on the KGMB tower. In fact it's pointed at the Discovery Bay Towers parking garage. This morning, KHON-HD is coming in perfect, with nary a pixellation. I find it quite incredible given the fact that KITV-HD comes in an unwatchable pixellated mess, and their transmitter is closer to me. The Silver Sensor antenna seems to be highly direction, allowing one to lock onto a reflection without 'ghosting'. The best $30 I've spent in a while.

Delar,

Most antennae's sensitivity patterns have lobes in the direction you point them and 180 degrees opposite that as well. That is a normal occurence.

Eric

True, and pointing it in the direction of the tower gives me a good signal too. But between my antenna and the tower are several walls of concrete (my building) and more than a few tall buildings. Where it's pointed now is out a window at the parking garage. I just assumed that that is the direction I'm getting the signal from. I could be wrong.

Thanks for your input! I just saw that CompUSA has the ATI HDTV Wonder for $149 after $50 rebate. It's tempting. I may give it a shot and see what happens.

Couple more questions:

1. Does the antenna have to be outside? Can it just point through a window?

2. Do you have to fiddle with the antenna a lot to bring in different stations (for example, every time you change the channel, do you have to go adjust the antenna to improve the reception?)

Thanks! :)

My antenna points out a closed jalousie window, though you might be able to get a good signal positioning it somewhere in the interior of the apt/house. You really won't know until you try. And I do need to reposition it to receive other channels. KHON-HD will only work well in a narrow range of positions.

Hounsfield,

My Silver Sensor is near a window, in fact in front of my AC, aimed parallel to the window. On my near side are the towers for KGMB, KITV and KHON and opposite end of my building from the transmitter for KIKU(17 miles west), so I get 4 stations in one position. Maybe just luck, who knows???

On thing about KHON, we don't know yet about their ability to air primetime programming. Due to the MLB playoffs, that's all they basically have aired. Looking at FOX's schedule we likely won't now until Nov. 4th when OC airs. Some good signs that KHON will be able to air primetime is that FOX installed the HD splicer way before other FOX stations in market bigger or the same size as Honolulu, and that FOX's system puts the burden to providing the HD programming at their end not the affilates.

Hi, I want to switch from oceanic to satellite.. I live in makakilo.. can anyone tell me what my options are? I hear DISH works in hawaii but you need two dishes to get HD and standard? Does VOOM work in hawaii? or directv? I currently just have the HD package and hd hbo

uncola,

Both DirecTV and DISH work in Hawaii. No VOOM here. I hear VOOM won't be around too much longer either...cash crunch and dramatically increased competition coming from the Big Boys in HD programming.

Eric

KIKU has signed a deal to become the Hawaii affiliate of UPN. They will start carrying UPN programming (not at the network scheduled times) beginning November 1st. They will be scheduled in a block from M-F 4-6PM, plus Saturday 10PM-12Mid, and Sunday 11PM-12Mid.
For instance, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE will run Fridays at 4PM with a repeat on Sunday at 11PM. WWE: SMACKDOWN will be Saturday 10PM - 12Mid.
KEVIN HILL is Wednesday at 4PM.

Eric

egcarter, do you know if you really have to buy a 2nd dish antenna for hd? thanks for replying to my pestering :)

Uncola,

Yes you need 2 dishes for Dish Network if you want standard as well as HD programming from them.
I have Dish Network myself, I use a 24" dish for 119(Standard) and a 30" for 110(HD). If you are just interested in the HD you could just use 1 dish( 30") but doing so disqualifies you for free install and equipment deals.

Dish offers the following HD programming:

TNT-HD
DiscoveryHD
HD Net
HD Net Movies
ESPN-HD
NBA-TV HD(eff. 11/4)
HD Events(eff. 11/4)
HD PPV
HBO-HD(East)
SHO-HD(East)

Directv requires 3 dishes(although you could get it down to 2) for it's HD and standard programming.

Hope this helps.

Charles

((In general, here is how to know if you get the NBA games on INHD:

(1) Your cable system must have the NBA TV channel (SD). You don't have to personally subscribe to a package which includes the NBA TV SD channel, but your cable operator must have it somewhere in its lineup.

(2) Your cable system has INHD and your subscription level includes INHD.

If (1) and (2) are met, you will see the NBA games on INHD. If not, the NBA games will be blacked out or INHD will supply an alternate feed minus the NBA game. ))

Can anyone confirm if this holds true for Oceanic? I found this in a thread elsewhere on this site. I thought we had INHD last year during the NBA season but maybe I got it a little late after the NBA season. Was there NBA games on INHD? According to the thread there are about 4 or 5 NBA games a week on INHD!

Bill

Anyone have a SA8000 HD DVR that has the pass thru working? It worked on 3250.

Bill,

Oceanic Cable does have NBA-TV, it's in the "Sports Pack" in the digital tier. Oceanic also has it with NBA League Pass. So it would appear that you should get the NBA TV HD games on Oceanic via InHD with the exception of the Lakers and Clippers(home team area blackout rules), but the Lakers home games are sim-subs of FSN-West so you should get those via HD Sports 950 on Oceanic.

On one bad note, KHON aired "Bedazzled" in 4:3 SD, was available in 16:9 up-convert from FOX. So KHON flunks test one in HD Primetime capability. :(

Charles

Thanks Charles, that's what I figured, but I don't recall getting any games on INHD last year. Anyway I hope they do show it. Bad news about KHON, I forgot to check tonight. At least we'll be getting the Superbowl in HD this time around!

Yes, we did get some NBA games in HD last year.

Eric

thanks for the info charles.. damn.. 3 dishes for directv.. that's insane.. especially since they cost like $300 per extra dish

It's on channel 954 right now! Just in time for basketball season!!

Nothing here on CableCARD. :(

Delar, check your private messages, I sent you something.

The good thing about TNT-HD is apparently they are showing the LIVE east coast feed, meaning we will now get to see the NBA games live!!

Originally posted by Hiloboy
Delar, check your private messages, I sent you something.

The good thing about TNT-HD is apparently they are showing the LIVE east coast feed, meaning we will now get to see the NBA games live!!

I got an email from Oceanic witha notification for TNT HD today:

Re: New HD Channel being released soon! (KMM88501V15147L0KM)
From: CSR SUPPORT <csrsupport@twchawaii.net>
Reply-To: CSR SUPPORT <csrsupport@twchawaii.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset = "us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Mailer: KANA Response 7.0.1.142

Aloha,

I just wanted to let you know that we will be releasing a new HD
channel. The new channel is TNT HD and will be on channel 954. We =
expect
to have the new channel available by Tuesday 11/02. This channel will =
be
included with subscription to either HBO, Showtime, or the HD
Entertainment Package.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail us again =

or contact our Customer Care Department at 625-8100. When replying to
this e-mail, please include this message as well as all previous
correspondence regarding this issue.

Thank you,
Nick S.
Oceanic Time Warner Cable

Sweet! Another HD channel on Oceanic is welcome news!!

Hey TJR, how do you get those email notifications? Is that something that you can sign up for?

Thanks guys!

Well it looks like in Kaneohe I will only be able to get one station OTA, KPXO. Too bad, but I am getting Oceanic HD cable box.

Has anyone been able to get the Honolulu stations over the Koolau moutains ?? Maybe I just need a long cable up to the top of Haiku Stairs !!


Just for reference, here are the Honolulu DTV stations and the transmitters locations:

KHON DT 22- KGMB Tower on Kapiolani
KGMB DT 8- Ditto
KITV DT 40- Ala Moana Hotel
KWHE DT 31- Century Square(Bishop/Beretania)
KBFD DT 33- Centuty Square
KIKU DT 19- Palehua Ridge(Above Makakilo)
KAAH DT 27- Palehua Ridge
KPXO DT 41- Wiliwilinui Ridge (Above Aina Haina/Kailua)

Good Luck!

Charles

P.S.: Herb, good to know that you get reception in Aiea. I have heard great things about the reception from the USDTV tuner. [/B][/QUOTE]

Originally posted by Hounsfield
Sweet! Another HD channel on Oceanic is welcome news!!

Hey TJR, how do you get those email notifications? Is that something that you can sign up for?

Thanks guys!

I dunno. I think it was because I used to pester the Customer Service Dept about getting new HD channels. I went so far as to tell them that I would drop Oceanic for satellite earlier this year. So, as soon as HD channels become avaiable they would give me these notices.

Are you guys getting any of the KGMB games in HD this weekend? the college game and today's nfl games are only coming in SD for me. :confused: I just got my new HD set a couple weeks ago and was wondering does KGMB usually always broadcast the live events in HD or is just some of the times? thanks!

Robb33, I was about to ask the same question. For the first time I'm able to pull in KGMB-DT OTA with my Silver Sensor and all I get is the game in SD. Initially, I tuned to channel 8 and my tv renamed it 9-1. I wasn't sure if this is the correct channel as TitanTV lists it at 8-1. These sub channels are a bit confusing to this OTA newbie.

EDIT: Of course it *is* the correct channel as the channel info indicates HD 16:9.

test

From the KGMB Website:
Drop us a line! Tell us what you think! (I think I will :) )
KGMB 9
1534 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814

Tel: (808) 973-5462
Fax: (808) 941-8153

Programming
programming@kgmb9.com

We have TNTHD running on 954 here in the Hilo system, too.


Eric

Can any of you explain this artifact that I occasionally see on KITV HD via Oceanic: sometimes there is a rectangular section on the left side of the screen that seems like it's shifted by a few pixels. IOW, it's hard to notice at times, but then you see a shimmer around the rectangle's edges caused by the pixels not aligning properly with their surroundings.

It doesn't seem to be my TV, since the other channels are fine, and this only happens rarely on KITV, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen this before, and if this is a known issue?

Thanks :)

Yeah, I see that too sometimes on KITV-HD Oceanic. I wrote it off as a compression artifact because I've never seen it on KITV-HD OTA, but really don't know for sure. Sometimes it seems the screen is split into 4 blocks overlapping themselves to varying degrees. Only happens sometimes, but kinda lessens my HD MNF experience.

I got a voice mail from Oceanic telling me about the new HD-TNT station, but I couldn't see it without first unplugging the cable box and having it reset.

Quote from Hounsfield:Can any of you explain this artifact that I occasionally see on KITV HD via Oceanic: sometimes there is a rectangular section on the left side of the screen that seems like it's shifted by a few pixels. IOW, it's hard to notice at times, but then you see a shimmer around the rectangle's edges caused by the pixels not aligning properly with their surroundings.

I've seen it on KITV-DT OTA, I first noticed it in Jan. during the AFC Wildcard games. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3143954#post3143954
Just another of a bunch of anomolies on KITV's DT signal. :(

I also saw the rectangular box, especially bad during Lost on Wednesday. It was also there during the rebroadcast of Lost on Sunday. Very annoying.

Also channel 954 TNT HD has no guide yet even though Oceanic left a message on my phone to promote the channel.

I used to see those rectangular boxes frequently on DKITV many months ago, but they vanished. Now they are back with a vengeance!

As KOA said, the LOST rebroadcast Sat nite was riddled with them. Horrible.

TNT HD has a guide, but it's out of sync. I called Oceanic last week to tell them that. It's off by a couple of hours.

Eric

I read KITV isn't going to show Saving Private Ryan Thursday night because of fear of being fined by the FCC over vulgarity and violence. I know it's been shown before, uncut, and in HD, but I've only had HD for a few months and was so looking forward to seeing one of my favorites. This really sucks.

Yeah, 35% of ABC affiliates are not going to show it!

Eric

Thanks for the info on the artifact... guess I was AWOL while you guys were discussing it back in January. Anyway, glad to know that it's not just my setup. It does seem to be getting worse, though -- I wonder what/where the problem is, and if KITV knows about it? Two weeks in a row, LOST has suffered from "the box".

Yes, very disappointed that we won't be seeing Private Ryan tonight. :(

I was wondering why KITV doesn't broadcast HD w/ DD 5.1? And when will they?

Thanks

KITV was actually one of the first DT stations nationwide in late '99, at the time ABC indicated it wasn't going to use DD 5.1, so that ability wasn't built in.
KITV is scheduled to upgrade it's DT equipment, including it's Honolulu and Hilo transmitters and uplinks to Maui and Hilo, likely KITV will have the ability to pass DD 5.1 then.

BTW, KHON-DT looks like it's multi-casting, and screwing it up in the process.
I now show the follwing for KHON-DT:
22.1 No info (480i)
22.2 No info (720p)

Although both still show FOX primetime in 4:3 SD.

Thank you, Charles. Good to know.

I have another question for anyone 'in the know', what is the status of Oceanic and use of the SA 8300HD?

Thanks!

Has anyone else been experiencing a lot of digital break-up on the HD channels with Oceanic lately. It can get very irritating at times.


Mahalo,

BIGLC


Proud owner of an Hitachi 57S715 RPTV

Well, no rectangular boxes on Lost tonight! I still don't the guide info for 954.

Is it possible to get Digital OTA in Mililani Mauka?

Originally posted by surfgeek
Is it possible to get Digital OTA in Mililani Mauka?

Most of Honolulu's DT stations are transmitting in low power, so it's make it a hit or miss situation. If you have no hills or other obstructions between you and town, you probably can get many of the DT stations with Mililani being 700ft above sea level.

If possible, hook up a pair of rabbit ears to your TV and see how well you can get Ch. 2, 9, 14, 20 and 32.
2 and 9 transmit close together, with 2 being the weaker signal.
14 and 32 transmit together, with 14 being the weaker signal.
20 transmits from an opposite direction.

If you have bad reception of 2 and 14 but 9 and 32 are okay, you may have to use an outdoor antenna for best results.

If you only get 20, you likely have an obstruction that prevents you from getting the town stations.

If nothing, your likely SOL.

Best of luck,

Charles

Some DT updates:

KITV has received FCC approval to install a new 95kw directional transmitter. Under KITV's previous plan they were going to install a 1000kw omnidirectional transmitter with a new antenna, but will instead just retofit they existing antenna. Scheduled completion is May '05.

KHET has received FCC permission to operate KHET-DT under a STA while it seeks a new transmitter site. Under the STA, KHET-DT will transmit from KFVE's Tower on Palehua Ridge with 6.5kw of power( for comparison KIKU-DT transmits from Palehua with 50kw). Scheduled to be on the air April '05.

Thanks for the info. I don't think I going to spend some cash on a tuner and antenna to test it out though. I guess I'll just have to wait for oceanic to carry NBC and CBS in HiDef.

Is Oceanic planning on releasing a firewire enabled DVR in the near future?

No firewire-enabled DVR in the near future. DVI won't be enabled until sometime in 2005. (mid-year?)

Eric

Aloha everyone,

I am going to be visiting my parents in Kona during Christmas (a nice break from the weather in Boston), and they indicated that they were interested in getting a 16:9 LCD or plasma TV down at their local Costco. I thought I may see if they were interested in HD service from Time Warner while I am there.

A few questions for everyone:

1. In looking at Time Warner's site for Hawaii (Oceanic), there is no mention at all of PBS HD, CBS HD, NBC HD, or FOX HD. Does Oceanic not carry these at all? Here in Boston, we've had those channels available for a couple years now (minus FOX HD). There is a lot of content on those channels they'd be missing. Any idea when one might be able to get those 4 channels through Oceanic in Kona? Also, any idea when Starz HD might be available? Tons of great movies on there.

2. The only broadcast channel in HD seems to be ABC HD. Someone mentioned that ABC-HD there does not carry DD5.1. Is that true? If so, when will they carry it?

3. Is DVR service available statewide? What DVR model is used? I currently have the Motorola 6412 (dual-tuner) with iGuide here. I'd like to investigate what model they may get and what type of connections it would have on it.

Thanks! Can't wait to get there and bask in the sun!

tennberg,

I just got off the phone with one of my clients in Kona who has been trying to get HD installed from Oceanic (almost four weeks now!). There is a big backlog...call early and often.

No, we don't have PBS, CBS, NBC or Fox in HD yet. PBS Hawaii has yet to start digital broadcasting, they are currently developing their new headquarters facility as their lease expires in 2005. CBS and Fox affiliates are now broadcasting digitally, but not totally HD yet. They still are not complete with their facilities for time-shifting programming for our timezone. The parent company (which owns both affiliates) in still in negotiation on the mainland with Time Warner corporate to carry their signals. Can't do anything until they agree on payment terms! The NBC affiliate is still dragging their feet on their digital broadcasting. Their Hilo station has been on the air for about 1 1/2 years now, but they aren't even doing HD yet. They all need new transmitters, too.

I guess our ABC affiliate (one of the first in the country to go HD) will get to DD 5.1 when their new transmitter is ready.

As for HD DVR, it's the SA 8000HD...it is available statewide.


Eric

Yes, we're sadly behind the times in this state in terms of network HD broadcasting and cable carriage. (sigh)

Spleen

Originally posted by spleen93
Yes, we're sadly behind the times in this state in terms of network HD broadcasting and cable carriage. (sigh)

Spleen

I'm thinking part of it has to do with competition. Three cable companies serve Massachusetts (Comcast, Charter, and RCN) along with Dish Network and Voom.

I'm not sure if making the dive into HD is worth it yet for my parents, given the current state of HD in Hawaii.

My parents just got an HD tv with the HD tier and they love the documentaries that are constantly being shown on Discovery, INHD, and HDNET. Might be worth it if your parents like that same type of programming.

Directv and Dish Networks HD programming is available in Hawaii, but since were so far off the Mainland much larger dishes are needed to receive programming. For Directv they are installing 3 36" dishes for their HD service, Dish Network requires a 24" dish for 119 and a 30" dish for 110. I checked, Kona is eligible for CBS-HD and FOX-HD from Directv. Dish Networks CBS-HD feed is on a satellite that doesn't reach Hawaii. Beyond the local stations, all 3 services are about equal in HD programming.

DirecTV is adding a bunch of new services for Hawaii in 2005 to make our programming on a par with the mainland. They will also add local Hawaii stations next year.

Eric

Are some of you having trouble getting HD Net, ND Net Movies and HBO-HD? I thought these outages were probably caused by the loss of the Intelsat 7 satellite early Sunday, but here it is almost 48 hours later and these channels are still dark. What's up?

delar,

Oceanic mentions the "interruption" of service to those channels on their site (status.oceanic.com) saying it's affecting all islands. I also noticed Fox Sports on 950 earlier today but it's not on right now.

mike

The loss of those channels is indeed due to the death of Intelsat 7...movement of services to other satellites has caused problems with Oceanic...they don't have enough dishes to point at all the new locations for all of the channels right now. They used to use one dish to point at multiple closely spaced birds simultaneously. Now that the services have spread around, that arrangement isn't possible any longer.

Eric

Geez, if I didn't live in an apartment I ditch Oceanic right now! I bet Directv's box allows Pass-Through! :rolleyes:

Was wondering if someone can answer a question I have about this "pass thru". I know the Oceanic box converts everything to 1080i. It seems that people want the pass thru so on channels that broadcast in 720P , they don't have to go and manually switch the box to 720P, right?

If you just leave the box at 1080i and let the box convert the 720p to 1080i, is there that big a loss in quality? I tried doing this on KITV once, switching the box from 720p to 1080i and back and I couldn't tell any difference. Maybe it's because i'm viewing it on a relatively small screen (34-inch) and not a big projection tv? What is the difference in the picture quality?

It's probably more theoretical than anything - I haven't noticed much of a difference. But I would definitely prefer less processing on their end ... so a pass-through would be greatlly welcomed.

Spleen

Hiloboy,

Since you mention your using a 34" direct view (Sony?), while those sets will accept a 720p signal, they upconvert the 720p signal to 1080i, thus all your really doing is switching the upconverting from the cable box to the TV.

True 720p will look best on true 720p sets(DLP/Plasma/LCD).
Same is true for 1080i, but in the end the sets will up- down-convert the other formats to match the sets capability.

Charles

For me, I'd like pass-through enabled for the convenience factor. I watch SD programs in 480i, picture quality at 1080i or 720p is terrible. When I change the channel to something in HD, I'd like the box to automatically change the picture format to 1080i or 720p like it does on what seems like every other cable system but Oceanic! Instead, I have to go through the set up menu and do it manually every stinking time. :mad:
Oceanic already has a working firmware for the 3250HD w/ pass-through enabled on those firewire capable boxes. But I'm **** outta luck and can't get one because I don't have a firewire device to connect it to. All I want is the firmware w/ pass-through enabled! Bunch of knuckleheads over there I tell ya...:mad:

Whew, my apologies for ranting here. Not gonna do me any good anyway.

Charles,

Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't realize my tv converted everything to 1080i. I just assumed the tv was displaying true 720p since it displays that on certain channels, like NFL on Fox. Anyway, no complaints here. Even upconverted the picture looks great.

Bill

Originally posted by redsandvb
For me, I'd like pass-through enabled for the convenience factor. I watch SD programs in 480i, picture quality at 1080i or 720p is terrible. When I change the channel to something in HD, I'd like the box to automatically change the picture format to 1080i or 720p like it does on what seems like every other cable system but Oceanic! Instead, I have to go through the set up menu and do it manually every stinking time. :mad:
Oceanic already has a working firmware for the 3250HD w/ pass-through enabled on those firewire capable boxes. But I'm **** outta luck and can't get one because I don't have a firewire device to connect it to. All I want is the firmware w/ pass-through enabled! Bunch of knuckleheads over there I tell ya...:mad:

Whew, my apologies for ranting here. Not gonna do me any good anyway.

I agree!
I have this problem where a group of channels go out when it rains. I checked in the service menu and see that I have a negative signal that is way to low(-28-35db). When I explain it to them they are totally lost. Same with the pass through. I call about once a month on this and they have no idea what I'm talking about. I emailed them and they said that the 8300HD DVR should be here soon. When I called and was put on hold again I was told that it's the non HD 8300??? How hard can it be to have a few people there learn about cable boxes? Jeez. And the last time I was told to hold for a HD tech. after 30 mins I get someone in the roadrunner area. That was another joke. Oh well what can you do?

Originally posted by egcarter
tennberg,

I just got off the phone with one of my clients in Kona who has been trying to get HD installed from Oceanic (almost four weeks now!). There is a big backlog...call early and often.

No, we don't have PBS, CBS, NBC or Fox in HD yet. PBS Hawaii has yet to start digital broadcasting, they are currently developing their new headquarters facility as their lease expires in 2005. CBS and Fox affiliates are now broadcasting digitally, but not totally HD yet. They still are not complete with their facilities for time-shifting programming for our timezone. The parent company (which owns both affiliates) in still in negotiation on the mainland with Time Warner corporate to carry their signals. Can't do anything until they agree on payment terms! The NBC affiliate is still dragging their feet on their digital broadcasting. Their Hilo station has been on the air for about 1 1/2 years now, but they aren't even doing HD yet. They all need new transmitters, too.

I guess our ABC affiliate (one of the first in the country to go HD) will get to DD 5.1 when their new transmitter is ready.

As for HD DVR, it's the SA 8000HD...it is available statewide.


Eric

Eric:

Thanks! Does the SA 8000HD have either DVI or HDMI video out enabled? If not, does it at least have component video out?

Also, what is the non-DVR HD settop box that Oceanic cable uses statewide? Does that have either DVI or HDMI?

Thanks!

tennberg,

The SA8000HD does not have DVI enabled...that will happen sometime in 2005...remember Oceanic is a Time Warner cable company; owners of Warner Brothers, program producers. So paranoia over piracy reigns. That is why there is a delay in activating those outputs.


The non-DVR HD box doesn't have digital outputs enabled, either; unless you make arrangements to get a specially tweaked 3250HD, which has firewire active. I have one of those for my D-VHS recorder to record in HD. You must have a firewire-equipped display or VCR for them to give you one of those boxes. They won't give it to you for a PC.



Eric

Couple more questions:

1. Is the SA 8000HD a dual-tuner DVR? Having had Motorola's 6412 for a few weeks now, I'm glad I have it, as a singler tuner keeps you locked to one channel.

2. What interactive guide is used in Hawaii for the SA 8000HD? Here for Comcast in Boston, it's iGuide.

My mom is calling Oceanic tomorrow to inquire about HD service in her area and the available options. I should hear something from her tomorrow on availability and timeframe.

One last thing: What is the timeframe for FOX HD, CBS HD, NBC HD, and PBS HD for Oceanic? Regarding PBS HD, here in Boston, we get the national PBS feed. It's not affiliate-specific, so I'm not sure why Oceanic doesn't carry it.

The 8000HD is a dual tuner DVR. Not sure what guide is being used though ... AFAIK, there were no logos/IDs on the guide itself.

And who knows about the networks? I think the biggest problem with broadcasting network signals in Hawaii is the time difference. If we were using an east coast feed for instance, everything would be 5-6 hours off. Even with a west coast feed, it would be 2-3 hours off. News, sports and everything else that is timely would be difficult to watch.

There needs to be a way to save the programming and delay the broadcasting to match Hawaii's time zone - and that is exactly the problem that stations such as KGMB (CBS) are currently working on ....

Spleen

tennberg,

I don't know if Oceanic has the authority to show the PBS-HD national feed. They were showing the CBS-HD west coast feed a few months ago but had to take it off due to "issues" (with KGMB, no doubt). And primetime starting at 5PM wasn't very helpful!

Eric

So, my mom called Oceanic and she scheduled an appointment for the 23rd (day after I arrive in Kona). The tech is going to check the internal wiring and install the HD box. My mom said they didn't have any DVR boxes right now, but I told her to check if they can bring one for the 23rd. I told her she'd love it! Does Oceanic only offer one size hard drive in their DVR box? If so, what is the size of the HD?

After that date, they are going to replace the external wiring to the house from the tap. My mom recalls a year ago, a flatbed was coming down our street and knocked out the cable wiring to the house. Oceanic came out and put up temporary wiring but never came back to do the permanent wiring.

Also, as of today, December 6, what HD channels are avialable statewide through Oceanic?

Thanks!

Tennberg,

I believe that the HD DVR has a 160GB drive. Only one size.

Today Oceanic has:

D-KITV (ABC)
HBO HD
SHO HD
HDNET
HDNET Movies
INHD
INHD2
Discovery HD
ESPN HD
HDSports (usually from Fox Sports Net in LA)
TNT HD

I think that's it? (Off the top of my head)

Eric

Eric - I think you're right.

Spleen

Originally posted by egcarter
Tennberg,

I believe that the HD DVR has a 160GB drive. Only one size.

Today Oceanic has:

D-KITV (ABC)
HBO HD
SHO HD
HDNET
HDNET Movies
INHD
INHD2
Discovery HD
ESPN HD
HDSports (usually from Fox Sports Net in LA)
TNT HD

I think that's it? (Off the top of my head)

Eric

Not a bad selection at all for a smaller market. It's a shame though that there isn't the following:

NBC HD
CBS HD
Starz HD

Think Oceanic may get these in the first half of 2005?

So, here's my mom's current status:

Oceanic is coming out in a couple days to rewire the cable from the tap to the house and check the wiring inside the house along with signal strength. My mom put in a request for a DVR, so she should either get that by the time the installer comes or be able to pick it up. She's already picked up the HDTV (though we may exchange it as Wal-Mart may carry a better model - no Circuit City or Best Buy near her :-( ). All in all, everything should be set by the time I arrive home.

Bit off-topic: Does anyone know if Circuit City or other electronics retailers on O'ahu will ship to the Big Island at all?

Thanks!

Hi All,

Do any of you know how to check the disk usage/available space on the HD DVR?

tennberg,

Can't get NBC HD and CBS HD until the local stations get their acts together and also the negotiations with Time Warner corporate for the $$ to pay for carrying the signals get finalized.

KGMB (CBS) and KHON (Fox) are broadcasting their digital signals (part-time, anyway) but aren't equipped to time-shift the HD programming for Hawaiian time. So, of course, Oceanic doesn't want to carry the HD signal if there is very little HD programming available (only football games, essentially).

Eric

Well, we have no Best Buy in the islands (yet) so I'm not surprised there isn't one on the Big Island. :) One is currently being planned in the industrial area on Oahu but who knows when it'll actually be completed.

Anything that's available on Circuit City.com that can be shipped to Hawaii should be able to be shipped to the Big Island. I do not know if the store itself on Oahu would ship to another island though. Figure it'd be pricey.

Spleen

Originally posted by egcarter
Tennberg,

I believe that the HD DVR has a 160GB drive. Only one size.

Today Oceanic has:

D-KITV (ABC)
HBO HD
SHO HD
HDNET
HDNET Movies
INHD
INHD2
Discovery HD
ESPN HD
HDSports (usually from Fox Sports Net in LA)
TNT HD

I think that's it? (Off the top of my head)

Eric


Does this mean KITV is in HD part-time or just digital only?

What local channels carry HD and what time of day?

KITV broadcasts digitally around the clock. Everything ABC shows in HD, KITV does also. CBS and FOX only show live events over the air in HD (you need an antenna and HD tuner), like football games on Saturday and Sunday. Someone was saying on this forum it's because they don't have a HD recorder to time shift.

how often is KITV HD? prime-time or just depends on the show?

It depends on the show. Most of their drama and comedy primetime shows are in HD, if not all of them. I don't watch any of them though. I know Primetime Live and 20/20 are not in HD.

Does anyone know if the interactive guide for the SA 8000HD through Oceanic offers series recording? When I get to Kona at Christmas, I'd love to show my parents how to use this feature.

But MNF on KITV is definitely in HD! (though some days they screw up and send us the regular feed instead).

tennberg - yes you can set up the 8000HD to set up to record series. You can tell it how many episodes of a series to retain on the HD.

Spleen

I guess this ones for Eric. Do you know if or when Oceanic might stretch out the guide on HD boxes? It would seem most HD displays are 16:9 formats. It would be nice to get rid of the black/grey bars. Thanks.

Anyone having problem with the sound on the HD DVR boxes? Whenever I turn to a channel, about 70% of the time there is no sound. I have to go channel up and down sometimes more than once to get the sound back. This use to happen only occasionally but now it's most of the time and it's very irritating.

I was going to return the box since it seems a little defective but I have two DVR's and it's happening on both so I don't know if it's the boxes or just a problem with the software that Oceanic is downloading to the boxes.

The only time I have problem with sound on the HD DVR is with screen images that are predominantly black. The sound cuts in and out during these scenes. Otherwise, the sound seems OK.

Spleen

My sound is fine. The local news on demand channel's sound drops in and out. Oceanic said that's normal on the HD DVR.

We've noticed the sound problem Hiloboy mentions too. When changing to an HD channel, sometimes the sound will cut out just before the picture appears. The problem seems erratic; there are some days when it's worse than others and only switching to another channel and back--often more than once--gets the audio signal to remain on. Also, this occurs with both the optical and coax audio output.

Originally posted by spleen93
The only time I have problem with sound on the HD DVR is with screen images that are predominantly black. The sound cuts in and out during these scenes. Otherwise, the sound seems OK.

Spleen I get this too, usually at the end of a recorded movie before the credits roll. You're right, it seems to be related to how much black is on the screen, and it only occurs during playback of recorded material. The video seems to stutter on mine, too, while this is happening.

I haven't noticed any other audio problems. Specifically, I haven't had the problem that Hiloboy describes.

I'm using optical audio output.

I had same issue with no sound on many channels. I unplugged power cord for a minute or so and it seemed to clear up whatever the issue was.
also had issue with recorded programs not showing up on listing- unplugged unit and they appeared as normal. Strange.

I suspect DVRs are more similar to PCs than anything else at times. Sometimes, it's just better to hit ctrl-alt-delete on occasion just to reset the stupid thing. :D

Spleen

I experienced the same thing with my HDVR and the only thing that clears it up is unplugging and rebooting the cable box. But I only had audio porblems on HD channels, never std TV.

I also noticed, whenever the box had audio issues with HD channels, the malfunction would carry over onto recorded material. In other words, a recorded program would go on without audio somtimes. Also, when I FF or REW through commericals, when I pushed play there would be no audio occasionally. I would then have to FF or REW for a short time and push play and the audio would come back.

Just came back from vacation and read the earlier posts-- I tried unplugging and rebooting the box and it worked perfectly! So far I'm getting sound with no problems. My box was getting pretty bad, sound was not coming on for regular SD and recorded dvr stuff too.

Hi all,

My parents just got their HD cable box and they are slowly starting to enjoy it. We may end up exchaning the TV, as we've noticed the Panasonic for sale has a much better picture.

I have some questions for everyone:

1. How do you get into the SA8000HD's diagnostic menu? Also, is there a menu where you can set the output of the component outputs to always output 1080i, and where you can set the cable box to remember you have a 16:9 TV? On the Motorola cable box I have in Boston, you power off the cable box and press OK to get into a diagnostics menu or Select to get into cable box options for output.

2. If I press either Guide or Menu on their remote, it takes me to the interactive guide. Is this correct? How do I do a title search for a show, or access On Demand content? On the Mot box, if I press Menu, it gives me options of doing a title search, checking my DVR content, accessing On Demand, etc.

3. Do I reset the SA8000HD simply by unplugging it and powering it back on? Yesterday, it wasn't responding well and some of the guide froze on the screen. I unplugged it for a minute and powered it back on. It seems fine now.

Thanks!

In the initial setup for the 8000HD (after power up, you hold down a key - forget which one to access the menu) and it'll go through all your output resolutions and you set which ones your TV can output. The papers that come with the box should explain how to do this. I can try to take a look for mine if your parents can't find theirs.

There is an option in the "Settings" menu (press once and scroll through the menu to "Picture Format") to set output resolution. The cable box will default to ONE resolution (1080i for example) ... you can't do pass-through with it changing resolution on the fly ... funny, because that's exactly the feature that a lot of us want!! That should also allow you to default to 16:9 size ... it must since I never touch the control right now.

To do title searches, hit "Guide" then press "A" to access Browse By. Scroll up to "Title" and voila! (it's not very smart, just to warn you).

I don't do Movies On Demand so I'm probably not the best to answer this. But if you tune into any of the MOD channels (ch. 980 - 989), it'll load the MOD service and allow you to select any of the movies that are available. Just follow the on-screen prompts. There's probably an easier way but don't know what it is.

And yes, resetting the stupid box involves unplugging, waiting for a while, and then replugging.

Spleen

To get into the diagnostics menu hold down the "+" key on the box for about 3 seconds, and the mail light will start to flash. Then press "info" on the box and the diagnostic screens will come up. Press the page up and page down buttons on the remote to go to the next screen. Press exit to exit.

Can anyone here who has the firewire enabled box tell me which type of firewire you're using? Is it the one where both ends are exactly the same? Or is one end different from the other? I'm planning on getting a JVC DVHS via mailorder and want to get the cable at the same time. I know the JVC has the 4 pin i.link (IEEE 1394). I would also be interested in hearing peoples experience with this, since there's not much info about this out there.

Bill

The 3250HD has a 6 pin style connection. There are 2 on the back of the box.

thanks Delar for the info. I should be getting my box in a couple weeks; hope it works out ok.

Bill

Hi all,

I've been following this thread for some time and recently went HD with an HLP5063W and 8000HD STB.

Did anyone experience audio/video sync problems with the last two bowl games on ABC? I tried both the coax and composite audio outputs and the audio was always almost a second ahead of the video. This was from a recording. I did not watch it live.

TIA,

-Ken

Welcome EMOE3! I didn't watch the last 2 bowl games (I caught snippets at work) but the audio/video sync problem is a common one with HDTV. It occurs infrequently and seems to be a problem with HDTV production/transmission. As studios get better with HDTV, they should occur less and less. But no, it's not a problem with your box or your TV. :)

Spleen

I watched the Orange Bowl half time show last night, and the audio/video was severely out of sync. However, I recorded the SD channel on my DVD recorder, and it was fine.

The video quality I get when watching KITV-HD is always pretty bad. There's always a lot of mosaic or digital artifact type stuff messing up the picture. Even during live events it's like this, like the recent college bowl games. I thought it was due the how the tape the shows for later broadcast but I guess it's something else.

The Orange Bowl game was HIDEOUSLY out of sync, right from the beginning! I've never seen it so bad. I immediately called the station to complain, to no avail.

Eric

Wednesday night's HD broadcasts of LOST and ALIAS were also plagued with audio sync problems. Looks like they were at least aware of the issue, though, as part of the way through ALIAS, the broadcast switched back and forth between HD and SD several times. Finally, more than half way through ALIAS, the audio sync'd up properly with the HD picture -- but you could tell it must have taken some improvisation as the audio quality was noticeably poorer, and the level was much lower (I had to crank the volume to hear it). I'm wondering if they just patched into the audio from the SD broadcast? :confused:

Is KHON-DT up? I hadn't checked it in awhile and recently needed to rescan for the OTA channels. I'm not picking it up anywhere. Doesn't help that reception may have been marginal to begin with and my TV's channel mapping is flaky.

EDIT: Posted a minute too soon. I see it now, just had to reposition the antenna a few inches vertically.

Thanks for all the replies about the sync problems. Glad to know it's not unique to my system.

I also noticed the problems with the Alias broadcast. Hopefully they get these things sorted out soon.

Mahalo

Did anyone have no audio on Lost on Wednesday? I'm trying to figure out if the problem was with the broadcast or the DVR.

Call Ocenic Time Warner and petition to have the Superbowl broadcasted on channel 950 (HDSPT) .

I spoke to an Oceanic Time Warner Cust. service rep and she told me that a ton of people (HD customers) have called in and expressed their outrage about the superbowl not being brodcasted in High Def. The more we call, the more that corporate (Time Warner) will take notice and **possibly** make an exception and try to get a signal feed for channel 950.

Call now!


Mahalo,

BIGLC

Anyone know if the HDoD/ HD on demand is going to be like a HBOod or a pay per event thing. I cant wait for the 8300HD DVR to come out.

Surfgeek,

The problem was with KITV and possibly ABC West. They changed to the SD feed...at one point there was even an ABC HD test loop in there during the program!

Eric

Hiloboy,

If you are getting macro-blocking problems frequently on your KITV HD channel, I would suggest that you try to upgrade your wiring in your home. I am in the custom design and installation biz and I have a client in Kona where we just installed a new projection system, ordered HD cable from Oceanic. He also has a couple of new HD LCD sets. The Oceanic guys came out and were there for almost three hours, giving up because there was some wiring with a bad splitter somewhere in the walls (they couldn't figure out where or get to it). The pics were DREADFUL. The projector couldn't even get an HD signal...all those channels were a blank GREY color. The other room's Sharp LCD was constantly breaking up with macro-blocking, mosaics, etc.

So we had our super electrician run new RG-6 from the service entrance in the garage...installed a new Elan Distribution Amp (very high quality and pricey)...pull new hidden wire to the rooms, relocate the new Road Runner modem and router. So the wiring is split only once (1 to 8), at the entry into the house. And it has a very high quality balanced amp...has a back-channel for two-way cable modem use; there's even an F-connector for injecting a modulated signal into the cable lineup (like local camera).

Result? Superb pics on all the channels! The original installation was split, then split again and again! Horrible.

Eric

I just bought my new HDTV a couple weeks ago and can get the HD broadcasts from KHON, however I need to use an antenna. I'm watching the Atlanta/Philadelphia game now in HDTV and it looks great. I'm not that familiar yet with this kind of thing. My friend also has an HDTV but he tried the antenna thing and he cannot get the games. He said he has an older model tv and he needs some kind of converter box to get the hdtv signals. Since there apparently is a local signal, I would think it should be easy for Oceanic to at least carry the this game.

RobertCEO,

The problem isn't that Oceanic can't technically "get" the games, it's that they have to PAY for each channel they carry and Time Warner corporate is STILL negotiating with Emmis Broadcasting back on the mainland to make a deal to carry all their stations in all the markets where they operate.
There also are issues with the local stations' inability to timeshift the network HD programming for Hawaii. I believe that KGMB and KHON (both owned by Emmis) are only showing HD programming for live sporting events (stuff they don't have to timeshift), so Oceanic doesn't want to confuse the issue by adding two new "HD" channels where the vast bulk of programming ISN'T HD, particularly when it says "HD where available" at the start of the program.

Eric

Aloha!

I'm a bit jealous of all of you with 80 degree temperatures and clear skies. Here in Boston, we are digging out of 3 feet of snow and the temperature is 10 below zero today! It makes me wonder why I choose to live here even though I grew up in Hawaii.

Nevertheless, I had an HD question. When I was home at Christmas, I set my parents up with the HD DVR from Oceanic along with an HDTV. My parents are enjoying it and are even starting to record shows.

I noticed a problem, though, with Discovery HD Theater. When tuned to that channel, it was as if the brightness of the channel kept changing. It would become a bit brigher then a bit darker then a bit darker then a bit brighther. I thought it was the set, though no other HD channel does this. I then thought it was possibly the Discovery feed, though I've never seen that happen on Discovery here in Boston through Comcast.

I'd like to know if others have noticed this and if there is a solution available. I'm thinking it's the way Oceanic is pushing the feed from Discovery out to their subscribers.

Thanks.

Tennberg, I've been seeing that effect on Discovery HD for months now. I also read in the programming forum that it's being seen in other markets.

On another note, thankfully I was receiving KHON-HD OTA just fine these past 2 weekends but was having all kinds of trouble with KGMB-DT. Is it true that they are both transmitting from the same tower? What power are they transmitting at and are they omni-directional?

delar:

Thanks! I was beginning to think it was only affecting my parents. It's a bit comforting to know it's a widespread problem (though, really, that's not comforting either). It's a shame that Discovery HD through Oceanic is doing that, as I've found the programming on that channel to be some of the visually best HD content available through cable.

Has there been any response from Oceanic on it? I'm not sure if I should have my mom call to mention it.

Eric,

Thanks for the info-- my problem isn't nearly as bad as the example you gave though. I guess I may have been exaggerating a bit. I don't think it has anything to do with the cables though since I get the same effect OTA. The picture quality just isn't as good as any other HD channel.



Delar,

I've been watching the NFL games on KGMB-DT the past couple weeks without any problems. I have a perfect position for the antenna where I didn't have to move it at all when switching between KGMB and KHON.


Bill

My understanding on DiscoveryHD and the changing brightness and macroblocking is that TWC(including Oceanic) stat-mux the channels with HDNets or InHD, depending on system. Both HDNet and InHD have clauses in their contracts which stipulate minimum resolution and bitrate, and that makes DiscoveryHD the vicitm of bit starving by the stat-muxers, and also why TWC technicially doesn't charge for DiscoveryHD and TNT-HD(same situation in other TWC markets).

As for the KGMB/KHON transmitter details:

KGMB-DT 8-7.2kw Omnidirectional
KHON-DT 22- 4.6kw Omnidirectional

DT Notes: KHON now notes KHAW-DT(Hilo) as being on-line, DT 21 4.8kw onmidirectional.

Thanks for the explanation Charles. With KGMB having almost double the transmitting power of KHON, it doesn't appear that that is the problem. I guess I'm just in an area where multipath isn't allowing for a good signal at my location. With football season over for CBS, it isn't too much of a factor now.

Originally posted by yamafreek
Anyone know if the HDoD/ HD on demand is going to be like a HBOod or a pay per event thing. I cant wait for the 8300HD DVR to come out.

I just saw the HDoD up this morning 1/25. It's a pay per event channel @ $6.95. The list was limited but Shrek 2 and Terminal were on the HDPPV. There was a section for IMAX movies as well as current PPV movies.

Anybody know what that channel 917 - ProBO that appeared a few days ago is for? Pro Bowl? Why does it need a separate channel? It's an ESPN game.

Eric

Eric,


On that Oceanic Info channel there some information about that Pro Bowl Channel. Basically it's an info channel about tickets, seating, etc..

Regarding that new HD PPV channel, I read on another part of this forum that the movies on it can't be recorded with the DVR so I probably wouldn't order anything from it.

Bill

Originally posted by Hiloboy
Eric,


On that Oceanic Info channel there some information about that Pro Bowl Channel. Basically it's an info channel about tickets, seating, etc..

Regarding that new HD PPV channel, I read on another part of this forum that the movies on it can't be recorded with the DVR so I probably wouldn't order anything from it.

Bill

I don't know about not being able to record. I've recorded material with the DVR that was PPV before with no problems. The only catch is, you can only record PPV material that has STARTED. You cannot preset the recording prior to the start of the event. This is regardless of trying to preset the recoding before or after you've actually purchased the event.

I don't know what would make HDPPV any different than Standard Definition PPV. Maybe I'll try it out.

Oceanic could easily program the boxes to lock out that HD PPV channel from recording ...

Spleen

Helo, Im from the Omaha Thread. We have the same issue.

Emmis owns a station in your area and they will not let cable use the HD feed as they want money for a free over the air channel.

Please Email you station and the VPs. Let them know this is not right.
===================pasted=========================

Looks like over in the Omaha-Lincoln Ne Thread the Cox Cable Emmis issue is still alive.

Emmis pulled there CBS HD from Cox cable one year again demanding money for the free over the air channel.


Here is the thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/show...&pagenumber=130


Here is some info on who to Email- pated from the thread

Here are the EMAIL Addresses for the Top VPs at Emmis Corp (the ones who own KM3 and the ones who made them pull the HD).

Cut and Past Comma delimited:

rmena@emmis.com,desayian@emmis.com,kate@emmis.com,staffingde partment@emmis.com,ir@emmis.com,wzberger@emmis.com,rcummings @emmis.com

(below is a line by line list)

Please Email them weekly and ask for the free HD channel to be put back on.



KM3 and Emmis one year ago said they pulled there HD Feed because cox was charging for it and making money on it.

Things have changed in the last year.

Now all cable systems in a Emmis area offer the Local HD channels FREE unscrambled via free QAM channels.

This means the Emmis reasoning is no longer valid. They have no reason to demand money for a FREE OVER THE AIR HD Signal.

After all the Government, our tax money gave them the channel. We should be able to watch it free over the air and free on cable.

It is time for Emmis to add KM3 HD back to Cox.



rmena@emmis.com
desayian@emmis.com
kate@emmis.com
staffingdepartment@emmis.com
ir@emmis.com
wzberger@emmis.com
rcummings@emmis.com

Is anyone else experiencing a lot of break-ups in their HD reception (Oceanic)? For almost 2 weeks now, everything that I watch in HD has momentary freezes (maybe half a second) and then pixellation while the image comes back to life. Seems to happen about every 30 seconds or so. I thought it must just be Oceanic having problems, but no one else seems to be reporting this, so maybe it's on my end... anyone?

I haven't seen a lot of that ... but then again, I haven't been watching too much in HD in the last 2 wks.

Spleen

Hmmm, maybe I have a problem on my end. It's sort of like that stuttering problem that we all seem to get during credits, when there's nothing on screen, except that this occurs all the time. I don't see it on SD at all. I'm going to try to reboot my DVR again and see if that clears it up.

Thanks!

I hope this is the last SuperBowl that is broadcast in SD (Oceanic). Not even in Digital. I cannot believe that Fox is broadcasting this game in HD and we cannot get it. It feels like when MLB went on strike. The two sides are bickering and who ends up losing? That's right, the fans! My understanding is that TMW and Fox cannot agree on a contract. Because of that we the fans have to watch a SuperBowl in SD quality. Doesn't that sound "Prehistoric" to you? Circuity City is selling all these HD sets this week for what? So people can go home and watch fat (stretch), blurry players run around. I'm really ticked.

I haven't seen any of those stuttering or break-up problems either, and I've been watching quite a bit the past week since I stayed home from work sick.

Was able to watch the OTA HD broadcast of the Superbowl yesterday and thought it looked pretty good. For some reason I still think the ESPN-HD Sunday night football games looked the best.

Originally posted by hawaiian2002
I hope this is the last SuperBowl that is broadcast in SD (Oceanic). Not even in Digital. I cannot believe that Fox is broadcasting this game in HD and we cannot get it. It feels like when MLB went on strike. The two sides are bickering and who ends up losing? That's right, the fans! My understanding is that TMW and Fox cannot agree on a contract. Because of that we the fans have to watch a SuperBowl in SD quality. Doesn't that sound "Prehistoric" to you? Circuity City is selling all these HD sets this week for what? So people can go home and watch fat (stretch), blurry players run around. I'm really ticked.

hawaiian2002:

To be quite honest, the Fox HD broadcast wasn't really that great. Fox runs 720p (along with ABC and ESPN, I believe), while everyone else runs at 1080i. Even though ABC runs at that resolution, their HD is usually very good (sometimes, it's even jaw-dropping, e.g. Lost). However, Fox tends to be *very* soft and lacking in detail. Having watched Red Sox games on NESN-HD (here in Boston via Comcast) and then the World Series on Fox was a bit of a disappointment. The difference in quality was quite noticable.

I'm not sure why Fox's broadcasts tend to be like that (equipment, distribution, etc.), though I do hope they figure it out.

At least the Pats won again, though. They're supposed to throw a victory parade in town Tuesday morning. It's gonna be crazy, I'm sure.

tennberg,

I have heard that Fox HD runs at a low bitrate relative to the Other Guys. That would go a long way to explain the perceived quality differential.

Eric

Whatever problem I was having (stuttering), seems to have cleared up on its own. Not sure what was causing it, though, and it seems strange that it wouldn't have affected more people. Oh well, everything looks great once again.

Lost all my recorded programs sometime over the weekend. I lost everything and my dvr settings are back to factory defaults (save for 14 days). Only the defaults on the dvr are changed. The rest of the settings like "favorites" and such are the same. Has anyone experienced this?

Not yet. Bummer. :( Sorry to hear about this.

I'm getting weird problems too lately. We have a HD cable box and a non-HD digital cable box on the same TV. I'm getting problems when tuning to certain channels (such as DIY network and some of the HBO secondary tier channels) that are blank (dark) with no sound when viewed on the non-HD box but perfectly viewable when watched on the HD cable box. Anybody noticed anything similar?

Spleen

Originally posted by hawaiian2002
Lost all my recorded programs sometime over the weekend. I lost everything and my dvr settings are back to factory defaults (save for 14 days). Only the defaults on the dvr are changed. The rest of the settings like "favorites" and such are the same. Has anyone experienced this? This happened to me a long time ago, shortly after I first got my DVR, but it hasn't happened again since. I never figured out what caused it. Must be those OTW digital menehune! ;)

Anyway, sorry to hear of your misfortunes. It's times like this that I really wish they'd enable that firewire port for everyone. I could use a good backup.