So I guess Lawler is gone too? That's a shame.

Well I agree he should have been gone after last season (but was foiled by the late charge we had) but Im more talking about the fact that it was one day after our season was over (and not even a full day) esp since had we won yesterday and ttu lost we would have been in the tourny.

And yeah most of the speculation is on horton and van horn. If I was a fan of either of those 2 schools Id be real worried right now because we all know byrne can get pretty much anybody.

RC only lasted a few days after the tu game before he was ousted. I'm not shocked that it happened today.

We won't know anything about the next coach until the games in Omaha are done. There's a good bet our next coach will be there and at least a Super Regional.

KWKT PSIP Problems

KWKT upgraded their PSIP generator a couple of weeks ago and their channels shifted, from 44.1 to 44.2 (HD) & 44.3 (SD). I talked to their engineer last week and he compared his PSIP with some other TV engineers in town and reprogrammed his PSIP and everything fell back to the way it was before with their HD on 44.1 and SD feed on 44.2

Saturday night everything was fine, then Sunday I went to watch their programming and couldn't again. This time on my HR10-250 I had to tune to 57.3 and 57.4, on my RCA DTC-210 I did a re-scan and there is no channel translation showing up, just their HD feed on 57.1 and 57.2

Per their engineer today he gave me the following information:

Our Primary channel is defined in PSIP as 44-1. (PMT=48, PCR=49, Video=49, Audio=52)

The secondary is defined as 44-2. (PMT=64, PCR=65, Video=65, Audio=68)

(Their ATSC transmtter is on Channel 57)

Any engineering folks have any ideas on what might be going on? I go to three tuners and get three different results.

Thanks

PSIP data is still in an almost experimental stage, it appears. Your situation is, unfortunately, not that uncommon. Our PBS station here in B/CS still has irregular info, even after numerous calls and e-mails. Different STBs seem to handle some PSIP data differently as you are discovering, not a lot we can do about it. :confused:

Hey LightGuy, it seems like these PSIP problems never end. Is KWKT at 350 kW now from the new tower?

Brian

According to the FCC (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=12522) they still have a STA for 1kw. :mad:

Hi Guys.

I have PM'd all of you regulars with directions, party info and attendee list as I currently know it. Check your PMs and let me know if this Saturday is still good or if June 4 works better for the majority. It's tough to try to pick a date when EVERYONE is available, but I want to have a good turnout. If there is anyone that didn't receive a PM and wants to know about the party, then post or PM me. Currently I am shooting for 5:30pm this Saturday May 28 at my house. Dave still claims that he has to dig a pond (unless he gets four or five volunteers to help!).

Thanks...Mikey h

I got it (took me a sec to find the PM area on this new forum system). Either day is fine for me.

Dave still claims that he has to dig a pond (unless he gets four or five volunteers to help!).

Come on, he has a backhoe.

I still have to use a shovel, just not the entire time. ;)

And this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the spurs are playing sat night on ESPN-HD... Im sure he will make time for that.

You bet I will. :p

Spurs are up 2-0. Go Spurs Go!

I have to admit, that behind-the-back drive Manu made last night was something else. Go Rocke...I mean Spurs!

Manu does some crazy things that just make you shake your head. How he pulled off that shot, I don't know.

I used to play against a guy that was herky-jerky like Manu and it was annoying as all get out to guard him.

Got a question for all you verizon dsl people... right now I am on the month to month plan (paying 37.95 monthly) and got a mailer about their new speeds (more on that in a sec) but I looked online and they have a year commitment at 29.99 monthly. has anybody tried to move to that plan after already being a customer? (It doesnt say anyehere that its only for new customers) and with fios on the way I dont mind the commitment as long as it doesnt interfere with getting fios.

also verizon now says they offer 3.0/768 which is alot faster than mine. Ive heard of people requesting a line test to qualify for faster speeds but is that the only way to get some extra speed? I really would like something faster than 768/128.

I got that flier too. There was a link on there where you could signup for the $29.99 plan. The $30 plan has actually been around for awhile, you just had to call them.

I know I'm at 1.5, but didn't know about the 3.0 speed. I'll have to look into that.

I did the year commitment thing months ago as an existing customer. I think I might have actually posted about here.

Ok thats good.... you tried to call and see if you qualify for the upgraded speed? Wondering what you need to say to get upgraded. Even the 1.5 would be better than my lowly 768/128.

Ive called in the past and they said thats the only level of service I qualified for in the past.

In case you guys didn't already know about this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat59100050011&type=category

30% Off OPEN BOX - Speakers, Receivers, Home Theater Systems, Shelf Systems, Set-Top Boxes, DVD Players, and DVD Recorders.

15% Off OPEN BOX - TVs

Good until 7/2/05

Thanks Ish, hadn't seen that yet. I wonder if I could return my Harmony 880, and then turn around and use the coupon to buy it open box. Hmmm?

jag, you could get an HD-TiVo too. We just buy one and return it, you buy if for $649, get the 30% off, and then the $200 voOm/D* rebate.

$649 - 195 - 200 = $254 :D

And you can probably take off another 10% off in the first place for it being open box.

Sounds like a good fleabay idea :)

And you can probably take off another %10 off in the first place for it being open box.

Yup, the 30% is off the already discounted open-box price (so it's really 40% off).

shame this doesnt work on remotes.... id have spank bring his harmony back and buy it cheap. ;)

Looks like 15 is a much-talked-about number lately (and I don't mean on just "Lost"!).
Latest D* Rumor (http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=70455)
:)

Good ole Best Buy....

Well party man, we still gonna have the shindig tomorrow? Weather doesnt look great but not horrible.

Good ole Best Buy....

Well party man, we still gonna have the shindig tomorrow? Weather doesnt look great but not horrible.

Well, the last message that I posted said that we were ON for 5:30 tomorrow :rolleyes: . Currently, it looks like it will be me, you (Jag), Elspankdog, and Labmansid. At this late date, I don't want to jerk yall around again with another postponement. If you three can still make it, then let me know and we will proceed as planned. If one or two of you are going to bail, then let me know and we will DEFINITELY do it next weekend on June 4. If we do it next weekend, then maybe we can pick up Dave99ag (pond boy), Billgatesceo (Brandon), Mwesson and maybe Txag93. I am totally flexible, but again, I don't want to keep jerking you guys around on this. Heck...as far as I'm concerned we can do it BOTH weekends to get everybody included. Just depends on how PW spank and sid are to doing it two weekends in a row.

Let me know what you think. If I don't hear anything otherwise...we are ON for tomorrow :cool: . Let's hope that the weather holds out (50% chance of thunderstorms from 5pm till 7pm.)

BTW, I picked up a Harmony 880 yesterday...and yes..it ROCKS!. Setup was 2 hours compared to about 3 days for my SONY 3000 commander. This includes icons for 16 favorite channels plus one call to their EXCELLENT customer support. (had to figure out how to add the "-" key for the TIVO remote emulation). It's VERY cool!

Jag, you have been pretty vocal on the party thing...what do you think we should do regarding tomorrow vs. next weekend?

Mike

Addendum party information...Here is what I have currently for the status of attendees of the party for this week and and/or next week. Still ON for tomorrow for the three of you (jag, spank, lab) unless I hear otherwise. :D

Jagour (5/28) OK, as of 5/25........(6/4) OK, as of 5/25
Elspankdog (5/28) OK, as of 5/16 and 5/20........(6/4) Can also do per PM 5/25
Labmansid (5/28) OK, as of 5/20........ (6/4) Unknown
Mwesson (5/28) In California........(6/4) Unknown
Dave99ag (5/28) Digging a pond........ (6/4) Yes
Txag93 (5/28) No........(6/4) Maybe
Billgatesceo (5/28) No........(6/4) Yes
Ishman (5/28) No........(6/4) Maybe, depending on 1 year anniversary

Hey mikey, I can it do both weekends (my wife is studying abroad). As for the 880, you should have posted about the - key. I could have saved you a call. I can also give you a few pointers tomorrow also to help with the speed of the remote (macros, ff, etc).

OK...thanks! I had several other questions besides the "-" key, and the girl (Akos was her name) was awesome!

Unless we have a major bailout (the other two guys), we are still on for tomorrow. Maybe next week too!

Mike

I'll be there tomorrow.

Hell for 2 free meals Ill do it :) (sorry for not posting earlier but I was at reed tonight)

Also good I will be able to play with it (880) before I buy it to replace my 680.

I also could possibly bring a friend (has dish HD and is into HD stuff but doesnt post here) but I dont know what hes doing tomorrow.

Cool! Then we're on :p . Even if it is the four of us (jag, sid, me and maybe Spank). And maybe next week too! And yes, you can play with my 880 jag....it is truely cool. 5:30pm. Sid, glad to get your input that you are coming. Spank, see you too.

Mike

you better watch out.... i am going to be very tempted to sneak off with it ;)

esp sinec it will take all of 2 mins to redo to my system :)

Uh-huh. Now I know who and what to watch for.

BTW, DO BRING YOUR SWIM SUIT. I have an awesome hot tub under palm trees and such. Conducive for heavy HD talk. Hope the weather holds out. SID, no speedos, please! :eek:

yeah that would def keep me away!!!

Uh-huh. Now I know who and what to watch for.

BTW, DO BRING YOUR SWIM SUIT. I have an awesome hot tub under palm trees and such. Conducive for heavy HD talk. Hope the weather holds out. SID, no speedos, please! :eek:
Don't worry, I usually don't wear anything in our hot-tub! :D

you better watch out.... i am going to be very tempted to sneak off with it ;)

esp sinec it will take all of 2 mins to redo to my system :)
Hmmm... That explains those missing DVDs. ;)

Somebody left some Oakley's over at my house yesterday. Call me or PM me if you want 'em back.

Hell no... KWKT is still running 1kW from their STL tower...

Heck the antenna isn't even at the top! It's side mounted about 30' below the top of their STL tower at the studio

I think someone said they grant waivers pretty easily so I guess I'm going to request one because I watch Fox programming and I'm tired of missing shows I like to watch...

Last time I heard anything about them moving to their main tower in the Moody area was that they wouldn't do it until they were forced to by the FCC...

Somebody left some Oakley's over at my house yesterday. Call me or PM me if you want 'em back.

Must have been me.... I dont need them this week if your going to have another party next weekend.

Hell no... KWKT is still running 1kW from their STL tower...

Heck the antenna isn't even at the top! It's side mounted about 30' below the top of their STL tower at the studio

I think someone said they grant waivers pretty easily so I guess I'm going to request one because I watch Fox programming and I'm tired of missing shows I like to watch...

Last time I heard anything about them moving to their main tower in the Moody area was that they wouldn't do it until they were forced to by the FCC...
That's about par. :mad: Maybe the FCC will force them to do that this Summer. I think the FCC is requiring all stations in the top 100 markets to be full DT power sometime in July, but I could be mistaken.

On a different note... mikey has a hell of a pool (cost a ton of $ im sure, but impressive).

Guess well have to decide after next weekend (if it still happens) who is going to host the next one and when.

We may be able have one at my little casa.

It's been two days straight of pond work, but the end is near. We're placing rocks today and doing some landscaping. My wife is sick (hence the early post), so I'll be doing double-duty today. I'll post some photos when I get a chance to hookup my camera.

Last thing they told me was 2006 was when they would go to full power from Moody. Basically when they were told to shut down their analog they would put up their D. But now with the feds getting flakey on the 2006 deadline who knows, I'll bet they put it off as far as they can.

On another note, my SD Tivo got upgraded to a new software version and the guide is real fast! About the same speed as an Ultimate box. But my HD Tivo is still slow, does anyone know if they have any plans to push the same S/W upgrade down to the 250 boxes?

Sounds like you got the 6.2 software upgrade on your SD-Tivo. It is much faster, plus you should now be able to sort shows in folders. :cool: There has not been any concrete announcement on the HD-Tivos getting 6.2 yet. They want to be sure all the SD-Tivos get it and are working properly first. Hopefully after that happens us HDers will be blessed as well.

http://squareworld.com/harmony/

Theres some icons for you 880 owners (bastards). Its not KBTX etc but I would prefer to have CBS-HD, NBC-HD etc

I just got off the phone with Verizon and they're upping my speed to 3.0 mbs. Hopefully everyone else can get the speed change.

In other news, we got our pond installed. Everyone that worked on it got sick during the 3 day weekend, so landscaping hasn't been put in yet. I didn't get sick until I was done with the pond. Photos are on my website (see profile).

I just got off the phone with Verizon and they're upping my speed to 3.0 mbs. Hopefully everyone else can get the speed change.

In other news, we got our pond installed. Everyone that worked on it got sick during the 3 day weekend, so landscaping hasn't been put in yet. I didn't get sick until I was done with the pond. Photos are on my website (see profile).
Uhh, I'm guessing the photos are of the pond and not the sick people?? :rolleyes: Sorry to hear of the illnesses, hope everyone is OK now. Must have been something in the water.

Cool... I scheduled a line test of my line to see if we cna get the updated speed.

And thats what you get for being double p-whipped (pond and p$ssy) and skipping out on us last weekend. ;)

Just checked out the pics, looking good! If you need anymore frogs for the pond, I can make you a good deal on some. ;) I noticed your Brugmansia is blooming, too. They seem to be gaining in popularity, rightfully so.

Looks like somebody got carried away with the backhoe and hit your Pergola. :eek: Now, we just need to go catch some catfish for that pond.

BTW, you threw a great party Mikey. I've been working on my backyard since seeing yours. Got a ways to go. Unfortunately, there will be no popup LCD for me. :(

Well, I took the 880 back to BB. Didn't try too hard for the price match after Mikey said he had no luck. Guess, I'll go with bluedo.

haha.... so your down to one harmony now? or 0 now?

Down to zero. :( Hopefully, it will only be for a week.

aww.... your already suffering withdrawl probably.

The Harmony has been pretty good, but I do have some problems with it getting out of sync, particularly on the power sequencing. I think that I configured all of the devices to use discrete On/Off commands, but I still have some problems. It seems that if a device misses a power-on command, for example, (blocked IR signal or something), then it will not re-send a power command even if you select the same activity and execute again. It thinks that everything is already on, so why send it again. I can fix by going to HELP or by turning everything OFF and starting over. I wish that if you just re-selected the activity it would just send ALL of the necessary commands again whether the equipment needs it or not. I can't IMAGINE how frustrating this would be for people that only use the power toggle function instead of discretes!

There may be some settings to do this, but I haven't dug deep enough yet, and I haven't called their excellent support yet to inquire.

Mikey

Yeah you cant "rehit" the activity (it knows all devices are already on, its the one downfall of SST). The help is the easiest way to solve this (and i know on atleast older remotes ie mine) you can find the one device through the help and recycle its power command.

Honestly I dont use the help though... if one device doesnt power on properly I use the device mode and turn on whatever was missed. But I rarely have to do that because my system has missed maybe 2 times since Ive had harmony (and ive had them alot longer than pretty much everybody here)

And actually with SST power toggle is actually just as good as discretes. The whole point of SST is to "imitate" discretes. You should look at your timings (and increase them some) if your equipment is missing commands. Thats usually the reason is the harmony not letting enough time pass after sending commands and your equipment becomes confused (it is making pretty complex commands).

BTW mikey.... that second party still in the works? Bare min I need to drop by and ge tmy glasses (and give you some help with the harmony if its still giving you problems) if your not going to have another party.

Do any of you guys have an upconvert dvd player? I used to own a Bravo D2 until it bit the dust (didn't even last 3 months).

Now that there are many more out there, I'm curious of any experiences (good and bad) that you might have had. I've already read through most of the other avs threads.. but it's a mixed bag to say the least.

I've had my Samsung HD931 player for a little over a year now. I've been pleased with it, but the masses seem to not like the Samsungs much. I guess ignorance is bliss. ;)

I don't plan on upgrading until HD-DVD/Blu-ray gets settled. I have contemplated getting a DVD changer that upconverts and plays SACD/DVD-A, but decided to just wait.

Are you using DVI/HDMI to connect to your TV? That is supposed to help just like any other digital device.

Yeah.. using DVI, but most of the newer players have HDMI out only (adapater on the way).

I've heard the same with the HD931, but the worst of the complaints actually come from GWIII owners.. it appears that the combo of that player and the sony have severe black crush.

I noticed that BB had several upconv players now (LG, Samsung and Toshiba). I was first looking at the LG players they had, but the reviews look horrid. I'm starting to really eye the Toshiba SD-5980.. sounds promising.

NBA Finals HD Party:
Anyone want to come over to my casa for one of the NBA Finals games? I'll cook up something on the grill and y'all can critique my little setup. :)

Detroit/Miami fans need not apply. ;)

Here's the schedule:
Thu, June 9 @ 8:00pm
Sun, June 12 @ 8:00pm <-- This would be a good day.
Tue, June 14 @ 8:00pm
Thu, June 16 @ 8:00pm

If necessary:
Sun, June 19 @ 8:00pm
Tue, June 21 @ 8:00pm
Thu, June 24 @ 8:00pm

Sounds like fun. Gonna be hard to top Mikey, though!! ;)

Well I guess you can go into the pond and let the little fishies nibble on you. :D

FYI - KWKT is supposed to be going up to higher power from the Moody area in the not too distant future.

When I hear about the power increase I'll pass it on to the group.

FYI - KWKT is supposed to be going up to higher power from the Moody area in the not too distant future.

When I hear about the power increase I'll pass it on to the group.
Thanks for the info. It will be interesting to see if we will be able to pick it up. Hopefully it will be working before football season. :cool:

Well I guess you can go into the pond and let the little fishies nibble on you. :D
Should I bring some frogs?? :p

FYI - KWKT is supposed to be going up to higher power from the Moody area in the not too distant future.

When I hear about the power increase I'll pass it on to the group.

I know that'll make my brother happy. He lives in the Eddy area and can see the Moody towers from his casa. He can get all the networks (minus Fox) with a little RS double bowtie and set of rabbit ears in the attic. I introduce him to HD, and boom, he gets all the networks off the bat. I have to beg, borrow, and steal. :(

This Sunday looks good for me Dave. I should be done with my project by then.

Sunday would probably be good for me as well... a 50/50 chance I will be down on the guadalupe saturday and i dont know when I would be coming back if that were to happen. Either way I would expect to be back by 8PM.

Sunday it is then. I guess sometime aroud 7pm is fine. I'll send out directions a bit later in the week.

Sid, no need for frogs. They've already found the pond and little tadpoles are already in there. They didn't waste any time getting it on in my pond.

LOL! Yeah, they don't waste an opportunity, do they. ;)

just wondering if people have tried their contacts lately? (been a few months I think since the last barrage of emails and calls).

Specifically:
1. ABC/FOX HD status (both on cable and OTA)
2. CBS's position on the multicast crap
3. Getting KAMU back up to higher bw (something that doesnt suck on any motion.. maybe all 10 of us that actually get kamu could email/call in and say we dont want the SD channel)
4. D*/E* waviers (which if any of our stations are granting them)
5. cox sale status/fios
5. others im sure im missing

As for fios I was talking with a guy today (cant get upgraded speeds because the switch im on hasnt been upgraded or some bs) but I was moved to the cheaper monthly plan. And he said us and waco and are on the top of the list for fios after dallas/suburbs are done because of baylor and tamu. Its still a CSR but its good to know a guy who is in virginia (he said he was from virginia) knows about us being on top of the list.

That's good news about Verizon. I always pay my phone bill in person (gotta have those credit card points), and I always chat with the cashiers. They have been telling me that we're not on the top of list, but your guy is probably more informed. It seems that their answer is always next year.

yeah he said around the end of the year or early next year.... i do think it will be later though namely because this is still new tech and im sure all the insallers/tech are busy in keller and dallas preping the tv stuff so they wont even start here until thats all up and running.

Are you guys still getting together over at Dave's tonight? I find it strange that no one has posted since June 7. Also, I didn't get any PM about directions to Dave's. Wazzup?

I never got a response. I'll PM you directions.

hey dave per my sub comment yesterday.... its actually slightly darker than your walls but pretty close to the same color.

http://svsubwoofers.com/subs_pb10_isd.htm

The "tan sand" version is what I have now and have been really impressed with it. If you do decide to go with that one put it here first. You can get 5% off and a free tshirt. :)

Also if you want to see it first hand and compare to paint swatches (and hear it of course) lmk. Its as deep and loud as sids (but I dont have mine overpowering as much, its slightly over reference but its just as loud as sids but I have a much smaller room)

Thanks for the link.

Maybe I can get my wife to paint the room the color of the sub. Make it the centerpiece of the room. LOL.

I think I'll move the sub out one day and see how long it takes for her to notice. :)

I was impressed with how well your media unit handled the vibrations from the sub being in it. I initially tried my sub in a closet (door cracked of course), but the rattles were too much. I was also impressed with how your wife was into your gaming systems. Definitely found a keeper there. :cool:

I've got a few towels under the sub and that helps muffle the vibrations. If that little door is closed, rattle city! I think I may add some pillow stuffing in there to reduce some of the vibrations.

Yeah, she probably games more than I do. It can be a pain though when it's a game you both want to play.

Yeah you need to move it out.... if only to get the wiring done in preparation for a PB10. ;)

also on a different matter... anybody know much about what KWKT does with their HD stuff? Specifically when they do WB shows that are done in HD do they actually show them in HD (have a way to archive them) or is it SD? Since it seems I will never see UPN/WB on cox as standalone stations it would be nice to atleast see some of WB content (the very select few shows they have that arent crap) in HD.

For our HDnet people just something I was wondering.... On your Trailers show vs InHD's (jsut to see how close they were)

Here is what was on the current InHD Trailer show. (I know yours was just updated and InHd's hasnt yet but still should be a good comparison)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Madagascar
Cinderella Man
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
Bewitched (teaser)
Rebound
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (teaser)
Bad News Bears
The Perfect Man
The Island
Wedding Crashers
Fantastic Four
The Longest Yard
Batman Begins
The Honeymooners

Well one other update... today cox dvr's received a software update. not a whole lot added though.

Anyone need a HD-Tivo? Darn good deal at Best Buy. I at least two of them there yesterday.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=244222

Anyone need a HD-Tivo? Darn good deal at Best Buy. I at least two of them there yesterday.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=244222
What time does BB close!?!? :p

9pm.

You still have time, Sid!

It'll be awesome if it works. Looks like it's a YMMV kind of deal.

$371 is still $271 too much.... :)

If I could score another $250 credit from D*, it would definitely be worth it for the bedroom. I think I could sell my Zenith 520 on ebay for more than $121. If anyone is seriously interested, I know a guy in the BB HT dept now that I think I could the booklet from.

$371 is still $271 too much.... :)

Not with a $250 credit its not. That's an HDTivo for $121...

I mean, it ain't free :D , but that's still pretty inexpensive.

Someone's just jealous. ;)

yeah im real jealous that i have a hd-dvr that actually gets software updates.... and can offload stuff easily to a pc ;)

As for the dvr upgrade.... it added a few new things (easier access to hd statistics, tuners, etc).

They managed to speed it up even more on the HD side of things... ff in HD etc always had a slight delay (still 10x faster than HDtivo) but now its just as fast as moving around in Sd content. And they played with the ff settings. I used to do 3x ff to go through commercials but now 3x ff is way too fast (its hard to see/keep up its moving so fast). Now 1x ff is fine (which is nice because you only need to hit ff once to get going) and 2xff is about where 3xff was before the update.

Still want to see folders though.... They were also supposed to add more features to the search but I havent noticed anything new.

Overall a decent update but nothing revolutionary.

Now all I need is that harmony to come out online and I will be set for a while.

Don't know if any of you have heard this yet, but looks like D* will offer FREE hardware, including the new MPEG-4 equipment (including the HD-DVR) coming out later, starting Aug. 1. It does require a 2-yr commit.
http://*******.com/8l4zh

On a separate note, looks like our local BB won't honor the 1/2 off coupon for a HD-Tivo, stating it is D* equipment, not Tivo!! :mad:

I was thinking of trying the Killeen store this weekend for the HD-TiVo, but a free MPEG4 dvr would be even better than $121. Question is, will jag commit for two years to one provider? ;)

Two years is mighty long for the HD bachelor. ;)

well if its 100% free I would.... if they still want a "rental" fee then no way in hell, 2 yrs is way too long. Thats for HD-DVR's too..... I would pay 10 max a month for a HD-DVR. (IE no more than cox). Not to mention I would wait until houtson locals are up.

Plus they are going to have to add more HD and fix hdlite too. But if thats true its one less thing keeping me away.

http://stonegiant.com/Politics/frozen_hell.jpg

Don't know if any of you have heard this yet, but looks like D* will offer FREE hardware

Hey man, nothing comes FREE (well, except for the HDTivo for some of us :D )

Still, I've got to assume that they will give SOMETHING to those who paid the big bucks for their HDTivo's. If not, it would suck to have been a recent purchaser. Can you imagine buying an HDTivo right now for $600 and then the next month them essentially offering the same thing for no cost? I'd be pretty pissed. :mad:

Well I always was planning on looking at providers again sometime early next year (when TW takes over for COX, and fios is in town). Ive heard for a long time D* was going to start leasing equipment so this isnt exactly new.

I will see who has the best deal and go from there. Thats the advantage of not being ripped off by D* for equipment. I dont have to have loyalty to anybody so whoever gives me the best deal wins.... and not being in D*'s position of "hoping" they get their sh1t together.

And actually esp, hell has already frozen over.... Remember I had D* when Hdnet had the 01 winder olympics.

And Im not 100% convinced (i know most people are) that letter means D* equipment will be free, all it says is their better receivers will require a 2 yr commitment now instead of one.... nowhere is free equipment mentioned. Were just going to have to wait for aug1.

On a different subject, Brian, did you say that you had the HK AVR 635? If if is not the 635, which model do you have? I bought an AVR 335 a couple of weeks ago, and I am thinking of trading up to the AVR 635. I would do this to get the parametric EQ, the ability to layer DSP effects on top of DD5.1, and the s-video to component conversion. Plus the extra power would be nice.

What words of wisdom or encouragement can you give me (or discouragement if you are not happy)

Thanks,
Mike

Yep, I have the 635. I don't use the component conversion, but the mic that is included and the ezsetup are awesome. I have three complaints and hopefully they'll be remedied with later software upgrades (which the 635 can easily accept via serial connection).

1 - If you have a 7.1 setup, the receiver will default to the native dolby digital signal that is present all the time. This isn't a big deal with movies. I just change the mode to DDIIx or Logic7 at the beginning, and everything is ok. But when watching HDTV it can get frustrating. Everytime the sound changes which is usually during commercials DD5.1 to DD2.0, the receiver drops out of 7.1 and goes to the native mode presented.
2 - The on screen display does not work when a 1080i/720p/480p signal is present. It will work over component, but only when a 480i signal is present. Hopefully, they'll make it where it can at least show a black/blue screen over the image in these modes one day.
3 - The auto setup always defines my surrounds as large and my fronts as large/LFE. The surrounds would probably be ok, but the Haunting says otherwise with the fronts. This is easy to remedy by manually picking the size, but I'm not sure why it only picks one pair of surrounds as large. Also, if you decide on the 635, try ear level for the mic when doing the setup and not the 3 ft above ear level they recommend.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase. I love the power and Logic7. I'm also into DVD-A/SACD, and this thing kicks the sh!t out of my old Sony in that regard. If you do upgrade at CC, they should price match Fry's. They did for me. I just got them to go the Fry's website (www.outpost.com), but I also had the Houston store phone number handy.

Thanks, Brian. BTW, I only have five speakers connected...not a full 7.1 setup. In this arrangement, it seems that my ability to overlay DSP effects are limited or non-existent. I went to CC at lunch to play with the 635. When receiving a 5.1 DD signal from a DVD player, it seems that the 635 was limited to only plain DD or DD with Logic7 or "DD Virtual".

The 635 manual is not very clear on this. It says that Dolby Pro Lgic IIx and Logic 7 can be used with DD signals to "add surround back channels to 5.1 digital soundtracks". Seems like this would only help if you have a 7.1 speaker setup. I'm not sure what these modes do if you only have a 5.1 speaker setup. Also, I'm not sure if the unit uses all 5.1 discrete channels if you select one of these modes, or if it just tries to extract the extra surround and center channels from the front two channels of data.

On my AVR 335, I can select straight DD or I can select DD and select Dolby Virtual Speaker Wide 5-Speaker. I'm not sure what this is doing either...is it still using all five discrete channels of data plus adding ambient effects?

Anyway, I really prefer to stick with the HK as the build quality seems superior to the Yamahas that I looked at. Also, my last Yamaha only lasted 2 years and 5 months. I'm sure that the 635 puts our more power with all channels driven simultaneously than the Yamaha. For example, the HK AC power consumption rating is 1000 watts, which means that the power amps can put out about 500 watts all total. The Yamaha is only rated at 500 watts, which mean that it can only POSSIBLY put out 250 watts total. (Both use Class-B power amplifiers which at most are only 50% efficient.)

Nevertheless, my room is small as you know, and I could benefit from some DSP modes that recreate the ambience of a larger room. I just don't think that the HK can do that even though it is superior in all other aspects. Given that, I am re-considering going with the Yamaha RX-V1500 or RX-V2500 because the Yamahas traditionally have a large selection of DSP options to overlay on DD 5.1.

I hope that you can shed enough light on this to make me feel comfortable with the HK.

BTW, are you using a 5.1 or a 7.1 speaker setup? If 7.1, what can you say about the sound/imaging improvement?

Thanks,
Mike

With PLIIX It only applies to 7.1 systems.... basically takes the 2 rear channels and extracts the sound into 4 speakers essentially but really works quite well. Logic 7 and PLIIX will only work on 7.1 speaker systems though (would be an exuse to buy 2 more rears).

I have a Yamaha 5760 (poor mans 1500) sif your interested in comparing.... its close but not quite the same. Ive had mine for about a year now and havent had a single problem with it yet. I would assume the 1500/2500 would be the same way.

One thing mine has over spanks is it only loses DPLIIx mode when you switch inputs will it revert back to no PLIIx so commercials dont cause it to lose its setting. but I know my OSD doenst work on 720p/1080i and it might not even in 480i (never bothered to test since it wouldnt matter if it wont work with 720p/1080i)

Mikey, I'll have to play with mine some to see if I can overlay stuff on DD5.1 besides Logic7, DTS-ES, and PLIIx (those are what I usually use). I know that there are different modes (music, cinema, etc.) for Logic7 and PLIIx once you have them on, and I think there is a Logic7 - 5 channel mode (maybe that's for 2 channel only though). You could probably "trick" the receiver by saying you have surround backs, but who knows how that would sound.

And yes, I do have a 7.1 setup, and I love the sound over 5.1. That's why the lack of a default 7.1 mode irks me. Oh well, I have faith they'll fix that with the next firmware update.

As for the price match, I didn't check the prices so CC might actually be cheaper now.

One more thing, you might want to consider heat with your small closet. I don't know about the 335, but the 635 runs hot!

jag, did you get your final voOm bill?

yeah a couple of days ago.... got the paperwork transferring the box to me.

I am going to keep it though (mainly because they are only getting ~35 on ebay because there are too many on there). Will be nice to give/sell to family when they upgrade. Right now my dad has it for his hdtv (since he doesnt have any other hd atm).

Brian, in your opinion, what are the sonic benefits of overlaying the DDIIx or Logic7 on top of the DD besides deriving the 7.1 channels? Do any of the movie, cinema or enhance modes give a larger sound stage or DSP processing that increases the apparent size of the room? I'm looking for something similar to what the Yamaha Cinema DSP modes do.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5791828&&#post5791828

Hell of a lineup.... sure will look forward to this coming to town (will be interesting to see how many D* lovers will resist that if/when it comes). I know labman will resist because he decided to live too far away but I dont see the rest of you staying on once fios comes and you lose the hdtivo's. ;)


On a different note... got a question about the HDnet movie trailer show.... One thing that annoys me with InHD's one is it seems they reduce the bass track (well trying to find out if its inhd or the source) but on most trailers there doesnt seem to be much of that earth shattering bass and was wondering if its the same way on HDnet's movie show.... I would assume they are passing the signal they get but just wondering if the bass seems lacking in some of the trailers (its more than loud enough for the opeining of the show)

Yes, that looks impressive. However, we have no chance of having a lineup that looks anything like that even when Verizon comes in. Keller is essentially a Dallas/Ft. Worth suburb and likely gets most of those networks OTA already. I'm afraid we'll never get the WB and UPN (which completely blows). The rest does look good, however.

I'm not holding my breath for it to be here given the current regulatory situation though. (Just for your reference though - if that does come when my 1 year commitment disappears in Oct/Nov - I'll take off from D* in a heartbeat if they don't have major improvements by then.)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5791828&&#post5791828Hell of a lineup.... sure will look forward to this coming to town (will be interesting to see how many D* lovers will resist that if/when it comes). I know labman will resist because he decided to live too far away but I dont see the rest of you staying on once fios comes and you lose the hdtivo's. ;)
Ahh, yes, the grass is always greener...... :rolleyes:

On a different note... got a question about the HDnet movie trailer show.... One thing that annoys me with InHD's one is it seems they reduce the bass track (well trying to find out if its inhd or the source) but on most trailers there doesnt seem to be much of that earth shattering bass and was wondering if its the same way on HDnet's movie show.... I would assume they are passing the signal they get but just wondering if the bass seems lacking in some of the trailers (its more than loud enough for the opeining of the show)
"Nothing but Trailers" on HDNet always seems to have plenty of bass on the movies you would expect to have it. Chick flix don't have it, but who cares anyway, I FF through them. ;)

I know they wont have WB/UPN (and probably the same probelms as cox does getting locals).

But since it will be completly their network they will have fiber ready to waco and most likely austin/houston so I could see them piping up houston wb or upn for us and doing something similar to what cox does now with the houston abc (have it running part of the day), since we have no upn there isnt a local to complain (wb would be a bit trickier though since the fox claims its a wb station).

Plus theres no guarantee (even in houston) d* would add the upn/wb stations... they have always seemed more concerned with the big 4 like most providers.

IMO the only thing missing form their lineup is the voom channels and INHD1/2.... plus a few extra worthless ones on there already (wealth mainly isnt very good)

and labman that is interesting with the trailer show (there is bass but not what Ive come to expect from my new svs in trailers such as batman where there should be plenty to rumble the walls)

Man, what a game tonight!! :) Spurs came through with some tough defense when they needed it, and Duncan, what a turnaround on the line. Horry gets another ring from a third team. WhooHoo!! :D

yeah was a good game (even in SD)... im sure dave was throwing things at the tv for a while.

It was a great game and a great series. Detroit was one helluva oponent.

No, I didn't throw anything. I know not to keeping anything like that near me. I just pound on the pillows on the couch. These last three games are the ones I hate, but love.

Go Spurs Go! :D :D :D

Wow, four whole days without a post on this thread!! ;) Everybody on vacation??
Thought I would post some news I got today. I called KWKT-FOX in Waco today and talked to Lou. He informed me they still don't plan on going DT on KYLE at all until the analog cutoff, whenever that is. :( Nothing really new on that front. However, he did say they are right now in the process of moving the digital antenna to the main tower at Moody. That means there is no DT signal right now, like that matters to us :rolleyes: , but he did say that by the end of next week the antenna should be moved and at full power of 300kw. It shows on the FCC site full power for them should be 1000kw, so take it for what it's worth. He suggested that if I could get KXXV or KWTX, there was a possibility I could get KWKT-DT. I hope so, because KWTX comes in pretty well for me and it is closer in comparison than KXXV since they are both in the 50's whereas KXXV is on 26. I'm just not positive at what power the others are broadcasting. The FCC shows KWTX should be at 1000kw, but has a STA for 501kw.
Possibly this is better news for those COX-Lovers out there (and you know who you are!! :p ), since that may make it easier for COX to get their signal, although I don't know if that is really the holdup.

:), if they get abc and fox up by early 2006 that will go a long way to keeping me happy... and get TNT online.

not everything is good in cable land though.... the most recent update screwed something up with the firewire port and i cant offload content from any channels other than the unencrypted locals.... ive been reading this will be fixed but we will probably be waiting a while still (didnt even notice there was a problem till i tried to offload some inhd content and it constantly was breaking up)

I was able to record the king kong trailer though which was good..... saved it with the rest of my HD clips.

Antoine goes #15 to NJ.... a good fit I think.

Well, the short vacation is over with. I don't know if I can make myself cheer for the Nets.

:), if they get abc and fox up by early 2006 that will go a long way to keeping me happy... and get TNT online.

You're talking about Houston HD lil on D*, right? 'Cause we know that is where you're gonna be. :D

How'd the new camera hold up?

I won't root for the Nets, but I hope AW does well with them.

I love the little guy. The caverns we went to were the ultimate test. Probably could have used another flash (and lenses).

You guys should have seen the TV I had to watch down in Mexico. Definitely suffered a little HD withdrawal. Had to use the VCR for remote control ability.

That little guy won't be so little once you add the battery pack and a larger lens. ;)

ISO 1600 and a very steady hand or tripod should get you decent results in a cave with just the available light.

I demand pics on your site though.

Steady hand!!! :( At least no film was wasted.

I'll get the pics up eventually. I've been meaning to play with the breezesys site you recommend. I need to finish (or actually start) working on my site.

You're talking about Houston HD lil on D*, right? 'Cause we know that is where you're gonna be. :D

You havent been reading lately... D* has some real big problems right now with both of their new sats..... the one on the ground is delayed for atleast 6 months and the one up there lost control for a few hours so that will be behind schedule as well.

I read some of that stuff, but wasn't it all a little exagerated? Isn't there enough space on Spaceway 1 for the first 12 markets?

I'm just glad they didn't pull a NASA and lose the sat altogether.

yeah true... still it will be delayed until they figure out what went wrong. Plus they already moved the first 12 markets back to end of the year instead of end of summer. (and this was before all the problems with spaceway 1)

And what's this tag I see under your name? Since you've upped your standards, should we expect lobster and prime rib at your casa? Or will it still be Natty Light and Gumby's? ;)

I think it is forum rules that it is mandatory to join the club after 2,500 posts

I think it is forum rules that it is mandatory to join the club after 2,500 posts

:D :D :D

Almost halfway there; better start saving.

Well actually i had some extra paypal from selling stuff and i was just too lazy to get them to send me a check.

That and when the harmony 880's finally get to etailers I will be needing to sell the 680 (since my buyer backed out after it was delayed the second time) so you will only be able to list items if your a club member.

..... if your a club member.
Haven't you learned anything from TexAgs?? It's you're !!
:D :D :D :D

And what's this tag I see under your name? Since you've upped your standards, should we expect lobster and prime rib at your casa? Or will it still be Natty Light and Gumby's? ;)

you can have all the lobster and prime rib you want as long as you bring enough for everybody...

Just a reminder (http://abc.go.com/movies/toystory.html) for those of us that get ABC-HD.

well spank hows the harmony (now that you have one again?). Did they change anything (that you can see with the charger station?). Some people were speculating that it was delayed because of the possible problem with the charger and it not setting in there right sometimes (but I dont know if I beleive that).

It sure was nice being able to just redownload that config back into the new remote though isnt it? ;)

Well I'm having a little trouble communicating with the remote. :(

edit: Reinstalling the Harmony software and bypassing my usb hub did the trick.

interesting.... is there anything that looks/feels different compared to your old one?

Anyone getting KBTX-DT? I noticed last night late it was off the air for me and is stiill off today.

yeah its off on cox too... has to be a kbtx issue. I havent checked this morning though last night it was off.

well this thread got stagnant again.... did anybody see the post in HDTV Programming saying all stations in the top100 markets are supposed to be full power. Are ours "meeting" that now (even though they are in wako). I remember you talked to the fox guy labman... I assume nothing has come of their move yet.

Well, last time I checked, I believe only KCEN was at full power.

KCEN 25.5 kW
KBTX 25 kW (maybe they're upgrading now)
KXXV 250 kW
KWKT 350 kW (or at least working on it)

I'll have to check the FCC site to see what full power is for each. Is KBTX still down?

Oh, I forgot KYLE:

KYLE 1 kW (ROTFLMAO)

hahah kyle isnt even a tv station in my mind.....

and kbtx was still down as of last night on cox. That tells me something broke at the station because back when lightning hit the transmitter only OTA was affected.

Here's what I found:
KCEN - 25 kW
KXXV - 1000 kW
KWKT - 1000 kW

KBTX - 1000 kW
KYLE - 50 kW
KAMU - 3.2 kW

These were the DT listings. I'm not sure what the DS listings are for.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html

I checked last night and still couldn't get a blip out of KWKT.

kbtx is back on for me.... i would assume it will be back for the rest of you.

Yup, KBTX-DT is back OTA. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Swing.gif

BTW anybody know anybody still here that works at best buy? I was reading remote central and it seems best buy employees price is $150. I could definately do that but all the people I know that worked there are gone for the summer.

FYI... it appears KWKT is now broadcasting on their new HD txmtr from the Moody area. But I'm guessing their DTV STL is not up because it looks like their upconverting NTSC to their DTV transmitter.

I'll see if I can get some details from their engineer

From KWKT's Chief engineer:

Yes, we are operating full power form Moody up-converted during local programming and 720p HD pass-through during FOX and WB programming.

300KW ERP (coverage is equivalent to the analog station).

I thought full power for them was supposed to be 1000kw. :confused:

awesome... now a email to cox is in order. BTW lightbuy ask the engineer if there are any plans to get the feed passed onto cox.

He says Time-Warner has been notified and they're supposed to be putting it back on 814 any time now.

He has not been able to reach Grande yet but it should be on 214 when re-enabled.

He says Time-Warner has been notified and they're supposed to be putting it back on 814 any time now.

He has not been able to reach Grande yet but it should be on 214 when re-enabled.

I dont care about those.... ;) Ive talked to cox in the past and they have said they were waiting for "technical" issues or something to be fixed on the FOX and ABC feeds before we would see them down here in CS. Im assuming they were waiting for full power. I would contact him myself but you seem to know who to talk to there already.

Just wondering here but if KCEN is at full power at 25.5 kw (and cox can get the feed) then 300kw should be more than enough to get signal down here (even with the freq diff).

jag that 25 kW is VHF for KCEN, and I think that travels a heck of a lot better than 300 kW UHF. That's how KAMU gets away with 3.2 kW for full power. As for BB, I know a guy there, but he told me before that employees were no longer allowed to buy the 880 with their discount.

damn... that figures.

and Im no expert with the vhf/uhf thing but i would have assumed they would be roughly equal (guess not). I just hope its good enough to get cox the signal.

For those of you who get HD-Net they are planning on having coverage of next week's shuttle launch in HD.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050706/65792.html?.v=1

Also, for you Astro's fans, the game is on D* channel 95 in HD!! http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Clap-Hands.gif

I was about to post that. I think they use the Padres' cameras. Aren't all their games in HD?

It wasn't last night. :(
But the guide says tomorrow night's is as well! :)

Also the game with the Dodgers on the 10th is listed, so it is not just the Padre's games/cameras.

All the padres games are in HD, we have gotten quite a few on InHD.

Just wanted to show you guys my next receiver (http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CESprocessors/SamsungAVR3000THXreceiver.php).

I will take that new yamaha... :)

In your dreams!! http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Neeeedsleeep.gif
Hmm, how many receivers would that be for you in the last 2-3 years?? You seem to change receivers as often as jag changes service providers!! :D
One feature that is quite interesting-
"Downconversion from HDMI/DVI to component"

nah i got him easily....

Just wanted to show you guys my next receiver (http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CESprocessors/SamsungAVR3000THXreceiver.php).

:eek:

Holy crap! I want one.

That thing just might handle all of my devices and gaming consoles.

Well, has anyone been able to get KWKT down here in B/CS? I tried at lunch the other day with my attic mount, but that was probably a bad time to try. However, KWTX (KBTX's sister station) did give a blip, and of course, KCEN was coming in as usual. What about you mikey? Any luck with your stack?

any of our ota people care to point towards kcen right now? Im curious to see if cox is using an antenna to get the kcen feed (since this is the first time in a long time we have had a storm roll though). Im still getting kcen perfectly so Im wondering if the rest of you are seeing kcen ota fine too?

It's breaking up a lot for me, not that unusual for my situation, but I do have a signal.

You get any rain yet? It's just about to hit here looks like!

not yet, just a ton of lightning. but usually lightning will screw with the signal more than rain will and kcen is still fine for me so maybe its not coming in OTA (would be nice)

Well the rain did come right after I posted. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Dance.gif Coming down pretty hard now. Been watching the radar on the PC and channel 25-3 from KXXV. :cool:

yeah just started here.... so its alredy come through bryan. With this much rain theres no way kcen can be coming ota.

stupid pbs is off though. They do this most times when storms come though.... guess they dont have the proper grounding.

I meant to mention earlier that KBTX was down when we got home from work, but came back up sometime afterward. The lightning seems to cause momentary breakups, so you might check on Cox to see if that happens.

its not.... i wasnt watching kbtx when i got home (so i cant verify that). But KBTX is breaking up for a half second but its actually pretty rare (once every 2 mins or so when a lightning strike is close). Its wierd because kcen isnt doing it at all but the inhd channels are doing it some.

uh oh... kbtx just went off.... and kamu is back ;) (guess they are playing musical chairs). EDIT: It came back a few mins later.

Speaking of kamu anybody ever get a reply from that guy who works there? I send an email a month ago (asking about the local schedule and increasing bw to the HD channel) but never got anything back.

Holy Sh!t, there's been a sighting of KWKT-DT tonight!! :eek: Thought I would check real quick in-between innings of the Astro's game, and there it was! Only lasted a few seconds, but it must have been it. Looked like a WB show, "Blue Collar TV". OK, played with the antenna some and it seems to be coming in with a few breakups now.

Looks like KBTX is off again. :mad: KCEN is looking better now.

overall i was pretty pleased with cox in bad weather.... didnt lose signal during the storms other than few breakups due to the lightning.

As for KWKT I bet it doesnt last (hope it does but i doubt it), that line of storms is probably reflecting the signal back to us. I remember getting SA, Austin and Dallas stations after storms some times.

And I havent lost KBTX since it died during w/o a trace... its been fine on cox since that (not even any breakups since the lightning stopped).

Well, KWKT is gone again. Looks like it's just going to tease me once in a while. They need to get to FULL power, not this half-assed crap.

yep just enough to make you want it even more.... i can see it now, every day your going to turn the antenna to see if it is coming in that night.

If 350 or whatever is their "full" power probably the only way to get it will be cox/fios or directv when they finally get around to adding Waco. (or houston if they let you)

Hey, don't forget Jessica Alba is on Leno tonight!! http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Heart.gif

..... (or houston if they let you)
:D :D

Hey, don't forget Jessica Alba is on Leno tonight!! http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Heart.gif

dvr is set and ready to go....

:D :D

i wouldnt be too happy about that just yet... alot of things are going to have to go right for houston to be avaliable to "non housonians" ;) (not to mention they will be pulling hdlite on it probably) ;)

For those who can get it: Astros in HD D* ch 95.

Will be closing on house in Pebble Creek on July 26th.

Now the big choices:
1. For that neighborhood we can choose either a landline + DSL or COX cable internet. (how are speeds of each?) Does Verizon monopolize the DSL or can I choose other DSL providers?

2. Anyone using VOIP in the area with a local phone number? Vonage doesn't seem to offer a BCS local number. Who is your provider if so?

3. Any other advice/choices you can offer please do so.

Thanks and I look forward to contributing more once we are actually in BCS.

Bill
txag93

For those who can get it: Astros in HD D* ch 95.
Old news (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5848760&&#post5848760)
:D :D

Will be closing on house in Pebble Creek on July 26th.

Now the big choices:
1. For that neighborhood we can choose either a landline + DSL or COX cable internet. (how are speeds of each?) Does Verizon monopolize the DSL or can I choose other DSL providers?

2. Anyone using VOIP in the area with a local phone number? Vonage doesn't seem to offer a BCS local number. Who is your provider if so?

3. Any other advice/choices you can offer please do so.

Thanks and I look forward to contributing more once we are actually in BCS.

Bill
txag93
Welcome to the forum (again)!
I can't help on the Vonage thing, never tried it. I don't live in town anymore so I don't keep up a lot with the Cox/DSL debate, but I believe Verizon is the only DSL game in town. I think most are happier with Verizon DSL than Cox for internet, but each has their supporters/detractors (you know who you are! ;) ).
Are you looking into getting HDTV still?

yeah you probably should choose your tv service before figuring out internet.... if you get sat you will be better off with verizon but if you choose cox their internet will be cheaper. (but im with cox for hdtv and then verizon for dsl, mainly because im holding out for fios and even though verizon is very slow compared to cox its more reliable imo but that varies by different parts of the town but cox has a big speed advantage and ive heard their newer service is more reliable)

I plan to keep D* until after football season, then re-evaluate what boxes are available and if more locals are coming in thru Cox, etc. I plan to "not move" and keep Dallas subscription.

What speeds do you get from your DSL? Do you know what speeds you get from Cox, and finally any takers on VOIP?

I have Verizon DSL and it is 3mbs. I don't game, but I do connect to my servers remotely with it and and am happy with the speed.

Just a FYI if you get verizon you HAVE to have landline service with them (so voip wont matter).

Verizon for me is still 768/128 (but they are in the process of upgrading our lines for the 3.0 service dave has). Cox currently is 4.0/512 or 5.0/512 service ($49 vs $59 or $39 vs $55 bundled).
Munky788 (or whatever his name was) who doesnt post here much anymore has viop with cox (using lingo) and he said he has been happy with them.

Bill, I would go with Verizon if I was you. It's cheaper than Cox (~$30), and at least in my area which is a little North of you, it has not been down once in the last three years. mwesson lives in Pebble Creek, so maybe he can vouch for its reliability there. Cox will require you to subscribe to a basic cable package (or charge you like $10 more if you don't), and the only channels they have right now that you don't have are the INHDs. That's assuming you'll continue to receive NBC from D* once you move.

i would go dsl too.... the only reason cable becomes an option to me is when you bundle it with other services from cox (they have gotten into the bundling very big these days although i am suprised they havent added a cox voip service yet). But verizon will be your better deal right now since you plan on keeping directv for a while.

As far as I am concerned Verizon is the way to go in Pebble Creek. We've had it for around a year and I've never experienced a problem. I certainly cannot say that about Cox (we had constant problems/downtime). Cox might have put their act together, but I wouldn't know. (In addition, unless they have changed, you MUST subscribe to "broadcast" cable @ $23/mo. in order to get Cox internet.)

Definitely keep that Dallas address if you can for D* as you will not get any waivers here in town. If you are D* - CBS OTA HD is it from a network perspective if you don't already have waivers and can't put up a big ass antenna.

If you drop D*, then Cox would be worth taking a strong look at for their HD and internet combined, but if you are keeping D* for sure - DSL is a no brainer.

btw elspank did you catch the battlestar episodes on nbc last weekend? KCEN sure did look better than when I saw the BSG eps on UHD from voom. It wasnt as visible on the live camera sots (mainly because they do soemthing wierd with them to soften the image) but the CGI stuff was amazing and showed much more detail then UHD has in the past.

I watched the finale on NBC (only because Universal didn't have dialogue on the first half on D*; just surround). I didn't watch it on KCEN though, NBC-W off of D*. They looked the same to me, kind of dissappointing. I'll have to TiVo KCEN if they do that again. You could see some macroblocking; especially in the fire on the ship that went down on Kobol.

well there was no hint of macroblocking on kcen... then again you probably dont want to watch it off kcen. Would show you how bad UHD is/was with the compression.

At least with UHD, there aren't so many d@mn commercials. Plus, I like the show so much, I'm probably going to start watching the new episodes in SD on SciFi.

Well they all start This friday.... SG1, Atlantis and BSG. My DVR will be busy that night.

Thank you all for the input.

I was leaning Verizon, just to have a landline for alarm and when the internet is down, but I love VOIP and the flexibility it gives you for things like simultaneous ring, and all the features (VM, Call ID, long distance, etc) for a total of $20/month including taxes.

I figured numbers like this:

Verizon:
Landline phone w/ VM, callID, call wait = $34.95 + tax = $45-50 (FCC line charge)
DSL $29.95
Long Distance $5-10
Total = ~$85

Cox
High speed internet $49.95 (don't have to have any TV for this price)
VOIP service $20-25
Total = $70-75.

I figured it might be worth $10/month to have a real phone line during power outages, for the alarm system, for true 911 calling.

P.S. As for D*, I plan to have the O&O HD feeds, so will be missing ABC in HD if I can't get it OTA. Will suck for MNF if I can't get HD.

Bill

Well, has anyone been able to get KWKT down here in B/CS? I tried at lunch the other day with my attic mount, but that was probably a bad time to try. However, KWTX (KBTX's sister station) did give a blip, and of course, KCEN was coming in as usual. What about you mikey? Any luck with your stack?

Well, A LITTLE LATE responding, but I have been out of town for about a week and a half. I guess that your question has already been answered by now. I need to play catch-up on what's going on with the new potential HD feeds.

Well, A LITTLE LATE responding, but I have been out of town for about a week and a half. I guess that your question has already been answered by now. I need to play catch-up on what's going on with the new potential HD feeds.

then dont leave for weeks at a time... ;)

Harmony people, has anyone every had a problem with the remote sending out multiple, duplicate commands? For the Zenith stb in the bedroom, every command seems to get sent out twice. Really hard to maneuver through the guide.

Hey mikey, you got that popup lcd done out by the hot tub? I keep telling people about it like I've already seen it.

since its older equipment i would bet your timings need to be increased.... i know alot of older stuff needs the timings set higher (hence why they were high in the first place as some equipment gets the code too fast and cant process it quickly enough).

You could also try to relearn every command (for youe box) from your remote or learn one or two and see if its still sending multiple commands.

But Ive never had a problem with any of my equipment but I also dont have very many devices on my system (just 4 total, dvr, dvd, lighting, receiver )

I don't know, it's not that old. I thought I saw somewhere that there was a place to change a repeat value (0-5).

ive never seen anything like that (but i dont have the 880, it might be a "feature"). Im pretty certain it isnt on the 680 or lower as Ive used all of them pretty extensively.

I don't think it was an easy to find feature. Maybe it was under troubleshooting. We'll see.

Nevermind, I found it under troubleshooting/device responding too much to remote.

:eek:

Cox is in my backyard right now. Someone cut their fiber line and all cable is out from my house to Wellborn road. There's a big ol' truck with a lifter pulling out cable in the property behind me.

I told them I have satellite. I could care less. Some good evening entertainment.

Hahahaha!

:eek:

Cox is in my backyard right now. Someone cut their fiber line and all cable is out from my house to Wellborn road. There's a big ol' truck with a lifter pulling out cable in the property behind me.

I told them I have satellite. I could care less. Some good evening entertainment.

Hahahaha!

Well I havent lost my service if it makes you feel any better ;)

Something tells me dave took a backhoe to his pond again and "conviently" broke the line. I do wish I knew somebody out in pebble creek or somewhere out there with cox. I find it pretty sad if theres only one line running out there (you would think they would have a network or sorts where if one line got cut they could move the load to other lines)

LOL... Turns out the line wasn't marked and looped on itself making up surface. The dog was chewing on it, so the lady called Cox several times. The techs think she got a call center and not someone local. I think they said she nipped it with something and the techs came out right away.

I figured yours didn't. My neighbor across the street still has his working; just downstream from me is out.

Maybe it's too expensive to do a parallel network. I guess just people in my neighborhood are out.

or its probably parallel up to where it goes into the neighborhood.... it would make senese to have a single line going into a neighborhood (would cost way too much to have a parallel system for every neighborhood).

I do have to admit the cox techs are actually pretty good.... much better than the dish and directv ones Ive dealt with in the past. When I was having the problems getting KCEN the tech actually went with me up in the attic to find the faulty splitter (and it was hot outside that day so it was over 105F in the attic at ~2:30 in the afternoon, he certainly didnt have to go up there with me since its technically my wiring)

Yeah, that could be it.

They were at Graham, but now just in the neighborhood.

I was hoping to see some Cox sucks posts on TexAgs, but then I realized they wouldn't have access.

Oh I'm sure it will come.... the techs are good and the CSR's are good (but Ive never had a problem with any of the dbs or cable CSR's)... cox does seem to be a little slower to answer the calls.

BTW on the cox front.... in nov my promotion ends and I will have to go to normal pricing (means about 10 bucks extra for my current package (will be $63 in nov) or for $68 for full digital cable) which isnt bad considering full digital cable is equivalent to total choice plus (and that would be $56 for programming alone with D* or about the same for dish). But neither one includes the HD-DVR.... so until dish or directv offers a completly free lease my options will stay closed off until early next year.

OK, almost time to start thinking Dallas Cowboys football. Let's try to figure what games we might see in HD w/o ST, which might be blacked out anyway!

Sun., Sept. 11 @ San Diego (FOX) 3:15 p.m.- No, Giants at same time
Mon., Sept. 19 WASHINGTON (ABC) 8:00 p.m. -YES!!
Sun., Sept. 25 @ San Francisco (FOX) 3:05 p.m.- Possible, Giants at night
Sun., Oct. 2 @ Oakland (FOX) 3:15 p.m.- Possible, Giants at 1:00
Sun., Oct. 9 PHILADELPHIA (FOX) 3:15 p.m.- Possible, Giants have Bye
Sun., Oct. 16 NY GIANTS (FOX) Noon- YES!!
Sun., Oct. 23 @ Seattle (FOX) 3:05 p.m.- No, Giants at same time
Sun., Oct. 30 ARIZONA (FOX) Noon - No, Giants at same time
Sun., Nov. 6 BYE Duhh, no!
Mon., Nov. 14 @ Philadelphia (ABC) 8:00 p.m.- YES!!
Sun., Nov. 20 DETROIT (FOX) Noon - No, Giants at same time
Thur., Nov. 24 DENVER (CBS) 3:15 p.m.- YES!!
Sun., Dec. 4 @ NY Giants (FOX) Noon - YES!!
Sun., Dec. 11 KANSAS CITY (CBS) 3:15 p.m. -YES!!
Sun., Dec. 18 @ Washington (FOX) Noon- Possible, Giants on Sat.
Sat., Dec. 24 @ Carolina (FOX) Noon- No, Giants at same time
Sun., Jan. 1 ST. LOUIS (ESPN) 7:30 p.m.- YES!!

These predictions are based, of course, on the premise that the Cowboys games will be broadcast in HD at all, and the Giant's games are shown on NY-FOX, which should be the case. ;)

yay 2 games for me so far.... shame i probably wont care since the cowboys have sucked for a long time now..... the texans arent any better though. I always end up sleeping very very late on sunday afternoons and miss most of the games anyways(because of sat night).

And your assuming you will have fox come this fall when all the htown mpeg2 signals go bye bye. ;)

.......And your assuming you will have fox come this fall when all the htown mpeg2 signals go bye bye. ;)
In that case I would get "converted" anyway and get ALL the Cowboy's games from KRID-HD on D*.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/ROTFLMAO.gif

In that case I would get "converted" anyway and get ALL the Cowboy's games from KRID-HD on D*.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/ROTFLMAO.gif

assuming they would deliver mpeg4 equipment up here.

You know... for the time being, I have decided not to renew ST (it's simply too much $$$ for the number of games I actually get to watch with a 3 yr. old in the house).

However, from our vantage point, the one good thing about the "interactive features" of ST is that they require one of D*'s new MPEG4 boxes to receive. In addition to those in the Top 10 markets, the first people available for upgrade are also those with the Superfan Sunday Ticket. From my perspective that would allow me to upgrade here in CS and then "move" to Houston. I still haven't figured out how those of you already in Houston will be able to pull that off without first moving back to CS...

Now if they will only tell us how they are going to handle the HD Tivo...

on a similar note... is any you d* subs going to reactivate ST? (just curious to see how many are/arent and if you had it before).

I get to let all of you be the guinea pigs on this and wait till D* offers something substantial and concrete about getting locals and mpeg4 before re-evaluating providers next year.

And I agree mwesson the people already in houston are going to have some problems I would think (dave might be taking a camping trip to houston afterall... i still want to be there with a camera if he does to see the look on the D* installer when he shows up). It would get nominated for a darwin award or something. ;)

shame i probably wont care since the cowboys have sucked for a long time now..... the texans arent any better though. I always end up sleeping very very late on sunday afternoons and miss most of the games anyways(because of sat night).

C'mon now, the Boys will be better. They've made many improvements on d. Aaron Glenn as a nickel back; awesome. The Texans are on the up as well. Johnson is a man-child!

I got a question for the antenna people (been reading the texags threads lately on it and the hdtvpub website). Are they generally "overstating" what they are getting in your opinion?

When I had the 30 ft televes and amp I was able to get NBC, WB reliably (I would call reliable 3 or 4 breakups max every hour). CBS, ABC, FOX were all what I would consider unreliable (per my criteria listed above).

But I see on the hdtvpub the last guy is saying hes getting everything at much better signals than I ever got (pretty close to my config). Have the houston channels upped power or something recently that I missed or are people "overstating" their signal levels?

I'm not sure off-hand just when it happened, but the stations in certain top markets (top 10, 15, 20??) were supposed to be operating at full power some time back, well before this month's supposed deadline for the top 40 or 100 (whichever it was). So there is no doubt that when you or me first started trying for Houston OTA it was MUCH more difficult to do. These guys now have a lot easier time of it than us "early adopters" did! :rolleyes: Besides that, antenna and STB technology seems to have advanced somewhat as well. Someday, as we watch our 3-D Holographic Hydrogen-Lithium TV displays that gets its signal from a flat satellite dish the size of your hand, we will look back on these days and say, "Why I remember when......"!!
;) ;)

I think they may be overstating. I still get NBC pretty well, but the others are spotty. CBS used to be good, but not as much lately. ABC and FOX are only on good nights.

I agree they probably are overstating some just by the fact they are basing their observations on one or two night's results. If you notice in the screenshots of the one poster the time on the display was around 01:00 in the morning. Sure you can get pretty good reception then, but what about under real-world viewing conditions in prime-time over several nights? Time will tell. Hopefully they won't be disappointed enough to give up. My point earlier was that I do think conditions have improved enough in the last year or two that more people are at least getting some encouraging results without elaborate and exotic setups. We do at least have a couple of local stations now. At least more people seem to be interested in getting HDTV.

I agree they probably are overstating some just by the fact they are basing their observations on one or two night's results. If you notice in the screenshots of the one poster the time on the display was around 01:00 in the morning. Sure you can get pretty good reception then, but what about under real-world viewing conditions in prime-time over several nights? Time will tell. Hopefully they won't be disappointed enough to give up. My point earlier was that I do think conditions have improved enough in the last year or two that more people are at least getting some encouraging results without elaborate and exotic setups. We do at least have a couple of local stations now. At least more people seem to be interested in getting HDTV.

Well it wasnt that long ago that I got my televes ;)

That does sound right dave.... I think I would have heard something from you guys if the signals had dramatically gotten better (and what you have now is pretty close to what I had, nbc and wb reliable, fox and abc not so much).

And labman this also can be a bad thing when people post stuff like that future hdtv people are going to expect similar things (and even the people that are stating it) and when they try to watch something and they dont get a good signal they will start to get turned off from OTA HD.... thats one of the reasons I went to cable (not much of a chance to get the distants with even a pretty good setup and very little chance of getting the other networks in town HD (nbc, abc, fox)).

Hey All -
This is my first post on avsforum although I've been reading regularly since labmansid called me several months ago. Jagouar, I think you are referring to my post on HDTVpub. I recently installed a CM 4228. It is approximately 35 feet off the ground. I have been out of town some since I installed it, but the days that I am here I have had excellent reception from the Houston locals. KRIV FOX 26 was always the most difficult for me to receive, but I was even able to watch a little Saturday afternoon baseball yesterday. It was choppy at times but watchable -- if only it would have been broadcast in HD - I think they were just using 480p Fox Widescreen. Anyway, in the evening hours (5 PM and later) I have had excellent reception. My wife watched Desperate Housewives in HD on KTRK ABC 13 tonight without a single break in reception. I don't think I'm overstating my signal reception, and like I said in my hdtvpub post, I will continue to monitor my results and post an update in the future.

just remember whenever there is rain in the area your results will be alot better (I was able to pull dallas hd stations when there were clouds/rain in the right position. I had a very similar setup to yours 35 ft televes with same amp and never got abc/fox/upn reliably in the 5-10 PM hours when there wernt storms in the area. If you do thats great as it means somebody has gone to a higher power. but your in the same general area as me (except im a bit further south i think)

keep monitoring it though (especially when all this weather clears out) and see if your still getting reliable signals from abc/fox.

Crap, are you guys telling me it's time to put the Televes back out on the tower? Good thing I never got around to taking the thing down.

somebody has a new tag i see ;)

I'm ready to do the secret handshake.

BTW Dave, I'm getting a Deere. :)

There's nothing better than lazy-man mowing. :D

Well I guess that telecom bill passed legislation.... I sure hope now that verizon/sbc has it now they spend tons and tons of money to get alot of the state wired to prove the critics wrong that they are only going after the rich areas...

Also (for you D* users) anybody notice HDnet and fox looking like hdlite now? Cheezmo is reporting (dallas guy) that hdnet is now sharing tp space and is in the 13-14 mbit range like the rest of D* HD programming.

I bet this is due to the MLB EI since they havent added anything new.

Also (for you D* users) anybody notice HDnet and fox looking like hdlite now? Cheezmo is reporting (dallas guy) that hdnet is now sharing tp space and is in the 13-14 mbit range like the rest of D* HD programming.

I bet this is due to the MLB EI since they havent added anything new.
They could also be testing MPEG4. :)

They could also be testing MPEG4. :)

ahh the eternal optimist... :D

hey dave..... did somebody make one of those SI dvd's of SA season? (through NBA maybe)? Reason I ask (im curious to see if this was a nba production or something inhd did) but InHD had a show called "2005 San Antonio Spurs" that basically chronicled the year for SA (and started with losing to the lakers via the "fisher shot")

But during the production there were no graphics that would have identified it but they did all the behind the scenes stuff from the finals (showed quite a bit of practice time before the finals started and the lockeroom party, you know the stuff those SI chronicles do).

But this was done in HD and I wasnt aware the SI stuff was in HD. Just wondering if you heard anything about it. It was wierd too because from what I saw last night was the first time it ran and is the only time scheduled this month..... shame cox removed recording off encrypted channels or I would have burned you a dvd or 2.

http://inhd.com/product.jsp?prodId=35073&mp=cb2
the inhd webpage is very limited for this show for some reason.

There is a Championship DVD (http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/champsdvd_050715.html) that was just released. I think it was done by the NBA and not SI.

I saw one for the 2003 Spurs on HDnet during the playoffs. I think it's an NBA production a la NFL Films. I'm guessing that what this is and the DVD above is. Hopefully HDnet will show this one too.

ahh i never heard about previous years being on HD channels.... And I would bet its an NBA production because inHD does have that agreement with the NBA to show some games.

And I think it was an HD production of that DVD.... I think its the exact name that was in the guide.

I bet that's what it is then. HDnet also had Detroit and LA shows, but I didn't watch those. :)

wow just noticed were at 100 pages... ;)

serious question though.... has anybody contacted pbs lately? Ive tried a few times and cant seem to get anybody that has any power. Specifically we need to see about getting the bw increased from 13 mbit to something atleast respecable. We should make the point that i never watched the 12/15-2 channel anyways and donty think anybody does (in fact cox doesnt even carry the second sub channel). Also (and I may be remembering wrong) but didnt kamu have 5.1 at one point when it first started? I really would love to see kamu get a proper 5.1 feed out there for the soundstage concerts alone.

Who did you talk to?

I'd imagine Ken Nelson could give you some answers, but Jon Bennett is probably the only one that can do something about it.

http://kamu-tv.tamu.edu/contact.php

ive tried jon bennett.... never got a response out of him. Ill try ken nelson.

Hello again --
I just returned to town last night after being gone for a week. Just wanted to update y'all on my OTA signal reception. I received all locals from BCS and Houston last night. I watched a little of Barbershop in HD on KRIV FOX 26 (I don't like that movie so I didn't watch the whole thing), some of KTRK ABC 13's Friday night lineup in HD, and a little of KHWB 39's Friday night lineup in HD. I didn't experience any breakups at all and signal reception was in the 90's on my receiver. I'll be able to monitor my reception more regularly now that I won't be traveling for quite some time.

Jonnyb, glad to see you are having some luck on Houston! You say you are using the CM4228, the big "bow-tie", correct? Are you using a rotator or just leave it pointed at Houston? Once you get hooked on HD you get spoiled! :p I wonder if the H-10 receiver has a better OTA tuner than older models. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Deep-Thinker.gif

Well it has to be better than the HD-TiVo for DXing. My Zenith 520 that was made by LG was the bomb for DX. The new MPEG4 stbs will also have LG tuners.

labmansid, I just have my CM 4228 pointed at the Houston towers with NO rotor. I do have a CM 7778 preamplifier mounted as well. And I am hooked on HD now. I find myself watching programs I never would have watched before.

And I am hooked on HD now. I find myself watching programs I never would have watched before.
LOL, welcome to the club! Now, I gotta get back to watching that show on Curling in HD. ;)

yep your viewing habits will change alot.... before HD I never watched a single CSI show, now I record them all... half the shows on my record list wouldnt be on there if they wernt HD.

On a different note, the cox dvr passed another test this morning. Seems my house lost power early this morning (because my fan was off, everything else is on battery backup) but all the other clocks in the house were reset. But anyways my dvr had something scheduled (GO! luxury yachts i think). but it cot off in the middle and when power came back it recorded the rest (power outage was 5 mins). Ive noticed that when I stop a recording thats in progress (because its one Ive seen or whatever) it will try to record it again once Ive told it to stop (from the stop time forward) and to completly stop it you have to remove it from the record list (probably a good thing though)

I hope cox has those phase 3 dvr's soon.... external sata interface for easily added HD capacity... they are already out on some cableco's but not ours yet.

Knowing the way Cox works here.. it's going to be some time before we see those.

On a different note, the cox dvr passed another test this morning. Seems my house lost power early this morning (because my fan was off, everything else is on battery backup) but all the other clocks in the house were reset. But anyways my dvr had something scheduled (GO! luxury yachts i think). but it cot off in the middle and when power came back it recorded the rest (power outage was 5 mins).
The Tivos have been doing that for years.
Tivo>http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/SmackBottom.gif<Cox DVR

...I hope cox has those phase 3 dvr's soon.... external sata interface for easily added HD capacity... they are already out on some cableco's but not ours yet.....
ahh the eternal optimist... :D
:p :p

I know that labman.... so has my replay but its good to know the cox dvr will resume its recordings, i honestly expected it not to giving that this dvr isnt quite as good in some area as replay/tivo.

If they could just fix that pesky hard drive problem (see the new phase 3 boxes) and the other slight annoyances (folders and 16x9 graphics) it will be just as good as any tivo imo. It already holds a few big advantages over tivo as it is (speed and price)