Id put money on fox... Tom way said by the end of first quarter 06. I just hope we get abc by the superbowl (already written off bcs bowls). I am looking foward to getting lost in HD (and the ability to record it).

and labman, whats the status on mpeg4? you get it yet so we can schedule the party?

and labman, whats the status on mpeg4? you get it yet so we can schedule the party?
Not quite yet! :p

I was just thinking about the possible comparisons to OTA, MPEG-4, and Cox. That may be difficult to do unless KYLE-HD is up and running soon, since the Houston HD-CBS on D* is delayed due to contract disputes. Also, there would have to be some HD programming on then to compare, DUH!! Some football would be nice, would hate to have to watch golf or ice skating! :eek:

yeah thought about that.... if we want we can do just a straight mpeg2 -> cox comparison and we can both record some football or something. (then also you wouldnt need to worry about getting mpeg4 before the party)

Record your fox d* feed (you have the houston one dont you?) and could compare it to ota/cox.

Or even some of the bowl games on espnHD. I know tonight would be a good game to do (alamo bowl) since it will be indoors.

btw on a different note.... have any of our cox subs who have teh digital rebuild had an increase in internet speed? I was thinking of sending this tom ways way but not sure if we will ever see since technically we have already been sold to cebridge (i hope they dont take away our dvr's and replace them with some other crappy version).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/sddt/20051130/lo_sddt/coxboostsinternetspeeds

Id love to have 9mbit connection though ;) (granted you have to have that premiere package to get it)

Hey Jag - Can you send me that final play from the game tonight in HD? My e-mail can handle it, or I can PM you with my personal webserver information.

lannyhayes@lannyhayes.com if you can e-mail.

just wait till the party and bring me a dvdr.... dave is already bringing me one for fields of glory.

You know, they should have thrown a flag on that last play. I needed Michigan to win. :mad:

mich should have won on that last play.... but i really think they gave up (ran it out of bounds). Because mich had blockers had that guy pitched it to breaston or cut it back to the middle of the field.

OK, the D* professional installer just left my house!! :D Jag, when do you want to have this comparison party?? :)
http://www.frogflats.com/AT9Dish/AT9Dish01.jpg

http://www.frogflats.com/AT9Dish/AT9Dish05.jpg

Looks like the work of one of those voOm installers. ;)

god what and ugly dish (is that really 3 different types of lnb's?)... ;)

so they will come up this far north? Thats a good sign.

And let me know.... Im good anytime pretty much.

Looks like the work of one of those voOm installers. ;)

thats way worse than what a voom installer would do... he would just be 3 hrs late. :)


So sid.... wheres the initial review (even though they dont have half of the htown channels yet)

Just waiting for some HD programming to come on later to compare. As suspected the Houston CBS is missing. Not sure how good a comparison my 27" LCD will give. The mounting is just temporary until after "The Big Party" at Jag's. :) Actually it was pretty easy to set up. Just used the numbers for tilt and elevation given by the receiver, plumbed the mast, and turned the dish until I could hear the beeps! I will probably fine tune it some once I put it on the roof.
The big lnb actually has three combined into it. Just for grins I took the cap off of it to see what it looked like inside.
http://www.frogflats.com/AT9Dish/AT9Dish06.jpg

Check out Ch 705 on Cox! We've finally got Fox in HD! This ends a year and a half of waiting for me! Heck of a Christmas present! :D

Woo-hoo! I got one of the free Chick-fil-a plush football cows! :D

Check out Ch 705 on Cox! We've finally got Fox in HD! This ends a year and a half of waiting for me! Heck of a Christmas present! :D

WE have had it for a few weeks now (was discussed a few pages back)... ;)

ABC-HD is a supposed addon somewhat early in 06.

Just waiting for some HD programming to come on later to compare. As suspected the Houston CBS is missing. Not sure how good a comparison my 27" LCD will give. The mounting is just temporary until after "The Big Party" at Jag's. :) Actually it was pretty easy to set up. Just used the numbers for tilt and elevation given by the receiver, plumbed the mast, and turned the dish until I could hear the beeps! I will probably fine tune it some once I put it on the roof.
The big lnb actually has three combined into it. Just for grins I took the cap off of it to see what it looked like inside.


Well my AE700 will tell you if there is any differences compared to cox.... Thats one thing a 106 image is good for. Now the only problem is going to be finding seating for everybody. I only have 2 real seats in my theater.... Can add a few more temporary ones but we will have to see. I also have the F38310 working still but it doesnt have any HD (not my TV so I could care less about its HD programming)

So is this a Sid install? Maybe it won't be as hard as we thought. Where'd you order the dish from?

I guess we'll know more about the D* HD-DVR after CES.

So is this a Sid install? Maybe it won't be as hard as we thought.
So, what are you trying to say?? :p
I got it from Value Electronics. It would have been up over a week ago, if not for a comedy of small errors. :confused: I ordered it initially about two weeks ago, where it was shipped from their drop point in Plano. It shipped on a Thursday and should have been here the next day on Friday, but I think the local UPS truck broke down and didn't deliver until Monday evening. I didn't feel like messing with it in the dark all that week, so I opened the box up the next Saturday to put it together. That's when I discovered that the main lnb, the one that has three combined with the multiswitch, was totally missing. :mad: So, I called VE up that day, and they couldn't just ship the missing part. They had to ship a whole 'nother dish and have me return the other one. Well, by this time they were out of stock in Texas, and had to ship from Florida, which added a few more days (+1 more due to another UPS screw-up!). So, I finally got a whole dish in on Wed. and put it up yesterday.
It really is pretty easy to put together (once you have all the parts!!) and aim if you follow the instructions. It is quite a bit heavier than the old 3lnb dish, however it is probably on a par with the GainMaster I have up now, so I will just use the same mounting plate. The rest of you guys may have to beef up your mount like I did for the GM. I installed a plank (I think 12" wide) between rafters in my attic and attached the mounting plate to that on the roof. I may try to get a picture of it later.

hey sid.... does that new dish work with your mpeg2 stuff? Reason I ask is my old mits HD D* box doesnot work with the ota tuner anymore (i have verified that) but I have never been able to verify that it doesnt work with the D* tuner. If it does I will have a good solution to get abc through one of you guys temporarily. But I want to be sure both tuners arent fried before I reassemble my old D* dish (plus it will need a new card).

On the party I think Jan 14 will be the best day....

We could possibly do it this weekend but the tech game at 5PM is right in the middle of the day (could possibly do a 12-4 or so). I personally would rather do Jan 14 because the OU game is at 1PM so it should be done by 5PM and we could do a post game party/comparison. And with classes starting that monday most people should be in town. But let me know what you think of either of those dates....

Jag, I don't have any of my receivers besides the H20 hooked up to the new dish, but I'm positive they would work with the AT9. Others with the AT9 still use their older receivers with it. Jan. 7th or 14th is OK with me, have you checked to see if there would be any suitable HD programming on then to make a comparison? Don't want to go to the trouble if nothing but SD is on! :p You might even have to put up your old antenna. :D

not much on the 14th or the 7th.

On the 14th inHd will have some basketball and HDnet will have hockey. If we do the 7th there is some football playoffs on abc (but cant do a comparison with that).

BTW one of you D* guys needs to host a party on the 11th. According to HD Sports Guide the OSU/TAMU game will be in HD on espn2hd. (or get sid to bring his d* box here for a few extra days ;))

and sid on the mits d* box.... i remember what the issue was (its not teh ota tuner). The component outputs are dead (svideo works fine). I know this box is out of warranty. I assume there is no way to get this replaced (for free) or anything like that? I know you "might" be able to get it replaced with the mpeg4 (real) transition.... but is that the only way? Kinda sucks this box is more or less useless right now.

I dont think they charge you anything to run the wire... I could be wrong though.


WARNING: Cox techs consider the following valid ways to install cable at your home:

Stapling cable to the exterior of your home/condo
Running cables across the roof
Drilling through exterior walls

I recommend being there to observe when the come to install. Tell them you want the cable dropped from the attic into the wall locations in a "home run" arrangement, not a daisy chain.

Jeff

to be fair its the same way at my house.... sans the running cables across the roof. Granted my houst is 20 yrs old.

And yes you should have been there.... hell I would have helped them do the work (but thats me to ensure I get a good installation)

so the inevitable question..... is your system activated yet? if so hows the quality? (i see from your other posts you had directv.... you going to keep it or do your own d*/cox comparison)?

Hey Jag, I vote for the 14th for the party 'cause I'm going to be at CES this weekend...yes it's sad, but someone has to do it. So far, there are 2688 exhibitors listed for the show covering about six different venues. If anyone has suggestions for "must see" items, let me know. I have show badge, airline tickets, hotel confirmation in hand!!!

Ill give you a few... The Runco Booth, TI, there is one company (dont remember the name though but it was near the runco booth last year) but they have moving chairs (actual moving chairs not just shakers.... very cool but VERY expensive)

And for the record Im tempted now to make it the 7th just to spite you for going to ces w/o me. (I will be there next year though) ;)

And for the record Im tempted now to make it the 7th just to spite you for going to ces w/o me. (I will be there next year though) ;)

Oh..that's cold. :mad:

The 14th works for me. I'll be out of town this weekend.

And where is FOX44CE? Surely, his vacation is over with.

hah figured you ota guys might be getting a bit antsy.....

the 14th it is.... would anybody be interested in a tour? I know tom way has said they would be avaliable to do a tour of the cox facilities. I tried to contact that kamu guy but never got a reply back.

Just want that WB. Can't even get that the H-town route...yet.

Hey elspank - when are you moving? My move looks about 90/10 to happen right now (that fluctuates daily:))

Can't move until the end of spring at the earliest, but the end of summer is more realistic for us.

Can't move until the end of spring at the earliest, but the end of summer is more realistic for us.
Got any realtors in mind?? ;)

We were watching KWTX-CBS/Waco last night, and noticed something a little peculiar. Maybe if someone from the Waco area is lurking here, you could shed some light on this. :rolleyes: Anyway, periodically scrolling along the bottom of the screen was this message-
"You're watching this program in high definition from KWTX-DT. This program is available free over the air and is also supplied at no charge to area cable systems. As the New Year begins we're hoping to continue to provide this quality high definition programming from KWTX and CBS to all Central Texas viewers, including subscribers of Time Warner Cable."
Sounds like someone's not happy with the current arrangement somewhere, and making threats. :confused:

Got any realtors in mind?? ;)

:eek:

FOX44CE --
any updates on increased power for us here in BCS? Thanks in advance!

I'm down for the 14th. My wife will be in Houston for a baby shower, so I may need to bum a ride from someone depending on when the party starts.

Should I bring my 360 and demo some DOA4 or Halo 2? :D

FOX44CE --
any updates on increased power for us here in BCS? Thanks in advance!

We are still waiting on the high power combiners from Pasternak enterprises. Apparently they are the only supplier and are in a backorder situation.

I am also in the process of getting approval from the tower owners to move the old feed line from our low power Waco KWKT-DT installation (no longer used since we moved it to Moody) to the Bryan tower to raise the antenna up.

I'm peddling as fast as I can!

I'm down for the 14th. My wife will be in Houston for a baby shower, so I may need to bum a ride from someone depending on when the party starts.

Should I bring my 360 and demo some DOA4 or Halo 2? :D

Maybe you should ride your bike. I'm not sure your wife would trust you with one of us. ;)

Thanks for the updates FOX44CE. Will the nused feed line raise the antenna a significant amount? How high is it right now?

She has made no mention of previous parties, so I think I'm in the clear now. :)

If Jag has a place inside for my bike, I'll ride it if I have no car. I think I can fit the 360 in my messenger bag.

I've seen you post about your bike on texags. I'm surprised you don't have an alarm on that thing.

I sold my firstborn for that bike. My insurance provider did a double-take when I asked about insurance for a bicycle. LOL

It's my precious!

We could even do the 360 on the F38310 in the living room (Ae700 in my bedroom and the 38310 in the den). Theres not much space at all in my bedroom so that would probably be better too (unless we wanted to move my cox dvr into the living room and use the 38310 for the comparison). Plus its semi close to the billiards room and dartboard.

I dunno... we will have to see. As far as the time goes the OU game is at 1PM so I was thinking it would be done around 4 or so, start the party at 5 or 6 PM.

And dave I dont live that close to you... although its not that far either (very close to bee creek park)

FOX44CE --
thanks for the quick reply. We appreciate your efforts!

FOX44CE --
thanks for the quick reply. We appreciate your efforts!

A new update. I got an e-mail from a viewer in Bryan stating that the HD football feed was off the air and my assistent went down to check out KYLE-DT.

The digital encoder output was dead and the transmitter was transmitting no data stream. I had him shut down the transmitter and I am having my sister station in Baton Rouge send me the corporate spare unit overnight.

We hope to have it on sometime tomorrow afternoon.

(See-somebody down there is picking it up)

The antenna is located at 150 feet on the tower now and I have another 200 feet of line so I can move it up to 350 feet if I get approval.

What does the height increase do? Help cover a larger area even at the same power? Just wondering.

I was hoping that we might have ABCHD on Cox in time for the Superbowl. Do you think it would be possible for Cox to at least show the game in HD on some temp channel? You would think they could get approval from ABC or someone to do that for that 1 event. Some of you that seem to know people at Cox could ask?

I guess it is just wishful thinking.

Im going to send an email pretty soon.... from what tom way said last time we emailed, the agreement to retransmit abc should be done by now and they expect it up in first quarter 06. I would think if an agreement is in place and they have an antenna turned towards waco for it (if the one for fox wont work) we would see it atleast temp for the superbowl. But this is all speculation until I get confirmation from tom way.

Well, 99aggiegrad says February at the earliest for ABC-HD on Cox.

well superbowl is 2/05/06, so thats in the timeframe (barely)

cox/tom way do seem concerned with HD and I dont see even if they are close to getting it up they wouldnt have it atleast on a temp channel so we can see it (even if it isnt perfect).

I seem to remember (this was before my cox days) that in the winter olympics they added kcen on a temp channel (just for the olympics) and it remained on afterwards..... i am half expecting something similar to happen. But it is cutting it close if something goes wrong (like the ota power problems). but if the signal is there i dont see cox holding it back.

I'm down for the 14th. My wife will be in Houston for a baby shower, so I may need to bum a ride from someone depending on when the party starts.

Should I bring my 360 and demo some DOA4 or Halo 2? :D
Jeez, I can't believe nobody has offered yet, but I'll give you a ride if you need! :)

They seem to have the ABC 13 feed for news so that is HD for sure (off air). If they can receive the news off air signal from 13 in Htown then they should be able to get the Superbowl.

they wont get abc13 as its not our dma (waco/bryan/college station). we have to get the abc out of waco.

Do they really have to get the Waco one? I mean, are they really serving our local area, and isn't KRHD just a low power translator like KMAY. I really don't know the legality of it, but it seems to me that we should be able to get any ABC we want since we don't have a full-powered (analog or digital) affiliate.

well tom way said they wouldnt get abc 13 (i specifically asked) because they arent our dma.

Too bad we can't secede and join Houston. Anyone know any higher-ups at the FCC?

Too bad we can't secede and join Houston. Anyone know any higher-ups at the FCC?

Update 20045: KYLE-DT is back on the air as of 12:40 PM 01/05/2006. (Hey, I got the year right!)

NOTE: I wathched the Rose Bowl game last night in HD (OTO KXXV 25.1) on a 32" Poloroid LCD flat screen and the pixilation was pretty bad. I went back and forth to upcoverted SD and it seemed better with the Poloroid Faruja upconverter than the HD feed. (No wide screen of course).

I hate to criticize, but that's the reason I'm so careful with bit rates.

NOTE2: The WB added HD captioning to their feed last week and we had some trouble with our decoders. That was resolved yesterday after many conversations with their TOC. (Technical Operations Center)

labman --
do you have to use the new 6x8 KA/Ku multiswitch with the AT9? A dealer I talked to said I would only need the multiswitch if I wanted to hook up more than 4 receivers. I thought I needed the new switch.

Update 20045: KYLE-DT is back on the air as of 12:40 PM 01/05/2006. (Hey, I got the year right!)

NOTE: I wathched the Rose Bowl game last night in HD (OTO KXXV 25.1) on a 32" Poloroid LCD flat screen and the pixilation was pretty bad. I went back and forth to upcoverted SD and it seemed better with the Poloroid Faruja upconverter than the HD feed. (No wide screen of course).

I hate to criticize, but that's the reason I'm so careful with bit rates.

NOTE2: The WB added HD captioning to their feed last week and we had some trouble with our decoders. That was resolved yesterday after many conversations with their TOC. (Technical Operations Center)

I watched the game at my dads house (kxxv was coming in pretty good wed night). And I actually thought the picture was pretty damn good on my dads mits 65 inch. There was pixellization there though but considering they run 2 subchannels it wasnt that bad (and yes i know i hate them for doing it, also hate kbtx in CS because they were giving us a uncompressed 19mbit feed and downconverted when they added upn in test mode... luckily for us cox users we are getting a fiber line to give us upnSD and cbs back at full bitrate).

Related to this CSI looked amazing last night [i will save that ep for the party] (when there wasnt motion but ouch as soon as motion hit, especially in the opening.... really showed the bw starving). Cant wait for cbs back to full bitrates.

labman --
do you have to use the new 6x8 KA/Ku multiswitch with the AT9? A dealer I talked to said I would only need the multiswitch if I wanted to hook up more than 4 receivers. I thought I needed the new switch.
He's right. The AT9 has four outputs already, just like the 3lnb dish. You only need a MS if you have more than 4 tuners. Don't forget, if you have a DirecTivo that uses two tuners each.

some ces news....

http://www.something-fishy.com/photography/TiVoS3

and with cebridges annoucement carring tivo hardware in their markets now wonder if they would carry the new cable tivo boxes. And how pissed off would our d* bretheren get if you had to go back to "lowly" cable to get your tivo fix. Shame im not there to see how fast this box actually is.... if its as slow as the hdtivos i dont want it.

edit actually it shouldnt matter since we can get cable cards from cox now.... :) Plus I could save 15 bucks a month then. (if it doesnt cost a arm and a leg) ;)

He's right. The AT9 has four outputs already, just like the 3lnb dish. You only need a MS if you have more than 4 tuners. Don't forget, if you have a DirecTivo that uses two tuners each.


Thanks for the info. I already have a 6x8 switch, so I should be good to go.

If you want to know the HD lineup for FOX and WB you can go to either kwkt.com or kyle28.com and click on the program schedule menu.

We supply this information to Decisionmark for our PSIP guide and web schedule

Both channel schedules are there and HD programming is appropriately noted.

Thanks for the info. I already have a 6x8 switch, so I should be good to go.
Not if you need the 6x8 for more than four tuners now, edit-unless your 6x8 is the Zinwell WB68 or you plan on using your old dish along with the new one. Reason being that the MS needs all four outputs from the dish, regardless of which kind, to output to all the receivers. The new Zinwell WB68 MS is the only one currently that supports the new MPEG-4 scheme, the older ones will not. The Zinwell WB68 has 6 inputs; 4 for the AT9 outputs, and 2 of which are for auxilliary sats for locals and international programming at expanded orbital slots. I searched online for a product sheet for the new MS, but couldn't find one.

Hey Sid, you might want to try picking up KYLE tonight. I gave it a shot, and got some stronger than normal blips (a couple of runs into the forties).

I tried, but still nothing. :( Like you said, occasionally the HD-Tivo will show a jump in SS up to about 40, then drop back down. I have seen it do that fairly often before, not sure what causes that behavior. Maybe I will try a comparison to the H20's reception this weekend. BTW, right now KWKT is coming in pretty well. Funny thing is the number one tuner is showing about 55-58, the number two is showing 66-68.

I've been lurking around this board over the past week and finally decided I needed to post. Has anyone in the Tiffany Park/Copperfield/Wheeler Ridge area of Bryan been able to pick up any other HD channels other than KBTX and KAMU? I've been in the attic attempting to tune in KWKT, but not having much success. My signal strength meter that is built into my D* Samsung 360 is all over the place, so it's difficult to tell if I'm in the ballpark. If you are able to pick up other channels, what type of antenna do you have and what other channels are you able to pick up? Also, has anyone ever received a waiver from KXXV? Thanks in advance for your help!

Welcome to our forum, mwells! I feel your pain on trying to fine tune antenna aiming with a Sammy360, that signal meter is worthless. I know, I have one also, although I don't use it for aiming. Unfortunately, KWKT is going to be a problem, especially from an attic location. I can sometimes get KWKT at night, if the weather cooperates. Have you been able to get anything from them? They are just too low power to get reliable reception here. FOX44CE can tell you the particulars of why, but as I recall the FCC limits them on how much power they can output. Fortunately KYLE-DT is very close to being boosted power-wise, so we may be able to get FOX-HD here soon! :) Right, FOX44CE? ;)
KXXV used to give waivers pretty much automatically a few years ago (elspankdog may still have his from them), but I changed addresses a little over 2 years ago and had to re-apply through DirecTV and was denied. :mad: I am able to pick up KXXV-DT most of the time, even daytime with maybe occasional breakups, but much better at night. But that is with a high-performance Televes (European) UHF-only antenna on a 50-foot tower. I have a pic of it here (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/8705/size/big/ppuser/34863).
With NBC, KCEN-DT from Waco is on VHF, so a UHF-only antenna does little good for it. That is what the bottom antenna on my tower is for, it's a VHF only combined into the feed from the UHF on top with a ChannelMaster pre-amp. It comes in fairly well, sometimes has some breakups for me. I might get it better by fine tuning the aim, but it's OK for now.
A few people have had some success with pointing towards Houston for NBC and ABC, even from inside their attic, but it still is not as reliable as one would like.
I hope I haven't sounded too discouraging, but those are the facts of HD-life in B/CS. Welcome again, and good luck!

Not if you need the 6x8 for more than four tuners now, edit-unless your 6x8 is the Zinwell WB68 or you plan on using your old dish along with the new one. Reason being that the MS needs all four outputs from the dish, regardless of which kind, to output to all the receivers. The new Zinwell WB68 MS is the only one currently that supports the new MPEG-4 scheme, the older ones will not. The Zinwell WB68 has 6 inputs; 4 for the AT9 outputs, and 2 of which are for auxilliary sats for locals and international programming at expanded orbital slots. I searched online for a product sheet for the new MS, but couldn't find one.


Now I'm a little confused. I'm only going to have an HR10-250 and the new H20 activated, but I think I'm just going to go ahead and purchase the Zinwell WB68. The dealer I spoke with quoted a total price of $120 for both the AT9 and the WB68. That's the best I've found so far.

Now I'm a little confused. I'm only going to have an HR10-250 and the new H20 activated, but I think I'm just going to go ahead and purchase the Zinwell WB68. The dealer I spoke with quoted a total price of $120 for both the AT9 and the WB68. That's the best I've found so far.
That is a good deal on the two. If those are the only boxes you have, you don't really need a MS for now, but would be future-proofing. Now I'm a little confused why you have a MS already! :p

labman --
Best Buy gave me the Zinwell SAM-6802 when I purchased my H10 back in April 05, along with both dishes. I paid $200 for the box and all that stuff came with it. Then I got my $200 dollars back with the 'former Voom customer' rebate D* was offering.

I remember reading in some earlier posts that some of you guys own the Logitech Harmony 880 Universal Remote. I'm thinking of purchasing one. Do y'all have any pros, cons, thoughts, observations, or recommendations for this remote? Thanks in advance!

i think pretty much everybody owns one here (they all followed me of course ;))

its a really good remote.... i like mine. I will let the others chime in from a D* standpoint

labman --
Best Buy gave me the Zinwell SAM-6802 when I purchased my H10 back in April 05, along with both dishes.
Ahh, that makes more sense now. You needed a MS to combine more than one dish, like for the B/CS locals.

I was just checking the weather feed on KXXV-DT a while ago. Looks like a bad day to be in Killeen!! :eek:
http://www.frogflats.com/area_temps.jpg

The 880 is great as far as setup goes. Just a little tweaking and everything is perfect. I'm looking to upgrade to the RF version, the 890, soon. I'd be willing to let mine go for a nice price. jag will probably follow my lead again and get the 890 too. ;) I think ecost has a pretty good deal on the 880 right now.

Just to let you know what mine is controlling: two D* TiVos (HD and SD), HK receiver, two Sony receivers (two different command modes), 4 DVD players, CD player, VCR, another D* HD receiver, and an antenna rotor. Took less than 30 minutes to set it all up.

I forgot about the D*/voOm rebate; I never got mine.

Sid, thanks for the info. I look forward to KYLE-DT upping their power. I've e-mailed KXXV a couple of times and never get a response. They have a link on their website to request a waiver and I've never heard anything from them. I may try to call them at some point. Again, thanks for the info.

The 880 is great as far as setup goes. Just a little tweaking and everything is perfect. I'm looking to upgrade to the RF version, the 890, soon. I'd be willing to let mine go for a nice price. jag will probably follow my lead again and get the 890 too. ;) I think ecost has a pretty good deal on the 880 right now.

Just to let you know what mine is controlling: two D* TiVos (HD and SD), HK receiver, two Sony receivers (two different command modes), 4 DVD players, CD player, VCR, another D* HD receiver, and an antenna rotor. Took less than 30 minutes to set it all up.

I forgot about the D*/voOm rebate; I never got mine.

i have no reason at all to upgrade my 880.... maybe with the "next" version but i will have some expensive upgrades before too long (cablecard tivo maybe provided it doesnt cost too much $ which it probably will by tivo standards but atleast we will be getting cablecard mce version to use as well and will be much cheaper), and looking to get a new hdmi switching receiver (so i can finally use my projector in hdmi mode vs component but thats going to be around the same time because they are awfully expensive atm still)

Sid, thanks for the info. I look forward to KYLE-DT upping their power. I've e-mailed KXXV a couple of times and never get a response. They have a link on their website to request a waiver and I've never heard anything from them. I may try to call them at some point. Again, thanks for the info.

your best bet will be wait till cox adds the channel.... for some reason they want cox to run a fiberline to their affil here locally so theres a chance abc might be coming ota (but this is all speculation)

Sid, thanks for the info. I look forward to KYLE-DT upping their power. I've e-mailed KXXV a couple of times and never get a response. They have a link on their website to request a waiver and I've never heard anything from them. I may try to call them at some point. Again, thanks for the info.
Yeah, KXXV has become rather notorious for that phantom e-mail address. Brian and myself have both sent numerous queries to them using various routes, all to never be replied to. I would even call them by phone, and could never get past the operator/receptionist that answers the phone. She would try to be very informative/helpful, but it would be nice to talk to someone in the know once in a while. Maybe you can get through sometime. Good luck.

you know sometimes I really hate this hobby.... yet another thing to add to my "want" list.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs.cfm

Is there any news on fox yet? are they at something you can pickup yet?

Also I want to get a count going for who will be attending the party sat night... For food/beer and to know if im going to have to temp move my projector (if we have too many people)

I'll be there.

Count me in.

Who all is invited?? :p

Who all is invited?? :p

everybody but mikey... he had the gall to leave me home when going to ces. then again he probably didnt like going to ces and seeing that new cablecard tivo ;)

and everybody is invited.... but im only gonna buy a 20 pack of bud select probably so anything you want beyond that will need to be brought.

BTW sid you gonna bring just the new box? or we looking at the hdtivo too (since there wont be much on sat night). There is a football game on cbs though and a basketball game on inhd. I did make a 5 min recording of both games earlier.... any other requests this week (for something that will be on to record)

Guys, thanks for the info on the Harmony 880.

Jag, thanks for the invitation, but I won't be able to be there.

Labman, I scored a Zinwell WB68 for $20.50 on Ebay. I don't know if you have one yet or not, but I thought you'd be interested.

Also I want to get a count going for who will be attending the party sat night... For food/beer and to know if im going to have to temp move my projector (if we have too many people)

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it. Wife is taking me and the kids to Houston to see Annie. Luckily I get to play golf with the other Dad's while she is at the show, but I still have to go to Houston.

Thanks for the Invite!

Bill

guess its going to be the same ol same ol people (with one extra.... one of my friends is into hd stuff but this will be his first meeting).... ;)

granted i warn you now my house isnt exactly the "best" quality.... im sure you all can remember your college days. ;) (but my projector kicks ass)

Also, do you guys care between 5 and 6 PM. Doesnt really matter that much but im not sure when the ou game will be over so i want to have atleast warmed up the grill by the time people get here.

Well, if you want to do a comparison between D*/Cox, there is a football game on FOX at 3:30-6:30, and then there is "Crossing Jordan" on NBC at 7:00. IMHO it might be nice to be able to use both of those shows if we have time to setup. Don't want to rush you from the game, though.

also oceans 12 on hbo... ill probably keep my hbo sub active for one more week so we can use it in the comparison. Also there is a football game on at 7 on CBS (but if i remember right you dont have cbs on mpeg4 yet right?).

Any requests for shows you want me to record? I will probably have CSI:Miami, Las Vegas or Surface, E-Ring, CSI.

....... Also there is a football game on at 7 on CBS (but if i remember right you dont have cbs on mpeg4 yet right?).
That is correct. Damn you, BELO!!! :D

Anyone here do extraction from a HDTiVo and transcoding to h.264/DivX/XviD/etc? I've been trying to create a workflow and was interested in what other people are doing.

So, has anyone got their pre-order in yet?? :)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-dnIz8WryS6v/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=052HDA1&readmore=true

Sucks that it will only do HD via HDMI. That would require me to get a new video card for my plasma. Of course, I do have $75 in gift cards to Crutchfield.

vinsonr, have you checked out the yahoo group for the HD TiVo? I'm also pretty sure that Ursa on the Houston thread has tweaked his HD TiVo.

i hear this player is gong to more or less suck.... but its good to see they will actually start at 500 for a barebones which is nice.

The initial pricepoint is nice, but I think I'm going to wait until the format war is over with.

Heck, I'll have Blu-Ray with the PS3 and Microsoft announced an addon for HD-DVD on the 360. It also depends on what titles are coming out.

well im pretty sure hd-dvd will win... unless blueray has a major ace up their sleeve on the pricing. theres now way if hd-dvd is close to dvd pricing and blueray is more expensive that blueray can win.

I will buy the better computer version though so i cna use my theatertek plyer still. I doont see ps3/xbox hd-dvd addon being very good dvd players.

i hear this layer is gong to more or less suck.... but its good to see they will actually start at 500 for a barebones which is nice.

Much better than $1000+ DVD players. Remember that?

i never paid that much for one ;) (and i wont pay that much for a new one or hdtivo). I will consider getting a hdmi switching receiver when they hit the ~350 price point (my current one should net me 200).

BTW any of you guys have experince with this?: http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?bid=97&id=29477

Thats a really good price but it is "monster" but the reviews have been excellent. The power in my house sucks (built in the late 70's) so I am looking to clean the power somewhat.

so none of you d* subs are gonna have a espn2HD watching party for the game tonight? ;)

And the official party info:

Date: Jan 14, 2006 (after the OU game)
Place: My House (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=2005%20Rayburn%20Ct&city=College%20Station&state=TX&zipcode=77840%2d4971&country=US&location=hIDQhAzQG%2fzKa61VUsmAiDWlvNn0Gon503z78a9W6rxSfBDQh ztUMlGCOdvXYpavg%2f2JDxkm7d727GpxqnG7OmMLoGnANRcfmWHQb3EdEgi KM9Xkn18Ehx5xHRVnABpmBtM9oOjJVspqtN6Ark3nPL1x0a17LwoF) 2nd Driveway on the left.
Time: 6:00 PM
Food: Burgers & Beer
I will buy a 20 pack of bud select to get started

On the docket: Cox vs DirecTV Comparison, xbox360 demo/gametime
*btw dave does xbox require hdmi or will it run on componenet? I have 2 hdtv's at the house and not sure which way i want to go (the 38310 is in a larger room with more seating but my projector kicks more ass but room is much smaller). but the 31380 doesnt not have dvi or hdmi (damn shame too because its a really nice tv)

You mean the game is on TV? And in HD? :rolleyes:

some minor cox news.... upn launches jan 23 on cox and we will get all their channels through the fiber connect. It will be interesting to see if the quality stays the same as it is now on cbs or gets worse when there is actual video there (i wouldnt think it takes that much to run a color bar pattern with audio but according to my bitrate readings it jumps from 13-16.5)

ABC-HD deal is done but tom isnt sure they will have it online before superbowl ("they have stood their ground about not giving us the KXXV HD feed to supplement the addition of KRHD-HD." -Direct Quote). He was cryptic about it though not wanting to promise it. So Im going to assume it wont be up before the superbowl. KXXV is stupid.

What's that? 0 for 3 in HD now? :(

Jag, refresh my memory. Where and what channel is Cox going to get the ABC-HD from?
Sucks that the Ags were so close to breaking that 80-something year old string. :(

the one out of waco.... kxxv out of waco i guess (i think its channel 25). I have no idea what channel it would be on with cox. I would guess 720 though (have 700, 705, 710, 730 right now)

atleast some good news with cox (sorta) I got color channel logos activated on all the channels tonight. Not a huge deal but its good to finally have logos.

AND KICKASS.... digital upgrade was activated early :) (getting uniHD). signal is variable between 12-14 mbit so its right around 13 (closer to 14 though so about 13.5) mbit as was stated earlier (dont remember by who)

Also getting starzHD free too (whoever posted the info about unihd said he was getting starz for free)... its wierd, just the hd channel.

I picked up an H20 receiver at our Best Buy this afternoon. There was one more on the shelf if anyone's interested.

Jag, the 360 is only on component, so we're good. Sid or spank, I may need a ride. My wife's party is at 2pm in Pearland. Don't think she'll make it back in time.


Johnny, where are you getting the dish from? Going to try the install yourself? :)

dave99ag --
I found a guy in Conroe who will sell me an AT9 for $80. I've yet to set up a time to go get it, but I hope to have it installed by next week. It doesn't sound too difficult.

Labman, am I out of my league? Was your install hard?

dave99ag --
I just spoke with the guy in Conroe and he said he doesn't have anything available! He just emailed me a couple of days ago, and today he acted like he'd never even heard of me. So right now I just have an H20 hooked up to the ol' 3 LNB dish.

That sucks! I'm sure you can always go through Solid Signal, but you'll pay a bit more.

dave99ag --
I found a guy in Conroe who will sell me an AT9 for $80. I've yet to set up a time to go get it, but I hope to have it installed by next week. It doesn't sound too difficult.

Labman, am I out of my league? Was your install hard?
It's not that hard, at least to get a basic signal on all the sats. You just need to use the proper numbers for tilt and altitude when putting it together, and make sure the mast is plumb. Once the dish is on the mast, just turn it until you get max signal on the sats. That may be the hardest part, especially if trying to do it by yourself without a special sat meter at the dish. It would help if you had someone watching the meters on TV for you. Also, the dish is quite a bit heavier than the old one, be sure it is attached to something sturdy. Once you get it pretty well aimed, there are fine adjustments you can make. If you can't make it to Jag's Saturday for a demo, there are some installation videos you can download and checkout here (http://www.solidsignal.com/satellite/at9_install_videos.asp). If you think you would need some help I would be glad to help.

Jag, the 360 is only on component, so we're good. Sid or spank, I may need a ride. My wife's party is at 2pm in Pearland. Don't think she'll make it back in time.
Just let me know if you do. :)

Well, my move to Cypress is officially happening (fighting some peeps for a house right now), but I guess I'll keep hanging out with those from the house-of-the-rising-ota. :)

On a side note, I got a job offer working in a new sales division for satellite retailer, so if anyone needs a hook-up give me a call. I'm going to continue part-time in RE, so I can still hook anybody up on that end too.

I'm gonna miss getting to totally plan each day of my life, but I sure ain't gonna miss not knowing how much next month's income will be (or at least knowing the minimum sure ain't 0).

Jag, do you have an optical cable I can use for the 360? All of mine are tightly run behind my wall unit.

Sid, I think I'll take you up on the ride offer. Feel free to come by whenever. I'll show you my camera/tripod setup. Let me know if you need directions.

so I can still hook anybody up on that end too.

Queue the porn music... :D

Dave, I can bring an extra toslink if needed, and what, you don't want to ride with me?

I'll take a ride from whomever. Sid just wanted to check out the tripod for my camera.

KYLE-DT Update:

We are still waiting for high power combiners for the power upgrade.

I have obtained bids to move the transmission line from the old KWKT-DT low power installation and move it to Bryan to raise the KYLE-DT antenna up to 450ft.

Since the failure of our encoder at the KYLE-DT transmitter site and our inability to monitor it's operation, we have installed a SlingBox at the site and are now monitoring the transmitter over the internet DSL (Bryan) and Cable (Waco).

We were notified of the failure by a viewer in CS who had been receiving 28.1 and 28.2 OTA since before Christmas with an outdoor antenna and integrated TV.

....... and what, you don't want to ride with me?
He doesn't like being attacked by deer!! :D

Well, my move to Cypress is officially happening (fighting some peeps for a house right now), but I guess I'll keep hanging out with those from the house-of-the-rising-ota. :)
I guess we will just have to stalk you over on the Houston thread, then! ;) Hope everything works out.

Jag, do you have an optical cable I can use for the 360? All of mine are tightly run behind my wall unit.

Sid, I think I'll take you up on the ride offer. Feel free to come by whenever. I'll show you my camera/tripod setup. Let me know if you need directions.

i should have a few extra toslinks somewhere..... but if anybody has extra that will help. The stereo isnt that great on the 38310 in the living room (cheapo pioneer receiver and mishmashed combo's of speakers but its not too bad). I am thinking about keeping the demo setup on the projector and then move my cable box to the 38310 (for the football game and within viewing distance of the pool table) and keeping 360 somewhat separated on the big screen for those that want to play.

I've downloaded a bunch of the demos/trailers. DOA4 should look quite nice on the big screen. I hope no one is offended by scantily clad computer generated women.

Maybe jag should download the Island Fever HD clips.

the only "questionable" clip i have is the wild things sex scene hdtv clip.... that and one bikini destinations 30 sec clip somewhere.... but ive got abotu 200 gigs of stores HD clips (half of it is band of brothers though)

Queue the porn music... :D

Dave, I can bring an extra toslink if needed, and what, you don't want to ride with me?

I.CAN'T.STOP.LAUGHING.

btw if anybody has trouble finding my house my cell is 979-739-8825

Ive got a cooler but its not the biggest if anybody could maybe bring a smaller cooler that would be helpful. Ive got the burgers and will be heading to the store to get buns, beer, etc. anybody else think of anything we might need?

everybody but mikey... he had the gall to leave me home when going to ces. then again he probably didnt like going to ces and seeing that new cablecard tivo ;)



Hey!!! I want to play too :mad: Can I come...please???

Hey!!! I want to play too :mad: Can I come...please???

well i already posted my mapquest address so you could have shown up regardless... just might not have let you in the door ;)

Also could use a couple extra fold out chairs (the cloth kind).... for temporary seating with the cox/d* demo).

And sid if you want to come early feel free to setup that dish when there is some light.

I'm getting ready to record 24 in HD...never thought I'd see the day when I'd be able to do that in College Station :)

BTW, that projector is pretty sweet jag. Definitely gotta get one of those some day.

BTW, that projector is pretty sweet jag. Definitely gotta get one of those some day.

well i need a 360 now (even though i will wait until ps3 comes out so the price war can happen [unless ps3 just really blows me away maybe dave can host the next one so we can do a 360 vs ps3 comparison because we all know he will get one]... theres no way i will pay more than 350 for the premium bundle so as soon it it hits that price ill buy).... (to add to my list of svs speaker set and hdmi switching receiver). My biggest reason right now the 360 is ahead is the streaming of media center content. I could theoretically move my htpc into a closet and sell my case and existing htpc and just get a server with media center and the xbox could control everything (TV/HDTV included) with the upcoming cable cards (which even verizon will support which is huge imo because as long as cable stays somewhat affordable i doubt i will leave them well as long as cebridge doesnt do something stupid like take away all the hd channels when they takeover) and just having a xbox for dvd and tv/hdtv playback will be sweet (as well as hd-dvd).

some of those games were flat out amazing on a 720p projector.

It was good to finally compare cox and d*. Still very wierd that the HD differences were very small (but it could have been a number of things... just look here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=631496). I was actually very suprised though how much better analog cable is than digitized versions of d*/e* (thats one of the biggest knocks about cable is analog looks horrible and it was the complete reverse with dbs signals looking much worse). The possibilities are pretty much unlimited with a computer setup and with cable card coming it will be a very real solution to use for dvr (especially with the all the extender devices)

Hmm, if I was in town and on cable, I might be tempted to get a HDTV with a QAM tuner and cablecard capability! :D
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=631280

Hmm, if I was in town and on cable, I might be tempted to get a HDTV with a QAM tuner and cablecard capability! :D
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=631280

When I was in San Antonio over the break I picked up well over 50 digital cable channels with my PC tuner (that supports unencrypted QAM). I was surprised, to say the least. Seemed to be most of the regular digital cable channels, but no premium channels and no HD except for the locals there (and Universal HD, strangely enough). Here, everything (on Cox) seems to be encrypted except for the locals (KBTX/KAMU/KCEN/KWKT). I'm happy enough with those anyway. ;)

yeah that guy lives in an apt so most likely his apt is footing the bill (even though they dont know it)

I cant wait for all the new cablecard devices (mainly cablecard media center edition now as tivo will take forever and cost a ton).

Ive noticed cox does run a pretty tight ship here.... other than getting starz (everything seems to be encrypted)

BTW spank... I saw my frst bsg episode in hd sunday. I was actually suprised how little blocking there was (especially with fast motion.... I never really saw any blocking at all) which is odd since uniHD comes in at 13-15 mbit (which is much worse than cbs yet there is alot more blocking on cbs [thank god for fiberlines]). Of course its possible uniHd gives bsg more bandwith (didnt check it during the show).

Didn't know if anyone has noticed or checked lately, but UPN/3.2 now has video running. Looks to be promos, sample clips, and schedules of programming. I had noticed this evening that KBTX-DT was having occasional "hiccups", don't know if it's related to UPN, could've been the wind. :confused:

Another new member here. I've been reading these posts for a long time, and there's a question someone asked a couple pages back from someone in the Tiffany Park/Copperfield area about reception. Well, I'll share my experiences. I live in Copperfield and I have a minimal antenna (Channel Master StealthTenna) in my attic, going to a Zenith Directv reciever. I've always gotten the HD local stuff no problem, but lately have had success getting Fox, ABC, NBC, PBS....well, everything from Austin. This happens when the weather is just right and the planets are correctly aligned, but over the last few weeks it's been more and more frequent. I set the antenna up in the attic, turned it for best signal from the locals and have not adjusted it since then.

Didn't know if anyone has noticed or checked lately, but UPN/3.2 now has video running. Looks to be promos, sample clips, and schedules of programming. I had noticed this evening that KBTX-DT was having occasional "hiccups", don't know if it's related to UPN, could've been the wind. :confused:

i saw that last night when i stopped by my parents house to get something.... shame its not live yet. i want my full bitrate cbs back before this weekends games. ;) (stupid cbs and not activating the channel until the 23rd)

Another new member here. I've been reading these posts for a long time, and there's a question someone asked a couple pages back from someone in the Tiffany Park/Copperfield area about reception. Well, I'll share my experiences. I live in Copperfield and I have a minimal antenna (Channel Master StealthTenna) in my attic, going to a Zenith Directv reciever. I've always gotten the HD local stuff no problem, but lately have had success getting Fox, ABC, NBC, PBS....well, everything from Austin. This happens when the weather is just right and the planets are correctly aligned, but over the last few weeks it's been more and more frequent. I set the antenna up in the attic, turned it for best signal from the locals and have not adjusted it since then.

It helps that you have a Zenith box too. Those things are the best at picking up fringe signals. Do you have the 520?

Yep, the 520. I read some good reviews before I bought it, I've been really happy with it.

Another new member here. I've been reading these posts for a long time, and there's a question someone asked a couple pages back from someone in the Tiffany Park/Copperfield area about reception. Well, I'll share my experiences. I live in Copperfield and I have a minimal antenna (Channel Master StealthTenna) in my attic, going to a Zenith Directv reciever. I've always gotten the HD local stuff no problem, but lately have had success getting Fox, ABC, NBC, PBS....well, everything from Austin. This happens when the weather is just right and the planets are correctly aligned, but over the last few weeks it's been more and more frequent. I set the antenna up in the attic, turned it for best signal from the locals and have not adjusted it since then.

Welcome to the forum. I'm Chief Engineer of KWKT/KYLE and am wondering if you are able to pick up KYLE-DT (28.1 KYLE-SD) and (28.2 KWKT-HD). My consulting engineer increased the power from 1 KW to 2.5 KW the night before last. (It will go up further to 5 KW when we get a heat sink installed on the output power combiners).

I have a bid from a tower crew to increase the antenna hight and am waiting on corporate approval to proceed with this modification. If anyone else will try to receive it and give me a report, I would appreciate it.

I'll turn my attic mounted Televes its way this evening and give it a try on both my HD-TiVo and Zenith box. Last time I checked, 28-2 still wasn't showing up in the DirecTV guide. FOX44CE, you said you are providing guide info to Tribune right? Is there anything else that needs to be done if it is a new channel addition?

I'll turn my attic mounted Televes its way this evening and give it a try on both my HD-TiVo and Zenith box. Last time I checked, 28-2 still wasn't showing up in the DirecTV guide. FOX44CE, you said you are providing guide info to Tribune right? Is there anything else that needs to be done if it is a new channel addition?

Yes, I updated the status of 28-2 with Neilson listing service last week. I'm not sure it takes to update DirectTV but I have now notified every listing service I know of.

I did a scan for OTA channels last night, and can't get 28-1. I've never even had a blip from it. Where is the digital signal being transmitted from? I've been looking forward to FOX HD for a long time.

I'll turn my attic mounted Televes its way this evening and give it a try on both my HD-TiVo and Zenith box. Last time I checked, 28-2 still wasn't showing up in the DirecTV guide. FOX44CE, you said you are providing guide info to Tribune right? Is there anything else that needs to be done if it is a new channel addition?
You may have to rescan to get it to show up, that is, if there is enough signal. Maybe with the Zenith you won't have to do a full rescan, just a manual channel add, if that.
Ohh, the anticipation of a new HD channel!! :) And I have to work late tonight!! :(

You may have to rescan to get it to show up, that is, if there is enough signal. Maybe with the Zenith you won't have to do a full rescan, just a manual channel add, if that.
Ohh, the anticipation of a new HD channel!! :) And I have to work late tonight!! :(

I would recommend trying to add the channel manually. I have had good responses from viewers in weak signal locations of KWKT with several different set-top boxes that couldn't pick it up on a scan.

Adding KWKT manually (57) usually maps it out correctly and adds it in as 44.1 and 44.2.

In the case of KYLE you would add 29 and it should map tp 28.1 and 28.2.

Thank you FCC for forcing us to require this tuner re-mapping! (sarcasm)

FOX44CE, I'm at home right now, so I went through another 'initial setup' using the local zip code. It placed 28.1 on the guide, and I'm getting a 15-20 out of 100 on my signal strength scale. Not enough to grab the signal, but that's better than I've ever gotten before. Maybe (I hope) an increase to 5kW or a taller tower will do the trick! I want the sports, my wife wants the OC.

FOX44CE, I'm at home right now, so I went through another 'initial setup' using the local zip code. It placed 28.1 on the guide, and I'm getting a 15-20 out of 100 on my signal strength scale. Not enough to grab the signal, but that's better than I've ever gotten before. Maybe (I hope) an increase to 5kW or a taller tower will do the trick! I want the sports, my wife wants the OC.

I guess that's an improvement. I can use your information to push harder for raising the antenna. For the who haven't seen my earlier info:

The KYLE and KYLE-DT transmitter are located on the taller of the two side-by-side towers on FM2818 about 1.4 miles from the intersection of Hwy six and FM2818.

(This is on the Northwest side of Bryan just before the OSR exit)

We were discussing your tower this weekend. What all is the slingbox transmitting to you? Are you able to get HD from it? We jokingly suggested that we should all install slingboxes right at the tower. :D

We were discussing your tower this weekend. What all is the slingbox transmitting to you? Are you able to get HD from it? We jokingly suggested that we should all install slingboxes right at the tower. :D

At the KYLE transmitter site we have Verizon DSL (2 MBit) on a deicated telephone line. I have a Cisco DSL 4 port router and am using the hardware firewall to get access to the SlingBox, the KYLE-TV and KYLE-DT remote control computer, the Treveni Guide Builder PSIP generator for KYLE-DT and the KYLE-DT encoder and multiplex.

The SlingBox has a remote control that allows me to switch between 28.1 and 28.2 on my decoder (from Waco) and the video input to the slingbox is 480i 4:3 on 28.1 (KYLE-SD) and 480i Letterbox on 28.2 (KWKT-HD). I know it's not HD but it works for me to see if it's on the air.

At the Waco end we have Business Class Grande Cable Internet access (8 MBit) and are using Sling Viewer and PcAnywhere to access the various devices in Bryan. (Too much information?)

I'm an IT guy, so the computer stuff doesn't scare me. I'm pretty sure most of us enjoy hearing about the tech side of this stuff too.

Well, no luck with KYLE-DT here in South CS. I'll try again after dark. Just the same old little blips so far.

Cast&Pray,

Welcome to the board. I was the one asking about Tiffany Park/Copperfield reception. This past weekend I went and bought a ChannelMaster 3020 antenna from Lowe's and installed it in my attic. On Monday during the rain, I was picking up Waco and Houston channels. I couldn't believe it when I did my scan and was able to pick up 10 digital channels. It's interesting that you have been picking up Austin channels. I may have to turn the antenna and try it myself. It sounds like your Zenith box may be helping you receive it. I have a Samsung 360. As for being able to pick up KYLE, I haven't been able to get anything as of yet.

John

No luck on KYLE-DT out in the boonies, either, still. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Rage.gif

No luck on KYLE-DT out in the boonies, either, still. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Rage.gif

fox has been great for me.... ;)

fox has been great for me.... ;)
Me, too, for over a year. :p

Well, I don't think we're complaining too much. We've had Fox in HD for quite sometime now. Just not locally. :p

Does anybody know off of the top of their head the longest reliable HDMI run? I'm debating whether to buy a long HDMI cable or two adapters to use on the long DVI cable I already have.

I have seen 35 footers on ebay..... not sure if they are actually good that far out but if they didnt atleast work I dont think people would be selling them. I will need a 35 footer for my projector run when the HDMI switching receivers drop down some (gotta be ready fot hd-dvd/blueay/xbox360/ps3)

One thing thats actually pretty wierd is how cheap the runs that long are..... only 10-15 more than my VGA or component cable.

Are the receivers going to have that many HDMI inputs?

I can't even find one that can handle enough component inputs for my systems: Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, and Gamecube.

Well Dave, I guess you'll have to get another DVI switch or an HDMI switch to go with that HDMI switching reciever. My 35 ft DVI cable works fine. I might try the two HDMI adapters on it first to see if that works. That'll be a cheap test. I'm just afraid I might need a 50 ft run.

Well Dave, I guess you'll have to get another DVI switch or an HDMI switch to go with that HDMI switching reciever.

I'm pretty close to getting a component switcher with digital audio and remote control to handle everything. Hopefully they aren't too expensive.

ive seen some 4->1 hdmi receivers but they are the veyr high end stuff.... all the cheaper yamahas and denons have 2->1. which isnt even enough for me but it should be good enough for x360.

btw dave i have been messing with media center alot the past few days and it is the best software package i have ever used. it can do pretty much anything (and i dont even get my tv tuner until this afternoon). it also can theoretically control my moto6412 (channel changes/recording) via the firewire but thats part of my next round of tests. but if it works i will be replacing the 6412 with media center as my primary tuner/dvr. I really cant wait until cablecard support comes out for them.

Did a channel scan on the HD-TiVo to add 3-2 UPN, and another surprise showed up: 9-2 for KCEN. Nothing being broadcast at the moment, but there is a signal there. :(

Did a channel scan on the HD-TiVo to add 3-2 UPN, and another surprise showed up: 9-2 for KCEN. Nothing being broadcast at the moment, but there is a signal there. :(

Veddy interesting.........I just looked at it and they don't have an ID on it either.

Jag, I'm really getting interested in MCE because of the 360. Other than the media stuff, is MCE that much different than XP Pro? I'd still like to be able to do my admin and web developement on it if I upgrade. I'm bummed that you can't do an inplace upgrade, but have to start from scratch. That's fine with me though. It'll give me a chance to clean stuff up a bit.

I'm curious to see if MCE will carry over 5.1 audio / HD via the network to the 360. That cable card will be very nice when it comes out.

Its supposed to..... and i got my tuner yesterday. media center blows the crap out of every dvr software ive ever used (tivo included). It is missing 2 things IMO (1. no channel logos and 2. doesnt do the buffer right [this one is the only flaw i can find])

But on the better side its guide rocks (and its free and as far as info there its more complete than anybody elses), its find all movies on (shows dvd cover art for all movies on right now with cable and lets you tune based on that), its very quick (as quick as voom or cox dvr), builtin 30 second skip (no need to hack this). It can archive my HD programming easily. And a ton of other stuff im sure i left out.

Long story shots its the best dvr Ive ever used. Ive got everything all configured up if you want to come by and see it in action dave. (you wont see all the tv stuff on yours unless you buy a tv tuner as it checks for one when you activate the tv setup menu). Its pretty rare that I get impressed like this but other than the buffer its perfect. (and i would assume the buffer issue will be fixed for vista)

and i can even capture firewire HD from the cox dvr (and change the channel over firewire). But I probably wont keep it permenantly as it requires you to record everything over firewire (and not use the internal tuners for SD to keep size down)

As for your question.... media center is almost exactly like xp pro (its cant join a domain though... like xp home). its almost a cross between home and pro. I know it will carry HD over a network(dunno about 5.1 but i would assume). http://www.hdbeat.com/2005/12/08/video-of-streaming-hdtv-to-an-xbox-360/

That cable card will be very nice when it comes out.

You actually considering going to cox? (or waiting for directv to get theirs out)? If you are waiting for directv I wouldnt be looking for it anytime soon. We have a somewhat hard target date for cable cablecard (holiday season 06) but with all the delays with directv lately I doubt we see it until mid 07 at the earliest. I bet you will be waiting for fios though (like me). Since fios is cablecard compatable. :)

I'm not switching to Cox just yet. :)

It'd be cool if I could integrate it with my DirecTivo, but I don't see that happening too easily. Glad to know MCE handles like XP Pro sans domain. I'm not using a domain at home anyways.

If we ever get FIOS, I will probably dump D*. High speeds and lots of HD sounds good to me.

you can bring it in via the svideo or video cables..... most tuners have those breakout boxes and the ir transmitter things so you can control it.

But its not gonna be HD. I am debating getting a HDTV wonder temporarily to record HD ota (if we get fox)

If it ain't HD, it's CRAP! ;)

If it ain't HD, it's CRAP! ;)

well im planning on using mce for all my sd content and keep the 6412 for HD only unless i get the hdtv wonder (but i doubt i will because cbs will look like crap compared to the fiber cbs on cox)

Did a channel scan on the HD-TiVo to add 3-2 UPN, and another surprise showed up: 9-2 for KCEN. Nothing being broadcast at the moment, but there is a signal there. :(

Anybody know what HD content/programming there will be?

Thanks,

Jeff

Anybody know what HD content/programming there will be?

Thanks,

Jeff

99% chance it will be the "NBC Weather Plus" crap almost all other nbc stations carry.... kcen was one of the very few (only one i knew of) that didnt carry that subchannel. IMO this really is a sad day (unless cox wants to run a hundred or so miles of fiber)

speaking of kbtx... i did a reading this afternoon (for the broncos/steelers game). And its locked in right at 14.6 mbit (which leads me to think thats the max with the new upn subchannel). Whats wierd though is the "demo" upn loop is up on channel 20. guess its pulling it off 3.2 and not the fiber line yet. (I still dont know why they couldnt be bothered to activate it one day early)

Also... http://www.theeagle.com/stories/012206/local_20060122015.php

Classic television shows such as I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show will coexist with two hours of UPN programming when UPN-BCS is launched Monday.

The new station will air on Cox Cable Ch. 20.

Nightly reruns of Oprah Winfrey's afternoon talk show will be followed by reality shows Fear Factor and Cheaters on the 24-hour daily schedule. Texas A&M basketball coach Billy Gillispie's television show will be carried on the channel, along with Aggie Sports Connection.

The station also will air Dallas Mavericks basketball games. Weekends bring children's shows, Westerns Rawhide and Gunsmoke, Soul Train dance show and programs about fashion, gardening and home decor.

"UPN-BCS gives us another outlet for community service," said Mike Wright, general manager of KBTX-TV, which owns the new station. "For instance, the programming will be conducive to running announcements for March of Dimes or promoting our annual food drive."

Bandwidth for the station became available when KBTX-TV converted its signal to digital.

"You can cut that bandwidth into as many pieces as you want," KBTX-TV chief engineer Kris Swearingen said.

That didn't mean KBTX-TV got the station automatically, Wright said.

"We had to apply for a license, just like anyone else," he said. "Our application was granted based on our service and success. UPN-BCS is a full broadcast facility, and we have big plans for it."

Wright said he does not expect any technical problems on Channel 20.

"We're located right across the street from the cable company and have a direct fiber connection," he said.

UPN-BCS will sign on at 6 p.m. Monday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at KBTX-TV.

you ota guys should go protest.... ;)

Welcome to the forum. I'm Chief Engineer of KWKT/KYLE and am wondering if you are able to pick up KYLE-DT (28.1 KYLE-SD) and (28.2 KWKT-HD).

Um Hi I am new to this forum. I just got my Dish HD receiver and Terk antenna hooked up this weekend (Big Pittsburgh fan) and I could not get the KYLE channel at all. I live in south College Station, and I thought maybe I was just retarded but if there are other people who cannot get it I don't feel too bad. I just got the indoor antenna only, because we won't be here too much longer and where ever we go I will probably not need it since it will be a bigger city that I can get their stations over the satellite in HD. (Hopefully). Any hints on picking this station up or will I have to wait for bigger tower? BTW, I am not too schooled on all this HD stuff, I just know a little and that I needed it to live. :rolleyes:

Also, does anyone know anything about the local stations Dish will be patching in HD pretty soon here? Supposedly they are doing like 50 cities, I am sure Chicago, NY, LA will be the first ones. I just can't seem to find any list or anything that might point to the Waco locals that I get coming in HD over the Dish. I am sure they probably won't be, but I can hope. Now after watching the CBS game today and counting the beads of sweat on The Bus's face I can hardly tolerate the rest of the channels :( I watched basketball just to keep looking at the HD picture. :D

dont plan on dish or directv adding waco locals for a while.... although directv will be first to add locals in waco. But remember waco is 94th largest market in the US so dish will have to support 100 or so cities before they get to us. if locals are a concern now cox is the best bet as they have pbs,cbs,nbc,fox/wb online now and have the contract done for abc but that wont be on until the end of feb.

and yes hd looks sweet.

"You can cut that bandwidth into as many pieces as you want," KBTX-TV chief engineer Kris Swearingen said.

You gotta love this quote. It all makes sense now though. I'm pretty sure Swearingen used to be the CE at KXXV, and didn't they do like three subchannels. UPN could soon be followed by a weather loop, Telemundo, live coverage of Beck St, etc. :eek:

I've been wondering when they would add Telemundo. I can't miss El Sabato Gigante!

Any hints on picking this station up or will I have to wait for bigger tower? BTW, I am not too schooled on all this HD stuff, I just know a little and that I needed it to live.

You might have some luck once the power goes up to around 5 kW here in the near future. Right now it is around 2 kW. If that still doesn't cut it, KYLE plans to raise the transmitter higher up the tower once they get financial approval from corporate.

You gotta love this quote. It all makes sense now though. I'm pretty sure Swearingen used to be the CE at KXXV, and didn't they do like three subchannels. UPN could soon be followed by a weather loop, Telemundo, live coverage of Beck St, etc. :eek:

yeah i had a good chuckle reading that quote....

It's nice having UPN now. I like the Dallas Mavericks, and it is a nice change to have them on. The only problem is the size of their bug (LOGO)! It is HUGE!!! It's also not transparent. I hope it is temporary, becuase it is very unsightly.

well an oddity... but kbtx on cox is still at 14.6 mbit. I also notice upn looks horrible so hopefully they havent activated the fiberline yet.

I don't know if any of y'all are NHL fans, but the Stars are on in HD on D* channel 97. I don't subscribe to Center Ice and I'm able to watch. I read on another thread that I may be able to receive some NBA games in HD as well.

You might have some luck once the power goes up to around 5 kW here in the near future. Right now it is around 2 kW. If that still doesn't cut it, KYLE plans to raise the transmitter higher up the tower once they get financial approval from corporate.


cool, thanks for the answers. if only we could get ABC and NBC locally HD through the antennas..... poo. I will probably be long gone from here by the time that ever happens, although I have been here 7.5 years already. :p

I picked up a Harmony 880 this weekend and have a question for you experts. Sometimes when I switch activities, the remote turns a component on/off that is not involved in that activity. How do I remedy this? Do I have to teach the Harmony using the original remote? Thanks in advance :)

no... that feature is in a wierd place. its not in the activity setup, but in the device setup.

Go into the options on the device you want to change (if you want to keep your dvd player on all the time for instance go into the "more options" of the dvd player on the left hand side of the screen)

then click the "adjust power settings" link in that page.

then just select how you want the device to function.

No, its under activities. For each activity go to customize, and then check leave on for turn off unused devices.

So much for UPN (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060124/tv_network.html?.v=5). I wonder who will get The CW: KYLE or KBTX?

I don't know, but sounds like we should be ready for another round of BS and SHAFT. :rolleyes:

It's funny how KBTX spent all that time and money on UPN to get shafted with this. The CW Network, what kind of crap is that. Ohh well, hopefully they dont drop any programming like Smallville. You would think KBTX would of known something like this was going to happen before they went live.

Well, here (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=04&CAT=&PROD=H890) is something for you guys with upgraditis!! :D

Well, here (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=04&CAT=&PROD=H890) is something for you guys with upgraditis!! :D

Now way I would get one of those..... way too expensive over the 880.

BTW I did some bitrate readings on kbtx tonight.... and its not as high as I want (hopefully this is still in test mode). But CSI:NY is 15.8 mbit, I have a recording of NCIS to test but thats ususally CBS's worst looking show.

Also did some comparisons in average bitrate: SpiderMan 2 on HBO was average of 14.1 (was a vbr title so it jumped).... the incredables was at 7.12 (the action was at 15 but static stuff dropped to the 2-3 mbit range) so it was a bit dissapointing. And a suprise Titanic was at 19.0 mbit (for some reason it was a cbr title so probably didnt have any compression scheme put on it to help the bitrate in slow sections)

I have a email going off to tom way about kbtx so we will see what he says.

So, what are the bitrates for UPN?? ;)

Well, here (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=04&CAT=&PROD=H890) is something for you guys with upgraditis!! :D

You guys already know that I'm getting that thing. That price isn't bad compared to the Logitech MSRP price of $499. I'm hoping Best Buy will carry it since I have about $310 in GC to blow there.

Well I took the plunge and ordered the H20 last night. I had a deal I couldn't pass up (actually made $84), and I needed a third HD receiver. Is there anyway to get the dish for free? Has anybody tried buying it and then calling D* for credit?

Hey, maybe we should ask this guy (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7012814&&#post7012814) if he can pick up KYLE-DT!! ;) Or at least get specifics on his antenna design to try! J/K, FOX44. :)

any of you other cox subs (or ota) watch any of the programming on cbs last night? I noticed my cold case recording was 4x3 SD the whole time and the start of the movie as SD (didnt watch it other than flipping by later and seeing it was HD).

Hopefullly that fiber line from kbtx to cox was never activated properly becuase its either a huge dissapointment (in that its not going to bypass that fracking "flip the switch" guy or substantially improve the pq) or they still havent fully activated it yet. I havent gotten a reply lately from tom way so Im going to assume hes off on some trip/vacation somewhere.

Also dave... whats the status on vista :)

No Vista yet. I'll bug him this week. Probably before I piss off 500 users and make them change their password. This week is going to suck!

those days are always fun....

Luckily most of them have already dealt with it because of Neo. There will still be bitching.

Looks like it's official. Drove by Cox this morning and saw their sign out front that said ABCHD will start on Feb 5 in time for Superbowl. Channel will be 720. Looks like we will have all of the networks in HD on Cox.

Thanks Cox!

KICKASS

I knew about this but had to stay quiet (its actually starting the 4th). this was actually dependent on krhd getting some equipment in (which is why i had to stay quiet) because it wasnt official. good to know its more or less "official" now.

Big thanks to cox for this.... (just further solidifies their place as the best hd provider in the area)

Finally I get to see lost in HD. Im actually more happy about getting ABC-HD (for their shows and movies) than the superbowl. If I remmeber right they only do 2.0 though right? (no 5.1 with them). Will be interesting to see what kind of bitrates they have OTA (since I think they run 2 subchannels dont they?)

KICKASS

I knew about this but had to stay quiet (its actually starting the 4th). this was actually dependent on krhd getting some equipment in (which is why i had to stay quiet) because it wasnt official. good to know its more or less "official" now.

Big thanks to cox for this.... (just further solidifies their place as the best hd provider in the area)

Finally I get to see lost in HD. Im actually more happy about getting ABC-HD (for their shows and movies) than the superbowl. If I remmeber right they only do 2.0 though right? (no 5.1 with them). Will be interesting to see what kind of bitrates they have OTA (since I think they run 2 subchannels dont they?)

About time you cable guys got all the networks. And yes, KXXV does 2 subchannels: Telemundo and the weather loop.

Finally I get to see lost in HD. Im actually more happy about getting ABC-HD (for their shows and movies) than the superbowl. If I remmeber right they only do 2.0 though right? (no 5.1 with them). Will be interesting to see what kind of bitrates they have OTA (since I think they run 2 subchannels dont they?)


Some things are in DD 5.1. I don't watch Lost, but I do watch Invasion and Commander in Chief and they are both DD 5.1. All the MNF games were DD 5.1 and some of the college games. The Superbowl will definitely be DD 5.1.

ok... thats good to know it is in 5.1

I could have sworn my dads receiver was saying 2.0 for the rose bowl.

About time you cable guys got all the networks. And yes, KXXV does 2 subchannels: Telemundo and the weather loop.

To be fair directv/dish dont either (atleast in this area).

To be fair directv/dish dont either (atleast in this area).

Over a year ago when I got ABC, D* did in this area. Remember I have waivers; not just O&O. As for KXXV, are you sure they do 5.1? I seem to remember that they didn't at one time. The CE at KBTX would probably know.

Over a year ago when I got ABC, D* did in this area. Remember I have waivers; not just O&O. As for KXXV, are you sure they do 5.1? I seem to remember that they didn't at one time. The CE at KBTX would probably know.

Yeah but you didnt have waviers for all the networks.... and all new users are more or less screwed with networks on directv/dish w/o moving.

And thats what I remember too... kxxv was in 2.0.

And thats what I remember too... kxxv was in 2.0.


I was thinking of my experience with KTRK 13 out of Houston and ABCE via D*. They both broadcast in DD 5.1. I assumed KXXV 25 would do the same. Sorry for the misinformation. Hopefully KXXV 25 will use DD 5.1 when it comes on line this weekend for you Cox subscribers.

Sorry, jag, but COX is still not the best HD provider in B/CS; KXXV DOES NOT pass DD5.1 audio, unless they changed it today! :p

Sorry, jag, but COX is still not the best HD provider in B/CS; KXXV DOES NOT pass DD5.1 audio, unless they changed it today! :p

Ill take no 5.1 on one channel vs the hdlite across the board.

Now if vista would hurry up I will have the best provider and best hardware with cablecard. ;) (and that doesnt even take into account all the threads i read about dropped frames etc that goes along because of the recompression... i do wonder how bad it is though because i know dropped frames would annoy the hell out of me)

FOX44CE --
any updates on increased power and/or the height of the antenna? Thanks in advance!

Looks like it's official. Drove by Cox this morning and saw their sign out front that said ABCHD will start on Feb 5 in time for Superbowl. Channel will be 720. Looks like we will have all of the networks in HD on Cox.

Thanks Cox!

Good to hear. :) (I don't particularly care about the Superbowl either, but they do have good movies on ABC from time to time)

Good to hear. :) (I don't particularly care about the Superbowl either, but they do have good movies on ABC from time to time)

And for the record I saw the sign too.... I needed to go by and pickup a 2nd DVR for my little brother to hookup to the 38310. So the sign is indeed true.

It's great COX customers will be able to get ABC-HD. But there was a notice on the information channel that sorta confused me.

It said: Add KRHD-HD on channel 720 in a test capacity.

What does it mean "test capacity?"

probably so they can make sure the signal is stable... we know fox was on a few days before our boxes got flashed so it would appear in the channel guide.... i know they had the signal into cox weeks before it actually went live. so they are probably doing the same with abc (on a much quicker timetable).

probably so they can make sure the signal is stable... we know fox was on a few days before our boxes got flashed so it would appear in the channel guide.... i know they had the signal into cox weeks before it actually went live. so they are probably doing the same with abc (on a much quicker timetable).

Thanks!!! :) :) :)
Appreciate the quick response!

I'm Chief Engineer of KWKT/KYLE and am wondering if you are able to pick up KYLE-DT (28.1 KYLE-SD) and (28.2 KWKT-HD). My consulting engineer increased the power from 1 KW to 2.5 KW the night before last. (It will go up further to 5 KW when we get a heat sink installed on the output power combiners).

I have a bid from a tower crew to increase the antenna hight and am waiting on corporate approval to proceed with this modification. If anyone else will try to receive it and give me a report, I would appreciate it.

Sid...do you think that it is worth the time to swing my double stack around and try to pick up FOX since they increased their power to 2.5KW? I have tried several times before when they were at 1KW, but nary a blip. Since you also have a Televis, what has been your results?

The reason that I ask is that I haven't yet figured out how to manually add/check a new channel without doing a complete OTA channel scan. The sensitivity on my HR10-250 isn't the greatest, and I'm not sure that my DTV H10 is any better.

FYI FOX44CE, I live in the front part of the Copperfield subdivision. I think that it is about 7 miles from your tower.

Sid...do you think that it is worth the time to swing my double stack around and try to pick up FOX since they increased their power to 2.5KW? I have tried several times before when they were at 1KW, but nary a blip. Since you also have a Televis, what has been your results?

The reason that I ask is that I haven't yet figured out how to manually add/check a new channel without doing a complete OTA channel scan. The sensitivity on my HR10-250 isn't the greatest, and I'm not sure that my DTV H10 is any better.

FYI FOX44CE, I live in the front part of the Copperfield subdivision. I think that it is about 7 miles from your tower.
Mikey, do you have your stack on a rotor? If not, I probably wouldn't mess with moving it for now. It looks like you are about 7.5 miles from KYLE's tower, which might still be iffy. If it isn't too difficult to turn, it would be interesting to see if you could get a signal. You could go into the OTA signal strength menu and tune it to channel 29 while re-aiming. From Copperfield you should turn it to roughly 280 degrees. Have you checked in your guide to see if 28-1 shows up already? You may have to check while in "All Channels", it may be there regardless of whether you have scanned for it. It does suck that there is no provision for quickly manually adding a single channel. I just checked while typing this, and nada. Good luck. :)

Thanks, Sid.

I DO have a rotor. Do your instructions for finding a channel manually apply to the DTV H10 or the HR10-250? Sounds like maybe the H10.

mikey h --
I can tell you from personal experience that the H10 has a more sensitive OTA tuner. I had a Channel Master 4228 mounted about 45 feet in the air and I was able to consistenly receive the Houston locals with my H10, but not with my HR10-250. I just don't think KYLE FOX 28 has enough power for us to receive it yet.

FOX44CE --
any news on increased power or increased height of the antenna?

mikey h --
I can tell you from personal experience that the H10 has a more sensitive OTA tuner. I had a Channel Master 4228 mounted about 45 feet in the air and I was able to consistenly receive the Houston locals with my H10, but not with my HR10-250. I just don't think KYLE FOX 28 has enough power for us to receive it yet.


Wow...45 feet! If I jacked mine up that high, I would have the Copperfield "fashion police" (ie. architectural committee) on me real quick. Plus I would have to go to a tower or add guy wires.

As it is, I took the Televes antennas apart when I first got them and repainted all of the plastic parts silver (instead of the factory mustard yellow) to help it be less conspicuous. I'm running about 30 feet right now. It's too bad that the HD Tivo OTA receiver is not very good. Before NBC was available in HD on D*, I used to consistently get Houston NBC OTA with my old Hughes E86 with the Televis DAT-75's...it had a pretty good receiver for an early generation HD box. BTW, I am also running equal length coax from each DAT-75 into a signal combiner, then to a CM7777 mast preamp.

Thanks, Sid.

I DO have a rotor. Do your instructions for finding a channel manually apply to the DTV H10 or the HR10-250? Sounds like maybe the H10.
I was mainly talking about the HR10-250 menus. You can still check for signal strength without actually scanning for channels. If the signal looks pretty good, then you can scan if you need to for adding the channel.

I was mainly talking about the HR10-250 menus. You can still check for signal strength without actually scanning for channels. If the signal looks pretty good, then you can scan if you need to for adding the channel.

OK...thanks! When you mentioned the "all channels" thing, that sounded like the H10 channel guide to me.

Wow...45 feet! If I jacked mine up that high, I would have the Copperfield "fashion police" (ie. architectural committee) on me real quick.

Yes, I count it a blessing that I don't live in a subdivision with an HOA.

BTW, I am also running equal length coax from each DAT-75 into a signal combiner, then to a CM7777 mast preamp.


I had my CM4228 hooked up to a CM7777 preamp as well. I was very pleased with the results. My antenna set up bit the dust during that ice storm we had a couple of months back. I got up that morning and the weight of the ice had completely bent my mast in two and my CM 4228 was lying face down, broken, on my roof. Thankfully, I have all the networks in HD through D*. I did replace my CM4228 with a small Winegard antenna on a ten foot mast on my roof, so I'm able to receive KBTX and KAMU at all times. I occasionally am able to receive the Houston locals, but I don't even check them that often anymore.

I recently purchased a Winegard 8275 Pre-amp and attached it to the mast of my antenna. However, I'm now getting worse reception than I was before (this seems to be a talent of mine). I'm sure I've screwed something up in the set up, but I've done a lot of troubleshooting and can't figure out what the problem is. Anyone else have any problems similar to this with pre-amps? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

John

Well...I tried to get KYLE OTA, but no joy. All that I got was blips between 0 and 30 on the signal strength meter on the H10 (didn't try the HR10-250). I checked direction between 250 degrees and 310 degrees. Peak was about 285, so Sid, you were right about being 280 degrees from here. Surprisingly, KYLEDT already showed up on my channel guide and OTA signal menu even though I haven't done a channel scan in some while. I'm also a little surprised that I can't get more than 0-30 strength considering that I am only 7.5 miles from the tower transmitting at 2.5KW and I have a fairly decent antenna setup. Anyway, I still look forward to the KYLE upgrade.

Yeah Jag, I know that I could go with COX (or whoever), but I tried them just after they brought out HD (on my nickle for $100), and the dropouts sucked at that time. It was an easy decision to stick with D*. Plus they didn't have ABC then either.

speaking of fox.... ive got a request for FOX44CE. i would really like to see that blue background behind the fox44 logo go away. and make it transparent like almost all the other logos.


and a different topic... has anybody watched something lately on kcen-dt? im having a wierd sound problem only on kcen. when they have a 5.1 mix the center channel seems to be coming out of the back left speaker. But its only on nbc so Im guessing its a nbc problem (or possibly a cox problem but since they just pass the ota kcen feed im guessing it isnt them)

Yeah Jag, I know that I could go with COX (or whoever), but I tried them just after they brought out HD (on my nickle for $100), and the dropouts sucked at that time. It was an easy decision to stick with D*. Plus they didn't have ABC then either.

I know they used to suck (i had them too a long time ago... cable modem always dropped). Thats when I moved to directv (for the olympics on hdnet that first year), then to dish and finally to voom. Based on my experince with cox before i wasnt going to try them again but called them just to see what kind of pricing they offered and they had a good deal so I said why not its not like im commiting for an ungodle amount of time like dish/direct). And boy am I glad I gave them a try. With all the upgrades they have done lately I almost never see drops (and when I do its because the ota feed drops off). And having the best "PQ" avaliable across the board is nice too. I just hope they get abc up soon (by the 5th like their billboard says) and not have an issue with the feed.

Its also nice having rock solid HD signals during inclament weather (esp the nbc, fox and abc). Sure OTA was good right before and right after storms but I never did like having to pray for weather to get a storm to come through so I could get houston/waco OTA.

and a different topic... has anybody watched something lately on kcen-dt? im having a wierd sound problem only on kcen. when they have a 5.1 mix the center channel seems to be coming out of the back left speaker. But its only on nbc so Im guessing its a nbc problem (or possibly a cox problem but since they just pass the ota kcen feed im guessing it isnt them)

It's not just you...I thought I was imagining things myself, but I did indeed hear the center channel (or what I assumed should have been the center channel) dialogue through my rear left speaker, like during the State of the Union address on NBC the other day.

I recently purchased a Winegard 8275 Pre-amp and attached it to the mast of my antenna. However, I'm now getting worse reception than I was before (this seems to be a talent of mine). I'm sure I've screwed something up in the set up, but I've done a lot of troubleshooting and can't figure out what the problem is. Anyone else have any problems similar to this with pre-amps? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

John

Hey John, maybe you could give us a little more detail about your setup.

I have been having the same problem on KCEN. I ended up swapping the positive wires between my rear left and center channels temporarly when I watch those shows.

well next question is it an ota problem too? if so we need to get labman or spank to contact kcen (unless there is a phone number or email addy somewhere). I really would like to get this fixed before the olympics.

There's a number on the first page under KMAY. Is it on all programming? I'll check OTA tonight.

i notice it anytime there is 5.1 on kcen (any show or live event).

I recently purchased a Winegard 8275 Pre-amp and attached it to the mast of my antenna. However, I'm now getting worse reception than I was before (this seems to be a talent of mine). I'm sure I've screwed something up in the set up, but I've done a lot of troubleshooting and can't figure out what the problem is. Anyone else have any problems similar to this with pre-amps? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

John
I know it sounds too simple, but did the power supply for your pre-amp come unplugged somehow? [/Dell tech-support mode off] ;)

Just out of curiosity, are KBTX's HD bitrates (on Cox) back up to their pre-UPN-addition levels yet? I'll probably watch CSI later to look at picture quality, but I was just wondering if anyone had made any observations (or even measurements) yet.

I guess it would help if I gave you guys some more info. I have a CM3020 antenna mounted in my attic pointed at Houston. At night and in the morning I can usually pick up most of the OTA's without a pre-amp. Before I got the pre-amp, I had the RG6 cable running directly from the antenna to the back of my Samsung TS360. Once I hooked up the pre-amp, all I could get was KBTX and KAMU. I ran a 2-foot RG6 cable from the antenna to the pre-amp and connected it to the "Antenna" outlet on the pre-amp. The pre-amp is located on the mast approximately 1 foot below the antenna. Then I ran a 5 foot piece of RG6 to the power supply. I mounted the pre-amp power supply approximately 4 ft below the antenna and have it connected to a power outlet about 2 feet from where it's mounted. The red light is on when I have it plugged in, so I think it's getting power. Then, I have the RG6 from the power supply to the TS360. I think my connections are all correct. I'm wondering if some of my RG6 is bad. Is there any way to tell? Thanks in advance for your help.

John

Just out of curiosity, are KBTX's HD bitrates (on Cox) back up to their pre-UPN-addition levels yet? I'll probably watch CSI later to look at picture quality, but I was just wondering if anyone had made any observations (or even measurements) yet.

I made some measurements last weeka and it was only slighly better.... was about 14.5 before and went to 15.5 after. I havent tested it lately though. With the fiber line theres no reason they cant have it atleast 17mbit (and that would be sufficient to eliminate the pixelating).

well next question is it an ota problem too? if so we need to get labman or spank to contact kcen (unless there is a phone number or email addy somewhere). I really would like to get this fixed before the olympics.

I get KCEN-DT OTA (usually) and noticed the exact same problem with 5.1 sound.

I guess it would help if I gave you guys some more info. I have a CM3020 antenna mounted in my attic pointed at Houston. At night and in the morning I can usually pick up most of the OTA's without a pre-amp. Before I got the pre-amp, I had the RG6 cable running directly from the antenna to the back of my Samsung TS360. Once I hooked up the pre-amp, all I could get was KBTX and KAMU. I ran a 2-foot RG6 cable from the antenna to the pre-amp and connected it to the "Antenna" outlet on the pre-amp. The pre-amp is located on the mast approximately 1 foot below the antenna. Then I ran a 5 foot piece of RG6 to the power supply. I mounted the pre-amp power supply approximately 4 ft below the antenna and have it connected to a power outlet about 2 feet from where it's mounted. The red light is on when I have it plugged in, so I think it's getting power. Then, I have the RG6 from the power supply to the TS360. I think my connections are all correct. I'm wondering if some of my RG6 is bad. Is there any way to tell? Thanks in advance for your help.

John

John, how long is the run from the power supply to the TS360? I think the ideal layout is to have the power supply as close to the receiver as possible and the preamp as close to the antenna as possible.

You could also try the setup without the preamp. Just use some male to male connectors to connect the RG6 where you take out the preamp and where you take out the power supply. If there is still no signal, then one of your RG6 runs or connectors is probably bad.

Also, does the Winegard have separate UHF and VHF hookups?

John, how long is the run from the power supply to the TS360? I think the ideal layout is to have the power supply as close to the receiver as possible and the preamp as close to the antenna as possible.

You could also try the setup without the preamp. Just use some male to male connectors to connect the RG6 where you take out the preamp and where you take out the power supply. If there is still no signal, then one of your RG6 runs or connectors is probably bad.

Also, does the Winegard have separate UHF and VHF hookups?


Thanks for the ideas. I have a 50ft cable running from the power supply to the TS360. I'll try moving the power supply next to my tv and will also test the connections bypassing the preamp. The Winegard doesn't have separate UHF and VHF hookups. Thanks again!

Cox has ABCHD up tonight on channel 720. That is great news! Now we have all of the networks in HD. Looks like channel 25 from Waco. Picture seems to be pixeling a lot though. Maybe they are just fine tuning things. Current show in SD anyway.

I guess it would help if I gave you guys some more info. I have a CM3020 antenna mounted in my attic pointed at Houston. At night and in the morning I can usually pick up most of the OTA's without a pre-amp. Before I got the pre-amp, I had the RG6 cable running directly from the antenna to the back of my Samsung TS360. Once I hooked up the pre-amp, all I could get was KBTX and KAMU. I ran a 2-foot RG6 cable from the antenna to the pre-amp and connected it to the "Antenna" outlet on the pre-amp. The pre-amp is located on the mast approximately 1 foot below the antenna. Then I ran a 5 foot piece of RG6 to the power supply. I mounted the pre-amp power supply approximately 4 ft below the antenna and have it connected to a power outlet about 2 feet from where it's mounted. The red light is on when I have it plugged in, so I think it's getting power. Then, I have the RG6 from the power supply to the TS360. I think my connections are all correct. I'm wondering if some of my RG6 is bad. Is there any way to tell? Thanks in advance for your help.

John

Duh....maybe the preamp is bad. Try to borrow or buy another preamp and try again. Also, the power supply is designed to be remotely located from the preamp in a safe/dry place which is usually near the receiving equipment. There is no advantage to locating the power supply close to the antenna/preamp as it just supplies a constant DC voltage to the preamp over the coax to power the preamp. The distance probably is inconsequencial (at least if it is under a few hundred feet). Another possibility...When you added the preamp, if you added an new RJ crip connector, you could have a bad crimp/connection. I have done this before when I was on a ladder, in the dark, and had ONE shield strand short out the connection. You can try to cut off the new connectors and re-terminate to try to eliminate this possibility. Good luck.

Cox has ABCHD up tonight on channel 720. That is great news! Now we have all of the networks in HD. Looks like channel 25 from Waco. Picture seems to be pixeling a lot though. Maybe they are just fine tuning things. Current show in SD anyway.

I'm seeing it now too (just did a new channel scan and it appeared on 79-1, it's not being re-mapped to anything for me at this point). Caught the last few minutes of whatever HD show was on right before 9pm ("Crumbs", according to TitanTV) and picture quality looked good. I did notice that the audio seemed to be 2.0 instead of 5.1 though (which I was expecting after reading other people's past experiences with KXXV-HD here).

Also, I don't know if it was just a temporary thing or what, but the audio on KCEN-DT seems to be fine now...the level seems to be a lot louder than the other stations, but the center channel seems to be in the right place now (watching ER for a few minutes).

Cox has ABCHD up tonight on channel 720. That is great news! Now we have all of the networks in HD. Looks like channel 25 from Waco. Picture seems to be pixeling a lot though. Maybe they are just fine tuning things. Current show in SD anyway.
Im guessing you live in College Station. No luck here in Bryan with ABC-HD. Maybe tomorrow it will be online for me. I did update my box, still no luck. Hmmm...

my box still hasnt updated... im guessing these guys are tuning with cable card or pc tuner (they were able to see foxHD a full day before my dvr updated itself with the new channel). We cant "manually" add the channel until cox activates it for us.

But this is very good news that cox is actually going to launch before the superbowl (we should have the new channel tomorrow or possibly saturday). I was worrying our DVR's might not activate abchd in time if they waited too long to get the feed up and running. But hopefully that wont be the case now.

Just a shame its 2.0 (hopefully abc in waco is working on a dd 5.1 encoder)

Yes I am using cablecard. BTW the sound is 2.0 even on an HD program this evening. Sound seems better than KRHD feed but still not 5.1. Picture looks good though.

my box still hasnt updated... im guessing these guys are tuning with cable card or pc tuner (they were able to see foxHD a full day before my dvr updated itself with the new channel). We cant "manually" add the channel until cox activates it for us.

Yep, I'm still using a PC tuner.

I wonder why exactly it's 2.0 though? I'd think that, as long as they're receiving a 5.1 feed from ABC, that they'd actively have to downmix to 2.0...I'm not sure why they couldn't just pass along the 5.1 (does it have something to do with switching between 5.1/2.0 at commercial breaks? And yet another place for someone to have to "flip a switch", so to speak...)

i think they have to buy a 5.1 decoder to pass it on.... i think labman has spoken with their engineer in the past though so he would probably know more about why they dont do 5.1. I havent had kxxv before but I dont think they have ever had 5.1 so its probably something else they need to "buy". Hopefully they do get it but at this point Im not terribly optimistic. We should just be happy they even have a HD transmitter, I know alot of stations are only going "digital" in markets our size vs full HD.

and kcen does seem fixed for me tonight too.... so thats atleast good that it will hopefully be straightened out for the olympics.

Any of you OTA guys that get kcen has there been any change on that subchannel for kcen yet? (we might need to start an email campaign and maybe voice our displeasure before they do the change if it happens... because nbc looks awesome still)

KCEN has had the WX running during mid day a couple of times this past week.

I contacted several engineers in both Waco and DFW this week since I've received no reply from KXXV engineering. I'm told that a Dolby 569 encoder & hopefully a Neural Audio "Multimerge" will be needed. Guess is around $18k. A Waco engineer who has spoken with KXXV suggests 5.1 isn't in anyone's future because of the costs.

KCEN has had the WX running during mid day a couple of times this past week.

I contacted several engineers in both Waco and DFW this week since I've received no reply from KXXV engineering. I'm told that a Dolby 569 encoder & hopefully a Neural Audio "Multimerge" will be needed. Guess is around $18k. A Waco engineer who has spoken with KXXV suggests 5.1 isn't in anyone's future because of the costs.

is the wx in "testing" mode or will they be smart about it and only run it during the day (or possibly when bad weather is in the area). I think I could live with that.

The poor mans Weather Chanel plays on NBC's KXAS Ft. Worth with local community temps 24/7. If bandwidth is limited, it can still yield a good picture.

KXXV, with two sub channels, used to drive me crazy during Monday Night Football. The HD image would change, seemingly go out of focus, based on bandwidth requirements of the other two, Telemundo and Weather, subs.

KRHD-HD is now on Cox Cable Ch. 720. Just popped up.

yep up for me too... going to wait for an hd show to do a bitrate reading.

this is huge for them imo... just 2 weeks ago tom way basically said there was no chance of them getting it in time and now we have it live. I know there was a ton of work getting that fiberline/equipment installed before kxxv would give them the feed. I still wonder what exactly they are going to use it for.

the feed has been solid.... granted we havent had it that long but no breakups yet.

also (not that it really matters) but abc has been added to cox's website on channel 720.