Originally posted by elspankdog
Wow, a tri-Televes stack. My wife will love that!

If it will get one of you D* bitches into trouble with the wifey it might be worth it to give it away ;)

I've been meaning to ask; does anyone else notice the sound on KBTX seems to be skewed somewhat to the left, especially during local news?

I'll try and listen during CSI tonight. I haven't noticed it, but then I wasn't listening for it.

I think it is mostly on non-network programming.

CSI seems to be in DD 5.1 tonight from KBTX (the opening scene was sweet)

I've been away from a PC for quite some time now, on vacation and everything.......Jag, I checked out your cox link and noticed UniversalHD and StarzHD for BCS. I was just wondering if you guys knew when this addition happened?

you got me... my link is the rebuilt network, so I would assume it probably hasnt happened yet... BTW Munky I leave for vegas tomorrow morning, I want to see that room at the bellagio :)

haha...when we booked for CES one of the guys was in south africa. he insisted on bellagio while another friend insisted on paris (i said i didnt care). they argued over email for a couple weeks (since he was in africa) and both hotels ended up booked. in the end we were left with treasure island. your welcome to come over and see some loud annoying pirates and cannons if you like though........ BTW, did anybody here see the ad for the "BITE" show in the recent CES mailer. any guys in this forum visiting Vegas for CES this week may want to google it.

anyhow, cox told me they would add new channels around the first of the year. so I guess the csr was well informed according to that link (at least I hope so).

Ahh.... well I guess things changed from when I last talked to you. I hope its not the $1400 you were going to blow on the bellagio ;)

You have a link on that bite show? Google isnt showing me anything (or if its one of those kind of shows) IM me ;)

Originally posted by Munky788
I've been away from a PC for quite some time now, on vacation and everything.......Jag, I checked out your cox link and noticed UniversalHD and StarzHD for BCS. I was just wondering if you guys knew when this addition happened?

Wow, didn't even notice that. Thought you guys would be getting Skinemax first. More HD in B/CS, can't believe it is happening.

Originally posted by Munky788
BTW, did anybody here see the ad for the "BITE" show in the recent CES mailer. any guys in this forum visiting Vegas for CES this week may want to google it.

Was this the little mailer or the earlier larger packet? Might have to dig in the trash.

It is being reported that ESPNHD2 is set to launch on D* (the HD leader ) and Adelphia Cable systems. Story here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=491650&perpage=20&pagenumber=1).
:D :D

Go D* Go!! I just hope those TNT and Starz rumors pan out as well.

ESPN2-HD is nice, but I'm still waiting on the Ocho! ;)

I really want TNT-HD because of the NBA games. That's the only chance I have of seeing my Spurs in HD for the rest of the regular season.

That is excellent news (if it actually starts today). TNT-HD would be a logical next choice - as would INHD1 and 2 (although I don't know if there is actually anything to watch on those two channels).

Originally posted by dave99ag
ESPN2-HD is nice, but I'm still waiting on the Ocho! ;)
Me Dos!! ;)

Got this e-mail from my dad last night:
"The Outdoor network is supposed to be in HD now. There is a new show called Cowboys. Record it and tell me how it looks."

I told him it wasn't in HD until July, but I bet this might drive him over the edge to get an HDTV. They've seen HD at my house and really like it. Being able to see rodeos in HD might get him hooked. :)

Originally posted by dave99ag
Got this e-mail from my dad last night:
"The Outdoor network is supposed to be in HD now. There is a new show called Cowboys. Record it and tell me how it looks."

I told him it wasn't in HD until July, but I bet this might drive him over the edge to get an HDTV. They've seen HD at my house and really like it. Being able to see rodeos in HD might get him hooked. :)
Funny, I don't remember seeing cheerleaders or models at any of the rodeos I have been to. :D

Well, I didn't get to show him Bikini Destinations since my mom was sitting next to me. :D

Still working on my Dad. However, they do need a new big screen, and he was quite impressed with the Rose Bowl on my brother's new setup. Maybe more free previews of 599 will push him over the edge.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Maybe more free previews of 599 will push him over the edge. Must..resist...urge to reply!!! :D :D :D

I consider it one of my greater accomplishments in life to have my parents get HD. They now have a better TV than I do (but they have punk sound). Convincing them with Time Warner Cable HD was far easier though than it would have been if I had to have convinced them to get satellite.

I just need to convince them of the need for an SVS and my life as a salesman will have been complete.

Labmansid -

I think you've already created enough of a ruckus for one day with your "What channel will the Deuce be on?" thread. Hell, you've even got Ken H's panties in a wad today...

Originally posted by mwesson
.... Hell, you've even got Ken H's panties in a wad today...
Yeah, but from what I have seen he must keep a pair going in the dryer at the ready all the time!! :D

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=660037&highlight=

Agent Scott Boras declared there are five teams in the Beltran sweepstakes, all of which have met the agent's starting-point demand of at least seven years and $112 million. - NY Post

So what does everyone think the odds are on the Astros keeping Beltran? That is a lot of damn money and years. I tend to think he is worth it but at the same time I look at Bagwell and the 18 million he is making and weep at what else we could have for that kind of money (a first baseman for instance).

HD local programming will be received via a single dish -- slightly larger than the current standard dish -- and customers will require new HD set top boxes due to new compression technology.

Wow. Does this mean they are going to replace my HDTivo? I've got to say that this raises some issues with moving to Houston as well. D* will no longer mail receivers to you, they have to be installed by a technician. Going to be tough for me to get them to install my new receivers for Houston channels at my house in College Station... :confused:

Going by past experience Bye Bye Beltran!! :( :(

Originally posted by mwesson
Wow. Does this mean they are going to replace my HDTivo? I've got to say that this raises some issues with moving to Houston as well. D* will no longer mail receivers to you, they have to be installed by a technician. Going to be tough for me to get them to install my new receivers for Houston channels at my house in College Station... :confused:
Maybe they will replace them all with this (http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=660038&highlight=), for free of course!! ;)

If it's going to require new hardware, I wonder how they'll handle people that bought the HD Tivo.

Theyre gonna screw you D* bitches over... get used to it.

Im just stoked I get my Voom DVR (the DVR to and all DVR's) in march (official voom announcement at ces today)

I was suprised not a word from D* today about ESPN2 (but I wasnt around there all day so it might have been later in the day.... i had a ton of stuff to see today).

Still cant wait for my DVR.

Ill get you guys a review once i get back (just getting on to make sure my tuition paymants went through)... and of course feed my need to come on here.

Looking forward to that review of the beta version of our D* DVR. ;)

Originally posted by jagouar
Theyre gonna screw you D* bitches over... get used to it.

Speaking as someone who now has a free HD receiver, a free HD-Tivo, 6 free months of HD programming and 6 free months of HBO - I doubt there is much they could do to make me feel screwed over.

Honestly, I think all the Voom people are in their offices everyday saying - "Given that we're declaring bankruptcy in March, what kind of fun can we have in the meantime? Hmmm... I'VE GOT IT! Let's promise all our subscribers HD-DVR's!!! That'll really get'em going!"

Originally posted by elspankdog
Looking forward to that review of the beta version of our D* DVR. ;)

It was suprisingly pretty far along in its development (something im surpised they kept from people around here)..... Of course they didnt let anybody near the boxes so theres no telling if they were actually complete. But most of the features were shown.

Im not sure I like how voom is going to do the recording but Ill wait till I get it to know for sure. When you schedule a show it shows up as a channel 9xx (there is no recorded programs list.. that voom rep mentioned). They say its to make it more idiot frendly (one guide vs 2) but Id rather have an option for both (again I didnt ask if there was such an option) but overall I was very impressed with voom dvr and much better than cox dvr and the little time i saw hd-tivo... Its suprisingly fast with the networking. Ucentric did a good job with the voom dvr so Id expect them to do the same for D*.... course I dont even want to fathom the cost for you D* people. ;)

Voom also was showing off smaller HD receivers and SD only receivers (all of which will interface with the dvr)

Mwesson, Im pretty sure the average D* user isnt getting that deal and when they have to pay 299 for a receiver now and have to pay again (maybe) at the end of the year Id say thats getting screwed over. And if voom is lying about the receiver they are doing a damn good job hiding it.... i got to play with the voom dvr myself yesterday. There were more people at the voom booth than D* the times I walked by (about 15 times throughout the show, which was suprising to me)

Im sure you D* people are going to call me a voom lover but I was actually kind of dissapointed in D*'s booth.... It was 2x the size of vooms booth but they had almost nothing new there to show... the home network solution was good but that was the only new thing they had.... no mention of espn2hd and really wernt mentioning the 1500 HD upgrade (just had a scroller saying it), they had like 3 HD sets there total (there were tons of SD TV's there showing all their multi-view features but almost nothing new HD wise (sans the whole network solution).

Of couse E* was way worse but they had soem new stuff and the booth was bigger than D* but you could tell E* wasnt even tlaking HD (it really was sad)...

The runco booth was dissapointment this year but the motion chairs kicked ass... Benq still has the best projectors(for the money) but some of the new projectors are very cool (the portable home theater ones).

Still have the AVS party tonight so that should be interesting... maybe well have some voom/D* fights break out like Munky seems to think will happen. I didnt take pictures but Mukny did so maybe he will post them for all you people not lucky enough to get out here.

Harmony released a badass new remote today (color display) so Ill probably be upgrading fairly soon.

If you have any specific questions (i went off the top of my head) just leave em below and ill get to em when i have time.... Im debating not going out tonight after the avs party because im so tired. Walking all over the place for a few days pretty much all day will do that even to a college student. I still have tomorrow to go to ces (got a few more questions for the voom reps about their stuff), so anybody who has a question leave it.

So how much storage space does the V* DVR have? Can it be upgraded? Does it have firewire? I guess programs can't be placed in folders or organized since you mentioned that guide thing instead of a program list. I wonder if it can output SD and HD simultaneously or if that takes two boxes.

Why don't you ask the D* people about HD-lite, and if they plan on allowing more bandwidth with the new birds and MPEG-4.

Well, didnt get a chance to see your post.... They had a Mpeg4 stream going but it actually didnt look any better than the same feed on the current configuration. I snapped a few picures of the last day and ill get them up once i get back.

The voom dvr will have a 250 gig drive and it cant be upgraded in the sense you think (atleast that voom would admit to).... to upgrade it you just add a new dvr and it will pool the resources of as many dvr's as you have (Ie 2 would give you 8 tuners and 500 gigs of storage space)... I know they havent announced pricing yet but most expect it to be priced similarly to cable co boxes so 10-15/month.... If thats the pricing I will def get 2 (and make the roomates pay to get on my network ;) )

Theres no folders (that voom was showing), like i said i really didnt get to play with it so I dont know how its going to work... esp for your series how its going to list them (guess well have to wait till march when i get it and actually get a review up unlike our cox bretheren). The current box outputs the same channel HD/SD at the same time so Id assume the dvr will be able to as well. But I didnt get into the meus to see if there were options, guess all we can do it wait for march to play with the unit. Voom also said since it will run over coax/ethernet that it will use your existing network and will have some features implemented on a pc (also D* wholehome solution will do the same), they said the streams will be encrypted but I expect this to be hacked and you will be able to get streams off to your pc so that would negate the reason for firewire (which voom said will not be on the box)

They also were showing small form factor boxes off too.... im still suprised the dvr will look exactly like the current box (just new innards).... but actually thats pretty smart as the voom rep said (saves on production costs).

Other notables at ces... harmony announced a kickass new remote (HArmony 880)... color lcd etc. I beleive it is now posted on their website (they had the website loaded on the harmony booth), but im on dialup until i get back so i dont want to look for sure. But its also got rechargable base station which is someting ive always wanted for harmony to do.

D-box was very cool but very expensive (5k for one chair) but motion cinema really is the wave of the future and really gives you the "your there" feel to movies and it should drop over time as competition comes along and I will definately be looking forward to that.

Going into CES I was firmly in the blueray camp as far as the upcoming blueray/hd-dvd fight but after it its very clear blueray doesnt have any clue as to what theyre doing.... only a few manufacturers even had prototypes there but hd-dvd had their stuff together... they had a booth and were demoing all kinds of stuff (some really cool features, for instance on commentaries they can have it show 2 video streams so the commentator was there and you could watch him and the movie... he was in a small overlay at the bottom(i have a picture.. hopefully it comes out good)). And now beleive hd-dvd will inw out simply because they will probably be first to the market (unless blueray just wasnt shwoing their stuff)...and will most liely be cheaper.

Thanks for the update, sounds like you have been busy and having fun at the same time! Hope you can make up all those classes you're missing. ;)

OT, looks like Beltran, and/or his agent, is greedier than we thought, and my prediction was (unfortunatly) correct.:(

well the stros were going to suck regardless this year.... and I havent missed any classes yet ;)

Phew, got the Televes and Winegard in the attic.

Dos.

That's nothing compared the monstrosity that is the 3020 in an attic. ;)

Tres.

Originally posted by dave99ag
That's nothing compared the monstrosity that is the 3020 in an attic. ;)

Tell me about it. If you look carefully, you can see the disassembled 3020 in the bottom of the first pic. The Televes can rotate a full 360 degrees while the 3020...well it didn't rotate.

Now I just gotta get all this stuff hooked up before the wife gets home.

lol

I thought that looked familiar. Manually rotating it from Waco to Houston was definitely not fun. Let me know how far you get with the Televes.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Now I just gotta get all this stuff hooked up before the wife gets home.

For some reason I'm envisioning the Jimmy situation in Pulp Fiction.

Better get it done or she'll freak. No sh*t she'll freak!

Probably won't get to mess with reception until after dark, but the Winegard was suprising pulling in KCEN at 71% on the HD-TiVo at about 1:30.

Originally posted by dave99ag
For some reason I'm envisioning the Jimmy situation in Pulp Fiction.

Better get it done or she'll freak. No sh*t she'll freak!

No Wolf to the rescue. The "dog" will have to get it done. I just need some gourmet coffee.

BTW if anybody cares, scott over at satguys got a video up of the voOm DVR.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/2005ces/

And damn esp, you got a ton of stuff there (I thought I was bad) but i simplified my system alot to 4 devices and will get to drop the replay come march.

That DVR looks pretty cool, but I can see it having a lot of bugs. Hopefully, Ucentric can worked them out by the time D* releases theirs. I also hope that the coming software upgrade for the HD-TiVo (folders, native pass-through, and faster interface) can hold me over until the D* release.

Yeah theres alot of stuff that can screw up but I think part of the reason it was so late to the game is because they have been developing the software. The tell tell will be march when/if this thing launches and hopefully it wont be more than 10/month so I can have 2. :)

BTW I havent read much about the current MPEG4/HD-tivo stuff but are they really going to make all those Hd-tivos into paperweights? and what about old STB's (like my mits for example if voOm doesnt make it ;) ). I hope they have announced some kind of trade in program to make it free to switch out.

On teh subject of D* network dvr I noticed they didnt actually have the boxes out and working (what they had out were the actual boxes but not hooked up) and they wouldnt let anybody see the boxes which lead me to beleive they are just running the software on a computer like voOm had done in the past (so this is why it will probably take until the end of the year to get them out) but still I was suprised at how far along the software was (you could tell they didnt just start working on it)..... It should be interesting to see if they will be stackable like voOm's (not that any of you D* people would be able to buy more than one ;)).

BTW one last bit about CES from me.... HD-DVD will win the format wars if CES was any indication of the two sides. HD-DVD had a big booth and had 5 or 6 prototype players all playing different movies and blueray had one or two manufacturers that had prototypes and didnt have a big booth like HD-DVD did.I hope blueray pulls their sh!t together because they do have the better storage device (and more storage = better movie bit rate) but right now I see no way blueray is going to win in the DVD market atleast.

Originally posted by jagouar
...(not that any of you D* people would be able to buy more than one ;)).

Well, according to D*, I already have two HD-TiVos. I got my bill the other day, and they're charging me a mirror fee for the unit I sent back and the new one. I'm kind of afraid to call. I don't want to lose my DNS feeds. :confused:

Did the "dog" get it done yesterday?

Can't you change that info online? I'd be scared to call them too. Heck, I'm worried how will work out getting Houston LiLs when they go MPEG-4. That should be fun.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Heck, I'm worried how will work out getting Houston LiLs when they go MPEG-4. That should be fun.

I would love to move to Houston when those HD LiLs go up. How to pull that off, however, is becoming a growing concern. Those of you currently in Houston receiving the national feeds - I can't help but believe that those national feeds will go away once the HD LIL's are up.

"Yes D*, that is correct, I want you to come change out all my Houston receivers, but I want you to do that in College Station." :eek:

Hah.... I think you should all just move back to CS and get what you can distant now before they start screwing with that too.

Bare minimum your going to get screwed over on MPEG4 if you live in Htown, esp for those 1k tivos.

I think voOm will have a good chance to steal alot of D* subs if they dont come up with a very good tradein program for MPEG4..... all my boxes are ready (and have been ready since the beginning) for MPEG4.

Hey, I got them to send the HD-TiVo replacement to my work address in CS. We just have to hope it doesn't require an install.

As for dropping a receiver online, I can't seem to find that option. I'll look again. Maybe I'm just missing it.

The "dog" struggled to wrap things up last night. Good thing she had plans and didn't get home until later. I was struggling to find a way to reattach the IR eyes. The double sided adhesive had a tendency to dismantle the eyes upon removal. I found the perfect solution. I used that clay adhesive stuff for hanging posters and such. It was kind of like wiring explosives. Pretty cool stuff. It can mold to odd shapes like the HD-TiVo IR sensor.

Originally posted by jagouar
Hah.... I think you should all just move back to CS and get what you can distnat now before they start screwing with that too.

Bare min your going to get screwed over on MPEG4 if you live in Htown.

Do NOT move back. As I posted earlier (a couple of pages back) - You cannot get anything now if you move back to CS. The same is true if you move to Houston. There are no distant feeds being allowed in either city (including O&O stations in Houston) if you were not grandfathered in prior to 12/17.

Originally posted by mwesson
Do NOT move back. As I posted earlier (a couple of pages back) - You cannot get anything now if you move back to CS. The same is true if you move to Houston. There are no distant feeds being allowed in either city (including O&O stations in Houston) if you were not grandfathered in prior to 12/17.

Really? That sucks for me I guess if voOm goes under... Guess if they do cox will now be my only option. I thought they were still doing distants for CS people. I guess Ill have to wait and see when they do the "HD white area" and see what happens because we sure cant get decent signals here.

Originally posted by jagouar
Really? That sucks for me I guess if voOm goes under... Guess if they do cox will now be my only option.

That is correct. If VOOM goes under, you are screwed. Besides the fact that we will berate you to no end when that occurs... Your only options for non-OTA networks will be Cox. (Or possibly the Houston LIL's, if we can figure a way to work around the system.)

Originally posted by mwesson
That is correct. If VOOM goes under, you are screwed. Besides the fact that we will berate you to no end when that occurs... Your only options for non-OTA networks will be Cox. (Or possibly the Houston LIL's, if we can figure a way to work around the system.)

you guys already berate me all the time so thats nothing new.... I still hope voOm finds a money donor instead of selling because they really are better than E* for sure and in my mind D* too (even w/o fox sports yet).... PQ on SD stuff is a few steps up from both and cable. Id hate to have to go back to watching compressed SD and few HD channels.

Hopefully the new voOm sub numbers will increase dramatically (the current 26k number doesnt include any people that subbed under the $1 installed deal) and cablevision wont sell.

Originally posted by jagouar
you guys already berate me all the time so thats nothing new.... I still hope voOm finds a money donor instead of selling because they really are better than E* for sure and in my mind D* too (even w/o fox sports yet).... PQ on SD stuff is a few steps up from both and cable. Id hate to have to go back to watching compressed SD and few HD channels.
Originally posted by jagouar
Hopefully the new voOm sub numbers will increase dramatically (the current 26k number doesnt include any people that subbed under the $1 installed deal) and cablevision wont sell.
Why do I get the feeling that when (OK, if ;) ) Voom goes under we will see a newly registered member to our thread raving about the PQ on COX, and another will disappear for a while?? :D

Originally posted by jagouar
you guys already berate me all the time so thats nothing new....

Us? Poor Ish hasn't posted since you made fun of his HTPC.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Us? Poor Ish hasn't posted since you made fun of his HTPC.

He posted a few times saying he was busy or something... I just gave him a little flack because he said he would post a review and never did.... I acually like the cox dvr (much better pricing than D* thats for sure) if you can live with smaller recording space.

and dont be so sure about cox... when/if voom goes under i will evaluate the total cost of all providers (even dish) and make a judgement... but hopefully voOm comes into some money or the sub numbers increase to a point that they become a viable company.

and no im not going to run and hide if/when voOm goes under.... I have a high post count that doesnt need to be restarted (not to mention my acct is older than almost everybody here)

Hey your holiness, did they say at CES when that new Harmony remote is due out? With my new equipment, the Pronto needs a big overhaul that I would like to avoid.

The new harmony is supposed to be coming in april.

But what we saw at CES was not a working model of the remote.... none of the buttons worked.

I convinced Munky to get one for his system (when they ran the half off deal at CES) and I am planning on getting one of the new ones when they come out. Once you go harmony you will want to throw that Pronto in the trash (course Ive told you that aready ;))

The one bad thing Ive read about this remote is since it has a color lcd it only lasts 1-2 weeks on a charge but has the rechargable base so thats of little issue to me.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Hey your holiness, did they say at CES when that new Harmony remote is due out? With my new equipment, the Pronto needs a big overhaul that I would like to avoid.

Press release says April.

http://www.remotecentral.com/wn050105.htm

C'mon, don't hate on the Pronto. After all, you used to have one. I was able to do some pretty tricked out things with the Pronto (custom wallpapers, channel macros, etc.) that I don't think I will be able to with the Harmony. But the lack of hard buttons is getting old; especially with the TiVos.

Originally posted by elspankdog
C'mon, don't hate on the Pronto. After all, you used to have one. I was able to do some pretty tricked out things with the Pronto (custom wallpapers, channel macros, etc.) that I don't think I will be able to with the Harmony. But the lack of hard buttons is getting old; especially with the TiVos.

Yeah I had a pronto and the fact that I hype the Harmony so much over it should tell you something. Pronto was great for the tinkerer (all the custom functionality) but it was a big pain to use and redo (compared to harmony). The harmony is great for its ease of use/setup and in todays world I have enough to read about/keep up with things to worry about getting the latest and greated remote features for soemthing like a pronto.

You will understand after a few weeks with the harmony.

I know we stros fans dont care anymore but HDN did a feature today about the press of randy johnson and carlos beltran being introduced in NY today.... didnt exactly give any glowing remarks about houston but it was in HD atleast.

We finally beat the sips at a sport that means something... :)

Originally posted by jagouar
We finally beat the sips at a sport that means something... :)

I had to work late so my wife Tivoed the game for me. Unfortunately, she didn't add a buffer, and the recording ended way before the game was over. :( I bet Reed was rockin'.

Yeah, Reed was definitely rockin'. Something I haven't seen in all my years here.

I've attached a crappy camera phone shot of people rushing the court.

There were a few happy Ags there!! :)

Originally posted by dave99ag
Yeah, Reed was definitely rockin'. Something I haven't seen in all my years here.

I've attached a crappy camera phone shot of people rushing the court.
Hey, is that the same camera you used at the Cotton Bowl??
:D :D

Maybe I'll post a screenshot of Acie Law doing the horns down.

Originally posted by labmansid
Hey, is that the same camera you used at the Cotton Bowl??
:D :D

:p

Hell no! I still have yet to figure out how to get a sideline pass for sporting events at A&M. Maybe one day I will.

I found this pic on ESPN. Gotta feel for the guy.

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/TXPS10301130222.jpeg

So Dave, how is that DVI switch working? Did you get a Gefen? That long DVI cable (25 ft) of mine seems to be working. I haven't got to play with it much since I haven't quite finished the bedroom setup yet, but I get a picture at least. There does seem to be a slight delay when changing channels on my Zenith 520 when compared to component. I guess this could be because of the long run. I don't have a short DVI cable to compare it to. The DVI input on the Samy is off-centered as well. Hopefully, I can fix this in the service menu (God forbid I have to return this thing to CC).

HEY! There I am! If you look at that picture again - There are three people in light blue shirts in a row immediately beneath the watch on the arm standing out - I'm the balding head immediately to the left of the second (middle) one.

That was a sweet game last night. Worth the price of season tickets for that one game.

It's working quite well actually. I ended up getting the DVI Link (http://www.pacificcable.com/Picture_Page.asp?DataName=DS-21R) from Pacific Cable. I liked that the inputs and output were all on the back of the unit. I don't know why the Gefen among others put the output on the front.

I have macros programmed on my MX-500 for the Tivo and DVD player. Hit the Tivo button and it switches to device one on the DVI switch along with a few other commands. I put a 0.5 second delay in there to make sure it fully switches though.

Once I showed my wife how to use the new remote macros, she didn't notice a thing. She approves of the purchase. :)

I did a CSI type picture enhancement so that we could see you better mwesson:

Nice. :D :D :D Blasphemous!!! Don't you know there is only the one true D* God!

I'm actually the guy immediately to the left of the 2nd light blue shirt (in a maroon shirt - down a row and to the right from the guy you highlighted). Not that it really matters.

Oh, yeah, now I recognize you!! ;)

Originally posted by mwesson
Nice. :D :D :D Blasphemous!!! Don't you know there is only the one true D* God!

I'm actually the guy immediately to the left of the 2nd light blue shirt (in a maroon shirt - down a row and to the right from the guy you highlighted). Not that it really matters.

I was about to say that esp got the wrong guy.... not that Id expect anything less from a D* user.

Originally posted by mwesson
I'm actually the guy immediately to the left of the 2nd light blue shirt (in a maroon shirt - down a row and to the right from the guy you highlighted). Not that it really matters.

It was hard to pick you out in that VoOm screenshot. Now if I would have had a D* screenshot to work with... :D

Originally posted by elspankdog
It was hard to pick you out in that VoOm screenshot. Now if I would have had a D* screenshot to work with... :D

If you had a D* screenshot to work with you would have picked a seat somewhere at the drum in asstin.

I'm not feeling the love father.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Once I showed my wife how to use the new remote macros, she didn't notice a thing. She approves of the purchase. :)

Oh macros, the key to a happy marriage.

I used my own image enhancing software. :p



http://www.frogflats.com/bbgame01.jpg

hah, is it your monthly time already lab?

:D :D :D :D :D

Now THAT is funny. :D

Does anybody know if Fox Sports SW is in HD already? I saw some clips on the HDnews channel on voOm from the dallas mavs game that were in HD and it had the Fox Sports SW logo in the score bar but I wasnt aware that our FSSW had gone HD....

Yep, they've been HD. I think it's only available on TWC. They did some Rangers and Astros games last year as well as providing the MLB All-Star game in HD to Austin/Houston/San Antonio via TWC.

My KD-34XS955 (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KD34XS955&Dept=tv&CategoryName=tv_34%22to36%22TVs) finally came in (after a 2 week wait) from circuit city. I hooked up an old radio shack indoor antenna (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-1838) and am now able to receive CBS (3.1) and KAMU (12.1) fine.

Dish network has offered me 6 months of free HD content. The
HD receiver will be coming in next week. Will let you know how it goes.

Hah, you think I get it bad from the D* cult just wait.....

Originally posted by jagouar
hah, is it your monthly time already lab?
Wow, that was a rough 4 days. Glad it's over for now! :D :D

Originally posted by labmansid
Wow, that was a rough 4 days. Glad it's over for now! :D :D

4 days? Thats got to be some kind of man record.....

Originally posted by ronkrauter
My KD-34XS955 (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KD34XS955&Dept=tv&CategoryName=tv_34%22to36%22TVs) finally came in (after a 2 week wait) from circuit city. I hooked up an old radio shack indoor antenna (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-1838) and am now able to receive CBS (3.1) and KAMU (12.1) fine.

Dish network has offered me 6 months of free HD content. The
HD receiver will be coming in next week. Will let you know how it goes.

Hey Ron, I'm pretty sure the E* HD stb has a DVI output, so you'll need a DVI to HDMI cable to hook it up (unless you just want to use component). If you haven't already got one, let me know. I think I have an extra one from my returned HD-TiVo. Of course, maybe the E* stb will come with one.

Brian

FYI... for those of you not going to the OU game tonight (which all of you should be) - D* is supposedly having a free preview of ESPN's Full Court package (started yesterday and is going through tomorrow) - which should allow you to watch the game for free.

Thanks for the info. Unless one of you guys wants to work for me tonight, I won't be able to make the game. Do you know the channel off of the top of your head?

I looked at the online D* guide and it shows the game on 781.

D* program guide says 781.

Thanks and thanks. Now who are the announcers going to be?

Theres some interesting news from motorola and ucentric (netcode behind the voom dvr and D* whole home solution).
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050118/motorola_ucentric_1.html

Not sure if thats bad for D* yet though (since voOm uses motorola boxes and D* doesnt).

Speaking of free previews did you D* people get starz this weekend? They had some sweet movies in HD this past weekend (and my Starz-HD channel was still on this morning, I had it since wed) :)

Originally posted by jagouar
Speaking of free previews did you D* people get starz this weekend? They had some sweet movies in HD this past weekend (and my Starz-HD channel was still on this morning, I had it since wed) :)

ha ha ha. :mad:

I'm guessing you've seen this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=497608) too.

yeah i saw it... not really unexpected though, we knew they are going to have to discuss the future one of these days. I just hope they give it to atleast march when the dvr comes out and the the new capacity comes online and see what the sub numbers are like then... if its still under 50k after the quarter (when dvr and new capacity is up), then we can be pretty much assured voOm will fail. then again I really think the sub numbers are already at 50k with the new deal alone (the $1 installed deal wasnt started before the 26k number was released).

If they go dark it will suck having to go back to D*/E*/cable and their compressed to hell channels but I will get though it.

And I had to get that starz crack in.... might be the last one I ever get. ;) Still I really liked watching starz... "the butterfly effect", "the rock" (in OAR), "pirates of the carib" (but the quality sucked balls), "daddy day care", "final destination 2" all in one weekend off the top of my head. shame voOm didnt have their dvr out because a few of those were record worthy.

Hi guys. I have been absent from posting lately, but I have been lurking when the need for good info comes up (sorry). You guys are in the know.

I am sooo confused and need some guidance. I am currently a six year+ D* subscriber with an old E86 HD sat receiver plus a SD DTV Tivo plus an old Sony SAT. Also I am one of the local guys with vertical stacked DAT75's and have been receiving Houston HDTV stations for a couple of years. Most of my viewing is on a 50" Pioneer commercial plasma.

Anyway, I am at a critical decision point because (1) I NEED HD DVR and I am tired of waiting, (2) my E86 HD sat receiver has recently died, and I can't get any HD via satellite right now, (3) I am TRYING OUT the Cox HD DVR and service at $100+/Mo. to help in my decision, (4) I am still paying $100+/Mo. to retain my current D* service (don't want to loose those waivers on ABC and NBC).

FACTS:
1. The Cox DVR works pretty well, and the PQ on the HD feeds is ALMOST as good as the D* signal. However, the analog and non-HD digital channels are inferior in PQ (not surprising).

2. While I was ready to go with the HR10-250 a couple of months ago, I have now decided that it doesn't make sense with the low rental cost of the Cox DVR plus the fact that compatibility with the new lil sat and dish is in question.

3. It would be nice to simplify my content selection to one box instead of OTA, basic cable and Satellite. However, signal quality and image holds the highest priority for me, within reasonable cost differences.

4. My wife leans toward D* because of greater channel selection (non-HD) plus the ability to catch the west coast feeds. She doesn't appreciate the other D* technical/channel availability/uncertainty negatives, though.

QUESTIONS:
1. Does anyone know if the "currently available" lil local D* service includes any or all of the major network HD feeds? Which ones are covered?

2. If you call and subscribe to the local D* channels, does that automatically cancel forever any waivers that you might have (my guess is yes)?

3. Even if I can get the D* HD locals, does it make sense to go that route since it seems that any option for HD DVR would require the $1K Tivo box which might not be compatible with the local sat anyway?

4. Can anyone easily explain the O&O situation? Which stations are O&O that affect us B/CS users (Houston, Dallas, B/CS, other), and HOW does it affect us? From what I have read, CBS, NBC, FOX and UPN are O&O in D/FW. CBS and ABC are O&O in Houston. What does this O&O status mean to me and you?

5. What about the 6 month hold time on D* waivers? If I drop D* and return before 6 month, what is your guess about the validity of my existing waivers?

6. What is the current status of ABC-HD on Cox and D*, if anyone knows?

7. What is the risk of loosing my national D* NBC and ABC feeds if I call and request ANY programming changes?

I realize that these are a lot of questions, but I have done my homework and searched the last 81 pages of this forum for current answers before asking. Hopefully, this info will be helpful to newcomers with similar questions.

Jag, I know that you are a Zoom head right now. Dog, you have gone the HD Tivo route plus the Televes...this is the route that I THOUGHT that I wanted to take. Sid, you and I spoke a couple of years ago about OTA antennas, and I assume that you are D* also. Mwesson, you sunk for the HD Tivo and must be in a similar boat as I am. Munky, are you still happy with the Cox boxes? Dave, where do you stand on D* HD DVR vs. other choices?

Thanks to anyone with a reply.

Mike

1) If you have the Waco/Bryan locals, the only way you can get HD via D* is with waivers. You have ABC and NBC, so you should get those. I believe elspankdog has these. HD LiL via D* for this market won't happen for a few more years, ie. 2007.

2) Not really sure. I never applied for waivers and have since "moved" to Houston to get locals. I did this before D* offered locals in our market.

3) The HD-Tivo probably won't be compatible with HD LiL, but it appears that D* will replace it in some shape or form. Since I "moved" to Houston, I will have a chance to get Houston HD LiL via D*. How that will work, I don't know.

4) O&O status means nothing to you if you get your service from a B/CS address. None of the stations in Waco or B/CS are O&O. That's one of the main reasons I moved. Fox and ABC are O&O and now I get the NY HD feeds of ABC and Fox.

5) From what I've gathered, if you lose those waivers, you won't get them back with the new SHIRVA laws. Others with waivers know more than I do.

6) Can't help you there. I dumped Cox almost 2 years ago and couldn't be happier without them.

7) I think some are worried. I'm anxious to find out how D* will handle the equipment exchange for HD LiL in the Houston market.

Several of us have HD-Tivos and I'd assume all are happy. I bought mine in December; just before all of this MPEG-4 news and was a bit worried at first. Now that the dust has settled some, I'm still happy with my purchase.

No one really knows what D* will do, but I think it'll be ok. It looks like D* won't have a HD DVR until 2006, so I'm good for this year. I get NBC and CBS via OTA and ABC and Fox via D*. I'm covered pretty good right now, but it would be nice to not always depend on an antenna. If D* offers a good replacement program, I will swap out my HD-Tivo.

Wow Dave...thanks for the detailed answers to my questions. Regarding your last statement, are you getting ABC-HD and FOX-HD via D* BECAUSE you moved to Houston? Since my HD D* box died, I'm not sure what I can and cannot get today. I have a Bryan address.

I would be happy to get responses from others as well on my earlier (regretably) lengthy post.

Yes, I get those because I "moved" to Houston. If I still had a B/CS service address, I would get neither unless I had waivers for them.

You would probably be able to get ABC-HD and NBC-HD since you already have waivers. If you had them before the new SHIRVA act was signed, you're in good shape. How well can you get Fox-HD out of Houston via OTA? That would be your only trouble station.

Personally I wouldnt go anywhere near the HD-tivo right now (although im sure all the hd-tivo guys are going to say opposite).... way too many unanswered questions with regards to the mpeg4 transition.

Im holding out a few months for the voOm dvr which will be a networkable system (dvr in every room of your house through one box) and it wont break the bank like D* does.

If you want the movie channels voom has by far the best selection of HD ones... HBO E/W, SHO E/W Starz E/W, TMC, Encore, i know im missing a few but they have pretty much every movie station out there.

If your wife can live short term with the limited SD offering (100SD)... the PQ of their SD channels is a few steps up from D* and E* and COX (and Ive had all 3)... the # of channels will dramatically increase in march (if they last that long)....

Personally Id keep what you have now and wait till closer in march to see what new conten voom brings to the plate with their 70HD/350SD upgrades and the DVR that will be a lease similar to what cox has now.

With the current $1 installed deal the only reason not to atleast try them out for 6 months is the locals (not sure how well that dat75 stack is doing, but the voom reciever has a very good OTA tuner but on the current box it only will see/display digital stations, but you can split the signal and run one end to your tv to get the missing locals)....

I get Fox-HD from Houston OK depending on tropo ducting. It is not as consistant as NBC, which is usually 100% reliable at night.

I have had the NBC and ABC waivers for several years, so I hesitate to drop D* without good reason. On the other hand, I am not committed to paying the $1K for the HD Tivo that might be soon obsolete...plus the fact that the Cox DVR option is so cheap. Decisions...Decisions.

yeah like i said right now getting a hd-tivo is a very stupid decision..... something that will be obselete by the end of the year and theres no telling what kind of programming requirement they are going to hold you to... Just to get a $100 triple lnb dish installed from D* costs you a 12 month commit.... Imagine what theyre going to want for a $1000 receiver.

Id stay with cox for now atleast.... course i just want my networkable dvr come march :)

Jag, thanks for the input.

The DAT stack still works pretty darn good...probably more consistent than the Cox HD feed on NBC Houston. Can't beat it for KBTX HD either. With regard to Voom, I don't care about the "locals" because I can get what I want OTA. What I really care about is HD DVR capability on CBS, NBC and ABC plus the regular HD movie stuff. Consistent Fox HD would be a plus. Where can I get info on the $1 Voom deal?

From you other guys, no wisecracks please about another Voom defector...I'm just looking for the facts :)

Well the voom dvr will work with your exiting antenna for locals....

IF you havent seen the ces video I think you will be impressed.... its going to be a hell of a system (so good that D* is copying it for their new pvr)

http://www.voom.com/

Most of the details about vooms programming/current offer is at their website.... They really have a good website at advertising their stuff. You might look at the voom excludive channels (If you like older movies you will love the voom exclusives, and the new ones from the movie channels). I currently sub to the lower package but have been getting starz free for over a week. :) I also like voom HDnews (24/7 news channel), like world report but 24x7, weather maps in hd are sweet.

Since you say you are paying 100 for D* and Cox I assume you will want the full blown package (with all movie channels), the programming package is $89/month.

Basically get up to 3 HD receivers installed for $1 (6 month commitment but if they go bust your not out anything)..... Then $49 for each one after.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/2005ces/
theres the video for their upcoming dvr.

Really the only reason not to go and atleast try voom is because you cant get all your locals.

At this point and in your situation, Mikey, I think I would have to say you would probably be better off sticking with Cox (shudder!!) for HD, unless you can get away with "moving" to Houston and retaining your ABC/NBC waivers. Although D* does have the "Big Four" networks in HD now, there are more stipulations and uncertainties in what will be available to you. I think mwesson is the only one of us that is still listed as being in B/CS; Dave, Brian, and myself all "moved" to Houston several months ago, so mwesson could tell you more about what can be had for "locals", but I think he would agree. You MAY still be eligible for ABC and NBC HD due to your waivers, but maybe not if you decide to get locals on D* or "move" to Houston. I recall mwesson's post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4967046#post4967046) about this. What HD were you getting on D* before your E86 died, any networks? Those of us "in Houston" get ABC and FOX HD (East only) since those two are O&O there, and I get NBC only because I had waivers before I "moved" and D* seems rather lax about cutting off what was already in place, I actually shouldn't be getting NBC. Brian gets ABC E/W in addition for the same reason. I guess one important factor is how badly do you want FOX-HD? Cox is supposedly trying to get it somehow, along with ABC.
Maybe now would be a good time for a B/CS HDTV meeting! :)

2. Waivers
Are you getting SD feeds of ABC and NBC right now? If so, I believe you should have already been getting the HD feeds. When I added locals (Hou), I did it online, and well before the the HD feeds I was eligible for went live. My waivers remained intact though. This is a tough question. I think if you already had the waivers you should still be able to get the HD feeds as opposed to having to apply for waivers now and asking for HD feeds. Moving to Houston might cost you your waivers. I think it used to be up to the csr to remove them, but with the new law, they might have a better system in place now.

3. HD-TiVo
Only if you can get it at a significant discount (customer retention route + ebay maybe). mwesson has us beat on this one since he paid a lot less for his unit.

5. 6 month rule
Who knows if this still applies with the new law.

6. ABC-HD
It's available on D*. I get both E and W with waivers. As for Cox, I spoke to their chief engineer earlier this week, and he didn't know anything. According to the guy on texags whose neighbor is high up at Cox, KXXV is in negotiations with Cox, but I think their subchannels (Telemundo and weather loop) might be holding them up. The news on Fox has not been good.

7. Losing waivers.
I would say the risk is high. I do all my programming changes online.

What Pio do you have Mike? Is it the 503cmx? If so, I have the little brother, the 433cmx. Are you using the 5002 video card, or have you stepped up to a 3rd party card (Aurora, etc.)?

Originally posted by jagouar
yeah like i said right now getting a hd-tivo is a very stupid decision..... something that will be obselete by the end of the year and theres no telling what kind of programming requirement they are going to hold you to... Just to get a $100 triple lnb dish installed from D* costs you a 12 month commit.... Imagine what theyre going to want for a $1000 receiver.


I think D* only requires a 12 month commit with ANY new equipment, regardless how much it cost. There would be no difference in that regard between a $100.00 receiver or a $1000.00 one.
By the way, I do LOVE my HD-Tivo and have no regrets in getting it. I just don't plan on any changes that might jeopardize my HD "locals". ;)

One more thing about the HD-TiVo. I remember when I only got two HD channels: HDNet and HBO. I was so excited when KAMU went live and so disappointed during the wait for KBTX. Since then, I've purchased two more HDTVs, went through three more D* HD boxes, and erected five different antennae along with a 25 ft tower. I'm officially over the edge. So the HD-TiVo is a no brainer, D*/VoOm alliance aside. I grin like a little kid on Christmas every time I look at my now playing list and see programs from all four (yes, can you believe it? I get all four) networks and other channels. Let's see, what will it be? Lost? Two and a Half Men? Arrested Development? Joey? Smallville? Deadwood? Huff? Island Fever 3?[/blindly blow money mode]

Just to throw my two cents in...

QUESTIONS:
1. Our D* locals do not include any hd channels and will not for a VERY long time. You either currently have the waivers or you don't.

2. You keep any currently existing waivers if you have them up and running. If you don't have them currently up and running, D* will not add them at this point.

3. As much as I hate to say it, if I was starting from scratch, I'd go the Cox route. At least until this new D* Mpeg4 thing gets worked out.

4. I cannot stress this enough. If you don't currently have operating DNS feeds or reside in a city that has O&O feeds, D* will not activate them under any circumstances. (i.e. you cannot "move" to Houston and get the ABC and Fox O&O feeds like others that have been grandfathered). You either had the O&O feeds as of 12/17/04 or you will NEVER get them.

5. If you drop your waivers, they will NEVER return. Period. Hold on to them at all costs if you are going to remain with D*.

6. If you have a waiver for ABC up and running, you should be getting the national HD feed of ABC currently. I don't know about Cox.

7. Very little. The only people worried on this board are those that "reside" in Houston, but for some reason never had those feeds turned off.

I've got the HDTivo and absolutely love it. (However, I didn't pay for it - so my enjoyment is not sitting underneath a $1k price tag.) Given that they are going to have to replace that bad boy for certain areas when they move to MPEG4 - it raises interesting issues. However, since they are not "mailing" receivers to customers anymore and they have to be installed, I still haven't figured out in my mind how I will pull off "moving" to Houston once the HD LIL's are up.

well looks like voom might fail before march now.... i guess that option is out for you... Should be interesting to see who buys it (I see no reason D* would want it so it will be either a E* or somebody big like microsoft or one of the tv network companies). Right now Im going to wait and see why buys them before moving (and see what kind of package whoever buys them gives us) but cox is starting to look like a real alternative right now.... I dont want anywhere near D* until atleast the end of the year when they have that whole home dvr (shame I never got voom's).... and see if D* is going to ever get off thier high horse about ripping people off with HD-DVR's theyre never going to compete unless they can get the pricing comparable to cable.

Wow, look at all the love for Cox.

Well, I still don't love them. :D

I don't love them either. Simply too much up in the air and they are the least expensive temporary alternative. (I guess that could be Zoom, but they are now a temporary temporary option.)

Same here.. its all about $ and D* doesnt compete very well here if you want to record HD... although neither does E*.

Im still hoping somebody other than E* buys voom but it doesnt look very promising atm.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Wow, look at all the love for Cox.
Hey,let me make this perfectly clear, I never said I love Cox!! :D
Not that there's anything wrong with that!!

Is BEV an option this far south? Talk about a move.

:)

Who cares though, they own everybody in terms of locals atm.

I know there are places near the border that have PO boxes or addresses in canada so US subs can get in on BEV.

Ive looked that them before but never could get a straight answer if we could see the sat thsi far south....

Supposedly we can though... http://www.canadatotwincities.com/satellite.html

Im debating looking into them again because it seems we can get sigmals this far south.

But do they still have a DVR?

Yeah Im trying to find that out myself... But Stargate: Atlantis and Star Trek: Enterprise HD (neither will be avaliable in the us in the next few years, atleast for us, 2 shows Id like to see in HD) make the price worth it alone. And add on the networks programming not a bad deal.

Here are both questions and answers to your posts...

1. elspankdog, do you subscribe to the D* LiL? If so, when do you expect to get them in HD as well? Do the LiLs work with your HD Tivo? Since my E86 died, do you know for sure if ABC is now availble via sat if I have the ABC waiver (without LiL)?

2. mwesson, you may be the only one of the bunch that still has a CS address. What HD do you get, and how do you get it? I assume that you have some waivers.

3. Labmansid, I was getting the HD NBC feed via satellite before my E86 died. No other major networks (NBC only , no ABC or CBS or FOX).

4. Mwesson, any "hints" on getting the credits for the HD Tivo for "a lot less"?

5. elspankdog, I have the PDP-503CMX with the 5002 card, no upgrades. Also, I don't think that I a not brave enough to even consider BEV at this point...I'm too conservative to try...but thanks for the far out suggestion. (My other HD set is a 55" Mit Diamond with integrated OTA receiver (WS-55909).

6. BTW, D* offered to replace my dead E86 with the Samsumg SIR-TS360 for $75. Alternatively, they offered to give me a $150 credit if I want to replace it with the HR10-250. I need the second HD receiver anyway, so the best deal seems to be to get the Samsung since I NEED two HD sat receivers anyway. I can live with only one HD DVR. The Samsung seems pretty cool since it can accept ASTC, NTSC and Sat and integrate it into one menu without switching...very mother-in-law friendly. I would use this on the Mits which we use infrequently.

All-in-all, based upon all of your inputs, I am leaning toward sticking with D* IF I can get NBC and ABC HD via sat, CBS and Fox via OTA with the DATs, and maybe springing for the HD Tivo if I can get some discounts from D* customer retention. The D* and OTA PQ quality beats Cox all around. What do you think? I need to make a decision soon because it is KILLING ME to pay for both D* and Cox just to decide between the two!

Thanks again for all of your inputs and responses. This seems like a close knit bunch of HD lovers in B/CS. Maybe we SHOULD have that meeting sometime! I look forward to supplying some valuable info instead of just questions.

Mike, did your E-86 die before ABC-HD went live on D*? You said you had a waiver for it, so I'd imagine you'd have ABC in HD too.

Here's the thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?threadid=168928) on how to get credit for the HD-Tivo. You've been with them a long time, so I'd imagine you should get at least $250 in credits. I've been with them less than 2 years and got $150 or $100 off plus a few others programming credits. You just have to get the right CSR.

Yes, it died before I could confirm ABC-HD. Thanks for the link.

Finally, I've been upgraded from "new member" status to "member". I guess that it has to do with number of posts, regardless of registered date.

My earlier posts had to do mostly with the OTA subject of long distance HD reception and my setup with my dual DATs plus mounting plus amplifiers.

BTW you might want to still consider voOm... seems they arent as dead as we were lead to beleive..... the memo is confirmed real and make it look like dolan sr is going to sell cablevision and invest it all in voOm....

1. elspankdog, do you subscribe to the D* LiL? If so, when do you expect to get them in HD as well? Do the LiLs work with your HD Tivo? Since my E86 died, do you know for sure if ABC is now available via sat if I have the ABC waiver (without LiL)?

I subscribe to D* LiL for Houston, and I was doing so before NBC-HD and ABC-HD went live on D*. The SD LiLs work with the HD-TiVo, but speculation is that when the new HD LiLs are added this year (including Houston) the HD-TiVo will not work since the new channels will be MPEG-4. We hope that they will give us new equipment at no cost, but the problem is if they require an install in "Houston". I know you should be eligible for ABC-HD, but I had LiL when it went live so I don't know whether or not LiL is required. mwesson might have not had LiLs and just waivers when either NBC or ABC went live. I do know that the waiver gets you ABC E/W like me while O&O just gets you E like Dave and Sid.

Let's say you get a new D* receiver (360 or HD-TiVo). This is what you should get:

ABC-HD E/W - D*
CBS-HD - OTA
FOX-HD - DX from Hou
NBC-HD E/W - D*
PBS-HD - OTA

Whether or not adding B/CS locals kills the waivers, I don't know. mwesson might have some insight. He might have had the distant NBC-HD feed before adding B/CS locals. I added my Houston locals online and didn't lose the distant feeds. Moving to Houston is not an option right now. I believe you can't get O&O HD feeds unless you already have them.

One more thing, if they choose to make all HD channels MPEG-4 later this year, the dns feeds will be dead too unless you get new equipment. That would however make a move to Houston easier as we all would be eligible for the new equipment here in B/CS, and then we "move" after the install.

yeah from what ive been told new subs are going to be pretty screwed locals wise now that they have the new rules in effect... one of the reasons im still not looking at D* for the forseeable future (atleast until they get locals that i can get and the networkable pvr).

BTW theres too many things on voOm tonight... Mask of Zorro on TNT-HD, Kill Bill on Starz-HD and Baylor vs Colorado on ESPN classic (man I need that pvr ;))

Originally posted by elspankdog
One more thing, if they choose to make all HD channels MPEG-4 later this year, the dns feeds will be dead too unless you get new equipment. That would however make a move to Houston easier as we all would be eligible for the new equipment here in B/CS, and then we "move" after the install.

Even still if all HD channels go they still wouldnt upgrade your equipment in CS if your addy is in houston right? Atleast w/o losing your waviers from houston. Seeing as the new rules dont let you move and get O&O locals....

Unless all HD channels go MPEG-4. Then all HD subs are eligible for new equipment. If just the dns ones go MPEG-4, I guess I could try to move back to CS without losing waivers (I've done it before), get new equipment, and then move back to Houston and get the HD LiLs. Waivers won't matter in Houston at that point.

Jag, I will "CONSIDER" Voom within my options (sigh, sorry). The whole whole-house networked DVR kicks ass. However, Voom is not on the top of my list right now, but I appreciate all points of view.

elspankdog, I do not subscribe to the LiL right now, as it seems that this is not a good option for me if I want to keep my b/cs address and my waivers.

el, Your assumption of the programming list that you posted would be OK (if I get the new receiver(s)) if I stay status-quo. I guess that I still want to get a response from mwesson since he seems to be in my boat regarding equipment and D* status.

I guess that there is no easy answer as to how to get what we want, even if we are willing to pay for it AND go to these technical extremes: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Premium Movie Channels HDNet, INDH with HD DVR. Why does this have to be so hard? Arrrrg....

What do you expect in HD Hell, I mean B/CS. It's a tough decision. Especially with the $1000 want and the looming MPEG-4 upgrade. What you could do is call D* customer retention and see what kind of credit you can get on your account before buying the HD-TiVo. That's what I did. They'll apply the credit when or if you buy and add the stb. That way you could see if it is worth it. You could use a couple of arguments: Low price of competing DVR (Cox), lack of networks in HD to your market which Cox provides, chance of outdated high cost equipment (MPEG-4), long time customer, etc.

Well, it's time to go watch my Lost/Two and a Half Men/Huff triple header.

Aw, the pains of being an early adopter...In b/cs no less.

Two years ago, I thought that I was on top of the hill with HDnet, HBO and NBC-HD from Houston. Now I need more HD drugs...plus HD Tivo.

Mikey, if you stick with D* you would be better off keeping your programming as it is now. I'm afraid if you signed up for B/CS locals you might lose your distant waivers. The upside is if you did sign up for locals, D* would probably replace your E86 and SD-Tivo for free, but I would consider those waivers as gold in HD-Hell!! ;) You should definitely call D* and see what kind of credits you could get if you purchase the HD-Tivo. You have been with them long enough to get a couple of hundred in credits, easy, maybe more. That may help you make up your mind. I have to admit that more programming options was the main reason we switched from Cox in the first place, which is something you mentioned in your post last night. What was I thinking, recommending Cox! :D After the initial hubub about the MPEG-4 announcement has settled down I think the consensus is starting to form that it will be quite a while yet before it actually affects any subscribers and D* would have a PR nightmare if they left anyone hanging on to expensive doorstops.
Dave and I both have the Samsung 360 receiver, and aside from a couple of minor annoyances is a pretty good box. $75 is a pretty good deal for it.
Now, if everyone wants, I MIGHT be persuaded into hosting a get-together so we can hash this out further. :)

I dont even know if I would bother to addend with all the crap I would take over voom.... ;)

Maybe if I perusaded Munky to go I wouldnt be the only youngin there liking voom. :)

BTW anybody do lighting control (X10) in their theater rooms? Im trying to understand X10 for my next theater upgrade.

I could possibly host a party too but my theater room is rather small... I have a feeling after seeing voom in action alot of you guys wouldnt be ripping on it so much. Ive already converted Munky when he goes back to sat if voom is still around. I still have my D* triple LNB dish up for some comarisons. (not sure if it works still.. my receiver is at my dads house for his OTA channels) ;)

If this party does happen we might be able to get a tour of KBTX's HD stuff.... I know when they first started the GM there offered to give us a private tour (but that was a long time ago... might be good to voice some of our concerns with the people behind KBTX :))

Aww, jag, don't be like that! We don't really have anything against ZoOm, we just don't need any more dishes or antennae breaking up the skyline over our houses. ;)
In answer to your question, I have some X10 controllers in my house. It's pretty cool. It can be a little finicky if something is interfering with the signal (like large TV's, multiple satellite receivers and DVD players, a meth lab :eek: ), but I have it worked out. Nothing fancy, relatively inexpensive (I KNOW you like that part :p ) compared to Lutron and some others.
Come out and play some time. :D

Do you do lighting control?

http://www.smarthome.com/2386w.html

Looking at that one for my Home Theater but am unsure if I need anything else beyond that? The Luron system with remote is only $63 at Home Depot so you cant add too many things before your at the lutron system.

I have about 70 to play with total for my upgrade but the cheaper the better.... I just want to be able to control it with the harmony remote.

I think that your HD group get-together is probably long overdue. Who is going to FOR SURE get the Superbowl this year in HD?

As far as D* and the waivers go, I might try to make an anonymous call to D* to see if I can find out what would happen to my waivers if I make ANY changes, such as getting the Samsung swap and/or adding HD Tivo. Don't know how far I will get...I would probably call from my work #.

While you guys hardly know me, I've been surfing this forum for 2+ years when I need good local HD info, and I feel that I know a little about you guys. Thanks again for all of your responses and suggestions.

Jag, BTW, I would LOVE to get the KBTX HD stuff tour. Also, I have a contact at TAMU Relations Department. They have their own Sony HD Digicam ($100K+) plus a non-linear HD editing setup. They film HD TAMU promos and video for the stadium Jumbotron and the visitor's center HD theater. Another tour opportunity perhaps?

The only X10 thing that I have done is using X10 dimmers in my equipment closet and "theater" lisghting using a seperate RF X10 remote. I have looked into the IR-to-X10 controller (cheap, about $35), but I never ordered one. That way I could program my universal remote to control that as well, maybe add macros too.

can you link me to the ir->X10 controller?

Course 50+35 is more than the lutron spacer system ;)

This (http://www.smarthome.com/2201PH.html) is what I am using, pretty similar to the link you had but no indicator of dimming level. Unfortunately the X10 type products can't be directly controlled by an IR remote such as the Harmony we have, or the Pronto. I use this remote (http://www.smarthome.com/4000.html). They do make a device that converts IR signals to X10, but I don't have the link handy, and it seemed unnecessary for my use.

Originally posted by mikey h
Who is going to FOR SURE get the Superbowl this year in HD?
I know, I know!! :D :D

I think this was the one that I was looking at about a year ago, but I'm not sure. You would have to train your universal remote with the X-10 IR codes. Anyway, this one should work. Only $23, so even a student should be able to afford it!

http://www.x10.com/automation/ir543_s.html

Well I want one remote for my system (the whole reason for harmony) and since I have a USB-UIRT when I hit the pause command I will be able to have the light ocme on to 1/2 power (or some other scene) and run lighting through my harmony when i somehow trigger a movie start it dims the lights (havent figured out how to do that since you usually hit "enter" to start).

Yeah pricing is key to me and the harmony already has X10 codes builtin to the database ;)

If I can do X10 for around the same price as lurton I want to go with that because of the upgradability issue as well as getting acustomed to it for future theaters.

So if I get that X-10 ir receiver and the new panel for my light that should be all I need correct?

That IR receiver/controller should work with ANY existing X-10 device, such as a dimmer module, appliance module, duplex outlet module or wall switch controller. It works like the non-IR simple button-box controller, plus it has the IR input to boot.

cool.... I assume it can handle the scene lighting too? IE send separate commands for full on, full off, half on etc?

I specifically picked the wall plate because of its ability to run certain commands, like I said when I hit the pause button I can have my usb-uirt send a IR command to this receiver which should be able to trigger my light switch.

I really want to do X10 so I can upgrade things in the future if I want (remote controlled blinds for one)

Yeah, that's the controller I found on the SmartHome site, but your link has it a few bucks cheaper, no sense posting my link for jag!;)

This thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=450344&highlight=x10) has some pretty good info on various lighting systems. I think you should spring for the GrafikEye system myself. :p

yeah the graphic eye is nice... but if i go lutoron it will be this one... http://lutron.com/spacer/?s=17000&t=17200

Originally posted by mikey h
2. mwesson, you may be the only one of the bunch that still has a CS address. What HD do you get, and how do you get it? I assume that you have some waivers.

4. Mwesson, any "hints" on getting the credits for the HD Tivo for "a lot less"?



OK, once again, here we go. To the best of my understanding here is how local B/CS people have it with D*:

IF you are a new subscriber or an old subscriber that currently does not have waivers, you will not get any networks in HD period, the end, no exceptions. Whether you are in B/CS, whether you move to Houston, Dallas or wherever. You cannot get waivers anymore, and if you were not in Houston receiving Houston LiL's as of 12/17 - you cannot get the O&O feeds of ABC and FOX.

So, if you are "brand new" or "have no waivers and are local B/CS right now" you can get CBS and PBS over the air with a reasonable antenna and that is it. There are no other options for network HD (even if you "move" to Houston).

IF you reside in B/CS and currently have waivers for NBC and/or ABC, you should already be receiving the HD DNS feeds of whatever network you have waivers for. I added B/CS local channels (which requires a second satellite dish) and KEPT my distant waivers. My understanding is that subscribing to locals has no effect on waivers that you already have in place.

So with a reasonable antenna, someone in B/CS that had waivers for NBC and ABC over D*, should be able to receive:
SD Locals (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX) through D*
E/W HD DNS ABC through D*
E/W HD DNS NBC through D*
HD CBS over the air from KBTX (3-1)
HD PBS over the air from KAMU (12-1)

The only thing that we are missing is FOX and it doesn't look like it is coming anytime soon.

So as Inigo Montoya would say, LET ME SUM UP:

IF YOU CURRENTLY HAVE WAIVERS, I do not think there is anyway they can take them away from you. However, if you drop them or move to Houston for a period of time, you can NEVER get them back. I do not believe adding locals will have any effect on those waivers, but I would ask someone in the HD/Distant Feed department at D* before I made any changes like that.

IF YOU CURRENTLY HAVE NO WAIVERS, you are screwed - get yourself a giant antenna and try to get the Houston stations OTA.

I hope that clears this mess up a little. I have no clues on how to get the HD-Tivo any cheaper than what has already been said in the recent previous posts. I fluked into my HD-Tivo because I am a "special" person and can't really say more about it on this public forum (although you could PM me and I could fill you in).

Good luck.

We know you're special alright. I didn't know it was still so hush, hush. Looks like Mikey should be good to go for ABC and NBC-HD E/W. So who's all up for this gathering? I'm in. Just let me know the date and place in advance so I can clear it with the boss.

I'm down.

This weekend, next weekend????

I think we'll need boss approval for a bunch of strangers at one's house before we decide on the date. :)

Originally posted by dave99ag
I think we'll need boss approval for a bunch of strangers at one's house before we decide on the date. :)
OK, you have my approval. :)

Ok, I've been working on some shirts for the gathering. What size do you need jag? :D

http://www.photodump.com/direct/elspankdog/BCSTshirt.jpg

Put me down for a couple million of them... I can finally have my very own bonfire then.

OK mwesson...It's all CRYSTAL CLEAR now:) Thanks for the good summary, and I'll try not to ask anymore redundant questions.

If we don't do it at the dog's house, don't forget to bring the love statue to the meeting....

http://mgmt.tamu.edu/mwesson/lovestatue.jpg

Originally posted by mikey h
OK mwesson...It's all CRYSTAL CLEAR now:) Thanks for the good summary, and I'll try not to ask anymore redundant questions.

Not a redundant question, it's just confusing because much of it makes no sense. I finally convinced a friend in early January to move to Houston so he could get ABC and FOX only for him to be told that it wasn't possible after 12/17. What a pain in the ass all of this is.

Originally posted by mwesson
Not a redundant question, it's just confusing because much of it makes no sense. I finally convinced a friend in early January to move to Houston so he could get ABC and FOX only for him to be told that it wasn't possible after 12/17. What a pain in the ass all of this is.
Ouch!! So was he able to find a moving van to move back?? ;)

Originally posted by mwesson
Not a redundant question, it's just confusing because much of it makes no sense. I finally convinced a friend in early January to move to Houston so he could get ABC and FOX only for him to be told that it wasn't possible after 12/17. What a pain in the ass all of this is.

A real friend would just let him add his receiver to your account. ;)

I'm thinking the gathering will be a Sid's house, but when one occurs at my house, I can assure you that "bug" will be no where to be found.

Originally posted by mwesson
If we don't do it at the dog's house, don't forget to bring the love statue to the meeting....

http://mgmt.tamu.edu/mwesson/lovestatue.jpg
LOL!! Somehow I had a feeling that pic was going to resurface!!
:D :D

Alright, that's enough jacking around. Back to the serious talk. What will we be eating Sid?

http://www.photodump.com/direct/elspankdog/lovestatue.jpg

I guess I need to reinstall photoshop on my computer so i can atleast fight back.... :)

Ehh what am I saying... Im going to be too busy tonight watching the Rockets on TNT-HD and The butterfly effect on STARZ-HD along with ER and CSI. ;)

Originally posted by elspankdog
Alright, that's enough jacking around. Back to the serious talk. What will we be eating Sid?

I have this recipe for Tofu-Burgers I've been dying to try out!! :p

Dish buys into Voom (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=498817)

Man...this is starting to get cruel...

Gotta love your fellow man even if he is wrong....

Well Im used to it from the D* lovers.... they have to do something to justify getting ripped off.

Aw man, your not helping your case any....I guess time will tell.

Well as much as I get I gotta dish it out too.... they all can gang up on me.

I noticed that KPRC (Houston NBC) went to 35-1 instead of the normal 2-1 on my HD-Tivo. Anyone else seeing this? Maybe I need to rescan my channels again. I didn't really check to see if it was coming in though. I will tonight.

I assume that you are talking about OTA reception. My E86 is dead on sat but still works OTA. My on-screen guide still shows up 2-1, but I can manually tune it in by entering both 2-1 and 35-1. I don't have HD Tivo yet.

There's been some mention of it in the Houston thread.

Spoke with the D* HD Eligibility dept and the Customer Retention dept today. HD eligibility dept said that I will ALWAYS keep my waivers unless I drop D* (even for one day) or unless I move. Also said that even if/when I add the locals, I will keep my waivers. So it sounds like they're not going to take them away without good reason. The bad news is that I will NEVER get Fox HD reliably unless the local station goes HD someday...no waiver, no distant Fox HD.

Did not make much progress with customer retention...they are ONLY authorized to give me $100 off the HD Tivo, no more, no discounts on my bill, nothing even though I have been with them for 8 years! The lady said that I was getting a better deal from the "Technical Dept" which is the guy that offered to replace my dead E86 for $75 or give me $150 toward the HD Tivo. All in all, this did not help sway me much to keep D*. BUT...I think that I would be happier with it.,,just $1075 poorer.

Call them back and try someone else.

It took me two or three calls before I got a good deal. The first guy didn't even offer me anything. You should get $250 plus maybe HBO/Showtime for 6 months for being with them that long.

Hey Mikey, read this (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?threadid=216440), maybe that will help you. And like Dave said, just keep calling for a better deal. Sounds like you should be set for all but Fox.
I'm guessing nobody wants to meet this weekend??

I could do Saturday, but I would prefer next weekend.

dont know if anybody cares but i got my light dimmer just now at lowes... they had the lutron spacer for $39.00, a very good deal.

And Im probably going to be ordering cox in the next week or so.... unless I get some news about voOm before that.

So does the Lutron have a remote?

Haha, Coxsucker. [/Swearengen]

My wife is out of town tomorrow, so anytime is good then. My weekends are pretty flexible though.

11th wedding anniversay tomorrow - no good for me - but don't hold up on my account

Next weekend is sounding better for everyone.

Thanks for the link on the D* deals, Sid.

I could meet tomorrow or next weekend.

yes the lutron comes with a remote..... its a crappy one but im not going to use it, harmony already has codes ;)

Originally posted by mwesson
11th wedding anniversay tomorrow - no good for me - but don't hold up on my account

And I assume this is your anniversary... guess we need to get some photoshop going on that man and wife figurine ;)

Originally posted by jagouar
yes the lutron comes with a remote..... its a crappy one but im not going to use it, harmony already has codes ;)

That's cool. I'm guessing it's IR then. I might have to check it out.

Originally posted by elspankdog
That's cool. I'm guessing it's IR then. I might have to check it out.

yah its ir.... still a good deal for one.

OK, so next weekend looks to be better. Now, Saturday or Sunday?

My vote is for next Saturday. Unfortunately, my wife will be out of town that day (sad face...). What are the meeting objectives? Quickie meet and greet or grilled hamburgers, a few brewskies and good bull? (I vote for the latter)

Who is going to host this get together... Sid, elspankdog, me, other???

What is the agenda:
1. Put the name with the face.

2. Talk about HD problems, solutions, lighting, future plans for your system, other HD geek stuff???

3. Show off your stuff?

4. Aggie sports?

5. Pick on Voom gods?

6. Other captions for the figurine?

7. Other topics?

Who is going to be the "event coordinator"...Sid?

Originally posted by mikey h
....... a few brewskies and good bull?
I'm pretty sure there won't be a shortage of bull, how good it is, welllllll.....
:D :D

My vote is for burgers and beer (or tofu burgers and near beer for jag). At Sid's on Saturday?

Originally posted by elspankdog
My vote is for burgers and beer (or tofu burgers and near beer for jag). At Sid's on Saturday?

You try to feed me that tofu sh!t Im not coming :)

Spankdog, you need help moving that kegerator?? ;)

Un-Be-Lieveable. Forth time is the charm with customer retention. $250 credit for the HD-Tivo plus $20 off per month for six months against premium services.

Net-net...$850 HD Tivo from Solid Signal - $250 - $120 = $480 for my HD Tivo WITH a 5 year extended warranty!!!

The $850 deal from Solid State includes free shipping plus 5 year total warranty and no sales tax.

Yeah, baby...

There you go mikey!!! Persistence pays off.

Good deal! They also had the HD package free for 6 months, but that ended 12/31. Do you have two cable runs to where the HD-Tivo is going? That's a must.

All Right!!! So have you ordered it yet?? Got your second hard drive yet?? Ordered your Weaknees bracket yet?? :D :D

Dave, I already have THREE sat cable runs in my equipment closet. One SD sat receiver currently drives an RF modulator that mixes back into the whole-house CATV system. The other two sat cables, I will change over to the HD Tivo box.

Sid, I only made my mind us yesterday to stick with D*, so I will order the HD Tivo online today. You guys helped me through this process a lot....thanks!

Sounds good. Two down, one to go!! ;)

I'm kicking myself for not ordering that 300GB drive that Office Depot had for $150. Next time a good deal on a 250+ Maxtor drive comes around, I'm jumping on it.

Yeah, if you can find one before Saturday we can have an upgrade demo. ;)

OK, so Saturday at my Estate ;) around noonish, if there are no objections. I'll kill a cow and crank up the grill.
Mikey, as far as agenda questions;
1. For better or worse.
2. Definitely.
3. You have to ask?
4. Ditto.
5. HeHe!!
6. I suspect at your own risk.
7. We're guys, aren't we? :p

that better be grade A cow too....

Originally posted by elspankdog
Phew, got the Televes and Winegard in the attic.

So, how is the Televes pulling in Houston?

My reception with the 3020/pre-amp has been pretty crappy lately. Even KHOU (CBS) hasn't been coming in well. I'm thinking of using a dedicated UHF antenna for Houston and a separate for VHF (KAMU).

Are you running a pre-amp on the Televes too?

I'm sad to say that I still haven't tested Houston with the Televes since I moved it into the attic. Right now it is aimed at KBTX. I have problems with KBTX on the HD-TiVo when it is aimed at Houston (even when it was outside). Hopefully, I'll mess with it this week. And yes, I'm using a preamp. I have the CM 7777. It's perfect for a two antennae setup.

Man I knew the televes was directional but I never had a problem when it was on my mast tuning kbtx when pointed at houston (but it was 30 ft in the air).

I know it's weird. The problem is with the HD-TiVo. I get dropouts on KBTX when its aimed toward Houston (at 25 ft), but my other receivers, Zenith 520 and RCA DTC100, never had any problems. I thought about hooking up my old RS double bowtie and a Jointenna for KBTX, but who cares now that I get ABC, Fox, and NBC via D*.

Ahh so yet another flaw in HD-Tivo ;)

Making that 1k even more worth it.

Well what do you expect when aiming at stations 80+ miles away. Sid and Dave seem to have no problems with KBTX, so I'm blaming it on my specific location.

Wierd though.... wonder what it could be that the tivo wont tune. I wouldnt think theyd put a crappy tuner in it.

It tunes KBTX from my location in a very large window/range with the Televes at >95%. It just seems that Houston is sometimes right outside that range by a couple of degrees. For me, KBTX is at 89 degrees and Houston is around 140 degrees.

Interesting thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=500534). If Verizon offers TV service, what kind of equipment will be required? A la carte channels would be nice.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Interesting thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=500534). If Verizon offers TV service, what kind of equipment will be required?
Old VoOm box?? :D :D

hah... if its their DVR ill take it. It blows the crap out of anything D* has... shame Ill never get to use it.

Ive heard for a while that we will have that fibre here by the end of the year.... not sure how good tv can be off it though.

and i think they were planning on running their own tv service and not pushing D*.

I'm not positive, but isn't fibre what Cox upgraded their system to when they started offering digital cable and/or high-speed internet?

im not sure... i was more talking speed of things... then again fibre can run much higher bw than the internet service we would be getting (I was thinking more along the lines of IPTV). And actually when I thought about it cable runs on one coax line now so fibre should have tons more throughput than coax (since we would have a more or less direct fibre line coming into the house vs coax). Thats gotta be able to support hundreds of HD full resolution channels.

I really hope its true and they start a TV service.... Finally might have a viable alternative to voOm. (provided they didnt try to pull D* pricing for equipment).

I remember a few months ago Verizon was wiring one of the main fibre lines through my backyard (getting the network layed down) so I will probably have insano speeds for the internet. If they finally drop that "have phoneline to get dsl" requirement I can get VOIP from lingo and save some $ there too.

It'd be great if Verizon offers FIOS here in B/CS. The speeds on it are unreal.

Hello all. First I think it's great to have this forum and this thread where all of us here in B/CS can discuss the issues and help each other. Let me tell you about my equipment and then we'll get on to my problem. I have a 50" Sony Grand Wega, Hughes HD DirecTv receiver, and a little indoor powered antennae by Philips.

When I first got the setup I could pickup KBTX on channel 003 and the KBTX-HD on 003-1. The HD signal I picked up was great and I was loving it. I could also pick up all of the KAMU's in HD. Then Dtv offered local channels and they came and installed a 2nd dish. Ever since then I have been unable to pickup any terrestrial HD programming off my antennae. I have tried doing the setup on my Dtv receiver multiple times and it just wont find the channels that I once had before they installed the 2nd dish. It picks up the analog 003 KBTX but not the HD channels. I dont understand what the problem is. I was hoping somebody could help me understand the situation and hopefully have a solution. Thanks in advance.

Brent Springer

Brent - Welcome to the forum. Where is the antenna hooked in to your system? Does it feed directly into your receiver or does it go through the same cable your satellite feed is on (prior to or after the multi-switch?). I had issues with my cheap outdoor antenna once the locals were added as the installer told me that it essentially wouldn't work once I added the second satellite. He have me a reason - but I didn't pay much attention as the antenna sucked and I was looking for an excuse to purchase the Silver Sensor.

Welcome to the forum, Brent. You say you are using a Hughes receiver, do you know what model it is? Was it a replacement when they installed the second dish for locals? Was anything changed with the antenna during the install? Have you tried tuning the local digitals directly, ie. punching in 3-1 on the remote, or do they just not show up in the guide? Some receivers let you do a manual individual channel add rather than having to rescan them all, have you tried that? You could also try tuning to channel 50 (the actual frequency KBTX-DT is broadcast on) and check signal strength.

Welcome Brent. Are the OTA digital channels for KBTX, KAMU, KXXV, etc. showing up in your guide or just the DirecTV locals? If the digital channels are missing, you might need to do the initial setup again, and when it asks you if you want to add a local network, say yes and plug in your zip code. If the digital channels are already in the guide, it sounds like the antenna isn't hooked up properly. Also, is the analog ch 3 you speak of a DirecTV local or off the antenna?

Regarding Brent's question, it sounds like most of you have covered the bases. I don't know if the newer Hughes receivers are like my old Hughes E86, but I HAD to do an OTA channel scan before I could receive ANY OTA channels. Even if I tried to do a manual channel entry (actual or re-mapped), it would not tune to it unless it was already registered during the OTA channel scan process. I believe that the same went for trying to check signal strength, ie. it had to be scanned and registered first.

I'm pretty sure the new Hughes receivers have the digitals in the guide once you add a local network (you have the ability to add up to two markets). Mikey, you must have had a tough road DXing with just the scan option. It's so much easier when the channels are already in the guide.

Heck yeah, DXing was awkward. I would have to do a channel scan on a really good night to make sure that I had the maximum number of OTA channels show up in my guide. Even worse, if I scanned for Houston and then turned my antenna to scan Waco, I would loose the Houston channels from the guide. You can't ad-hoc add channels on the E86.

My receiver is the Hughes HTL-HD. Ok my antennae runs to the back of the Hughes to be tuned to HD. Before i got locals KBTX-HD showed up in my guide as 003-1 when i ran setup along with all of the HD KAMU's and now it doesnt. I have tried manually entering 0 0 3 1 in the remote like i use to and it says channel not available. It always worked until i got locals. On my receiver i can manually add a channel but it only has a place for 3 digits so i can do 003 only and not 003-1. So again when i do the setup and it scans for channels it doesnt find my OTA HD channels, only the analog ones that are all snowy. so if i look in my guide i see two channel 3's, one from Dtv and one that is analog and all snowy (so i know my antennae is working), i also use to see 003-1 which is the HD KBTX. Ok i think i have answered all of your questions to my question. thank you so much for the help. my fear is that with the 2nd dish for Dtv locals it just wont be possible to get the HD channels OTA again. i dont understand it but if thats the way it is then so be it. i just want to make sure since the "professionals" at Dtv are really no help at all and going to them would be a TOTAL waste of my time.

try seeing if you can tune 50-1... sounds like the sat local channels your now getting from D* are "taking over" your OTA ones.

BTW if anybody cares im probably going to be the bastard child of DBS programming still.... COX is going to cost too much $, hopefully voOm lasts a few more months or they leave the boxes OTA when they go down..... I am going to try and get BEV plus their dvr once dish gets the 942 out a few months after BEV should have it.

All locals plus TMN and City-TV for my scifi fix in HD... :)

Hey Brent this really sounds funny. I can't figure out why the digital channels aren't in the guide without thinking the local area network hasn't been added. To do this, access the menu, select DirecTV, then initial setup, and then channel setup. A box should pop up that asks if you want to add a local area network. Select yes, and then enter your zip code. It should then do a search, and the Waco-Temple-Bryan market should pop up. It is outlined here (http://www.directv.com/learn/pdf/System_Manuals/Hughes/HNS_HTL-HD.pdf) on page 70. If you've already done this, and the channels still don't appear, I'm drawing a blank. Maybe it is the B/CS locals that are screwing up things or perhaps you don't have the guide set to show all channels.

Well...I think that this totally clears things up for our new member. NOT!!!

This is a baffeling. If it was me, I would try to go back to a configuration that worked the first time. Then add changes one at a time. Maybe disconnect the local sat connection (second 72 degree sat) , hook up the OTA and see if you can get back to where you were before adding the HD "locals". Then based upon you results, you might be armed to contact D* customer service with good info to get some help. I don't have D* locals so I can't comment as to jag's comment about D* "maybe taking over the locals". I wouldn't think that this would happen, but who knows.

Other the other hand, maybe this is getting to complicated. Go back to the basic configuration to get OTA, start from there and add one thing at a time.
You mignt discover a basic FU that solves the whole thing.

One more thing Brent. When you tune that "snowy" channel 3 what kind of input source does it display on the info/channel banner? Does it say antenna or cable? It it says cable (which is possible, my Zenith 520 does this without any cable connection) then there has to be a problem with the antenna connection.

elspankdog you are the man. i added the local area network and it found it. man i could've sworn that i have done that before. oh well it doesnt matter cuz i got it working thanks to ya'll. elspankdog please let me buy you a beer or something... you have put my mind at ease :) haha... well to answer your question the snowy channel 3 says ANT. thanks a ton for everyone's help.

Cool. Now I hope the channel is actually coming in. Still kind of funny that it didn't pick it up during the channel scan.

yeah all of the HD OTA channels are coming in just fine. i feel like a total moron seeing that i have been F'ing with this problem for a month or so. ridiculous on my part really. now if i just could get FOX HD for the Super Bowl. sadly that is not happening. i was lucky enough to get waivers for ABC HD and NBC HD so i know for sure that i will have the Suber Bowl next year since ABC has it... but knowing Dtv they'll most likely shaft me somehow and take it away the week before next years SB lol.

really and truely i want to thank each one of you that responded to my posts. you took the time to think about my problem and offer suggestions when you certainly didnt have to. you guys are very cool :)

you know that could have been one post ;)

As for me Im changing again it seems... starchoice offers all I want in HD too plus they use motorola boxes (same as the voom box, but ill probably have to get a new one) but they give you all the HD for "free" included with your basic sub package (from what Ive read), and they have bigger and better sats and better future plans (they can cover as far south as mexico city it seems, so i should be fine)

they actually do something really cool.... they have 8 HD channels and they all carry everybodys programming (so theres no single ABC or NBC or FOX or CBS) they just show HD shows on their 8 channels. And my stargate:atlantis and startrek:enterprise are there too (plus they have WB essientially and UPN.. theres not much on them but on their HD listings for this week they have Enterprise and Everwood listed as well as Smallville)

Hey Brent, glad we could help. Good to hear you got it working again. The installer probably should have checked that everything was working after setting up that other dish.
Are you interested in joining us this Saturday? Any other lurkers out there? :)

So has it been decided for saturday? I thought it was going to be sunday.

Make it before 5:00, got basketball as im sure many others do.. course since its a tv game might be nice to watch it on the tube/have the hd party. I could skip the game if there will be beverages served ;)

Speaking of Aggie basketball. I know that most of you were probably at the game on Saturday, but ch 51 has been showing Big XII games like Saturday's game, and the Texas/Tech game tonight.

thats the houston channel right?

Sid, how are we going to know where you live and how to get there? Are you going to PM each of us? I can understand anyone's hesitation to publish their address on a forum.

Actually I was working on that as you posted. The PM's are going out shortly! ;) Anyone interested and not getting one let me know.

Originally posted by jagouar
thats the houston channel right?

Yep, one of the D* locals.