btw lab... couple things needed still.

1. Any need to bring $ for food/beverages?
2. Time
3. Any plans outside of actually meeting (KBTX tour or anything)

Originally posted by jagouar
btw lab... couple things needed still.

1. Any need to bring $ for food/beverages?
2. Time
3. Any plans outside of actually meeting (KBTX tour or anything)
1. Only if you have "special" needs!
2. I suggested noonish earlier with no objections so far.
3. Not to my knowledge.

Dang sid. I'm not sure we can allow you to stay in the Bryan/College Station forum with where you live! That is way out there!

I plan to be there on Saturday noonish although I'm not sure how long I can be there at this moment in time. As jag said... do let us know if there is anything we can bring.

I was thinking the same thing... your not in B/CS ;)

I kept zooming the mapquest image out and out trying to find the actual city. ;)

Yes, you have to zoom out like 5 times to hit the large metropolis we live in...

I guess freeloaders shouldn't really B*tch though...

I used to ride my bike out that direction. Shouldn't be too hard to find. Noon sounds good.

Hey, it's only 10, 15 minutes tops out here. And besides, there are no loud music/movies ordinances or complaining neighbors to worry about. :) Or VoOm salesmen knocking on the door. :D

You probably get better BEV reception way out there though.

I plan to be there also. Looking forward to it!

why do I get the feeling Im going to get bashed to no end at this party ;)

BTW esp its not BEV anymore (it still might be if I cant get starchoice... equip will be more $) (if your going to bash atleast do it right).... Im probably going with starchoice now (cheaper version for the same channels I want) ~43 for locals in HD (ABC/NBC/CBS/ABC/WB/UPN and theres no transponder sharing and compression here ;)) plus Movie Network for my Stargate:Atlantis and the best selection of HD movies Ive ever seen (pretty much combine the best of starz-hd, hbo-hd and sho-hd, encore-hd)

And going to get Basic Dish (top60+locals+fssw) (my part of that would only cost me 10/month with dvr)

cost me about what I pay now for voom and get all the channels I want to watch..... hopefully starchoice brings out their dvr like they say they will soon.

So what's the equipment cost going to be? Another wait for a DVR? That sucks.

~350 to have it shipped down here for a complete dish/receiver package.

And yes it will suck to have to wait again for a dvr.

Are you going to try to install it yourself or do they set up someone to do it? It actually sounds interesting; I was kinda looking into it before I decided to put up an antenna. Looking back I might have been better off in the Great White HD North. :p

Are you guys on D* in CS getting the Aggie game tonight. It's on FSRM (645) for me in H-town.

No its a self install (but im more than capable installing things myself) :)

they have 2 HD chans per tp which will be better than D* compressovision.

http://www.starchoice.com/english/whatsontv/default.asp
On the left side they have a listing of all the HD programming for the upcoming week.

the guy im conversing with about getting me the system says its going to cost a bit more through him but he will take care of all the setup and ship me a box already configured with my programmign package and if/when they get a dvr he said if his company would let him and they offer some kind of a tradeup program I would be able to ship mine back to him for an upgrade :)

Originally posted by elspankdog
Are you guys on D* in CS getting the Aggie game tonight. It's on FSRM (645) for me in H-town.


Damn. I was wondering why I could not get that (as my neighbor across the street did get it and he has the same package I do - except he has moved to Houston). I wonder why in the world Houston would get that for free and CS would not... some things make very little sense to me.

Well, it wasn't absolutely free. You had to have the sports pack. I added it yesterday and dropped it today. Cost about 33 cents. ;)

Sneaky. Too bad the refs took the life out of that game. I know we play aggressive defense, but damn!

Yeah it sounds like we were probably better off not watching it.... all you RPTV people would be tempted to break your nice HDTV's throwing things at them.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Sneaky. Too bad the refs took the life out of that game. I know we play aggressive defense, but damn!

Even the Nebraska announcers said something about all the calls. From one game to the next in the Big XII, you can see completely different officiated games, and with all the aggressive d in the league now (KU, OU, tu, and now us) the refs can really bring a game to a crawl.

BTW, if anyone has any suggestions or requests for beverages, etc. for saturday please let me know. I will try to honor "reasonable" suggestions! :p

Anything that will help ease my mind with the whole MPEG-4 crap.

Ahh, you've been on that thread, too, huh? Don't worry, by the time all that hits us all our local stations will be broadcasting HD anyway, right?
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Scratch-Head.gif

In my head, there are a couple of different ways it can pan out. I'll save the discussion for after we've put down a couple of beers.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Ponder.gif

How 'bout some Killian's Irish Red.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Gulp.gif

I don't know, that might cause too many beer-farts!!
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Southpark.gif

Well I guess well get on to bev/starchoice there too..... and i can present my findings (after 3 days of serious research I dont know which way im going yet ;))

Its eerie how much StraChoice/BEV resemble E*/D*

Makes for a very hard choice too (more channels vs PQ)

Originally posted by jagouar
Makes for a very hard choice too (more channels vs PQ)

That choice seemed to work out well for you last time... :D

http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/ROTFLMAO.gif

We're gonna have fun tomorrow. Is Munky coming with you jag? We need some Cox reps as well.

I think I'm going to wear my "D* RULES / Voom Sucks!" t-shirt. ;)

the thing with voom was i was getting more channels AND better PQ :)

Also I was browsing the HD schedules yesterday and noticed their "sports network (TSN) was carrying the TNT-HD games last night (Sac at SA) so I wont lose those which is very nice."

And munky said hes going to be in dallas tomorrow so he wont be there.... go ahead and get all your voom bashing done now so I dont have to listen to it tomorrow.

I'm sure we'll all behave in person. It would have been nice to actually see the
vhttp://1000smilies.com/babies/flag/canada.gifhttp://1000smilies.com/flag/canada.gifm PQ in person. Maybe we'll get to see the BEV/Star Choice picture one day.

Yeah when you all move to canada with me once D* takes away your locals and really turns those HDtivos into paperweights :)

dunno if lab has ever had DishNetwork and a dish pointed at 61.5 (for HBO/CBS back in the day) but if he does then it would be a matter of me just bringing the voom box with me (i used the dish i had already there for voom, its the same dish that dishnetwork gives for the extra HD programming back in the day).

Course you probably dont want to see voom PQ, it would make all that D* programming you have (sans HDnet) look pretty crappy ;)

Ya'll saw this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5080739#post5080739), right?

Homey is giving us College Station people a bad name...

Originally posted by mwesson
Homey is giving us College Station people a bad name...
Glad I have a Bryan address then!!
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Clap-Hands.gif

Anybody watching CBS on local 3-1? All I'm getting is non HD. Is it me or KBTX?

KBTX forgets to flip the switch rather often. Usually one of us has to call them to get HD up and running.

I have noticed they have been having some problems lately. Last saturday 3-1 was down nearly all day, and was out a while later in the week. This morning even their analog was fading in and out so much I switched to something else. Bummer.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Bang-Head.gif

It was broken last night too.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Bring pics of your setup if you have them. Show and tell..ya know.

http://gallery.arcinema.com/

Theres mine(dont have them printed out)... from my first to newest. :)

So were having this meeting in 20 mins right ;)

SID!!! Thanks for a wonderful afternoon. Lunch was great - we'll need to do this again for sure at some point in the future.

It is nice to put a face with everyone's name. (Well, most of your faces, that is... :D ) Yes, Jag, even the Canadian ones.

Hello, this is dave99ag's wife. When was the meeting over? He hasn't called all day and I'm worried about him. It seems his cell phone isn't working either...

Dear dave99ag's wife...we haven't seen Dave all day either. We were worried about him too, because we thought that he would come for sure. ;)

Sid, thanks again for the hospitality. Lunch was great, and it was great to meet everyone. Fun time.

We must do it again soon.

I've returned, so all is well. :D

Great time today.

It was a good time... we should do it again sometime (maybe when I have voom[it should be active for a few months more] and Starchoice/BEV so you guys can compare vs DirecTV)

Well, I'm glad everyone had a good time, I enjoyed it. I just wish Dave would have been there! I wonder what happened to him?
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Deep-Thinker.gif

Probably went off to some sleezy hotel..... :)

Whew, just getting home. Had a great time today (apparently Dave had an even better time). Looking forward to seeing all you guys in your Speedos at Mikey's. [/not that there is anything wrong with that mode]
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/SmackBottom.gif

Just for you Dave.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=488861
Do it!!!!

What's funny is that after my wife figured out I wasn't left for dead, she kind of thought the infinite baffle was cool. Damn you, elspankdog!

Just clicked on the link to the Cult of the IB. Crap, this may be doable. I have two old 12" Kickers from my car that I could use even if I just wanted to play around. Damn you! ;)

Originally posted by elspankdog
Whew, just getting home. Had a great time today (apparently Dave had an even better time). Looking forward to seeing all you guys in your Speedos at Mikey's. [/not that there is anything wrong with that mode]
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/SmackBottom.gif
Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys again too, but I'm not sure about the Speedos part. We have certain minimum standards around the pool, ya know. :cool:

Originally posted by elspankdog
..... Looking forward to seeing all you guys in your Speedos at Mikey's.
Oh, really?? You're starting to freak me out, man!
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Prayer.gif

Sid, was that the Harmony model 676 that you had? Best Buy has them for $199, but I think that you said you paid around $135 or so on Amazon. Does it have enough dedicated buttons for your macro functions? Any reason not to buy this remote? Thx.

He has the 680 same as me (its cheaper than the 676)... and yes if you buy it get it online (surfremote or bluedo or amazon).

It has enough buttons for me (it doesnt really do macros on any button though... atleast yet[I hear this feature will be implemented eventually on a new version of the web software but theres no telling how long something like that will take])

Jag, in reading the description, it seems that the Harmony MUST do some sort of automated or preset macros if it can do a sequence of commands such as turning on power, setting the correct TV input, setting the receiver, etc. I haven't been on the Harmony web site yet to get more info, though. I want single button selection for the HD Tivo, DVD, VCR (tape plus cable tuner), SD Tivo. With my Sony 3100 "slab" of a remote, I set the sequence up myself. Plus my plasma sometimes misses the video source selection command, so I repeat it three times later in the sequence after the TV powers up and has time to think.

yeah it has the "activity" buttons which are better than macros but they dont alow you to have macros for specialized things (certain tivo functionality that requires multiple button presses for example).

You have total control over what the "activity" does (specify what devices turn off/on, inputs, delays etc)

The ONLY thing the Harmony cant do well as other universal remotes is macros on any button, but its "activities" are far superior to using macros to control your system.

http://www.remotecentral.com/sst659/index.html

There is the latest review remote cental has done... the only thing that has changed from this remote is the button layout but read through that it explains how harmony works pretty well.

Mike,
You may want to look at the Home Theater Master MX remotes. I have the MX-500 and have macros for all of my devices on the buttons next to the LCD. Very nice for the wife.

Here's what one button does for the HD-Tivo:
DVI Switch to Input 1 --> TV input to DVI --> Receiver to Video 1 --> Show Tivo remote

Mine doesn't have internet codes like the Harmony. That would be nice. I've gotten pretty good with teaching the remote everything, so it's not too hard.

Yeah, I looked at the MX-500 remote when I purchases my Sony. I probably would have gotten the MX if I could have bought it locally, but instant gratification led me to the Sony instead. However, it seems like the Harmony is "next generation" after the MX with the web based PC configuration....maybe I'm wrong though. I should probably make do and wait until the cooler color LCD Harmony comes out.

That's probably a good idea. I have my eyes on the MX version that does IR/RF, but that's down the road a little.

Originally posted by mikey h
I should probably make do and wait until the cooler color LCD Harmony comes out.

That's my plan as well. April can't get here fast enough.

Or get the 680 now and get the config all how you want it then when the new one comes out your 100% ready ;)

You should be able to easily upgrade the remote by selling the 680 on ebay.

Originally posted by jagouar
You should be able to easily upgrade the remote by selling the 680 on ebay.
I get the feeling there may be a flood of 680's, 676's, etc. on ebay this Spring!
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Idea.gif

Ive never had a problem in the past..... I think alot of people are going to stay away because of the 1 week on a battery limit and less hard buttons.

Originally posted by jagouar
... I think alot of people are going to stay away because of the 1 week on a battery limit and less hard buttons.
What does this mean? "1 week on a battery limit"? :confused:

Well the new one is only supposed to go about a week w/o being recharged (I get ~6 months on my current one) but this is due to the lcd being color (and larger) on the new one and the new one will have a rechargable base (so theoretically if not in use it will always be on the base)....

regardless i think some are going to stay away from it.

So who wants to adopt me? :) (Im actually very suprised all the D* users here havent done this aready)

I think I might end up dropping voom now and going temporarily with D* (if somebody wants to adopt me ;)) until StarChoice comes out with the dvr. I dont want to be w/o service if voom just pulls the plug (plus it would be much cheaper for me and I could even "help" pay with programming costs.

Hell if/when you all move to starchoice with me I could get you added in on my acct (just like I was going to do through bev).

Might even be worth it to keep it long term since I wont have access to espn/espn2 HD up in the great white north.

I guess that 3-1 is totally off the air. Can anyone confirm??? :(

yeah voom isnt showing it tonight.....

Yep it's down. Wonder if they're still having problems.

Hey I heard on Chip Howard yesterday that Starfire/E* can get you hooked up for the Super Bowl in HD. What a bunch of crap.

I dont know whats worse.... dish false advertising or people that actually listen to Chip Howard. ;)

Major KBTX meltdown...anyway, I was pretty sure it was them and not me, but it seemed that someone needed to re-prime this thread. I was wondering what happened to you guys. I guess that we got all of our question fix out last Saturday :)

We're still here. I guess these KBTX problems have come to be old hat. Lately, any kind of bad weather takes them out, and of course, there are the "flip the switch" issues. That work thing has been getting in the way also.

Originally posted by elspankdog
..... That work thing has been getting in the way also.
You've been working??? http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Whistle.gif

No records, but yes, I try to mix in a little work.

So has anyone heard the official word about KBTX's problems?

No but I could care less about CBS right now.... no new shows on all week that i have watched (sans cold case), csi:miami (repeat), and ncis (repeat)

I'm just glad it worked for the new 2 1/2 Men on Monday.

Man any of you D* guys know whats going on? Discovery-HD has gone to the downrez machine too.... Before long nothing will be full HD.

Anybody know why? Seems they would have more than enough bw now that ST is over.

Who knows why.

In other news... helluva a recruiting class the Ags put together today. They may not be done yet either. :D

I never cared much for recruiting.... well I care about recruiting but not to the obsession texags takes it to.... Half of the players everybody is whacking off to will never see the field (grades, they get hurt, etc).

Its sad how much the whole MNC of recruiting has gotten (even more sad is how were playing it like the sips in the past have).

I enjoy recruiting, hence the 2 stars at TexAgs, but I don't go crazy like some of them do. There was some really crazy stuff going on before Bennett announced on Monday.

What time is the big DT announcing his choice? Is it televised?

As for D*, maybe they're making room for Playboy HD.

One last thing, I was looking at getting a video card with DVI for my plasma. It would be to view simple video like a virtual aquarium and my MP3 PC display. I was looking at some cheapies at www.compgeeks.com. Is there a certain standard I should stay above? Any ideas on the minimum card needed for a decent display?

The big DT should be announcing on ESPNEWS between 7-8pm. It's some recruiting special.

As long as the card has the correct resolutions, any decent one should do. I have a Radeon 9800 Pro and it worked just fine. I'm sure there are better ones out there now.

BTW related to that my dad is looking to go to a HTPC setup (the problem he has is TV only has component in [no dvi/vga]) so I need some sort of videocard that can output to component.

Would this work, Jag?

http://www.pacificcable.com/Picture_Page.asp?DataName=DVIRCA-2

Bah, probably not. It's just analog.

I know ati makes some sort of dvi->componenet adapter but cant find any info.

BTW hella of a start vs OU. I dont think well hold it though.

Freakin' KBTX isn't working tonight. I was hoping to do some comparisons for the State of the Union.

I am just checking to see if the Bryan/College Station Fox Station is broadcasting a digital signal. I am in the Waco area and have found that I can sometimes receive the local Fox station here. The problem is it is transmitted at 1kw and the tower is only 100 feet high. Is the Bryan Fox station doing something similar? I am grasping for some Fox digital signal for the Super Bowl. Thanks for any info.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Freakin' KBTX isn't working tonight. I was hoping to do some comparisons for the State of the Union.

The way D* is now downrezzing things thats probably a good thing. ;)

What kind of comparisons? KBTX to ABC/FOX on sat?

NBC and ABC looked pretty much the same to me. But I wasn't doing a really critical A-B analysis. CBS 3-1 looked like a white screen uniformity test (for several days now). I guess that it all being digital from probably the same camera, it should be about the same PQ for NBC and ABC except for the amount of compression being applied. Dave, I guess that was what you were looking for...degredation from compression for each network or Sat vs OTA. From what I have seen so far, OTA is the best of the best, all else being equal.

My wife had it on Fox while I watched the b-ball game. Definitely looked like crap. The SB has to be better.

I didnt even bother either with the state of the union, it was too good of a ball game not to watch, shame we didnt win.

And actually from what Ive seen/read about fox and its football PQ i dont think im going to miss not having the sb in hd this year..... I am happy waiting for *C to get that dvr out so I can have the best HD PQ avaliable.

I think I will be much happier in the long run with the voom dvr (*C uses motorola boxes (same as voom).. so it looks like Ill get that voom dvr one way or another ;)). And nearly full bitrate (people say their channels avg 15-18.5 mbit on all channels) HD signals will be nice (no 6-10 mbit 1280x1080i for hald the channels here. ;))

Guess we'll have to get used to this, *C from now on. BTW, the SB better be more than 6-10 mbit. That's reserved for the lowly Show and HDNet Movies, but should be for UHD.

well thats almost half of D* programming there...

And yes you better prepare for the *C rantings, its the new voom. :)

I just need to get one of you D* people to add my receiver for a few days so I can do a side by side comparison and take some pictures :)

http://www.widemovies.com/dfwbitrate.html
I would be pretty pissed to see those numbers when I paid 600 for a DVR from them. I hear you can call and complain and get 6 months HBO/SHO free thoough ;)

Even ESPN-HD is down to sub 14mbit levels along with all locals now (go look at jan1 05 and past levels).... for comparison KAMU-DT does 14.5 mbit stream and KBTX does I think 19 still.... so it will be like going from KBTX quality to KAMU quality.

Was looking at that site earlier. They better be adding a new channel.

I would assume they would be adding something (prob ESPN2 and maybe TNT for the all star game) but at lower rez and bw levels its almost not worth it.

BTW in relation to the SOTU addy... I saw some post-coverage on HDnews and man alot of senators/house reps they interviewed didnt need to be shown in HD... very bad makeup on most of them.

Something is definitely going on. NBC went out on D* a few minutes ago, and now there is a banner about technical difficulties, please stand by.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Furious.gif

BTW Mikey you can get a Harmony 680 for less than $100 after rebate now...

$130 list at SurfRemote -25% off (32.5) = 97.50 + shipping (it was $8 when I ordered mine)... pretty hard to pass up.

Well now looks like Im leaning more towards BEV (as they have dropped equipment prices and are now 299 for a complete system), couple that with the fact that it would cost me 25/month for all of bev's program through that guy up there who would add me to his acct and I think I am going to have to pull a D* and accept worse PQ for a while (it will help me to save $ for a DVR)

Flip-flop, flip-flop...

Got an e-mail from KBTX:

HI, David. Sorry for the inconvenience. We have had problems due to coax running up our tower - moisture in the lines, a splicing job TODAY on 300-feet of it, and now we should be back to a good signal. Not full strength, mind you, but watchable nonetheless. Let us know if the problem continues. It has been frustrating for us as well.
Take care, and always be in touch.
Mike

Originally posted by elspankdog
Flip-flop, flip-flop...

Thats what happens when you have 2 good CHOICES.... :)

And KBTX seems to be back.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Got an e-mail from KBTX

I never got a response. Of course, I emailed Cooper. Maybe he was up on the tower working on that splice job.

Yeah...CBS is back...for now.

Mwesson, how is that LG 27" HD LCD doing? I figured that you would have it out of the box to at least look at within 15 minuites of getting home. I know that I would have.

Im getting the projector upgrade bug too.... found a very good deal on a sanyo plv-z2 (would cost me about 400 to upgrade over my ae-100)...

Originally posted by rldud
I am just checking to see if the Bryan/College Station Fox Station is broadcasting a digital signal. I am in the Waco area and have found that I can sometimes receive the local Fox station here. The problem is it is transmitted at 1kw and the tower is only 100 feet high. Is the Bryan Fox station doing something similar? I am grasping for some Fox digital signal for the Super Bowl. Thanks for any info.
Yes, KYLE-Fox is doing basically the same thing, with the exception that they only broadcast a digital version of the analog broadcast, no HD whatsoever. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Rage2.gif They are supposedly trying to get the necessary splicer from FOX to do HD, but we are not holding our breath until they do. I am not even sure anyone here has seen their digital telecast for any more than a few fleeting moments. I was able to watch it for a few minutes one night, had a lot of help from tropo/atmosphere that night! Pretty sad that I live approx. 10 miles from their transmitter but can pick up Houston, Austin, and even Dallas better than their crappy signal. Good luck trying to see the SB in HD on Sunday!! Maybe you can pick up the Dallas station. http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Cheers.gif

Originally posted by rldud
I am just checking to see if the Bryan/College Station Fox Station is broadcasting a digital signal. I am in the Waco area and have found that I can sometimes receive the local Fox station here. The problem is it is transmitted at 1kw and the tower is only 100 feet high. Is the Bryan Fox station doing something similar? I am grasping for some Fox digital signal for the Super Bowl. Thanks for any info.

I totally missed your post. I think your only hope for the SB in HD is Time Warner Cable. Sad to say, but like Sid said, we're in worse shape than you concerning Fox in HD (unless of course you get the D* feed).

Wayne, wherever you are, I sent you a PM back in November that still hasn't been read. I'm going to inquire about the equipment in question tomorrow. It might still be available.

Originally posted by mikey h
Mwesson, how is that LG 27" HD LCD doing? I figured that you would have it out of the box to at least look at within 15 minuites of getting home. I know that I would have.

Well, it took a tad longer than that. My boy currently has strep throat and the wife had to leave for Houston. Needless to say...

However, after finding the time, it looks pretty phenomenal. I still need to play around with it a bit, but the picture is pretty stellar. It's a very different experience than the RPTV that is for sure.

It was good to see you yesterday and amazing what a small world it is and random occurances... I was like, who is that walking with Jonathan? It's Mikey, Hey Mikey! (Note that I refrained from calling you Mikey in front of him.) :D

That's OK. When my bosses or friends call me Mikey, I consider it a term of endearment... and it probably also means that I'm not in any trouble :)

HaHa!! I was just watching the news on KBTX, and they made a little jab at KYLE. They had a piece on what preparations people were making for the SuperBowl on Sunday. At the end they said something to the effect of "A bit of bad news for local viewers, KYLE-Fox does not broadcast any programming in HD, and it won't be in HD on local cable either".
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Prod.gif

Well, I'm probably the last one of the group to figure this out, but I have been trying to figure out where all of the digital Fox stations are located that I MIGHT have a prayer of receiving. Here is what I found:

KYLE-DT Bryan, UHF channel 29, 1KW (SD only)
KDFW-DT Dallas, UHF channel 35, 857KW
KRIV-DT Houston, UHF channel 27, 261KW

Also there is Waco KWKT-DT, UHF channle 57, but I think that they are only 1KW right now.

Did I miss anything? Has anyone had more luck trying the Dallas station compared to Houston? 857KW for Dallas vs. 261KW for Houston.

I sure that you guys with Fox HD via D* are snickering right now :p

Dont feel too bad (dont get bev equipment for about a week too)... I dont even have a projector anymore. The guy who bought mine said he would give me 100 extra to sell it before the superbowl(since I wasnt going to watch it on my pj anyways it wasnt any loss to me).

Now I have to get through to AVS about buying my new pj :)

Any of y'all play with a SPL meter to calibrate your speakers? I'm off to Radio Shack to pick one up and play with this afternoon. Time to see how well my ears calibrated my system. :)

i have one (i will sell it to you much cheaper than rat shack).... My system does its own autosetup now so I have no need for a spl meter (mine sits in the closet colelcting dust).

Originally posted by dave99ag
Any of y'all play with a SPL meter to calibrate your speakers? I'm off to Radio Shack to pick one up and play with this afternoon. Time to see how well my ears calibrated my system. :)
If you haven't bought it yet you could borrow one.

Mikey, sorry to say you have it summed up pretty well. It's either Houston (closer but low power) or Dallas (higher power but farther). A practically no-win situation unless you are blessed by the Weather/Tropo gods. As for myself I am not snickering at your situation. As a famous President once said, "I feel your pain!". http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Sorry.gif

Sid, Well...OK then. :(

I tried Bryan, Houston and Dallas today and I got nothin'.

I could not even get the Bryan Fox channel with my super-duper double stacked Channel Master amplified Televes pointed directly toward the transmitter. I thought for sure I could pick up a 1KW station about 10 miles away...but NOOO.

I think somebody got a signal from them one night (sid maybe?) but nobody gets a signal from them.

BTW I am probably going to spend more $ on my new pj that i first though... probably going with a AE700 (2k projector) vs the older one I wanted at ~1200.

BTW I know a few pages ago there was talk of long run DVI cables.... Where is the place to go for long DVI->HDMI cables? I need something in the 35ft range for my HTPC. (cheapest I can find is 130 at a2zcables)

Originally posted by labmansid
If you haven't bought it yet you could borrow one.

Don't borrow Sid's - I think his is a little BASS HEAVY. :D

Originally posted by mwesson
Don't borrow Sid's - I think his is a little BASS HEAVY. :D

I know we all gave sid a little crap about it at the meet but come on.... if you had that bastard sub you would do the exact same thing. ;)

All I can say is most people just aren't used to listening at reference levels!!
And thanks, jag.
http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Sofa.gif

The reality is that I have half the sub Sid does and still attempt to do the exact same thing he does... it just doesn't come out quite as nice. :D

Honestly sid, how many of those little smiley things do you have? Amazing...

Dave, here is someone who could possibly use your help. Don't you use a DVI switcher? http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222960

Well I actually have my bass a bit higher than it should be too (but nowhere near as overpowering as yours). That said mine does rumble from time to time and the shakers really aid giving the low end and making you "feel" the bass.

I still want some of those dbox chairs. http://www.d-box.com/
(theres some videos there)

BTW anybody know of places in houston/asstin/SA that would do demos for projectors? I have my choices narrowed down to two (I think) and would like to demo them before I buy. Maybe if Im lucky AVS will let me "buy" both of them (Pany AE-700 and BenQ 7800) and return the one I dont like. :)

Jag, you might want to give Bjorn's Audio a call in SA. It's a really nice store. Lots of rooms with some sweet equipment.

Don't forget about Audio Video. I'm sure they could use the love. :)

Anyone try to get KRIV-DT yet? I may try later before I head to a SB party.

AV sucks they dont have anything unless its over 10k. :)

Id rather go to houston first (but ive never found a good HT store there). I need to do this quickly Im already suffering from no projector withdrawl (and it hasnt even been one full day yet).

Tweeter in the Woodlands is pretty good too. I'm not sure what all they have projector wise though. That's where I got my DLP. They let me try all kinds of sources before I got my set.

Dave, you could borrow my SPL meter also (beats the drive to Sid's). It's the RS digital one.

I case you are bored, I have found several sites and tools to help determine the exact antenna direction and distance between your location and the OTA transmitter that you are trying to receive.

First, find your exact lat-lon based upon your address (assuming that you don't have your GPS handy). Find the utility here:

http://www.maporama.com

Next find the exact lat-lon for the transmitter tower here. Go to the link below and select the area of interest and click on "TV: Information" to get a listing of stations within that market area. Select "Complete FCC data" for the ANALOG station and scroll down until you find their application for their DT station. The lat and lon will be listed.

http://www.tvradioworld.com/region1/tx/

Next go to this web site to calculate the distance and bearing information between your home location and the station location.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/distance.html

If you want, you can double check that you were given the correct lat-lon for your address by crosschecking with Mapquest by entering the lat-lon from maporama here:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/main.adp?formtype=latlong&address=&city=&state=&zipcode=

All in all, I am still not able to receive a DT signal for Fox from ANYWHERE, but at least I tried. My cable Fox reception is absolutey CRAPPY.

Hope these links prove useful for anyone trying to DX DT OTA.

Mikey

Hey jag, I bought my long DVI cable from www.bestbuycable.com. They have high performance and cheaper ones. I went with a cheap 25 ft one.

Man, I hope the rain holds up enough that it doesn't interfere with the sat reception for the SB. So far it doesn't seem to have been a factor.

Sid, you suck!!! :D

Got the big dish and Houston Fox, etc.....

well how was it? I hope to see some of those commercials ripped so I can use them as demo material :)

It looked damn good! I cranked up the halftime to near reference and it was awesome. The "na, na, na" was really neat in 5.1. That was demo material.

After watching it in SD at a party, it was nice to see how great HD is when I got home.

Other than the movie trailers, none of the commercials were really demo worthy. Ford and the company that did the cat killer spot were in HD. I was speeding throught it pretty quickly though, so I may have missed some.

Was the HEB commercial with Coach Fran on the Fox-E feed? I don't remember seeing it. I'll have to check again tonight. That godaddy commercial might be demo worthy.

No, I don't remember seeing the HEB commercial on Fox-E. That was a regional commercial, so only Texas markets saw it.

Check out the full godaddy commercial (http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/superbowl05/landing.asp). :)

Already downloaded that but if it was HD we need a better version ;)

I heard about this HEB commercial (but missed it), anybody care to give me a synopsis of it?

It wasn't in HD. :(

Originally posted by dave99ag
It wasn't in HD. :(
Was it more like DD?? :D

Anyone up for a Tivo upgrade party this Saturday?

My Twinbreeze should arrive later this week and I'll be picking up a Maxtor 300GB drive from Office Depot ($150 after rebate).

I've done one upgrade where I had to replace a dead drive on my SD Tivo. It took a few times to get it working, but it does. It appears that adding a drive isn't very hard though. I guess I'll find out. :)

I will be getting my AE700 in a week or so plus BEV (for those comparisons with D*) :)

Did you find a place to demo the projector?

no, just going through AVS...., Its only been 2 days and Im suffering withdrawl.

http://personales.ya.com/Gn0m4/
those screenshots look pretty good and most on the projector forum say its the best (anything will pretty much be an upgrade of the AE100) :)

Originally posted by dave99ag
Anyone up for a Tivo upgrade party this Saturday?

My Twinbreeze should arrive later this week and I'll be picking up a Maxtor 300GB drive from Office Depot ($150 after rebate).

I've done one upgrade where I had to replace a dead drive on my SD Tivo. It took a few times to get it working, but it does. It appears that adding a drive isn't very hard though. I guess I'll find out. :)

So when are we going up into that attic?

When I get some more scratch after doing the Tivo upgrade. :D

An IB install could be in the future. Still doing some research.

Well, no party for me this weekend anyway. Gotta celebrate the little lady's B-day. Just got to figure out what piece of AV gear to get her this year. :D

Originally posted by elspankdog
Well, no party for me this weekend anyway. Gotta celebrate the little lady's B-day. Just got to figure out what piece of AV gear to get her this year. :D

Just regift that HDtivo.... for what you paid its worth 10 years of bday presents.

I can't wait 'til you get married. She wasn't quite as impressed with the laser printer as I had hoped.

BTW for some more projector screenshots... the ae700 can supposedly compete with this one http://www.f-directions.co.uk/screenshots2.htm

And Im in no big rush to get married..... (got some more upgrades to do first)

So does this new pj do HD? This is an HD thread you know. ;)

yeah it does... 720p :)

And screw you, we talk about sports and other stuff.

Hey, I was just quoting you. I'll be anxiously awaiting your review.

This thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=506935) has some good ideas. Dave, maybe you should forward it on to your friend at KBTX. I especially like the idea of sending an electric shock to the guy flipping the switch.

Uh... hello gentlemen. This might not bode well for those of us receiving HD DNS...

http://www.directv.com/see/landing/dns_shvera.html

I can't quite figure out what the "and added this prior to Nov. 1999" means.

Obviously they are going to get rid of providing locals and DNS to the same people - but does this apply to those of us that were granted DNS service after 1999?

This SHVERA stuff is incredibly confusing.

That '99 thing is confusing. If it applies, does that mean none of us are eligible for DNS? I guess I'll stick with DNS if I have to choose. I think I'll still be eligible for Fox-HD since H-town is an O&O. I'll just lose SD versions of the networks and ch 51.

Quote:
"Please send back your response card by April 7, 2005 if you choose this option."
Apparently we will be receiving some response card in the mail if this applies to us. Hopefully it won't.

I am beginning to think that for some reason it does NOT apply to us. I'm certainly hoping for that...

Im just glad in a few weeks I wont have to mess with locals for a while.... plus all of the cubs baseball games in HD (even when the stros go there) :)

It really does seem like nobody knows whats going on.... from D* all the way to the FCC.

this is just how it sounds to me but anybody "living" in houston (since houston is part of the new channels) is going to get a card sent to that address asking and then after whatever period they decide locals will be cut off... hopefully ou guys there will have access to the card if/when it comes.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Anyone up for a Tivo upgrade party this Saturday?

My Twinbreeze should arrive later this week and I'll be picking up a Maxtor 300GB drive from Office Depot ($150 after rebate).

I've done one upgrade where I had to replace a dead drive on my SD Tivo. It took a few times to get it working, but it does. It appears that adding a drive isn't very hard though. I guess I'll find out. :)
Dave, I would be happy to, except we are going out of town Saturday. I should be able to do these upgrades in my sleep by now. I have this link (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=2046838&postcount=652) which should help you quite a bit if needed. Just remember to not use a PC with Windows XP on it to do the upgrade.

Originally posted by mwesson
Uh... hello gentlemen. This might not bode well for those of us receiving HD DNS...

http://www.directv.com/see/landing/dns_shvera.html

I can't quite figure out what the "and added this prior to Nov. 1999" means.

Obviously they are going to get rid of providing locals and DNS to the same people - but does this apply to those of us that were granted DNS service after 1999?

This SHVERA stuff is incredibly confusing.

I found this statement from a government hearing transcript from last year on about page 41 of this document:

http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/printers/108th/92119.pdf

"In fact, allowing satellite carriers to deliver distant digital (or HD) signals to so called ‘‘digital white areas’’ would set the stage for a consumer nightmare almost identical to what occurred in 1999, when hundreds of thousands of households had to switch from (illegally-delivered) distant signals to over-the-air reception of local stations."

So evidently, there was a widespread government crackdown in Nov. 1999 on DBS providers that previously provided "illegal" distant network reception. If you got waivers AFTER Nov. 1999, then I guess that you are really "legal", and therefore they don't need to check you again.

Or, I could be completely wrong.....

I for one hope you are completely right!!

As much as I like to bash the blind D* users I hope things work out as well (and they dont screw you over too bad)....

Some pretty interesting (and optimistic!) info on this page (http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36718&perpage=15&pagenumber=8). Basically says O&O are separate, and pre-1999 is the affected timeframe. Also, the reply cards in question were mailed 2-7-05.

Originally posted by labmansid
Dave, I would be happy to, except we are going out of town Saturday. I should be able to do these upgrades in my sleep by now. I have this link (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=2046838&postcount=652) which should help you quite a bit if needed. Just remember to not use a PC with Windows XP on it to do the upgrade.

Thanks for the link. I've previously used this link (http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com) and it appears the instructions are very similar. I'm not too worried about the process.

I'm kind of anxious to see how much the bracket will cool down the system. It's always hovering just above 50 degrees right now.

HMC upgrade rumors: Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5146614#post5146614)

If this becomes true and we can get past the "moving" issue, I'll be very happy.

Here's what I could trade in right now:
HD-Tivo -> 480 GB HMC + 2 HD remote
Standard HD Reciever -> 240 GB HMC
Standard Tivo -> 240 GB HMC + SD unit
Standard SD Reciever -> SD remote

I'd love to change all that into 2+ High cap HMCs and 1 HD remote. I don't have two HD sets yet, but there's nothing wrong with planning for the future.

Better hold onto that old equipment a bit longer. :D

Need to try and get that RCA set back from the repair place.

So what can I get? Here's what I have:

1 HD-TiVo
2 HD stbs
1 SD-TiVo
2 SD stbs

More than enough recording space. :)

Let's hope these HMCs compare well with the Tivo. I've been using Tivo for so long now, it's going to be hard to get used to a new GUI.

So theyre planning on giving a HMC for any HD receiver? Im really going to have to get one of you guys to add my old mits receiver onto an account....

It seems kinda stupid though to trade a PVR for a non PVR HD box but I dont think anybody will comlain. Ill be interested to see how they price the "client" boxes.

http://www.remotecentral.com/ces2005/index.html

I know a couple of you guys were considering the Harmony 880 (when they come out and found a ces05 roundup video, with some live action shots)

Pretty good quality too.... cant wait for that remote (im going to have to live very cheaply for a few weeks to recoupe some of the cost of my ae700).

You're not making the wait easier. It would have been a perfect gift for the wife's B-day on Sunday. lol. Actually, the look she gave me the other day when I mentioned a new remote wasn't that promising. Too bad you can't hide a remote in the equipment rack.

Originally posted by jagouar
So theyre planning on giving a HMC for any HD receiver? Im really going to have to get one of you guys to add my old mits receiver onto an account....
After watching VoOm so long I don't think you could handle the decreased PQ. ;)

Originally posted by labmansid
After watching VoOm so long I don't think you could handle the decreased PQ. ;)

Its going to be touch esp with my new projector.... I have a feeling I wont be watching much on it besides ESPN and stuff I wont get up in canada.

Hey jag, you may want to hold off moving to Canada for a while! :D
New life for VoOm?? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=508012)

nah im moving anyways.... 20 bucks a month for all the channels they have is pretty damn good.

I am going to love getting that DVR maybe (get a networkable one and get a client in the other rooms and make roomated pay) :)

after my move to canada im going to have what 2-3x as many HD channels as all the D*'s (all for less $ too).... :)

EDIT: Its being reported on voOm's HDnews channel as well now (along with a very nice story on mardi gras [in HD of course])

So jag, you're going to get *C/BEV and keep VoOm? And a new projector? What really happened in Vegas?

:)

Actually I will be paying 10 bucks less/month for programming...
Voom is/was 50 but I was paying the whole thing myself, now with networkable dvr and one client (that I can charge my roomates/brothers 15/month for voom, for some stupid reason my dad let me 2 other brothers have my old rca hdtv so they want/need programming for it) and vooms dvr solution is perfect. So they are each going to pay me 15/month off the cost of 50/monthly (granted I will have to get a mirror fee added on for a second receiver probably) but still I will pay ~20-30 for voom and 20 to bev.... What I pay now at worst for alot more channels.

And the projector really wasnt my doing.... couldnt pass up what I sold my AE100 for ($750) and I had some extra cash from doing some wiring for people I know (sidejob) and I can almost cover the cost of the AE700 (cant say pricing on here avs rules but lets say its just under 2k).

Im going to have to eat the bev equipment charge and stick it on a cc until the end of the month when i get paid but Ive worked it out and all the upgrades can be done.... im just going to have to live this month very cheaply. I also have to start saving for the Harmony 880 but hopefully it will only cost ~60 to upgrade [after selling my 680].

Note to everybody, DONT GO TO VEGAS AND ESPECIALLY CES... it really irritates that upgrade itch. :)

BTW has anybody watched that snake hunter guy on Disc HD Theater? Man the PQ blows my mind even today.... Beats the best Ive ever seen on CBS.

Heck, just hearing Sid's sub can give you an itch.

Originally posted by elspankdog
Heck, just hearing Sid's sub can give you an itch.

Difference I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sell my svs for one of his. Besides Im satisified with my bass as it is with the shakers. the through of finally having a true HD projector for HD viewing and future HD-DVD/blueray is what made me really want to upgrade. Also why Im not going the cheaper low rez dlp and instead getting 720p lcd. Seeing as the cheapest you can find 720p dlp is 4k (2x what Im paying for the AE700).

Ill have to throw some kind of demo party or something a week after I get bev and the projector to show off all the new toys... (although voom is going to be left in the main room on the RCA for now[more seating anyways]). I dont know if Im going to be able to pull a sid with the burgers or anything but well see... I do have some fajita meat in the freezer but probably wouldnt feed more than 5 people. (Like I said Im going to have to go very cheap for a few months to recoupe my expenses)

Maybe next sat night for the all star game since unless something major happens very soon D* wont have it. Dont know if my projector would be here soon enough (Jason says they are out of stock at the moment but expecting more soon)... I should have my bev sent tomorrow (theres no telling how long it takes to get through customs though)

Last year, D* was able to give us the All-Star game via a special event channel. Of course, we all expected TNT-HD to be added shortly after. Here we are one year later with no TNT-HD. :confused:

I hope D* adds TNT-HD by the All-Star game, but I'm not holding my breath. If we don't get the channel, I doubt we'll have the game on a special event channel either.

it wouldnt totally suprise me to see tnt or some form of the all star game added on D* but there wont be any special events channel this time, TNT wouldnt let that happen if they are in negocaitions with D*. Gives them some valuable leverage.

Yeah, we either get TNT-HD for good or we'll continue waiting. I just hope they have it by the playoffs.

Originally posted by jagouar
......Ill have to throw some kind of demo party or something a week after I get bev and the projector to show off all the new toys... (although voom is going to be left in the main room on the RCA for now[more seating anyways]). I dont know if Im going to be able to pull a sid with the burgers or anything but well see... I do have some fajita meat in the freezer but probably wouldnt feed more than 5 people ......
Hmmm...... So if 6 of us show up like last time, I guess us D* people will get stuck with Fajita-Lite!!! :confused:

Originally posted by labmansid
Hmmm...... So if 6 of us show up like last time, I guess us D* people will get stuck with Fajita-Lite!!! :confused:

Well your used to it by now i guess...

I decided to go ahead an upgrade the Tivo this evening. Everything went smoothly other than hooking up the Sat1, Sat2, and Ant cables wrong a few times. I figure it took about 2 hours with messups.

I am now sitting at 70hrs HD and 470hrs SD. The Twinbreeze bracket is quite nice.

Photo 1: HD-Tivo at 30 hours before the upgrade.

Photo 2: Tivo open with bracket waiting install.

Photo 3: Tivo with Twinbreeze mounted - 250 GB WD (Original) + 300 GB Maxtor

Photo 4: HD-Tivo at 70 hours :D

Pretty cool. You had to go and out do us.

Ain't it great!! :)

BTW for you D* people what do I need to add receivers onto a D* account.

The people in canada say my bev system will be free (equipment included) if I get them (4 of them) setup on a D* account through my address.....

Well of course you need the receivers, but I think you have to hook them up to your phone line to call and activate them. Once activated, you can do whatever you want. Since they'll probably be used receivers, they'll probably send you new access cards for them. I'm not sure if that cost anything or not.

New access cards are $20 via D*.

Sid, yes it is great. Now I can save a bunch of stuff and not worry about space too much.

I have been having trouble receiving Waco channel KCEN channel 6-1 for about a week. I called Direct TV and a tech had me reset my DirecTV HR10-250 without any change. I was receiving KCEN HD without problems before it disappeared. I continue to receive a strong signal from channel 9 while scanning for local channels. I noticed that the guide has mapped KCEN as channel 9-1 instead of 6-1. Channel 9-1 does not show up when scanning for off the air channels. How do I get Direct TV to fix this problems.

I'm also getting a good signal with no picture on both my HD-TiVo and Zenith 520. Usually the best way to fix this kind of problem is by contacting the station or www.zap2it.com (where D* gets it guide info from).

Gerald Richmond, Chief Engineer (grichmond@kcentv.com)
Chris Walker, Executive Producer (cwalker@kcentv.com)
Andre Alforque, zap2it rep (AAlforque@zap2it.com)

Brian

Hey, did anyone notice the thread title got changed to include Waco now? I guess we are now officially the ba$tard stepchild! :eek:

I noticed that earlier today too. Might have to PM CPanther to make it Bryan/Waco instead. The joys of HD hell.

You're not the bastard stepchild :) I'm still considering Bryan/College Station it's own DMA for the list. Waco is listed first because it is larger (same order as Nielsen).

Wow, word travels fast around here. ;)

Just goes to show, Big Brother is watching!! ;)

so what kind of home theater upgrades are you guys getting your wives for valentines? We already know dave purchased the HDtivo upgrade.....

Originally posted by labmansid
Just goes to show, Big Brother is watching!! ;)

Only if I do something that might piss someone off. ;)

Originally posted by jagouar
so what kind of home theater upgrades are you guys getting your wives for valentines? We already know dave purchased the HDtivo upgrade.....

The closest I got was a couple of DVDs and a CD I got her. I'm still working on the Harmony for our anniversary. Universal remote is the modern third year gift, right?

Originally posted by jagouar
so what kind of home theater upgrades are you guys getting your wives for valentines? We already know dave purchased the HDtivo upgrade.....
Well, since the old Sony one crapped out she got this (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-039&depa=1). ;)

Originally posted by dnhawley
I have been having trouble receiving Waco channel KCEN channel 6-1 for about a week. I called Direct TV and a tech had me reset my DirecTV HR10-250 without any change. I was receiving KCEN HD without problems before it disappeared. I continue to receive a strong signal from channel 9 while scanning for local channels. I noticed that the guide has mapped KCEN as channel 9-1 instead of 6-1. Channel 9-1 does not show up when scanning for off the air channels. How do I get Direct TV to fix this problems.

I rescanned today and KCEN 9-1 is working again!

who had that contact at KBTX again? We need to see what their plans are for march madness since CBS announced over half the games will be HD.

Good thing I will have BEV installed by then (CBS E/W feeds plus south in KBTX) :)

Im going to need 3 HDTV's (only have 2 right now... well technically 1 [just the RCA 38310 but the pany should be shipping very soon, stupid AVS is out of stock atm])

I sent an e-mail to the General Manager, Mike Wright (wright@kbtx.com), and he was pretty responsive.

I sure hope they only show the HD games on KBTX-DT and not the SD games.

I guess you could do the buy and return thing with either CC or BB. Or perhaps Mikey or Sid can loan you one of their extras. :D

I think Dave has the good contact, or at least they respond to his queries.

Hi, I'm in the dorms here at A&M and I recently purchased a QAM-capable HDTV tuner for my computer. Not surprisingly, the channel scan finds way more channels than can actually be decoded. However, unless I'm missing something, flipping through all those channels and subchannels reveals that I only seem to be getting two of the three local HD channels that are supposed to be on this cable line, according to the channel listings on Cox's website. I get NBC on channel 66 and PBS on channel 98 - where is the CBS station supposed to be? I can't lock a signal for the CBS HD station with my Silver Sensor antenna either, and I'd rather do it over the cable anyway if I can.

Thanks in advance.

That's strange. If anything, I would have thought KCEN/KMAY might still be encrypted. I'm assuming you did the scan recently. A couple of weeks ago, KBTX-DT was down quite frequently. Sorry, not much help from me.

Synth,
Is your SS pointed towards Carlos? That's where the KBTX antenna is. Can't help you with the Cox issues though.

I remember when you had to crawl up in the ceiling and put in a splicer to get basic cable. It's nice of A&M to offer cable with the dorms. Heck, I didn't even have ethernet.

I've tried pointing the SS in all sorts of directions while experimenting, including the direction in which it seems Carlos is from here. I think part of my problem might be that the window in my dorm room is facing/parallel to University Drive (northwest?). I get the PBS HD station here with the antenna with no problems - signal strength often as high as 93% or 100% when pointing out the window (and Antennaweb.org indicates that's where it should be for the PBS station). When I try to get KBTX, my signal strength usually hovers around 9%-11%, sometimes dropping down to 0% momentarily.

Also not surprisingly, I can't get KYLE-DT; seems to be a steady 4% signal no matter where I point the antenna. Will it be at all possible to get the KWKT-DT signal once they move it from Waco to Moody in April (and increase power to 350kW)? It seems like that would be my only hope for getting Fox in HD when I'm in College Station.

Edit: I was just flipping through the channels again, and I noticed a soap opera on (in SD) with a CBS logo in the corner. Strangely enough, it's on 98-2 (98-1 is the PBS HD feed). I suppose I'll check again later when there should be actual HD programming on, but I guess it looks like I've found my CBS then. As far as I can tell (or find anyway), Cox isn't putting KAMU-DT's secondary/SD channel on cable at all (not that it really matters to me), I just thought it was interesting.

These old buildings on campus just aren't good for antenna reception. Unless you can get an antenna on the roof, you may be SOL.

You will probably be out of school before you can pickup KYLE-DT. I don't know about KWKT-DT though. My antenna is aimed at Houston.

What dorm are you in? I lived in Schuhmacher for 2 years. Living right across from Northgate was a bad thing at times. :)

I'm in Hobby this year.

Isn't that a girl's dorm? It was in my day.

I think your odds of getting KWKT-DT at 350 kW are slim to none. Elaborate outdoor setups like Sid's or Mikey's will probably struggle to bring that in. Where did you here that they are upgrading? Have you heard any news about KYLE upgrading? Last I heard they were still trying to get the needed "splicer" from Fox.

Originally posted by dave99ag
Isn't that a girl's dorm? It was in my day.

D@mn Dave, what a welcome.

lol...I can assure you that it is in fact co-ed.

Anyways, about Fox - I emailed the chief engineer for KYLE/KWKT last week inquiring about HD, and this is the response I got:



We are broadcasting low power with 1000 watts effective radiated power from our location on FM2818 just off Hwy 6 Northwest of Bryan.

Due to the fact that FOX has not supplied us with the equipment needed or the broadcast rights to the HD signal for KYLE-DT, we are simulcasting the KYLE-TV standard definition signal as required by the FCC.

We are in negotiations with FOX for the right to simulcast KWKT-DT as a secondary channel on the KYLE-DT transmitter and will be increasing power on the transmitter in the future.

We will be moving the KWKT-DT transmitter from our studio site in Waco to the 1750 foot level of our broadcast tower in Moody and increasing power to 350,000 watts on channel 57 as soon as our transmitter and antenna are received sometime in April.

It should be possible with a high gain antenna to receive the high definition broadcasts of both FOX and Warner Brothers programming that are now being broadcast at low power from Waco on KWKT-DT in Bryan once that installation is completed.

lol... I think my old dorm is co-ed now too.

That's some good news about KWKT. There's a few here that are pointed toward Waco, so we'll see how it works.

I wonder if any of that news (KWKT simulcast from KYLE transmitter or increased KWKT power) will help get Fox-HD on Cox. I still can't believe KYLE can't get the "free" equipment from Fox for HD. :mad:

I certainly hope it comes soon. Wouldn't you know it, the only show I bother to watch regularly (ok, "religiously" :D ) is 24...

I could care less about locals now.... screw all the "policies" you have to go through.... Everybody is loved in canada and keep voOm for my US needs....

Originally posted by elspankdog
I guess you could do the buy and return thing with either CC or BB. Or perhaps Mikey or Sid can loan you one of their extras. :D


I said that I have two HDTVs. I didn't say anything about extras! Heck even my son has been trying to scam me for the Mits for about a year, so Jag sure as hell isn't gettin' it! Besides, I just finally bought a Samsung HD sat receiver so that I now have an HD source other than OTA to feed the Mits :)

Speaking about providers somebody here is joing the voom camp soon provided the install goes smoothly [im not gonna say who though.. he will probably regret he ever told me there will be a new B/CS voOm sub.] (I promised I would wait but didnt make it anywhere near next week) :)

I fill you guys out their trying to get Fox-HD. I live in Belton and spent $250 trying to get KWKT-HD. Strange I can pull in HD's from Austin and even Dallas but not Fox in Waco 30 miles away. I'm glad to here they are uping the power and moveing to the main Tower. I got so frustred I canceled my HD box with D*. I let my Dad in Dallas use my box... Yeah its still in Belton. The reason is the Fox Station in Dallas is O&O so I will get a east coast feed of HD-Fox. I'm curouis when D* launches MPEG4 if I will be able to get new equipment and dishes. Dallas is one of the first area to get all their locals via Sat this summer. Hopefull the D* installer doesn't show up in Dallas looking for 'My Dads" HD box...

Originally posted by jagouar
Speaking about providers somebody here is joing the voom camp soon provided the install goes smoothly [im not gonna say who though.. he will probably regret he ever told me there will be a new B/CS voOm sub.] (I promised I would wait but didnt make it anywhere near next week) :)
Well, I guess now the rest of us know better than to leave a secret with you, huh! :)

Originally posted by alton987
I fill you guys out their trying to get Fox-HD. I live in Belton and spent $250 trying to get KWKT-HD. Strange I can pull in HD's from Austin and even Dallas but not Fox in Waco 30 miles away. I'm glad to here they are uping the power and moveing to the main Tower. I got so frustred I canceled my HD box with D*. I let my Dad in Dallas use my box... Yeah its still in Belton. The reason is the Fox Station in Dallas is O&O so I will get a east coast feed of HD-Fox. I'm curouis when D* launches MPEG4 if I will be able to get new equipment and dishes. Dallas is one of the first area to get all their locals via Sat this summer. Hopefull the D* installer doesn't show up in Dallas looking for 'My Dads" HD box...
The FOX situation is pretty sad around here. We can't pick up the FOX-DT signal from here (not that we really need to, no HD anyway) even though the farthest any of us are from their "tower" is around 10 miles. The MPEG4 situation will surely be interesting for a lot of us. My Mom in Hockley might just have HD for a brief period this summer. ;)

Originally posted by labmansid
Well, I guess now the rest of us know better than to leave a secret with you, huh! :)

Well I tried.... but this is big news around here. Finally get somebody who wised up to the real HD leader.... course with my luck something will go wrong with the install because installs, inc sucks.

BTW to the unnamed voomer the first day you have voom the box is going to suck (unless you get a new one that had the latest software)... the boxes are pretty bad until they get the newer software versions (but once they do they are pretty good).... a few little features need to get added.

Sad the closest I've seen to Fox-HD was audio and video for 3 seconds. Problem was it was coming form KDFW Fox in Dallas 100 miles away from me. Austin's Fox-HD is almost as Bad as Waco/Bryan.

Originally posted by alton987
Sad the closest I've seen to Fox-HD was audio and video for 3 seconds. Problem was it was coming form KDFW Fox in Dallas 100 miles away from me. Austin's Fox-HD is almost as Bad as Waco/Bryan.

Actually, I think it is worse. Last time I checked, Austin was doing less than 1 kW.

Hopefully, D* will contact us before doing any MPEG4 installs. I know some people in Spring who would be quite shocked if they just showed up. And btw, what happened with those letters they were sending out for dns/lil? Did anybody get one?

Originally posted by elspankdog
.....And btw, what happened with those letters they were sending out for dns/lil? Did anybody get one?
Not here. I forgot to ask my Mom tonight! :D

Originally posted by alton987
Sad the closest I've seen to Fox-HD was audio and video for 3 seconds. Problem was it was coming form KDFW Fox in Dallas 100 miles away from me. Austin's Fox-HD is almost as Bad as Waco/Bryan.
I was able to watch KYLE-DT here one clear night a few months ago for a few minutes. It was before the HD-Tivo was out or I would have it archived for posterity. :) Some of us can get KRIV out of Houston on occasion at night.

Live that impossible dream baby! One Glorious Sunday for Some Reason Sunday Ticket did not Block my Cowboys game. I watched a entire Cowboys game in HDTV. I cried for hours it was so pretty.

There were a few early games on CBS-HD (even though the boys sucked yet again)

Hmmmm......
Just a guess.
http://www.frogflats.com/SpankdogTower04.jpg

Whatever, I would never go to the dark side.

labman if your going to do it you gotta have dishes going up the tower and a few dish network ones thrown in for good measure.

It appears that the HDMI port has gone bad on my HD-Tivo. At first I thought it was HD-Lite ;). After reading a bit more, others have mentioned a dithered look. That's what I'm seeing. It's close to HD, but you can see lots of artifacts in solid colors.

I new it was true when I switched to component. Even my wife noticed the difference. I'm going to crack open the HD-Tivo again and see if I can reseat the HDMI card.

I've heard that D* isn't replacing units now, so I guess I'll just wait and see a bit.

:(

that sucks you shouldnt have messed with that HD upgrade, probably knocked something loose... ;)

Well somebody has to replace it. It's still under warranty.

BTW, are any of you guys using a 4x8 or 5x8 multiswitch? I need to get one and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations (brand, where to get, etc.). I found this one (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SP48DTV) at a reasonable price, but others can be had for just a little more.

Yeah, it's still under warranty. I'm just not anxious in having to swap out drives. At least the component still works fine.

Originally posted by elspankdog
And btw, what happened with those letters they were sending out for dns/lil? Did anybody get one?

I do believe that you only got one if you had DNS feeds prior to 1999 (is that when they passed SHVIA?). I saw someone explain it on another forum that if you got those feeds after that point then you had to go through the "right" process to get them so you are officially eligible. The issue is those people who acquired the DNS feeds prior to D* having to crack down on the issue.

Post 1999.

Whoop!

2000! Score!