jluzbet,

According to an email received by online2much, they will be upgrading their facilities to allow for transmission of the network's HD feed.

---Rudy

toddmoe, any news on the DVI/Firewire front with the Moto 5100 box? I know you mentioned Comcast was waiting for Motorola to update the firmware, etc.

Also, a general question, is DVI better quality than Component (if there is a thread on this, I apologize in advance)?

I emailed WSVN to see if they can confirm that information about HD. My only question would be.. what convinced them to upgrade? I thought WSVN was cheap and didn't want to spent the coin needed to go HD?

TC_laud I did chat a bit with my neighbor last night and they have discovered that a significant number of boxes have hardware issues not just software. I think the number was 17,000 boxes that just were returned to Motorola because of this. Apparently this was a real issue with trying to get the firewire issue resolved because there was a secondary cause of crashes and this creates a lot of issues with troubleshooting.

I asked if Motorola was rising to the challenge and he indicated that they were applying tremendous pressure on every level. But no new info on an actual fix.

As for DVI versus component, I would say that DVI is definitely an advantage because the signal is digital all the way to the TV, where with component it becomes analog once it leaves your STB. I'm sure that someone could argue against that, perhaps the STB has a superior digital to analog converter, but all things being equal DVI.

Comcast Note: Forgot to mention this earlier, but I was informed that Comcast has a special HD group of agents in the contact center so if you are calling with HD questions make sure that you request to speak with one of those folks rather than just any agent that answers.

Should get better information by doing so.

toddmoe,

Thanks for the info about the Motorola STBs. I think I'll just wait until they get all the bugs with the FireWire worked out. I'm just hoping that they'll carry Discovery HD Theater and Bravo HD in their lineup. The movie channels don't really interest me, and I already get all the locals OTA.

---Rudy

Rudy1, I too am anxious for DiscoveryHD and BravoHD however I have found a great deal a variety on the two INHD channels. They have some really cool nature documentaries as well as some kick-butt HD concerts.

toddmoe, thanks for the input.

I have done some research and discovered that DVI will not help me out due to that fact that my Pany 42 kills the component input when adding the DVI card (set was bought last January). I think I'll buy a DB15 connector for my Progressive DVD instead.

So I am correct when I assume that VOD is not currently implemented on Comcast in So Fla? I just received my box this morning and I won't have a chance to really play with it until tonight after work (oh, the temptation!) . By the way, my 5100 doesn't have any Firewire ports at all.

jplumey, if you look at the back of the 5100 next to the Optical SPDIF connector, you should see the IEEE 1394 port? Just to the left of the power supply connection.

Originally posted by tgenius
I emailed WSVN to see if they can confirm that information about HD. My only question would be.. what convinced them to upgrade? I thought WSVN was cheap and didn't want to spent the coin needed to go HD?

Maybe they are a bit smarter then we have given them credit for. With FOX going to 720p this year, they may have saved themselves a considerable amount of money by not upgrading to be able to pass along the 480p, and upgrading again for 720p. Could they have had the info all along, and had an actual plan?

Naw...

heh, I don't think I can give WSVN that much credit. The only reason FOX is doing HD now is because they are REALLY getting left behind. What I'm hoping for is a 720p version of 24 (if it returns for a 4th season, whch I'm hopin.) and of course HDTV NFL and MLB games.

Ok guys.. I decided to do a little investigative work. I called WSVN and was transferred about 5 times, but I DID end up talking to the chief engineer. He says that (confirming what was said before) that the equipment for 720p has been ordered and that it should be a couple of months before it's up and running. He also confirmed the news telecasts will be transmitted in 720p (though he says 4x3, which I don't understand as I thought 720p was a 16x9 resolution) anyways, he says that everything will be upconverted to 720p, including the 480p shows (24 comes to mind)

Also, he reiterated that FOX will begin broadcasting their programming from LA in Fall using 720p, and that they will pass it directly.

In reference to why they waited, he told me basically that it was because they didn't know what to do since Fox didn't have a plan in place for HD, so they sat on the fence.

This is VERY good news as WSVN will be the last piece of the puzzle for Complete HD from the major networks in South Florida.

Is UPN / WB in HD down here? I know that Comcast does not currently have channels set up for these 2 if they are being broadcast. Does anyone have info on this?

I'm 100 percent sure WB is (as I watch Angel in HDTV)

I'm 95 percent sure UPN is as they have the Paramount movie of the month in HD as well as a couple of shows if memory doesn't fail.

Originally posted by tgenius
Ok guys.. I decided to do a little investigative work. I called WSVN and was transferred about 5 times, but I DID end up talking to the chief engineer. He says that (confirming what was said before) that the equipment for 720p has been ordered and that it should be a couple of months before it's up and running.

A couple of MONTHS? Do you remember the name of the engineer you talked to? I'm wondering if it was John Bak, the same guy who emailed me back, and if he was correct when he said weeks to me in the email, or months to you on the phone.

Originally posted by online2much
A couple of MONTHS? Do you remember the name of the engineer you talked to? I'm wondering if it was John Bak, the same guy who emailed me back, and if he was correct when he said weeks to me in the email, or months to you on the phone.

Same guy, I git the email saying that it will be a couple of months too:confused: Better then nothing I guess:cool:

Let me rephrase the question, when is Comcast going to add the HD equivalent of the OTA WB and UPN to its' lineup?

For what it is worth, my neighbor is particularly irked about the fact that UPN is not there because he is a big Trek fan. He doesn't get to decide what programming will be on, but he is lobbying hard.

Originally posted by toddmoe
For what it is worth, my neighbor is particularly irked about the fact that UPN is not there because he is a big Trek fan. He doesn't get to decide what programming will be on, but he is lobbying hard.

I'll only switch to cable for HD when I can get ALL the locals as well as the cable "exclusives" such as Discovery HD and Bravo HD, along with the capability to record via FireWire. Comcast has the potential to be a "one stop" solution for many in this area when it comes to HDTV, and your neighbor's superiors need to take that into consideration as they roll out HD service locally. It's not simply about "getting rid of the dish", it's about providing compelling content and state of the art hardware that meets subscriber's needs completely.

Originally posted by toddmoe
For what it is worth, my neighbor is particularly irked about the fact that UPN is not there because he is a big Trek fan. He doesn't get to decide what programming will be on, but he is lobbying hard.

Is there anywhere we can post our concerns that would help him (your neighbor) in his quest? I would really like HDNet as well as the aforementioned UPN, WB, Discovery, Bravo and any other's that I might have omitted.
I really am turning into a HD-junkie.

If anybody lives in Weston and has Advanced Cable, they are now offering an HD package. The package consists of ESPNHD, Discovery HD, HD Net, & HD Net Movies for $9.95. They also have HBO HD and Showtime HD. The monthly rental charge for the HDTV converter is $4.95.

Wonder if they are just buying signal from D* and retransmitting it?

From: TC_Lauderdale

"Is there anywhere we can post our concerns that would help him (your neighbor) in his quest?"

TC, Not that I am aware of, but I'll ask. The Comcast HD implementation is much bigger than just So Fla, this is a nationwide thing that is happening for them, so we have to keep that in mind.

I think it was Rudy1 who mentioned that Comcast should be looking to leapfrog with a broad technology and programming solution rather than simply coming up to par with satellite service. I agree, but don't think we'll be seeing any leapfrogging from any cable or satellite providers any time soon. My guess, and this is purely an opinion, (and we all know what those are like) is that providers will continue to dip their toe in the market, test the waters and then dip a little more as they gauge interest. When you consider what Comcast is offering on a nationwide level currently, I think it is pretty aggressive for an initial offering.

I hope I'm wrong, and maybe success at Voom will light a fire under these guys, but the state of big business seems to be pretty Conservative and the big cable providers have never exactly been revolutionary so I really expect to see a gradual methodical approach to these rollouts. Consider that nothing exciting from a programming perspective came from CES this year. Any way thats my two cents.

I have noticed that there are a number of threads in some of the other forums that discuss the Motorola HD PVR and Comcast around the country, you may want to check some of those out if you haven't yet.

And lastly, consider yourselves lucky to have what you have, I have Adelphia up here and they don't even have a limited offering! Thank goodness for OTA and Directv!

For all the Comcast Cable customers wanting HD, there is a revised legal notice in Friday's Sun Sentinel on Page 10F (in the classifieds). It lists all of the cities that will receive HD as well as all the HD channels that Comcast will offer. It says that the official launch of HD is February 9, 2004.

Maybe, just maybe, DirecTV will get smart and start to offer ala-carte HD package.
I have HBO without the Total Choice package and would add the $12 HD package IF they only put their policy back to the way it was.

The more cable companies that come out with HD, the less DirecTV subscribers will be.

Originally posted by George33027
Maybe, just maybe, DirecTV will get smart and start to offer ala-carte HD package.
I have HBO without the Total Choice package and would add the $12 HD package IF they only put their policy back to the way it was.

The more cable companies that come out with HD, the less DirecTV subscribers will be.

I have never quite understood the pricing/programming policies that cable and DBS companies come up with. Most of the time it seems like they just slap together whatever combination happens to appeal the most to a group of staffers who appear to have no concept of reality whatsoever. It's like they all live in an alternate universe or something. And there's no choice, either. You either take what they're eager to shove down your throat or you go without. And with so many stupid rules imposed by the various micro dictatorships (a.k.a., condo associations, homeowner's associations, and franchising authorities), many really have only one provider for TV programming. One would think this is the very thing we're paying our legislators to prevent, but they're living in their own private Idaho as well so who's actually looking out for the lowly consumer? :confused:

Couple of months does not sound bad for WSVN, actually I was thinking it wouldn't hit til right before the fall schedule.

This also means I don't have to go into my attic and keep trying to catch WFLX in Palm Beach anymore!:D

I am sorry if this has been brought up before but has anyone heard any news if the locals will be broadcasting the Heat, Marlins or Panters in HD anytime soon?

Couple of months does not sound bad for WSVN, actually I was thinking it wouldn't hit til right before the fall schedule.

This also means I don't have to go into my attic and keep trying to catch WFLX in Palm Beach anymore!:D

I am sorry if this has been brought up before but has anyone heard any news if the locals will be broadcasting the Heat, Marlins or Panthers in HD anytime soon?

It appears none of the locals have the capability to broadcast the local team games in HD at present; my last communication on this subject was with NBC 6, and they mentioned the high cost of the cameras and other ancillary equipment as the main reason nobody's doing local sportscasts or newscasts in HD in the Miami market. However, if I remember correctly, the Palm Beach NBC affiliate does have (per a post made by their engineer several months ago) the equipment necessary to broadcast their news in HD, though I don't know if they ever have.

I am also told that when builders come into the area, they contract with the local governments to get low prices. So our local governments contracts with the cable company not to allow any other cable companies in for 10 years. Wow, I wonder who got paid off. So then you local home owners association also contracts with local cable the same cable company. Now, if you want to change you have to wait for the contract to end, AND, even if the association ends, you have to see if the local government has not ended yet for your area.

Has anyone ever contacted WTVJ regarding the continued absence of guide information for the DT channel?

Until now, this has not been a problem, as one can refer to the analog listings or use the TiVo guide. However, with the soon to come HD TiVo, DT listings will be required to schedule recordings. Without them, manual time recording will be a necessary pain.

Curiously, the channel 6 guide information and headers appear when one manually enters '31'. The only problem with that is there is no audio or video on 31. '31-1' brings programming, but no information.

Originally posted by wjbjr
Has anyone ever contacted WTVJ regarding the continued absence of guide information for the DT channel?

Until now, this has not been a problem, as one can refer to the analog listings or use the TiVo guide. However, with the soon to come HD TiVo, DT listings will be required to schedule recordings. Without them, manual time recording will be a necessary pain.

Curiously, the channel 6 guide information and headers appear when one manually enters '31'. The only problem with that is there is no audio or video on 31. '31-1' brings programming, but no information.

What do you mean it hasn't been a problem? Some of us have had HD DVR's for a while (I've had the Zenith since it came out).

Originally posted by aviators99
What do you mean it hasn't been a problem? Some of us have had HD DVR's for a while (I've had the Zenith since it came out).


I stand corrected.

Until now, the absence of WTVJ-DT guide data has not been a problem for _most of us_. I use the TiVo guide whenever possible. Or, one could refer to the analog or SD local listings in the HD receiver guide.)

It has indeed been a problem for those with HD DVRs. And it will become a problem for those of us who purchase a HD TiVo.

Have you ever contacted WTVJ regarding this?

I have, and the response is below. I didn't respond since my response would not have been pleasant and I was always told if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. :D

Our PSIP information is following to channel 6-1, but we are not downloading our program guide at this time. What you should see in the program guide is "scheduled programming" on 6-1 . We will be transmitting our PSIP information in the future and I hope you can work around this issue for the short time. I understand your frustration as I also watch DT programming nightly.

Thank you
Steven Kaplan

____________________
Steven Kaplan
Director of Operations & Engineering
WTVJ NBC 6 / WSCV T-51
954-622-6502 Office
954-622-6682 FAX
<mailto:steven.kaplan@nbc.com>



-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 4:29 PM
To: techops@nbc6.net
Subject: Incorrect PSIP Information


Hello,

I watch NBC 6 WTVJ-DT in HD in primetime and enjoy it very much. However, it is difficult to know what is on since your station is transmitting its program data (PSIP data) on the wrong channel. As a result, I watch WPTV-DT many times since they tell me what is on and I can program my receiver to change to that channel so I can record with my digital VCR.

Your digital broadcast channel (UHF 31) is remapped by a HD reciver to 6-1, to correspond to your analog channel. However, your correct PSIP guide data is being sent out on channel 31, but there is nothing to watch on channel 31 as the actual programming is remapped to 6-1 and 31 is an analog channel.
Please have your PSIP data repaired so that it shows up on the proper channel. You are one of the leaders in HD in the S Florida market and this is the only flaw I can find with your station. Thanks for giving this your attention and repairing the problem in a timely manner.

Regards,

*********************************************

What kind of answer is THAT? :rolleyes:

Thanks. My first thought was to e-mail Mr Kaplan and explain that we will need the 6-1 guide data to program HD TiVo recording.

My second -- and current -- thought is that, considering the 'up yours' attitude of his response, it might be a mistake to remind him that we will be recording his HD programming and skipping over his commercials.

With repeat season starting at about the time the HD TiVos are available, I will not be recording any NBC programming. As it is, I watch only "The West Wing" and an occasional Wednesday "Law And Order". If somehow they do some Olympics in HD, I can always schedule manually.

i am so so close, but with the superbowl nearing, i am looking for assistance. are there any s. florida HD savvy antenna people available for hire or barter? i am looking to optimize my reception and i am aware that time is money. here are some details if this helps with recommendations.

-- beach facing apartment in hallandale/hollywood area on A1A, 14 floors up.

-- due east about 5 miles or less from the bulk of the transmission towers in the miramar area.

-- being beach facing, any reception must make it through my building to "see" the towers.

-- currently have channel master stealth antenna (mounted inside in a very ghetto way), a silver sensor, a cheap radio shack amp, a channel master 7778 (not a 7777) and a winegard AP-8275 (29/28db vhf/uhf gain) on order.

-- the best combination so far is the silver sensor and the 7778, though i experience drop offs. reception on my Samsing SIR-351 is about 60% of max according to the scale.

-- all local stations can be pulled in with some slight antenna turns.

-- i am anticipating some additional gains with the higher powered AP-8275.

what's the problem? it's the dropoffs! i have balcony access but still need to do some work to get my antenna placed off the edge as opposed to it's current possible location. so far, using the antenna indoors is a better option, though my goal is to move the stealth outside.

i also am guessing there are some better indoor options in terms of placement, height, etc.

i have not checked analog channels for ghosting yet.

i am looking for a "who", to help with this task though i will gladly accept free advice. dropoffs make me crazy.

thanks in advance

radin-I have a pair of the Copper Radio Shack UHF Bowties that give GREAT reception (They are hooked up together to ensure you get all satellites.. I'm not using them anymore and I'd be willing to let both of em go for $20 together. Let me know.

tgenius,
I have a pair of RS Dbl. Bowtie antennas.
How did you hook them together?


Thanks,

to be perfectly honest, I don't know, my old man did it. He linked the two of the bowties together because originally with one of them, I could get MOST of the channels, but not all of them... the other bowtie pointed in a different direction with the first one in the same position gave me 80+ on all the main channels...

One comment about Comcast HDTV (which I have had since Friday). The PBS stations is the SD feed not the HD national feed (2-2 not 2-1 OTA). This needs to be resolved!

Otherwise picture quality is excellent (much better than my Sony HD100). Highly recommended! Hope they roll out the 6200 DVR's soon.

Will--
Which HD channels do they carry? Do you know if the HD covers all of Coral Gables? Their phone people have no idea.

Does anybody know if the Motorola HD cable box (DCT5100) has simultaneous dual outputs from the component video and S-Video outputs?

Originally posted by HofstraJet

What kind of answer is THAT? :rolleyes:

I actually don't think it's too bad. At least he knew what you were talking about, and seems to indicate they are working on it. More than the typical response I get from DirecTV.

The channels are the same as mentioned in a previous posting but I will repeat them:

773 - ESPN-HD
774 - INHD
775 - INHD2
776 - Cinemax-HD
777 - Starz-HD
778 - Show-HD
779 - HBO-HD
780 - ABC-HD (WPLG)
781 - NBC-HD (WTVJ)
782 - CBS-HD (WFOR)
783 - Fox (WSVN in 480i)
790 - PBS (non-HD feed in 480i)

Not sure about coverage. I would go ahead and try to order it. To me, it is DEFINITELY worth the $10 a month ($5 for the box and $5 for programming) and $29 installation fee.

I will test the simultaneous outputs and let you guys know.

I will be moving to Lake Worth in the spring to a development located between the Turnpike at 441 at Lantana. I understand that Adelphia is the cable provider.

Is Adelphia providing any HD programming in that area?

If so, what is being provided?

If not, what are their future plans?

Thanks in advance, looking forward to being your neighbor.

Abramsky,
I used to live in Greene and Binghamton. You'll love it in Florida. When I lived in Delray, I was stuck with Adelphia in my Condominium. It was really bad news. I now live in Margate and use DISH. I have had DIRECTV but I really do prefer DISH for many reasons.

TonyV

I was looking forward to Comcast offering HD service because I have been having major difficulties tuning WPBT over the past six months (lots of condo towers going up all over downtown Fort Lauderdale!), so now I'm quite annoyed to learn they're carrying the SD channel instead of the HD channel. How can you roll out HD service, then make an SD channel part of the package when an HD alternative is available? Looks like I'll be sticking to OTA for HD for the foreseeable future. I would really like a prescription for whatever the decision makers at Comcast are on.

RUMOR: I was told by one of the Comast reps that new channels were supposed to be added on 1-29-2004. Can angone confirm this?

Tonyv
What are some of the reasons you prefer DISH to DirecTV?

George33027
Reasons why I prefer DISH to DIRECTV:
The DISH user interface is superior to DIRECTV at least as far as the RCA type receivers are concerned.
DISH receivers use an IR blaster making VCR programing easier.
At the time I started with DISH they offered more HD programming than DIRECTV. Now I believe they are pretty much comparable.
I have a DISH PVR that I am very happy with. I don't need to pay for TIVO and I have all the features that I want such as easy programming, one week stored program guide, searches, etc.
During most of the times that many people were having problems with WPTVHD in WPB I was receiving them with no problem with my DISH 6000 receiver.

This is not to say that all is rosy with DISH. They have their faults too. The program guide on the DISH 6000 is really lousy. I hope they have all the problems worked out on the 921 as I really would like to get one in about 6 months or so. However, I have had my 6000 for nearly 3 years now and it has served me well. I'm itching to be able record HD.

Tonv

Originally posted by jplumey
RUMOR: I was told by one of the Comast reps that new channels were supposed to be added on 1-29-2004. Can angone confirm this?

So...did it happen?

hey guys, i'm thinking of getting an hdtv receiver with an ota antenna.

i live just south of downtown ft lauderdale and from antennaweb.org looks like i am about 10 miles away from fox, cbs, nbc, abc hdtv antennas.

was wondering what kind of antennas people in my area use or any recommendations. i bought a cheap indoor antenna at target and couldnt get a perfect reception on any local analog channel. are hdtv signals easier to pickup. since i dont have my hdtv receiver yet, i dont know what's best or how easy it is to pick up their signals.

thanks for any help or advice
greg
ft lauderdale

Greg,

DTV signals are either received perectly or either intermittently or not at all. It sounds like you need a small outdoor VHF/UHF combination antenna.

Since you're so close to the transmitters for the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale TV market, a small antenna like this one should be fine:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F001%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=15%2D2151

It is all David McRoy's fault! <g>

According to DirecTV, I, and most likely all South Floridians are considered inelligible to receive their carriage of CBS HD because of the "overlap" of O&O WFOR and WPEC.

This despite the fact that I am sixty miles from WPEC and cannot receive its signal in the first place.

DirecTV is requesting a waiver for me from WPEC, but that will take 45 days even if successful. Anyone else who wants CBS HD should contact DirecTV and ask for the Special Projects department. (Please advise here if perchance you are receiving it.)

David -- Seriously, it would probably help if you would mention to the powers that be that granting the waivers would be a gesture of good will to their southern neighbors and would be appreciated. I doubt that many HDers in Miami-Dade or southern Broward counties tune to WPEC. So they would lose nothing by their coöperation. Thanks

Done.

If you live in Broward, Miami-Dade...bascically south of the Broward/Palm Beach County line, your CBS-HD via DirecTV waiver request to us will be granted.

You can email our General Manager, Donn Colee at dcolee@wpecnews12.com stating specifically where you live (your address that DirecTV has on file) and state that you specifically want the CBS-HD waiver.

It is my understanding that you need to subscribe to the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale DirecTV local channels to qualify for the DirecTV CBS-HD service.

For speedy receipt of your waiver from us give Donn a fax number so that he can fax the waiver to you.

DirecTV supposedly has a Special Projects team assigned to handle a flood of last-minute requests. We can't promise that DirecTV can get you hooked-up in time for the Super Bowl on Sunday. If any of you gives this a try, please let us know what happens here on this thread (not the West Palm Beach thread.)

And good luck!

Waiver and Ch 80 programming received. Thanks.

Waiver can be faxed to DirecTV at:
208 363 6444

I've just e-mailed donn for a waiver, with my fax number. Dave, thanks for the help, as always.

It took all of 20 minutes for Donn to fax a waiver to me - wow. I've faxed it off to directv to the number provided by wjbjr. Thanks Dave and wjbjr for helping everyone not have to reinvent the wheel!

Please do not yell at me, but, why would you pay for local channels, when you can get them Over The Air for free ?
And if the weather is bad, I can still get OTA digital channels even when DirecTV Sat receiver is searching for signals.

Originally posted by George33027
Please do not yell at me, but, why would you pay for local channels, when you can get them Over The Air for free ?
And if the weather is bad, I can still get OTA digital channels even when DirecTV Sat receiver is searching for signals.

YELL!!! <g>

The primary reason, George, is that it is not possible to receive local channels OTA with additional non-HD receivers such as DirecTiVos and other basic receivers.

Originally posted by Rudy1
So...did it happen?

Nope. I haven't contacted them yet to ask if it was true or not. I'll call next week sometime and let you know.

WPEC very quick at sending waiver. They are the good guys.

On the other hand, has anybody tried for FOX waivers? and which are needed?

I don't understand why the government doesn't mandate that the DBS providers carry the local channels in every market. That would eliminate the need for these waivers. I realize that their limited bandwidth poses serious issues, but then again DBS providers could be a little more "selective" about the channels that they carry. Some of the channels they offer hardly qualify as entertainment, from what I've seen at friend's homes.

Come to think of it, the same is basically true for cable. Most of the channels they clog the system with are so ill-conceived that they absolutely would not exist if it were not for cable. And why have more than a couple of variations on a theme (like the many religious and home shopping networks which are basically clones of one another)? I really get pissed off when I realize I'm forced to pay for ALL of these channels when in reality I only ever watch six or seven of them. It would be so cool if a provider would assemble "a la carte" lineups for each subscriber so that you got a predetermined number of channels in a "basic package", plus whatever "extras" you wanted. Both DBS and cable providers claim that they now offer this, but you still end up with many channels you never watch along with the few that are your favorites.

David... your professionalism and information were greatly appreciated. It's too bad you don't serve the Ft. Lauderdale ADA; as you have friends here for your station. As retired from station management myself, I understand what it's like to be innundated by anything, and am very surprised that 12 was able to take the time to fax a waiver (thanks to Donn!)..

DirecTV (also to my surprise) complied with extremely efficiency and had the CBS national digital feed going within a matter of hours; no further action on my part required. Again my thanks to WPEC for making it happen.

regards,

Got my waiver faxed to me today as well. It is very much appreciated!

Originally posted by mmburke
WPEC very quick at sending waiver. They are the good guys.

On the other hand, has anybody tried for FOX waivers? and which are needed?

CBS HD and FOX Wide Screen programming are available via DirecTV only in markets where the network affiliate is O&O. The Miami FOX affiliate is not.

Based on what toddmoe had reported last month, I called Comcast yesterday to find out if they had any updates on when the new FireWire enabled boxes would be available. Much to my surprise, the CSR said she was sure I could pick one up at the downtown Fort Lauderdale office but that she would transfer me to someone in engineering so they could give me details on the features. The guy I spoke to knew exactly what I was talking about, and went on to tell me that they were not sure when the new Motorola boxes would be available for release (he mentioned something about problems with software or something like that). He also said that as far as he knew the current Motorola boxes in this area did not have the FireWire option enabled.

This is very annoying to say the least. Motorola already announced the next generation of STBs at CES which do OTA as well as QAM, and they're still having problems with the 6200 series? Can't these people get ANYTHING right??? :confused:

CBS HD and FOX Wide Screen programming are available via DirecTV only in markets where the network affiliate is O&O. The Miami FOX affiliate is not.

Does this mean that just because WSVN is not O&O that they couldn't waive the restriction, even if they wanted to. I'm sure if I asked nicely they would send a waiver immediamente.
Oh sorry I must have been dreaming.

Anybody know if WSVN actually got their HD equipment in as yet? I'd hate to see "weeks" turn into months.

I just emailed the engineer at WSVN...we'll see if he mails me back an update.

I work at WSVN and I can tell you first hand that we have recieved our HD equipment and it was being tested around the time of the Super Bowl. How do I know? Because I watched the Super Bowl in HD at work that night.

Originally posted by newsguy
I work at WSVN and I can tell you first hand that we have recieved our HD equipment and it was being tested around the time of the Super Bowl. How do I know? Because I watched the Super Bowl in HD at work that night.

Okay, newsguy....when are WE going to see some action?:)

---Rudy

OK i waited i don't know how long for NYPD to come back and the blue snow problem on the bottom half of the screen continues with WPLG. Don't know if this has been addressed or even brought up but it is very annoying!

Anyone else have this problem?

Originally posted by NoUDont
OK i waited i don't know how long for NYPD to come back and the blue snow problem on the bottom half of the screen continues with WPLG. Don't know if this has been addressed or even brought up but it is very annoying!

Anyone else have this problem?

I didn't watch NYPD Blue, but if you're refering to what others have called "blue sparkles" in past threads, it seems to pop up in just about every HD show I've ever seen on ABC. Most often it appears during darkly-lit scenes, and usually along the lower third of the screen. However, I've seen the phenomenon in other areas of the image, and WPLG is not the only ABC station that has this problem. As far as I know, no one has adequately explained what this "snow" reallly is, but I've never seen it on the channels broadcasting at 1080i, so maybe it's something that only affects 720p broadcasts. I suggest you call Darren Alline at WPLG and talk to him about it.

Rudy, I will speak to the engineer tomorrow and I will let you know what he says. When I saw it, they had received a huge box that had something like a waveform monitor on the front. They had a very expensive little HD monitor connected to a Samsung SR-T151. Keep in mind WSVN isn't O&O by Fox. I don't know how that will work but since we received the hardware I guess we're rolling along.

Originally posted by newsguy
I work at WSVN and I can tell you first hand that we have recieved our HD equipment and it was being tested around the time of the Super Bowl. How do I know? Because I watched the Super Bowl in HD at work that night.

CBS uses a completely different transmission method, so I'd like to know what that has to do with your HD equipment?

The Samsung SIR-T151 is an OTA receiver which I'm sure you're aware of. This unit was part of a package sent to the engineers. The other box is Fox's equipment which I mentioned above. When I saw it, they had received a huge box that had something like a waveform monitor on the front.

Just an FYI, neighbor indicated that they have received a software update from Motorola for the 6000 series boxes and they should now be shipping with active firewire outputs.

Hope that makes someone happy.

This Friday, my cable company is installing my HD cable. I am getting the Motorola 5100 box along with Discovery HD, ESPNHD, & the 2 HDNET channels. Can anyone tell me if it is worth subscribing to HBOHD? If anyone has HBOHD how does the picture quality look?

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
This Friday, my cable company is installing my HD cable. I am getting the Motorola 5100 box along with Discovery HD, ESPNHD, & the 2 HDNET channels. Can anyone tell me if it is worth subscribing to HBOHD? If anyone has HBOHD how does the picture quality look?

Discovery HD, and the 2 HDNET Stations are really great! ESPNHD is a total farce and they have a lot of nerve to call the crap that they put out as HD. It is mostly a 4:3 fuzzy picture streched to 16:9 and it looks AWFUL!! The picture quality on HBOHD and Showtime HD is pretty good most of the time. However, some of the older movies are shown in 4:3. I'd still say they are worth having.

TonyV

HBO-HD when the Sopranos start in March you will like - know what I mean?

ESPN-HD the only thing good was football, and not enough of that to warrant getting it.

Discovery-HD Some of the best HD PQ that I have seen.

HD-Net Pretty pictures, content not always there.

Originally posted by toddmoe
Just an FYI, neighbor indicated that they have received a software update from Motorola for the 6000 series boxes and they should now be shipping with active firewire outputs.

Hope that makes someone happy.

Well, you certainly made ME happy. Unfortunately, I just spent the past hour being transfered around and talking to several CSRs trying to set up an appointment to have the Motorola 6200 installed, but to no avail. Even after I explained in detail to the "HD specialist" why I needed to have a FireWire enabled box, they still would not guarantee that I would get the box I'm requesting, so I'm not going to bother with it. If I sat around waiting for an installer to show up, and he or she arrived with the wrong box, I would be very, very, very angry.

I'll get my HD from Comcast when subscribers are allowed to either pick up a box from the payment center or purchase one at retail. As it is, I'm only keeping Comcast for the three channels I can't get OTA anyway (Speed, HGTV, and the History Channel).

Thanks for the updates, toddmoe! :)

I just called Comcast and they told me I could go in to the Coral Gables payment center and pick up a Moto 6200 for an extra $5 a month. How do I make sure that I get a box with FireWire enabled when I go in?

The CSR said that the DVR functionality of the box won't be working for a few months though. Can anyone confirm that this is not working yet?

I am very happy with the Comcast HDTV service. INHD, INHD2 and MAXHD are great to have since DirecTV doesn't offer them. Nice getting the NBC, ABC and CBS OTA stations with much better PQ than my Sony HD100 as well. Still no PBS HDTV though.

holt, I picked up my 6200's from the north miami location on 441 by Miami Gardens Dr. last week. The firewire port isn't active as far as I can tell.

Is Discovery HDT available now from Comcast? The CSRs were not sure. I want everything I have now (PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, UPN, and the WB) in addition to Discovery HDT. I prefer watching movies on DVD, and from what I've read ESPN-HD is a total farce.

Originally posted by Rudy1
Well, you certainly made ME happy. Unfortunately, I just spent the past hour being transfered around and talking to several CSRs trying to set up an appointment to have the Motorola 6200 installed, but to no avail.

About a year ago when I purchased my first HDTV, I realized my box didn't have Component or S-video outs and when I called Comcast they told me there wasn't any available. Well a week later my box started acting-up and they sent a technician with a replacement box, which of course didn't have the desired outputs. I asked the techie if he had seen any boxes with those outputs in the field and he replied "no problem I'll get you one tomorrow". I slid him some cash (a few bucks) and the next day I had component outs. Moral of the story, try and talk to one of the guys in the field for the real-deal.

Rudy / Newsguy Since the software update just came in, I would think that there will be a bunch of boxes still floating around that do not have the patch yet, so you may want to wait a little while for the boxes to get into full circulation before racing to pick one up.
I did ask if Comcast has the ability to remotely patch the boxes, and they do, but have not asked if it has been done yet or when it might happen. Currently stuck out in LA so I'll check on that this coming weekend.

ESPN-HD is great as long as you only watch it for the HD content. Go to http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/espnhd/index for a schedule. It was great the other night watching Yao Ming (sp?) go against Shaq in HD. Also the hockey broadcasts have better PQ than HDNet IMO.

Discovery Channel in HD is not available from Comcast in Coral Gables.

Is anyone having a reception problem with WPLG, 10-1 in Miami ? Over the past couple of weeks I seem to get a few dropouts and pixilations. Often it is around the local commercial splice. Is anyone else seeing this.

Doug

I have an sirts-160 that I use to get OTA HD signals. The major networks show up as 4-1, 6-1, 10-1 etc. Are these really the station numbers or is my HD Directtv "remapping" uhf channels ?

The reason I ask is that my antenna to get vhf channels really sucks and I was wondering if I can get these same channels on vhf by playing with the sirt-150 and the zip code.

Thanks,

Succorso

7-1 and 10-1 are remapped VHF channels 8 and 9 respectively. All other Miami DT stations are remapped UHF channels.

Doug - I have been having some problems with WPLG. On Tuesday, the first 15 minutes of 8 Simple Rules was not in HD. This happens occasionally where the beginning of a show is not in HD and then all of a sudden the picture changes to HD after a few minutes.

I had my HD Cable installed today. The install took a total of 10 minutes to complete. I don't know why my cable company would not let me pick up the Motorola 5100 box and install it myelf.
HDNet, HDNet movies, HBOHD, and Discovery HD look amazing. ESPN looks okay. I will have to wait until tonight to see the Lakers game in HD on ESPN and then I can truly see if the comments by members of this forum are correct.

Is there anyway to tune into the true vhf stations here in south Florida with the samsung sirts-170. On the other hand. Does it really matter ? If I get a good vhf antenna then the remapped stations should come in better even if they are remapped from vhf to uhf, right ?

Succorso

Originally posted by Succorso
Is there anyway to tune into the true vhf stations here in south Florida with the samsung sirts-170. On the other hand. Does it really matter ? If I get a good vhf antenna then the remapped stations should come in better even if they are remapped from vhf to uhf, right ?

Succorso

All HD receivers tune to and receive the actual channel. Remapping is done primarily for the benefit and convenience of the viewer, so that one can tune to 4-1 and know that one is receiving WFOR-DT, which has the same programming as does analog channel 4, etc, etc.

What you need is a combination VHF/UHF antenna aimed at the Miami transmitters, which fortunately are all in the same location in Miramar. Give us your location and someone in that area will most likely tell you what you need.

Originally posted by Doug888
Is anyone having a reception problem with WPLG, 10-1 in Miami ? Over the past couple of weeks I seem to get a few dropouts and pixilations. Often it is around the local commercial splice. Is anyone else seeing this.

Doug

It has always been a bit flaky for me - my antenna has to be aimed perfectly for me to get a stable, pixilation free picture. And I'm only about 5 miles from the tower. Once I get a stable picture, it stays they way though. I've never regretted the half day I spent putting up an outdoor antenna and rotor heh heh.

I was having some audio dropouts and pixelation on WPLG last night from 8:30 - 9:30. Did anybody else exprience these problems?

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
I was having some audio dropouts and pixelation on WPLG last night from 8:30 - 9:30. Did anybody else exprience these problems?

They completely disappeared for me last night, but I had no problem tuning into them today. They've always been difficult to get a solid lock on in my case, however, so I don't know if last night's situation is relevant to the problems you're experiencing.

---Rudy

I am in the S.E. Corner of Weston. Pretty much I-75 and Griffin. I have a cheap zenith antenna with rabbit ears and a round antenna in the middle. Like I said, I don't get 7-1 or 2-1, 2-2 at all and the other stations drop out from time to time. It's an indoor antenna and sits atop my wall unit. I have it aimed in a SE direction.

Thanks,

Succorso

I would like to get channel 80 (CHS-HD), even though I already get 4-1. I faxed to Directv the waiver I got from Channel 12 (which was very responsive).

Instead of getting channel 80, I received a long winded letter from Channel 4 about why it could not grant the waiver Directv requested. The letter seems to be a form letter and does not even mention that the waiver would be for the HD signal. It's my understanding that Channe 4 is a CBS O&O station, and that because of an agreement between Directv and CBS, the waivers needed to come from only the stations that were NOT O&O stations.

Since I don't have the patience to call Channel 4, I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience or if there is a simple fix. Is this a case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing, or is there more to this?

Succorso - I live in Weston, not too far from your location, and I have no problems receiving 7-1 or 2-1. I am using a Jenson amplified antenna which gets me all the miami locals. I do experience the occasional dropout of audio on 10-1 but it only lasts a couple of seconds.

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
I had my HD Cable installed today. The install took a total of 10 minutes to complete. I don't know why my cable company would not let me pick up the Motorola 5100 box and install it myelf.
HDNet, HDNet movies, HBOHD, and Discovery HD look amazing

Mike, which cable company do you have out in Weston? I have been waiting for DiscoveryHD for a few months now in my area. If you have Comcast, please tell me what channel they are transmitting Discovery on?

I too couldn't understand why I couldn't set it up myself, my technician actually spent more time sitting with me watching the HD than it took to set up the whole system.

TC - Advanced Cable Communications is my cable company. They cover the Weston and Coral Springs areas. I was originally told by a CSR that I could pick up the STB and when I arrived at the cable company's office, I was told that it needed to be installed by a 'professional'. Well, I waited a week to get the box installed. All the 'professional' did was connect the cable from the wall to the back of the box and the component video cables to the box. He did not think that I could use the optical output but I showed him that it worked.

DOH. Nice of Advanced Cable to offer HD and not tell anyone. Great advertising.

So, what channels do you get and how much is it ? Do you get the locals HD ?

Succorso

I live at I-75 and Pines Blvd. with in 10 miles of the 4 major network HD towers. Can someone recommend an indoor antenna for me to use? Will an indoor antenna work...or would I be better to use and outdoor one? Please help!!

I have ComCast in Tamarac and the answer is NO, there is no Discovery HD Theater. They told me when I signed on that I would get three or four more channels on January 29th...it never happened. Gotta love ComCast, I guess they were too busy trying to buy Mickey Mouse to focus on their HD offerings.

Originally posted by kblaw
I would like to get channel 80 (CHS-HD), even though I already get 4-1. I faxed to Directv the waiver I got from Channel 12 (which was very responsive).

Instead of getting channel 80, I received a long winded letter from Channel 4 about why it could not grant the waiver Directv requested. The letter seems to be a form letter and does not even mention that the waiver would be for the HD signal. It's my understanding that Channe 4 is a CBS O&O station, and that because of an agreement between Directv and CBS, the waivers needed to come from only the stations that were NOT O&O stations.

Since I don't have the patience to call Channel 4, I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience or if there is a simple fix. Is this a case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing, or is there more to this?

I got the same letter from WFOR. The funny thing is that I had allready emailed, and received a waiver from the WPB CBS station, and am receiving CBS HD on channel 80. The letter stated that they had received a request from Directv for a blanket waiver. This must have been some sort of a mistake on Directv's part - as you said, WFOR is O&O, and we don't need a waiver from them.

go pick up a zenith silver sensor indoor antenna at sears or best buy. Small, not so much scratch and works great.

Enjoy, son!

Originally posted by hardballpete
go pick up a zenith silver sensor indoor antenna at sears or best buy. Small, not so much scratch and works great.

Enjoy, son!

That only gets UHF...I will need both UHF/VHF to get all 4 major networks...right?

Thanks...

Originally posted by slangley
That only gets UHF...I will need both UHF/VHF to get all 4 major networks...right?

Thanks...

Though others have reported different results, my Silver Sensor has always picked up channels 7 and 10 along with the UHF channels. If you get it at Radio Shack they will usually let you exchange it if it doesn't work.

I noticed that a few of you were having trouble getting the waiver for CBS. I emailed Channel 12 with a request for a waiver, but I did not receive a response. I called Direct TV directly a few weeks later and was advised that I was eligible and they turned it on with no problem. I live in the city of North Lauderdale, not sure if location has anything to do with it. Just my two cents.......

An earlier post indicated that a waiver would be given to anyone located south of Palm Beach County.

Apparently, DirecTV was advised of this.

Succorso - ESPN HD, Discovery HD, HDNet, & HDNet Movies. The HD package costs $9.95 plus $4.95 to rent the box and if you do not have digital cable it will cost you another $9.95. Local channels are not offered. They also offer HBOHD and Showtime HD but you have to get those packages.
The CSR told me that they have a limited number of HD boxes so that is why they are not advertising it.

Now, if only DirecTV will come back with a-la-carte HD package.

Originally posted by George33027
Now, if only DirecTV will come back with a-la-carte HD package.

George,

I think both the DBS and the cable companies would increase their revenue if they offered a-la-carte HD packages. Why their marketing people don't understand this is beyond me.

---Rudy

Both Comcast and WPBT confirmed that Comcast is not carrying WPBT's HD channel (2-1); according to WPBT, this was a decision made by Comcast. So it looks like I won't be getting Comcast's HD service after all. I have been having great difficulty tuning WPBT for several months now, and I was hoping to resolve these issues by getting their HD feed from Comcast.

If the cable companies are basing their decisions not to carry all of a broadcaster's digital channels on the "lack of bandwidth", then they are fools. There is cheap technology readily available to convert a cable service provider's analog channels to digital, saving them tons of bandwidth which could be used to carry all of the digital channels. These A/D converters could be offered at zero cost to all cable TV subscribers during a 90 day transition period, then they could charge a nominal fee for the boxes if they wanted to. This would effectively eliminate service theft (at least initially, anyway) because you wouldn't be able to pick up a converter unless you had an account with the cable company. On those channels that were not broadcasting full time (such as WPBT 2-1), the cable company could fill the air time with local adverts or other such programming.

I faxed a complaint on the current situation to Comcast (and copied the FCC), and emailed WPBT earlier today. I just received an email from WPBT informing me that they're discussions with Comcast to resolve this issue.

Rudy, I brought this situation up along with several other items that I have noted after having Comcast HD for a few months now with the "supposed" chief person responsible for Comcast HD in South Florida, however I am still awaiting a response.

Looks excellent on UPN....PQ approaches that of the PBS HD loop.

Yesterday, I watched the Toronto vs. Boston NBA game on ESPNHD. The picture quality and sound was amazing. I see that when ESPN broadcasts a game in HD it looks great but from what I can see since I got ESPNHD last week, they do not broadcast enough games in HD.

IMO, HDNET has the best HD picture quality of any channel that I have ever seen and they also broadcast everything in DD5.1 sound.

Dish Network.....
Hello everyone..... I haven't posted here in a long time, but I have been reading this lately and everyone seems to be talking about Comcast and the HDTV programming available there. I have Dish Network and the programming in HD there is awesome. They now have a HD package which includes ESPN, Discovery, HD Net, and HD Net Theater. Some PPV movies are HD as well as the regular HBO and Showtime.

As far as the OTA local channels, I am using an indoor antenna and do pretty well with that, however the signal does seem to get weak on various occasions. I did try to get the CBS programming in HD from them, but was not successful with that request. Has anyone had any luck with that or any of the other local networks? I live in the Davie area.

Last night, I lost 4 out of the 5 HD channels that my cable company offers. I am not having any problems with the other channels that I receive. I called the cable company and they reset my box and today I still have not received the channels back. I called the cable company again and they said that I am the only one who has called about this problem. I have to wait until Friday to have a installer/technician come to my house and try to fix the problem.

Rudy & TC, I do know that (again from the neighbor) that Comcast has had quite a bit of difficulty with the WPBT feed due to their multi-casting. If you haven't seen this over the air they have 5 channels 2-1 through 2-5 but not all are always broadcasting. They seems to have some bandwidth issues as a result of this.

I can tell you from personal experience that even the over the air signal, which I get strong signal on, is constantly pixelated and cutting out. So my guess is that Comcast is waiting until WPBT gets things squared away. We talked about this quiet a bit because he was curious about my OTA performance.

I will ask about this though. I never really asked about the programming line up and how it might be impacted as a result.

TC I also noticed that you mentioned that you have addressed some things with "the "supposed" chief person responsible for Comcast HD in South Florida" I'd be interested in knowing who that is, because my neighbor is "the supposed chief person" so I am just kind of curious if you want to send me a private message.

I am watching the Oscars in HD on ABC right now and they look great. There have been a couple of pixelation problems but they only lasted a second or two.

Hi all!!!

I posted this as a thread in Local HDTV Info and Reception, but maybe I can get the info right here in my neck of the woods!!!

Here's the question:
According to www.antennaweb.org I have all the towers at less than
12 miles from my house, which seems very good, right? I'm in Sunset Lakes (West Miramar/Pembroke Pine area) with an excellent line of sight from these towers.

I cannot put a rooftop antenna on my house (single story, nothing taller than 2 story houses for miles and miles around)
so is an install in my attic the way to go?
How is this done and can it be a DIY or should I have a pro do it?

Thanks in advance for your comments!!!

toddmoe,

WPBT told me they're using a statistical multiplexer to enable them to multicast; the effect on the HD channel can be quite dramatic at times. I just wish there was at least one PBS channel that was broadcasting in HD 24/7 in South Florida. WLRN is a complete joke; they broadcast everything stretched, including actual 16:9 HD programs, and the PQ is horrendous. Lately, I haven't even been able to get a signal from them so who knows what's going on. And WXEL is yet to go live with a digital signal and they may not even be a viable option when they do because of their location. This is SO annoying! No wonder everybody's switching to DBS.

---Rudy

I haven't checked yet today, but for several days Ive been getting a 93 BER signal from WLRN-DT but no picture and no sound.

I think WXEL-DT is supposed to go on the air this month on channel 27-1.

Rudy--
WLRN-DT has been off the air for about two weeks. Something broke and, as of last week, they didn't know how long it will be before a replacement part is obtained and installed.

Did WPBT offer any rationale for simultaneously broadcasting the same programming on 2, 3 or 4 channels?


truqui--
Why can you not install a rooftop antenna?

wjbjr...Bill, thanks for replying. Can't put an antenna on the roof because of HOA rules...they think rooftop antennas are "eye sore's for the neighborhood, and they may be right!

Any good alternatives?

Your home owners' asscociation is wrong. Their rules are superceded by federal law. Show them this so they can bring their rules into compliance with U. S. Code:

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Originally posted by truqui
wjbjr...Bill, thanks for replying. Can't put an antenna on the roof because of HOA rules...they think rooftop antennas are "eye sore's for the neighborhood, and they may be right!

Any good alternatives?

As I suspected. David beat me to a response, and he is absolutely correct. The FCC regulations have the force of law, and supercede local government or HOA rules.

As for alternatives, HD viewers in your area are more able than I to make suggestions.

truqui,

If you're that close to the towers and they're all in the same general direction, try one of these:

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SS-1000

I have two of them and they're great when appearance is a concern.

Thanks David...great reading. I printed the document and am saving for the next HOA meeting.

Yes, the towers are all in same direction...

That kind of antenna looks more like a dish than an antenna. Works for me in terms of aesthetics how about performance?

Originally posted by wjbjr
Rudy--
WLRN-DT has been off the air for about two weeks. Something broke and, as of last week, they didn't know how long it will be before a replacement part is obtained and installed.

Did WPBT offer any rationale for simultaneously broadcasting the same programming on 2, 3 or 4 channels?

Bill,

Each channel has different programming all the time. Channel 2-1 has the national PBS HD feed, channel 2-2 has the simulcast of the analog channel, channel 2-5 features short cultural vignettes, and the remaining two channels have educational and state government programming. However, the HD channel is only available evenings and weekends.

---Rudy

Rudy--
What you say is no doubt true at times; but I know that I have seen the same programming on multiple channels (other than the analog and 2-2).

All of my HD cable channels started working again. I have no idea how or why but I am happy.

Rudy--
As this is being written, WPBT is broadcasting a PBSHD whale program on 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3. 2-4 is dark and 2-5 has something else.

It would appear that they are quite flexible in their channel usage.

10 PM Edit: A different PBSHD program. Same channel lineup

Originally posted by truqui

Yes, the towers are all in same direction...

That kind of antenna looks more like a dish than an antenna. Works for me in terms of aesthetics how about performance?

It works great for all stations that are close and even works great on distant UHF DTV signals. It's not so great on distant VHF signals, though, without a preamp. I'll be testing a preamp with it when it arrives, probably next week. Right now I get all the West Palm Beach stations and every Miami station except WSVN-DT and WPLG-DT.

Originally posted by wjbjr
Rudy--
As this is being written, WPBT is broadcasting a PBSHD whale program on 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3. 2-4 is dark and 2-5 has something else.

It would appear that they are quite flexible in their channel usage.

10 PM Edit: A different PBSHD program. Same channel lineup

I have been in communication (yes, I also copied the FCC) with Comcast HQ in Philadelphia and with WPBT management regarding the lack of the WPBT HD channel on Comcast; they're working towards a solution to this problem. The fact that the PBS HD feed is not carried on WPBT 24/7 is a major issue. (Does the world really need multicasting?)

When I told them that we want more HD channels now and not when they get around to it, a member of Comcast's executive team informed me that they're working to get all of their service areas in South Florida upgraded before tackling other issues. They expect to eventually add more channels to the HD lineup, but he could not give me a definite timeline.

In other news, WTVJ NBC6 advised me that they're going to forward my emails regarding SD airings of HD shows (such as last night's episode of Vegas) to NYC. WTVJ's equipment is set up to automatically switch to the HD feed of a show according to a program log, but if the show is flagged incorrectly by NBC in NYC things don't happen the way they should.

Rudy--
Did you perchance query WTVJ as to when they might turn on PSIP so that program information will finally appear in the guides?

Originally posted by wjbjr
Rudy--
Did you perchance query WTVJ as to when they might turn on PSIP so that program information will finally appear in the guides?

I did back in January - see my post 1785 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3235511#post3235511) for the answer I received. Maybe we all should email Mr. Kaplan about the problem again and see what kind of response we get!

Originally posted by HofstraJet
I did back in January - see my post 1785 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3235511#post3235511) for the answer I received. Maybe we all should email Mr. Kaplan about the problem again and see what kind of response we get!
Yes, it was the memory of your previous post and their rude response that brought it to mind.

I say we start an email campaign to WTVJ. Once I get my HD TiVo, I will be recording the WPB channel - there's no way I am going to set up manual recordings for everything on NBC!

Originally posted by wjbjr
Rudy--
Did you perchance query WTVJ as to when they might turn on PSIP so that program information will finally appear in the guides?

Sorry guys...I totally forgot about the program guide situation. Anyway, I just got off the phone with one of the chief engineers at WTVJ NBC6, and they have the computer equipment needed to generate and transmit the program guide, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Right now they're concentrating on resolving ongoing audio issues (the loud static that occurs whenever there's dialog and background music together in a sequence), but they hope to be able to begin work on setting up the PSIP program guide for both channel 52 and 31 soon. They want the entire process to be fully automated (reduces the possibility of human error) before it is implemented. From what I've read in the documents I obtained last year from the ATSC, the initial setup process is very time consuming and complicated.

toddmoe,

I was reading the (very extensive) thread on the Recording forum regarding this digital HD cable STB, and it appears the FireWire connection is one way only. This means it will not work to play back recordings made on my Mits DVHS VCRs (the Mits DVHS decks do not have component video outputs). Could you please ask your very nice, informative neighbor if the situation with the FireWire ports not being bidirectional is something that Comcast can address or if it is a Motorola issue? I would really appreciate it. I realize that eventually Comcast will introduce an HD-capable PVR STB, but I prefer recording to DVHS tape so I can play recordings back on either of my decks.

Thanks!
---Rudy:)

I was hearing static on Happy Family on NBC tonight. It occured when the audience would laugh. Did anybody else hear the static?

Also, the HBOHD airing of Phone Booth looked great in High Definition. You could see every bead of sweat on Colin Farrell's face and you could see small individual pieces of broken glass from the phone booth on the street.

can anyone help me find out why i cant get wpbt(2-1,etc) when i can get all the other ota channels. Cpl of weeks ago i would tune in to the channel but would not get pic or sound.now i cant even tune in. i have rescanned but nothing seems to help. i have a panny tu-hds20 and r/s ota(outdoor)

Originally posted by rocky1
can anyone help me find out why i cant get wpbt(2-1,etc) when i can get all the other ota channels. Cpl of weeks ago i would tune in to the channel but would not get pic or sound.now i cant even tune in. i have rescanned but nothing seems to help. i have a panny tu-hds20 and r/s ota(outdoor)

Write to this gentleman (Graham_Simmons@wpbt.org) and give him your exact location....he may be able to help you. I used to get rock solid reception from them, but shortly after highrise construction began in my area, the signal strength began fluctuating wildly to the point that the signal vanished entirely.

Originally posted by rocky1
can anyone help me find out why i cant get wpbt(2-1,etc) when i can get all the other ota channels. Cpl of weeks ago i would tune in to the channel but would not get pic or sound.now i cant even tune in. i have rescanned but nothing seems to help. i have a panny tu-hds20 and r/s ota(outdoor)

As noted earlier, WPBT 2-1 is off the air more than it is on. The best time to try is in the evening.

i did try tuneing in to 2-1 this evening around 9pm and could not get anything it went to reg channel 2.dont know what to do now.

Just wanted to let any Comcast customers know this. I've called a couple of times to find out when North Miami is getting the Moto 6208 DVR's. The date is sometime in June. Supposedly they have to get Hallandale, and a few other areas up and running with HD. At that point they will offer the 6208. Stinks since many other people are already enjoying the joy of time shift.

I've given up on Comcast. There's no firmware that will allow the DCT6200's FireWire port to communicate back and forth with my Mits DVHS decks, and they could not give me even a vague estimate of when they'll add Discovery HD to their lineup, so I don't see any point in getting their HD package at this point. Maybe next year when I can buy a box that will do what I want it to do I'll reconsider, but for now OTA will just have to do. They've had more than enough time to get their acts together as far as HD is concerned, so I'm not accepting any of their lame excuses. If DBS can do it, then cable most certainly can....especially considering the fact that they've been raising their rates every single year for the past decade without enhancing their service much.

It is very interesting and gratifying that WTVJ is going to correct the sound problems which are very annoying. Hopefully PSIP will be right on its heels.

But what about PSIP on WFOR, WSVN (they had it for awhile and now its gone last time I looked), WPbt, and WPBT. They need to introduce it too or who cares about ch 6?

Anybody know about them?

Originally posted by mmburke
It is very interesting and gratifying that WTVJ is going to correct the sound problems which are very annoying. Hopefully PSIP will be right on its heels.

But what about PSIP on WFOR, WSVN (they had it for awhile and now its gone last time I looked), WPbt, and WPBT. They need to introduce it too or who cares about ch 6?

Anybody know about them?

I'll check with Ken McKinnon regarding WFOR's program guide, but I can tell you that WPBT had it for a couple of days early on then they killed it. Now that they're multicasting, I doubt they'll implement it again unless the FCC makes it mandatory. The impression I've gotten from all the stations (except WBZL) is that it is way too much work for something that is not mandatory right now. My suggestion to the locals is: outsource. If they all pooled their resources and hired a person or company to do this for them, it would take a huge load of work off their shoulders. If setting up and monitoring PSIP program guides was ALL one person had to do, it would hardly be enough to keep them busy for a 20 hour week. But if that individual had to do it for all of the stations it should be enough for a full time position. Those of you on this forum with start up capital ought to start such a business.

Fellas.. it's already March.. how much longer till WSVN goes live? :D

WFOR is working to provide a PSIP program guide solution for all of its partner stations; no definite timeline was made available to me. I did not get a response from WPLG, and I know that WPBT is also looking at ways to implement the guide in a cost-effective, accurate manner. Personally, I'll give them all the time in the world to get it right....it's better to have no information at all than to have the wrong information in the program guide.

Oh, and as for WSVN....what's up with the equipment upgrades, newsguy? Do I have to come down there and give you guys a hand? ;)

Did anybody watch the Sopranos tonight on HBOHD? It looked fantastic and sounded great in DD5.1.

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
Did anybody watch the Sopranos tonight on HBOHD? It looked fantastic and sounded great in DD5.1.

The Sopranos looked and sounded great, as usual for HBO.

I live in the Doral area of Miami. A few weeks ago the CBS HD station on my Direct TV began transmitting. Before, I used to receive a "station not available" message. I didn't request any "waiver". It just happened. Did Direct TV just decide to make this feed available to ALL of us south of Palm Beach (because the CBS affiliate is owned and operated by CBS) even if we didn't file a waiver request? I'm certainly not complaining . . . just curious.

I know I am late on the association rules, but I had this problem and if you read the fine print, the HOA does have some rights about antenna placement.
So, Yes the law states you have a right to an antenna, but the HOA has the right to tell you where to place it.
Like in the rear of the house verses the front.
As long as you can get reception, the HOA does have placement rights.

Oh, and except for ch10, the UHF antenna's are not that big for local use.

Suddenly, and apparently out of nowhere, channel 75-1 is now listed in the guide amongst the DirecTV HD channels between ESPN (73) and Discovery (76).

Thorough investigation revealed that this is actually WBZL-DT. The major clue was that, when tuned in, the WB-39 bug appeared. This was confirmed by tuning to 39-1 and seeing the same program.

Channel 19, the former(?) "real" 39-1 has disappeared from the scene.

Originally posted by wjbjr
Suddenly, and apparently out of nowhere, channel 75-1 is now listed in the guide amongst the DirecTV HD channels between ESPN (73) and Discovery (76).

Thorough investigation revealed that this is actually WBZL-DT. The major clue was that, when tuned in, the WB-39 bug appeared. This was confirmed by tuning to 39-1 and seeing the same program.

Channel 19, the former(?) "real" 39-1 has disappeared from the scene.

I've been getting WBZL-DT remapped to 75-1 for several weeks but it never disappeared from it's regular remapped position on 39-1.

Originally posted by George33027
I know I am late on the association rules, but I had this problem and if you read the fine print, the HOA does have some rights about antenna placement.
So, Yes the law states you have a right to an antenna, but the HOA has the right to tell you where to place it.
Like in the rear of the house verses the front.
As long as you can get reception, the HOA does have placement rights.

Oh, and except for ch10, the UHF antenna's are not that big for local use.

WSVN-DT is on channel 8-1 and WPEC-DT is on 13-1.

Originally posted by fanatico
I live in the Doral area of Miami. A few weeks ago the CBS HD station on my Direct TV began transmitting. Before, I used to receive a "station not available" message. I didn't request any "waiver". It just happened. Did Direct TV just decide to make this feed available to ALL of us south of Palm Beach (because the CBS affiliate is owned and operated by CBS) even if we didn't file a waiver request? I'm certainly not complaining . . . just curious.

I know from my end that something like this has been in the works but I haven't been privy to discuss it unitil it was a done deal.

Rudy1, Sorry for the belated response, been out of town on biz, but I did talk to the Comcast neighbor and asked about a couple of things.

First the firewire, he indicated that it is not likely that you will be getting bi-directional 1394 anytime soon. Its a copy protection issue and a policy decision rather than technical. I'm sure that is not good news for you, but that appears to be the stance. He indicated that programming providers are very tense about copy protection and applying a lot of pressure to Comcast particularly in lieu of the fact that VOD is in development and imminent.

Secondly I asked about the Discovery Channel. He indicated that any of the nationwide channels like Disc are regional programming agreements not local market driven, so everyone in the SE will get Disc not just SoFla. This region is part of Georgia, all of Florida and something else, I forget, but that is the scoop on Disc.

Forgot to ask about 2-1, but again, you are not missing much.

And lastly FWIW, Comcast is beating the crap out of Motorola, they have had all kinds of issues with the PVR boxes and Comcast would like to roll them out sooner than later, but many of the boxes have been returned because of defects and incompatibilities. So the position is to wait until they are a little more stable before giving customers defective boxes.

Last but not least, be happy, I have Adelphia, can't even get a cable modem, no HD, have an outdated head end and have no hope anytime soon. OTA and DTV are my only hope.:D

toddmoe,

I appreciate your getting back to me on those questions. The FireWire issue is effectively a deal killer for me as I am not always able to watch TV when the programs I'm interested in air. I was really looking forward to getting HD service from Comcast, but I will have to figure out a way to play back recordings archived to DVHS before I sign up.

----Rudy

Originally posted by toddmoe

Last but not least, be happy, I have Adelphia, can't even get a cable modem, no HD, have an outdated head end and have no hope anytime soon. OTA and DTV are my only hope.:D

I was watching WFLX last night and saw an ad for Adelphia where they announced the availability of digital cable and high speed internet access, so maybe it won't be too much longer before it is available in your area.

they said I would first have to sign up AND PAY for the SD CBS feed out of New York and THEN if the waiver was approved (they said one out of five make the cut) I could get the CBS HD channel. The cost was something like $2.50 for the CBS channel. Not that much but its still just another "log on the fire" for my DirecTV bill!

And now it seems some people are getting the CBS HD channel for free??? Is that right?

Please confirm for me if you can and if anyone here knows about this please fill me in.

(FYI, I live just inside Palm Beach County)

:confused:

According to earlier posts, automatic waivers are available only to those located south of the Palm Beach/Broward border.

This was decreed by the WPB CBS affiliate.

but should I have to PAY for it? I'm already shelling out for the HD package?

The bottom line is if people are getting this for free just because they live in Broward or Dade then I should get it for free if I live in Palm Beach....even if I have to ask for a waiver first.

Agreed?:D

Does anyone one this thread get their HDTV via Charter Cable? If so any word on if or when ESPN-HD will show up? With the local Charter being sold I'm confused at to what will happen here in Miami. Thanks!

Got a phone call from CE Mike at WXEL this week. He says they plan on going live with their digital transmitter on the air on July 5th.

I just got Voom installed yesterday and I'm now able to get all my local channels via the Stealth Antenna they provided me with. But I can't get WFLX-DT 29-1, which I used to be able to get with my Panny STB and Rat Shack bowtie. I was wondering if anyone here who lives in Broward, or specifically in the Miramar/Penbroke Pines area, who has Voom can get WFLX-DT 29-1?

Thanks,

Vlad

Comcast has announced that it will carry the new Fox Sports Net Florida HD which will air all FSN Marlins and Panthers home games after it launches. Launch TBD.

Originally posted by CapeFish
Comcast has announced that it will carry the new Fox Sports Net Florida HD which will air all FSN Marlins and Panthers home games after it launches. Launch TBD.

Is this OUR local Comcast or one of the franchises up north?

Hi all...I'm finally able to see and hear what all you guys have been watching...HD!!! Wow I'm impressed.
Have all the networks except ABC...looks like I need to tweak the OTA some.

Question about NBC 6.1 I was watching Las Vegas last Night and kept hearing a scratching sound every 20 seconds or so. It got to be annoying after a while. Is this something any of you have noticed on this channel or was it just that show last night. Didn't notice any of that on CBS or others. And unfortunately didn't watch NBC after Las Vegas to see.

Anyone have any insight?

Originally posted by truqui
Hi all...I'm finally able to see and hear what all you guys have been watching...HD!!! Wow I'm impressed.
Have all the networks except ABC...looks like I need to tweak the OTA some.

Question about NBC 6.1 I was watching Las Vegas last Night and kept hearing a scratching sound every 20 seconds or so. It got to be annoying after a while. Is this something any of you have noticed on this channel or was it just that show last night. Didn't notice any of that on CBS or others. And unfortunately didn't watch NBC after Las Vegas to see.

Anyone have any insight?

They're aware of it and are working to resolve this issue.

---Rudy

Originally posted by Rudy1
Is this OUR local Comcast or one of the franchises up north?
Yes, the Marlins and Panthers are in South Florida, which is Comcast territory and air telecasts on Fox Sports Net Florida.

Comcast has announced that it will carry the new Fox Sports Net Florida HD which will air all FSN Marlins and Panthers home games after it launches. Launch TBD.
Whose paying for the cameras?

Also heard tonight that Sunshine tied up the Heat for the next ten years. Good or bad news? Anyone heard of Sunshine going to HD anytime soon?

I just read a post on the AVS Forum HDTV programming site saying that Fox announced that it will start broadcasting HD in the 3rd quarter. Fox will broadcast the MLB All Star Game, the World Series, NFL, Daytona 500, and other sporting events.
Does anybody know if WSVN has installed their HD equipment yet? I've seen posts stating that WSVN received the equipment but have not heard anything else.

I called WSVN on Monday and was transfered to someone in engineering who said he was not sure but he thought it may not be until "next year". Maybe someone else on this thread might want to check and see if they get different results.

Rudy - I hope that WSVN gets moving so we do not have to wait until next year to see Fox HD. Do you know if WFLX in Palm Beach has installed their HD equipment?

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
Rudy - I hope that WSVN gets moving so we do not have to wait until next year to see Fox HD. Do you know if WFLX in Palm Beach has installed their HD equipment?

WFLX currently upconverts all SD to 1080i (including the network's WS shows), so they have the capability to at least broadcast a high def signal. I would assume that if they can do this they should have no problem receiving an HD signal from the network and rebroadcasting it in either 720p or 1080i. I'm basing my assumption on what I've read regarding HDTV broadcast equipment used by the digital stations...the equipment is expensive for a reason as it seems to have remarkable capabilities. When you think about it, if consumer level STBs can take any of the 18 ATSC formats and output it at 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i, then surely the HD broadcast equipment can handle whatever is thrown at it regardless of the originating format. Somebody just has to RTFM. :D

Originally posted by NoUDont
Whose paying for the cameras?

Also heard tonight that Sunshine tied up the Heat for the next ten years. Good or bad news? Anyone heard of Sunshine going to HD anytime soon?

Sunshine Network and Bright House Networks have been airing most Lightning and Magic home games in HD for a while now.

Does anybody know why WPLG Ch. 10 replaced Married to the Kellys on Friday with a stupid show called Gimme the Mike? Married was broadcast in HD and I enjoyed watching the show. I can not find any information about when the show will return or if they are airing it at another time.

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
Does anybody know why WPLG Ch. 10 replaced Married to the Kellys on Friday with a stupid show called Gimme the Mike? Married was broadcast in HD and I enjoyed watching the show. I can not find any information about when the show will return or if they are airing it at another time.

This station frequently preempts network programming to show locally broadcast shows and movies, according to what I was told a while back by WPLG's programming director. According to her, the decisions are made according to the station's advertising commitments, and the fact that the network show is in HD and the program they replace it with is not means absolutely nothing to them. I don't even bother watching them anymore....ever since the first day I contacted them, the general impression I've gotten from them is that they have a digital signal and that should be good enough for their viewers....quality control is NOT a priority. They continue to have serious problems with the DD 5.1 sound on the HD broadcasts, and despite numerous calls to the station they refuse to provide program guide info or keep the PSIP clock accurate (it is one hour ahead right now). The FCC wold grow rich very quickly if they had a system of fines in place for stations which routinely conduct their business as though they had absolutely no viewers whatsoever.

Rudy--
We have always been in agreement regarding HD subjects, however, perhaps I am missing something.

I have full guide and program information on all the Miami HD stations except of course WTVJ. This on both a Hughes HTL-HD and a Samsung 160. At first, the HTL did not show them, but a re-scan magically brought them forth. By inserting a second zip code, I also have information on WPB stations, even those that I cannot receive.

Outside of football season I watch only NYPD and The Practice from ABC. The 5.1 has been without problems. I believe that NYPD makes the best use of HD of any non sports program. I did have mini audio drops with my former E86, but not with the new receivers. (More on this later)

I don't know just what the PSIP clock is, but the only clock I see -- in the Info banner -- shows the correct time.

Why do I have two receivers? Well, after going through four heat ravaged HD5/E86 receivers (I learned about using a fan too late.) Sound Advice swapped for the HTL just as my three year extended warranty (the second I had ever bought) was to expire. As for the Samsung 160, I just could not resist the DirecTv $99 deal. It might prove to be a case of false economy, as I now have a spare HD receiver with no HD display with which to use it. Hmmm.

I only get program guide information on WBZL Ch. 39 and WSVN. My STB does show 'DTV program' and a time period listed which is usually wrong.

The PSIP clock for WPLG is 1 hour fast.

Mike--
Where and what is the PSIP clock?

Bill - The PSIP clock is the time that is broadcast by the digital station and it is displayed in the Info Banner. On 10-1, it's an hour fast while on 4-1, its a few minutes fast.

I was watching some of the NCAA tournament games today and I noticed that WFOR was showing a different game on their HD signal from their analog signal. I read a March Madness thread that said that many CBS stations were multicasting the games.

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
I was watching some of the NCAA tournament games today and I noticed that WFOR was showing a different game on their HD signal from their analog signal. I read a March Madness thread that said that many CBS stations were multicasting the games.

Yes, and CBS New York (Ch 80) is doing some different HD games than is WFOR-DT.

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
Bill - The PSIP clock is the time that is broadcast by the digital station and it is displayed in the Info Banner. On 10-1, it's an hour fast while on 4-1, its a few minutes fast.

Thanks Mike
As I write this, both 4-1 and 10-1 show the time as 5:12 -- right on time. What's wrong with my receiver?<g>

Bill - I have a Samsung SIR T150 OTA HD STB and it shows the correct time on some channels and the wrong time on other channels. If you are getting the correct time, then your STB is better than mine.

Bill,

The only reason you have any guide info (and the correct time on all channels) is because DirecTV is providing that information for you. All current OTA digital receivers rely on PSIP for time as well as program guide information. As I've mentioned previously, one of our beloved broadcast engineers has told me on more than one occasion that he has no intention of getting the PSIP thing right. I'll let you guys figure out which station he works for. ;)

There are many who feel reliance on PSIP is a major design flaw in OTA receivers, but I have seen what can happen when engineers follow the ATSC's guidelines and implement it properly. PSIP gives OTA receivers the very same capabilities as the DBS receivers have; it is sad that most station engineers just don't appreciate that enough to spend the time getting it set up right. The designers of the OTA receivers mistakenly assumed that the broadcast industry would embrace PSIP and its many outstanding capabilities, but instead we get channel banners which barely tell you what station you're watching when they could give you VCR Plus info, program guide data, and even advertising. And they bitch about not having a "business model" for HDTV. :rolleyes:

---Rudy

Aha!
Thanks Rudy. As usual, you came through with a reasonable, and I'm sure, correct answer.

I keep forgetting about OTA only receivers. In fact, I believe you offered the same response the last time I might have raised this subject. I'll put it down to early senility on my part.

Guys is it normal but im watching cold case today and i hear some static coming from my speakers when people talk is this the brodcast or my receiver. I heard some static to as well when in and out when watching law and order on channel 6. this usually does not happen to me...

watching Law and order and im receiving heavy static every 10 seconds or so is this the brodcast or my receiver

I did not have any static on "Cold Case" tonight, but you should be aware that there is an ongoing problem with static on NBC6. Then engineers are aware of it and are trying to resolve the issue.

well in Cold Case it was very minor static when people were talking on the movie. It was the type that I had to go up close to the receiver and I woudl hear it very slight. I do have a yammie 1400 with Paradigm speakers and Paradigm with the Yamaha are very detailed so I can hear any imperfections in the signal..

When the hell will I be able to see channel 7-1 south Florida in digital format.. When will we be able to see 7-1 in hd or at least in digital format with black bars on the sides. Why are they taking so long when 4,610,33 and 39 are all up/

Good question Eddy13...I wish they would get their act together so we can watch 24 in HD...!!!

I recall that there are a few guys who live in the Keys on this thread so I thought of you when I saw this today:

http://www.keynoter.com/business/20040324s02.html

Originally posted by David McRoy
I recall that there are a few guys who live in the Keys on this thread so I thought of you when I saw this today:

http://www.keynoter.com/business/20040324s02.html

I wonder when Comcast is going to get done with the upgrades in Broward. And when they're going to have a complete HD lineup; as it stands now, I get more local DTV channels OTA than I would with Comcast.

Rudy, I think I going to dump Comcast for Voom, the deal they have going is just too good to pass up and Comcast has raised my bill to the point of diminished returns.

Originally posted by TC_Lauderdale
Rudy, I think I going to dump Comcast for Voom, the deal they have going is just too good to pass up and Comcast has raised my bill to the point of diminished returns.

A friend of mine in Miami Beach bought an 40" widescreen HDTV monitor recently, and I helped him set it up with an OTA receiver and an indoor antenna. He signed up with Voom a week later instead of going with Charter cable. He says the installation went very smoothly, and he loves all the HD channels...he says the picture quality is unbelievable.

As for Comcast....well, I've reduced my subscription to just expanded basic (if only so that I can keep SPEED, TLC, HGTV, and The History Channel). I never watch anything else, as I'm totally committed to the HD I get OTA. If I had a place for a dish, I'd get Voom in a minute and drop Comcast entirely. They had the audacity to insist that I pay them an additional $10.15 for the Motorola DCT6200 plus their HD "service" (which only includes ABC, NBC, and CBS in HD....the PBS feed is merely the SD simulcast of the analog channel, and the FOX feed is from WSVN). Last time I spoke to a rep, they warned me that INHD1 & INHD2 were premium channels and that ESPN-HD would eventually be encrypted. There's no UPN and no WB. And of course, DiscoveryHD "will be available eventually". What really pisses me off is the fact that the only difference between their "Digital Classic" package and the analog expanded basic package are the music channels, yet they charge another $15.00 for the digital service. So, for a little over $75 I could get less HD and a bunch of music channels I won't tune to, and still not have access to INHD, BravoHD, DiscoveryHD, etc., etc.

:rolleyes:

I didn't see this in the thread so I'll mention it: guide data is finally available for 6-1 WTVJ-DT from DirecTV. Sheesh - it took them long enough! :D

Originally Posted by TC_Lauderdale
Rudy, I think I going to dump Comcast for Voom, the deal they have going is just too good to pass up and Comcast has raised my bill to the point of diminished returns.

Go for it...!!!
I have had Voom for two weeks now and it's amazing!!!
PQ is better than anything I've seen before and although their exclusive HD channels aren't the best programming wise...it's all in fantastic HD!!!

What can you lose? $0 down, no contract and lease the box, dish and OTA antenna for only $9.50 a month...! $39.90 for the basic package and $79.90 for the whole thing including all the premium movie packs!!!

I'm Vooming in South Florida...!!!:D

***NEWBIE HERE*** PLEASE HELP!

I live at Pines Blvd. and I-75 in Grand Palms. What is the best HDTV OTA antennea for me to get?

I need both UHF and VHF...right?

Thanks for the help...

slangley...
I don't know much about OTA antennas but I live in Sunset Lakes in Miramar a little SW from where you're at. Voom installed a Channel Master Stealth OTA antenna and I'm able to pull in:
2.1 WPBTD1 - PBS
2.2 WPBTD2 - PBS
2.3 WPBTD3 - PBS
4.1 WFORD1 - CBS
6.1 WTVJD1 - NBC
7.1 WSVND1 - FOX
10.1 WPLGD1 - ABC
23.1 WLTVD1 - UNIVISION
39.1 WBZLD1 - WB
51.1 WSCVD1 - TELEMUNDO
69.1 WAMID1 - TELEFUTURA

The only station I can't pick up is 17.1 WLRND1

WLRN-DT, 17-1, has been down for several weeks due to a "broken part".

Thanks for that info wjbjr...I thought it was my reception problem but it's a transmission problem on their end.

Originally posted by truqui
slangley...
I don't know much about OTA antennas but I live in Sunset Lakes in Miramar a little SW from where you're at. Voom installed a Channel Master Stealth OTA antenna and I'm able to pull in:
2.1 WPBTD1 - PBS
2.2 WPBTD2 - PBS
2.3 WPBTD3 - PBS
4.1 WFORD1 - CBS
6.1 WTVJD1 - NBC
7.1 WSVND1 - FOX
10.1 WPLGD1 - ABC
23.1 WLTVD1 - UNIVISION
39.1 WBZLD1 - WB
51.1 WSCVD1 - TELEMUNDO
69.1 WAMID1 - TELEFUTURA

The only station I can't pick up is 17.1 WLRND1

Is there no real option for an indoor antenna?

Is it possible to install the Channel Master in the attic...or is and outdoor OTA my only option where I am?

Scot

Indoor Antenna

I live in North Lauderdale and I receive all local OTA signals including 29-1 occasionally with a Radio Shack Indoor Antenna. I don't recall the name or model number, but I know its about $50. I have no idea where I am in relation to the antenna farms, but I have a strong signal for all except 10-1 (fair with no drops) and 29-1(weak).

I just checked with Comcast, and they still don't have the Motorola 6208 available. The CSR said they expect to begin deployment within 2 months.

Scot...you might want to try what rbutts14 suggests, an indoor antenna from Radio Shack. Start with that and work your way out. I it doesn't work just return it for an attic antenna and if not well I guess you should good for the outdoor.
Just my 2 cents...

Originally posted by truqui
Scot...you might want to try what rbutts14 suggests, an indoor antenna from Radio Shack. Start with that and work your way out. I it doesn't work just return it for an attic antenna and if not well I guess you should good for the outdoor.
Just my 2 cents...

Thanks. I will start in and work my way up to the attic and then outside if that does not work.

Thanks...

I live in Ft. Lauderdale (near downtown). I have a Radio Shack omnidirectional antenna. It picks up all OTA digital channels except UPN. Can anyone tell me why it won't pick up UPN? Thanks in advance for your help.

Originally posted by mo2v8me
I live in Ft. Lauderdale (near downtown). I have a Radio Shack omnidirectional antenna.

Which one do you have??

Scot

The Round Dish. Cat # 15-1634

Originally posted by mo2v8me
I live in Ft. Lauderdale (near downtown). I have a Radio Shack omnidirectional antenna. It picks up all OTA digital channels except UPN. Can anyone tell me why it won't pick up UPN? Thanks in advance for your help.

I am in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, and I've found that UPN has become increasingly difficult to tune over the past several months. It requires precise aiming of the antenna, which invariably results in one losing other channels in the process.

Is anyone else having audio sync problems with Fox WSVN? I noticed that ever since I got an OTA antenna and the Voom STB, the audio on WSVN is out of sync with the picture. I'm just wondering if this is a station problem or a problem with my equipment.

Though the survey does not mention anything about HD channels, you can list the ones you'd want under the "New Channel Survey" category in the box for "Other Programming Preference".

http://www.spectrummarketing.net/surveys/comcast/

mo2v8me and Rudy1,

All aspects of our UPN33 DTV transmission system remain unchanged since we began broadcasting in October of 2002. One possible source of reception problems is the rapidly changing landscape in downtown Ft. Lauderdale due to the ongoing high-rise construction. The signal could be partially blocked or reflections could be causing multi-path problems. Our WFOR and WBFS antennas are located on different towers so it's possible for one to be affected and not the other depending on your location. And multi-path can affect one channel more than another.

Feel free to give me a call at 305 639 4485 and I'll see if I can offer any suggestions.

Regards,
Ken

I saw this posted elsewhere in explaining why WB has suddenly appeared as a duplicate channel on 75-1:

Since there's no digital channels in UHF 63-83, they're thinking about mapping all of their affiliates (using a second PSIP entry, the local channel remains where it is) to something like channel 75. Thus making themselves a "national network 75" - anywhere you go, you could tune to 75 and get the local WB... Of course, small issues, like cable, would probably throw enough wrenches into that to make it a non-starter...

Interesting idea......

Originally posted by Rudy1
Though the survey does not mention anything about HD channels, you can list the ones you'd want under the "New Channel Survey" category in the box for "Other Programming Preference".

http://www.spectrummarketing.net/surveys/comcast/

Interesting that they neglected to include any of the 12 HD channels in this survey. I don't want to sound negative, however it goes to show you how important HD is to Comcast. :(

Ken MacKinnon--
Is WFOR planning to join other CBS stations in carrying the USA HD Masters broadcasts on Thursday and Friday?

Originally posted by wjbjr
Ken MacKinnon--
Is WFOR planning to join other CBS stations in carrying the USA HD Masters broadcasts on Thursday and Friday?

Yes

I emailed Brian Roberts at Comcast late yesterday. This morning I received an email message from Cynthia Asbury at the National Customer Service Executive Office in Philadelphia. She asked for my telephone number and stated that they welcome customer feedback and would have someone get in touch with me to discuss my concerns. This was at 9:14 a.m. At around 9:30 a.m. I received a call from a member of the local executive staff, and I spent the next 45 minutes discussing their shortcomings as far as HDTV channel availability and implementation of FireWire connectivity in their STBs. The guy was very nice, but he didn't know anything at all about the new Motorola boxes, and he was rather clueless about FireWire so I had to explain exactly what it is. He gave me the very same speech I got the last time one of their executive team members called me: In the Miami/Fort Lauderdale metroplex they will not be adding any more channels until all of the infrastructure upgrades are completed. Since this involves integrating and consolidating the equipment at the various headends they "inherited" when they took over several other franchises, it won't happen until probably the end of this year. As for full implementation of the FireWire ports on the STBs, the chap insisted he could not comment because he was "not familiar" with the equipment.

I emailed Ms. Asbury shortly after I hung up with this dude, specifically asking if/when Comcast plans on fully enabling FireWire connectivity on their HD STBs, including the provision of a suitable menu system to control outboard recording devices. Needless to say, I haven't heard anything back as yet.

Does anyone know if you can use the DirecTV dish for Voom ?

I know you can't aim the dish at one spot and get both Voom and DirecTV as the satellites are in different locations (Voom at 61.5 and the main DirecTV bird is at 101). However, I am unsure as to whether Voom uses the same LNB as Voom.

Rudy, thanks for your persistence. My Voom install will hopefully go off with out a hitch on Monday, at which time I will cut my Comcast service back to bare-bones until they are able to provide more HD content (which as you stated, could be as long as 2005).

Originally posted by George33027
Does anyone know if you can use the DirecTV dish for Voom ?
LNB's are different besides the coordinates are very different like hofstrajet mentioned.
I am also in Miramar and am Vooming for almost a month now. It has had it's bugs like all new sciences but the PQ is awesome and there is a lot of HD content. Plus with $0 down, 9.50 for the equipment lease and no contract...what can I lose?
Good luck and enjoy!

What do you get for $9.50 equipment lease?
Is that for basic High Def programs?

Originally posted by TC_Lauderdale
Rudy, thanks for your persistence. My Voom install will hopefully go off with out a hitch on Monday, at which time I will cut my Comcast service back to bare-bones until they are able to provide more HD content (which as you stated, could be as long as 2005).

Ms. Asbury from Comcast headquarters in Philadelphia called me this morning to advise me that I would be receiving email and a follow-up call from one of their executive team managers in Denver, and I did indeed receive an email and a phone call about 4 hours ago. The gentleman I spoke to had first hand knowledge of the current crop of Motorola boxes, as well as experience with the many problems associated with them. In fact, he told me he has the DCT6208 PVR which has been deployed experimentally in some markets, and he is not entirely satisfied with its performance. He said that Comcast is committed to working out the bugs in the equipment before engaging in a massive deployment nationwide.

As far as programming is concerned, he had no new information for this market...they have to complete the infrastructure upgrades to free up the bandwidth necessary to add more channels so that they can eventually offer all of the local digital stations in their lineup. He inquired about the WB & UPN (I had complained that their HD lineup was not "complete" without them), and he was surprised to learn that they are increasing their HD program content. And, as of last night, they are making the PBS HD channel available in their lineup as well (so I guess it pays to bitch every now and then). Of course, that channel is not on 24/7 from WPBT, so you'll still have a lot of SD material on PBS. He thanked me for bringing my concerns and comments directly to the attention of Mr. Roberts, and asked me to contact him with any further issues that may arise.

Originally posted by TC_Lauderdale
Rudy, thanks for your persistence. My Voom install will hopefully go off with out a hitch on Monday, at which time I will cut my Comcast service back to bare-bones until they are able to provide more HD content (which as you stated, could be as long as 2005).

TC_Lauderdale:

I am in Royal Palm Beach and also set for a Voom install on Monday. What company is doing yours? I have been told for ages that Hi-Tech in Ft. Laud. is the only Voom installer in the State. As I live in a townhouse and have some unique problems, I had an installer (Scott) from Hi-Tech out for a site survey about a week ago. I liked his attitude and "no cut corners" plan on the installation. Yesterday, I get a call from someone called All Services International. According to them, and Installs, Inc., "Hi-Tech is out of Voom equipment and the install has been assigned to us". Sounds like a bunch of B.S. to me and I'm not pleased I wasted a site visit, although I intend to hold All Services to the same "no cut corners" install. Anyone have any experience with All Services?

Rick

Has anybody been watching the Masters on CBS HD?

The picture quality is fantastic and it's in DD5.1.

Yesterday, WFOR had DD5.1 for the Heat-Cleveland NBA game on its digital signal. The game was SD 4:3 but it sounded great. Is CBS or WFOR going to be using DD5.1 for all of its programs now or was it just left on from the Masters?

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
Has anybody watching the Masters on CBS HD?

The picture quality is fantastic and it's in DD5.1.

Yesterday, WFOR had DD5.1 for the Heat-Cleveland on its digital signal. The game was SD 4:3 but it sounded great. Is CBS or WFOR going to be using DD5.1 for all of its programs now or was it just left on from the Masters?

Alas, I for one am not watching the Masters in HD.

My tired four plus year old RP lamps are being replaced (within the five year extended warranty period). I scheduled the work for after the basketball tournament, just in case.

Well, the serviceman arrived as scheduled last Wednesday, and, after taking everything apart, discovered that the replacement lamps were defective and that new ones had to be ordered from Mitsubishi!

So, no HD Masters for me. (Sigh)

According to a recent post by Ken H, CBS is doing 5.1 only for live HD events -- meaning sports.

Has anyone watched anything on PAX? Talk about amateur. They have the OTA contract for the Marlins games this year, and so far it has been less then impressive. To start with, the digital broadcast is pretty much unwatchable due to frequent pixelization and outright dropped signals. I have an outdoor antenna with a rotor, and have tried every direction with poor results. Anyone else get a good consistent signal with them? Even after switching to the analog channel, they have problems. Complete loss of signal (both OTA and via directv) - it got so bad yesterday they quit showing commercials for about 3 innings because it looked like that had problems switching back to the game. I hope the Marlins have an out in the contract with them if they continue to make the broadcasts look like something being transmitted from someones garage....

Originally posted by ricksm3
TC_Lauderdale:

I am in Royal Palm Beach and also set for a Voom install on Monday. What company is doing yours? I have been told for ages that Hi-Tech in Ft. Laud. is the only Voom installer in the State. As I live in a townhouse and have some unique problems, I had an installer (Scott) from Hi-Tech out for a site survey about a week ago. I liked his attitude and "no cut corners" plan on the installation. Yesterday, I get a call from someone called All Services International. According to them, and Installs, Inc., "Hi-Tech is out of Voom equipment and the install has been assigned to us". Sounds like a bunch of B.S. to me and I'm not pleased I wasted a site visit, although I intend to hold All Services to the same "no cut corners" install. Anyone have any experience with All Services?

Rick

Well I called Installs Inc this morning and they told me that Southern Satellite was going to be my installer. I called them this morning and the guy reconfirmed that my install was "a-go". It's now almost 2 hours into my 12-5PM window and no installer has arrived. Hopefully I will have good news to post in a while. (BTY, I'm pretty sure that there is more than 1 voom installer in SFLA)

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
Has anybody watching the Masters on CBS HD?

The picture quality is fantastic and it's in DD5.1.

Yesterday, WFOR had DD5.1 for the Heat-Cleveland on its digital signal. The game was SD 4:3 but it sounded great. Is CBS or WFOR going to be using DD5.1 for all of its programs now or was it just left on from the Masters?

Yes, I watched every minute, man was it a great presentation. No commercials, excellent picture quality and sound. You couldn't ask for more. I was amazed that the HD sponsor didn't get more publicity than the small one-liner at the end of the broadcast.

I have never watched anything on PAX. They do not have any programming that interests me.

I also get a lot of pixelation on the digital PAX signal.

I am having my Voom box swapped out Saturday. Don't remember what company is doing it. However, when I had my initial installation last year, Voom stated that Southern Satellite would be doing my install, but Hi-Tech showed up. Not sure if they are the same company.

PS - Scott Nunes, from Hi-Tech, is great. He did my office D* install and then helped me do a few extra runs at my house. Great installer.

This past weekend was great for HDTV. There were great movies on NBC and CBS on Saturday and Sunday nights. There was great sporting events such as the Masters on CBS and NHL playoffs and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPNHD.

Originally posted by Mike4HDTV
This past weekend was great for HDTV. There were great movies on NBC and CBS on Saturday and Sunday nights. There was great sporting events such as the Masters on CBS and NHL playoffs and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPNHD.

And I missed every blasted one of them in HD because the replacements for the defective first replacement CRT lamps did not arrive.

But on the bright side -- if there is one -- I did not have to choose which competitive time HD presentation to watch. (That is pure rationalization.)

Any1 live west of 147 Ave SW 8st thru Coral Way ? If so do you pick WLFX from west palm ? I will be moving to 155 Ave and just wondering if any1 picks it Fox from WPB:confused:

Originally posted by George33027
What do you get for $9.50 equipment lease?
Is that for basic High Def programs?

$9.50 is for the equipment lease not for programming. They setup and install the Sat Dish, an OTA antenna and receiver. DVI cables, component cables and analog audio cables plus the remote.

There are 2 programming packages...see here http://www.voom.com/index.jsp?location=home

Good luck...!!!

Originally posted by HofstraJet
I am having my Voom box swapped out Saturday. Don't remember what company is doing it. However, when I had my initial installation last year, Voom stated that Southern Satellite would be doing my install, but Hi-Tech showed up. Not sure if they are the same company.

PS - Scott Nunes, from Hi-Tech, is great. He did my office D* install and then helped me do a few extra runs at my house. Great installer.

Yeah. I was very impressed with Scott. He insisted he would do every little thing just the right way without cutting any corners. I didn't have to ask or plead for anything. Alas, it is not to be since he's been reassigned out from under me. Hi-Tech and Southern are one and the same to my knowledge. The guy from All Services called me this morning and cancelled. I agree no way to do it with the weather the way it is today. He's going to try again in the morning. For what it's worth, he told me "he is the trainer for all of Voom installs". Not sure what he means by that. His company only? His name is Hugo. Also for what it's worth, I found out there is at least a third company doing S. Florida installs for Voom - someone called Palm Beach Installation Services (I may have to double-check the exact name). Tomorrow looks no better than today, weather-wise. I'm not a patient person once I decide to do something. Can't blame them for the weather, though.

Anybody getting a lot of pixelation with WFLX 29-1? I have adjusted my antenna but it does not seem to get rid of the pixelation. The pixelation problem has been occuring for the past few weeks.