Dallas, TX - HDTV [Text View] - Page 5

JStew

10-14-05, 01:50 AM

Does anyone have Charter Cable in Denton? I am wondering if their HD content is any good and if they have any kind of HD DVR. They just came to my neighborhood this year and I have been getting flyers weekly from them. The one thing they suck about is telling you the price without having to call them. Why not be like D* and just post your prices on the web.
I sure hope Charter provides better service and equipment for you than they did for us here in Carrollton. I can honestly say that after having their service, I'll never go back to cable again. I switched to satellite and everything is up front. When they say they'll be there to install, they're there. Charter was a nightmare and I really, sincerely hope they've got their act together in Denton, because they don't have a clue in Carrollton. And by the way, Charter has no HD in the Carrollton area and they won't anytime soon.

Healeyman

10-15-05, 01:20 PM

gswyman

10-15-05, 09:04 PM

[QUOTE=plasmar]
Sometime over the last week I lost KXAS channed 5 (frequency 41) and ONLY this channel.

I am in Richardson and have an outdoor antenna with amplifier that has been set up since the beginning of the summer. I have it hooked into a Dish 942 HD DVR. Since everything was installed, I have had no reception issues wil any channel including KXAS.

Since last week I have suddenly gotten very poor reception on KXAS. All of my other channels still have high signal strength (80 to 100). It's only Channel 5 that has gone bad.

I tried removing the channels from the 942 and rescanning with no luck. I also tried swiveling the antenna through +/- 5 or 10 degrees but I still can't pick up KXAS.

Is anyone else having issues with this channel? Has KXAS changed anything about their broadcast setup over the last few weeks that couls explain this change?

Thanks!

I have been having problems with KXAS chan 5 for the last several days as well. The signal is a weak SD. I have had a good signal and HD picture previously.
This is OTA in Plano. I rescanned my Samsung TS160 , no help.
Has anyone talked to them ?

rosenkavalier

10-16-05, 02:08 PM

... I really, sincerely hope they've got their act together in Denton, because they don't have a clue in Carrollton. And by the way, Charter has no HD in the Carrollton area and they won't anytime soon.

Same in Denton -- I've been asking for two years, and I get the same answer every time: "There are no plans to introduce HDTV programming to the Denton market at this time." My apartment situation is such that I can't put up a dish -- however, by the end of 2006, Denton is supposed to get Verizon FIOS TV service (fiber-to-the-premises), and possibly a competing cable system. So we're stuck with Charter for a while longer.

In a message over on the HDTV Hardware forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6355037), I asked about some DTV signals that my set's QAM tuner picked up, but the answer seems to indicate that it's not actual HDTV testing. If you'd like, send me a PM and I'll forward you the list of subchannels that my set picked up if you want to nose around.

One more thing: depending on where you are in town, you might be able to pick up most of the major HDTV locals using an indoor antenna (I've got a Silver Sensor with a cheap Radio Shack in-line amplifier). AntennaWeb says that it's impossible, but I'm right now getting every major network except ABC (I'd have a lot more to do to get their VHF signal). I'm considering spending some more $$$ on a better setup: ChannelMaster 7777 amp, a DB-2 indoor antenna from AntennasDirect, and maybe something else to try to get WFAA-DT on channel 9. At least I'm getting something out of my HDTV, even if Charter won't do anything.

jfrederick96

10-16-05, 09:11 PM

I have a Samsung SR151 HD set top box. No antenna, I am using the one I got from Home Depot. Will sell the box for $85. You could come by to test first, as I am in Coppell (close). Let me know if you're interested.
Tom in TX

Give me an e-shout shout Tom.

plasmar

10-17-05, 10:44 AM

Sometime over the last week I lost KXAS channed 5 (frequency 41) and ONLY this channel.

I am in Richardson and have an outdoor antenna with amplifier that has been set up since the beginning of the summer. I have it hooked into a Dish 942 HD DVR. Since everything was installed, I have had no reception issues wil any channel including KXAS.

Since last week I have suddenly gotten very poor reception on KXAS. All of my other channels still have high signal strength (80 to 100). It's only Channel 5 that has gone bad.

I tried removing the channels from the 942 and rescanning with no luck. I also tried swiveling the antenna through +/- 5 or 10 degrees but I still can't pick up KXAS.

Is anyone else having issues with this channel? Has KXAS changed anything about their broadcast setup over the last few weeks that couls explain this change?

Thanks!

I have been having problems with KXAS chan 5 for the last several days as well. The signal is a weak SD. I have had a good signal and HD picture previously.
This is OTA in Plano. I rescanned my Samsung TS160 , no help.
Has anyone talked to them ?

I sent them an email today. I am still having problems with reception of KXAS. I will post back if I get a response!

gswyman

10-18-05, 11:16 AM

[QUOTE]

I sent them an email today. I am still having problems with reception of KXAS. I will post back if I get a response!

Magically Saturday night a little before 10, the HD came back. Its been ok since.
I didn't do anything it just happened.

Pete'sBlind

10-18-05, 02:28 PM

Hey did anyone else lose cbs hd ota last night? I was watching dave and all of the sudden, "channel not available", but all the other digitals were ok.

tim552

10-18-05, 06:28 PM

How long does it take Dish Network to acquire the waiver from Channel 11? They told me 30-45 days, but it has been longer than that and still no CBS in HD. I asked Dish how I would find out when the waiver had been approved, and they said, "When you start getting CBS in HD."

Anyone have any experience relating to this?

Tom in TX

10-18-05, 09:33 PM

JStew

10-20-05, 01:46 AM

Hey Jstew,

I take it that you got your HD and 942 on Tuesday.

Did they install a Dual LNB dish ?

Did you get more than a one room set-up = another non-HD receiver ?

What are your impressions of DN's HD pack and the 942 ?

Even though my wife says she isn't interested in the HD Pak, I am.

Tim

I did indeed get the 942 installed on Tuesday and so far, so good. It became a little "buggy" last night in that I would lose audio through my amplifier or the tuner would freeze the screen, but I just reset the 942 per the instructions and everything returned to normal. Installation was less than 45 minutes since I already received the 942 via UPS. They brought a refurbished 942 with them for reasons unknown to me since I already had a new one, but they just scratched their heads and took it back to the truck. Just a little miscommunication, I suppose. All they had to do was hook up the dish and point it. Everything else was already done by me.

For the most part, the installers are fairly knowledgable, but in some instances, they were the students rather than instructors. For example, they were both adamant that DVI and HDMI were one and the same, and there was no way I could/would receive audio over an HDMI. After hearing that, I became a little nervous and started checking their connections! They installed the dual LNB and signal strength was between 100 and 125 for both 110 and 119, so I should have a pretty good signal most the time.

I still have to set up my second TV in the bedroom, but that's pretty effortless and I told them to just set up the HD set in the living room for me. I'll set up the other TV sometime this weekend.

I'm not totally impressed with the HD content they have at this time, but HDNet and Discovery HD are fun to watch. I've got three free months of movie channels, so I'll try to figure out whether to keep them or not. The boss likes all the HD content so far and that's good enough for me.

I'm using an indoor antenna for OTA content and it's plugged directly into the 942. The 942 does an exceptional job of locking in all signals and an even better job of recording the HD content from the OTA antenna. To me, that's probably the biggest selling point. So far, it's been flawless and presents a spectacular picture.

I think the price is right for this unit, even if they eventually do go to MPEG-4. I don't think DN will leave customers out on a limb with outdated equipment when the new format appears and they'll adjust prices accordingly. I've had a few hiccups with the 942, but it's been very easy to alleviate problems. No phone calls to DN and none anticipated.

Tom in TX

10-20-05, 09:48 AM

JStew - what kind of indoor antenna are you using?
Tom in TX

JStew

10-20-05, 09:19 PM

JStew - what kind of indoor antenna are you using?
Tom in TX
Tom, I've got a Winegard Sharpshooter (not the Squareshooter). It's their newest indoor antenna and it works really well for me. It's got a very low profile (about 4") and is about 22 inches wide. I had a Silver Sensor and obviously couldn't pick-up channel 8 and when it came time for Monday Night Football, I started to panic. The Sharpshooter does as good a job as the Silver Sensor as far as I can tell, and picks up VHF just as effortlessly as the UHF. It seems to keep a good, steady signal throughout the spectrum.

IFLYSWA

10-21-05, 11:32 AM

Tom, I've got a Winegard Sharpshooter (not the Squareshooter). It's their newest indoor antenna and it works really well for me. It's got a very low profile (about 4") and is about 22 inches wide. I had a Silver Sensor and obviously couldn't pick-up channel 8 and when it came time for Monday Night Football, I started to panic. The Sharpshooter does as good a job as the Silver Sensor as far as I can tell, and picks up VHF just as effortlessly as the UHF. It seems to keep a good, steady signal throughout the spectrum.

JStew, did you buy that locally or order it? If you don't mind, about how much was it? I've got a amplified UHF/VHF antenna now (I'm in Frisco), but can't get WFAA-DT, and the others aren't always accessible, either...I'm hoping that could do the trick...

Thanks,
Randy

JStew

10-22-05, 12:20 AM

JStew, did you buy that locally or order it? If you don't mind, about how much was it? I've got a amplified UHF/VHF antenna now (I'm in Frisco), but can't get WFAA-DT, and the others aren't always accessible, either...I'm hoping that could do the trick...

Thanks,
Randy
I haven't seen them sold locally, but maybe someone reading this might know where you can get one. I bought mine on the web at Warren Electronics. It was the cheapest place I could find. Most other websites sold the antenna for retail at $99.99 and Warren had them for $69.00. Since I bought mine, the price went up and I believe it's now 76.00. Shipping was reasonable at around $7.00 and they have a fair return policy. The website is warrenelectronics.com if you're interested.

I had a Silver Sensor and that's obviously not going to work with WFAA, so I then looked at an amplified Ratshack dual VHF/UHV antenna. I had too many dropouts with that, so I did some research, found this new type of antenna and figured it would be worth the money if it worked. The thing works for me like a charm. I especially like the low profile.

Good luck if you decide to purchase one. Let me know if it works for you.

toddmoe

10-22-05, 09:37 AM

Hi All, moving to Frisco (parkway & eldorado in the Fairways) from Palm Beach, FL (and just in time I might add, Wilma appears to be headed toward my old back yard!) I am an HD subscriber and am trying to make sure my understanding on the CBS, Fox, NBC feeds is clear. I have read through many of the posts, but just want to make sure that no waivers are required to receive the NY feeds for those 3 networks.

Also, has anyone used the D* installed OTA antenna from up in Frisco? It was only an extra $25 for them to install it through the movers program so I figured what the heck, at least the cables will be run even if the antenna is not so hot. I have a CM 777 amp that I can put in line if needed.

Thanks in advance for you replies.

shaggy2002

10-22-05, 06:06 PM

tim552

10-23-05, 05:04 PM

How does weather affect the signal from the tower? It seems I get better reception when it's sunny and clear than when cloudy.

rosenkavalier

10-26-05, 01:37 AM

rosenkavalier - I live in South Denton in The Preserves at Pecan Creek. I did buy some indoor amplified antenna from bestbuy it picked up channel 11 good for March Madness and the Masters. The Masters is awesome in HD. Now the thing doesn't pick up any station and I am starting to grow impatient for D* to come out with the MPEG4 HD DVR. First rumor was Q1 of 2006 and now the rumors are mid 2006 of course none of this is official from D*. If FIOS TV makes it to Denton quicker than D* MPEG4 DVR and they have an HD DVR that broadcasts the locals in HD I will probably switch. Only thing that concerns me is I can not even get FIOS Internet from Verizon yet, although I do have their DSL. Who knows when they will drop the FIOS in our neighborhood. For now I guess I am a disgruntled HD customer to be. =o)

Here in Denton, we're far enough away from the antenna farm (definitely in fringe area) that it takes a lot of experimentation to get the right combination of antenna/amp and placement. I recieved a ChannelMaster 7777 amp today, and it's helping a little. What's making the best difference is mounting my Silver Sensor indoor antenna onto an old video tripod I had lying around. Now I can easily move the antenna to various locations in my apartment, and can vary the height as well. I find that certain channels (like Fox and NBC) require a different location than the others (CBS, PBS, UPN, WB). ABC is still out of the picture for me (VHF), and probably will remain so.

I won't have the option of D* MPEG-4 when it comes out -- if I did, that's what I'd focus on. It's likely that we won't see Verizon's offerings until later in 2006, and I'm thinking D* will happen first. I also have 'standard' DSL from Verizon, and haven't been offered FIOS Internet yet. I do know that they've been burying fiber all over town (a group was working on a nearby street for several weeks).

If you're impatient and nothing you try indoors works, you might experiment with an inexpensive outdoor antena, just to see if it gets you anything. Even though I've been a TiVo guy and time-shifted 95% of the TV that I watch for several years now, I'm actually watching a good amount of 'live' TV if the show is hi-def and available OTA. (As I type this, I'm watching the extra innings of Game 3.) In fact, I'm considering a PC-based HDTV tuner so I can record and time-shift the HD programs I can get OTA.

brownie64

10-28-05, 10:59 PM

Just got DirTV HD receiver installed - using the triple LNB dish. Have two other standard receivers in the house. We're new to this whole HD thing. Installer put in an off air antenna next to the dish on the roof of our 2 story house. Cannot get FOX or WFAA at all. KXAS is ok and CBS is the best. My installer said I could call him back for help - our job took FOREVER and he had to rush out. Said he would return if we needed tweaking. Can the outside off air antenna be adjusted to get/improve signal? Does an installer have to do this or can I? We live near White Rock Lake - east dallas area. Anyone in this area with similar problems?

Any word on experience with DirTV. Had previously been with Dish Network but they changed some of their programming that I watch - so had to make the switch.

All advice appreciated!

broken back

10-29-05, 09:02 AM

We live in White Rock, Had been using *D* for local channels, Installed CM4228 yesterday and all local channels come in great.
Single story house
L streets Lake Highlands
Antenna 39 Feet off ground.

brownie64

10-29-05, 09:27 AM

Thanks for the response. Where did you get this antenna? This isn't the one Dtv supplied, is it? This morning, all our local channels via regular satellite were gone - which now means all we get is nbc and cbs, because those are the only two with a decent off air antenna signal. I guess I'll have to call about this. Did you have any trouble with this?

broken back

10-29-05, 09:59 AM

I ordered it through Solid Siginal online. It is designed for UHF only, but specs show it can go as low as 8.1 VHF. Since most HD in Dallas are UHF in Dallas except ABC. That is 8.1 Digital in Dallas.
Seems to be the best UHF antenna made.

wanger

10-30-05, 02:15 AM

Hi guys! I am new to all of this hdtv stuff and just bought a samsung 6768w hd tuner included. Now I want to get hd channels for free but not so sure how because I'm new to this stuff. :(

I just checked out antennaweb and it told me to get a Medium Direction w/ Pre amp. I am planning to set it up inside my attic as opposed to outside, so hopefully something more powerful. So what's a good antenna at a low price that I should get? Many thanks for your replies!! :rolleyes:

broken back

10-30-05, 09:10 AM

It depends what is in your attic(Metal), roof (Metal or Tile), if your house is high enough that putting it in attic it will receive from tower. Trees outside can block reception. Many things can effect it. I had to put it 29 feet up to get over trees.

wanger

10-30-05, 11:49 AM

Well, right now we have an antenna inside the attic and the reception is fairly ok. We didn't position it toward the towers or anything because I didn't know anything back when we did. So I'm guessing if I get the antenna that antennaweb advised me to get, then I'll be able to get a good signal if I position it toward the towers.

I just don't know what brand of antenna I should get, or would that not matter?

broken back

10-30-05, 11:55 AM

Do you have a HD TV with HD Tuner to pick up local in Dallas

wanger

10-30-05, 12:06 PM

yea the 6768 will have a hd tuner built in.

broken back

10-30-05, 12:25 PM

Hook up your lead from the antenna and see if you can tune in to any of the stations
4.1, 5.1, 8.1 local DT

wanger

10-30-05, 12:31 PM

broken back

10-30-05, 12:38 PM

No to locals with dish for free.

JStew

10-30-05, 03:24 PM

actually my new tv hasn't come yet :( should be coming here on wednesday, so I've been trying to buy everything that I need before it comes. haha. Well, I might stick the antenna we already have in the attic, and see how that works
out. I was wondering though, is there any way to use a satellite dish to pick up local channels for free? Thanks for your replies broken!
There's no "free" locals on a satellite dish. I believe both Dish and Direct charge for locals, but even then they would not be HD. If you want HD locals, you're better off using an OTA antenna. If you're getting a good signal with the antenna you have at the present time, your chances of getting a good OTA HD signal are pretty good.

txlaker

10-30-05, 05:12 PM

anyone in the west plano area have any experience with the squareshooter ss2000?
any recommendations for an outdoor antenna? new roof has radiant heat barrier so that'' won't work. would like both vhf and uhf... thanks

wanger

10-30-05, 05:37 PM

There's no "free" locals on a satellite dish. I believe both Dish and Direct charge for locals, but even then they would not be HD. If you want HD locals, you're better off using an OTA antenna. If you're getting a good signal with the antenna you have at the present time, your chances of getting a good OTA HD signal are pretty good.

Thanks. My signals are actually really good for fox, nbc, abc, and cbs, basically all of the major network channels, but the other channels are fairly ok signal. One more question, is there such thing as a better cable or whatever that will output a better picture?

brownie64

10-30-05, 06:22 PM

Talked with customer service at DirTv yesterday regarding some other issues. Asked the rep for help with our inability to get FOX or WFAA. He mentioned that they anticipate there will not be a need for an OTA by the end of the year, as local channels will becoming through their regular satellite. Has anyone else heard this? Sure would solve A LOT of problems.

broken back

10-30-05, 08:17 PM

They do now but not HD.
Locals are provided by *D* for a small few but these are SD, You will need a OTA to get LOCAL HD, and not HD DVR until mid to late 2006 as it stands now.

JStew

10-30-05, 09:24 PM

Thanks. My signals are actually really good for fox, nbc, abc, and cbs, basically all of the major network channels, but the other channels are fairly ok signal. One more question, is there such thing as a better cable or whatever that will output a better picture?
Since you'll probably use your existing antenna for your locals, there's obviously no need for cables as far as your OTA is concerned. You'll just input your antenna to the "ant 2/air" connection on the back of the Samsung and turn the set on. Your DLP set will then immediatly ask you to set up the TV Guide which is effortless.
If you're talking about cables for connecting your satellite tuner or cable, I honestly don't know. I've ready so many arguments for and against purchasing "better" cables, I'm lost. I use the cables supplied with the equipment I purchased and everything looks just great to me. I'm sure there folks who would argue for better cables, but I just can't tell the difference.

120inna55

10-30-05, 10:09 PM

Since you'll probably use your existing antenna for your locals, there's obviously no need for cables as far as your OTA is concerned. You'll just input your antenna to the "ant 2/air" connection on the back of the Samsung and turn the set on. Your DLP set will then immediatly ask you to set up the TV Guide which is effortless.
If you're talking about cables for connecting your satellite tuner or cable, I honestly don't know. I've ready so many arguments for and against purchasing "better" cables, I'm lost. I use the cables supplied with the equipment I purchased and everything looks just great to me. I'm sure there folks who would argue for better cables, but I just can't tell the difference.

I gathered he was addressing the coax coming off the antenna. In which case, I believe he needs to use RG6. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

JStew

10-30-05, 10:36 PM

I gathered he was addressing the coax coming off the antenna. In which case, I believe he needs to use RG6. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I believe you're right. That's what I get for trying to watch the game and read threads here!

wanger

10-31-05, 12:47 AM

Thanks for the replies! Sorry for the confusion, I meant the very long cable that connects from your antenna all the way down into your tv, but I guess I'll just stick with what I have since that would be a big hassle to install a new one. I probably don't need to buy anything else, but I was just wondering what other things that I could get that would make the picture better looking!

Redbird

10-31-05, 01:11 PM

Our move from Colorado to Texas is on go. Don't have a date yet but we do have a closing date on a house in Mansfield.

I thought that Charter Communications (for better or for worse) was the only supplier in Mansfield but when I go to their web page and put in my information, it says they do not service that area. Anyone else in 76063? I'm currently a satellite viewer but was just trying to find out my options before we move.

-Redbird

sigmaace01

10-31-05, 04:08 PM

Anyone in Allen/Plano/Mckinney with Comcast & their HD? I called today inquiring their service...2 rooms, 2 HDTVs 1 HD PVR. They offered 12 months for Digital Gold for $32+STB and HD fees because I'd be switching from D*...no contracts. Sounds great, so I ask...How's Comcast in the area? I really want all HD local networks & as we know D* doesn't offer that.

Redbird

11-01-05, 05:34 PM

I finally got in touch with someone at Charter Communications and had my questions answered. Our address will be 3215. Using that address, their online tool told me no service was available. I picked a number down the street and tried again, 3200, and there was service. I assumed something was wrong with their software but that was not the case. It was actually correct.

They currently provide service up to address number 3210 then skip to 3300 but only for the EVEN addresses in either case. What? It doesn't make any sense that they laid cable in a new development but only for certain addresses. They said it will be 1 to 2 years before they get back to us. Just think of how many customers they are losing. Wouldn't it have made more sense to have this done before the homes were completed? The development is 2-3 years old now.

Probably no big loss for TV service. I'm currently a satellite customer anyway and will probably continue that way, but I was interested in comparing packages with HD programming. The big loss is that I work at home through a main office in Massachusetts and was counting on cable internet service. This would have been an influencing factor on the house if I had known this before we signed the papers.

This is really surprising. I didn't think it was possible to move into a major metropolitan area in the US in 2005 and not have access to cable televison.

generalnewbie

11-01-05, 05:36 PM

Soteris

11-02-05, 10:13 AM

wanger

11-02-05, 11:51 AM

I've just bought the Terk TV5 model today. The TV5 has a built in amplifier and supposebly receives weak signals very well. So hopefully it will work well since I'm around 37 miles away from the towers, but I'll tell you how it goes once I get it all set up.

IFLYSWA

11-02-05, 01:16 PM

Hello everyone. I'm a Richardson resident. One-story house. I do NOT want to mount an antenna on the roof or outside anywhere. I really want an indoor antenna. My TV is right by a window facing SOUTH. I can get every HD channel I want except ABC (WFAA - Channel 8). I'm a "Lost" addict and really want to watch it in HD! What indoor antenna would you all recommend? I've gone through 2 (an RCA and a Terk indoor) and neither gets the elusive ABC in VHF. Any ideas?

"Lost" in Richardson

Hi,

You might read back in this thread a little...one antenna that has been mentioned is the Winegard Sharpshooter (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=SS3000). I don't have any personal experience with it (yet), but it sounds interesting. There was more discussion of it on here fairly recently, I believe. And it does handle UHF and VHF...

-Randy

av_eddie

11-03-05, 05:49 PM

Hello everyone. I'm a Richardson resident. One-story house. I do NOT want to mount an antenna on the roof or outside anywhere. I really want an indoor antenna. My TV is right by a window facing SOUTH. I can get every HD channel I want except ABC (WFAA - Channel 8). I'm a "Lost" addict and really want to watch it in HD! What indoor antenna would you all recommend? I've gone through 2 (an RCA and a Terk indoor) and neither gets the elusive ABC in VHF. Any ideas?

"Lost" in Richardson

I live in plano and have good luck with the Channelmaster 'stealth' antenna that is in my attic. I got it at fry's - note: don't look near the tv's, look closer to the computer area. The 'stealth' version is smaller and much easier to set up then the big fold-out type. If you don't have coax running from the attic to your tv, be sure to use 'RJ6'.

Hope this helps

rosenkavalier

11-04-05, 05:02 PM

I'm continuing to get intermittent artifacts from the Dallas WB affiliate OTA (I previously posted about image problems with their LOTR: Two Towers broadcast). It appears to be interlacing problems, as it only appears with side-to-side pans across the screen. What's odd is that it might not happen at all (last week's Smallville was error free), or it might happen throughout the entire show (this week's Smallville, for example).

I do have a 720p RPTV, so I am aware that this could possibly be a problem on my side (converting from 1080 interlaced to 720 progressive). But in all of the other 1080i HD programming I've watched (CBS, PBS, NBC, UPN), I've never seen this happen even once. And on the 720p signal from FOX (I can't get ABC), it's just fine too.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Or am I the only Dallas-market AVS'er who watches anything on the WB? (Or who will admit to it in public? :) )

Tom in TX

11-04-05, 05:25 PM

No errors on my recorded Smallville. I have a 1080i RPTV.
Tom in TX

120inna55

11-04-05, 09:02 PM

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Or am I the only Dallas-market AVS'er who watches anything on the WB? (Or who will admit to it in public? :) )

I rarely watch WB, but if you'll tell me a show on which it's likely to occur, I'll DVR it and have a look for you. I, too have a 720P RPTV, so we may be able to narrow it down.

Thomas Desmond

11-05-05, 12:55 AM

I'm continuing to get intermittent artifacts from the Dallas WB affiliate OTA (I previously posted about image problems with their LOTR: Two Towers broadcast). It appears to be interlacing problems, as it only appears with side-to-side pans across the screen. What's odd is that it might not happen at all (last week's Smallville was error free), or it might happen throughout the entire show (this week's Smallville, for example).

[...]
Has anyone else experienced this problem? Or am I the only Dallas-market AVS'er who watches anything on the WB? (Or who will admit to it in public? :) )

I've experienced this problem as well -- and I'm watching on a 1080i television, so it isn't a problem with conversion artifacts. I've seen it intermittently on both "Smallville" and "Reba", which are the only WB programs that I watch regularly this season.

wanger

11-05-05, 05:29 PM

Ok, I received my new sammy 67inch on Wednesday of this week and set up Tv guide on the same day. I only have a OTA antenna with regular local channels and thats it. The only other thing connected to my TV is my DVD player with HDMI. I correctly put in my zip code (75025) and antenna as "Air". The coaxial cable is plugged in my ANT2 input and I have already autoprogrammed the channels. Now it has been over three days since Wednesday, yet no listings or anything on my TV guide!!!

The tv is turned off at night each day. Anyone have any idea!? Thanks in advance!

IlliniHoops

11-05-05, 09:22 PM

We live in White Rock, Had been using *D* for local channels, Installed CM4228 yesterday and all local channels come in great.
Installed the same antenna in my atic here in the M-Streets. Picking up all the networks + upn + wb now through my Dish 811 box. UPN21/ KERA13/ ABC8 were all sketchy before with my CM4308 antenna. Still have some fine tuning to do on 21- but te 4228 blows away the 4308 or the silver sensor for picking up 21.

Xesdeeni

11-07-05, 09:27 AM

I've experienced this problem as well -- and I'm watching on a 1080i television, so it isn't a problem with conversion artifacts. I've seen it intermittently on both "Smallville" and "Reba", which are the only WB programs that I watch regularly this season.Same here watching Reba. Have you repoted it to them?

Xesdeeni

rosenkavalier

11-07-05, 11:19 AM

(I know this doesn't apply to too many folks here, but I thought I'd include it for anyone searching for info later.)

The Charter website was incorrectly listing the Charter DVR as currently available for order in the Denton market (as of Nov. 1, 2005). As it turns out, it's yet another SNAFU on the part of Charter, as the Denton system is not yet setup for the DVR. I was told that the DVR would become available sometime early next year (Jan-Feb 2006).

I then asked in passing if that meant we'd be getting HDTV at the same time. Their answer, while not definitive, indicated it was likely that we'd get the complete system upgrade all at once. So we might be getting HD-over-cable in Denton after all.

rosenkavalier

11-07-05, 11:21 AM

Same here watching Reba. Have you repoted it to them?

I haven't, because I'd been waiting for confirmation that it wasn't just my setup. I'll dig out an e-mail address and see what I get in return.

Xesdeeni

11-07-05, 02:06 PM

wanger

11-08-05, 02:30 AM

wanger

11-08-05, 12:46 PM

bump

Xesdeeni

11-08-05, 12:54 PM

Nope.

brownie64

11-08-05, 01:59 PM

Installed the same antenna in my atic here in the M-Streets. Picking up all the networks + upn + wb now through my Dish 811 box. UPN21/ KERA13/ ABC8 were all sketchy before with my CM4308 antenna. Still have some fine tuning to do on 21- but te 4228 blows away the 4308 or the silver sensor for picking up 21.

We live in Lakewood and are really new to all this. We had DirTv installed with an OTA off our garage facing south. Can only get CBS and NBC. If we wanted to switch to the antenna you mentioned, how easy is this to do? What steps are involved since we have wiring to an outdoor antenna already?

mes444

11-08-05, 02:17 PM

Im sorta in the same boat my dad is getting a HD TV probably a panny 50in plasma
(whoop) exciting except i dont live at home anymore. Guess thats how he can afford it but thats besides the point. He asked for my advice and really theres so many IF statements that i keep running into.

One of them is : He wants the TV so he can watch HDTV but whats really the point of an HDTV if theres no HD content?

So really i think i should start at ground zero and find out what is out in the dallas area. He lives south of dallas in Lancaster and its close to the towers but i dont really think he wants just OTA stations and would like to extend his extended cable to HD content too.

First off what HD content does comcast offer? What is the feed rate like? 720p? or just 480p?

It wouldnt really make sense if comcast wasnt going to have 720p feeds until 2010 why not just get a EDTV ...

Anyways i hope someone who has comcast can tell me what setup box they have and model and tell me the things they like and dislike about comcast HD
I live in Plano and have Comcast HD Moto DTV 6200 box. It goes up to 1080i, you can set it to 720p or whatever you get. I use the 1080i as we just got a 1080p DLP and it's the closest match, excellent reception. If you want a lot of other info than what I can tell you, go to comcast's homepage and go to their HDTV area and put in your zip code and they tell you what is available. We get 13 HDTV channels, including all the locals, InHD 1 and InHD 2, Discovery HD, ESPNHD, WB, TNT, and we have the Gold Pkg so we get HBOHD and SHOHD (only the main HBO and SHO, not any of the extras). Sometimes you get the full HD feed, and sometimes you can tell it is being reduced by either Comcast or the networks as there is some reduction in reception quality, but always a hundred times better than analog. I like using Comcast as I don't have to mess with an antenna or worry about bad weather and no locals on the satellite deals. I hope that helps.

rosenkavalier

11-08-05, 11:34 PM

Well, I finally got WFAA-DT OTA here in Denton. I picked up a pair of rabbit ears from Radio Shack and connected them to the ChannelMaster 7777 amp I got recently, already conected to a Silver Sensor. (After getting nothing, I realized the internal switch was still set to 'combined' instead of 'seperate'.) I'm getting a marginal signal (periodic dropouts), but at least I'm finally getting something.

I watched a little of Boston Legal tonight (geez, that's an odd show), and saw some odd artifacts. After looking around here, I'm wondering if it's the Belo-mandated 720p-to-1080i conversion of the ABC-HD feed by the station (which I wasn't aware of until now).

Now that I know how WFAA tinkers with the signal (and seeing some of the angry postings), I'm kind of wary about seeing Monday Night Football in HD for the first time next week.

PS: I did some research on setting up the rabbit ears, and after trying several of the recommended values for VHF channel 9, the horizontal tip-to-tip length of 30 inches (left flat/straight out, not in a 'V') did the best for me.

Rakesh.S

11-08-05, 11:52 PM

just moved back to richardson today.. and watched Supernatural on the WB. Receiver didn't lit up for 5.1, but I know the WB has had 5.1 for at least a year now.

Anyone else see this? and was this just a matter of them forgetting to throw the switch? Thanks.

TomTx

11-09-05, 09:02 AM

TomTx

11-09-05, 09:08 AM

I have a Mits DLP w/ an integrated ASTC tuner. I mostly never use it, but the other day I ran an automatic scan and it came up with a bunch of stations in the 99.xx range all of which were premium channels, e.g. ESPN, TLC, FOOD, FX, etc. There were about 12 of them that showed up on the guide, but I can't switch to any of them. Does anyone know what's up with this?

Xesdeeni

11-09-05, 10:06 AM

Most cable stations are scrambled, and the tuner in the TV can't decrypt them. You should get the local network channels "in the clear," since that's an FCC regulation.

I would make the switch to cable if all the non-pay channels were unencrypted, then I could record them on my HTPC, and I've let the cable company know. I always encourage people to express their annoyance with such things. Perhaps it's tilting at windmills, but if we don't squeek, there is absolutely no chance of getting the oil.

Xesdeeni

JStigler

11-09-05, 09:15 PM

Thomas Desmond

11-09-05, 11:14 PM

Hey guys, I was wondering if it was possible to get TNT on OTA antenna here around dallas, tx?? My cousins who live in California get TNT over their antenna, so I was thinking it could be possible here. If anyone knows, please tell me how!! I would greatly appreciate it!

As someone else has already indicated, the answer is no. Regarding the cousin in California, I suspect some confusion is occurring here, since TNT can't be offered "in the clear" since they don't have OTA broadcast rights for the programming that they carry. Perhaps it might eventually appear (but only in standard definition) on the USDTV OTA subscription service that is apparently about to launch locally.

rosenkavalier

11-10-05, 12:21 AM

TomTX the new premium 99.x channes are for the USDigital pay service via OTA. They just put this on last week. They buy extra bandwidth from 3-4 stations and will be selling it in this market soon. 99.1 is the barker channel and is in the clear.

This is not a service that I think any of us would purchase. It is an HD STB but that is about it. It most likely is aimed at the non Satellite or cable subscriber of today.
JStigler

When I read this, I was confused, as I had just run a DTV channel search yesterday and didn't find any of these. After checking further, it turns out that the ATSC tuner only goes up to channel 69 on my Sony 42A10. (It has seperate Antenna and Cable inputs.) I would have been curious to see the 'barker' program. :)

PS: if anyone was interested, a quick web search turned up this: http://www.usdigitalhdtv.com/

shaggy2002

11-10-05, 09:16 AM

rosenkavalier , thanks for the updates on the DVR / HD stuff in Denton!! Still waiting to get a great HD signal. Come on FIOS TV or DIRECTV with the MPEG4 DVRs!

kishorem

11-10-05, 03:15 PM

Tom in TX

11-10-05, 06:49 PM

Is there any other antenna I can try?

Maybe the Winegard Squareshooter?
Tom in TX

rosenkavalier

11-10-05, 10:05 PM

Anyone getting HD locals between 121 & Mcdermott on Custer (plano/Allen border)?
I tried silversensor, radioshack 15-1880 & another radioshack antenna and only get CBS, PBS & UPN (75-85% signal strength). FOX, NBC, ABC and the rest are about 25-30%.

Is there any other antenna I can try?
It's an apartment complex so outdoor/attics are ruled out. Unfortunately the only cable service I get is analog from a third party cable company that the apartment folks contracted out (analog cable or directtv feed..no hd options). I miss MNF and football on FOX.

I'm aiming at the signals from a different direction (Denton), but I had pretty much the same roadblocks as you (indoor only, fringe reception area). What is working quite well for me now is the Silver Sensor paired with a ChannelMaster 7777 amp. I get all of the UHF stations with at least a 70% strength, averaging mid 80's, and some (like the WB) I get high 90's. I'm even getting ABC with a set of rabbit ears, plugged into the 7777 (although, to be fair, it doesn't go much past 70 percent).

If you're like me and have no other HD options (can't put up a dish, have non-HD cable provider), then it might be worth the investment to give it a try. I was about reeady to quit before I got this combo working. Good luck!

rosenkavalier

11-10-05, 10:07 PM

Let us know the response, and if we need to back you up, we can do this.

Also, some WB shows have screwed up CC on my system. I can't be absolutely certain that it's 33 and not my MyHD, since the software is really in beta, but since the text includes "http://" all over the place, it seems likely to me that it's in the stream.

Well, I never got a reply from my e-mail to KDAF Engineering, but I didn't see any of the artifacts in tonight's Smallville. So we'll see if this improvement lasts.

kishorem

11-10-05, 10:51 PM

I'm aiming at the signals from a different direction (Denton), but I had pretty much the same roadblocks as you (indoor only, fringe reception area). What is working quite well for me now is the Silver Sensor paired with a ChannelMaster 7777 amp. I get all of the UHF stations with at least a 70% strength, averaging mid 80's, and some (like the WB) I get high 90's. I'm even getting ABC with a set of rabbit ears, plugged into the 7777 (although, to be fair, it doesn't go much past 70 percent).

If you're like me and have no other HD options (can't put up a dish, have non-HD cable provider), then it might be worth the investment to give it a try. I was about reeady to quit before I got this combo working. Good luck!
Thanks for the response.
How do I pair the amp, silver sensor and rabbit ears?. I noticed that rabit ears is tough to find. I am willing to try anything at this point.

rosenkavalier

11-11-05, 01:22 AM

Thanks for the response.
How do I pair the amp, silver sensor and rabbit ears?. I noticed that rabit ears is tough to find. I am willing to try anything at this point.

The ChannelMaster 7777 is a dual UHF/VHF amp, with separate inputs for each. The Silver Sensor is plugged into the UHF coax input, and the rabbit ears go on the VHF coax input (in my case, with the cheapo-Radio Shack pair, using the flat-cable to coax converter that was included). I believe 15-236 was the model # for the one I got locally: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062018&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032204 I have a flat spot to lie it down on.

I got my CM 7777 from Solid Signal (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=ANC7777), and was very pleased with their service and price. Here's a close-up on the head-end block: http://www.solidsignal.com/images/products/ANC7777_det_zoomA.gif Hopefully that will make the dual inputs clearer.

Do note that the unit comes with an internal switch factory-set to 'combined' on the UHF input. You have to remove the four screws on the front panel, flip the switch to 'separate', then put the screws back in. Now you can plug the rabbit ears into the VHF input, and the amp will combine the two antennas for you.

Also note that if you've been using non-RG6 coax cable, you really should get better coax cables. I got new cables from MonoPrice, and they were great and mind-blowingly cheap (scroll down to the RG6 section): http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&style= I got something like seven cables, including two 25-foot runs, for less than I might have paid for two 6 foot cables at any local store. (If you're looking for inexpensive DVI-HDMI or HDMI-HDMI cables, they've got those too for great prices. My 15 foot DVI-HDMI cable was at least three times less expensive than I saw anywhere else.)

Recapping: connect the Silver Sensor with RG6 cable to the CM 7777 amp head unit (grey box), and also the rabbit ears. Then, run a RG6 cable from wherever your best antenna reception is, towards the TV. Connect the cable from the grey head end unit to the power injector (the white box), then use one last RG6 cable from the injector to the coax input on your HDTV. I can't guarantee that you'll get the same results (fringe reception is spotty at best, especially indoors), but this was the only combination that actually worked for me. Good luck!

Xesdeeni

11-11-05, 10:51 AM

When I read this, I was confused, as I had just run a DTV channel search yesterday and didn't find any of these. After checking further, it turns out that the ATSC tuner only goes up to channel 69 on my Sony 42A10. (It has seperate Antenna and Cable inputs.) I would have been curious to see the 'barker' program. :)

PS: if anyone was interested, a quick web search turned up this: http://www.usdigitalhdtv.com/Hey wait a minute. That's right. Broadcasters can't go over 69 today, and after the switchover, I think 51 is the limit (someone will correct me if I'm wrong). So there can't be a 99. But I guess there could be a virtual 99. TomTX, can you check and see what the physical channel for those is?

Xesdeeni

cane99

11-13-05, 07:47 PM

I just found out that I am going to be moving to Dallas in June, and I am not sure who to go with...Comcast, DirecTV or hope that the new Verizon service will be in my area that I move to....my wife and I are thinking the Irving area since it will be close to where I will be working and only 15 minutes from her job. Does anyone have any suggestions? HD selection is very important to me.

Thanks in advance.

Tom in TX

11-13-05, 08:53 PM

cane99

11-13-05, 09:03 PM

Dish Network, and OTA locals works good for me! From Irving, you should have no trouble picking up all the locals OTA. Will you be in a house, or an apartment?
Tom in TX

We are most likely going to get a house. We are going to Dallas in March to start house shopping.

Tom in TX

11-14-05, 09:23 AM

We are most likely going to get a house. We are going to Dallas in March to start house shopping.
We live just North of Irving (Coppell), and I use an antenna in my attic for all the OTA HD locals, no problems. I have Dish with the HD pack. Enjoy both alot!
Tom in TX

TomTx

11-14-05, 09:50 AM

tvpal

11-14-05, 01:01 PM

I have a newbie question:

As far as NBC HD goes. Would I be correct if I say that NBC in Dallas broadcast upconverted programming. The PQ of NBC's 'E-Ring looks' Wednesday night looks grainy compared to the PQ from CBS and Fox.

I have noticed that a few other shows on NBC have the grainy look also.

rosenkavalier

11-14-05, 04:17 PM

As far as NBC HD goes. Would I be correct if I say that NBC in Dallas broadcast upconverted programming. The PQ of NBC's 'E-Ring looks' Wednesday night looks grainy compared to the PQ from CBS and Fox. I have noticed that a few other shows on NBC have the grainy look also.

There are a number of threads over in the HDTV Programming forum about PQ issues on NBC-originated HDTV signals. Multicasting (like with the extra weather channel on 5.2) can play into this problem. If the local affiliate were inadvertently carrying the network SD feed upconverted on their primary DTV channel, it would be a 4x3 window pillar-boxed instead of a 16x9 widescreen image.

Xesdeeni

11-15-05, 09:27 AM

Hey wait a minute. That's right. Broadcasters can't go over 69 today, and after the switchover, I think 51 is the limit (someone will correct me if I'm wrong). So there can't be a 99. But I guess there could be a virtual 99. TomTX, can you check and see what the physical channel for those is?I'm getting ready to go to thte airport and won't be back for a week. If my dead brain cells wake up and I remember, I will check.OK, I finally got a chance to check this out myself. There are 10 channels under virtual channel 99. 99-1 through 99-9 (with 99-5 missing) and 99-50. 5 of them are from actual channel 30 and 5 are from actual channel 46. The "barker" channel on 99-1 has live thumbnail feeds from all the channels (except Starz, I think). Also nifty is that my TV (Mitsubishi WS-65513) actually displayed a message indicating the other channels were "scrambled."

Xesdeeni

utexas05alum

11-17-05, 02:33 AM

I ordered an HDTV a few days ago and I called today to order HD from SBC (their deal through Dish Network) and was told that HDTV is not offered at my apartment complex. I am in uptown directly north of downtown Dallas.

So here's the situation. My complex has signed a lease with a sole provider for phone/internet/TV and you cannot order from a separate company, so cable is not available. SBC has a dish on the roof and when you subscribe they activate the wall outlets in your apartment and you plug the TV into that. I could just order satellite and setup my own dish on my balcony, but I face the interior of my complex and thus have a very limited view of the sky.

So my only option to get HDTV is an OTA antenna. The problem is I currently have a cheap RCA antenna for my SDTV and only get 1 channel (which is fuzzy) because the reception is so bad. A lot of the walls at my complex are concrete so that only complicates the problem. Is there a possibility that a powerful HD OTA antenna would get better reception? At least I could get the local channels in HD.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I could get HD? It would really suck if all I can do with the TV is games/DVD/SD. If it's not possible, I might be cancelling my order.

Thanks,
Kyle

Xesdeeni

11-17-05, 03:23 PM

OK, I finally got a chance to check this out myself. There are 10 channels under virtual channel 99. 99-1 through 99-9 (with 99-5 missing) and 99-50. 5 of them are from actual channel 30 and 5 are from actual channel 46. The "barker" channel on 99-1 has live thumbnail feeds from all the channels (except Starz, I think). Also nifty is that my TV (Mitsubishi WS-65513) actually displayed a message indicating the other channels were "scrambled."This got me thinking. Doesn't the FCC require at least one unencrypted sub-channel per channel? Sure, one of the virtual channel 99 subchannels is in the clear, but isn't the virtual channel just a stop-gap to avoid confusion until the digital channels settle into thier final frequencies? So shouldn't there be one unencrypted channel on 30 and on 46?

Xesdeeni

mp3trojan

11-18-05, 04:16 PM

Does anyone here know a launch date for USDTV?? I read the release and all it says is "this week".

tim552

11-18-05, 09:09 PM

I've got Dish Network. Anyone know if they have any plans of adding FSN-HD to their Fox package?

Thomas Desmond

11-19-05, 08:44 PM

So my only option to get HDTV is an OTA antenna. The problem is I currently have a cheap RCA antenna for my SDTV and only get 1 channel (which is fuzzy) because the reception is so bad. A lot of the walls at my complex are concrete so that only complicates the problem. Is there a possibility that a powerful HD OTA antenna would get better reception? At least I could get the local channels in HD.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I could get HD? It would really suck if all I can do with the TV is games/DVD/SD. If it's not possible, I might be cancelling my order.

It's really difficult to predict how your OTA digital reception will be -- digital can work pretty well with weak signals, but can get nailed by interference and multipath (ghosts). But it also depends on the quality of the tuner that is built into your television (I'm assuming since it is new that it has an integrated ATSC digital tuner).

But don't give up hope -- there are several small antennas that folks here have reported success with. As I recall, those antennas are the Silver Sensor (Zenith), the Square Shooter (Winegard), and the indoor 2-bay bowtie style antenna (Radio Shack catalog, I think).

You might also want to check out the website for "Antennas Direct" -- but if you do so, follow the link from the AVS Forum so that if you buy anything it helps support this website...

tim552

11-21-05, 05:40 PM

I was looking at an HD sports website and they list programming as either 720p or 1080i.

What does that mean?

IFLYSWA

11-21-05, 06:11 PM

I was looking at an HD sports website and they list programming as either 720p or 1080i.

What does that mean?

Hi Tim,
That is the resolution of the broadcast. 720p means 720 lines of horizontal resolution, 'painted' at the same time on your screen, a.k.a. progressively. 1080i is 1080 lines of horizontal resolution interlaced, or half the lines are 'painted' on your screen in one cycle, with the other half being 'painted' in the next cycle. This is done so fast that your eye generally can't perceive that it is not all appearing at once. There is a huge debate of which format is best, and I am not knowledgable enough to state a case either way. My set is a 720p DLP, so that *must* be the best!!! Well, except for 1080p, of course. :p Anyway, here are a couple of links that might help you get some of the basic terms and concepts down:

PC World Answer Guide on HDTV (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115054,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp)

HDTV Magazine's HDTV Primer (http://www.hdtvprimer.com/)

I honestly haven't read through those all that carefully, so they may or may not be to your liking...google 'HDTV primer' and you'll get all sorts of hits to choose from....

Good luck!

-Randy

Willie_Tee

11-23-05, 10:52 AM

I very seldom watch channel 5 (NBC) but have a TIVO season pass for "My Name is Earl" set to digital channel 5.1 The reception was so pixielated and dropped out so much the recording was just worthless. I used to receive 5.1 very well and still receive all the other DFW digitial channels just fine. Anyone know what's up with KXAS 5.1 and their bad signal?

generalnewbie

11-26-05, 03:19 PM

Does comcast extended cable support QAM tuners?

im looking to get a HDTV receiver and i wanted to know if i should look for the QAM tuner instead of the OTA antennas.

drjdan

11-26-05, 04:57 PM

Willie_Tee,

Channel 5.1 has been having their problems overs the last month or two. I was terrible problems with Tonight Show. I talked to on the engineers and he told me they have been having HD decoder problems. Mine has been fine the last week or so. The problem was mostly on the Tonight Show vs. the prime time shows

DMH1

11-28-05, 08:54 AM

Hi. Newbie to the HD world with a couple of Qs:

I installed the following this weekend: Mitsu 52628 1080P DLP, DISH 942, Dish HD Pak and a Terk 5 Bowtie which I set-up on top of the TV to trial antenna reception. I am 30 miles from the towers according to anntennaweb and so far so good, am picking up all of the local digital channels including 4-1, 5-1, 8-1, 11-1 and several others. Watched Desperate Housewives last night while recording the Jets game on ESPNHD - incredible picture!

1. My signal strength is 67-73 as-is. Can I move the Terk 5 to the attic and expect any signal improvement? I am on a south facing hill in richardson with one tree in the front yard so I am speculating that another 20 ft or so in elevation will help a bit.
2. Is there another indoor UHF/VHF antenna to try in the attic? Winegard Sharpshooter? Radio Shack?
3. Also, may be OT, but have seen a few threads about Dallasites qualifying for CBS-HD from Dish. Does anyone have the scoop on how to do this? Is there a cost for this feed? Or, just the cost of adding a 2d Dish for the 148 satellite? And, if I need a 2d Dish should I try for the Dish 1000 upgrade? Any cost info?

Thanks in advance!

Tom in TX

11-28-05, 09:23 AM

Also, may be OT, but have seen a few threads about Dallasites qualifying for CBS-HD from Dish. Does anyone have the scoop on how to do this? Is there a cost for this feed? Or, just the cost of adding a 2d Dish for the 148 satellite? And, if I need a 2d Dish should I try for the Dish 1000 upgrade? Any cost info?

Thanks in advance!
Just call Dish, and tell them you want the second dish so you can receive the other local channels (I think they are Spanish). They installed mine for free, and while the installer was doing it, I had him point it to the 61.5 so I could get the VOOM channels, and CBS-HD (no monthly charge). I don't know if they use the Dish 1000 here or not. You could ask.
Tom in TX

Xesdeeni

11-28-05, 11:00 AM

I missed this while I was out of town:

Star-Telegram busts critic for lifting from EW

MediaLifeMagazine.com--It’s fine, as a fellow TV critic, to admire the writing in Entertainment Weekly; it is not fine to pass that writing off as your own. Fort Worth Star-Telegram TV critic Ken Parish Perkins resigned this week after a reader pointed out just such a lapse. An entire paragraph of background information in Perkins’ Nov. 10 piece on “Lost” was lifted directly from Entertainment Weekly without proper attribution.

The paper subsequently investigated all of Perkins’ work since July 2003 and found several more instances of borrowed phrasing and sentences, which is a violation of its ethics policy. When confronted, Perkins resigned.

In a column published yesterday, the paper’s ombudsman, David House, said the paper had not suspected Perkins of any ethical lapses and would not have realized the problem if not for the alert reader.

It's unclear why exactly Perkins lifted the material. Executive editor Jim Witt called Perkins one of the paper’s best writers and hardest workers.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman...at_index_31.asp

Xesdeeni

Thebeef

11-29-05, 06:40 PM

I am moving into a new home in the Dallas area and have three choices for programming: Dish, DirectTV or Comcast. My goal is to maximize my HD viewing- my main interests would be sports, movies and regular primetime viewing.

Any thoughts on which would be the best way to go? All seem similarly priced- I also want to make sure I can get a HD-DVR that will enable me to record while watching something else.

I am a huge football fan- is DirectTV worth it solely for the football ticket?

One other consideration is that I will be there for many years, so if I know something revolutionary is around the corner, it would impact my decision.

Thanks for any help- this site is always very helpful to me as a newbie to the HD world.

JimboG

11-29-05, 07:37 PM

donny35

12-02-05, 09:26 PM

I have a HDTV set top box for OTA reception in the area of North Dallas/Carrollton. For the past year I have had terrific reception and picture on all the channels. Recently, most of the channels give great reception, except for channel 5-1 NBC. For the past 2 weeks or so, channel 5-1 has been highly pixelated, with loss of sound and at times virutally un-watchable. Does anyone know what might be causing this extremely poor reception on channel 5-1? Is it my HDTV receiver, or the signal coming from the station? Does anyone know a contact person/telephone number at the station?

tvlover4life

12-03-05, 08:23 PM

hey kinda new.... okay here's the situation mom just bought a great 32" lcd sharp tv widesscreen the works

we've been useing a regular indoor antenna with tivo, all the channels are okay none that good.

WE WANT HD!!!

what is the best hd outdoor or indoor antenna that's under say 150 bux, located in crowley /fortworth line, all stations 35 miles away.... please provide links... thx in advance

Tom in TX

12-04-05, 02:41 PM

Does your LCD have a built-in HD tuner? If not, do you have a HD tuner (sat, or cable)? You should be able to pick up some HD from where you are.
Tom in TX

Rakesh.S

12-04-05, 05:50 PM

Move to one of the Dallas suburbs where you can get Verizon's FIOS TV service. Better to have four choices than three. It might even drive your Comcast bill down if you choose to stick with cable versus fibre to the home.

when he said he was moving into a new home, I'm assuming that the home has already been purchased and moving to a verizon suburb at this juncture isn't an option.

brd

12-05-05, 12:33 AM

Can anyone recommend an outdoor antenna that will do digital, but also works well with all the analog stations around here? I live in the mid-cities (18 miles from the towers according to antennaweb). I want analog input for my pvr, which only has a ntsc tuner.

I have a single story house.

Xesdeeni

12-05-05, 11:24 AM

CPanther95

12-05-05, 06:08 PM

According to a Sky Report news article posted in the Hot off the Press sticky in the Programming forum, Dallas HD LILs will be added by D* this Thursday.

Redbird

12-05-05, 08:21 PM

Hmmm, I'll moving from Coloado to the Dallas area in 3 weeks and was about to call D* to find out what "movers" incentive they have going now. I'll have to find out about that.

Rakesh.S

12-05-05, 08:28 PM

According to a Sky Report news article posted in the Hot off the Press sticky in the Programming forum, Dallas HD LILs will be added by D* this Thursday.

good for them, but they lost me when they started the downrezzing bullcrap.

Thomas Desmond

12-05-05, 11:14 PM

According to a Sky Report news article posted in the Hot off the Press sticky in the Programming forum, Dallas HD LILs will be added by D* this Thursday.

Considering how good off-air reception is in most of the market, I really don't understand why many folks would choose to pay DirecTV for recompressed versions of what they can get in the free and clear. And it's guaranteed that the Dallas HD locals will look better received with an antenna than from DirecTV, anyway...

brd

12-06-05, 03:43 AM

There's no such thing as an digital vs. analog antenna. The signals have different information on them, but the frequencies are the same.

I recommend a Channel Master. $35 or so at Fry's, depending on size.

Xesdeeni

Thought I'd do a followup for anyone else in the area looking for antenna options...

I returned my Terk TV5 ant to Bestbuy today and headed down to Fry's to get a CM. The Arlington location had only 2 outdoor antennas, neither of them CMs, so I left. 45 miles rountrip in heavy traffic. :(

Anyway, on the way home I stopped in to the local radshack, just to see what they've got in an outdoor. The guy there instead recommended a powered attic antenna (model 15-2185, a flat boomerang shaped one). He said that in the HEB area people have had good luck with it. It was $49, they have a good return policy, and the store is close by if it doesn't work, so I decided to give it a try.

First I tried it in the living room and it worked pretty good. Better than the Terk. Good start. Then I took it up to the attic and set it up there across a couple of cardboard boxes, trying to aim it toward the SE. That got all the digital channels perfectly and most of the analogs came in pretty good, except KXAS/NBC5 and KDAF/WB33 had some ghosting. Of course, these are 2 of the ones that I was hoping to get better analog on, to record with my pvr.

I messed with it some more and made some stuff better but other channels worse. Then, I decided to try putting it up high in the peak of the roof across a beam. That was the best yet. WB33 looks great even in analog, NBC analog is a little grainy, but passable, and some slight ghosting on FOX4/KDFW. I get all the major 4 digitals, plus KERA, WB, and a few more, even CBS/KTVT 11.1, which I never got with any indoor ant. I don't get 27.1 KDFI, but antennaweb classifies it in the red spectrum, so maybe it's lower power?

Also, the antenna can be used as an outdoor. I might try experimenting with that tomorrow, as I've read around here that being inside an attic can reduce signal by 50%. Plus, that would put it about 6-8' higher than it is now.

I think I'm ready to give comcast the boot and just go OTA. :cool:

PlanoZeus

12-06-05, 01:26 PM

Anyone getting HD locals between 121 & Mcdermott on Custer (plano/Allen border)?
I tried silversensor, radioshack 15-1880 & another radioshack antenna and only get CBS, PBS & UPN (75-85% signal strength). FOX, NBC, ABC and the rest are about 25-30%.

Is there any other antenna I can try?
It's an apartment complex so outdoor/attics are ruled out. Unfortunately the only cable service I get is analog from a third party cable company that the apartment folks contracted out (analog cable or directtv feed..no hd options). I miss MNF and football on FOX.

I'm at Independence & Hedgecoxe with an in attic SS1000 and a CM 7777. I get all UHF with enough strength to watch with no issues. I'm working on WFAA still. I took a older "big ugly", which is not actually that big, onto my roof and finally got WFAA at a real low strength, lots of pixilation. I'm planning on trying the CM stealth in my attic next for current and future VHF. If that doesn't work, I'll keep buying bigger. I might have to enlarge my attic...

The SS is great for UHF and for now that is 90% of DFW stations.

Hope the helps,
Jeff

CPanther95

12-06-05, 01:39 PM

Considering how good off-air reception is in most of the market, I really don't understand why many folks would choose to pay DirecTV for recompressed versions of what they can get in the free and clear. And it's guaranteed that the Dallas HD locals will look better received with an antenna than from DirecTV, anyway...

Agreed - I won't be "upgrading" to MPEG4 until it offers more channels (hopefully with substantially improved PQ).

But there are quite a few people with reception issues or that will not consider (or cannot - apt/condo, etc.) installing an antenna. Not sure about Dallas, but Charlotte's channels are split between 2 towers about 30 or 40 miles apart which can cause problems for some also.

Xesdeeni

12-06-05, 04:54 PM

The only two reasons I can see are 1) the reception issues above, and 2) if the DirecTV PVR with MPEG-4 support can't handle OTA MPEG-2.

Xesdeeni

Thomas Desmond

12-06-05, 10:13 PM

Not sure about Dallas, but Charlotte's channels are split between 2 towers about 30 or 40 miles apart which can cause problems for some also.

We're fortunate in that regard -- except for one station that runs only infomercials, all of the Dallas-Fort Worth DTV stations transmit from towers located in the same general area.

mp3trojan

12-06-05, 10:16 PM

The BIG freestanding tower in Garland at Jupiter and Marquis is KUVN - Univision 23/24DT

The analog transmitter for KTAQ 47 is in Greenville TX. 45 miles N.E. BUT their Digital side emminates from Cedar Hill.

All others are in Cedar Hill as well.

techwolf

12-07-05, 11:03 AM

Considering how good off-air reception is in most of the market, I really don't understand why many folks would choose to pay DirecTV for recompressed versions of what they can get in the free and clear. And it's guaranteed that the Dallas HD locals will look better received with an antenna than from DirecTV, anyway...

I want HDNet, Discovery HD, etc. I've been a DirecTV customer for a while now. Friday they'll be out with my HD PVR. I am already using a RCA inside antenna to get most of the HD (except the elusive 8). If they add them on Thursday, I can at least get 8 without having to try multiple antennas and locations.

Thomas Desmond

12-07-05, 11:09 PM

The BIG freestanding tower in Garland at Jupiter and Marquis is KUVN - Univision 23/24DT

Not anymore. KUVN moved its transmission facilities down to Cedar Hill several years back.

shaggy2002

12-08-05, 10:02 AM

In reading the long MPEG4 threads in the other forums, I have seen posts where people say the MPEG4 HD Lils are as good a picture as their OTA signals. Not sure if this is because of the new receiver versus old receiver, but I will definitely get the MPEG4 DVR when it becomes available. I live in Denton so an Antenna is not an option for me because I do not want a large antenna on my house, and I have heard from people around me that they are unable to pick up all stations. At this point a DVR is a higher priority than HD so I am content on waiting for the new HD DVR to come out even though I may have to wait a while unless the bright CSRs at D* are actually right when they say it will be avail Jan 2006. :cool:

Tonedeaf

12-08-05, 01:04 PM

Waiting for the HD DVR when it becomes available before I upgrade to Mpeg4. I get all major channels just fine with a Wineguard batwing antenna in my attic.

Rakesh.S

12-08-05, 01:45 PM

any early indications of what the mpeg-4 dvr is going to cost? I'd be curious to see how many people buy into it if it turns out to be an obscene amount.

LookingG

12-09-05, 06:39 AM

Need your help guys.

I have the dishnet 811 and live in an apartment that faces NORTH. What antenna should I get? Antenna web says this about 75254: I'm guessing I need a multidirectional or am I out of luck totally by facing north?

blue - vhf WFAA-DT 8.1 ABC DALLAS TX 197° 27.0 9
* violet - uhf KUVN-DT 23.1 UNI GARLAND TX 196° 26.5 24
* violet - uhf KMPX-DT 30.1 DAY DECATUR TX 228° 8.7 30
* violet - uhf KPXD-DT 68.1 i ARLINGTON TX 197° 26.5 42
* violet - uhf KTXA-DT 21.1 UPN FORT WORTH TX 193° 29.3 18
* violet - uhf KTVT-DT 11.1 CBS FORT WORTH TX 194° 26.8 19
* violet - uhf KXTX-DT 40.1 TEL DALLAS TX 196° 26.7 40
* violet - uhf KXAS-DT 5.1 NBC FORT WORTH TX 196° 26.7 41
* violet - uhf KDFW-DT 4.1 FOX DALLAS TX 197° 27.0 35
* violet - uhf KDAF-DT 33.1 WB DALLAS TX 193° 29.3 32
* violet - uhf KDTN-DT 2.1 DAY DENTON TX 193° 29.3 43
* violet - uhf KERA-DT 13.1 PBS DALLAS TX 194° 26.8 14
* violet - uhf KLDT-DT 55.1 IND LAKE DALLAS TX 286° 11.2 54

alangant

12-09-05, 06:48 PM

IFLYSWA

12-09-05, 09:54 PM

Hi,
Is anybody else having signal/pixelation issues with digital and HD channels on Comcast lately? I have been having trouble since Wednesday night...I just haven't been home much to check it out until tonight. At that point my cable internet connection was down, too, but I managed to get that back. I am still having some pretty severe issues on the TV side. I'm just curious if anyone else (particularly in the Frisco area) is having the same problems...

Thanks!
Randy

LookingG

12-10-05, 05:07 AM

I can't point my antenna because my apt faces north. I'm not sure what to do.

Thomas Desmond

12-10-05, 03:40 PM

Try pointing the antenna south *through* your apartment and see how that works. If that doesn't work, try other directions to see if you can get a usable signal by picking up a reflected signal.

No guarantees, but there is a fair chance that it will work. In the DFW area, it seems that digital reception can work pretty well even in areas where analog looks like garbage.

billt1111

12-11-05, 08:40 AM

I just moved from Flower Mound to the Haslett area by Alliance Airport. My HD OTA reception was terrific in FM with a small upright box antenna and a 7777 amp from CM. Now I am slightly behind a hill and a lot farther away from Cedar Hill. I tried the 12 foot boom antenna from Radio Shack with the CM amp in my attic and I got only 2 digital channels and they were iffy. I returned it and am NOT going to try the 16 foot monster. I am resigned to network HD via D* and waiting for local HD.

Two questions:

1 - Has anyone ever successfully petitioned local channel 8 Belo for a waiver to allow D* to turn on my satellite ABC HD feed? If so do you have any tips or contact info at WFAA for this purpose?

2 - What are the current projections and predictions as to when the DFW local HD feeds will be available via D*?

Thanks for your help!

billt1111

12-11-05, 10:58 AM

Never mind, I answered my own question by calling D* second level support line. They are sending me a new H20 HD receiver to replace the Samsung 360 and are replacing my satellite dish for free. My understanding is that HD channels 4, 5, and 11 are the only ones available. I guess Belo is going to hang on for dear life as long as possible.

I still am curious whether anyone has ever successfully gotten a waiver from WFAA for ABC east HD feed over satellite.

bill

billt1111

12-12-05, 07:27 AM

Is anyone else receiving DFW HD locals with an H20?

Willie_Tee

12-12-05, 11:53 AM

Has anyone in the DFW area been contacted by D* about the HD-LIL availability in Dallas? I have a HR10-250 and two Samsung TS-360's and would think D* would let me know when the HD-LIL's are available in my area. Am I asking too much of D* to initiate the process?

JStigler

12-13-05, 04:35 PM

billt1111 you did good getting a replacement free. I bought the H20 from a local store but called Direct for the Antenna as I couldn't find locally. Direct had to send an installer. I tried for just the box but no go. No go on the free either.

I think Belo will be on the LiL MPEG4 soon.

Haslett is only 34 miles from Cedar Hill. A decent antenna (maybe outdoors) should work. No splitters and maybe the CM 777 amp. Look at an analog signal and if it is OK then digital should work.
JStigler

Miker07

12-13-05, 11:04 PM

Does comcast extended cable support QAM tuners?

im looking to get a HDTV receiver and i wanted to know if i should look for the QAM tuner instead of the OTA antennas.

I have a Samsung HLR5688W with a QAM tuner. I am in Dallas, and subscribe to Comcast Basic ($14/month). Here's what I get in digital with the cabel plugged right into the TV:

6-7 NFL Network
51-1 KERA-HD (PBS)
51-2 WFAA-HD (ABC)
52-1 KTVT-HD (CBS)
52-2 TNT-HD
52-3 KDFI??HD
59-1 FOX HD
59-2 NBC HD

Occasionally I get movies (PPV, I think) on channels in the 70's.

miker

FriscoJoe

12-14-05, 09:20 PM

I'm getting the Mavs on UPN OTA right now. Not sure if this was announced previously or not. It wasn't HD at the start of the game....switched sometime in the 2nd quarter.

dishbacker

12-15-05, 07:53 AM

I'm getting the Mavs on UPN OTA right now. Not sure if this was announced previously or not. It wasn't HD at the start of the game....switched sometime in the 2nd quarter.

The game was supposed to be provided by HDNet to its subscribers in the DFW area, but some 'technical difficulties' kept it from being shown on Dish Network and Directv. I wonder if they allowed UPN to carry the HD feed because of these issues.

I was plesantly surprised when I turned on the game at halftime to see the nice lead and to see the nice HD.

Go Mavs!

shaggy2002

12-16-05, 08:06 AM

gghunt

12-18-05, 08:47 PM

Well, those of you in the Dallas area probably have figured out that there is, once again, a problem between DirecTV and HDnet's regional broadcasts of the Mavericks games. Last year, most (all?) of these games were available on DirecTV to the Dallas market, usually on channel 95 or 96, but this season other than the Lakers game (and maybe one other i'm forgetting about?), they have not. For the past two games (phoenix and tonight) the HDnet website has had the banner on the top "due to technical difficulties, DirecTV will not be broadcasting tonight's HDnet Game". and I've e-mailed with Cuban and he said they are trying to work things out with UPN 21 to broadcast the HD signal on 21-1 for tonight's game, but so far, nothing.
There must be SEVERE problems between DirecTV and the NBA as a whole for all this rubbish to be happening all season - between the NBAHD tv games, the Mavericks telecasts, and the regional HD games that, granted, aren't usually available to all of us, but might be provided for us later this season, ala MLB extra innings giving us the regional FSN HD broadcasts on Directv in HD.
I'm SO fed up with this. And I think I echo all other D* subscribers' sentiments when I say all of this on top of the prolonged TNTHD delay/problems has just been awful.

dishbacker

12-19-05, 08:22 AM

The Mavs game was up tonight on Dish Network... whereas it wasn't up on Wednesday night just like Directv (As stated above, the Suns game was picked up in the second quarter by UPN).

smoberly

12-19-05, 11:15 AM

dadaone

12-19-05, 12:33 PM

I am not getting 8-1 or 8-2 and I live in Little Elm.

smoberly

12-19-05, 12:35 PM

I am not getting 8-1 or 8-2 and I live in Little Elm.

Did you previously receive them?

JStew

12-19-05, 12:38 PM

I am not getting 8-1 or 8-2 and I live in Little Elm.
I've got both 8.1 and 8.2 with fine signals here in north Carrollton.

smoberly

12-19-05, 12:41 PM

I've got both 8.1 and 8.2 with fine signals here in north Carrollton.

interesting...8-1, 8-2 used to be my strongest signals....now, nothing!

m2nal

12-19-05, 12:46 PM

i live in far north dallas, getitn ABC has always been a pain, makin the switch to H20 and MPEG4 all the more easy.

dadaone

12-19-05, 02:20 PM

:mad: I used to get them both just fine. Now I think starting maybe Thursday, I can't remember exactly when they said searching for signal. I did a rescan and now the channels don't even show up.

I am tempted to adjust my antenna. But am seeing if others are having issues. :mad:

smoberly

12-19-05, 02:25 PM

:
I am tempted to adjust my antenna. But am seeing if others are having issues. :mad:

If you are getting the other channels okay, do you think an antenna adjustment will help....aren't they all coming from the same general vicintity?

dadaone

12-19-05, 03:36 PM

I think they are coming from the same general vacinity. I probably won't do anything but, this is rather frustrating.

Any ideas anyone?

JStew

12-19-05, 05:34 PM

I think they are coming from the same general vacinity. I probably won't do anything but, this is rather frustrating.

Any ideas anyone?
What was your signal strength for 8.1 and 8.2 prior to this? What type of antenna are you using?

DuaneAA

12-19-05, 10:57 PM

dadaone

12-20-05, 09:48 AM

I believe the signal strength was somewhere in the 60's along with all my other local over the air.

My antenna is a winegard, one that looks like a T.

What do you think I should do?

JStew

12-20-05, 05:51 PM

I believe the signal strength was somewhere in the 60's along with all my other local over the air.

My antenna is a winegard, one that looks like a T.

What do you think I should do?
I honestly don't know. I doubt moving the antenna will do any good since the other stations are still coming in. The only other thing I can think of is the possibility of PSIP issues the station and your tuner. No one else is reporting problems with WFAA. You might want to rescan your channels again to see if it will pick it up.

ToastedAudiolab

12-21-05, 06:41 AM

Hello,
I live in the 'burbs of DFW and was seeking info regarding Direct TV or Dish Network providers in this area. Looking for the best, most reasonable, most bang for the buck provider to get me up and running with satellite TV in time for the Rose Bowl.

T-Raz

12-21-05, 09:29 AM

Hello,

I live in Forney and I am trying to figure out what the best antenna would be to receive OTA HD channels. I am 30-35 miles from the transmitters according to the website. I've seen a couple of people from Rockwall on the forum, which is close to Forney. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

TheX-Man

12-22-05, 12:21 AM

Hi,

I live in the Lake Country Development on the east side of Eagle Mountain Lake in NW Fort Worth. Charter ran fiber optic cable to the box outside my house a couple of years ago and I have been using their cable internet service for about 1.5 years without any problems. Does anyone know what HD channels they are providing out here and what the picture quality is like?

(I have had a Dish Network 6000 HD receiver for about five years, but it appears to be dying. So after the holidays I need to either replace it with a newer box or this might be the time to switch to cable, if they provide a comparable range of HD channels.)

Thanks,
Duane

Charter in Fort Worth has HDNET, HDMovies, ESPNHD, DiscoveryHD, ShowtimeHD, CinemaxHD, HBOHD, NBC, UPN, WB, FOX, CBS, PBS, ABC.

I'm disappointed with PQ, however, I haven't seen any other HD to base my opinion on. Just the fact that currently I'm watchin the Tonight Show, and it does look good, but every time someone moves the signal gets distorted. I don't know if it's what you'd call macroblocking, but it's very distracting and I don't see it on other channels. I'm curious to know what others think of charter's quality because I find it lacking.

JStigler

12-23-05, 03:42 PM

All the digital signals come from Cedar Hill. Hwy 67 & Beltline Rd is a good mark. WFAA-DT is on VHF Ch9, assigned by the FCC.

A good way to ck your antenna is to hook the coax up to an analog set or if your STB does analog then scan and tune some of the analog channels. If ch8 analog is snowy for has lots of ghost then there is a problem in your antenna. It could be pointing, too may splitters, maybe an amp is needed, etc. This gives you a way to trouble shoot.

I can tell you there has been no change in the TX output power or antenna changes on the Hill.

There are some Samsung STB's that have lost their mind in the past. Do a scan with NO Antenna connected to rub out all memory. Then hook the coax up and do another scan. Sometimes this will help when a box is scrambled. This will not help if the signal is not on the coax.
JStigler
WFAA-DT
jstigler@wfaa.com

JStigler

12-23-05, 03:49 PM

JStew

12-23-05, 05:16 PM

Direct TV MPEG4
Now here is how I understand the local into local HD.
There are 3 stations on the MPEG4 stream TODAY for the DFW area. WFAA-DT is NOT one of them. We are still in discussion with Direct TV. This is WAY over my head.

You can go to Circuit City and purchase an H20 MPEG4 receiver today. Or you can call Direct TV and do the whole deal. What I learned is if you call Direct TV they can do a turnkey job and the end cost is $99.95 after rebates. They have to send out someone to install a NEW 5 LNB antenna to go with the new H20 receiver. This receiver does NOT have a DVR. That seems worthless to me.

NO DVR in MPEG4 today is NO deal for me. I love my H10-250 DVR. I do get all OTA stations with my atic antenna.
JStigler
WFAA-DT
I agree. I bet before the digital age of TV, most households had a VCR to time shift their favorite programs. Now that digital is here, it just stands to reason that time shifting is still as popular as ever and if they haven't perfected a DVR to go with their new compressed signal, they put the cart before the horse. I never understood why they came out with the new compressed signal without having the full complement of hardware to go with it.

Thomas Desmond

12-23-05, 07:44 PM

All the digital signals come from Cedar Hill. Hwy 67 & Beltline Rd is a good mark. WFAA-DT is on VHF Ch9, assigned by the FCC.

Isn't KLDT-DT (54) still broadcasting as low power from that tower near Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville? I know that they have a CP to go to Cedar Hill, but didn't think it had been built yet.

Not that there is anything worth seeing on KLDT, anyway.

dadaone

12-23-05, 10:45 PM

Hey JStigler....Great advice...

I did a scan on the local SB channels on my samsung or something to the effect. 8 was snowy or rough and 8-1, 8-2 were not coming in at all, kept doing the searching for sat. signal....

I called around town looking pricing how much to adjust the antenna, since I knew that it had to be that, and I also remembered how windy it was around the time this started. . ;) :mad:

Anyway, 80-100 bucks....I said I can go on the roof and adjust it myself. went up there noticed that something had stripped and moved it back to where I thought it was and whatdya know....problem solved....

Gosh I love being handy....so does my wife... :D :cool:

Thanks again, I didn't see your post until I had already done this......

All the digital signals come from Cedar Hill. Hwy 67 & Beltline Rd is a good mark. WFAA-DT is on VHF Ch9, assigned by the FCC.

A good way to ck your antenna is to hook the coax up to an analog set or if your STB does analog then scan and tune some of the analog channels. If ch8 analog is snowy for has lots of ghost then there is a problem in your antenna. It could be pointing, too may splitters, maybe an amp is needed, etc. This gives you a way to trouble shoot.

I can tell you there has been no change in the TX output power or antenna changes on the Hill.

There are some Samsung STB's that have lost their mind in the past. Do a scan with NO Antenna connected to rub out all memory. Then hook the coax up and do another scan. Sometimes this will help when a box is scrambled. This will not help if the signal is not on the coax.
JStigler
WFAA-DT
jstigler@wfaa.com

Reveille

12-24-05, 01:44 PM

We bought my wifes mother an HD-Tivo for Christmas and called direct TV to set it up and they told me no more units in Dallas could be activated for new customers. Instead they told us to take the unit back to the store and they will come install the new HD-DVR and dish on Jan 16th. They gave us a good deal on the new HD-DVR unit and a regular SD tivo to use until Jan 16th. That is the date they will turn on the MPEG 4 in Dallas. Note he said all the locals will come through the satelite on Jan 16th in Dallas. So there will be no need for an antenna after that date. I don't know if he is right or not but I will let you know on Jan 17th.

JStigler

12-25-05, 05:00 PM

Reveille that is news to me. They don't have an HD-DVR for the new local HD channels. All they have is a RECEIVER model H20. What you bought was the H10-250 and that is a DVR. The H10 is being discontinued but I Never would expect them to not turn it on. The deal you got should only cost $99.95 after rebates.

The New H20 MPEG 4 receiver and New dish will only get 3 HD local DFW stations today. Shortly it will go up to 4. What about all the other local stations out there. They may not have HD but they are local. I still see an antenna required for locals.

My oppinion is your were HAD by the customer service personel at Direct TV.
JStigler

JStigler

12-27-05, 04:21 PM

Per a call to Direct TV:
They are authorizing the HR10-250 DVR for the Dallas market. They did say that in mid 2006 the MPEG4 HD PVRs will be out and there will be a trade out program for the HD DVR and 5 LNB dish. The HR10-250 DVR does have the Tivo logo on it as well as in the paperwork on DirecTV’s website.
JStigler

celluloideyes

12-28-05, 07:43 PM

Hello. I live in FW (Hulen and I-20). I have a Viewsonic 32" LCD, a Samsung HD Receiver (SIR-T451), and a Terk 55 ant. (I am running the receiver through HDMI)

I can't get any channels, which is weird. I got on here and noticed everyone saying the get channels 2-1, 14-1, etc.

My receiver shows the channels like this--2-0, 14-0, etc.

Is this why I'm not getting any channels? I know this should be working because there are other people in my apartment complex that have the same ant outside (so I'm guessing they get the channels).

Please help me. I just spend all this money and it's not working :(

Thanks

Axel Foley

12-29-05, 01:32 AM

I am assuming that your Viewsonic TV is HD READY or HD Monitor. If it is a standard LCD TV then it is not capable of receiving digital signals and will not display any HD programming.

1) Make sure that you Antenna is connected to the Ant./Cable IN connector on the back of the box
2) Ensure that your Samsung box is connected to your TV via Component OR DVI connectors.
3) Ensure that your Resolution select switch in the back of the box is set for the right resolution to match your TV. (1080i or 720p etc)
4) Finally, from your onscreen menu select the Channel section - Memorize Channels - Air and hit select. The Samsung should scan all the digital channels that are available to you in your area.

Jeff009

12-29-05, 05:13 PM

Hey, guys curious if anyone is using Grande for HDTV digital cable? I'm currently a DirectTV person, but a bit unhappy with them (besides the fact that ABC is not available with the new MPEG-4 rollout). I currently use an OTA receiver and have been happy with it, but hate that I'm missing a bunch of bowl games on ESPN got me looking. Grande, is the only cable provider in my area, and it looks like they have a pretty extensive list of HD channels and more to come in about a month. Few questions if anyone uses them-

1. Do they have a DVR for HD? If so, what model (I'm leaving a DirectTivo and no I want be happy but just curious if it is a stable box)?
2. Whats the quality like compared to OTA? I've heard mix reviews of other cable companies HDTV and was curious.
3. Overall how has service been?

Thanks and look forward to responses.

HaloBox

12-30-05, 02:54 AM

I searched through the recent history of the Dallas thread, and I haven't been able to find anything related to this.....has channel 8 made a change in the last 30 days to how they transmit their signal? I am way up in McKinney, at the bottom of a hill, in the woods....but I have Radio Shacks biggest antenna mounted on my chimney, and I pick up a "good" OTA signal for all of the local channels. In the past , channel 8 seemd to be the strongest....now, I am not picking up anything at all.....very confusing--am I missing something?

Thanks.

You guys aren't alone. I recently purchased a HD tuner for my Media Center PC and it was working fair. I expected that with it's rinky dinky antenna. So I went and grabbed one of the Radio Shack indoor antennas and every digital over the air station came in great, except WFAA. Absolutely no signal for WFAA.

I discussed this with the Radio Shack and BestBuy folks and they indicated this was a fairly common complaint in my area.

Something is wrong with their transmission. I'm in Southlake.

jfabes

12-30-05, 03:25 AM

mp3trojan

12-30-05, 10:52 AM

Antenna pointing south???? You should be good from Valley Ranch. If you were to get on your roof at night or on a clear day and look south you can see the towers from there.

kemical_head

12-30-05, 11:59 AM

Hey everyone,
I just have a couple of questions:

1. I currently live in Addison and I cannot pick up any OTA digital channels. I have tried the Terk HDTVI and a Radio Shack indoor Antenna both of which have been raved about here and a few other places. I live in an apartment (Townhome) around the noel/celestial. I have gotten different results from antennaweb.org as to what I can pick up. So the question I have is are there any indoor antennas that people have had success in my area? I am thinking about getting an outdoor antenna and putting it in my second bedroom on the second floor, is this worth while? Any luck with the Terk HDTV-S antenna?

2. I may be moving to Little Elm in a couple of months, what type of results have people had for OTA out there?

Thank you ahead of time,

Kem

JStew

12-30-05, 11:38 PM

You guys aren't alone. I recently purchased a HD tuner for my Media Center PC and it was working fair. I expected that with it's rinky dinky antenna. So I went and grabbed one of the Radio Shack indoor antennas and every digital over the air station came in great, except WFAA. Absolutely no signal for WFAA.

I discussed this with the Radio Shack and BestBuy folks and they indicated this was a fairly common complaint in my area.

Something is wrong with their transmission. I'm in Southlake.
What antenna did you buy? Most (if not all) digital signals are in the UHF range with one exception - WFAA. Channel 8 requires a VHF antenna.

JStew

12-30-05, 11:42 PM

hey ya'll, i have dish w/the dvr-942 and a winegard ss-1000 on my balcony in irving (valley ranch), about 2 miles north of 635. i can't get hardly any of these local channels you guys are talking about. i've already had the service techs out here 2x and they just shrug there shoulders. i can get 4-1, 5-1, 11-1, 13-1 and 21-1. i can't get 8-1, 2-1 or 52-1 no matter what i do. 5-1 has 70% strength, but it fades in and out every second and is impossible to watch. the others are are 65%, but with the best buy rca signal booster, they jump to 68-70%. any ideas what i can do? should i try a different antenna? any help is appreciated.

Are you at the bottom of the hill north of 635? I've seen other posts where people have had luck with Silver Sensors (you can get one at Fry's right down the road from where you are) and other assorted antennas as well. The Silver Sensor won't get 8-1 for you, though. 8-1 is a VHF signal and everything else is UHF which is suitable for the Silver Sensor.

jfabes

12-31-05, 12:00 AM

Are you at the bottom of the hill north of 635? I've seen other posts where people have had luck with Silver Sensors (you can get one at Fry's right down the road from where you are) and other assorted antennas as well. The Silver Sensor won't get 8-1 for you, though. 8-1 is a VHF signal and everything else is UHF which is suitable for the Silver Sensor.

yea, close to beltline/macarthur intersection. the silver sensor is the zenith zhdtv1, correct? can i run the silver sensor with my winegard ss1000 or should i only have one? is the silver sensor indoor or outdoor mountable. if inside, where do you put it?

HaloBox

12-31-05, 01:14 AM

What antenna did you buy? Most (if not all) digital signals are in the UHF range with one exception - WFAA. Channel 8 requires a VHF antenna.

So far, both of the indoor antennas I've tried are supposed to do both VHF and UHF. I took the RadioShack back because it was missing a bracket and it didn't work for ABC WFAA-DT. I tried a Phillips I picked up from Walmart today, but of course it was pretty much the same result.

I'm gathering from conversasions and my reading that the only way to guarantee quality reception is to use an attic or externally mounted antenna. I refuse to go through that much hassle just to have my PC pick up those channels.

Why I can't put a HD tuner in my PC and get those channels off the Charter Communications coax is beyond me.

Jeff009

12-31-05, 11:27 AM

Are you at the bottom of the hill north of 635? I've seen other posts where people have had luck with Silver Sensors (you can get one at Fry's right down the road from where you are) and other assorted antennas as well. The Silver Sensor won't get 8-1 for you, though. 8-1 is a VHF signal and everything else is UHF which is suitable for the Silver Sensor.

Actually, that is not totally true. The silver sensor is made to recieve UHF, but it will pick up certain VHF (high or low can't remember). Point being, I use a silver sensor to get all Dallas channels, 8-1 included, and I'm about 40 miles from the towers. I would suggest trying the silver sensor, went thru a bunch of other ones and was never satisfied till I got that one.

Jeff

JStew

12-31-05, 03:25 PM

Actually, that is not totally true. The silver sensor is made to recieve UHF, but it will pick up certain VHF (high or low can't remember). Point being, I use a silver sensor to get all Dallas channels, 8-1 included, and I'm about 40 miles from the towers. I would suggest trying the silver sensor, went thru a bunch of other ones and was never satisfied till I got that one.

Jeff
I live pretty close to him and had a Silver Sensor. It didn't do a thing for me when it came to pulling in WFAA. Theoretically, the Silver Sensor should be able to pick-up VHF 9 - 13 according to Frye's, but I couldn't get it to do anything. It worked like a charm on UHF over in that area, though.

JStew

12-31-05, 03:28 PM

yea, close to beltline/macarthur intersection. the silver sensor is the zenith zhdtv1, correct? can i run the silver sensor with my winegard ss1000 or should i only have one? is the silver sensor indoor or outdoor mountable. if inside, where do you put it?
It's small compared to most indoor antennas and comes with it's own base. You just attach the antenna to the base and plug in your coax. You can place it just about anywhere. Very small footprint.

bobbygrin22

12-31-05, 04:04 PM

I finally got my Stealth antenna working. :cool: I'm in Plano near coit and parker. I have the Stealth in the attic running through a diplexer for my dish. My tv, Toshiba 52HM95, scanned all the channels in just fine. I'm really digging the new digital broadcast. The only I'm having problems with is of course 8-1. It comes and goes. Would a pre amp help pick this up better?

Jeff009

12-31-05, 05:22 PM

I live pretty close to him and had a Silver Sensor. It didn't do a thing for me when it came to pulling in WFAA. Theoretically, the Silver Sensor should be able to pick-up VHF 9 - 13 according to Frye's, but I couldn't get it to do anything. It worked like a charm on UHF over in that area, though.

I too had problems at first, but I forgot one thing about my silver sensor use, never got 8-1 until I put in a pre-amp. Now every channel comes in pretty good, every once and awhile I have to fine tune it (i.e. move the antenna a bit).

Jeff

bobbygrin22

12-31-05, 06:35 PM

I'm thinking about getting the CM 7777. Is this a little overkill just to get 8-1 or should a cheaper one do the trick?

Jeff009

12-31-05, 07:03 PM

I'm thinking about getting the CM 7777. Is this a little overkill just to get 8-1 or should a cheaper one do the trick?

Well I too had considered that one, but didn't want to wait for it to be delivered, couldn't find it locally. Anyway, I went up to Home Depot and bought one, so I could return it if it didn't work, and have been using it ever since. No issues, unfortunately, I don't know which model or type it is (can't get to it right now). Always worth a try.

Jeff

spaceinvader

01-01-06, 09:21 AM

I recently installed a traditional rooftop antenna from Radio Shack in my attic. See link below. The antenna is hooked up directly to the HDTV. The internal tuner on the set picks up all local digital and analog stations available in the DFW area. Surprisingly, channel 8-1 and 8-2 are the strongest signal at 98%. Channel 27-1 is the weakest signal at 37%, but the picture on that station is clear and has never dropped out. All other digital stations range from about 77% to 88% signal strength. OTA analog stations look good too, but not as good as the digital stations. I live in North Carrollton near the intersection of Josey Lane and Hebron Parkway.

A friend of mine recently installed the same antenna in his attic with similar reception results. However, the antenna on his set is hooked up to his Dish Network HD receiver/DVR combo. He lives near the intersection of Hillcrest and Arapaho in North Dallas.

The Radio Shack model is VU 90XR. See link for details.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?parentPage=search&cp=&productId=2103085&kw=antenna&tab=summary

alangant

01-01-06, 03:58 PM

I'm thinking about getting the CM 7777. Is this a little overkill just to get 8-1 or should a cheaper one do the trick?

I live in South Plano, and use a Channel Master 4228 ($50 at Fry's) to receive all the digital stations from Cedar Ridge, including 8-1. Although this is a UHF antenna, it does a decent job of VHF-high, which covers 8-1 which is broadcast on ch. 9.

This antenna is 40" square, and easy to install/mount/aim. I tried it in my attic first, but only got about 1/2 of the stations. Now, since I have an aliuminum-lined roof, others may be able to succeed in the attic. Once I moved the antenna to a chimney mount outdoors, it gets them all with great signals, with none marginal. (I don't care about the stations located in Denton, Tyler, etc.)

I got 50 feet of RG-6 and the antenna mounting supplies at Radio Shack. There is no amplifier needed, and the coax goes straight into my DishNetwork PVR-942. I use Dish for the analog local stations, not my antenna.

Alan

billt1111

01-01-06, 10:33 PM

Anyone get the new mpeg4 AT9 dish installed yet? If so how did they mount it? What was the name of the contractor that installed the new equipment? I am trying to find out if they are pushing the pole mounts. I have been reading that in other markets that the contractors are pushing for them.

Myself and 3 other homes in my neighborhood in far north Ft. Worth have had H20 and AT9 dish installs. All of them are roof mounted, since they need two additional braces along with the maint pole and foot. The install was painless and took about 2 hours. If you have an exiting dish on your roof they will not pull off the old antenna mast and foot because they do not want to be liable for leaks in the roof. I needed the upgrade since I am behind a hill from Cedar Hill and cannot get OTA HD. As reported, only 4, 5, and 11 are available. Now if Belo WFAA will just not be such jerks and just sign the contract with D* we could get on with it.

Jeff009

01-02-06, 01:27 PM

judal98

01-02-06, 03:13 PM

Hi, I need to have an antenna installed on my condo. Have the approval from the board, just need to get an installer (pretty high, 3 stories)...in Dallas, M-Street area.

Anyone have any recommendations?

All comments appreciated, thanks for your time.

HaloBox

01-03-06, 03:41 AM

FYI, I purchased a Terk TV5 antenna at WorstBuy and I now have the local HDTV channels including WFAA-DT 8-1. I placed the antenna up on top of some books shelves and that certainly helped a lot.

http://static.flickr.com/42/81415505_dd9269d702_o_d.jpg

mp3trojan

01-03-06, 09:03 AM

IIRC: When D* LIL first rolled out in '99 WFAA waited almost 6 months to get on the stick.

GLORY be the day when B-LOW sells WFAA to the network.

billt1111

01-03-06, 10:00 AM

IIRC: When D* LIL first rolled out in '99 WFAA waited almost 6 months to get on the stick.

GLORY be the day when B-LOW sells WFAA to the network.

It would be good to dance on the grave of that company. Until then I will continue my personal boycott of channel 8 and their ownership. :)

mp3trojan

01-03-06, 10:08 AM

Me too!!

I get KLTV-DT Tyler with a 90% signal.

They don't preempt network programming with church on Friday night. Also, if you live close to ETX like I do, they have an award winning newscast. Unlike News 8, the anchors are speaking to EVERYONE and not just the residents of N. Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties.

rosenkavalier

01-04-06, 09:58 PM

I'm thinking about getting the CM 7777. Is this a little overkill just to get 8-1 or should a cheaper one do the trick?

One of the nice things about the 7777 pre-amp is that it seperately amplifies the VHF and UHF inputs. So I have my Silver Sensor plugged into the UHF side, and a cheapo pair of rabbit ears on the VHF side. This has allowed me to pick up ABC for the first time out here in my ground-level apartment in central Denton. (A weak signal, but I get a lock about 90-95% of the time.)

shaggy2002

01-05-06, 08:53 AM

billt1111 - Thanks for the response on the new dish!

It looks like I will have to wait a bit longer though. People on the board were speculating Early 2006 or Mid 2006 on the D* HD-DVR and I read the press release stating it is Mid 2006. Whomever gets to my neighborhood in Denton first with an HD DVR will be getting my business. BELO stinks. Good thing MNF is switching to ESPN!

rosenkavalier

01-05-06, 05:28 PM

It looks like I will have to wait a bit longer though. People on the board were speculating Early 2006 or Mid 2006 on the D* HD-DVR and I read the press release stating it is Mid 2006. Whomever gets to my neighborhood in Denton first with an HD DVR will be getting my business. BELO stinks. Good thing MNF is switching to ESPN!

You may already know this, but we here in Denton are one of the Verizon markets for FIOS TV in 2006. I'm definitely not holding my breath on Charter getting it done first.

billt1111

01-05-06, 05:50 PM

You may already know this, but we here in Denton are one of the Verizon markets for FIOS TV in 2006. I'm definitely not holding my breath on Charter getting it done first.

I am in a new FIOS area in Keller. Their 'rep' came by last week to ask if we wanted video service to go along with our phone and Internet service. He did not even have a channel lineup or a marketing flyer to explain anything. In addition, he could not tell me for sure what channels (or how many) are HD, saying he thought it was 'eight'. Coincidentally our phone and Internet were out at the same time. Talk about putting all of your eggs in one basket. They are a very risky HD play, IMHO. Given the options I will stay with D*.

dishbacker

01-06-06, 08:09 AM

I actually was gonna give them a call today to find out some more details on their channel line-up. You can go to their website (http://www22.verizon.com/FiOSForHome/channels/FiOSTV/FiosTVHome.aspx) and from the channel lineup in keller, they have the following listed as HD:

HDTV Broadcast**
801-808-Please consult the Interactive Programming Guide for local listings
HDTV National**
810-TNT HDTV
811-ESPN HDTV
812-ESPN 2 HDTV
814-NFL Network HDTV
817-HD Net
818-HD Net Movies
819-Universal HDTV
820-Discovery HDTV
821-Wealth TV HD

Also, the link on the right side of the page for a Printable Version (http://www22.verizon.com/FiosForHome/Includes/FiOSTV/KellerLineup.pdf) shows them having HBO HD, Cinemax HD, Showtime HD, TMC HD, and Starz HD.

I thought I read somewhere that they would have INHD1/2, but I guess not. I entered my Flower Mound home phone number and it says I qualified (they started video a month or 2 ago in Flower Mound, internet about 6 months ago). Also, looking at the DVR section, it just says SD recording time, so I don't know if they have an HD DVR.

Anyone in Keller able to talk about the HD quality on FiOS TV? Or anywhere in DFW for that matter? Any idea if they carry the Fox Sports SW HD feeds for Mavs, Rangers, and Stars games when they are being done in HD?

billt1111

01-06-06, 08:34 AM

So from this list it looks like FIOS has the following HD channels that D* does not have?

Wealth TV HD
Universal HDTV
TNT HD
NFL Network HD
Cinemax HD
TMC HD
STARZ HD

They do not mention local channels in HD at all. Its not completely clear but it looks like all their HD programming comes in their Expanded Basic Package for $34.95? And It would be nice to know something about the HD and SD PQ.

shaggy2002

01-06-06, 08:44 AM

dishbacker

01-06-06, 09:29 AM

Wealth TV HD
Universal HDTV - DirecTv has this one..
TNT HD
NFL Network HD - DirecTv has this one... they only do Game of the Week in HD...
Cinemax HD
TMC HD
STARZ HD

They do not mention local channels in HD at all...

The local channels are in the 801-808 range... looks like they have Abc, Cbs, Fox, Nbc, Pbs, Upn, WB and KDFI-27 (not that it does much, if any, in HD). I don't see any of the weather radar sub-channels listed in the PDF channel listing though.

tim552

01-06-06, 01:48 PM

Any chance that any Texas Rangers games will in HD this upcoming season?

Joe Diver

01-06-06, 03:41 PM

Any chance that any Texas Rangers games will in HD this upcoming season?

Or the Stars?

IFLYSWA

01-06-06, 03:48 PM

Or the Stars?

Keep an eye out for some Stars' games on INHD (if you are a Comcast customer, that is). I caught one awhile back and it was GREAT!!! Come to think of it, I'm not sure but we might have lost, but it *looked* GREAT!!!! :) INHD simulcasts some OLN games....so if the Stars are on OLN, check the INHD schedule....

-Randy

JStew

01-07-06, 02:29 AM

rosenkavalier, on the FIOS TV.....whomever gets to denton with a hd dvr quicker (verizon or D*) is who will land my business. If Charter were to beat both of them, I probably would still hold out because I haven't heard any good things on them. Oh and congrats on finally being able to pick up Channel 8 with your antenna.

I wouldn't hold out any hope for Charter. I got sick and tired of them telling me that they would have HD in Carrollton "soon". After four years of hearing that, I finally got rid of them and went satellite. If Charter was the only game in town, I'd buy a black and white TV and transistor radio.

120inna55

01-07-06, 08:14 PM

Anybody else experiencing audio drop-outs and video skip during the wildcard game on WFAA-DT tonight?

mp3trojan

01-08-06, 03:27 AM

It's been close to a year since I asked this last:

Who do you think will be the first in D/FW to bring us a HD newscast??

billt1111

01-08-06, 07:35 AM

It's been close to a year since I asked this last:

Who do you think will be the first in D/FW to bring us a HD newscast??

I am not sure what criteria to use to venture a guess. If there are any employees of channels 4, 5, 8, or 11 on this forum a better question might be; what is the reason it has taken so long? I understand there is a moderate cost of a few cameras but other than that what seems to be the holdup? I would be curious to know and would think better of them if there were some good reason. I did notice that the NY HD channels 80, 82, and 88 on D* also are not broadcasting their news in HD either. You would think they might be leaders in this area.

kzvxrpl

01-08-06, 01:00 PM

120inna55

01-08-06, 03:03 PM

I`m new on this forum and haven`t jumped to HD yet... been lurking a few days trying to find information about FIOS TV (with HD) and if it`s as wonderful as Verizon say. If it is, then I want it yesterday and I`ll be off to get my plasma.
I`ve been trying to learn all about HD hardware and technology so I know what`s what before I start.
One question seems simple but dumb also: In regards the posting about major networks (4,5,8 & 11) on HD... how do you know what programs are being broadcast in HD? If the news isn`t then what is? And how do you know when it is or isn`t? Does a little light go on on the front fascia of your TV or what?
Anyone here got FiOS tv yet?

Sometimes DTV (digital TV) and HDTV (High Definition TV) are erroneously referred to interchangeably. When you're tuned into a DTV station, it's digital all the time. So far, most networks only send you High Def during prime time or special events. As to whether or not its HD vs SD and how to discern the difference, well, your eyes can tell you that. Some STB's I suppose do tell you if it's HD or not, but I would imagine that many are only indicating that it's DTV. My Dish Network dual tuner DVR (with 1 ATSC tuner) tells me (by the color of the LED on the STB) whether or not I'm looking at an OTA DTV station vs a satellite provided station. I hope that makes sense and that I didn't add to your confusion on the subject.

IFLYSWA

01-08-06, 04:11 PM

I`m new on this forum and haven`t jumped to HD yet... been lurking a few days trying to find information about FIOS TV (with HD) and if it`s as wonderful as Verizon say. If it is, then I want it yesterday and I`ll be off to get my plasma.
I`ve been trying to learn all about HD hardware and technology so I know what`s what before I start.
One question seems simple but dumb also: In regards the posting about major networks (4,5,8 & 11) on HD... how do you know what programs are being broadcast in HD? If the news isn`t then what is? And how do you know when it is or isn`t? Does a little light go on on the front fascia of your TV or what?
Anyone here got FiOS tv yet?

As far as knowing what *will* be broadcast in HD on a daily basis, I get a daily e-mail from checkhd.com that tells me the shows that will be aired in HD each day. It is not 100% accurate, but I do find it helpful. You can sign up for the free daily e-mail, tailored to your area at checkhd.com. It is powered by TitanTV....

Since you are talking plasma, you will likely be stretching SD content on your set, but another sure indicator for me is that (virtually) all non-HD programming is broadcast in 4:3. But as mentioned by 120ina55, your eyes will tell you...there is seldom any doubt...

Good luck!
Randy

kzvxrpl

01-08-06, 05:06 PM

I won`t be stretching 4:3 - I hate any distortion. :(
So... HD channels 4,5,8,11 etc are in 4:3 unless shot with HD/16:9 cameras? I assumed they were all 16:9 - perhaps I`ve misunderstood your post.
What percentage of programming roughly on these channels are HD on an average day? I would more likely tune in if something was gonna be HD.
I mainly watch sport anyway.
At the moment I have SD Directv and can`t wait to get rid of it - I know it`s all digital but it`s compressed to death... The imminent arrival of FIOS TV in my neighborhood seems to be the right time to go HD

cheers all

kzvxrpl

01-08-06, 05:18 PM

Just looked at checkhd - thanks for the hint.
So... if I kept my widescreen TV on 4:3 it would jump to 16:9 when something HD comes on?
Sorry if I sound like a complete dunce.

IFLYSWA

01-08-06, 06:06 PM

Just looked at checkhd - thanks for the hint.
So... if I kept my widescreen TV on 4:3 it would jump to 16:9 when something HD comes on?
Sorry if I sound like a complete dunce.

Yep...your TV would just display the 16:9 signal on HD programming. If you don't use stretch modes, then you would have 'pillar bars' on the sides for non-HD content. Most plasma owners seem to stretch 4:3 content to avoid burn-in issues, but I totally agree with you...I don't stretch anything. That's one of the reasons I went DLP... :)

And yes, virtually all non-HD programming is 4:3. I've heard of some cases of a network airing a show in 16:9 digital non-HD, but I've not seen that. I'm very anxious to hear what you think of FIOS' video services...even though I live in an SBC area, I'm still curious about all that fiber to the prem has to offer...if you have any more questions and can't find answers via searching, etc., don't hesitate to ask...everyone on here is most helpful!

-Randy

120inna55

01-08-06, 07:05 PM

I've heard of some cases of a network airing a show in 16:9 digital non-HD, but I've not seen that. -Randy

I've seen PBS do this.

120inna55

01-08-06, 07:46 PM

I won`t be stretching 4:3 - I hate any distortion. :(
So... HD channels 4,5,8,11 etc are in 4:3 unless shot with HD/16:9 cameras? I assumed they were all 16:9 - perhaps I`ve misunderstood your post.

I don't like distortion either, so as IFLYSWA said, that's why I got a DLP---no burn-in concern. Due to lack of HDTV content, probably 60% of my broadcast viewing habits are still 4:3. (I specified "broadcast" so as not to account for DVDs)

Digital TV (DTV) as defined by the ATSC, is a broad heading for 18 different picture formats including standard definition television and HDTV.

Analog TV as defined by NTSC cannot provide HDTV.

If you have a Digital TV, an ATSC tuner, an appropriate antenna, and are within range of a DTV transmitter, you can receive Digital Television. This DTV station may choose to transmit HDTV or SDTV (being digital, in my experience SDTV still is superior to NTSC analog). I'm not aware of any DTV station in this area that transmitts HDTV 100% of the time. Again, usually only prime time or special events (Olympics, parades, etc.)

A couple of examples: While watching prime time Law & Order on KXAS-DTV, the actual program is in beautiful 16:9, 1080i HD. During commercials, it reverts to relatively "fuzzy" 4:3, SD.

The Tonight Show at it's usual time slot is in HD. Sometimes the re-broadcast show that comes on early in the morning is SD.

Some of us have even noticed that in the middle of a prime-time HDTV program, the station will switch back and forth between HD & SD (this has been rare in my opinion and seems to be related to "technical difficulties" regarding a relatively new technology.

Not to push you aside (quite to the contrary, your questions are intelligent and this is the appropriate forum), but you may get further knowledge from the FAQ's on this site.

The questions you've posed sound like one's we've all asked ourselves: Is there enough content to justify purchasing a several thousand dollar monitor, especially knowing that 2-3 years from now, the monitor, while not obsolete, will be far exceeded by newer technologies? I don't think we've reached the "sweet spot" of HDTV technology. I predict that era to still be at least 2 years away. That said, I'd make the same decision if I had it to do all over again. I purchased my Samsung HLN617W in June of 2004. I've been blown away ever since. After a few hours of real HD content, I can still find myself unable to utter anything any more intelligible than , "HD goooood". ;)

kzvxrpl

01-08-06, 08:10 PM

billt1111

01-08-06, 08:27 PM

Oh I forgot about burn-in... the Panasonic plasma I`m interested in shows grey side bars which I thought was a bit odd - why not black? but that might be to minimise burn-in.
I might have a rethink if I HAVE to stretch the image to avoid burn-in. "They" say burn-in is not an issue anymore but who can tell what the latest models selling now will look like in a few years time.

Here is the bible on Plasma's, particularly Panasonics, including a plasma vs. LCD comparison.

http://www.glaucobruzzi.com/plasma-faq/index.php?

In addition, here is the AVS Master Plasma Burn-in thread with more info on burn in than you want to read. Uneven wear of pixels (another name for burn in) can be easily avoided and is not really an issue for any plasma owner who is informed on the subject. Plasma is still the superior display technology (they are up to the eighth generation now), particularly in rooms that have a lot of windows and where it is difficult to control the lighting. Current 8th generation plasmas have a life of 60,000 hours, or about 20 years.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=608677&highlight=plasma+burn+in

120inna55

01-08-06, 09:15 PM

Not to get off topic, but I'll reiterate the previous post from Billt1111. Burn-in can be avoided on any display if the user is at least conscious of some precautions. My comments were never intended to sway you from your decision to go with plasma.

I do some things to my display that some might consider abuse. I often leave the set on with 4:3 (pillar boxed) content all day long. Sometimes I fall asleep to a DVR'd event and the set stays on for about 4 hours with a static, high-contrast menu (that defaults at the end of a DVR'd event) before the screen saver kicks in. I'm sure I'd have burned-in a plasma with that kind of treatment. However, if I had a plasma, I'd probably do things to ensure those things wouldn't happen (i.e. sleep timer, etc). But given the DLP, I don't think about it.

kzvxrpl

01-08-06, 10:04 PM

Well thanks folks for your helpful input, I`ve learned a lot already since I first got on here earlier today! Also, reading the burn in forum is enough to scare anyone but I`m still open minded about it.
To get back with the previous theme which this thread is supposed to be about - local TV - what would it take for a local channel to broadcast news or Rangers games in HD? Do they have to invest in new cameras or is it some other form of broadcasting technology that makes it too expensive? If they announced all Rangers games were going to be in HD next season the sales of HD monitors around North TX would go thru the roof!
I would still love to hear some input from a Fios TV user on how HD or even SD compares to cable or whatever else...

I shall visit this forum often.

cheers

kemical_head

01-08-06, 10:20 PM

It was my understanding that Verizon had a deal with DirecTV to provide programming, however it looks like with FIOS they are offering a seperate service. Just one observation based on their website, it looks as though this is the same lineup of HD channels that Comcast offers in Dallas.

Second, the box they use looks like the Motorola HD DVR box that Comcast and several other cable companies use. Thats just based on their picture and the information they give about it, hopefully it is not. When I had the Comcast service their box constantly acted up. The major problem was sometimes it would not execute a command right away and naturally being impatient I would hit the command again. The box would que up the commands and then execute them all at once. Very frustrating. Also I noticed the record time for HD would be only about 10-15 hours based on the size of the hard drive they have installed. I will say that the Comcast box did have some cool features like displaying the guide with the TV show still playing in a smaller picture, same with the menu functions.

Just some thoughts...........

IFLYSWA

01-08-06, 10:39 PM

Second, the box they use looks like the Motorola HD DVR box that Comcast and several other cable companies use. Thats just based on their picture and the information they give about it, hopefully it is not. When I had the Comcast service their box constantly acted up. The major problem was sometimes it would not execute a command right away and naturally being impatient I would hit the command again. The box would que up the commands and then execute them all at once. Very frustrating. Also I noticed the record time for HD would be only about 10-15 hours based on the size of the hard drive they have installed. I will say that the Comcast box did have some cool features like displaying the guide with the TV show still playing in a smaller picture, same with the menu functions.

Just some thoughts...........

The Moto box isn't perfect, that's for sure, but all-in-all it does the job pretty well. It can have a delay in executing commands...while frustrating, it is (somewhat) workable if you understand that it happens sometimes. The beauty of that box, though, is that for a monthly price less than what I would pay in service fees to TiVo and no money up front, I have a HD capable recorder. I am really a ReplayTV fan, but am anxiously awaiting more info (pricing, etc.) on the new cable card based TiVo that was shown at CES. I get along very well with my Moto box, but I'm certainly willing to entertain the idea of getting something else if it does the job better....and there won't be any HD ReplayTVs.

One more note about the Moto box...quality control doesn't seem to be a strong point. Some people have to go through several to get one that performs well...but that is an advantage of not having to purchase the box. And although I haven't really filled it up in a long time, I'd swear that I have had more than 10-15 hours of HD stored on there before, but I'm not absolutely certain...

-Randy

kemical_head

01-09-06, 07:53 AM

The Moto box isn't perfect, that's for sure, but all-in-all it does the job pretty well. It can have a delay in executing commands...while frustrating, it is (somewhat) workable if you understand that it happens sometimes. The beauty of that box, though, is that for a monthly price less than what I would pay in service fees to TiVo and no money up front, I have a HD capable recorder. I am really a ReplayTV fan, but am anxiously awaiting more info (pricing, etc.) on the new cable card based TiVo that was shown at CES. I get along very well with my Moto box, but I'm certainly willing to entertain the idea of getting something else if it does the job better....and there won't be any HD ReplayTVs.

One more note about the Moto box...quality control doesn't seem to be a strong point. Some people have to go through several to get one that performs well...but that is an advantage of not having to purchase the box. And although I haven't really filled it up in a long time, I'd swear that I have had more than 10-15 hours of HD stored on there before, but I'm not absolutely certain...

-Randy

Randy
I do agree that for being a "somewhat freebie" box it isn't bad. I have just gotten used to having a TIVO based boxed. In fact I am curious at what the DirecTV replacement of the HR10-250 will be like. As far as not purchasing the box, Comcast charges $10 a month for the box, any box as far as that goes. Granted, you might be able to get them to throw that in for some period of time to match someone else, but the standard rate is $10. Since I only paid $99 like so many other DirecTV folks for the HR10-250, I think that was worth the frustration free operation even if I did have to pay for it. I guess what I am trying to say is that you get what you pay for. The biggest thing I liked about the moto box when I had both Comcast and DirecTV at the same time was the additional HD channels. DirecTV seems to be addressing this disadvantage. I am like you that when I fine a solution that works well and I get use to it, it is hard to find a replacement, ie your Replay TV box. As far as the available space, check your box and I believe it only has around a 80gb hard drive which translates into roughly 10-15 hrs of HD recording depending on the compression.

All this is moot anyway, since all I was pointing out was that Verizon normally pushes DirecTV and now it seems as though they have their own service which just happens to be very similiar to Comcast, even the same box. Granted I did digress a little and I do apologize if that offended anyone. It was only an observation.

IFLYSWA

01-09-06, 09:12 AM

<snip>All this is moot anyway, since all I was pointing out was that Verizon normally pushes DirecTV and now it seems as though they have their own service which just happens to be very similiar to Comcast, even the same box. Granted I did digress a little and I do apologize if that offended anyone. It was only an observation.

Good morning,

No offense was taken! I was just offering a second opinion on the Moto box, that's all. I think that it is important that people get different viewpoints so they don't take one person's experience/opinion as 'gospel' if others have better/worse luck with something. As far as the cost of the box goes, if you are a DirecTV customer and can get the HR10-250 box for $99, that is a no brainer...and the service charge is only $4.99/month, I believe, for DirecTV customers. Regular TiVo costs $12.95 just for the service...that was my point about renting the Moto box for $9.99/mo., less than the cost of service for TiVo (and ReplayTV, for that matter -- unless you opt to pay a chunk of change for lifetime service like I did on my RTVs).

It is sounding like you might have had a 6208 box...I had one of those for a time when I lived in a 'dual feed' area, as well. My Moto is a 6412...120GB HD, and iGuide software. Still not nearly as good as RTV or TiVo, but worlds above the software that you probably saw on a 6208. The 6208's 'tan guide' software wasn't truly show-based...it just used the guide to set up regular time-based recordings. The iGuide software is show-based, and Comcast will be offering TiVo software on the Moto boxes, debuting sometime this year....not that it applies to FIOS... :)

It does appear that DirecTV is addressing some of their HD content deficiencies...that is great news for everyone. I am still not totally clear on how the whole local channel/waiver thing works, but if I can get local HD from them in the future I'll definitely consider them as an alternative to Comcast when the killer deal I have with Comcast expires....competition is good!

-Randy

Xesdeeni

01-09-06, 12:59 PM

To get back with the previous theme which this thread is supposed to be about - local TV - what would it take for a local channel to broadcast news or Rangers games in HD? Do they have to invest in new cameras or is it some other form of broadcasting technology that makes it too expensive?I'm not an expert (or in the industry), but I do know that it's not trivial or cheap to make the change to HD. However, it's cheaper than it's ever been, and I also don't know why at least one channel hasn't done this, for competitive reasons if no other.

In addition to replacing all their cameras, they need to have switching equipment, conversion equipment (they'll still get lots of SD source material), and graphics equipment. For the news, they could limit HD to the studio (remote HD would require replacement of their microwave video tranceivers in their trucks in addition t the cameras, although non-live tapes could at the least use Sony's prosumer HD camcorder). This would limit to a few cameras, the graphics equipment, and the conversion equipment. KERA already has at least one in-studio HD camera and the other stuff to broadcast one of their weekly sitdown news shows (I can't remember the name...maybe "On The Record?").If they announced all Rangers games were going to be in HD next season the sales of HD monitors around North TX would go thru the roof!I agree. When KDFI (27) started broadcasting an HD stream, I was excited that this might be happening (see much earlier in this very thread), and I even sent them an e-mail asking about it. But I got no response, and as far as i know, KDFI has never broadcast one second of HD.

[Note that an HD DTV stream is not really the same thing as HD. Theoretically, a channel can switch resolutions at any time. So they could show an SD show using a 720x480i DTV stream. But the moron committee who came up with the ATSC standard didn't specify any really practical behavior like this, so the TVs do a crappy job of handling it. A few of the early ones would actually lock up (you could usually switch channels and switch back to fix it), or at least delay a very long time. Switching would really have benefitted movies, which could have been shown progressive at 24 fps. But instead, the channels chose a format and stick with it. Corporate CBS, NBC, UPN, and WB chose 1080i (1920x1080@59.94i). FOX and ABC chose 720p (1280x720@59.94p), although BELO, who own our local ABC affiliate (WFAA) as well as other network affiliates elsewhere requires all their stations to be 1080i, which means our ABC affiliate must convert the ABC 720p feed to 1080i for broadcast. KDFI (27) appears to be owned by the same company that owns our FOX affiliate, so they switched to 720p as well. Anyway, once chosen, the station then converts whatever format the video is in to the HD format. If the source is 4:3 SD, they scale it from 480i to 720p or 1080i and put boxes on the sides. UPN chooses to make them gray (ECH!!!!), while the rest generally use black (sometimes they put goofy graphics in there). So the stream broadcast is HD, but the content is SD.]

Xesdeeni

EDIT: Fixed ABC affiliate call letters.

peterbilt

01-09-06, 05:46 PM

... although BELO, who own our local ABC affiliate (KTVT) ... KDFI (27) appears to be owned by the same company that owns our FOX affiliate...

That was some good info. Just for clarification, the local ABC station is WFAA, not KTVT, which is CBS (11).

AFAIK, our FOX channel (KDFW, 4) is owned and operated by FOX, which is why we qualify for the east coast FOX feed on D*. Therefore, if the same company owns KDFI, then that would be FOX. They're obviously affilliated, but I've never heard that FOX owns KDFI as well as KDFW. Wait a sec, I guess I just did.

Peace

BTDT

01-09-06, 06:09 PM

I just got off the phone with Verizon, intending to order the FiOS TV service, but was told it wasn't available for me yet. I have

1. received the letter telling me it is available, and
2. entered my address on the FiOS website where I was told it was available, and
3. currently have the FiOS internet service.

So, has anyone else in Flower Mound gotten hooked up and/or scheduled for FiOS TV or been told it isn't there yet? I am in the Bridlewood area.

Thanks!

kzvxrpl

01-09-06, 07:25 PM

Verizon are useless. More than once they said we could have DSL, twice they sent us a modem then later told us we couldn`t have it after all. Eventually we got FiOS...
In my experience you`ve just got to keep calling and pestering them and if you speak to different people they tell you different things so keep trying!
If you get FiOS TV please get on here and tell us what it`s like... hopefully I`ll get it before you but where I am we`re not supposed to have it yet and where you are... you are:
"January 5, 2006 Irving, TX -- Verizon today announced the launch of its FiOS TV service in seven more North Texas communities, bringing the number of Dallas/Fort Worth suburbs where consumers can obtain the fiber-optic based service to fourteen.
According to a press release, effective immediately, the company's local telephone customers in the Texas communities of Colleyville, Grapevine, Murphy, Sachse, Southlake, Westlake, and Wylie are now eligible to receive the TV service. The company began offering its FiOS TV service in the town Keller in September 2005. In December 2005, the company expanded the service to the towns of Carrollton, Coppell, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Irving, and Lewisville."

kemical_head

01-10-06, 04:09 AM

IFLYSWA

01-10-06, 08:44 AM

So I am a little confused as to why Verizon offers FIOS high speed and not necessarily the video service at the same time. It does come across the same lines correct? As far as their service goes, I wouldn't hold it against them, people with DirecTV will tell you that if at first you don't suceed, hang up, call back and talk to someone else. This seems to be the level of service with most internet and video providers, but if you didn't have to work for it how great of a deal would it be then. :)

Randy,
FYI, DirecTV is offering local HD channels (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) in the Dallas Market, however they do not have a DVR that will receive them yet, eta is supposed to be late spring, early summer.

Hi kh,
I have heard about the DirecTV offerings...but I am assuming you still need a waiver, etc., to get them if you live 'locally'. That's the part I don't totally get...well, I guess I get it, but I don't like or want to mess with it. :)

-Randy

billt1111

01-10-06, 10:39 AM

Hi kh,
I have heard about the DirecTV offerings...but I am assuming you still need a waiver, etc., to get them if you live 'locally'. That's the part I don't totally get...well, I guess I get it, but I don't like or want to mess with it. :)

-Randy

You do not need a waiver to get the National HD feeds (except ABC NY), DFW SD locals or to get the DFW HD (except ABC BELO) locals. I have heard that it is required but I have never asked for anything and have all of them. As for the National ABC feed above, I have never heard of someone successfully getting a waiver from them to allow viewing in the DFW area.

IFLYSWA

01-10-06, 10:50 AM

You do not need a waiver to get the National HD feeds (except ABC NY), DFW SD locals or to get the DFW HD (except ABC BELO) locals. I have heard that it is required but I have never asked for anything and have all of them. As for the National ABC feed above, I have never heard of someone successfully getting a waiver from them to allow viewing in the DFW area.

Good to know...thanks!

-Randy

dishbacker

01-10-06, 11:49 AM

So I am a little confused as to why Verizon offers FIOS high speed and not necessarily the video service at the same time. It does come across the same lines correct? As far as their service goes, I wouldn't hold it against them, people with DirecTV will tell you that if at first you don't suceed, hang up, call back and talk to someone else. This seems to be the level of service with most internet and video providers, but if you didn't have to work for it how great of a deal would it be then. :)

One main reason is regulations on video/cable opperators. In TX, Verizon got a billed passed that allows them to apply for a state-wide cable license. Before last fall, they had to spend up to a year negotiating with each municipality for a cable franchise (as is probably the case with other places). I'm guessing that is why we see the launches in bunches here in TX.

Also, its probably alot easier technically to send data traffic to the internet then it is to hook up the new fiber to a video delivery system for TV. Just my 2 cents.

BTDT

01-10-06, 02:35 PM

I will attempt the "call again and again" strategy with Verizon. One thing I am wondering is whether the move of my local phone service from Verizon to Vonage is affecting my eligibility. Doesn't really make sense since I still have the FiOS internet. You would think they would want to sell me whatever they can.

I am still wondering if anyone else in Flower Mound actually has this service or has attempted to be hooked up? Anyone?

kemical_head

01-10-06, 09:17 PM

Just so everyone is clear on the DirecTV local HD channels. DirecTV now offers local HD feeds of the local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in the DFW area. You have to get a new MPEG 4 receiver from DirecTV or a local retailer like Circuit City or Best Buy. They currently do not have MPEG 4 DVR available, this is slated for late spring or early summer. You do not need a waiver to get the above four HD channels from DirecTV. All you need is the MPEG 4 HD receiver and sign up for local channels, you do not even need their HD package to get them.

As far as Verizon, what I am confused about is that if they have already ran the fiber and you get high speed internet already, why then can they not send the video across the same line. Its obvious they have the bandwidth to do it. I would think that once they start offering high speed they would also offer video. Again, it's just a data stream and I would think it would be like turning on a light switch. Just my thoughts.

billt1111

01-10-06, 09:25 PM

Just so everyone is clear on the DirecTV local HD channels. DirecTV now offers local HD feeds of the local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in the DFW area.

Nope. DFW ABC local HD is not available, as stated 50 times in this thread.

Rakesh.S

01-10-06, 10:13 PM

my antenna works great..why bother with hd-lite on directv for something you can get for FREE, at full bitrate, over the air?

birdog

01-11-06, 01:04 AM

hey guys,

i have the hd package as well as the cbs, nbc and fox hd locals ordered on my package. you can even see it's ordered on my account online. however, when i try to tune into the channels using the new receiver i got from d* it says that i don't have the channels ordered, it's giving me the 721 code.

the channels that i'm referring to are 80, 82, and 88. if these are the wrong local hd channels, please let me know.

what do you guys think i should do?

thanks

JStew

01-11-06, 01:07 AM

hey guys,

i have the hd package as well as the cbs, nbc and fox hd locals ordered on my package. you can even see it's ordered on my account online. however, when i try to tune into the channels using the new receiver i got from d* it says that i don't have the channels ordered, it's giving me the 721 code.

what do you guys think i should do?

thanks
Sounds like someone forgot to flip a switch at D - Give them a call and they should be able to assist you immediately.

birdog

01-11-06, 01:09 AM

but i've called, them, we've been on trying to figure this thing out. they say i should have the channels but i'm not getting them. I have no idea what to do

JStew

01-11-06, 01:15 AM

but i've called, them, we've been on trying to figure this thing out. they say i should have the channels but i'm not getting them. I have no idea what to do
If they ran a check of your system and you're still not getting locals, they'll have to send someone out to check your connections, I would imagine. I've never dealt with D, but I would think if they checked everything out with you over the phone, the next logical step would be to have a technician check things out.

kemical_head

01-11-06, 02:27 AM

Nope. DFW ABC local HD is not available, as stated 50 times in this thread.

As stated in a news release from DirecTV:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=799955&highlight=

This is fairly new, January 3, 2006

billt1111

01-11-06, 05:30 AM

IFLYSWA

01-11-06, 08:30 AM

As stated in a news release from DirecTV:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=799955&highlight=

This is fairly new, January 3, 2006

What we have here is a failure to communicate...while D* has the capability to provide WFAA programming, Belo has to give their permission for them to do so, per the FCC. Requests can be made on a case-by-case basis. Belo is well known for denying these waiver requests, so the liklihood of actually getting your receiver authorized to get that channel is virtually nil if you live in the DFW viewing area.....

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.... :)

-Randy

billt1111

01-11-06, 09:17 AM

What we have here is a failure to communicate...while D* has the capability to provide WFAA programming, Belo has to give their permission for them to do so, per the FCC. Requests can be made on a case-by-case basis. Belo is well known for denying these waiver requests, so the liklihood of actually getting your receiver authorized to get that channel is virtually nil if you live in the DFW viewing area.....

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.... :)

-Randy

Correct. I think the issue is contractual at this point, i.e. licensing and money. WFAA Belo has signed a contract for SD programming to be aired by D* and it does not require a waiver to view it over D*. What they have not done is sign a contract with D* for ANY Belo operated station in the entire country to have their digital channels (HD) aired by D* via MPEG4. It is not just DFW Belo, it is all of their channels. Keep up the boycott of all Belo stations and thier sponsors. I am sure they are starting to feel the pinch. :)