...ABC (WATE)...

What I really hate, that they do, is drop-down to SD to run their logos or it's raining someplace crap. Agreed, they act agitated if you call and complain.

Get some beeding hi-def logos or cease that! :mad:

Picture problems and internet problems may all be related to poor or failing connectors/cables etc. near your home. I'd call Comcast and ask for a tech to check signal quality due to poor internet and HDTV performance. Keeping the lines working is part of your service fee.

If there is a splitter going to your set top box and to your cable modem, you might try (temporarily) connecting the modem directly without the splitter (your STB is disconnected) to see if internet improves. You could do the same with the STB to see if pixelation issues improve. If both are better with a direct connection minus splitter then you know there is a signal strength issue. Save this information for the tech.
There is a splitter going to both. When i hook them up directly they both work fine then when i go back to using the splitter they both work fine for a day and then its back to nothing even when they are hooked up directly. I have had comcast since august and they have been to my apartment 10 times to try and get it to work all the time and have failed each time. Each time I have asked them to run another line(which they were suppose to do when they installed it but one was already run) and they say they wont because the apartment complex wont allow it unless its needed and comcast keeps saying its not needed since it works for the day that they are there.

In terms of my internet problems to another poster previously. I have never gotten live to work if I am doing anything on another computer basically i have to wait for my roommates to sleep and for me not to be playing poker or anything like that to get it work properly on live. I have had bell south and they are even worse. I know there isnt much I can do about internet choices here it just sux.

Pong, living in an apartment, bad, malo maximoso! Back when I lived in an apartment, and lightening damaged the building's wires twice in 6 months, Crumcast wouldn't replace the wires. Panamax boxes saved my stuff, fortuneatly! I mean, the first time, the faceplate where my cable came out got so hot it warped. Yeah, they snapped into action and replaced the faceplate! :rolleyes: The wire coming into it had been so hot that the shielding was warped.

As long as you live in an apartment, they'll jerk you around the most. That was my experience.....

I have to say that I think WATE has improved 100% in the last couple weeks. I don't think I've seen a late switch from them for a while.

I think all the complaining has finally paid off. I have noticed they are better about it in recent weeks.

The husband of one of my wife's friends works for WBIR. He's an audio guy, but knows some about video. I was telling him last week about my complaints to WATE and what they were doing. He said there was no excuse for that. He said the late switching comes down to plain laziness and/or not watching what's on their own station.

As for the logos, he said the FCC requires them to do it. The one with the temperature is a paid logo. I told him the other stations don't do it on HD, including WBIR. He said that probably the FCC was letting stations slide from doing that on HD because of the switching. But he said if the FCC wasn't requiring the call letters to be shown on HD feeds, WATE shouldn't be doing it since it's annoying so many people.

Station ID's are required but usually occur around the top of the hour when the stations are already 4:3. Weather and amber alerts are required and no local station that I know of can do them in HD yet. That why on bad weather nights the stations stay in 4:3 and during elections and other breaking news the stations revert to 4:3. As the HD audience grows and HD equipment at the stations drop in price, I expect these annoyances to go away.

That why on bad weather nights the stations stay in 4:3 and during elections and other breaking news the stations revert to 4:3. As the HD audience grows and HD equipment at the stations drop in price, I expect these annoyances to go away.

...not always....my mom came over for Notre Dame's bowl game and storms were around. They dropped out of HD about every 10-15 minutes to give us the it's raining someplace warning... :rolleyes: We were P'ed off!!!!

P.S. - it was channel 6

The stations are obligated to carry threat to life and property type information even if 95% of the audience isn't in the watch area. They are also obligated to simulcast the information that is on their analog channel. Sooner or later (sooner would be better ;-)), the equipment will be in place to do the crawls/warnings and insert them into the HD program. Then it wouldn't be necessary to drop out of HD. If there was no real weather threat then the interuptions are just poor judgement.

Does anyone else miss the spell checker that used to be here?

Has anyone seen the Braves HD channel on Comcast yet? I have not seen anything on it. It always shows "Off Air". It seems kind of strange to have an HD channel that never shows anything.

Has anyone seen the Braves HD channel on Comcast yet? I have not seen anything on it. It always shows "Off Air". It seems kind of strange to have an HD channel that never shows anything.

I saw one or two games towards the end of the season last year. I think it's home games only.

Has anyone seen the Braves HD channel on Comcast yet? I have not seen anything on it. It always shows "Off Air". It seems kind of strange to have an HD channel that never shows anything.

What a waste of a channel. They could be showing something good instead of a few hours of programming a week for 6 months.

What a waste of a channel. They could be showing something good instead of a few hours of programming a week for 6 months.

What is even worse, is it is not showing anything at all. I called saturday about the TBS game that was supposed to be on the HD channel. It had nothing even though the Comcast website showed it playing the game. The CSR had no clue and said it was still pre-season and they just transmit what the station has.

Oh well. :(

What is even worse, is it is not showing anything at all. I called saturday about the TBS game that was supposed to be on the HD channel. It had nothing even though the Comcast website showed it playing the game. The CSR had no clue and said it was still pre-season and they just transmit what the station has.

Oh well. :(

...so, they think baseball season doesn't start till the NBA and NHL are over? That's about July! :rolleyes: "pre-season"! :rolleyes: I wish Direc had the Braves in HD, at all. Since they started doing the games in HD, they look a little better in my SD. Of course, they look much better on ESPN HD on those occasions....

No Shot unless reception is an issue.


"move" and you will get them all. I haven't watched this local crap in a while... of course, New York local news doesn't really interest me.... oh well... i'll take the tradeoff

is it just me or is it surpising that the NHL games on 10.1 (wbir) are in SD?
i would think that after nbc sports / news took the time to get all HD equipment for the olympics and then not use it for all the other sports...

are any of the NHL games in HD (on cable channels like ESPN, OLN, FOXSPORTSNET, etc - i dont know which ones are offered in HD over cable/satellite) ?

thanks for the info

is it just me or is it surpising that the NHL games on 10.1 (wbir) are in SD?
i would think that after nbc sports / news took the time to get all HD equipment for the olympics and then not use it for all the other sports...

are any of the NHL games in HD (on cable channels like ESPN, OLN, FOXSPORTSNET, etc - i dont know which ones are offered in HD over cable/satellite) ?

thanks for the info

hdsportsguide.com listed todays games as being in HD but the Dallas/Avs game was most definitely in SD and not very good SD at that! If you get OLN HD, the games are in HD of course. Some local NHL games are in HD as well, but not here in Dallas.

Cheers

hdsportsguide.com listed todays games as being in HD but the Dallas/Avs game was most definitely in SD and not very good SD at that! If you get OLN HD, the games are in HD of course. Some local NHL games are in HD as well, but not here in Dallas.

Cheers Call the station!I must be the only one that ever calls when an "HD-scheduled" program is not HD.It happens all the time.I call(usually in Prime Time) about once a week to one of the networks.Fox seems to me to be the best at proper switches,The other three(Wate-6,WBIR-10,and WVLT-8 all stink)They forget to "flip the switch",as the engineering departments will say.
This is the only way(calling) that it will get better.They ignore emails.Please....call the station!

another somewhat random question (and i think its been mentioned here but i couldnt find it in the last 3 pages or so) regarding the "fliping the switch" on commercials...

why do they do it, the reason i ask is that i was watching abc last night and they wouldnt change to SD during the commercial for 5-10 sec and its obvious that he commercial was made for HD format, so why switch to SD for an HD commercial !?

does it save them money to switch to SD signal for the commercial (vs HD) due to reduced bandwidth (perhaps?!) being transmitted and (i dont know much about the science or physics behind it) therefore less energy (electrical power)...

i understand their arguement for switching to SD for their logo b/c they dont have HD overlays for that yet (cheap and or lazy) but for commercials i dont see what the issue is...

thanks

and ill call them next time they annoy me by screwing up hockey

Laziness.Call and complain.It will take enough displeasure from us viewers to wake these jerks.Call.....every time they screw up.The phone numbers are below.Ask for engineering.

Call the station!I must be the only one that ever calls when an "HD-scheduled" program is not HD.It happens all the time.I call(usually in Prime Time) about once a week to one of the networks.Fox seems to me to be the best at proper switches,The other three(Wate-6,WBIR-10,and WVLT-8 all stink)They forget to "flip the switch",as the engineering departments will say.
This is the only way(calling) that it will get better.They ignore emails.Please....call the station!

Actually, an engineer at the local Dallas NBC station always returns my email!! He said that there's only one regional NHL game in HD each week and the Dallas - Avs game wasn't it. As we get farther into the playoffs it won't be as problematic. Frustrating for now...

By the way, just finished watching the Mighty Ducks beat the Flames to force game 7. Even in SD it was playoff hockey at its most compelling. WOW!!!

WMAK is Knoxville's newest digital television station producing and passing through local HD programming. In the past year WMAK has broadcast area High School Football games, Men's and Women's basketball games, and local specials including "Fire on the Water", " The Making of the WIMZ Rock Babe Calendar", and "On the Lake" in HD to the East Tennessee viewing community. Here's where WMAK needs your help. WMAK has made numerous requests to be put on the HD tier of both Comcast and Charter with no response from either. In addition, WMAK is having the same issue with Dish and Direct. We need viewers to contact their provider and ask for WMAK to be on the HD tier or on Dish or Direct. Your input will help WMAK to provide more local HD programming and content.

Dish 1-800-333-3474
Direct 1-800-494-4388
Comcast 865-637-5411
Charter 865-983-8200

I love all the HD content on WMAK. Keep up the good work. I'll drop a note to Comcast to see if they'll add your station.

Last two posts merged in.

This is the only way(calling) that it will get better.They ignore emails.Please....call the station!

I called 6 tonight and complained when they neglected to switch from the network feed after the basketball game. The network HD loop ran about half-way through before they switched to the news. Love that 50 hz sub test... :rolleyes:

Has anyone noticed how weak WVLT has been recently? They have always performed poorly compared to other Knoxville stations. They share a common antenna with WVLT which is not tuned to Ch.30. WBIR is operating at over twice the power as WVLT on adjacent Ch. 31. Could this be the cause of WVLT's problems? WVLT engineer Doug Stallard does not seem interested in reception problems.

Has anyone noticed how weak WVLT has been recently? They have always performed poorly compared to other Knoxville stations. They share a common antenna with WVLT which is not tuned to Ch.30. WBIR is operating at over twice the power as WVLT on adjacent Ch. 31. Could this be the cause of WVLT's problems? WVLT engineer Doug Stallard does not seem interested in reception problems.

WVLT shares a common antenna site but not the same antenna. WVLT and PUBS chi 17 share the same antenna. For some reason this broad band antenna does not perform well for WVLT. The antenna is not owned by WVLT but by the tower company, Richland Tower. I know Doug Stallard and he does care about reception but it is the tower company problem.

I disagree. The tower company might own the tower but they are representing WVLT. It should be WVLT's problem to make sure their product is being sent out correctly. It will reflect on WVLT not the tower company. Just my opinion.

I agree. Utlimately, WVLT is responsible for the quality of their signal. Blaming it on the tower is actually sidestepping the fact that they chose to use that tower, so really it's WVLT's choice.

I disagree. The tower company might own the tower but they are representing WVLT. It should be WVLT's problem to make sure their product is being sent out correctly. It will reflect on WVLT not the tower company. Just my opinion.

Agree, Just that WVLT does not control entirely the situation. They lease space on the tower that they also lease antenna rights. It is diffcult to pin down where the signal problem could be. Tower company could be pointing back at WVLT and WVLT points at tower company.

It is diffcult to pin down where the signal problem could be. Tower company could be pointing back at WVLT and WVLT points at tower company.

Fully characterizing a transmitting antenna pattern is not trivial. It generally would involve an outside engineering firm and considerable expense. Another factor is that individual trouble reports are notoriously unreliable.

I just checked my reception and I have WKOP DT 17 (100,000watts) at 65% signal and WVLT DT 30 (398,000watts)with 25% signal. These two station's antennas are on the same tower and at the same elevation. This has to be considered a pretty reliable comparison. It is difficult to blame the viewer when two stations are at the same precise location. Clearly, there is a problem.

I didn't blame the viewer (or you). I think I see a lower than normal signal here from WVLT so there's at least two of us. But a single trouble report is suspect. When several people are reporting the same problem then it is likely real.

I have heard several reports of reception problems in areas northeast of
Knoxville like Hamblen,Greene, Claiborne and Grainger. WVLT promised someone in Morristown that they would be doing testing in Hamblen and Greene County and get back to them with the results. This apparently never happened.

I just checked my reception and I have WKOP DT 17 (100,000watts) at 65% signal and WVLT DT 30 (398,000watts)with 25% signal. These two station's antennas are on the same tower and at the same elevation. This has to be considered a pretty reliable comparison. It is difficult to blame the viewer when two stations are at the same precise location. Clearly, there is a problem.

It is the same tower and the same antenna. It is broadband antenna made to handle 4 or 5 different UHF signals. In adddition to WKOP and WVLT, a low power analog station on channel 24 is being carried on tha same antenna. I have the same signal issues in West Knoxville. WVLT signal is significantly lower than WKOP. The problem is with the antenna.

It is broadband antenna made to handle 4 or 5 different UHF signals. In adddition to WKOP and WVLT, a low power analog station on channel 24 is being carried on tha same antenna.

Well, if it's so obviously bad, it should make it easier to diagnose and repair. At least engineering and management should agree on a course of action whether Richland does or not.

For what it's worth, ch30 was slightly higher strength than ch17 at home. Channels 7, 26, 31 were full scale with ch34 near full scale. This was from an older "color ready" antenna ;-)

where is everybody?

where is everybody?

Lewis... do you mean location? I'm in Fountain City, with a view of Sharp's Ridge. I get all channels good with a basement antenna except channel 20 and *cough* WMAK. ;)

Is anyone with Comcast noticing a problem with a "skipping" picture on the TNT HD channel? I've had that problem for a couple of weeks, at least during the NBA games. I don't know if it's the box, Comcast's signal, or something else. None of the other channels do that.

Many have complained after seeing the World Cup TV schedule that a significant number of the games are on ESPN2, which does broadcast in HD but most companies don't carry. Comcast has announced they will add ESPN2-HD in "several markets" tomorrow...but they didn't say which ones. So for all the soccer futbol fans out there, you might be in luck...or you might not. If anyone can get ahold of the list of cities or areas where ESPN2-HD will be available or if other carriers will add the channel as well, please let us know in the comments

http://www.hdbeat.com/2006/06/08/comcast-is-adding-espn2-hd-in-time-for-the-world-cup/



Of course its not in knoxville yet atleast, i just did a channel scan and didnt see it. I am assuming it will be channel 203 maybe by the time I wake up it will be there

Looks like it is here ESPN2HD channel 203 the guide hasnt been updated but the channel still works.

Looks like it is here ESPN2HD channel 203 the guide hasnt been updated but the channel still works.

Guess Charter is behind, but at least we have Moxi. ;-)

Looks like it is here ESPN2HD channel 203 the guide hasnt been updated but the channel still works.

It looks like they removed the braves HD channel on 201 to add ESPN2HD. Probably because they are horrible this year.

It looks like they removed the braves HD channel on 201 to add ESPN2HD. Probably because they are horrible this year.

Who Comcast, or The Braves? ;-)

It looks like they removed the braves HD channel on 201 to add ESPN2HD. Probably because they are horrible this year.

I hardly follow baseball any more. But when flipping through channels since baseball season started, I have only seen the Braves on in HD two times.

I hope the addition of ESPN2 HD is permanent. I have bugging them to add it since it came on the air. There have been a lot of good college football and basketball games missed in HD because Comcast has not added. Drop them a line and tell them thanks in hopes they'll keep it.

Back to my earlier question: is anyone experiencing video problems on some of the Comcast HD channels, specifically a picture that appears jittery? Several channels are like that on mine and a co-worker said he's seen the same thing, but on different channels where I see it.

Hey everyone, I'm new here and new to the HDTV scene! Just got a tv a couple of weeks ago and am trying out the OTA stations from west Knoxville with an indoor antenna. So far I've had pretty good luck picking up WVLT (8.1), WTNZ (43.1), WBIR (10.1), and WMAK (7.1). I have not been able to get WKOP (17.1) very much at all. When I first set it up, the first station I picked up and probably the strongest one was WATE (6.1), but now I am not getting a single thing from them. I guess I noticed that I wasn't getting anything from them early last week, and no matter where I put or point the antenna the TV gives me a "Low signal quality." With the other stations I can usually at least get intermittent sound and blocky pictures even if I'm moving it around. The other weird thing is that according to the TV, the signal strength on WATE is very good with usually 80-90%. Has anybody else been having problems with them? I really wanted to see a world cup game or two not to mention the NBA Finals!

Hey nealf...

Welcome to the forum! :)

I don't have any suggestions for your WATE problem, except to maybe have your TV do a channel scan all over again. WATE shouldn't be a problem to get.

Thanks DaverJ! I had tried doing a manual remove and addition of the channel, but I guess I needed to do an automatic scan because that seemed to work!

Hey everyone, I'm new here and new to the HDTV scene! Just got a tv a couple of weeks ago and am trying out the OTA stations from west Knoxville with an indoor antenna. So far I've had pretty good luck picking up WVLT (8.1), WTNZ (43.1), WBIR (10.1), and WMAK (7.1). I have not been able to get WKOP (17.1) very much at all. When I first set it up, the first station I picked up and probably the strongest one was WATE (6.1), but now I am not getting a single thing from them. I guess I noticed that I wasn't getting anything from them early last week, and no matter where I put or point the antenna the TV gives me a "Low signal quality." With the other stations I can usually at least get intermittent sound and blocky pictures even if I'm moving it around. The other weird thing is that according to the TV, the signal strength on WATE is very good with usually 80-90%. Has anybody else been having problems with them? I really wanted to see a world cup game or two not to mention the NBA Finals!

Hey nealf,
What type of indoor antenna are you using? I'm new to HDTV too and I'm also interested in the OTA stations, and I'm trying to avoid using an external ant. But I'm not having much luck at all. I have intermittently been able to pick up WMAK and WATE (found in a scan, but never got a picture). So I'm just curious what you're using. BTW, I'm in Louisville, close to the Blount/Knox Co line.

Thanks.

One of the best indoor antennas is the Silver Sensor.Sears is closing them out for about $13(orig. about $30).West Town had one left last week.

What type of indoor antenna are you using?

Hey Idjit, I just picked up a Terk HDTVa locally to try it out. It works, but I haven't been all that impressed, so it might be difficult to pick everything up well since you are a little farther out. I'm actually planning on returning this one because I am getting ready to move down to Mississippi where I'm definitely going to need something bigger. That's all I can speak to since it's the only one I've tried...I'd listen to any suggestions the veterans here have.

I bought numerous HDTV antennas a couple of years ago and the radio shack one worked best. Looks like it's retired, but this is the newer model

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103916&cp=&pg=1&origkw=radio+shack+hdtv+antenna&kw=radio+shack+hdtv+antenna&parentPage=search

Hey Idjit, I just picked up a Terk HDTVa locally to try it out. It works, but I haven't been all that impressed,

I have limited experience w/ antennas, but from what research I've done I know the vets really shy away from Terks.

The Zenith Silver Sensor is a popular indoor antenna among the gearheads - there are dozens listed on eBay for a reasonable price. Just be sure to factor in the shipping cost.

The U.S. Open has been on for 40 minutes and still not switched to HD. WBIR is very lax about making the switch

Hello to all from Oneida, TN 37841. I am very new with all this but will be getting an HDTV in a few days and would like to pull in some HD locals from Knoxville. I have Dish Network, and was hoping to get antenna like the CM 4228 or Antennas Direct 91XG. Do I have any chance where I live of getting the HD locals. I certainly will try my best to install it on the roof (uh oh) and make it as high as possible but my house is only one story. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have been waiting for HDTV in Knoxvile for awhile now. I live off of Cedar Bluff exit. Let us know when anyone starts getting an HD signal (if ever) and post it here with the channels...

Post em when you see em....

Thanks

ditto for Hardin Valley....
Javry

Thanks everyone for your responses on indoor antennas.

aVOLanche, I picked up the closeout Silver Sensor at West Town, but no luck (interestingly, this antenna is not a closeout at the Sears in Foothills Mall and is full price). I could get a weak signal from WBIR with it, but that's it. I suppose I'll try the Radio Shack model, although I have an RCA that looks very similar that doesn't work very well. I might just have to accept the fact that an internal ant won't work for me.

Thanks again everyone.

Can anyone in this area pick up the WJHLDT signal? I had been picking it up great but the last two to three weeks I cant get anything. I wonder what happened?

Threads merged.

Thanks everyone for your responses on indoor antennas.

aVOLanche, I picked up the closeout Silver Sensor at West Town, but no luck (interestingly, this antenna is not a closeout at the Sears in Foothills Mall and is full price). I could get a weak signal from WBIR with it, but that's it. I suppose I'll try the Radio Shack model, although I have an RCA that looks very similar that doesn't work very well. I might just have to accept the fact that an internal ant won't work for me.

Thanks again everyone.

While I've got the discontinued RS 15-1880 indoor antenna, an ancient Archer Color Supreme III actually does a bit better on signal strength. It's just too ugly for company to see! Point is, don't limit yourself to the obvious choices.

On another note - cheers to Comcast for adding ESPN2HD! I really hated seeing all those Lady Vols games in SD last year!

Thanks everyone for your responses on indoor antennas.

aVOLanche, I picked up the closeout Silver Sensor at West Town, but no luck (interestingly, this antenna is not a closeout at the Sears in Foothills Mall and is full price). I could get a weak signal from WBIR with it, but that's it. I suppose I'll try the Radio Shack model, although I have an RCA that looks very similar that doesn't work very well. I might just have to accept the fact that an internal ant won't work for me.

Thanks again everyone.

I could have told you that one would not work, although I did keep it because it's a pretty good antenna.

As I said before I went about and bought a couple hundred dollars worth of antennas when I was in Maryville, and tested them all. I took back all of them but the Amplified Radio shack antenna and the Zenith.


The Radio shack antenna I have would actually pull both Fox 43 and Fox 39 from the Tri cities inside.

When I moved to Farragut, it would not work inside the house. I had a coax running from the attic to the living room, so I put the antenna up in the attic and plugged it in up there.

Keep in mind it is VERY DIRECTIONAL, plus the one I have has an inner thing that you turn which also makes a difference.

There are obviously alot of factors, I have even noticed the specific place in the room the antenna sits can make a difference.

As I said before, I have the old model, so I can only testify to it's performance.

Well, I haven't given up on OTA yet. I found a spot where my amplified RCA can pick up WBIR, WTNZ, and sometimes WBXX (if I stand in the right spot). Signal strength on all of these is less than 50%. I'm still trying to find the best spot in the room, although I don't know how much longer my patience will hold out. And I have yet to try the Radio Shack antenna.

You can always take the radio shack one back if it does not work. A lot easier to go buy them all and try them, and keep the one that works IMO.

LC:
I noticed that Seven is off air today, what happened? I get nothing OTA or with Charter.

P.S. When I lived in Maryville, I could get WPXK-DT 54.1 & WBXX-DT 50.1, now antenna web does not even list them for any sized antenna. Any ideas?

LC:
I noticed that Seven is off air today, what happened? I get nothing OTA or with Charter.

P.S. When I lived in Maryville, I could get WPXK-DT 54.1 & WBXX-DT 50.1, now antenna web does not even list them for any sized antenna. Any ideas?


WMAK had a burn in transmission line which is being fixed hopefullty today.

Does anyone have any information about QAM through Comcast. I did a scan and the only channels I could pick up were the music choice channels. Is this normal for this area? I thought they legally had to openly carry HD broadcast channels.

Anyone know what's up with ESPN and ESPNHD on Comcast in Knoville right now? They have nothing on the HD channel, and ESPNNews is playing on ESPN. Making me angry. I wanted to see the game. Can't watch online either since it's a national broadcast.

EDIT: Finally got through. They are aware of the problem and are working on it right now. No eta from the lady on the phone.

Does anyone have any information about QAM through Comcast. I did a scan and the only channels I could pick up were the music choice channels. Is this normal for this area? I thought they legally had to openly carry HD broadcast channels.

It's been several months since I tried the QAM tuner connected to cable, but at that time I could reliably get the Music Choice channels, DIY, PBS, and if I remember correctly the second channels from WBIR and WTNZ. A lot of channels have been remapped since then.

I'm not sure what the legal requirements are for open carriage of OTA broadcast signals. Since the LG tuner also does ATSC and because I'm in a good location with several outside antennas this wasn't a priority. I also have two of their HD DVR units. (yep! really large cable bill!)

I suspect that the cable folks haven't had anyone seriously question them about open carriage. It's also possible that my QAM tuner isn't completely compatible with Comcast's version of QAM.

I've never been able to get the local broadcast stations' digital channels through my SXRD's QAM tuner on Comcast. Even though I have digital HD service, I actually watch the SD channels with the HD STB bypassed because the SXRD does a much better job than the Motorola DST6200 on upconverting. I've run channel search several times on the direct cable connection, but the local digital channels have never shown up. It's not been an issue for me, though, since I also have an ext antenna to pick them up when the cable is out. Still, if they are obligated to provide them unscrambled, which I think they are, it should work.

Although what is is not always what should be, in the US, both 64-QAM and 256-QAM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrature_amplitude_modulation) are mandated. If it's a matter of QAM compatability and not of being incorrectly being scrambled, then either Comcast or the TV manufacturer's need to provide a fix for the issue.

I live in Greeneville, and pick this up OTA. I haven't had any problem. I must admit that I do often watch channel 8 for my CBS, but I will turn over to WJHL if I really want to hear the broadcast in Dolby Digital.

Can anyone in this area pick up the WJHL-DT signal? I had been picking it up great but the last two to three weeks I cant get anything. I wonder what happened?

In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to speak with the chief engineer at WKOP/WETP regarding the problem with the audio in the right channel. THis has been a problem since I got my HD in January.

I was sure that it wasn't a PBS problem, because I watch channel 33 from Asheville, and it was fine.

Anyway, he said they knew about the problem and have been trying to pinpoint it. I'm happy to report that the problem is now fixed. If you've heard the "splatter" of the right channel, you will love it now.

Michael H.

I stand corrected. It is still the same. I flipped on during the mornign to some animated childrens show and it was fine. The HD material is still bad with the audio.


In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to speak with the chief engineer at WKOP/WETP regarding the problem with the audio in the right channel. THis has been a problem since I got my HD in January.

I was sure that it wasn't a PBS problem, because I watch channel 33 from Asheville, and it was fine.

Anyway, he said they knew about the problem and have been trying to pinpoint it. I'm happy to report that the problem is now fixed. If you've heard the "splatter" of the right channel, you will love it now.

Michael H.

Does anyone have any information about QAM through Comcast. I did a scan and the only channels I could pick up were the music choice channels. Is this normal for this area? I thought they legally had to openly carry HD broadcast channels.

I went back and forth with comcast over this issue a while back and never got anywhere with them. Here are the arguments I was using:


I have done a little research and it looks to me like WATE-DT is supposed to be offered on the most basic tier. From http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/Orders/2001/fcc01022.pdf
"a broadcaster's digital signal must be available on a basic tier such that all broadcast signals are available to all cable subscribers at the lowest priced tier of service"

And that these signals should also not be encrypted. From http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/digital.html
"Cable system operators shall not scramble or otherwise encrypt signals carried on the basic service tier."


They never would give me a clear answer as to why they weren't providing the locals in HD in the clear, so I decided to let wate know what was going on through their forum. Here is their response to the arguments above.


The first reference is to a First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed RuleMaking dated 18 Jan 01, and released 23 Jan 01.

Parts of this Rulemaking was adopted by the FCC, but not all. They did not include "must carry" in the Rules and Regulations up to this point in time.

The second reference is a summary of the above. The reference to being available on the basic tier is for digital only stations.

Those of us who transmit both analog and digital cannot ask for must carry of both signals.

The contracts between WATE and all the cable systems in our coverage area allows carriage of the complete digital signal.

The only exception is Charter Cable who has not signed those contracts.

As of today the cable companies can determine the position on their systems and what hardware is required to receive those signals. We can only request carriage of the digital signal.


So it looks like the loophole that comcast is using is that if they carry both the analog and digital feeds, they only have to provide one feed on the basic tier. The sad part is that in most areas, like Nashville for instance, comcast goes ahead and provides the HD feed also. Comcast even says on their own website that no equipment is needed to see the HD if you have a QAM tuner.
From http://www.comcast.com/Support/Corp1/FAQ/FaqDetail_2664.html

Digital-cable-ready HDTV sets have built-in HD capability so no special set-top box is required to receive HD signals for broadcast digital channels.


I'm a Directv customer that normally only uses comcast for internet and I have the limited basic package only to make things cheaper. I was only looking for a way to see the HD channels till I bought my HD TiVo and antenna and got it installed. Now that I have that I have quit harassing comcast and their cable is not even connected to my TV anymore. I used the run for my antenna.

...............a little off-topic but I thought you guys might appreciate this. As you know, the World Cup is going on right now.....and here in England...well for that matter....everywhere in the world except the US, it's a big...... big deal. Well, while flipping through the channels today, trying to find out what cannel the England/Ecuador match was going to be on, I noticed that one of the channels showing the match was in HD. So I flashed it up and of course, instead of getting programming, there was a pop up menu...of sorts...that said "if you want Sky HD, call this number".

So I pulled out the ole cell phone, dialed the number and, when prompted, gave all the pertinent info they ask for whenever you do stuff like that. The person on the other end was very nice........ but it was obvious he was going for a sell. He quoted me a price, now get this, of 300 pounds [that's roughly $600 don't cha know] for the STB, another 60 pounds for installation, and then 10 pounds a month added to your already existing Sky bill....which is about 20 pounds per month. I asked them to tell me how many channels are available in HD....and of course, since it's just getting started over here, he quoted off about 4 channels but also said there are more coming.

It reminded me of when Comcast first started up their digital package with HD in Knoxville. There just wasn't much to see [I'm assuming some of that has changed by now]. Anyway, I thanked him and said I would wait for a few more channels to get included before I take the plunge. .....and I hung up [BTW, England won. David Beckham scored the only goal of the match].

If I remember correctly from having Comcast HD back a couple of years ago [03/04], the STB from Comcast plus the installation charge was about $100 but the monthly bill went from roughly 50 bucks a month to about $110 or $120. So, in the end, that's probably about equal with what Sky is asking for. Enjoy your HD guys....cause it's just getting kicked off here.

Man, I sure hope the Vols do better this year!
Javry

Over the weekend, I verified that I am receiving several DT local channels via my SXRD's QAM tuner, but not all.

Over the weekend, I verified that I am receiving several DT local channels via my SXRD's QAM tuner, but not all.

What channels were they on? Was this through Comcast?

Comcast does not have to carry the both the analog and digital signals of the local stations.
Digital Must Carry is in front of the FCC and is being figted by the cable companies.

What channels were they on? Was this through Comcast?

Yes, it's through Comcast, but with no cable box nor CableCard, just the SXRD's QAM tuner. Here are the digital channels I'm getting consistently:

1.1 WVLT-DT (CBS)
80.401-445 Music Choice
104.4 The Tube
115.1 WKOP (PBS HD)
115.2 WKOP (PBS)
115.3 WBXX

90.122 Fine Living (used to be on another channel) is also okay, as is 82.149 MoviePlex, but I don't know that they're consistent.

106.10 seems to switch from channel to channel and sometimes no signal
91.128 PBS Sprout (no sound)
117.6 CourtTV (no sound)
120.6 Turner South (no sound)
120.9 Turner Classic Movies (no sound)
124.1001-1012 had a bunch of the basic analog cable channels with no sound, but after a few minutes they all just went to no signal

Except for the 5 consistent channels plus the Music Choice stuff, the rest are probably transient.

WATE-DT and WBIR-DT are no where to be found, except through OTA or the cable box.

When watching WBIR in HD, there is a small yellowish vertical line on the left side. Does anyone else see this? It's only on WBIR, so I suspect it's a station issue. I'm using an OTA antenna. If it's my TV, then back it goes.

When watching WBIR in HD, there is a small yellowish vertical line on the left side. Does anyone else see this? It's only on WBIR, so I suspect it's a station issue. I'm using an OTA antenna. If it's my TV, then back it goes.


Have you calibrated your TV yet? I have an OTA receiver, as well as Charter with a Moxi box, I never see any lines.

When watching WBIR in HD, there is a small yellowish vertical line on the left side. Does anyone else see this? It's only on WBIR, so I suspect it's a station issue. I'm using an OTA antenna. If it's my TV, then back it goes.

I don't and I've got both Comcast HD and OTA.

When watching WBIR in HD, there is a small yellowish vertical line on the left side. Does anyone else see this? It's only on WBIR, so I suspect it's a station issue. I'm using an OTA antenna. If it's my TV, then back it goes.

Where exactly is the yellow line? If it's inside the pillarbox on a 4:3 image that would be the station. If it's along the outer margin of the screen then is could mean your TV has relatively low overscan. Most folks actually consider this a good thing as you see more of the image but it can be a little aggravating if artifacts show up from time to time at the image margin.

Some TV's allow you to adjust overscan and image position.

Have you calibrated your TV yet? I have an OTA receiver, as well as Charter with a Moxi box, I never see any lines.

I have calibrated my TV using Avia. But the line is exclusive to WBIR.

Where exactly is the yellow line? If it's inside the pillarbox on a 4:3 image that would be the station. If it's along the outer margin of the screen then is could mean your TV has relatively low overscan. Most folks actually consider this a good thing as you see more of the image but it can be a little aggravating if artifacts show up from time to time at the image margin.

Some TV's allow you to adjust overscan and image position.

The vertical line is at the extreme left. It's only present in HD content, i.e. it's not there on 4:3 shows. My TV doesn't have adjustments for overscan or image position. The line is very thin and it doesn't really bother me that much. But I'm at the end of my 30-day return period for my TV and I'm trying to decide if it's related to just my TV, which from the responses I got it appears to be just me.

The vertical line is at the extreme left. It's only present in HD content, i.e. it's not there on 4:3 shows. My TV doesn't have adjustments for overscan or image position. The line is very thin and it doesn't really bother me that much. But I'm at the end of my 30-day return period for my TV and I'm trying to decide if it's related to just my TV, which from the responses I got it appears to be just me.

It sounds like you need to adjust overscan or image position slightly. What is your TV? Many have service menu adjustments for this.

Since you're at the end of your 30 day period..... after which there's no going back..... why not take the TV back to the store, show the proprietor what the probelm is, and see if they have a solution. Perhaps you can try a different TV or get them to extend your existing grace period.

My TV is a Westinghouse LTV-32w6 32" LCD. I haven't been able to find a way to reach the service menu. I found the code for the 40" Westy (if I remember correctly), but it doesn't work on the 32".

I probably should take it back to where I got it and see what they say. I guess I can't expect too much from a TV in this price range.

That's probably the safest thing to do. I can never understand why TV manufacturers omit size/position controls on a digital TV. I guess they think we're too stupid to use them. :rolleyes:

Charter has TNT in HDTV in Farragut now channel 772.

Are folks on here aware of D*TV's free High Def DVR offer?I just got mine installed last week.If you are a previous NFL Sunday Ticket customer....read these threads(links) and call the CRG(customer retention group).This is for real!I have nothing to do with the company other than being a customer.Just a heads-up for a great deal (free!) on an HR10-250.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=686376

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=303111

I think if you have Charter, that the Moxi DVR is the way to go. I was a fan of Satelite, but now I love cable because of the Moxi decoder.

I just looked at Moxi.It only records 11 hours of HD.The HR10-250 will do 35+ hours of HD and 200 hours of SD(OTA and/or satellite....on any combination of 2 tuners).Features look very comparable otherwise.

I just looked at Moxi.It only records 11 hours of HD.The HR10-250 will do 35+ hours of HD and 200 hours of SD(OTA and/or satellite....on any combination of 2 tuners).Features look very comparable otherwise.

The Moxi has two USB 2.0 ports which are supposed to be enabled this year to allow external hard drives. Regardless, the menus are cool, the picture quality is better than the plain motorola box etc. The moxi is just really cool all around. They send software updates to add new features, games, etc periodically.

There is no comparison between this hardware and anything else I've seen.

Anybody here using a cablecard thru Comcast? If so, besides basic channels, are you getting many HD stations? I currently use an OTA antenna w/ inconsistent results due to trees & other restrictions.

Thanks in advance for any & all input.

not to take the thread off course but who's QB for the Vols this year? And whatever happened to Randy Sanders?

not to take the thread off course but who's QB for the Vols this year? And whatever happened to Randy Sanders?

Randy Sanders got fired. David Cutcliff is back to coach offense. Ainge is back but he has a competition. a guy who's name I can't recall. I hope the ther guy has some tallent. He's said to. I don't have much faith in Ainge. Ainge looks the opposite of head-y and never seems to improve judgement-wise. He's made more really dumb, intercepted, passes than any UT quarterback I can recall. Ainge looks like a back-up QB to me. I'm rootin' for the other guy!!! :)

Does anyone know what the new UTTV channel on Comcast cable is? It does not show anything yet, but it is going to be around channel 190.

Does anyone know what the new UTTV channel on Comcast cable is?

I dunno... are we thinking University of Tennessee Television? :confused:

Does anyone else have trouble with 8-1 (I'm getting my HD OTA). I live around the Walker Springs area of town, and can pick up all the local HD channels just fine execpt for WVLT. Anyone found a way to pick this channel up, with football season just starting....this channel is a must. I'm wondering if picking up a stronger antenna will help any. I have to use an indoor antenna......outside is not an option.

It's definitely the weakest of the "big 4" by far up here, but I'm able to get a consistent drop free signal most of the time. A larger antenna or going outside with it is almost always better.

Does anyone else have trouble with 8-1 (I'm getting my HD OTA).

To confirm what cpcat said... The channel 8 frequency here in Knoxville has always been problematic on analog and the station seems to be continuing the tradition in the digital conversion even though the frequency isn't in the same ballpark. :(

Right now I'm just using the basic antenna.....if i get one that has 45db or 50db do you think that would help?

Right now I'm just using the basic antenna.....if i get one that has 45db or 50db do you think that would help?

For an indoor option most go with some variation on a bowtie such as this (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103058&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032204&pg=4&parentPage=family)

or small yagi such as this (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2457881&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032204&pg=2&parentPage=family)

It probably doesn't need to be amplified either way.

Most likely either will also provide enough gain for WMAK channel 7 even though they are both primarily UHF antennas. WMAK will be somewhat weaker on the north side of Knoxville though.

WMAK isnt a problem at all, WVLT is the problem, I cant get it at all,

The point was that even though the antennas I suggested are designed for UHF (WVLT is uhf 30) they will likely still have enough vhf gain for WMAK which is vhf 7.

What antenna are you using currently?

WMAK will be somewhat weaker on the north side of Knoxville though.

I can confirm this. I'm about a mile north of Sharp's Ridge and can see the towers out the window... WMAK comes in at between 40% and 65%. WVLT is around 80%. All other Sharps Ridge stations are in the upper 90% for me.

There's a known problem with ch8's UHF DTV antenna. They are aware of the problem and there have been some attempts at repair. As for ch8 NTSC, they have a directional pattern by design.

After the end of NTSC, now February 2009 if no reprieve, ch10 DTV will move from UHF to VHF. So in this area it might be worthwhile to retain an all channel antenna although some "UHF only" antennas perform fairly well for channels 7 through 13.

After the end of NTSC, now February 2009 if no reprieve, ch10 DTV will move from UHF to VHF. So in this area it might be worthwhile to retain an all channel antenna although some "UHF only" antennas perform fairly well for channels 7 through 13.

Excellent point. Although they (you:)) are doing great as far I can tell as it is now with UHF 31. I hope VHF 10 will do at least as well.

WCYB Bristol is absolutely excellent on UHF 28 (at least here) and yet they are moving to low band 5. :confused: Dunno 'bout that one.

Anyway, for indoor antennas at least, it should be relatively simple to add rabbit ears and a uhf/vhf diplexer if necessary for added vhf performance. Similarly, a smallish outdoor high band vhf antenna add-on should do the trick. At least Knoxville won't have any low band vhf. :)

Ok so not completely new. I lived in Knoxville for 6 years around the time of the Worlds fair, but I am getting off course here.

I am moving back to Knoxville in a couple of weeks and I wanted to check on the status of antenna setups.

I have a Winguard PR8800 and was wondering weather I should move it with me or just pick up a new setup considering the vhf channels.

Glad to be back in a world were I won't look weird in an Orange Jersey yelling at the TV in a bar. ;)

Go Vols

Tom

Is there an estimated date when DTV will roll out Knoxville locals in HD?

Is there an estimated date when DTV will roll out Knoxville locals in HD?

I wish there was. All I know is not in the next 3 months.

I would guess sometime late in '07. :confused: Purely just a top-of-the-head guess!

I really don't care if the local news goes all HD anytime soon and don't expect 'em to. I wish they would atleast go 16 x 9 480i pronto. I'm tired of side-bars. Surely it's somebody else's turn to watch bars in the other locale at this point...? ;) Another thing, I'm sick of locals dropping down to SD to run station ID or weather alerts.

I hope channel 8 makes remarkable strides before the TN versus FL game. I popped on one of their HD preseason NFL games and it looked WAY worse than any of the poor presentations we got on CBS college games last year. Besides the usual macroblocking on moving objects, there was horrid pxelization episodes frequently, sometimes rather large.... :rolleyes: Their sub-channel must be dragging them down worse than ever??? :mad:

I realize this is a total noob question, but is there some good introduction to HD antenna reception out there? I've looked around for a bit, and my uncle has an HD antenna and assures me that reception in my area (Greeneville, TN, about an hour east of Knoxville) is pretty good. I bought a Philips MANT510, but I have only found 2 channels so far, and to be quite honest, they look horrible. Nothing that could be even remotely mistaken for HD. I'm not sure if I'm hooking it up right, or setting it up right, or what. I've gone to antennaweb and have tried to point my antenna in the directions that it says, but that has only helped minimally. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I have only found 2 channels so far, and to be quite honest, they look horrible. Nothing that could be even remotely mistaken for HD.

If the stations look bad in the evening while in network or if you are seeing ghosting you are still watching NTSC. Some new sets have two antenna inputs. One is for ATSC/HDTV/cable QAM, the other input is for over-the-air regular TV or an analog cable feed. You will also have to cause the tuner to scan for channels since most HDTV channels are not on the same channel as their channel brand. For instance, channel 10 is on RF channel 31, channel 6 is on RF channel 26. Greeneville has a digital counterpart to channel 19 and WJHL in Johnson City should also be viewable. From a very good location in Greeneville you may be able to get the Knoxville stations.

As far as antennas, high and in the clear outside is always best.

I realize this is a total noob question, but is there some good introduction to HD antenna reception out there? I've looked around for a bit, and my uncle has an HD antenna and assures me that reception in my area (Greeneville, TN, about an hour east of Knoxville) is pretty good. I bought a Philips MANT510, but I have only found 2 channels so far, and to be quite honest, they look horrible. Nothing that could be even remotely mistaken for HD. I'm not sure if I'm hooking it up right, or setting it up right, or what. I've gone to antennaweb and have tried to point my antenna in the directions that it says, but that has only helped minimally. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!


OTA (over the air) digital TV including HDTV requires an ATSC tuner. This may already be incorporated into your TV if it is new or alternatively you may need to purchase an add-on set top box (STB). Many satellite STB's also contain ATSC tuners. For info on various choices, visit the HDTV reception hardware section of AVS. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=25

The signal for OTA (over the air) digital TV gets to your tuner in the traditional fashion via antenna/coax cable/antenna preamp. How much antenna, whether indoor or outdoor, and the need for a preamp depends on your location and distance to your local stations. The signals are broadcast over uhf/vhf just as they have been in the past and the technology is identical all the way up to the point of the HDTV tuner which is the only real difference.

Your local stations are currently broadcasting both analog (NTSC) and digital TV (ATSC) simultaneously as part of the so-called "digital transition". Last I heard, analog will shut down some time in 2009.

For a general idea of what antenna setup to use, go to http://www.antennaweb.org

Also, you can go to http://www.2150.com/broadcast/default.asp and put in your lat/longitude in decimal form for bearings/distances to your local stations. A link to find your magnetic variation from true north is also provided there.

Source to find your lat/longitude: http://terraserver.microsoft.com/

Also visit the OTA reception FAQ: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611957

That should get you started. Once armed with the basic info, any further questions can be posted in the reception thread at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8211150#post8211150

Wow. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for the information. I'm going to get started on that stuff tonight, so I have enough time to return my antenna if I need to. I'm going to digest all this and get back to you if I have any more questions. I can't thank you guys enough!! (I'll probably see you on the strip tomorrow before the game and just not know who you are. I'm one of those insane rabid Tennessee fans you are probably sick of seeing every weekend... lol).

THANKS AGAIN!!

Oops. Except cpcat. Sorry, for some reason I thought you were from the Knoxville area. I'm still much obliged for the help, and I cheer on Louisville and Kentucky... provided, of course, they aren't playing UT!! Jk. See ya around...

I still root for UT most of the time. ;)

LOL! Then we will definitely get along... :)

I can confirm this. I'm about a mile north of Sharp's Ridge and can see the towers out the window... WMAK comes in at between 40% and 65%. WVLT is around 80%. All other Sharps Ridge stations are in the upper 90% for me.

Those are about the same numbers for me, located near Emory Rd and Tazewell Pike.

Although I'm using a Radio Shack 15-1180 just because it looks better, I've got an old Archer Color Supreme III (un-amped) that does just as good. My point is, in our particular area, I don't think the style of indoor antenna has as much impact as it's location. Of course, it's a different story for attic or outdoor mounts.

Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune(along with the morning Today Show)....all on Channel 10 WBIR NBC (Knoxville) are now in High Definition.Problem is,the local station has not figured this out yet!So,what else is new?

Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune(along with the morning Today Show)....all on Channel 10 WBIR NBC (Knoxville) are now in High Definition.Problem is,the local station has not figured this out yet!So,what else is new?

WBIR can pass through the live NBC signal for TODAY. I know TODAY is going HD but has this happened yet? As to Wheel and Jeopardy,those programs are taking down off of satellite each day and played back at 7:00 pm. Currently only WMAK ch 7 can originate HDTV content, the other station can only pass through network HDTV.

Yes,Today was broadcast in HD this morning.Jeopardy and Wheel were talkiing smack about how they were the only syndicated shows in HD (daytime,other than Today).But they were in SD.Sorry for my cynical attitude,but I've had to call the varios locals so many times to get the HD "switch turned flipped" that I have lost count.

Yes,Today was broadcast in HD this morning.Jeopardy and Wheel were talkiing smack about how they were the only syndicated shows in HD (daytime,other than Today).But they were in SD.Sorry for my cynical attitude,but I've had to call the varios locals so many times to get the HD "switch turned flipped" that I have lost count.


I think they are the only syndicated shows in HD, but the local stations have to have infrastructure to air it.

I think they are the only syndicated shows in HD, but the local stations have to have infrastructure to air it.
Got it.Does this mean we will not likely be getting this type of show in HD by OTA?

Got it.Does this mean we will not likely be getting this type of show in HD by OTA?


Oh yes we will get it OTT as well as cable. Every piece of equipment in a TV stations has to be replaced from analog to digital. It is like the transition in mid 60'sa when stations moved from black and white to color. The first thing stations did was pass through the network color signal. Every camera has to be replaced. Even the wiring and mointors routers, production switchers, tape machines and all the things related to the infrastrucre of the stations. Remember no incremental revenue to the station and millions of dollars of costs. Each station here in Knoxville has had to spend at least a couple of million dollars just for transmitter, antennaes, transmission lines, and the HDTV encoders to pass through the network signal. Not counting the two new towers on Sharps Ridge. It will take a few years for the transition to take place and it could speed up if one of the big three started HDTV in local news even just in the studio. Then from competitive stand point the other stations might do that. Gannett, the owners of WBIR have gone HDTV in Atlanta and Washington DC and I think have announced I think another market. They are the only local owner of network affiliate that has done this.

Just moved back to Knoxville and finally got to catch my first Tennessee game in high definition since our move here. Please somebody tell me this wasn't typical! That was without a doubt the worst looking HD football game I have ever seen! I had a strong OTA signal (83%) so that wasn't the problem. Is the UPN/MyTV subchannel that much of a drain on their bandwidth? If so turn it off for those few hours a week on Saturdays! Going between WATE's HD picture and WVLT's HD picture was like like the difference between DVD picture quality and YouTube picture quality!

Just moved back to Knoxville and finally got to catch my first Tennessee game in high definition since our move here. Please somebody tell me this wasn't typical!

I've been watching their HD football telecasts for three seasons now and they continue to steadily DE-prove! :mad:
I've complained to them and I've complained to their network with no meaningful response. I am going to contact the F.C.C. next. Channel's 8 and 43 are both in open defiance of their civic obligation to use their sub's for "local" programming.

Obviously, ABC's and NBC's lawyers have advised their affilites that cheap weather channels constitutes local programming. I don't think that the writers of the regulations had weather channels in mind, even...? I think, what they had in mind, was spelling bees, sports, local events...like parades or coverage of holiday fireworks, or ect......??? I believe....I read parts of the reg's quite some time back.

I don't see how 8 and 43 are operating within their civic duty running their sub's. Or, do they have some twisted interpretation of the reg's that they don't have to comply till after the analog cutoff? Or, have they bought so much political favor that they feel they can be openly defiant? :rolleyes: Who wants to bet that in 2009 that all the unprepared affiliates will beg for more time or a handout???????

My discription of 2-nite's game.....many hundreds of episodes of macroblocking, 50-100 episodes of pixelization, several audio problems, dropped frames....that about covers it! :rolleyes:

Channel 8 is pitiful..... Welcome back JThree! :)

Just moved back to Knoxville and finally got to catch my first Tennessee game in high definition since our move here. Please somebody tell me this wasn't typical!

Welcome back Three.

I caught the 4th quarter of the Vol game (it's my fault.. i'm the jinx! :eek: ). Yep, that's what WVLT's digital signal looks like -- terrible. My guess: too much milkshake through too thin straw. :mad:

Sad thing is I'm starting to get used to the crappy picture. :(

Sad thing is I'm starting to get used to the crappy picture. :(

Isn't crappie awfully optomistic, well, wishful...? ;) If channel 8 looked as bueno as krappie, I wouldn't be so riled. I remember the good ole days when they used to be crappy, back in '04. It's been all downhill since. Always remember what Tim Allen, Captain Tagert, in Galaxy Quest always sez, "never give up never surrender". It didn't help him much but it might do you a galaxy of good? ...since you don't have Omega 13..... ;) :)

Anybody else notice that 10 botched the season opener of My Name Is Earl and sent it out is bloody SD? :mad: Collectively, the Knoxville "big 4" have no pride in what they do.....

Anybody else notice that 10 botched the season opener of My Name Is Earl and sent it out is bloody SD?

Yep... strange that Earl was SD on the digital channel but as soon as the Office started it went right to HD. :mad:

It seems commitment to HD on WBIR isn't improving -- very little has changed since last year.

btw, the premier of Earl was "meh"... but the Office was AWESOME!!!! :D

Yep,Rachael
They could care less.Channel 8 continues to pixelate(more than ever at my location).Cannel 43 has gotten worse,lately.And I still have to call various channels to get them to "flip the switch".Is anyone else calling?

Is anyone else calling?

That's the problem with Tivo... Since I'm not watching live I can't catch them as it happens. :o

Yeah,I watch a lot of the local stuff "live",but Tivo a lot too.Nothing POs me more than getting an SD that is supposed to be HD.
But,if we don't call(or write/email) they will never improve their attitudes.

Anybody having trouble getting HD feed on SEC game LSU Fla game on WVLT?

Anybody having trouble getting HD feed on SEC game LSU Fla game on WVLT?

It was messed up at first, but now getting it OTA and on Charter. I heard something this morning about sunspots today affecting some channels, not sure if it was true or not.

It was messed up at first, but now getting it OTA and on Charter. I heard something this morning about sunspots today affecting some channels, not sure if it was true or not.

I'd say it's true, it's still on 4:3 standard in Chattanooga, they've tried a couple of times to switch to HD, but it looked horrid, at least it's watchable this way, in HD it wasn't ... hopefully they'll switch back, sunspots don't last too long.

Yep... strange that Earl was SD on the digital channel but as soon as the Office started it went right to HD. :mad:

It seems commitment to HD on WBIR isn't improving -- very little has changed since last year.

btw, the premier of Earl was "meh"... but the Office was AWESOME!!!! :D

I know someone that works for 10 and I told him about that. He said I should have called the control room. I didn't have the number or I would have done it.

I didn't go back to see if this was aleady discussed, but what is the deal with WBXX HD having their audio out of sync? It's been that way for a long time. Can they not fix it? I ran across one show last week where the main audio track wasn't playing (voices of the characters), but the background noise track was the only thing that could be heard.

I know someone that works for 10 and I told him about that. He said I should have called the control room. I didn't have the number or I would have done it.

I called channel 6 today. I tried to watch the noon news on 6 today but nobody bothered to switch off the network feed, from The View (HD), and HD loops ran till nearly 12:35, no news. It took them 25 mintes after I called! :mad: The news director called me about 12:45. I told him that 6 was the least reliable TV station in town. I told him I'd seen the HD loop atleast 30 times these past two years, which is proably understating it. I even have a 1080i D-VHS tape of it....

I hope I made an impression because 6's digital has gotten worse not better during the past year. I'd say the same for 8 and 10 too....particularly 8's patentedly inferior broadcasting of HD sports.

I have the numbers for the bIG fOUR, courtesey this thread way back. Here they are again:

6 - WATE - 637-6666
10 - WBIR - 637-1010
8 - WVLT - 450-8888
43 - WTNZ - 693-4343

Having called all of those except 43, I think you'd have to go down to channel 8 and take hostages to get a serious response to their numerous shortcommings... ;) 6 and 10 seem to respond better but it's clear that at 6 they frequently don't monitor their digital signal. Nobody but nobody in this market has made more GROSS mistakes, than 6!

I quess we can't call these stations enough..... :rolleyes:

A note about calling these numbers:Most calls will probably be made during Prime Time or weekends.So you will likely not get a live person on the phone without calling the "newsroom" where they sit and wait for breaking news.Just call that extension and ask for "engineering".Or,in the event you get a real person on the first try,ask them to flip the HD switch.
Are RachaelB and I the only ones that call?

Are RachaelB and I the only ones that call?

I wish I could contribute in your calling crusade... but with Tivo I rarely watch TV "live". :o

Thanks for the diligence in calling though! Please keep it up.

A note about calling these numbers:Most calls will probably be made during Prime Time or weekends.So you will likely not get a live person on the phone without calling the "newsroom" where they sit and wait for breaking news.Just call that extension and ask for "engineering".Or,in the event you get a real person on the first try,ask them to flip the HD switch.
Are RachaelB and I the only ones that call?

Nope! I've tried calling 2 or 3 of the numbers you've provided, but didn't through to anyone. I've added the newsroom/engineering tip to my contact list, though. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

A note about calling these numbers:Most calls will probably be made during Prime Time or weekends.So you will likely not get a live person on the phone without calling the "newsroom" where they sit and wait for breaking news.Just call that extension and ask for "engineering".Or,in the event you get a real person on the first try,ask them to flip the HD switch.
Are RachaelB and I the only ones that call?


Call news room and ask them to page "Master Control" The numbers listed in earlier posting will not work. Even calling engineering is not the best place to call.

Call news room and ask them to page "Master Control" The numbers listed in earlier posting will not work. Even calling engineering is not the best place to call.

I think we are conflicting on the semantics.The numbers posted will get you through to the stations.Then it is a matter of getting a "real person" on the phone(usually through a menu).
After hours,the folks wanting "breaking news" will answer and can get you to the '"master control" or "engineering".The reason I said engineering is that, several times,the person I've talked to at the station refers to it that way.
Basically it's a matter of getting anyone to answer,telling them the HD is not on AGAIN,and asking to have the "switch flipped"(their wording,once again).
If the numbers need an update,please post it.Thanks.

Anyone having lots of audio dropouts on Fox 43-1 OTA HD(D****TV)?I watched Prison Break and Bones last week.The audio keeps dropping out for 9-10 seconds.The video is perfect during the audio dropouts.I have a good,strong signal.
ABC does the same thing on both of my HR10-250 DVRs.It seems to have started with the 6.3a upgrade a couple of weeks ago.(I assume it is D****TV only).

Anyone having lots of audio dropouts on Fox 43-1 OTA HD(D****TV)?I watched Prison Break and Bones last week.The audio keeps dropping out for 9-10 seconds.The video is perfect during the audio dropouts.I have a good,strong signal.
ABC does the same thing on both of my HR10-250 DVRs.It seems to have started with the 6.3a upgrade a couple of weeks ago.(I assume it is D****TV only).

Audio/Video breakups on Fox Football Sunday on Charter and OTA, I have both. Probably Satelite issue.

Really don't think it's a satellite issue.My satellite feed is fine,but OTA is dropouts all the time.If it were a satellite issue,Both OTA and satellite would suffer the same problem(since the OTA is just rebroadcast satellite feeds).

I have problem with both Charter and OTA that's all I know, obviously EVERYTHING else is speculation unless you work there.

ABC does the same thing on both of my HR10-250 DVRs.It seems to have started with the 6.3a upgrade a couple of weeks ago.(I assume it is D****TV only).

There has been very active threads over at the Tivocommunity message boards about audio dropouts after the 6.3a upgrade to the HR10-250. Some people are claiming they have observed the problem for the last couple weeks to a month, even before the update. Others claimed it started on their machines immediately after the 6.3a update.

I have noticed it on my machine once it was updated. The audio will drop out for about 10 second, then the screen will glitch and the audio comes back in.

With that said, I only saw it for a couple days after the upgrade and haven't seen it in a week or so.

Amazing Race ran late on CBS, I guess because of football. When fast forwarding to find where the show started I saw a lot of color bars during the ending of the delayed 60 minutes.

Was someone taking a nap at Master Control over at WVLT? :confused:

Really don't think it's a satellite issue.My satellite feed is fine,but OTA is dropouts all the time.If it were a satellite issue,Both OTA and satellite would suffer the same problem(since the OTA is just rebroadcast satellite feeds).

I'm getting alot of glitches on 43, maybe 1-2 a minute. I'm havng worse problems with channel 6. I've quit Tivoing their 11 o'clock news due to glitches, big and small, gaps, and omissions. It seems like the height of it was 2-3 weeks ago but they're stille having way too many problems. The season opening episode of Boston Legal that I tivoed was unwatchable. The next week it only had a smattering of smaller glitches. I haven't watched last tuesday's yet.

Since, say, 1 year ago, all my locals have gotten considerably worse. Last year, 6 & 43 were consistently pretty good, now suck-y. 8 looks worse than ever. How much worse can it get for them? 15 has stayed about the same. 10, I don't watch alot but it seems to have occasional little glitches. I've never picked up 20. I live too near river level, low, or need a taller antenna, I suppose, or maybe they should broadcast better? I never watch 7 but if I flip past it, it looks fine.

All the stations seem to be getting worse or at best static. Anybody else notice that 8's local colour just keeps getting more and more washed out? Their analog stuff is really near an end, seemingly.

Outside of 7, the locals don't seem to take digital too seriously..... :rolleyes:

It seems there are two different problems being discussed.

I Tivoed the Ebert and Robper At The Movies over the weekend (WATE channel 6.1) and it was glitchy and nearly unwatchable. I haven't seen it this bad... I thought the hard drive on my Tivo was failing. This sounds like what Rachael is talking about.

This is different than the audio dropouts that aVOL mentioned. While the glitching I noticed during Ebert was a brief but constant breakup in the picture and audio, the 6.3a audio bug seen before is just the audio dropping out for a certain period of time (usually around 10 seconds) and then the picture glitching very briefly as the audio comes back in. This rarely happens, if at all.

Both problems are only recorded Over The Air, and not on all channels. I don't know if they have anything to do with the Tivo hardware, software, or station broadcasting.

Regarding the audio dropout problem, I noticed after I received the 6.3a upgrade, my HR10-250 digital audio output setting was set to "Dolby Digital over PCM". I had it set to "Dolby Digital" before the upgrade, and it seems that the upgrade changed it. This might have the potential to cause some problems with some receivers that were not seen before. Those with problems might want to check this setting.

I lost 20.1 WBXX today about 3pm. Was coming in great then poof. Is this normal for this station. I can still get the analog channel but not the digital. I use a HR10-250 Directv receiver & a Sony HDTV OTA tuner. The Sony is much better than the Directv and it lost it also. Thanks, Jeff

There has been very active threads over at the Tivocommunity message boards about audio dropouts after the 6.3a upgrade to the HR10-250. Some people are claiming they have observed the problem for the last couple weeks to a month, even before the update. Others claimed it started on their machines immediately after the 6.3a update.

I have noticed it on my machine once it was updated. The audio will drop out for about 10 second, then the screen will glitch and the audio comes back in.

With that said, I only saw it for a couple days after the upgrade and haven't seen it in a week or so.

It has been really bad for me for several weeks.It definitely started with the update and has been continuous.Tonight,even CBS had a 10 sec dropout.Fox has been the worst,then ABC.
I'm following the thread at Tivocommunity,too.DirectTV better get their act together.It's one thing after another.The fact that the new mpeg 4 stuff is coming out bothers me in that the HR10-250 may be neglected.

Was anyone able to watch the baseball game last night (10/17/06) on Fox. I tried both Comcast and my OTA antenna and they both had terrible break up.

On a separate note, the CW audio always seems to lag behind the video when broadcasting in HD.

I looked at parts of the baseball game these past two nights and it was chocked full of glitches. It's not just some function of my DirecTivo either. I switched to recieving via my Samsung T-165 for awhile this evening and the reception stille sucked.

Well, I have emailed both engineering departments at WBXX and WTNZ. We'll see if I get a response from them.

Well, I have emailed both engineering departments at WBXX and WTNZ. We'll see if I get a response from them.

I got a very nice reply from the WBXX engineer. He stated that they had seen the problem and were tracking down the cause of the audio delay. Said it has been intermittent and thus hard to track down. Said it should be fixed shortly.

Good to hear. I noticed last night on Veronica Mars (and maybe Gilmore Girls too) the right channel was cutting in and out. I wonder if this was a part of the same problem?

Well, 43 solved their problems by being off the air tonight. No baseball...... :mad:

Did anyone else have glitches during this week's Lost?

Yes,throughout.But they were brief(1-2sec) and looked like signal dropout(audio and Video)-unlike the Video "only" 10 second ones that have been so frequent on Fox and ABC.
Also,I've had no HD Fox 43-1 at all tonight(just a blank,white screen)-just saw Rachael's post about that,too.

Well, 43 solved their problems by being off the air tonight. No baseball...... :mad:

I really hope they can get this fixed before the World Series starts.

Still no Fox43.1 as of 10am.

Still no Fox43.1 as of 10am.

It's back on now. I hope it holds up today. I would like to take a look at game 7 tonight.

On a separate note, the CW audio always seems to lag behind the video when broadcasting in HD.

I commented on that a week or so ago. I'm surprised more people aren't discussing it on here. It's pretty bad. I guess no one watches that channel.

I guess no one watches that channel.

More people would watch the CW in digital if the transmitter wasn't located in Egypt! :eek:

What would it take to get them up on Sharps Ridge? :confused:

So,is the consensus that these audio dropouts are a DirecTV problem?What else could it be,since all the locals started having trouble at the 6.3a "upgrade"?

Have you DirecTV users called their tech department to complain?If not,the customer retention number is 1-800-824-9081 and is usually answered promptly.They can transfer you to the tech dept.

As for 6.3a on the DirecTivo, I'm more concerned about the broken dual tuner support. The DirecTivo will now record using the second tuner even if it is not enabled, resulting in blank recordings. Because I only have one cable at that location from the antenna, I can't be assured my programs get recorded. Adding a splitter reduces the occurence. Whether this works or not depends on which channels are needed -- same transponders, right? -- but obviously won't eliminate it.

As for 6.3a on the DirecTivo, I'm more concerned about the broken dual tuner support. The DirecTivo will now record using the second tuner even if it is not enabled, resulting in blank recordings. Because I only have one cable at that location from the antenna, I can't be assured my programs get recorded. Adding a splitter reduces the occurence. Whether this works or not depends on which channels are needed -- same transponders, right? -- but obviously won't eliminate it.

:confused:

I'm not sure I understand.... you only need one antenna with one cable for dual-tuner support for OTA -- the HR10-250 splits the signal internally. You do need two cables from your dish for dual-tuner support for that.

Just out of curiosity -- after the 6.3a update all the available channels were reset, which means the DirecTivo thinks you get every available channel. This caused some blank recordings for people until they went through and unchecked all the channels they don't receive. Could this be your problem?

I'm not sure I understand.... you only need one antenna with one cable for dual-tuner support for OTA -- the HR10-250 splits the signal internally. You do need two cables from your dish for dual-tuner support for that.
OTA is fine. I was pointing out that 6.3a's real problem is with its handling of dual tuners for the satellite feed. The 3.x release properly handled the case where only one line from the DirecTV dish was provided. The second tuner was completely disabled: no recording or switching was attempted. Recording only one stream at a time was fine for me.

Under 6.3a the DirecTiVo's scheduler seems to think the second cable is attached and will attempt to tune to a channel. Here's the scenario: I have a season pass to Battlestar Galactica on SCI-FI. When the start time comes around, I could be watching CNN in real-time. Rather than (as 3.x did) switch the current tuner to SCI-FI, 6.3a tries to switch the second tuner to SCI-FI. But there's nothing connected to that line, and the System Information screen shows sat line 2 as disabled. Result: Blank recording.

It seems like a fairly obvious bug to me. Although I can enjoy two OTA streams by toggling via the Live TV button, I can't reliably do the same with satellite because I only have one line from the dish. This behavior is new to 6.3a.

:eek: wow, that sucks. I didn't realize this was happening, and you are right - that's a huge bug.

I have HD though Comcast and WATE channel 6 has been pixellating very badly. The October 19 Grey's Anatomy was almost unwatchable. Anybody else here have Comcast and notice this? I'm guessing this is a WATE problem as I do not have the same problem on other Comcast HD channels.

We have the same problem. I never think to switch to OTA to see if it's a station problem or just a Comcast problem.

I have HD though Comcast and WATE channel 6 has been pixellating very badly. The October 19 Grey's Anatomy was almost unwatchable. Anybody else here have Comcast and notice this? I'm guessing this is a WATE problem as I do not have the same problem on other Comcast HD channels.

The same thing is going on with their digital OTA. Presently, I only watch 2 shows on WATE, Ebert & Roper and Boston Legal. These shows have consistently had the same problems as you. The season opener of Boston Legal was unwatchable. I think, I hope, they hit rock bottom a few weeks back buty they're stille having little problems. I had their news on one day last week and the glitches started and I just switched the set to channel 8. BTW, 43 has had the same sort of problems lately. Their digital OTA just went missing one day last week....the day of game 6 of the NL playoff.

It's aggrivating, watching 6 lately...... :rolleyes:

It's aggrivating, watching 6 lately...... :rolleyes:

Additionally, it seems there may be a problem with their transmission. WATE used to be the strongest signal here. Now, they are number three behind WTNZ and WBIR on the meter. This wouldn't bother me except I'm also now getting occasional dropouts which is very annoying. I get a better signal from WKPT at 110 miles....

cpcat........Same here.WATE_CH6.1,Knoxville used to be a much stronger signal for me(CBS 8.1 was always the worst-now it's as good as any because of the deterioration of WATE -6 and WVLT 43.1 Fox).

Has anyone contacted them to see what their problem is?

Probably transmitter problems and waiting on parts.

Hey all, just picked up my HD LCD this weekend and was all excited to tune in some HD channels but boy was I surprised. I live about 3 miles from the towers on sharps ridge, over on Millertown near the mall. I hooked up a cheap antenna to it right away and picked up CBS and Fox plus some weird channel but CBS and Fox were so pixilated I couldn't stand to watch it. I went out and got an amplified VHF/UHF antenna (indoor) and that came in a little better but still not watchable. What is the problem here? I figured living a few miles from the antennas would give me great reception. The only thing I can think of is that I live in an apartment on the bottom floor. If I get a really highly amplified indoor antenna would I do any better? Thanks for any help.

Possum... is there a signal strength indicator on your TV? If you are getting 70% or above on the digital channels no antenna is going to improve the quality of your picture.

What model TV did you get?

I got the Vizio L37 which does not have a signal strength meter. I thought it the Vizio at first but I then hooked up the amplified antenna to my old 27 inch tv and had the same problem getting a good picture with analog. I am starting to think it may be the apt I live in. The building is aimed perpendicular to the towers and I am at the end fartherest away. Plus where I live in the bottom level (1/3 below ground level) is really hurting me get a signal. The second antenna I used had a 22db gain and was much improved over the regular antenna. Do you all think if I get one with a higher gain that maybe I can get some stations? It's not a huge deal right now because my QAM tuner is picking up everything but FOX but I would still like for my antenna to pick up better.

Does it seem to anyone else that morning ota digital is weaker compared to primetime? I have a myhd 110 tuner card in my computer, and in the mornings I have no knoxville digital channel that will come in. Analog reception shows the same signal strength at both times. I can get wb digital just fine all day, as well. I usually get wbir hd the best with 75% I guess, but this morning, as usual, nothing. I live in Loudon Co, on the edge of Roane and Monroe.

Does it seem to anyone else that morning ota digital is weaker compared to primetime?

Signal strengths at a distance can vary with time of day. Your outside antenna may be coated with frost this morning as could any trees you are looking though. At the higher frequencies you can even start to see signal loss due to rain. On the the otherhand, there is a peonmenon (temperature inversion) usually seen on the lower channels that allows the signals to bend down below the horizon. I noticed that I can receive Chattanooga stations in the early morning but lose them later in the day.

The second antenna I used had a 22db gain and was much improved over the regular antenna. Do you all think if I get one with a higher gain that maybe I can get some stations?

I'd try for greater directivity over amplifier gain. The larger antenna should give greater signal and less ghosting. From your location the towers on Sharp's Ridge are mostly in the same direction. Looking through a large buiding toward the towers will distort the signals and that is a good part of the trouble you are having.

I'd try for greater directivity over amplifier gain. The larger antenna should give greater signal and less ghosting.

Is ghosting still a problem with digital TV? :confused:

Is ghosting still a problem with digital TV? :confused:

Sure is! You'll never see ghosting as multiple images but you will see the result as loss of picture lock, pixilation, or even no picture at all even though the signal strength otherwise is okay.

Ghosting (multipath) degrades the receivers ability to extract the digital information. The receiver will compensate for some ghosting but when it's really bad the digital information can't be decoded. FYI...The LG fifth generation chipset is held in high regard for it's ability to cancel the effects of relatively bad ghosting but all receivers have some ability to cancel ghosting.

Thanks PatrickT for the comments. I definitely hadn't thought about the frost. I hope to move up to a larger antenna for better reception all day and night.

The solutions to multipath include increased directivity and higher front/back ratio. High directivity with narrow beamwidth usually means a larger antenna and without a preamp (preamps will typically amplify multipath). You can also consider horizontal stacking (combining two antennas side to side with equal lengths of coax into a splitter in reverse) to narrow beamwidth. I've heard of folks having success stacking two Silver Sensors indoors to combat multipath.

Also consider trying a RS variable attenuator. Sometimes you can attenuate the multipath and get a better signal.

You can also try non-intuitive aiming i.e. catching a strong signal bounce which can actually sometimes give a more stable signal than that received while aimed directly at the tower.

Finally, the 5th gen. LG tuner supposedly does very well with multipath.

I am going to stick with my QAM stations for now but I don't have Fox which is why I wish the antenna would have worked better. I'm taking back the small amplified antenna and try to get a bigger one. If that don't work then I guess I'll have to wait till I buy a house and put up an external antenna.

Wow! A watchable HD Tennessee football game this week! Thank you ESPN! The local CBS people can not have ever seen their HD picture. It is one of the worst I have ever seen. I actually switched over to the SD feed for the Florida/Auburn game because it got so bad. It is so sad, and should be embarrassing for CBS, that the hometown of the Volunteers gets the worst HD coverage from the local station that carries them.

Anyone have any luck pulling in another CBS affiliate? Nashville maybe?

(edit: Oops! Not FL/Aub, I meant FL/Georgia game)

I don't see how you can stand to watch the SD feed from WVLT. Their picture on there and on their other station is too dark. Watching one of the LP (formerlly JP) games is almost like watching it in black and white the colors are faded so badly.

I don't see how you can stand to watch the SD feed from WVLT. Their picture on there and on their other station is too dark. Watching one of the LP (formerlly JP) games is almost like watching it in black and white the colors are faded so badly.

You think their football looks bad....have you seen their basketball?..... :rolleyes:

You think their football looks bad....have you seen their basketball?..... :rolleyes:

Yes I have. It's awful. When I was on DirecTV, I used to watch those games on the dish if I could actually get it.

I hooked up an atenna with a 25 foot cable so I could see how it worked outside of my apt. and it was much better. My location plus the many obstacles is what was causing my problems. Hopefully Comcast will keep its current lineup of HD channels that my tuner picks up. On my QAM HD CBS is one of the better HD channels except for ESPN.

I've seen several of you talking about QAM. What is that? I haven't kept up with that.

Yes I have. It's awful. When I was on DirecTV, I used to watch those games on the dish if I could actually get it.

Did you see the game from Lexington last season when the Lady Cats upset the Lady Vols....err, the lighter shadows upset the darker shadows? That had to be an all-time low. Those cameras should be retired. Bad SD is starting to stick out like a Kangaroo in New York City. Jefferson Pilot telecasts are almost enough to drive one to actually attending the game in person..... ;)

I wish the SEC would give JP the boot if they don't get some real cameras and production! There must be better dates out there in the waiting room? JP's cameras are so old that they're an inch away from monochrome.... :rolleyes: I bet ESPN and others would like mo' SEC pie? :)

I've seen several of you talking about QAM. What is that? I haven't kept up with that.

I think it's the digital system for cable systems. I've never read up on t because I don't have it. There must be several sections of this Forum to run a search and git et awll or maybe even find it as a Sticky...? I do OTA and satelite for now.....

Greetings,

I am new to these forums and new to HDTV. I just bought a Samsung HL-S6187 and I just received a Motorolla HD Box from Comcast. I live in Knoxville, TN. The TV is connected to the HD box via the component cables supplied by Comcast. Ok, here is my problem: when watching HD channels I get pixelation, particularly when watching sports or anything with fast moving video. I watched the TN/LSU game yesterday and the pixelation was pretty bad. I called the Comcast tech last week, and he came out and checked my signal. I was told I had signal of 2 (he didn't tell me units, I assume db) going into the HD box. He said that should be good signal. I went down to the Comcast office yesterday and got another HD box, and I still have the same problem. So, I've had a tech check the signal, and I've tried another HD box and I'm still having the pixelation problems in HD with fast moving video.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Welcome to the real world. Unfortunately that is the way it is going to be at least for a while. The broadcasters are diluting the signal by cutting the bit rate so as to squeeze more channels into the pipeline. I get my network HDTV via OTA broadcasts received via an antenna. Over the air broadcasts are suposedly to have less pixelation than the signal received from the cable, but there is still plenty of pixelation. I wouldn't blame it on the cable company. It is probably the fault of the network. While watching the TN-LSU football game I noticed that the pixelation was especially bad. CBS is pretty bad sometines. In that particular instance you can probably blame CBS or maybe the cable company, but it won't do any good. It doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the cable box. Theoretically the motion artifacts should be better when watching ABC or ESPN, FOX, etc since they are 720P instead of the 1080P that everyone else is broadcasting. Not all HDTV broadcasts are perfect. They tend to be better when there is less motion, and the camera is not panning. The broadcasts on HD Net tend to better in general. I think we are going to have to live with pixelation unless we watch D-VHS tapes or one of the high defination disc formats.

Larry Raulston

Welcome to the real world. Unfortunately that is the way it is going to be at least for a while. The broadcasters are diluting the signal by cutting the bit rate so as to squeeze more channels into the pipeline. I get my network HDTV via OTA broadcasts received via an antenna. Over the air broadcasts are suposedly to have less pixelation than the signal received from the cable, but there is still plenty of pixelation. I wouldn't blame it on the cable company. It is probably the fault of the network. While watching the TN-LSU football game I noticed that the pixelation was especially bad. CBS is pretty bad sometines. In that particular instance you can probably blame CBS or maybe the cable company, but it won't do any good. It doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the cable box. Theoretically the motion artifacts should be better when watching ABC or ESPN, FOX, etc since they are 720P instead of the 1080P that everyone else is broadcasting. Not all HDTV broadcasts are perfect. They tend to be better when there is less motion, and the camera is not panning. The broadcasts on HD Net tend to better in general. I think we are going to have to live with pixelation unless we watch D-VHS tapes or one of the high defination disc formats.

Larry Raulston

I have talked to other folks who are getting HD and they say they aren't experiencing these problems. The people I have talked to are using Charter and not Comcast though. I don't see the point in HD if it is so pixelated that it is distracting to watch.

I have talked to other folks who are getting HD and they say they aren't experiencing these problems. The people I have talked to are using Charter and not Comcast though. I don't see the point in HD if it is so pixelated that it is distracting to watch.

This is a channel 8 issue. They have a sub channel that is dragging their main channel farther and farther down. I've watched their signal quality steadily drop over the last 3 years. They're headed in the wrong direction... :rolleyes:

Further more, their subchannel may not even be legal. It offers no local programming beyond advertising. It was being used for the UPN network which is now, I think, defunct? I'm not sure what's on it now beyond a whole lotta infomercials and home shopping goin' on...? Subchannels were intended to be used for local programming. That was their mandate.

Notice that 6 & 10 have weather channels on their sub's. Atleast it's local....

Channel 8 butchers their own HD signal and it's not due to any provider, well, they might make it worse? ;)

This is a channel 8 issue. They have a sub channel that is dragging their main channel farther and farther down. I've watched their signal quality steadily drop over the last 3 years. They're headed in the wrong direction... :rolleyes:

Further more, their subchannel may not even be legal. It offers no local programming beyond advertising. It was being used for the UPN network which is now, I think, defunct? I'm not sure what's on it now beyond a whole lotta infomercials and home shopping goin' on...? Subchannels were intended to be used for local programming. That was their mandate.

Notice that 6 & 10 have weather channels on their sub's. Atleast it's local....

Channel 8 butchers their own HD signal and it's not due to any provider, well, they might make it worse? ;)

Well, this seems to happen on all my HD channels but it is worse on some than others. I'm concerned it might be something with my TV but I have no way to verify as the Comcast HD box is the only HD device I have.

I'm concerned it might be something with my TV but I have no way to verify as the Comcast HD box is the only HD device I have.

Does your set lack a built-in tuner? If it has it one you ought to try it. Has independent 7 made the cable yet? It actually produces local hd content, unlike the big, fat, lazy four. :rolleyes: I get it. The only channel that I don't get, watchable, is 20. I live too low or need a taller antenna, or maybe they should broadcast better?

All the locals have developed some problems which maybe is linked to carrying full-time sub's...? 6 has gotten better lately after massive problems with their digital signal awhile back. 43 seems to have solved their problem that hit some weeks back. 10 always has occasional pixelization. 15 has had some bad spells. 8 is consistently poor to awful and it's overwhelmingly noticable on sports! When the Vols are on my bit-starved Direc, on ESPN, it's much, much better.

8 is doggin' it, IMO.... :mad:

No tellin' what you might pick-up if you live on a ridgetop....? Cable must have similar problems as OTA with the digitals? Some comments on this thread have indicated that for 6, some time back.... The local broadcasters are very inconsistent. I've seen channel 6 forget to switch their local fed back from the network atleast 30 times. I have a 1080i D-VHS tape of the ABC network loop, complete with surround sound test tones set to Space Shuttle footage, an HD Monsters Inc. ad, test screens, Good Morning America HD studio tour..... been there, done that.

So far, 6 is the leader in blind, stupid, neglectful mistakes, and 8 is the leader in fundamental problems, IMO. The big four don't take their digital signal too seriousy from all appearances, so far.... :)

I've seen several of you talking about QAM. What is that? I haven't kept up with that.

Alot of HD tv's sold now have not only a built in ASTC tuner but also a "QAM" tuner that picks up digital and HD feeds from cable. My tv has a seperate RF inputs for regular cable/antenna and digital cable/antenna. I just run a splitter and connected one to each. Through my reg. cable I get everything but Fox HD along with what seems like a million music channels, some movie channels, and a bunch of other useless stuff. The HD picture is awesome on all the channels but CBS. It's color is not as good as the other stations and it pixelates some.

Did anyone have any issues w/ HD on "The Office" this week? I didn't see HD on the digital channel 'till the last act.

Same here Dave. 'My name is Earl' was not HD either.

Same on the QAM ouput as well. Info bar said it was in HD but it wasn't.

[QUOTE=Rachael Bellomy]Does your set lack a built-in tuner? If it has it one you ought to try it. Has independent 7 made the cable yet? It actually produces local hd content, unlike the big, fat, lazy four. :rolleyes: I get it. The only channel that I don't get, watchable, is 20. I live too low or need a taller antenna, or maybe they should broadcast better?

You are right that Ch 7 is the only local TV station with local HD content. Charter and Comcast refuses to carry. Call your local cable operator.

Alot of HD tv's sold now have not only a built in ASTC tuner but also a "QAM" tuner that picks up digital and HD feeds from cable. My tv has a seperate RF inputs for regular cable/antenna and digital cable/antenna. I just run a splitter and connected one to each. Through my reg. cable I get everything but Fox HD along with what seems like a million music channels, some movie channels, and a bunch of other useless stuff. The HD picture is awesome on all the channels but CBS. It's color is not as good as the other stations and it pixelates some.

What channels are you getting the locals on using your QAM tuner? The only local I get (via Comcast) is CBS. I only get a handful of channels through my QAM tuner, mainly a ton of music channels and some of the "on demand" stuff.

I get the HD of ABC, CBS, FOX and PBS thru Charter using the built-in tuner in my Sony with Charter. PBS always looks the best. Leave it to public broadcasting to do HD correctly.

You are right that Ch 7 is the only local TV station with local HD content. Charter and Comcast refuses to carry. Call your local cable operator.

Last fall I stumbled across them doing a delayed telecast of a high school football game. It was single camera coverage but with one DAMN good camera! Since I was using my DirecTivo's analog tuner, I made my own instant replays. I watched for about an hour and came to the conclusion that it looked way better than Jefferson Pilot although it was devoid of replays and graphics and such. Their production and HD commercials stomps the comp!

You'd think channel 7 would embarass the big boys into action on local HD but apparently not so far... :confused: I'd encourage anybody who has a digial tuner in their HDTV to get an antenna and see how they don't need to pay anybody for the locals and get channel 7 too. Unless one lives in some really deep canyon, it's purr-dy easy to pick up everything but 20. The higher you are the easier 20 gets, mostly, seemingly. As easy as these local broadcasts are to get, how long before the cable kompany has to offer a package sans locals?

It's funny, a friend brought his father over one saturday to prove to the cogger that you could pick up HD football OTA..... ;) His dad just had to see to believe......

I bet the big boys don't want 7 on the cable embarassing their naked, SD butts... ;) I see a plot similarity to Weird Al's UHF goin' on here.... ;)

Channel 7 is great for HD High School games. They show them at 9pm on saturday night. And I agree JP sports broadcasts suck. It is a joke compared to other football conferences telecast. To be able to watch USC vs. Oregon in HD on Saturday as a FSN game of the week compared to the UGA vs. AUB game on JP Sports(Lincoln Financial now) is a joke.

Alot of HD tv's sold now have not only a built in ASTC tuner but also a "QAM" tuner that picks up digital and HD feeds from cable. My tv has a seperate RF inputs for regular cable/antenna and digital cable/antenna. I just run a splitter and connected one to each. Through my reg. cable I get everything but Fox HD along with what seems like a million music channels, some movie channels, and a bunch of other useless stuff. The HD picture is awesome on all the channels but CBS. It's color is not as good as the other stations and it pixelates some.

I know some cable channels are available in limited locations like SPEED and Fox Sports Net HD. I didn't know if Comcast receives those signals and doesn't send them out to their customers.

Does anybody know what ESPN-U is? The men Vols were on it the last two nights, but who gets it? I asked a friend who has C-cast cable and he couldn't find it. I searched Direc and didn't find it or a isting for the game. I had ESPN2 on later, to get the score off the bottom line. and the ESPN commentators talked abut the game and that Dick Vitale had covered it...

I'm gonna go look at ESPN's website and find out what "U" is. Anybody get it???

609 on DirecTV

609 on DirecTV

Thanks! I never could find it using the team's names or NIT as searchterms on m DirecTivo. I see it's some kind of pay-per-view.... :)

Does anybody know what ESPN-U is? The men Vols were on it the last two nights, but who gets it? I asked a friend who has C-cast cable and he couldn't find it. I searched Direc and didn't find it or a isting for the game. I had ESPN2 on later, to get the score off the bottom line. and the ESPN commentators talked abut the game and that Dick Vitale had covered it...

I'm gonna go look at ESPN's website and find out what "U" is. Anybody get it???

Dick Vitale did not cover their games. ESPNU was started to go against CSTV, which only does college sports programming. Dish Network has it standard, not sure about DirecTV. I'm sure only cable outlets in the major cities get it, they get everything.

....not sure about DirecTV....

I checked Direc's website and ESPNU is part of the Sports Pak that costs $12 a month. The commentators were talking about Vitale doing a game that night. I thought they meant our game but maybe it was another?

They'll be on Wednesday night on ESPN2, hopefully in HD. I don't know who's calling those games.

Hi Racheal,

Sad that WVLT is the worst OTA channel. Not HD in my opinion! And lowly WMAK 7 is superb quality OTA here in Athens when it can be received. I thought that CW was supposed to be the lowest lifeform as was Fox! Lincoln Financial Sports treatment of SEC broadcasts is giving the SEC a bad name. Their SD feed is horrible. Our camcorders look better and even have decent color, eh! I have watched the above on a friend's Sony and on Ingrid's Marantz 40" plasma. I am supposed to get a 40" plasma from Marantz as well as a new Marantz 5.1 system with B & W speakers for Christmas with an installed DirecTV HD Satellite system and Channel Master Yagi with rotor for OTA usage.

Kent Teffeteller

When does the Knoxville market upgrade to the new Mpeg4 technology from DirecTV so we can receive HD over the air without the antenna?

jmgvols.....According to D*TV,"this fall".As we all know,that ain't happening!My guess is about a year.They don't even have the bugs worked out of their flagship receiver(HR20).As of now,it can't even receive OTA signals and has other issues.
And they have managed to screw up the best HD DVR on the market(HR10-250) with a new,and totally buggy,software download(6.3a).What a fouled up company.I'm beyond frustrated with Direct.
BTW,I spoke with a "Level II tech-advanced tech support" today.He told me Knoxville will get a software upgrade at 1:30AM in the morning to fix the problems.For some reason,I'm having trouble believing anything will occur overnight. Fred

Some help would be much appreciated.

I live in Arizona and my brother lives in Knoxville and just got a Westinghouse LTV-32w6. I understand that this TV has a QAM tuner. What I'm trying to do for him is to see if he can pick up any of the HD channels from his tuner, no antenna, just straight from the TV.

I tried to walk him through how to scan over the phone, but since I've never seen his TV and dont know the situation as far as available OTA digital channels in knoxville it is getting quite frustrating. He says he isnt getting any HD channels. Is anyone here able to pickup any of the digital channels just through the tuner in their TV's? He has Knology cable if that makes any difference.

Also is their a channel listing for the digital OTA numbers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Edit*
After looking around a bit I found some indications that Knology locks out all their digital signals so you have to get their STB. Is this true?

Is the Ga - Georgia Tech game in HD on WVLT ch 8 or have they forgotten to flip the switch?

Not HD AFAIK. CBS east coast feed from D* is the same.

Not HD AFAIK. CBS east coast feed from D* is the same.


It was Ch 8 not flipping switch. It was fixed and HD in second qtr.

It was Ch 8 not flipping switch. It was fixed and HD in second qtr.

Georgia vs. GT wasn't in HD. See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=756889

As far as the LFS SEC games, the picture quality is the fault of WVLT. I have seen highlights of their games on ESPN and the picture/color quality is good. If you'll notice, all of WVLT's SD programming looks dull.

The Ga Tech-Georgia game was supposed to be HD. But CBS, only having 4 HD crews (3 for NFL and 1 for college), decided to send their main crew to the LSU-Arkansas game. CBS orginially said they would cover the Ga Tech-GA game in HD, but that was wrong.

Some help would be much appreciated.

I live in Arizona and my brother lives in Knoxville and just got a Westinghouse LTV-32w6. I understand that this TV has a QAM tuner. What I'm trying to do for him is to see if he can pick up any of the HD channels from his tuner, no antenna, just straight from the TV.

I tried to walk him through how to scan over the phone, but since I've never seen his TV and dont know the situation as far as available OTA digital channels in knoxville it is getting quite frustrating. He says he isnt getting any HD channels. Is anyone here able to pickup any of the digital channels just through the tuner in their TV's? He has Knology cable if that makes any difference.

Also is their a channel listing for the digital OTA numbers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Edit*
After looking around a bit I found some indications that Knology locks out all their digital signals so you have to get their STB. Is this true?


Can anyone confirm any of this?

As far as the LFS SEC games, the picture quality is the fault of WVLT.....

I watched CBS HD football in Dallas at my brother's house last week. There, it looks the way we all wish it looked, here.... :rolleyes:

.....me and my subchannel, pixelating down the avenue.... :mad:

Some help would be much appreciated.

I live in Arizona and my brother lives in Knoxville and just got a Westinghouse LTV-32w6. I understand that this TV has a QAM tuner. What I'm trying to do for him is to see if he can pick up any of the HD channels from his tuner, no antenna, just straight from the TV.

I tried to walk him through how to scan over the phone, but since I've never seen his TV and dont know the situation as far as available OTA digital channels in knoxville it is getting quite frustrating. He says he isnt getting any HD channels. Is anyone here able to pickup any of the digital channels just through the tuner in their TV's? He has Knology cable if that makes any difference.

Also is their a channel listing for the digital OTA numbers?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Edit*
After looking around a bit I found some indications that Knology locks out all their digital signals so you have to get their STB. Is this true?
I also have a Westy 32w6. I can't help with most of your questions, but I can tell you how to scan for the HD channels on the 32w6. Press the TV button on the remote to select the RF input, then press the Menu button. Press up or down until you reach the TV/HDTV Settings. Select the appropriate TV System (Cable STD, Cable HRC, or Cable IRC). Change Autoscan to Yes and press enter. BTW, you can find a manual for this TV at the Westinghouse Digital website.

My TV firmware is 1.03. I think the latest is 4.02, but the procedure should be about the same.

I briefly had mine connected to Charter cable (without a STB) when I first got it and I was able to get some local HD channels. I don't know about Knology.

Hope this helps.

Can anyone confirm any of this?

Did a quick search and it appears the Westy does have an ATSC digital tuner built in. Your brother lives in Knoxville city he should be able to get the following channels fairly easy with an outside antenna or a good UHF in the attic. An inside antenna rabbit ears etc. all bets are off but should still get some. WVLT channel 8 DTV 30 is the weakest and hardest to get.

Channel assignments
PBS analog 15 digital 17
ABC WATE 6 digital 26
CBS WVLT 8 digital 30
NBC WBIR 10 digital 31
FOX WTNZ 43 digital 34
IND WMAR (none) digital 7
WBXX 20 digital 50 (This comes out of Oak Ridge so he may need to reorient antenna north NW best guess!)
PAX ???? 54 DTV 26 (Jellico TN same as above north)
FOX WEMT 39 digital 38 (Greenvile TN same as above east)

If he's on southside Knoxville with a good UHF he may also get some Ashville NC channels and some of Chatanooga channels. I know these Chattanooga can be picked up in Sunbright TN with a descent VHF/UHF antenna. Sunbright is about 30 miles North of Knoxville.

Note some of these channels are going back to VHF

This is a channel 8 issue. They have a sub channel that is dragging their main channel farther and farther down. I've watched their signal quality steadily drop over the last 3 years. They're headed in the wrong direction... :rolleyes:

Further more, their subchannel may not even be legal. It offers no local programming beyond advertising. It was being used for the UPN network which is now, I think, defunct? I'm not sure what's on it now beyond a whole lotta infomercials and home shopping goin' on...? Subchannels were intended to be used for local programming. That was their mandate.

Notice that 6 & 10 have weather channels on their sub's. Atleast it's local....

Channel 8 butchers their own HD signal and it's not due to any provider, well, they might make it worse? ;)

Channel DTV 8-2 now has what they call MY TV. Basically the same programming as an old UPN channel. The sub channel may or may not be the problem. WSBN PBS out of Norton VA carries 2 sub channels and their HD still looks good. They do shut down 1 sub channel during prime time.
I believe it's a combo problem of low signal and sub channel. I'm lucky enough to be able to get WJHL DT 58 CBS Johnson City. Their HD looks awesome! They also carry a sub weather channel with video but their signal here is right at 100% so this may be part of the problem. Norton VA also comes in in the high 80's while WVLT is high 50's to low 60's.

Hi Rachael,

Channel 8's sub channel isn't legal programming wise. Advertising wouldn't be cricket to put there. We really need PNT on there in 1080i. FCC is being laissez faire about this issue for now! I want my PNT!

Here is my antenna web info:

red - uhf WBXX 20 CW CROSSVILLE TN 32° 19.1 20
red - uhf WVLR 48 REL TAZEWELL TN 64° 55.8 48
blue - uhf WKOP 15 PBS KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.6 15
blue - vhf WVLT 8 CBS KNOXVILLE TN 77° 31.6 8
* blue - uhf WVLT-DT 8.1 CBS KNOXVILLE TN 77° 31.6 30
blue - vhf WATE 6 ABC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 6
* blue - uhf WATE-DT 6.1 ABC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 26
blue - vhf WBIR 10 NBC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.6 10
* blue - uhf WBIR-DT 10.1 NBC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 31
blue - uhf WTNZ 43 FOX KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 43
* blue - uhf WTNZ-DT 43.1 FOX KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 34
blue - vhf WDEF 12 CBS CHATTANOOGA TN 227° 68.5 12
blue - uhf WDSI 61 FOX CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 63.0 61
blue - uhf WTCI 45 PBS CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 63.3 45
blue - vhf WTVC 9 ABC CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 67.0 9
blue - vhf WRCB 3 NBC CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 66.9 3
* violet - uhf WKOP-DT 17.1 PBS KNOXVILLE TN 77° 31.6 17
* violet - uhf WFLI-DT 53.1 CW CLEVELAND TN 228° 63.0 42

Hopefully I will be viewing OTA HD soon. I'm believe I'm going to set-up the CM-4228 in the attic. I'm mainly interested in the HDTV out of Knoxville at around 30 miles. Might try a CM 7777 preamp with a rotor also just incase I can get more stations than displayed.great site,thanks :)

Hopefully I will be viewing OTA HD soon. I'm believe I'm going to set-up the CM-4228 in the attic. I'm mainly interested in the HDTV out of Knoxville at around 30 miles. Might try a CM 7777 preamp with a rotor also just incase I can get more stations than displayed.great site,thanks :)

The 4228 should be a good choice for you. I bet you won't need a preamp and sometimes they can make things worse especially in an attic.

Hopefully I will be viewing OTA HD soon. I'm believe I'm going to set-up the CM-4228 in the attic. I'm mainly interested in the HDTV out of Knoxville at around 30 miles. Might try a CM 7777 preamp with a rotor also just incase I can get more stations than displayed.great site,thanks :)

Keep me updated on what channels you get.

NashDigie signing off.

Here is my antenna web info:

red - uhf WBXX 20 CW CROSSVILLE TN 32° 19.1 20
red - uhf WVLR 48 REL TAZEWELL TN 64° 55.8 48
blue - uhf WKOP 15 PBS KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.6 15
blue - vhf WVLT 8 CBS KNOXVILLE TN 77° 31.6 8
* blue - uhf WVLT-DT 8.1 CBS KNOXVILLE TN 77° 31.6 30
blue - vhf WATE 6 ABC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 6
* blue - uhf WATE-DT 6.1 ABC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 26
blue - vhf WBIR 10 NBC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.6 10
* blue - uhf WBIR-DT 10.1 NBC KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 31
blue - uhf WTNZ 43 FOX KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 43
* blue - uhf WTNZ-DT 43.1 FOX KNOXVILLE TN 76° 32.4 34
blue - vhf WDEF 12 CBS CHATTANOOGA TN 227° 68.5 12
blue - uhf WDSI 61 FOX CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 63.0 61
blue - uhf WTCI 45 PBS CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 63.3 45
blue - vhf WTVC 9 ABC CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 67.0 9
blue - vhf WRCB 3 NBC CHATTANOOGA TN 228° 66.9 3
* violet - uhf WKOP-DT 17.1 PBS KNOXVILLE TN 77° 31.6 17
* violet - uhf WFLI-DT 53.1 CW CLEVELAND TN 228° 63.0 42

Hopefully I will be viewing OTA HD soon. I'm believe I'm going to set-up the CM-4228 in the attic. I'm mainly interested in the HDTV out of Knoxville at around 30 miles. Might try a CM 7777 preamp with a rotor also just incase I can get more stations than displayed.great site,thanks :)

Did you forget WMAK-DT ch7?

Did you forget WMAK-DT ch7?

Speaking of WMAK-DT ch7, why does Charter not have a logo for it on the Moxi DVR and why is the picture quality so bad and at 480p?

All the other HD channels have a logo for the station.

In case you don't know what MOXI is http://www.moxi.com

[QUOTE=hotshot]Speaking of WMAK-DT ch7, why does Charter not have a logo for it on the Moxi DVR and why is the picture quality so bad and at 480p?

All the other HD channels have a logo for the station.


WMAK is only on analog tier on Charter. They don't carry HD feed.

Anyone else had a sudden signal strength drop on Channel 8-1(CBS-WVLT) in Knoxville?

[QUOTE=hotshot]Speaking of WMAK-DT ch7, why does Charter not have a logo for it on the Moxi DVR and why is the picture quality so bad and at 480p?

All the other HD channels have a logo for the station.


WMAK is only on analog tier on Charter. They don't carry HD feed.

I wonder why it does not have a logo on the channel guide?

I wonder why it does not have a logo on the channel guide?

Maybe because it's an Independent? :confused:

Hi All,

Just ordered up a new Sony HDTV for Xmas. We are out in southwest Loudon County, about 35 miles from Sharps Ridge, and antennaweb says NO Knoxville digital stations for us. :( It does say we should be able to get WBXX, but I'm not sure there is anything on there worth watching.

But with no Knox HD locals from either sat vendor, I am going to give it a shot with a high gain OTA antenna anyway. I'm just wondering if anyone has succeeded in pulling in HD stations OTA when antennaweb said they couldn't?

Hi All,

Just ordered up a new Sony HDTV for Xmas. We are out in southwest Loudon County, about 35 miles from Sharps Ridge, and antennaweb says NO Knoxville digital stations for us. :( It does say we should be able to get WBXX, but I'm not sure there is anything on there worth watching.

But with no Knox HD locals from either sat vendor, I am going to give it a shot with a high gain OTA antenna anyway. I'm just wondering if anyone has succeeded in pulling in HD stations OTA when antennaweb said they couldn't?

I bet you've got a shot if you live at a relatively high elevation spot...?

Hi Rachael,

Channel 8's sub channel isn't legal programming wise. Advertising wouldn't be cricket to put there. We really need PNT on there in 1080i. FCC is being laissez faire about this issue for now! I want my PNT!

Kent, how 'bout "laissez ignore"...? :) I might make a few more PNT shows. I'd like to but finding willing participants is often hard....

I bet you've got a shot if you live at a relatively high elevation spot...?

We have a ridge next to us running toward Knoxville. The Knox transmitters' angle has us shooting over that ridge about a mile away. The interesting thing is this: If I put the top of the ridge next to us into antennaweb, it actually shows worse reception in the Knoxville direction. :eek: :eek: Makes no sense at all.

Antennaweb is notoriously conservative in their estimates. If you put your actual elevation into their calculator it may give a more accurate prediction.