It's been a long time since I built a new PC, and I've not been up on the newer stuff...so I need help. I do know I want to use an Intel Quad CPU. What I need help is picking the motherboard. Again the emphasis is stability and multimedia (DVD, MP3, PVR, HDTV, etc...)capability. I don't need SLI, but do want the ability to add max memory and storage. Any ideas?

Here's (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972) a good place to start on HTPC's in general. Lots of ideas on components and mobo's.

It's official now. Toshiba has issued a press release. HD DVD is dead. Expect to see the heavy discounts really soon on the media.

Circuit city already has the low end for $85

Actually, since I've already got a player (Xbox360 add-on) I'm looking for cheap software...hopefully I'll be able to snag some cheap discs...

-Matt

Here's (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972) a good place to start on HTPC's in general. Lots of ideas on components and mobo's.

Thanks...I did not know that forum existed. Is a quad chip overkill? I want the operations of this HTPC to be as smooth as possible.

Now that the next-gen disc war is semi-officially "over", is anyone aware of any retailers selling off their HD DVD's cheap?

-Matt

You missed my fire sale! I have one set left on fleabay. The Mission Impossible 3 pack. I'll be glad when all my dvd's are gone.

Thanks...I did not know that forum existed. Is a quad chip overkill? I want the operations of this HTPC to be as smooth as possible.

That depends on whether you do a lot of encoding. Some video encoding programs can take advantage of all four cores. I don't re-encode much, so the dual core chip is adequate for my purposes. I record from OTA and from Dish (R5000) and keep the files in their original formats. For playback, a dual core and one of the newer video cards (nVidia 8500/8600 or ATI 3850) should be more than enough. Other cards are due out soon, so watch the HTPC threads.

My HDMI / Component setup. As luck would have it, I tried watching both TV's tonight while making dinner. When I turned on the smaller HDMI TV, I didn't get picture or sound and the sound went away on the bigger component TV. Not only did I lose sound, but I couldn't change channels either until I turned off the smaller HDMI TV. I ended up pulling the plug on my HR20 to reset it and both pictures came back after the HR20 finished rebooting.

There was a power blip at the house yesterday, so I suspect that was the problem. So I guess the first thing I should have done when trouble-shooting my original problem was to cycle power and reboot my HR20. I'll get brave and try some other resolutions over the weekend and see if they work now.

Now that the next-gen disc war is semi-officially "over", is anyone aware of any retailers selling off their HD DVD's cheap?

-Matt
Forum software keeps obliterating the link I'm trying to post, so just surf on over the eBay and search for HD DVD -- thousands of hits.

That depends on whether you do a lot of encoding. Some video encoding programs can take advantage of all four cores. I don't re-encode much, so the dual core chip is adequate for my purposes. I record from OTA and from Dish (R5000) and keep the files in their original formats. For playback, a dual core and one of the newer video cards (nVidia 8500/8600 or ATI 3850) should be more than enough. Other cards are due out soon, so watch the HTPC threads.

Here is what I came up with, thanks to the forum you recommended...

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=8135586

The only thing missing is a video capture card, and I'm waiting for the new Hauppage HD PVR card due out later this quarter.

One question on the OS...Should I use Vista (I don't know anything about vista), which Vista, or try to obtain a copy of XP MCE?

It looks like D* has added the WB so you won't have to go over the air if you don't want to. Maybe all the problems will go away.

Here is what I came up with, thanks to the forum you recommended...

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=8135586

The only thing missing is a video capture card, and I'm waiting for the new Hauppage HD PVR card due out later this quarter.

One question on the OS...Should I use Vista (I don't know anything about vista), which Vista, or try to obtain a copy of XP MCE?

I can't advise on Vista. I've stayed away so far and see no compelling reason to move from XP. I don't use MCE, either. Others here use and like Vista, so I'll let them speak to its virtues.

The one component missing from your list is RAM. Any particular reason you left it out? The other components all seem very solid. I have a similar system myself, but with an E4300 CPU and an ASUS mobo. (I own the LG combo Blu-ray/HD DVD drive and it's a great value.) That system should serve you well for some time to come.

It looks like D* has added the WB so you won't have to go over the air if you don't want to. Maybe all the problems will go away.

If they're like Dish in that regard, the CW problems are not likely to go away. They might get worse, though.

The one component missing from your list is RAM. Any particular reason you left it out?

No, I guess I forgot to add it to the list. I plan on using Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel, 2 gigs if I use XP, or 4 gig with Vista.

If they're like Dish in that regard, the CW problems are not likely to go away. They might get worse, though.

Wow did I really say the WB (hello). I'm glad Joe set me straight.
I've got two HR10-250'S. What's everybody doing with theirs after they upgrade?

Wow did I really say the WB (hello). I'm glad Joe set me straight.
I've got two HR10-250'S. What's everybody doing with theirs after they upgrade?

Moved mine to the basement exercise room. The TV there isn't HD, so all those missing HD channels on the HR10 aren't a problem.

Someday I'll put a 32" Vizio there, but will probably keep the HR10 'cause I don't do my really serious watching there anyway.

As for D* carrying CW, don't expect any of KPLR's issues (most notably the audio dropouts) to go away. They're coming from KPLR's signal in the first place. So as far as DirecTV is concerned, garbage in, garbage out.

I'm back from Phoenix, and will reply to a bunch of stuff here.........

I'll second Joe's opinion on HTPC's.... dual core and HD2600 video card is fine for playback -- even BluRay discs. If you want to do encoding with it, though, quad core all the way. I routinely encode my 1080i captures into 720p mkv files to save hard drive space. An episode of CSI takes 7-8 hours to encode with MeGUI's "HQ-Slower" profile on my dual core Athlon64 FX60. The Intel Core2Quad does the same job in just over 3.

I have Vista on 2 PC's now (the new HTPC and the afore-mentioned Core2Quad encoding machine). I'll say 95% of the complaints about Vista are coming from people who bought it preinstalled on underpowered machines. Trying to run Vista on 1 gig of RAM or less is just asking for trouble. Yet walk into Wal-Mart and you'll see several PC's for sale with 1 gig of RAM and Vista preloaded. I'll be willing to bet most of them get returned within a week because they're too slow. Thankfully nearly all the PC's for sale where I work have 2 or even 3 gigs of RAM nowadays. Vista runs fine on those.

For all that, I blame Microsoft. They specify 512mb RAM being enough for Vista. Yeah.... "As if..........."

As for Media Center, I'm using Vista Media Center on my new HTPC instead of MediaPortal. MediaPortal had horrible stuttering of video and audio, even when using Cyberlink's codecs and hardware decoding. VMC playback is smooth on 720p and 1080i material even though VMC uses Microsoft's own codecs (which in turn do NOT use hardware decoding). 1080p on my new HTPC (X2 4400) requires playing the files in PowerDVD and using its hardware decoding.

A big advantage of Vista Media Center over XP Media Center is if you want HDTV tuning and recording, XP Media Center requires an analog tuner card AND a digital tuner card. During setup, if you tell XP Media Center you don't have an analog tuner card, it just assumes you don't have a digital tuner card either... and goes on to the next step, not letting you configure a digital tuner. Vista Media Center lets you use a digital tuner card (in my case the HDhomerun) without an analog tuner fine and dandy.

BTW, of all the HD tuners in my house (HR20, HR10, FusionHDTV cards, Sony HD100, Hughes HTL-HD) the HDhomerun is the ONLY tuner to ever receive KNLC-DT. Ever. Even with my rooftop antenna still thirty degrees off its proper position due to last year's windstorms. Not that I particularly care about that channel, but it demonstrates just how much better the HDhomerun is than any OTA tuner I've ever previously used. Vista Media Center and the HDhomerun make a fantastic OTA DVR.

Wow did I really say the WB (hello). I'm glad Joe set me straight.
I've got two HR10-250'S. What's everybody doing with theirs after they upgrade?

Both of my HR10-250's are collecting dust in the basement along a Marantz A/V Receiver, 7 BIC speakers, 2 Zenith HD receivers, 2 web tv's, and 2 SD tivos, a PS 1, and a PS2.

Scott

Anyone out there looking to part with a DirecTivo (DirectTV receiver + Tivo), please send me a private message or post here. Mine is broken and sure would like to pick up a cheap replacement until I can decide what I really want to do.

I have a standard definition TV set for now, but would assume I could use the HR10-250 without the HD channels.

Anyone out there looking to part with a DirecTivo (DirectTV receiver + Tivo), please send me a private message or post here. Mine is broken and sure would like to pick up a cheap replacement until I can decide what I really want to do.

I have a standard definition TV set for now, but would assume I could use the HR10-250 without the HD channels.

I have 2 HD and 1 SD. I'll take $50 for the HD or $25 for the SD.

So, just a quick question...I have been a long time DirecTV customer (~4 years). I was wondering if anyone has been able to upgrade to a HD DVR receiver for free. Is that possible? I called today, and they wanted to waive the installation fee, sell the receiver to me for $100 (originally $200), and then waive for 1 year the 9.99 fee for something that would get me access to HD channels as they become available.

Was this a good deal? I heard I could get the receiver for free.

So, just a quick question...I have been a long time DirecTV customer (~4 years). I was wondering if anyone has been able to upgrade to a HD DVR receiver for free. Is that possible? I called today, and they wanted to waive the installation fee, sell the receiver to me for $100 (originally $200), and then waive for 1 year the 9.99 fee for something that would get me access to HD channels as they become available.

Was this a good deal? I heard I could get the receiver for free.

Yes, I got 2 for free. But your deal is better. They are paying you $20 to make the switch. What's the problem? :confused:

Scott

I've managed 4 total HD DVR's for free in the past 3yrs from them. Two HD Tivo's, a HR20, and a HR21.

The trick is talking to someone that can make things happen (ie. retention).

My last one wasn't free up-front like the rest, they did like your's and gave me credits over 12 months to offset the cost.

I'll second Joe's opinion on HTPC's.... dual core and HD2600 video card is fine for playback -- even BluRay discs. If you want to do encoding with it, though, quad core all the way. I routinely encode my 1080i captures into 720p mkv files to save hard drive space. An episode of CSI takes 7-8 hours to encode with MeGUI's "HQ-Slower" profile on my dual core Athlon64 FX60. The Intel Core2Quad does the same job in just over 3.

I have Vista on 2 PC's now (the new HTPC and the afore-mentioned Core2Quad encoding machine). I'll say 95% of the complaints about Vista are coming from people who bought it preinstalled on underpowered machines. Trying to run Vista on 1 gig of RAM or less is just asking for trouble. Yet walk into Wal-Mart and you'll see several PC's for sale with 1 gig of RAM and Vista preloaded. I'll be willing to bet most of them get returned within a week because they're too slow. Thankfully nearly all the PC's for sale where I work have 2 or even 3 gigs of RAM nowadays. Vista runs fine on those.

For all that, I blame Microsoft. They specify 512mb RAM being enough for Vista. Yeah.... "As if..........."

As for Media Center, I'm using Vista Media Center on my new HTPC instead of MediaPortal. MediaPortal had horrible stuttering of video and audio, even when using Cyberlink's codecs and hardware decoding. VMC playback is smooth on 720p and 1080i material even though VMC uses Microsoft's own codecs (which in turn do NOT use hardware decoding). 1080p on my new HTPC (X2 4400) requires playing the files in PowerDVD and using its hardware decoding.

A big advantage of Vista Media Center over XP Media Center is if you want HDTV tuning and recording, XP Media Center requires an analog tuner card AND a digital tuner card. During setup, if you tell XP Media Center you don't have an analog tuner card, it just assumes you don't have a digital tuner card either... and goes on to the next step, not letting you configure a digital tuner. Vista Media Center lets you use a digital tuner card (in my case the HDhomerun) without an analog tuner fine and dandy.

BTW, of all the HD tuners in my house (HR20, HR10, FusionHDTV cards, Sony HD100, Hughes HTL-HD) the HDhomerun is the ONLY tuner to ever receive KNLC-DT. Ever. Even with my rooftop antenna still thirty degrees off its proper position due to last year's windstorms. Not that I particularly care about that channel, but it demonstrates just how much better the HDhomerun is than any OTA tuner I've ever previously used. Vista Media Center and the HDhomerun make a fantastic OTA DVR.

Thanks for the info. With this information and from the info I got from Joe I think I have a pretty good idea on what I want to build. Looks like I'll be putting 4 gigs memory just to handle Vista. The only thing I need to figure out is which CPU, Quad or not. It's between the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz , or the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz.

Well, looks like I'll be switching BACK to AT&T for my telephone and internet services. I guess I had a promotional deal on my internet for Charter that just ran out (3 Meg for $30/month) and my internet just shot up to $45/month for the 3 Meg service. So now my combined bill is $85/month + taxes. AT&T said that I can get their 6 Meg internet and the same phone services I currently have with Charter for the same $85/month. Called Charter and they say there is nothing they can do to get me comparable services and cost. It's going to be a hassle to switch our e-mail addresses on everything, but for twice the speed (and supposedly constant speed as opposed to cable), I guess it's worth it.

Anyone else out there with AT&T's 6 meg service have any comments about it?

Anyone else out there with AT&T's 6 meg service have any comments about it?
Your speed will, of course, depend somewhat on your distance from the Central Office serving you. I'm less than a mile, usually see download speeds of about 5150 Mbps on speedtest.net.

Anyone out there dabble in reel-to-reel tape decks? If so, ask me about the Revox A77 I found while cleaning out my closet. (Or just look for it on eBay!)

.... It's going to be a hassle to switch our e-mail addresses on everything, but for twice the speed (and supposedly constant speed as opposed to cable), I guess it's worth it.

Anyone else out there with AT&T's 6 meg service have any comments about it?

Not to be a pain, but that is why we switched to yahoo and gmail several years ago. We got tired of sending out new email addys to people.

I only have 3 meg service, and have been very happy with it. I was also happy with my 1 and only contact with ATT service people. I had a bad modem and apparently some line issues and a tech came out and was very nice, showed me how to check and change things if I needed and was happily on his way(after ripping out the rats nest that Charter had left from the previous owners of the house). Contrast that with anytime I have to deal with Charter for my mother in law, the tech guy feeds me lines of BS to avoid doing his job. She originally had charter internet at 3 meg. Worked perfectly for the first month in her condo. Then she started getting slower than dialup speeds. The tech comes out and says that is the best she can get(dialup speed) because of the wiring. I ask why she was getting the 3 meg for the first month and he says she didn't. I tell him I set up her computer and downloaded tons of software updates and virus software and even tested it and it was close to 3 meg. He says that's impossible. she went to ATT and hasn't had a single problem....

sorry, it's been a while since I complained about charter.

Mr. Bester took the words right out of my mouth... Get yourself a Gmail address and voila... no more having to change your e-mail address... ever... no matter how many times you change your ISP.

Mr. Bester took the words right out of my mouth... Get yourself a Gmail address and voila... no more having to change your e-mail address... ever... no matter how many times you change your ISP.
Even better, spend a few bucks to get your own domain and map that to a GMail account. That way you aren't even dependent on Google for an email address that will follow you as long as you want.

Get yourself a Gmail address and voila... no more having to change your e-mail address... ever... no matter how many times you change your ISP.

On top of that, Gmail now supports IMAP. It is WAY better than POP3 if you have multiple computers and check email on them.

Tim

Even better, spend a few bucks to get your own domain and map that to a GMail account. That way you aren't even dependent on Google for an email address that will follow you as long as you want.


Even more better :) use Google Apps free service and let google host your domains email instead of just a forwarding to a regular gmail account :)

www.google.com/a

Even more better :) use Google Apps free service and let google host your domains email instead of just a forwarding to a regular gmail account :)

www.google.com/aYup. That's what I meant when I said mapping it. I still need to set that up myself. I have a GMail account, and one in my own domain. Both use IMAP, but it would be more convenient if I just set it up with GMail.

Is there any such thing as HDMI video washout?? I just got a new 40inch LCD TV and I am having a
real hard time getting the colors to look decent. I don't know if it is because of the DirecTV receiver
or what.

Just when I think I have it looking good, peoples faces look grayish... Perhaps I need to call the calibration doctor?

Yup. That's what I meant when I said mapping it. I still need to set that up myself. I have a GMail account, and one in my own domain. Both use IMAP, but it would be more convenient if I just set it up with GMail.

Ahh, I assumed you meant email forward since most domain registers offer that as a simple free feature...

I use Google apps for one domain and love it.. Only reason I haven't switched my primary domain/email over to Google is because I still like hosting it myself with no size limitations or filters that I do not control.

Just wanted to throw out a thumbs up to ABC for showing Forest Gump in OAR. Thanks Jim(even though it wasn't your decision:p)

So, just a quick question...I have been a long time DirecTV customer (~4 years). I was wondering if anyone has been able to upgrade to a HD DVR receiver for free. Is that possible? I called today, and they wanted to waive the installation fee, sell the receiver to me for $100 (originally $200), and then waive for 1 year the 9.99 fee for something that would get me access to HD channels as they become available.

Was this a good deal? I heard I could get the receiver for free.

Since I paid around $200 my HR10-250 I was able to get the new one for $19.95 shipping & handling. They also installled the new dish. I already had heard the HR-21 was in development and made sure that my account was noted about a free upgrade. It wasn't entirely free, but I wasn't going to squabble over $20. I did get some free programming so it worked out.

It sounds like a good deal. Just make sure you watch your bill since credits don't always show up the same time the bill is generated.

In regards to the question about what to do with the HR10-250...
I have a 32" SD CRT in my bedroom and use it as a back-up recorder and the dual buffer for late night news shows.

I second the suggestion about domain names. I have two. One I registered in 1998. No matter where I live or who my ISP is my email address never changes. Prices have really dropped and hosting is very reasonable.

Is there any such thing as HDMI video washout?? I just got a new 40inch LCD TV and I am having a
real hard time getting the colors to look decent. I don't know if it is because of the DirecTV receiver
or what.

Just when I think I have it looking good, peoples faces look grayish... Perhaps I need to call the calibration doctor?

Have you tried another HDMI cable or even component? If you have another HDMI port, have you tried that one? It may sound silly, but I'd start troubleshooting with the easy stuff first.

Have you tried another HDMI cable or even component? If you have another HDMI port, have you tried that one? It may sound silly, but I'd start troubleshooting with the easy stuff first.

Well, I don't think it has to do with the HDMI anymore. I have checked the
BluRay input, the Antenna input and the DirecTV input. Just not happy with it.

My wife just called it a POS and said our 35inch CRT SD Sony had a better picture.

I went back to American today and they did a price match on the TV from Circuit City.
I ended up getting $377 back. Maybe I should take the $$ that I got back and have it
calibrated. The TV is a Toshiba 40RF350U.

I'm thinking of replacing my 10 year old Winegard UHF/VHF/FM antenna with a Channel Master 4221. Before I do this I do have a question. I know that all of the digital transmissions are on the UHF band. Does anyone know after 2/19/09 if any of the stations plan on moving back the the VHF band? If so will the Channel Master be able to pick up digital VHF?

Well, I don't think it has to do with the HDMI anymore. I have checked the
BluRay input, the Antenna input and the DirecTV input. Just not happy with it.

My wife just called it a POS and said our 35inch CRT SD Sony had a better picture.

I went back to American today and they did a price match on the TV from Circuit City.
I ended up getting $377 back. Maybe I should take the $$ that I got back and have it
calibrated. The TV is a Toshiba 40RF350U.

WOW! Harsh words from the wife. If my wife ever said anything like that I'd know something was wrong because she doesn't have a clue about what a good picture looks like. She watches tv on a crummy old 19" curved tube CRT in the bedroom and is just as happy with that as watching the 50" plasma. I was on the fence on the 350 and have decided to wait for the 40XF550, but not because I don't like the picture on the 40RF350. More because I'm not in any particular hurry and the next gen is around the corner. When I saw the 350 at American last weekend I thought it looked pretty decent after they changed it from super bright to standard. I didn't notice any greyish colored faces, but I didn't pay particular attention to that. They had a recorded superbowl feed running. People in the 350 thread seem to be pretty happy with it. I take it they don't have any settings posted in that thread that you could try (I haven't read the entire thread)? As you said, perhaps Doug can provide some insight into whether a calibration will take care of it. I really like the slim bezzle and overall look of that set. I need the slim bezzle to get the extra 3" out of our cabinet. Hope it works out for you.

Not sure what kind of team the Cardinals will field this year. A lot of pitching questions as usual. You can't be considered for the pitching roster unless you've had surgery. Do we know a HD schedule yet. I got a feeling it's going to be a long year.

I'm thinking of replacing my 10 year old Winegard UHF/VHF/FM antenna with a Channel Master 4221. Before I do this I do have a question. I know that all of the digital transmissions are on the UHF band. Does anyone know after 2/19/09 if any of the stations plan on moving back the the VHF band? If so will the Channel Master be able to pick up digital VHF?

The only station that is moving is CBS...from 56 to 24.

Mr. Bester took the words right out of my mouth... Get yourself a Gmail address and voila... no more having to change your e-mail address... ever... no matter how many times you change your ISP.

That's what I did this past weekend. Set up new gmail accounts for everyone and went through all our different subscriptions and changed our e-mail address to our new gmail accounts. Now just need to send out a mass e-mail to everyone in our address book and inform them of our address change. At least this should be the last time we need to do this.

Next step is to call AT&T today and start the process of officially switching our telephone and internet back to them.

Thanks for the advice on using gmail. Seems pretty slick. I even went ahead and set it up for POP3 delivery and can also bring the messages into Outlook Express. I like the feature that you can pull your messages into Outlook Express and still keep them in your gmail account too - so if your hard drive crashes, you still have access to all of your messages that you wanted to keep.

WOW! Harsh words from the wife. If my wife ever said anything like that I'd know something was wrong because she doesn't have a clue about what a good picture looks like. She watches tv on a crummy old 19" curved tube CRT in the bedroom and is just as happy with that as watching the 50" plasma. I was on the fence on the 350 and have decided to wait for the 40XF550, but not because I don't like the picture on the 40RF350. More because I'm not in any particular hurry and the next gen is around the corner. When I saw the 350 at American last weekend I thought it looked pretty decent after they changed it from super bright to standard. I didn't notice any greyish colored faces, but I didn't pay particular attention to that. They had a recorded superbowl feed running. People in the 350 thread seem to be pretty happy with it. I take it they don't have any settings posted in that thread that you could try (I haven't read the entire thread)? As you said, perhaps Doug can provide some insight into whether a calibration will take care of it. I really like the slim bezzle and overall look of that set. I need the slim bezzle to get the extra 3" out of our cabinet. Hope it works out for you.

I actually did read the entire thread. They have some good settings in there,
but I think it could be better.

Is there any such thing as HDMI video washout?? I just got a new 40inch LCD TV and I am having a
real hard time getting the colors to look decent. I don't know if it is because of the DirecTV receiver
or what.

Just when I think I have it looking good, peoples faces look grayish... Perhaps I need to call the calibration doctor?Wm,

What's the brand and model number for this LCD? What user mode (assuming there's a selection) are you using? Contrast setting? Brightness setting?

It might also be worth checking to see if the LCD has different HDMI settings for PC Levels and Video Levels, and if so, be sure you are set to Video Levels.

Wm,

What's the brand and model number for this LCD? What user mode (assuming there's a selection) are you using? Contrast setting? Brightness setting?

It might also be worth checking to see if the LCD has different HDMI settings for PC Levels and Video Levels, and if so, be sure you are set to Video Levels.

Toshiba 40RF350U.
I am using Preference because any time you change a setting from say SPORTS mode or MOVIE mode,
it automatically throws you into preference. I guess you can't change each mode under its name.

I have turned the contrast down to like 60 and the brightness down, too. It has a backlight
on it, I turned that down to 35.

Do we know a HD schedule yet.
It's released in mid-March.

There is currently 30 games announced between KSDK-DT, ESPN/ESPN2 and FOX in HD.
FSNMW has yet to announce their HD schedule.

Well, I don't think it has to do with the HDMI anymore. I have checked the
BluRay input, the Antenna input and the DirecTV input. Just not happy with it.

My wife just called it a POS and said our 35inch CRT SD Sony had a better picture.

I went back to American today and they did a price match on the TV from Circuit City.
I ended up getting $377 back. Maybe I should take the $$ that I got back and have it
calibrated. The TV is a Toshiba 40RF350U.

Sorry you don't like you new TV. Yeah, it is hard to beat CRT's. I've never seen a LCD deliver as good a picture. Hope it all works out for you.

Scott

Toshiba 40RF350U.

I am using Preference because any time you change a setting from say SPORTS mode or MOVIE mode, it automatically throws you into preference. I guess you can't change each mode under its name.

I have turned the contrast down to like 60 and the brightness down, too. It has a backlight on it, I turned that down to 35.William,

Yes, you're correct about the user mode behavior on your Toshiba -- all of the various types of Toshiba consumer displays do that. Anytime you change any of the settings under any of the default modes (Sports, Movie, Standard) the mode setting shifts from that mode to Preference. Now, here's where it gets a little bit complicated -- even when it switches to Preference, it is still using the underlying settings for the mode you were in before making changes, with many of those settings configured via the service menu or other inaccessible menus.

You didn't actually say which mode you were starting from before getting waylaid into Preference, but I would suggest that you should start in Movie mode, as this is generally closest (though not that close) to D6500 and other standards. Sports mode, in particular, is an extreme mode that should be avoided -- in addition to producing very bright, sometimes washed out, images, it also includes many other aggressive enhancements, such as edging. Sports mode is roughly equivalent to the Vivid or Dynamic "showroom" modes that many TV manufacturers include.

Given all that, I'm still not sure why you're experiencing the problems you're reporting. The grayish faces complaint is particularly puzzling, as it sounds like a lack of color saturation, but if that's the case, I would expect it to result in undersaturated color in all other image areas. It is possible that your problems are caused by poor grayscale tracking. Is there a significant difference in flesh tones when you switch between Sports (Cool color temp) and Movie (Warm) modes?

I've only worked on a handful of Toshiba LCDs, and only a couple of those were recent (they're not big sellers from what I can tell). On the last Toshiba LCD I worked on, I found that the ideal Backlight setting was 20 and that both Dynalight and Dynamic Contrast should be off (assuming these settings are available on your set). Bear in mind that I'm not saying that 20 is the correct setting for your Backlight, as this setting is particularly variable according to other settings and the room environment. The real point here is that you shouldn't resist trying an even lower setting than where you are currently.

As Scott suggests, LCD is not the best choice if picture quality is your primary objective (though, of course, LCD has many other selling points). While I have gotten very good results with the new Sony XBR4 LCDs and also the newest Samsung LCDs, plasma generally delivers better picture quality and better "bang for the buck" when it comes to flat panels.

While LCD only accounts for about 20% of my business these days, I have found that they can be helped quite a lot by calibration and all of my recent LCD customers were highly satisfied with the final result.

I hope this helps get you pointed in the right direction, but feel free to let me know if you have other questions.

From today's SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com):


BREAKING NEWS: FCC Makes DIRECTV/Liberty Official … Really

It appears the big DBS deal won Federal Communications Commission approval after all.

Late … late … this afternoon, the FCC announced that it did grant approval to Liberty Media's proposed takeover of a stake in DIRECTV. Earlier reports said the deal won approval (only for SkyREPORT to issue a correction on that initial story … we jumped the gun on both … our apologies).

The controlling interest being acquired by Liberty Media is from News Corp. In addition to the satellite TV company stake, Liberty Media is receiving regional sports networks and $550 million in cash for handing over its stake in News Corp. to the media giant.

When SkyREPORT first issued its breaking news story, a few folks in DC circles contacted the editorial staff questioning whether the deal had won approval or not. At that time, the FCC had not formally announced its approval. An hour later, the FCC announced its decision.

As for the official record, the FCC conditioned the Liberty/DIRECTV deal on the companies abiding by program access, program carriage, regional sports network arbitration, retransmission consent arbitration conditions, all of which are modeled on similar conditions imposed in 2003 when News Corp. took over that DIRECTV stake.

In addition, the FCC required that all attributable ownership interests connecting DIRECTV Puerto Rico and Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico will be severed within one year, at which point the companies must certify either that they have reduced the relevant interests to a non-attributable level or that they have filed any applications necessary to divest assets.

From today's SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com):


BREAKING NEWS: FCC Makes DIRECTV/Liberty Official … Really

It appears the big DBS deal won Federal Communications Commission approval after all.

Late … late … this afternoon, the FCC announced that it did grant approval to Liberty Media's proposed takeover of a stake in DIRECTV. Earlier reports said the deal won approval (only for SkyREPORT to issue a correction on that initial story … we jumped the gun on both … our apologies).

The controlling interest being acquired by Liberty Media is from News Corp. In addition to the satellite TV company stake, Liberty Media is receiving regional sports networks and $550 million in cash for handing over its stake in News Corp. to the media giant.

When SkyREPORT first issued its breaking news story, a few folks in DC circles contacted the editorial staff questioning whether the deal had won approval or not. At that time, the FCC had not formally announced its approval. An hour later, the FCC announced its decision.

As for the official record, the FCC conditioned the Liberty/DIRECTV deal on the companies abiding by program access, program carriage, regional sports network arbitration, retransmission consent arbitration conditions, all of which are modeled on similar conditions imposed in 2003 when News Corp. took over that DIRECTV stake.

In addition, the FCC required that all attributable ownership interests connecting DIRECTV Puerto Rico and Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico will be severed within one year, at which point the companies must certify either that they have reduced the relevant interests to a non-attributable level or that they have filed any applications necessary to divest assets.
Doug's worst nightmare.

It's released in mid-March.

There is currently 30 games announced between KSDK-DT, ESPN/ESPN2 and FOX in HD.
FSNMW has yet to announce their HD schedule.
Sorry, I'm forgetful. How many games did we get in HD from FSN-MW last year?

For all those here that are fans of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," the season finale next Monday (after only 9 episodes, thanks to the writers' strike I guess) will be two hours, starting at 7PM instead of the usual 8PM.

Here in my house, the HR20 and HDhomerun caught this on their own, but the FusionHDTV software didn't.

After that, the only thing I'll be recording and watching regularly on network TV will be LOST... at least til April when Battlestar Galactica comes back to Sci-Fi.

I would keep watching Smallville and Supernatural on CW, but KPLR lost me with its constant (and constantly ANNOYING) audio dropouts. Ironic DirecTV picked up its HD signal right about the same time I stopped watching it at all.

For all those here that are fans of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," the season finale next Monday (after only 9 episodes, thanks to the writers' strike I guess) will be two hours, starting at 7PM instead of the usual 8PM.

Here in my house, the HR20 and HDhomerun caught this on their own, but the FusionHDTV software didn't.

After that, the only thing I'll be recording and watching regularly on network TV will be LOST... at least til April when Battlestar Galactica comes back to Sci-Fi.

I would keep watching Smallville and Supernatural on CW, but KPLR lost me with its constant (and constantly ANNOYING) audio dropouts. Ironic DirecTV picked up its HD signal right about the same time I stopped watching it at all.

9 Episodes, what a crock!!!!!!! I have been letting them sit on my DVR cuz there is nothing to watch and I don't want to lose those.

Thanks for the heads up.

Sorry, I'm forgetful. How many games did we get in HD from FSN-MW last year?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10174447#post10174447

Doug's worst nightmare.Actually, I don't see any reason that the Liberty-DirecTV deal shouldn't have been approved. There's really no major impact on the competitive balance for subscription TV services.

On the other hand, I do have big concerns about DirecTV under Liberty/John Malone ownership, as TCI was a customer service nightmare when Malone ran that company. Hopefully the guy now understands those things that differentiate DirecTV from its competition.

My MUCH bigger concern is that Malone will, in short order, sell DirecTV to AT&T. While I still don't think there's any anti-trust basis for not allowing that sort of sale, I think AT&T would be an unmitigated disaster on all fronts for DirecTV customers.

Just my opinion, of course... :)

.......My MUCH bigger concern is that Malone will, in short order, sell DirecTV to AT&T. While I still don't think there's any anti-trust basis for not allowing that sort of sale, I think AT&T would be an unmitigated disaster on all fronts for DirecTV customers.

Just my opinion, of course... :)

While I agree that the thought of a Telco handling a sat provider will spell disaster, I thought that AT&T had its eye on E*. Did I miss something?

While I agree that the thought of a Telco handling a sat provider will spell disaster, I thought that AT&T had its eye on E*. Did I miss something?

We have a stake/partnership in Echostar. Where did the rumors of an AT&T takeover of D* come from? Anyone have a link?

Mr. Stephenson does like to buy companies though...that's for sure.

Either the windy weather this winter has slightly moved my antenna or KMOV's signal is a tempermental bitch lately.

Has anyone else had any problems w/ their signal?

I thought I would ask before I get an extension ladder and adjust the damn thing for the first time in 18 months.

Of course, this is only a problem because of my wife's infatuation w/ Big Brother.

Either the windy weather this winter has slightly moved my antenna or KMOV's signal is a tempermental bitch lately.

Has anyone else had any problems w/ their signal?

I thought I would ask before I get an extension ladder and adjust the damn thing for the first time in 18 months.

Of course, this is only a problem because of my wife's infatuation w/ Big Brother.

Nope im not having an issue, i got a signal strength of 95%, haven't moved it or anything best signal I've ever had for kmov.

moman & djear,

For at least the past 6 months, there has been substantial Wall Street speculation about both DISH and DirecTV being a target acquisition for AT&T (one or the other, not both). While the DISH rumors tend to get the most weight, the DirecTV speculation (which assumed that Malone would eventually take control) continues to pop up on a regular basis. Here's a recent story renewing the speculation:

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/81725

There's also been on/off market speculation that DISH and DirecTV might again try to merge. The thinking here is that with cable franchising being gradually liberalized across the country and two new players on the scene (Verizon and AT&T) that the competitive landscape is sufficiently different than last time this merger was attempted. The other major assumption was that that this would have to happen during the remaining term of the Bush Administration, as the chances of this sort of merger getting a green light during a possible Democratic administration was very much less likely. But considering how long the Liberty-DirecTV deal review has taken, and the fact that Sirius-XM still hasn't been ruled on, this has little chance of happening.

Nothing very recent on this -- the last reference I could find to this was last fall:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2007/09/24/daily41.html

Nope im not having an issue, i got a signal strength of 95%, haven't moved it or anything best signal I've ever had for kmov.Thanks, just thought I would ask before I go up and try to find the sweet spot once again.

At 8:46 pm I started having major issues with Ch 5 signal. It got much better at 8:53. ???

More on "the future of DirecTV" speculation, in a TV Predictions article suggesting changes that may occur now that DirecTV is actually under the control of Liberty:
_____________________________________________________

2. Merger Talks

John Malone, Liberty Media's chairman, is arguably the industry's leading wheeler-dealer. With DIRECTV now officially under control, look for Liberty to explore merger and partnership talks with several companies, most notably AT&T and rival satcaster Dish Network.

I predicted earlier that DIRECTV will merge this year with Dish and I still think that's a serious possibility. But Liberty might find a partner that no one is even thinking about at this point.
_____________________________________________________

Full story available here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/forum/index.php?entry=entry080228-051221).

At 8:46 pm I started having major issues with Ch 5 signal. It got much better at 8:53. ???

No but I was having problems on abc during wife swap. wife was mad.

My wife gets mad when I mention wife swap. I think it is because I don't want one back in return :D

OK, quick question regarding resolution:

Assuming I have a 1080p TV that is 16x9 (1.77x1) and I am watching a HD film on Blu-Ray that's 2.4x1, then I'm not really getting the full 1080p picture, right? Since some of my 1920x1080 pixels are taken up by the letterboxing?

I guess I'm wondering if the 1080p listed on the movie case refers to the whole frame (including letterboxing) or just the visible picture. If the 1080p refers to the visible picture, then some sort of interpolating is going on somewhere (either in the player or in the TV) which would seem to negate much of the benefit of having a 1080p TV.

<sigh>Although I'm sure I can't be the first one to have noticed this, I guess it's all moot. The picture looks pretty darn good. But these are the things I think about after three glasses of wine during a movie...;)

-Matt

You are correct, the 1080p includes the letterbox bars. Resolution of the actual movie you're watching is about 1920x800. Down a fourth glass of wine and you'll never know the difference. :D

You are correct, the 1080p includes the letterbox bars. Resolution of the actual movie you're watching is about 1920x800. Down a fourth glass of wine and you'll never know the difference. :D

Hmmm. I guess "Full 800p" doesn't sound as sexy as "Full 1080p."

-Matt

Hmmm. I guess "Full 800p" doesn't sound as sexy as "Full 1080p."

-Matt

You could only buy movies that are 1.77:1:p
The only 2 I own are Superbad and Fugitive. The rest are 800p and probably most of the ones I will get in the future will be too. Dammit

OK, quick question regarding resolution:

Assuming I have a 1080p TV that is 16x9 (1.77x1) and I am watching a HD film on Blu-Ray that's 2.4x1, then I'm not really getting the full 1080p picture, right? Since some of my 1920x1080 pixels are taken up by the letterboxing?

I guess I'm wondering if the 1080p listed on the movie case refers to the whole frame (including letterboxing) or just the visible picture. If the 1080p refers to the visible picture, then some sort of interpolating is going on somewhere (either in the player or in the TV) which would seem to negate much of the benefit of having a 1080p TV.

<sigh>Although I'm sure I can't be the first one to have noticed this, I guess it's all moot. The picture looks pretty darn good. But these are the things I think about after three glasses of wine during a movie...;)

-Matt

There's no interpolating going on in a 2.40(or 2.39):1 movie that's mastered at "1080p." They encode the full 1920 pixels across, but since the scope nature of the film doesn't fit a 16:9 frame, the vertical resolution is reduced to fit the wider aspect - e.g. they use only roughly 800 of the 1080 possible lines. That way, you get the full horizontal resolution (1920 lines) but much less vertical resolution. It's a direct 1:1 mapping to the 1920x800 pixels of the display, though, without scaling (interpolation). People who opt to use a wide screen in their home theaters (that is, the screen is natively 2.4:1) scale a full 1920x1080 pixels to the wider frame.

Actually, 1920x800 is a "real" resolution, whereas a widescreen movie scaled to a native 2.4:1 screen at full 1920x1080 introduces interpolated pixels. The idea is that the scaling will result in a picture that looks better (and usually brighter). With good scaling this is almost always the case, but the 1920x800 image is "truer" than the scaled 1920x1080 image.

I'm guessing mostly all the D* subs know this, just passing it on for those who may not.
From the FSNMW Website:

"FSNMW-HD: Channel 647-1 (some future events may air on Channel 648-1 or 663-1)

DirecTV HD subscribers must have newer equipment to view FSN Midwest HD games on 647-1:
-a) Receiver: H20, H21, HR20, or HR21
-b) Dish: Ka-Ku (5-LNB)
-c) B-Band converter module (a small, rectangular device that connects to the Satellite In port at the back of the receiver-they are free from DTV, request one HERE (http://directv.qrs1.net/bbc/bbcForm.jsp))

Customers can check www.directv.com/hdcheck to verify they have proper equipment

Select HD games may be carried on channels 94 or 95, pending capacity availability (new equipment is not necessary to see HD games on 94 and 95)"

The only station that is moving is CBS...from 56 to 24.

KMOV-DT's FCC filing:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=618895

They're going to a side mount on 17 FEB 08, then replacing the current antenna on top.

since when? the locals were always free when I had them.

Oh hey..stupid question for anyone to answer. As long as you have some sort of cable activated and have QAM tuner you'll get the "in the clear" channels right? So if i get the el cheapo $15 super basic cable I'll be able to play around with QAM?

I just got a DVD recorder with a QAM tuner. It can pick up at least some QAM channels with the $15 package.

KMOV-DT's FCC filing:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=618895

They're going to a side mount on 17 FEB 08, then replacing the current antenna on top.

Why can't they just stay at ch. 56? It seems to be working fine.

Why can't they just stay at ch. 56? It seems to be working fine.This is due to an FCC mandate that impacts all stations in all markets across the country.

IIRC, after the transition no digital TV station will appear above channel 50 or 51. This creates more contiguous, more useful spectrum for other, higher value telecommunications uses.

The FCC auction for this soon-to-be-vacated spectrum is now in progress and may wind up this week.

Other than having to change our scanned frequency from 56 to 24, is there any other change that this will have effect on the end user?

Other than having to change our scanned frequency from 56 to 24, is there any other change that this will have effect on the end user?None that I'm aware of...

This is due to an FCC mandate that impacts all stations in all markets across the country.

IIRC, after the transition no digital TV station will appear above channel 50 or 51. This creates more contiguous, more useful spectrum for other, higher value telecommunications uses.

The FCC auction for this soon-to-be-vacated spectrum is now in progress and may wind up this week.

Oh......

I assumed the available UHF channel numbers would continue up to 69. So this too, will be reduced after Feb. 2009. Considering the limited propagation at those high frequencies, it's difficult to imagine that Channel 4 couldn't have found an open UHF channel between 14 and 50 to land on when they first turned up the DT channel. There can't be THAT many UHF stations in this part of the world, can there? If this is the case, then it must be getting really crowded in denser population centers such as the Northeast.

Is anyone else having breakups on CBS on the basketball games today? I am seeing it OTA as well as over the sat feed, so I assume it is a KMOV issue. The OTA feed is almost unwatchable at times and the sat feed is almost always unwatchable. Has anyone else seen any of this? Of course I haven't noticed a single breakup since I started typing here.

Is anyone else having breakups on CBS on the basketball games today? I am seeing it OTA as well as over the sat feed, so I assume it is a KMOV issue. The OTA feed is almost unwatchable at times and the sat feed is almost always unwatchable. Has anyone else seen any of this? Of course I haven't noticed a single breakup since I started typing here.

Major issues here. Yesterday the Duke/NC State was very annoying with picture freezes/jumps and right now during the UCLA/Arizona game I am having audio dropouts every minute or so. I a viewing OTA on Dish 622s. I don't have SAT HD locals so I couldn't compare, but am glad to know it's not my receiver since others are having issues as well.

Major issues here. Yesterday the Duke/NC State was very annoying with picture freezes/jumps and right now during the UCLA/Arizona game I am having audio dropouts every minute or so. I a viewing OTA on Dish 622s. I don't have SAT HD locals so I couldn't compare, but am glad to know it's not my receiver since others are having issues as well.

Mine was with Dish 622 also, but on both OTA and SAT HD Local. They better get this fixed before the Big Dance.

Is anyone else having breakups on CBS on the basketball games today? I am seeing it OTA as well as over the sat feed, so I assume it is a KMOV issue. The OTA feed is almost unwatchable at times and the sat feed is almost always unwatchable. Has anyone else seen any of this? Of course I haven't noticed a single breakup since I started typing here.

I've been having dropouts on KMOV OTA through antenna for the past week on all three HD sets in my house. Also have been having breakups on KDNL in last few days. I never had issues with either in the past.

Mine was with Dish 622 also, but on both OTA and SAT HD Local. They better get this fixed before the Big Dance.

Got that right! :D

From today's SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com):

NAB Pushes Local HD Carriage Rules for DBS
Last week, broadcasters continued to push local HD must-carry provisions for DBS, saying small dish providers shouldn't be allowed to pick and choose the local high-def stations they deliver to subscribers.

According to a filing at the Federal Communications Commission, representatives with the National Association of Broadcasters met with agency staff about local HD must-carry mandates. The broadcast group argued that a DBS company should make available local HD services in any market they serve on a carry-one, carry-all basis.

Allowing DBS services to "cherry-pick among local stations and foreclose viewer access to HD content on numerous stations, including independent stations and those that serve niche audiences, would be harmful to intramodal competition and contrary to the public interest," stated the NAB filing at the FCC.

According to earlier filings at the FCC, DIRECTV and DISH Network have been approached by commission staff about a phased-in approach for a must-carry HD locals regime, in which a select number of markets would receive all high-def stations after a period of time.

Specifically, DIRECTV and DISH proposed that for any carry-one, carry-all local HD rule, a phase-in process could cover 15 percent of markets served by a DBS service a year after the digital TV transition. That would increase to 30 percent two years after the switch, 60 percent three years after the transition, and then all HD markets served by a DBS platform four years after the DTV change.

Nonetheless, NAB said DBS operators have made suggestions that they have sufficient capacity to carry HD broadcast signals in all 210 markets.

For example, DIRECTV has said it will have capabilities to retransmit at least 1,500 local channels in HD format. "These 1,500 channels would cover virtually every local television station it could ever be obligated to retransmit in HD," the NAB said. Also. DISH Network has announced the launch of three satellites, giving it enough capacity to deliver HD locals in at least 100 markets this year, the broadcast association said.

I've been having dropouts on KMOV OTA through antenna for the past week on all three HD sets in my house. Also have been having breakups on KDNL in last few days. I never had issues with either in the past.
There is a new alert on the Charter site warning about the impact of sunspot activity on satellite transmissions during a two week period covering the end of February and the beginning of March. It says to expect occasional break-ups on most channels for short durations at various times during the day. I'm assuming this warning would apply to direct satellite customers and OTA feeds from satellite transmissions too.

For example, DIRECTV has said it will have capabilities to retransmit at least 1,500 local channels in HD format. "These 1,500 channels would cover virtually every local television station it could ever be obligated to retransmit in HD," the NAB said. Also. DISH Network has announced the launch of three satellites, giving it enough capacity to deliver HD locals in at least 100 markets this year, the broadcast association said.
Sounding like those..."now with more HD capacity than any other..." campaign is beginning to backfire.

Sounding like those..."now with more HD capacity than any other..." campaign is beginning to backfire.What's more ironic is that many of the markets where DirecTV doesn't currently provide digital locals are markets where local broadcasters have been dragging their feet in converting to digital/HD to begin with. Granted, many of these stations face imposing financial hurdles in making that transition.

But at the end of the day, this is just the same old NAB bullshit...

NAB sux.

From today's TV Predictions update:

Charter Cable: We Have More HD Than Anyone (http://www.tvpredictions.com/charter030408.htm)

If you read the article, it's clear that there's some deep-seated organizational delusions at play here. They actually BELIEVE what they're saying. Poor wretched bastards...

Also from TV Predictions comes this quote from an exec at Toshiba, trying to put a positive spin on their loss to Blu-ray:

"If you watch standard DVDs on our players, the images are of very high quality because they include an 'upconverting' feature," Nishida told WSJ. "And we're going to improve this even more, so that consumers won't be able to tell the difference from HD DVD images."

What a slap in the face to HD DVD, not to mention the tech savvy people who know how ridiculous the statement is.

I guess this proves that you can spin just about ANYTHING!

I wonder what NAB will do if ALL the providers "refuse to carry" if they have to pay after the transition.

Walt

Do coat hangers conduct sound, and sound as well as Monster Cables?
http://consumerist.com/362926/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables

There is a new alert on the Charter site warning about the impact of sunspot activity on satellite transmissions during a two week period covering the end of February and the beginning of March. It says to expect occasional break-ups on most channels for short durations at various times during the day. I'm assuming this warning would apply to direct satellite customers and OTA feeds from satellite transmissions too.

I'll be the first to admit I know as little as anyone here about any of this stuff. But would sunspots really have any effect on OTA transmissions?

OH, there you are, hi Ken.

And it's good to see Doug still uses those wonderful terms of endearment when referring to C*.

would sunspots really have any effect on OTA transmissions?
It's not the OTA part that would be affected, but rather the network feed if it is delivered to the locals via a satellite that passes in front of the sun for a few minutes.

It's not the OTA part that would be affected, but rather the network feed if it is delivered to the locals via a satellite that passes in front of the sun for a few minutes.

Gotcha! Makes sense now. See I told you I didn't understand all of this.

HD = Horrendous deficits




From today's TV Predictions update:

Charter Cable: We Have More HD Than Anyone (http://www.tvpredictions.com/charter030408.htm)

If you read the article, it's clear that there's some deep-seated organizational delusions at play here. They actually BELIEVE what they're saying. Poor wretched bastards...

So I am kinda new to OTA reception. I messed around with it a bit on my HR-20, but I didn't take it "seriously" until I got a Samsung HTB-260F tuner.

When I started using the Samsung it was late September/early October. All the trees on my property and neighborhood still had leaves. Reception was great unless it was extremely windy (which it was a few days).

I now use a Tivo-HD, which seems to have a better tuner than even the Samsung.

I guess my question is that I've heard that reception is easier in the winter and fall. I assumed this was because of leaves and trees, but are there other reasons? Atmosphere, the temperature, etc..? I'm trying to figure out what to prepare for.

Maybe someone here can help me. I'm trying to decide between two players. Toshiba now claims its upconverting players are just as good as its HD DVD players.

This one (http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/03/toshiba-hd-dvd-player-82.html) is an upconverting player, while this one (http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/03/toshiba-hd-dvd-player-82.html) is on sale and is an HD DVD player.

Can someone help me clear up my confusion? :D

Maybe someone here can help me. I'm trying to decide between two players. Toshiba now claims its upconverting players are just as good as its HD DVD players.

This one (http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/03/toshiba-hd-dvd-player-82.html) is an upconverting player, while this one (http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/03/toshiba-hd-dvd-player-82.html) is on sale and is an HD DVD player.

Can someone help me clear up my confusion? :D

I believe the first will play dvd's at either 1080i or 720p while the second will clearly play dvd's at either 720p or 1080i. Also, I think the second might play HD DVD's that you can find in rubbish bins, clearance racks, craigslist and Amazon, but I'm not sure.:p

Maybe someone here can help me. I'm trying to decide between two players. Toshiba now claims its upconverting players are just as good as its HD DVD players.

This one (http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/03/toshiba-hd-dvd-player-82.html) is an upconverting player, while this one (http://www.tvpredictions.com/2008/03/toshiba-hd-dvd-player-82.html) is on sale and is an HD DVD player.

Can someone help me clear up my confusion? :D

I doubt you will see much difference with either when playing a regular SD DVD. The quality will be limited by the source itself. I assume either player will up convert to 720p and/or 1080i, then the display will take it from there.

hey stl crew,


read the first post and tried to figure it out for myself but couldnt quite find the answer i was looking for. My set up is a samsung 720p plasma model hpt4254 on charter with just basic cable right now (no box).


first, i noticed that im getting some random movie channels in the low 100's and it seems to me im getting someone elses signal. i picked up a movie last night and half way thru it started rewinding :confused:. IM guessing someone was watching something on ondemand? does anyone else get this?

im also getting channels like espn in hd and HDNET. they look great but im not getting any sound. when i flip to the channel it says undefined and then dolby digital. but on other channels it says the same and i get sound. is there something im doing wrong or a setting i can change to get sound?

am i even supposed to be getting these channels or will they be scrambled soon?

whew...sorry for all the questions:p

I am having problems with audio dropouts on the local channels and it seems to be primairly during the evening hours. The dropouts are for one or two words and sometimes this happens several times a minute. I havent seen a problem with other D* channels only local. The problem is with mpeg4 and ota reception, although it appears worse with mpeg 4. Is anyone else having similar problems? Any ideas on what is the problem? Thanks.

hey stl crew,


read the first post and tried to figure it out for myself but couldnt quite find the answer i was looking for. My set up is a samsung 720p plasma model hpt4254 on charter with just basic cable right now (no box).


first, i noticed that im getting some random movie channels in the low 100's and it seems to me im getting someone elses signal. i picked up a movie last night and half way thru it started rewinding :confused:. IM guessing someone was watching something on ondemand? does anyone else get this?

im also getting channels like espn in hd and HDNET. they look great but im not getting any sound. when i flip to the channel it says undefined and then dolby digital. but on other channels it says the same and i get sound. is there something im doing wrong or a setting i can change to get sound?

am i even supposed to be getting these channels or will they be scrambled soon?

whew...sorry for all the questions:p

welcome to the world of unencrypted qam. :cool:

hey stl crew,


read the first post and tried to figure it out for myself but couldnt quite find the answer i was looking for. My set up is a samsung 720p plasma model hpt4254 on charter with just basic cable right now (no box).


first, i noticed that im getting some random movie channels in the low 100's and it seems to me im getting someone elses signal. i picked up a movie last night and half way thru it started rewinding :confused:. IM guessing someone was watching something on ondemand? does anyone else get this?

im also getting channels like espn in hd and HDNET. they look great but im not getting any sound. when i flip to the channel it says undefined and then dolby digital. but on other channels it says the same and i get sound. is there something im doing wrong or a setting i can change to get sound?

am i even supposed to be getting these channels or will they be scrambled soon?

whew...sorry for all the questions:p

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p1YUYjk2D8hxaBm7jr4r_dA - For a listing of all the Charter QAM stations in st. louis. YMMV

Okay, now I just gotta ask, what is the story with KTVI's bitrate???

Episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles I've recorded from KTVI, From my FusionHDTV cards *and* my HDHomeRun, have been about 3 gigs each, a few even less than that. This translates to bitrates of 9, sometimes 8mbps... less than I use when I encode/burn DVD-R's.

I've been under the impression that this is controlled by the Fox network with that thing called the Splicer... meaning every Fox affiliate gets the same bitrate.

Well, I received a few dual layer DVD+R's in the snail mail today from a buddy of mine in another state. These were Sarah Connor Chronicles episodes in .ts format, just like I'd recorded myself from KTVI. But instead of a file size of 2.8 gigs and a bitrate of 8mbps, the exact same episodes from my buddy's DL DVD+R's were 4.7, 4.8 gigs, with bitrates of 15mbps.

What gives here? I thought the Fox Splicer sent the same bitrate to every affiliate. Obviously at least one other city is getting a much higher bitrate in its Fox HD broadcasts than we are.

Is there something about Fox broadcasts I'm not getting (besides about 6 more mbps)?

If other Fox affiliates are broadcasting 15mbps, why are we only getting 8-9mbps from KTVI?????????

I'm at my cousin's, in NJ. She just had Verizon FiOS installed last week...prevously Comcast. Similar to what I've read in STL...one day, a group canvassed the neighborhoods (red jackets), with "buy-out" offers to switch.

She got 2 HD DVR's for her 2 LCD HDTV's, 2 small SD boxes for her 2 SDTV's, a GE cordless phone, wireless modem/router + a 2 person 6 hr install, and a check for $200.00.

HD picture is as good as I've seen, on either DBS. I haven't looked to see what brand of HD DVR they are, but the user interface is IMO, excellent. I picked up the remote, and was able to immediately navigate.

Internet:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/243250295.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

She's very pleased with the switch.

EDITED TO ADD: The HD DVR's are Moto's 6416-2; TV/Landline/Internet = $115.00/mo

I'm at my cousin's, in NJ. She just had Verizon FiOS installed last week...prevously Comcast. Similar to what I've read in STL...one day, a group canvassed the neighborhoods (red jackets), with "buy-out" offers to switch.

She got 2 HD DVR's for her 2 LCD HDTV's, 2 small SD boxes for her 2 SDTV's, a GE cordless phone, wireless modem/router + a 2 person 6 hr install, and a check for $200.00.

HD picture is as good as I've seen, on either DBS. I haven't looked to see what brand of HD DVR they are, but the user interface is IMO, excellent. I picked up the remote, and was able to immediately navigate.

Internet:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/243250295.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

She's very pleased with the switch.

EDITED TO ADD: The HD DVR's are Moto's 6416-2; TV/Landline/Internet = $115.00/mo


What fiber to the house can do for you. What will Comcast's rates be after they see the $115 per month fee.

Walt

I'm at my cousin's, in NJ. She just had Verizon FiOS installed last week...prevously Comcast. Similar to what I've read in STL...one day, a group canvassed the neighborhoods (red jackets), with "buy-out" offers to switch.

She got 2 HD DVR's for her 2 LCD HDTV's, 2 small SD boxes for her 2 SDTV's, a GE cordless phone, wireless modem/router + a 2 person 6 hr install, and a check for $200.00.

HD picture is as good as I've seen, on either DBS. I haven't looked to see what brand of HD DVR they are, but the user interface is IMO, excellent. I picked up the remote, and was able to immediately navigate.

She's very pleased with the switch.

EDITED TO ADD: The HD DVR's are Moto's 6416-2; TV/Landline/Internet = $115.00/mo

Wow - as long as the HD content and reliability was there, I'd seriously consider this. I think I pay something like $180 a month for these services ($84 D*, $20 AT&T DSL, $70+ AT&T local and long distance (includes metro calling option at $12/mth) and don't have anywhere near the internet speed. I'm stuck in a 2 year deal with D*, but if AT&T UVerse wants to buy me out of that contract, I'd be interested. D* pretty much has me captive with Sunday Ticket, but this might be enough of a savings to look the other way.

I'm stuck in a 2 year deal with D*, but if AT&T UVerse wants to buy me out of that contract, I'd be interested.

I have a friend in St. Peters that was contacted about Uverse, he said what was holding him back was that he would have about a $150 penalty from Dish. They gave him credit for his early cancellation from Dish and he is getting Uverse installed in 2 weeks.

FYI: For the Centurytel users here, I was bumped back up to the the full 10 megs about 3 weeks ago. No problems at this time, seems things are fixed for me. I have also been told about some fiber being pulled to existing homes in an older part of Ofallon. Until now they have just been doing fiber to new construction.

Wow - as long as the HD content and reliability was there, I'd seriously consider this. I think I pay something like $180 a month for these services ($84 D*, $20 AT&T DSL, $70+ AT&T local and long distance (includes metro calling option at $12/mth) and don't have anywhere near the internet speed. I'm stuck in a 2 year deal with D*, but if AT&T UVerse wants to buy me out of that contract, I'd be interested. D* pretty much has me captive with Sunday Ticket, but this might be enough of a savings to look the other way.
I'm looking at her last Comcast bill....$176.68 for TV and Internet (5mgbt)....No Landline.
I've watched AI since its' first season....I watched it here, live on Tue, Wed and last night from playback...IMO, zero difference in what I see at home.
If it was available where I live, and I didn't beta test for E*, I wouldn't hesitate a bit.

35-3 and 35-4?

When I scan on my TivoHD I am getting two "new channels"...35-3 and 35-4. The screen is black, but I am getting a strong signal strength.

Now if you manually tune to 35-1 and 35-2, you of course get the local NBC and Weather+ and you are redirected to virtual channels 5-1 and 5-2.

But if you manually tune to 35-3 or -4, you get a blank screen with a strong signal

Is this happening to anyone else?

Anyone know of any plans for Fox 2 to go HD? I prefer KSDK both morning and even but I like Fox 2's greater local coverage and the weather team is far better and more accurate. But I'm at the point where it's hard for me to continue to watch it in SD. I think because it's among the worst of the SD programming that I watch. Anyone know?

Anyone know of any plans for Fox 2 to go HD? I prefer KSDK both morning and even but I like Fox 2's greater local coverage and the weather team is far better and more accurate. But I'm at the point where it's hard for me to continue to watch it in SD. I think because it's among the worst of the SD programming that I watch. Anyone know?

Fox 2 will problay go hd between now and next year just my guess since kmov and ksdk is now in hd.I cant stand Fox 2 for Dave Murray and John Pertzborn, Both of them just get on my nerves. I also hate how they make everything dramatized.

Fox 2 will problay go hd between now and next year just my guess since kmov and ksdk is now in hd.I cant stand Fox 2 for Dave Murray and John Pertzborn, Both of them just get on my nerves. I also hate how they make everything dramatized.

I wish they'd get on with it.

Pertzborn I could take or leave but Murray knows his stuff. I have more confidence in him than all the other meteorologists across all channels put together. This opinion goes far beyond just what I see/hear of him on tv. It seems that all of the meteorologist have their quirks but from a strictly information standpoint he's the best.

As far as everything being dramatized...they all do that but I think Fox 2 is the worst at it. Or best at it depending on how you view it.

When I scan on my TivoHD I am getting two "new channels"...35-3 and 35-4. The screen is black, but I am getting a strong signal strength.
Sounds to me like Channel 5 is getting ready to split their bandwidth even farther.

Wow, 5's singal is bad enough as is. It'll be virtually unwatchable if they add 2 new sub-channels. As to Fox's image, it seems pretty much unchanged to me. I haven't noticed more in the way of blocking artifacts from previous years, but my old projector was even worse at emphasizing blocking than my newer Sharp 20k.

I'm not getting my instant e-mail messages about posts on AVS anymore. Is this just because I've been posting so little lately, or is it something others are experiencing, too?

Anyone know of any plans for Fox 2 to go HD? I prefer KSDK both morning and even but I like Fox 2's greater local coverage and the weather team is far better and more accurate. But I'm at the point where it's hard for me to continue to watch it in SD. I think because it's among the worst of the SD programming that I watch. Anyone know?


They are currently for sale....so don't expect anything until they are sold.

FYI: For the Centurytel users here, I was bumped back up to the the full 10 megs about 3 weeks ago. No problems at this time, seems things are fixed for me. I have also been told about some fiber being pulled to existing homes in an older part of Ofallon. Until now they have just been doing fiber to new construction.

I'm still at 6 Meg, and not always getting that. Did you have any contact with them to have it done or did they do it on their own?

Mike

Anyone know of any plans for Fox 2 to go HD? I prefer KSDK both morning and even but I like Fox 2's greater local coverage and the weather team is far better and more accurate. But I'm at the point where it's hard for me to continue to watch it in SD. I think because it's among the worst of the SD programming that I watch. Anyone know?

The other morning, on the radio, Dave Murray said they'd be going HD soon. He didn't say what soon is, but that's what he said.

I'm still at 6 Meg, and not always getting that. Did you have any contact with them to have it done or did they do it on their own?

Mike
Tech appeared at my door one day, told me he was going to run several test and take the results to his supervisor. After the readings he was back and forth for a couple hours as he went and replaced every splice back to the remote terminal. He came back two days later and he ran some more test, then bumped me up. All has been fine since. I have heard of some customers in Wentzville/ New Melle area having some issues during the evening with full bandwidth. I have been told CT is installing a larger pipe for the troubled areas.

But if you manually tune to 35-3 or -4, you get a blank screen with a strong signalJust a point of clarification -- the "signal" you are seeing for the subchannels is one and the same as the main channel. After all, there is only digital signal being transmitted by kSDk (or any other digital station) -- it is a single datastream with one or more channels embedded in that datastream that can be extracted by an ATSC receiver.

But that doesn't mean that kSDk isn't getting ready to add more subchannels, and the fact that they have assigned -3 and -4 is likely a very bad omen. But then, kSDk's contribution to broadcasting excellence is to progressively lower the bar (and then trip over it).

Just a point of clarification -- the "signal" you are seeing for the subchannels is one and the same as the main channel. After all, there is only digital signal being transmitted by kSDk (or any other digital station) -- it is a single datastream with one or more channels embedded in that datastream that can be extracted by an ATSC receiver.

But that doesn't mean that kSDk isn't getting ready to add more subchannels, and the fact that they have assigned -3 and -4 is likely a very bad omen. But then, kSDk's contribution to broadcasting excellence is to progressively lower the bar (and then trip over it).

But if it was KSDK, wouldn't show up as 5-3 and 5-4?

I guess that is the confusing part. Like cbs's subchannel always shows up as 4-2 with its blank screen.

hmm...

I'm not getting my instant e-mail messages about posts on AVS anymore. Is this just because I've been posting so little lately, or is it something others are experiencing, too?
Ditto...stopped a few days ago...maybe 2??
It's happened before...I unsubscribe, and re-subscribe...usually cures it.

Ditto...stopped a few days ago...maybe 2??
It's happened before...I unsubscribe, and re-subscribe...usually cures it.

Thanks, Ken. I'll try that.

....... But then, kSDk's contribution to broadcasting excellence is to progressively lower the bar (and then trip over it).


Now THAT's funny!

Sadly true.........but funny.

Hey guys, I've checked these two issues out on SatGuys and DBSTalk, but haven't been able to find solutions (or even indications that they're common problems)...

* My HR-21 routinely starts recording anywhere from 30-60 seconds after the actual start of the program. I still have my HD TiVo hooked up, and on those recordings they have in common, the TiVo always starts right on time.

* I'm also having a problem with audio on the standard-definition channels. I only watch a couple of SD channels, notably FSMW and the Travel Channel ("No Reservations" is a treat and would be great in HD). Whenever I switch from an HD channel to and SD channel, I lose the audio. Turning off my AV receiver and then turning it back on restores the audio, so it seems that there's something occurring in the switching from one format to another than my receiver doesn't like.

This never was a problem with my TiVo (and still isn't).


Anyway, I wanted to check here to see if anyone has seen anything similar to these two issues, and if so, if you know of any solutions.

Thanks.

I've seen a few others with this but, just wanted to add my issue: I have zero KMOV signal (on 4.1) today. It's been a problem all weekend. This is OTA.

I've seen a few others with this but, just wanted to add my issue: I have zero KMOV signal (on 4.1) today. It's been a problem all weekend. This is OTA.

I have a good signal for CBS OTA right now. I haven't been watching, so I can't say if I didn't have a signal earlier.

From this morning's SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com):


DISH Takes Aim at NAB's Locals Proposal

DISH Network took aim at the National Association of Broadcasters and its push to force DBS services to carry locals for all 210 DMAs, saying regulators should "not be duped by NAB's attempt to stonewall the process by engaging in a fishing expedition."

At issue is a proposal for DBS services to carry all local HD signals for markets they choose to offer local HD broadcast service. Both DISH Network and DIRECTV have offered to carry local HD signals for the markets they serve on a phased-in basis, hoping to cover any markets they serve with high-def stations within a four-year time period.

That apparently is not good enough for the broadcast lobby, which has asked the Federal Communications Commission to require DBS services to carry all locals from the nation's market areas.

Said DISH in response, "NAB can run its own calculation - just as Spanish-language programmers, consumer groups, rural telcos and others have done - to determine that EchoStar and DIRECTV cannot support an immediate HD must-carry mandate."

The company added, "What also is a matter of public record, however, is that the vast majority of television stations NAB claims to represent are in no position to broadcast in HD come February 2009. The 30 million U.S. households relying on DBS should not suffer just because NAB has not done its homework."

I've seen a few others with this but, just wanted to add my issue: I have zero KMOV signal (on 4.1) today. It's been a problem all weekend. This is OTA.


i have not seen problems with 4.1 ota
i have found that if i unplug the power to my ant. i get the best signal from 4.1

I was fine until last week. It seems I'm not the only one, here's a posting from KMOV's board: http://www.kmov.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=119

It started for me on Friday night but I figured it out yesterday. Something made media center think it had moved to 24 which is scheduled for next year. Check to see if it is trying to tune 24 or 56 as it should.

Ah, that may be my problem. Can you edit a channel or must that be done in the registry?

Hey guys, I've checked these two issues out on SatGuys and DBSTalk, but haven't been able to find solutions (or even indications that they're common problems)...

* My HR-21 routinely starts recording anywhere from 30-60 seconds after the actual start of the program. I still have my HD TiVo hooked up, and on those recordings they have in common, the TiVo always starts right on time.

* I'm also having a problem with audio on the standard-definition channels. I only watch a couple of SD channels, notably FSMW and the Travel Channel ("No Reservations" is a treat and would be great in HD). Whenever I switch from an HD channel to and SD channel, I lose the audio. Turning off my AV receiver and then turning it back on restores the audio, so it seems that there's something occurring in the switching from one format to another than my receiver doesn't like.

This never was a problem with my TiVo (and still isn't).


Anyway, I wanted to check here to see if anyone has seen anything similar to these two issues, and if so, if you know of any solutions.

Thanks.


Doug,

Found the following thread at DBS (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=121637)

The upshot is it's a software issue and to reboot. The reboot seems to have worked for one person who had not rebooted since the last update.

Mo

Hey guys, I've checked these two issues out on SatGuys and DBSTalk, but haven't been able to find solutions (or even indications that they're common problems)...

* My HR-21 routinely starts recording anywhere from 30-60 seconds after the actual start of the program. I still have my HD TiVo hooked up, and on those recordings they have in common, the TiVo always starts right on time.


Thanks.

I actually had the OPPOSITE problem with MEET THE PRESS Sunday morning...

My Vista Media Center PC started recording about 1-2 minutes AFTER the start of the program, but my HR20 started right on time.

Aren't computer products great? :rolleyes:

I would keep watching Smallville and Supernatural on CW, but KPLR lost me with its constant (and constantly ANNOYING) audio dropouts. Ironic DirecTV picked up its HD signal right about the same time I stopped watching it at all.

I need to frequent this thread more often. Right now the only HD content that I'm receiving is via a Series 3 TiVo and OTA. I happened to notice your reference to 11.1's audio dropout issue. I experience that ALL THE TIME and have stopped viewing Supernatural in HD.

I had thought it was my antenna needing a tweak so it's good to know that it's not just me. So what do they have fubar that is causing this and why don't they fix it? If you can't broadcast viewable content then why even bother with HD?

Now HERE'S an HDTV camera!
http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/03/10/video_videographers_drool_over_red_camera/

I need to frequent this thread more often. Right now the only HD content that I'm receiving is via a Series 3 TiVo and OTA. I happened to notice your reference to 11.1's audio dropout issue. I experience that ALL THE TIME and have stopped viewing Supernatural in HD.

I had thought it was my antenna needing a tweak so it's good to know that it's not just me. So what do they have fubar that is causing this and why don't they fix it? If you can't broadcast viewable content then why even bother with HD?

I received an e-mail from KPLR tech support telling me the dropout issue was fixed... back in October. Obviously there's still some work to do. :mad:

KSDKs signal went down at 10:35pm on Monday as of 11:32pm Monday its still down anyone know whats going on?Cant stand watching SD...

KSDKs signal went down at 10:35pm on Monday as of 11:32pm Monday its still down anyone know whats going on?Cant stand watching SD...
In a word....Morons!

KSDKs signal went down at 10:35pm on Monday as of 11:32pm Monday its still down anyone know whats going on?Cant stand watching SD...

During KSDK news tonight, Mike B. said they were taking DT down for maintenance and it would be back up at 5 or 5:30 am (sorry, can't remember the back on time exactly since it's well before I usually get up). From the previous posts, I fear -3 and -4 sub channels will have content tomorrow. Funny, all these years in St. Louis and I never can remember hearing about a station taking their analog channel down for maintenance. On the positive side, maybe reception will improve?

During KSDK news tonight, Mike B. said they were taking DT down for maintenance and it would be back up at 5 or 5:30 am (sorry, can't remember the back on time exactly since it's well before I usually get up). From the previous posts, I fear -3 and -4 sub channels will have content tomorrow. Funny, all these years in St. Louis and I never can remember hearing about a station taking their analog channel down for maintenance. On the positive side, maybe reception will improve?I'm watching now at 5 AM and it's offline. For all I care they can stay offline. Hmmm...maybe that's a good thing....

I'm watching now at 5 AM and it's offline. For all I care they can stay offline. Hmmm...maybe that's a good thing....

Til Heroes comes back in the Fall, I couldn't care less....

Oh wait... the Heroes rerun on Sci-Fi HD looks better than the first broadcast on KSDK earlier in the week anyway so, hey, no problem by ME if they stay offline! :D

How stupid! Stations usually perform such maintenance in the wee hours of Sunday night/Monday morning when the fewest viewers are watching.

Then again, we're talking about the "Leader" who was "First in St. Louis...".

Ah, that may be my problem. Can you edit a channel or must that be done in the registry?
There are instructions on this link. I figured it would be registry settings at first but its just a xml file.

http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/pnear/archive/2006/09/12/202708.aspx

How stupid! Stations usually perform such maintenance in the wee hours of Sunday night/Monday morning when the fewest viewers are watching.

Then again, we're talking about the "Leader" who was "First in St. Louis...".
They should have done it during poker after dark...

During KSDK news tonight, Mike B. said they were taking DT down for maintenance and it would be back up at 5 or 5:30 am (sorry, can't remember the back on time exactly since it's well before I usually get up). From the previous posts, I fear -3 and -4 sub channels will have content tomorrow. Funny, all these years in St. Louis and I never can remember hearing about a station taking their analog channel down for maintenance. On the positive side, maybe reception will improve?

Re: 35-3 and 35-4: Pinksplice sent me a PM and believes it is bad PSIP data.

Also: to join on the KPLR sucks bandwagon...anyone watch the Blues game last night...or should I say tried to watch the Blues game?

It was breaking up like crazy...no loss, Blues haven't been playing great lately, but annoying nonetheless.

Just wondering if it was my stuff or KPLR...

does anyone else have a problem with channel 30 (ABC) in HD? when i first did the OTA channel scan on my samsung lcd, it picked up all my hd channels just fine, channel 30-1 worked, and i could hit "info" and see what was on, and what time, now it jumped (and reprogrammed) to 31-1 and i can never get the info, it says unavailable. if this is a problem with my set, does anyone know the best way to fix? i tried to run autoprogram again, and it just found 31-3.

edit: sorry guys, i misspoke, it is actually 31-3, not 31-1.

31-3 tunes in just fine, but it will not pull up the info for the channel like it used to when it found 30-1.

does anyone else have a problem with channel 30 (ABC) in HD? when i first did the OTA channel scan on my samsung lcd, it picked up all my hd channels just fine, channel 30-1 worked, and i could hit "info" and see what was on, and what time, now it jumped (and reprogrammed) to 31-1 and i can never get the info, it says unavailable. if this is a problem with my set, does anyone know the best way to fix? i tried to run autoprogram again, and it just found 31-1.

I have a Samsung DLP. Samsung suggests unplugging your set for 15 minutes to clear it. More than likely it's a PSIP issue with ch 30.

Are you using OTA only?

Is KPLR the CW station? I was reading some posts over at DBS and saw that D* apparently carries the CW ch now in STL.

Thanks, that worked.

Is KPLR the CW station? I was reading some posts over at DBS and saw that D* apparently carries the CW ch now in STL.

YEP. They carry KPLR-DT now.

Also: to join on the KPLR sucks bandwagon...anyone watch the Blues game last night...or should I say tried to watch the Blues game?

It was breaking up like crazy...no loss, Blues haven't been playing great lately, but annoying nonetheless.

Just wondering if it was my stuff or KPLR...
I watched the Blues last night and didn't think the breakups were crazy, but then again, I wasn't glued to the TV as much as usual since they were getting blown out.

I have a Samsung DLP. Samsung suggests unplugging your set for 15 minutes to clear it. More than likely it's a PSIP issue with ch 30.

Are you using OTA only?

Mo, yes i am only using OTA, its kinda nice not having to pay to watch TV, but then i do miss the many channel choices. i ill try unplugging when i get home. thanks for the tip.

Mo, yes i am only using OTA, its kinda nice not having to pay to watch TV, but then i do miss the many channel choices. i ill try unplugging when i get home. thanks for the tip.

If it's a PSIP issue it won't make a difference. I have OTA in addition to D* and able to pick up 30-1 fine so it may be your set is confused. Hopefully unplugging it for a bit will help.

Is KPLR the CW station? I was reading some posts over at DBS and saw that D* apparently carries the CW ch now in STL.

Yep, though the *D feed has just as many audio dropouts as the OTA feed. Garbage in, garbage out..... :mad:

If it's a PSIP issue it won't make a difference. I have OTA in addition to D* and able to pick up 30-1 fine so it may be your set is confused. Hopefully unplugging it for a bit will help.

well, i unplugged my set for about 45 minutes and it did not fix. i tried to rescan all channels and that did not fix either. i am clueless, i remember when i first got it all was working great for a few months i could get info and all, then one day it seemed to reprogram itself to 31-1 and the channel jumped. i cant even manually tune to 30-1... i guess i am just stuck with no info on that channel... thanks for the help

does anyone else have a problem with channel 30 (ABC) in HD? when i first did the OTA channel scan on my samsung lcd, it picked up all my hd channels just fine, channel 30-1 worked, and i could hit "info" and see what was on, and what time, now it jumped (and reprogrammed) to 31-1 and i can never get the info, it says unavailable. if this is a problem with my set, does anyone know the best way to fix? i tried to run autoprogram again, and it just found 31-1.

Sorry for the problem. Everything got messed up due to the time change. Should be ok now. This DTV stuff is far from perfect!!!
Jim

sorry guys, i misspoke, it is actually 31-3, not 31-1.

31-3 tunes in just fine, but it will not pull up the info for the channel like it used to when it found 30-1.

does anyone else tune into 31-3 instead of 30-1? maybe its a signal strength issue?

If there are any Windows Home Server users still on the St. Louis thread, here's a particularly troubling article about data corruption:

WHS and Data Loss (http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1499&tag=nl.e539)

sorry guys, i misspoke, it is actually 31-3, not 31-1.

31-3 tunes in just fine, but it will not pull up the info for the channel like it used to when it found 30-1.

does anyone else tune into 31-3 instead of 30-1? maybe its a signal strength issue?

Did you check again? WRacer(the ABC engineer) said everything should be fixed now(in the post above yours).
Dug

sorry guys, i misspoke, it is actually 31-3, not 31-1.

31-3 tunes in just fine, but it will not pull up the info for the channel like it used to when it found 30-1.

does anyone else tune into 31-3 instead of 30-1? maybe its a signal strength issue?


As far as signal strength goes, does the meter look good for everything else?

Did you re-scan when you plugged it back in?

I'd give Samsung a call (800-726-7864). Their first tier support is just that. Go through some motions with them, tell them you unplugged your set already (they always say to unplug it first). If they don't offer to transfer you to level two support, request they do. Hopefully they can shed some light on your issue.

FWIW, I did a Google search and came up with a lot of hits. You can look at those while you are on hold. ;)

thanks guys, i havent tried it today yet, i had my wife turn on the tv and tune into channel 30, which jumped to 31-3. i will rescan when i get home. i also might call samsung support and see if it is a TV issue, which I am starting to think it is. thanks for your help

During KSDK news tonight, Mike B. said they were taking DT down for maintenance and it would be back up at 5 or 5:30 am (sorry, can't remember the back on time exactly since it's well before I usually get up). From the previous posts, I fear -3 and -4 sub channels will have content tomorrow. Funny, all these years in St. Louis and I never can remember hearing about a station taking their analog channel down for maintenance. On the positive side, maybe reception will improve?

We have AT&T U-verse service. Oddly enough, even though the OTA signal was down, AT&T was still supplying HD picture and sound for Channel 5 during the Tonight Show.

Does this mean that AT&T is picking up its feed directly from the station and not over the air?

Did you check again? WRacer(the ABC engineer) said everything should be fixed now(in the post above yours).
Dug

I have this same thing going on. I did a re-scan about 11pm last night. Did not fix it. Funny I have a Samsung Slim-Fit CRT.

I'm too lazy to hook up to the lcd sony on the wall and check

What is up with channel 4? I moved my antenna and still nothing. No Jericho last night, no Letterman tonight. Something is wrong as my PC Dvico tuner with MCE usually works fine.

Less than 1 year to go and still problems.

During KSDK news tonight, Mike B. said they were taking DT down for maintenance and it would be back up at 5 or 5:30 am (sorry, can't remember the back on time exactly since it's well before I usually get up). From the previous posts, I fear -3 and -4 sub channels will have content tomorrow. Funny, all these years in St. Louis and I never can remember hearing about a station taking their analog channel down for maintenance. On the positive side, maybe reception will improve?

I have noticed my signals which had dropped to the mid 80's from 100 are back at 100% again. :)

Has anything ever been shown on 4-2?

I am missing the last 20 minutes of L&O from Wed. night. I have the HR20 and have never had a problem recording anything. I record a lot and this is the first time I had a recording cut off. :confused: Any other D* HR20 issues from Wed. L&O?

Has anything ever been shown on 4-2?

During the 2006 election night coverage, 4-2 had constant local election news (as opposed to 4-1's national CBS coverage with local inserts on the half hour).

4-2's been nothing but a blank screen since, but the picture quality on 4-1 has never recovered.

which makes me wonder...I know sports would look kinda crummy on a subchannel, but why wouldn't NBC run the hockey games and golf on 5-2 instead of the weather loop? people have 5-2 that have Charter, which is most people in St. Louis market...

I am missing the last 20 minutes of L&O from Wed. night. I have the HR20 and have never had a problem recording anything. I record a lot and this is the first time I had a recording cut off. :confused: Any other D* HR20 issues from Wed. L&O?

As far as I know I have all of the recording. I started watching about 15 minutes late and lamost caught up before the end of the show, but I was still watching the buffer. I'll know for sure when my wife tries to watch (probably some time next week).

I am missing the last 20 minutes of L&O from Wed. night. I have the HR20 and have never had a problem recording anything. I record a lot and this is the first time I had a recording cut off. :confused: Any other D* HR20 issues from Wed. L&O?

And it was a good episode! Do you want to know the ending or wait for the rerun?

OK nobody answered...so once again what is wrong with KMOV. I am getting nothing. Is it working for anyone else?

OK nobody answered...so once again what is wrong with KMOV. I am getting nothing. Is it working for anyone else?

Info further up the chain . . . I use the info per the link in that post and was able to bring Channel 4 back into MCE, worked like a charm. Old digital channel was 24, you have to change to 56.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13349503&postcount=6648

Any reason why we have to reconfigure media center? There are only some million users of XPMCE and Vista MCE.

Seems like KMOV has messed something up to me. Is this what we can expect in a year?

What if I'd not be at home and expect 2 weeks of recordings on KMOV? I guess I'd get nothing.

Any reason why we have to reconfigure media center? There are only some million users of XPMCE and Vista MCE.

Seems like KMOV has messed something up to me. Is this what we can expect in a year?

What if I'd not be at home and expect 2 weeks of recordings on KMOV? I guess I'd get nothing.

I assume because the guide isn't providing the updated information yet. Fortunately, relatively few are affected (at least as compared to millions). The necessary change is easy to implement. Past that, others would have to provide the whys and wherefores of this change.

KMOV 4-2 not showing as of 2230 tonight. Confirmed on 3 separate sets with three separate antennas.

Anybody with a fancy bandwith measurement device out there?

And it was a good episode! Do you want to know the ending or wait for the rerun?

I already deleted it so I'd appreciate the episode title. I have scheduled countless recordings and never an issue before or since.

Thanks in advance.

Mo

I already deleted it so I'd appreciate the episode title. I have scheduled countless recordings and never an issue before or since.

Thanks in advance.

Mo

I haven't looked at D*'s on-demand stuff lately, but I recall they had all kinds of prime time shows listed. I don't know if law and order is one of them, or if the newest episodes are even available, but it might be worth a look assuming you have your HR20 networked. You probably know all this, but thought I'd throw it out anyway.

I already deleted it so I'd appreciate the episode title. I have scheduled countless recordings and never an issue before or since.

Thanks in advance.

Mo

The title of the episode was "Submission".

Not good news for Dish Network HD...

"BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, March 14, 2008 – Khrunichev and International Launch Services regret to announce an anomaly during today's Proton mission with the AMC-14 satellite.
The Proton Breeze M rocket lifted off at 5:18 a.m. today local time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the AMC-14 satellite for SES AMERICOM and its customer, EchoStar Corporation. Preliminary flight information indicates that the anomaly occurred during the second burn of the Breeze M upper stage. The satellite failed to reach the planned orbit. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin.
A Russian State Commission has begun the process of determining the reasons for the anomaly. ILS will release details when data become available. In parallel with the State Commission, ILS will form its own Failure Review Oversight Board. The FROB will review the commission’s final report and corrective action plan, in accord with U.S. and Russian government export control regulations.
ILS remains committed to providing reliable, timely launch services for all its customers. To this end, ILS will work diligently with its partner Khrunichev to return Proton to flight as soon as possible."

I used to maintain a listing of all the HD channels available in St. Louis via the different sources (OTA, Charter, DISH, DirecTV). In large part because the list grew larger than the format I originally designed, it hasn't been updated in at least 6 months (prior to addition of "new" DirecTV HD channels).

At one point I had planned to reformat and reorganize the list, but (as some of you probably figured out) this task has been permanently excised from my "to do" list. ;)

However, I saw a story at Engadget HD earlier in the week that detailed a new online resource for HD coverage that covers ever ZIP code in the country.

So, this information is once again available to anyone requiring it, at the following link:

http://www.whereishd.com/

Enjoy...

The title of the episode was "Submission".

Thanks!

KMOV 4-2 not showing as of 2230 tonight. Confirmed on 3 separate sets with three separate antennas.

Anybody with a fancy bandwith measurement device out there?

Can not confirm any bandwidth pluses or minuses but can confirm that 4-2 is no longer showing up on my gear and while watching the Big Ten tourney today to me it has that "pop" I haven't seen in a long time.

Maybe someone with influence on memorial drive is a basketball fan? ;) I don't care how or why but "yea!!!"

I've been out for several months.... Is Fox Sports Midwest now in HD for DirecTV?

After charter pushing my buttons several times i went ahead and ordered Direct TV and set up an install on Wednesday between 8am-12pm. Anyone know which HD-DVR ill get?

KMOV 4-2 not showing as of 2230 tonight. Confirmed on 3 separate sets with three separate antennas.

Anybody with a fancy bandwith measurement device out there?

Last night's Numb3rs, according to VideoReDo after editing commercials and removing null packets, had a bitrate of 17.51mbps. It's usually been about 15 or so. I'd call that a good sign. Haven't had a chance to actually watch the episode yet....

Not good news for Dish Network HD...

"BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, March 14, 2008 – Khrunichev and International Launch Services regret to announce an anomaly during today's Proton mission with the AMC-14 satellite.
The Proton Breeze M rocket lifted off at 5:18 a.m. today local time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the AMC-14 satellite for SES AMERICOM and its customer, EchoStar Corporation. Preliminary flight information indicates that the anomaly occurred during the second burn of the Breeze M upper stage. The satellite failed to reach the planned orbit. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin.
A Russian State Commission has begun the process of determining the reasons for the anomaly. ILS will release details when data become available. In parallel with the State Commission, ILS will form its own Failure Review Oversight Board. The FROB will review the commission’s final report and corrective action plan, in accord with U.S. and Russian government export control regulations.
ILS remains committed to providing reliable, timely launch services for all its customers. To this end, ILS will work diligently with its partner Khrunichev to return Proton to flight as soon as possible."
For those interested...the effects of this failed launch are more long-term (2-4 years) than they are short-term (1-2 years)
Echostar currently has enough available bandwidth to add several HD channels. The delay's in additions have been attributed to delay's in "suitable" contract negotiations between DISH and the broadcasters.

The effects of the failed launch will probably be felt at a time when additional bandwidth is most needed, as the full HD revolution takes hold in 2-4 years.

I'm sure the folks at Echostar are scurrying for a plan b.

I've been out for several months.... Is Fox Sports Midwest now in HD for DirecTV?
Yes, but only for HD events. Otherwise, it is just off. It is 647-1
Dug

I've been out for several months.... Is Fox Sports Midwest now in HD for DirecTV?Yes, but it shows a blank screen unless there is something on in HD, which means the Blues (infrequently).

Should be more active once the Cardinals break camp...

Last night's Numb3rs, according to VideoReDo after editing commercials and removing null packets, had a bitrate of 17.51mbps. It's usually been about 15 or so. I'd call that a good sign. Haven't had a chance to actually watch the episode yet....

Thank you.

I used to maintain a listing of all the HD channels available in St. Louis via the different sources (OTA, Charter, DISH, DirecTV). In large part because the list grew larger than the format I originally designed, it hasn't been updated in at least 6 months (prior to addition of "new" DirecTV HD channels).

At one point I had planned to reformat and reorganize the list, but (as some of you probably figured out) this task has been permanently excised from my "to do" list. ;)

However, I saw a story at Engadget HD earlier in the week that detailed a new online resource for HD coverage that covers ever ZIP code in the country.

So, this information is once again available to anyone requiring it, at the following link:

http://www.whereishd.com/

Enjoy...

Thanks, Doug. It's Bookmarked.

After charter pushing my buttons several times i went ahead and ordered Direct TV and set up an install on Wednesday between 8am-12pm. Anyone know which HD-DVR ill get?


Congrats on your move to intelligent TV ;). You will likely get the HR21-xxx, but anything they give you will be a huge improvement over Charter :).

Scott

Congrats on your move to intelligent TV ;). You will likely get the HR21-xxx, but anything they give you will be a huge improvement over Charter :).

Scott

How long does the typical install take?i know they will have to run a second wire to my area where the tv is for the hd-dvr but i do no think they will have to run any additional wiring.

Thinking of switching from Dish to DirectTV. I have two questions...

Has Direct changed from HD-Lite to full rez since the new sat went up?

Can I still get a HR20 with the OTA turner? If not, I heard that they my start sending PBS-HD soon. Has anyone else heard this.

There is nothing wrong with the service from Dish, it's just the politics they have with getting newer channels that DirectTV seems not to have a problem with. I have a VIP622 now...how does it compare to the receivers that Direct provides? The reason I ask these question here is because it seems a lot of you have had recent installations from DirectTV and I just wonder how the service and installs went. Thanks.

DirecTV's newer HD channels (added since Sept) are full MPEG-4 and glorious. DirecTV's older HD channels (before that date) are still HD Lite. HDNetMovies in particular is still pretty bad.

My guess is the current HD Lite channels will remain HD Lite until DirecTV dumps MPEG-2 HD channels altogether.

I'm pretty sure all new installs are getting the HR21 nowadays.

Can't compare to the VIP622 since that was long after my time with Dish Network. I can tell you the HR20 kind of sucked at first compared to the Tivo HR10. Lack of instant 30-second skip was a major PIA for me (and I'll admit I inflicted it on everyone else here too). :D But several software upgrades later (including that 30-second skip), I like it a lot and don't miss the HR10 Tivo at all.

When new episodes of Battlestar Galactica start in a couple of weeks on SciFi HD, I'm gonna be a really happy camper.

Thinking of switching from Dish to DirectTV. I have two questions...

Has Direct changed from HD-Lite to full rez since the new sat went up?

Can I still get a HR20 with the OTA turner? If not, I heard that they my start sending PBS-HD soon. Has anyone else heard this.

There is nothing wrong with the service from Dish, it's just the politics they have with getting newer channels that DirectTV seems not to have a problem with. I have a VIP622 now...how does it compare to the receivers that Direct provides? The reason I ask these question here is because it seems a lot of you have had recent installations from DirectTV and I just wonder how the service and installs went. Thanks.
I recently had the opportunity to use the Verizon FiOS for a few days. I felt the audio and video were excellent, especially the HD offerings, and the user interface very intuitive.
If it's available in your area, you may want to check it out also.

I do not think you'll find the user interface of the HR21 to be what you've become accustomed to with the 622, but if your change is based on the programming you want, you'll surely find it adequate.

I recently had the opportunity to use the Verizon FiOS for a few days. I felt the audio and video were excellent, especially the HD offerings, and the user interface very intuitive.
If it's available in your area, you may want to check it out also.

Where were you that you could do this. Is it in our area. FiOS is what I would really like to have. 30Mps internet!!!! I am still waiting to see what effect Uverse is going to have on pricing.

Walt

Any reason why we have to reconfigure media center? There are only some million users of XPMCE and Vista MCE.

Seems like KMOV has messed something up to me. Is this what we can expect in a year?

What if I'd not be at home and expect 2 weeks of recordings on KMOV? I guess I'd get nothing.

Actually the channel has always been 56. It is moving to 24 next year. Microsoft is claiming that the problem lies with the FCC, they get their info from them. Anyway come next year the channel will be 24 and we will all need to fix this. Now if I could only get the guide data in for all 4 PBS channels correctly everything would be good for a while.

The issue is very widspread. Basically the FCC is mandataing that any channels that were using UHF over 50 move down. They are reserving that space. I am guessing they started putting the new stations in their feed, for the conversion and M-soft hasn't put in a fix yet. I played with SageTV and GB-PVR over the weekend and they both found the channels perfectly. BUt they also do a scan of all chennels first and map instead of downloading guide info and using data off of that to tune.

Where were you that you could do this. Is it in our area. FiOS is what I would really like to have. 30Mps internet!!!! I am still waiting to see what effect Uverse is going to have on pricing.

Walt
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13316778#post13316778
IIRC Walt, you replied to that post :confused:

The Internet connection is unreal. Everyone here, has clicked "remind me later" to those annoying Adobe Updates, cus they take so long. I did both of her computers...2 minutes, tops...each!

DirecTV's newer HD channels (added since Sept) are full MPEG-4 and glorious.
It was a real treat to watch the Australian Formula 1 race in HD (Speed, channel 607), but it sure didn't look like full bandwidth to me.

How is the Local Hds on Direct TV is there any noticeable difference between D* and OTA?

I haven't watched OTA in such a long time, I couldn't tell you. The only problem I have is the couple of shows on pbs. They are the only reason I still have an antenna.
Dug

Here's (http://slickdeals.net/#p3787) an absolutely incredible deal on a Quad-core Phenom HP computer at Office Depot. For $366 you get a pre-configured home theater PC with built in ATSC (HD) capture card and remote, along with a tasty hard drive, DVD burner and HDMI output. Note that there is a code you must enter and that the system must be configured at one of their stores. Less than half price.

How is the Local Hds on Direct TV is there any noticeable difference between D* and OTA?

There was on my equipment. I dropped D* at the beginning of February to go OTA-only.

OTA just had more "pop" to its picture when I was watching football (I would do PIP). It got to be that I would watch OTA whenever I could.

I should say that I never though anything was wrong with D*'s locals until I started using a Samsung STB. I didn't even notice anything big when using the HR-20 as a OTA tuner. But when I hooked up the Samsung, it was like a different world. And, fwiw, Samsung was component, D* was HDMI. So it wasn't exactly a "scientific" comparison.

2008 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS HIGH DEFINITION SCHEDULE

MARCH (1)
Mon Mar 31 Colorado 3:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD PPD-Rain

APRIL (21) 12 - 9
Tue Apr 1 Colorado 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 1-2]
Wed Apr 2 Colorado 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 8-3]
Thu Apr 3 Colorado 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 3-0]
Sat Apr 5 Washington 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-4]
Sun Apr 6 Washington 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 3-0]
Mon Apr 7 at Houston 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-5]
Tue Apr 8 at Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-3]
Sun Apr 13 at San Francisco 3:05 p.m. KSDK-DT [L 4-7]
Tue Apr 15 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 6-1]
Wed Apr 16 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-4]
Thu Apr 17 Milwaukee 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-5]
Sat Apr 19 San Francisco 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 0-3]
Sun Apr 20 San Francisco 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [L 2-8]
Mon Apr 21 at Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 4-3]
Tue Apr 22 at Milwaukee 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 8-9]
Fri Apr 25 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 2-3]
Sat Apr 26 Houston 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 4-3]
Sun Apr 27 Houston 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 5-1]
Mon Apr 28 Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-4]
Tue Apr 29 Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 7-2]
Wed Apr 30 Cincinnati 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-2]

MAY (21)
Fri May 2 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-3]
Sat May 3 Chicago 2:45 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT [L 3-9]
Sun May 4 Chicago 7:05 p.m. ESPN-HD [W 5-3]
Mon May 5 at Colorado 7:30 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 6-5]
Thu May 8 at Colorado 2:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-9]
Sat May 10 at Milwaukee 2:45 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT [W 5-3]
Sun May 11 at Milwaukee 1:05 p.m. KSDK-DT [L 3-5]
Mon May 12 at Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 3-8]
Tue May 13 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 4-8]
Wed May 14 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-1]
Thu May 15 Pittsburgh 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 5-11]
Fri May 16 Tampa Bay 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 1-3]
Sat May 17 Tampa Bay 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 9-8]
Sun May 18 Tampa Bay 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 5-4]
Sat May 24 at Los Angeles 9:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 4-0]
Sun May 25 at Los Angeles 3:10 p.m. KSDK-DT [L 3-4]
Tue May 27 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 2-8]
Wed May 28 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 6-1]
Thu May 29 Houston 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 3-2]
Fri May 30 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 5-4]
Sat May 31 Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 4-14]

JUNE (18)
Sun June 1 Pittsburgh 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 7-4]
Mon June 2 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [L 4-5]
Wed June 4 at Washington 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD PPD-RAIN
Thu June 5 at Washington 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD GM1[W 4-1] GM2[L 8-10]
Sat June 7 at Houston 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD [W 8-4]
Sun June 8 at Houston 1:05 p.m. KSDK-DT [W 5-4]
Sat June 14 Philadelphia 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun June 15 Philadelphia 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue June 17 Kansas City 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed June 18 Kansas City 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu June 19 Kansas City 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat June 21 at Boston 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun June 22 at Boston 12:35 p.m. KSDK-DT
Tue June 24 at Detroit 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed June 25 at Detroit 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu June 26 at Detroit 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun June 29 at Kansas City 1:10 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon June 30 New York Mets 6:05 p.m. ESPN-HD & FSNMW-HD

JULY[U] (19)
Tue July 1 New York Mets 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed July 2 New York Mets 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu July 3 New York Mets 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri July 4 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 5 Chicago 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun July 6 Chicago 2:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Thu July 10 at Philadelphia 12:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 12 at Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun July 13 at Pittsburgh 12:35 p.m. KSDK-DT

Tue July 15 All Star Game-Yankee Stadium FOX/KTVI-DT

Thu July 17 San Diego 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri July 18 San Diego 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 19 San Diego 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun July 20 San Diego 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon July 21 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. ESPN-HD & FSNMW-HD
Tue July 22 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed July 23 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu July 24 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat July 26 at New York Mets 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun July 27 at New York Mets 12:10 p.m. KSDK-DT

[U]AUGUST (18)
Fri Aug 1 Philadelphia 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 2 Philadelphia 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun Aug 3 Philadelphia 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT
Tue Aug 5 Los Angeles 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Aug 6 Los Angeles 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Aug 7 Los Angeles 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 9 at Chicago 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Mon Aug 11 at Florida 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Aug 14 at Florida 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Aug 19 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Aug 20 Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Aug 22 Atlanta 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 23 Atlanta 2:55 p.m. FOX/KTVI-DT
Sun Aug 24 Atlanta 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Aug 26 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Aug 27 Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Aug 30 at Houston 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun Aug 31 at Houston 1:05 p.m. KSDK-DT

SEPTEMBER (18)
Mon Sept 1 at Arizona 3:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Sept 3 at Arizona 2:30 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Sept 5 Florida 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Sept 6 Florida 6:05 p.m. KSDK-DT
Sun Sept 7 Florida 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Sept 9 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Sept 10 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Sept 11 Chicago 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Sept 12 at Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Sept 13 at Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sun Sept 14 at Pittsburgh 12:35 p.m. KSDK-DT
Mon Sept 22 Arizona 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Tue Sept 23 Arizona 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Wed Sept 24 Arizona 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Thu Sept 25 Arizona 1:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Fri Sept 26 Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. FSNMW-HD
Sat Sept 27 Cincinnati 6:00 p.m FSNMW-HD
Sun Sept 28 Cincinnati 1:15 p.m. KSDK-DT

116 Total HD Broadcasts (73 in 2007 - +60%)
HD Record: 27 - 21 (2007: 34-37)

Thanks for the schedule. Makes all this HD business definitely worth while.

Ken,

Thanks for posting the schedule -- excellent news!

that's alot of games! might have to think this OTA-only deal!

does anyone know if FSNMW-HD is in the clear via QAM?

From DSLreports:

How Much is 'Broadband For Life' From a Failing Company Worth? (http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/How-Much-is-Broadband-For-Life-From-a-Failing-Company-Worth-92739)
_______________________________________________________

Charter Communications is holding an auction where the winning bidder gets Charter broadband service for life. In other words, the cable company with the lowest customer satisfaction ratings in the nation and $19 billion in debt is asking customers to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a service that might not be around in a few years.

What's more, the contest's fine print says that if Charter sells the company after three years (and they have been fielding informal inquiries), the auction winner gets diddly squat:

If within 3 years of the winning bid Charter sells the system that services the Winner, Charter will prorate the amount the Winner paid based on length of service provided and refund the Winner a portion of the winning bid. Example: The Winner paid $3K � Charter sells system after year 1. Charter will refund the Winner $2,000. Any time after the 3 years, Charter will not offer any refunds.

We're watching the top bid rise with absolute astonishment: it now sits at $23,850 and increases by the hour.
_______________________________________________________

that's alot of games! might have to think this OTA-only deal!

does anyone know if FSNMW-HD is in the clear via QAM?

I've seen it with the last two Blues games that were in HD, but there was no audio. Can't remember which channel it was.

that's alot of games! might have to think this OTA-only deal!

does anyone know if FSNMW-HD is in the clear via QAM?

FSMW SD - 109-1

I have not been able to pick that up via QAM in Webster Groves

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p1YUYjk2D8hxaBm7jr4r_dA&hl=en&pli=1

I went to my home town and just purchased an HDTV with build ATSC/NTSC tuner.. so i wanted to know 2 things

one what do you guys think the best cost effecient and functionally fit HD antenna is today

and can anyone give me a comprehensive list of the channels that are available OTA in st. louis.. i live in the CWE

and can anyone give me a comprehensive list of the channels that are available OTA in st. louis.. i live in the CWEThere was a link posted the other day that lists all varieties of HD offered (OTA, DirecTV, Dish, Charter, etc.) when searched by zipcode. The link can be found here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13386584&postcount=6686)

From DSLreports:

How Much is 'Broadband For Life' From a Failing Company Worth? (http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/How-Much-is-Broadband-For-Life-From-a-Failing-Company-Worth-92739)
_______________________________________________________

Charter Communications is holding an auction ...

We're watching the top bid rise with absolute astonishment: it now sits at $23,850 and increases by the hour.
_______________________________________________________Hey, you think jimglobe might be the winning bidder.
;)

Hey, you think jimglobe might be the winning bidder.
;)

Wow, there is a name that brings back bad memories.

Yes, MS non-scanning system sucks. Have a newer HP Vista MCE with little remote, thinking that would be cool. Go out of town and if no internet connection no way to get OTA (unless I fall back on the tuner's software).

I'm slowly moving to Linux, and if that don't pan out it will be Sage or BeyondTV or no media center PC at all for my main system. I will not upgrade to Vista and I'm getting tired of XPMCE and these issues (although it is fairly stable).

Well back to trying to fix this KMOV problem, I think Jericho is scheduled tonight and it looks like sh** in low def.

I've been running XPMCE for at least 3 years and the guide data on PBS has always been wrong. I've given up hope.


Actually the channel has always been 56. It is moving to 24 next year. Microsoft is claiming that the problem lies with the FCC, they get their info from them. Anyway come next year the channel will be 24 and we will all need to fix this. Now if I could only get the guide data in for all 4 PBS channels correctly everything would be good for a while.

The issue is very widspread. Basically the FCC is mandataing that any channels that were using UHF over 50 move down. They are reserving that space. I am guessing they started putting the new stations in their feed, for the conversion and M-soft hasn't put in a fix yet. I played with SageTV and GB-PVR over the weekend and they both found the channels perfectly. BUt they also do a scan of all chennels first and map instead of downloading guide info and using data off of that to tune.

Wenatchee, WA is in Silicone Valley
Coincidence?

Sir Arthur C. Clark, noted science fiction author and the man considered by most to have come up with the idea of telecommunications satellites in geosynchronous orbits, has died. He was 90 years old. Those of us who watch HDTV on our Dish and Direct satellite dishes have Clark to thank for the idea. He was also credited with the idea of a space elevator to lift payloads into orbit. Engineering technology has yet to catch up with that idea but is certainly possible.

Anyway I thought it was appropriate to post the info here as we use the technology he invented.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/03/18/obit.clarke/index.html

Clark was awesome, and was easily up there with Asimov and Heinlen. It is sad to see he's gone.

From DSLreports:

How Much is 'Broadband For Life' From a Failing Company Worth? (http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/How-Much-is-Broadband-For-Life-From-a-Failing-Company-Worth-92739)
_______________________________________________________


We're watching the top bid rise with absolute astonishment: it now sits at $23,850 and increases by the hour.
_______________________________________________________

Where the hell are all these bidders when I put my old DVD's up on eBay????????

I've been running XPMCE for at least 3 years and the guide data on PBS has always been wrong. I've given up hope.

It's still wrong in Vista Media Center. I think Microsoft just assumes the digital main channel has the same programming as the analog channel, which is correct for all the stations here except PBS. PBS duplicates its analog programming on subchannel -3 instead of the main digital channel.

So the few things I need to record from PBS-HD, I get from the FusionHDTV cards in my old XP Home system.

KMOV-HD OTA CBS Dead Air? Can anyone else in STL confirm that this station is off the air? I noticed that it didnt record "how i met your mother" last night and it was not there again tonight for Jericho.

KMOV-HD OTA CBS Dead Air? Can anyone else in STL confirm that this station is off the air? I noticed that it didnt record "how i met your mother" last night and it was not there again tonight for Jericho.
Fine here...has been all night.

How long does the typical install take?i know they will have to run a second wire to my area where the tv is for the hd-dvr but i do no think they will have to run any additional wiring.

No way to say. Depends on the job, installer, how much you bother the installer, etc. But, however long it takes will be worth it. You will love satellite TV.

Scott

Ken,

Thanks for posting the schedule -- excellent news!
Hopefully, this is the last year we'll need to post one :D

No way to say. Depends on the job, installer, how much you bother the installer, etc. But, however long it takes will be worth it. You will love satellite TV.

Scott

Ive tried to get everything ready for when the installer comes ive already got wires disconnected and ran phone line and network cord to box and got wires and everything else set up for the other tvs.I cant wait for direct to come hoping they can use the existing wires they are rg6 cables and pretty recent 2-3 years old made sure i dont have any old wiring.so my hope is that he just has to run the dish wires and multiswitch and run the extra wire to hd-dvr and of course mount and align the dish.

KMOV-HD OTA CBS Dead Air? Can anyone else in STL confirm that this station is off the air? I noticed that it didnt record "how i met your mother" last night and it was not there again tonight for Jericho.
I didn't check earlier, but KMOV-HD OTA is fine right now.

No problem for me. I watched 2.5 Men on Monday evening and Letterman both Monday and Tuesday evening.

Sounds like maybe you need to reset your receiver. Try unplugging the receiver (or TV if onboard) for 10 minutes and then power up again to see if this fixes your problem.

This might also be happening because your antenna has gotten knocked on axis. Or maybe it's underwater. :eek:

I checked the antenna this morning and it looks fine, direction looks dead on where it should be. (it's a DB8, outdoor antenna) I'm running two HTPC's with Vista using a couple of different tuner cards (Avermedia a180 and two of the PCIE combo cards).

Nothing has changed on my end that i know about. I'll try powering down for a while and trying it again. Thanks for the input. It's so bizzare. I've never had anything like this before. I've been doing OTA HD for like 7 years now and i've never experienced anything like this. I'm open to other sugestions too.

I get rock solid signals on every station but for some reason CBS is now gone. no signal at all and all of the others still work fine.

I checked the antenna this morning and it looks fine, direction looks dead on where it should be. (it's a DB8, outdoor antenna) I'm running two HTPC's with Vista using a couple of different tuner cards (Avermedia a180 and two of the PCIE combo cards).

Nothing has changed on my end that i know about. I'll try powering down for a while and trying it again. Thanks for the input. It's so bizzare. I've never had anything like this before. I've been doing OTA HD for like 7 years now and i've never experienced anything like this. I'm open to other sugestions too.

I get rock solid signals on every station but for some reason CBS is now gone. no signal at all and all of the others still work fine.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13373004&postcount=4855
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13393009&postcount=5813

- Trip

OMG Trip, WTF!

Ok so... how do i know what values i need to add for physical and major? And from the second link... why did he have to add that DEALTIME station only to remove it again? Any idea?

I'm at work now so i wont get to play with this until this evening.

OMG Trip, WTF!

Ok so... how do i know what values i need to add for physical and major? And from the second link... why did he have to add that DEALTIME station only to remove it again? Any idea?

I'm at work now so i wont get to play with this until this evening.

Major channels numbers are 8, 11, and 13.

Physical channels are 31, 50, and 19 respectively.

I don't know why he added that station to remove it again, since I don't have a Media Center. I think there might be more information floating around somewhere.

- Trip

I've been doing some other sniffing around and i found this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938927

Could this be the culprit?

I don't know, it's confusingly phrased.

From what I heard, Microsoft pushed out a new update that for some reason lists the channels as they'll be on Feb 18 2009, rather than what they are now (they're trying to blame the FCC, but this should have been a no-brainer).

So for you, the only station that will be different is KMOV, moving from 56 to 24. Chances are, your MCE box is trying to pick up KMOV on 24 even though it's not on the air there yet.

- Trip

Yeah Trip, you're right on. I just used remote desktop to connect to one of my HTPC's to get a look at the mysterious atscchannels.xml file. and in that file my KMOV is set as follows:

<channel callsign="KMOV" version="0" physical="24" major="4" />

Which is incorrect. That physical channel should be 56. Man alive. Technology is supposed to be simple. How many people would have been able to resolve this?

Sigh.

Thanks for your help Trip. I think that i have what i need now.

Just in case anyone else stumbles into this thread. Check out this article for more info about why this happens and how to work around it.

http://thenears.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/troubleshooting-atsc-issues-in-mce/

From thedigitalbits.com.........

Here's something cool for you Battlestar Galactica fans, though. A friend of The Bits who works on the staff over at The Late Show with David Letterman sent this in: Tonight's episode is going to feature the cast of BSG, in costume as their characters, reading the list of Top Ten Reasons to Watch the New Season of Battlestar Galactica! Be sure to tune in for it if you're a fan.

No way to say. Depends on the job, installer, how much you bother the installer, etc. But, however long it takes will be worth it. You will love satellite TV.

Scott

Yeah i love it only have one issue of not getting fox reality, and a few other channels directs coming back out on saturday morning to check it out. VOD is far more impressive than charters vod and hd channels are impressive.

I've set up a Google Calendar for the Cardinals HDTV schedule. You can view this calendar at the following link:

St. Louis Cardinals - HDTV Broadcast Schedule (http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=NWI5YzA0aHM0YnN2b2dwMnRiaXZyODVnNzhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW 5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)

If you're a Google Calendar user, you can add this Cardinals HDTV calendar to your list of other calendars in the normal manner (Add a Public Calendar) -- this will allow you to always display the calendar alongside your other appointments, or to selectively toggle it on and off.

If you're not a Google Calendar user (hello?), there is a recently added feature to GC that allows you to synchronize Google Calendar with Microsoft Outlook, but I have no idea how that works or how well it works. It might also be possible to export the Google calendar to some other calendar format, but anyone in need will need to explore and figure that out on your own.

FYI -- I had hoped to be able to take Ken's schedule post and parse and import that into Google Calendar quickly, and while there is an import function, the format of the original message and the import process quickly proved that manual re-creation was the path of least resistance.

So, because this was done manually, and done late at night, there are almost certainly some errors. If anyone spots an error, let me know and I will try to correct it -- the nice thing about correcting a shared Google Calendar is that it automatically corrects the calendar for anyone sharing it.

Enjoy...

Yes, MS non-scanning system sucks. Have a newer HP Vista MCE with little remote, thinking that would be cool. Go out of town and if no internet connection no way to get OTA (unless I fall back on the tuner's software).

I'm slowly moving to Linux, and if that don't pan out it will be Sage or BeyondTV or no media center PC at all for my main system. I will not upgrade to Vista and I'm getting tired of XPMCE and these issues (although it is fairly stable).

Well back to trying to fix this KMOV problem, I think Jericho is scheduled tonight and it looks like sh** in low def.



Any luck fixing the Media Center/KMOV wrong channel issue? Seems I have it, too. But then, I guess everybody in St. Louis with Media Center has it.

Hopefully this will be fixed before The Unit and the CSI's come back....

I fixed mine last night by following the directions in the above listed link. You have to delete channel 4 then add it back in manually with the correct information.

I've set up a Google Calendar for the Cardinals HDTV schedule. You can view this calendar at the following link:

St. Louis Cardinals - HDTV Broadcast Schedule (http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=NWI5YzA0aHM0YnN2b2dwMnRiaXZyODVnNzhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW 5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)

Enjoy...

Thanks Doug, also if anyone is interested at http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/ticketing/sth_index.jsp

at the bottom is a csv file that you can import into outlook based on what ticket package you have, this is for home and away games. Should be easy enough to append the csv with a SD/HD

I've set up a Google Calendar for the Cardinals HDTV schedule. You can view this calendar at the following link:

St. Louis Cardinals - HDTV Broadcast Schedule (http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=NWI5YzA0aHM0YnN2b2dwMnRiaXZyODVnNzhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW 5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)
Superb!! :)

This is not good news:

http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/Golden-Goose-Genocide-Hollywood-Recklessly-Guns-for-DVRed-PPV.html

This is not good news:

http://www.isfforum.com/Video-Savant/Copyright-and-Digital-Rights/Golden-Goose-Genocide-Hollywood-Recklessly-Guns-for-DVRed-PPV.htmlThat is exactly why I won't buy an AppleTV. I hardly ever finish watching something I start within the next 24 hours.