Where does it say anything about Fox News in HD?

I really did think that was coming soon.

It's not on the actual list, but several of the current HD channels weren't on the original list last year, either...........

I am currently debating on whether to get DISH or ATT U-Verse.
Any suggestions from those in the area?
I will be ditching Charter Cable soon, as I am not happy with the price and lack of HD Channels.

I am currently debating on whether to get DISH or ATT U-Verse.
Any suggestions from those in the area?
I will be ditching Charter Cable soon, as I am not happy with the price and lack of HD Channels.

The Dish 722 DVR is first rate, with 2 sat tuners and an OTA tuner for locals, which means you can record up to 3 local channels at once. Not bad, if you like CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, The CW and/or PBS HD. Also, you can record 3 HD channels while watching another that's already been recorded. You can multiply that by as many boxes for other rooms as you want to add to your account. U-Verse, I believe, is just getting to the point you can watch 2 steams (or record one while watching another). Don't know about a DVR with U-Verse.

Dish probably gives you the most flexibility of all the providers available to us. I doubt you'll be disappointed with the amount of HD programming, either, and they're adding new channels soon. Their MPEG4 channels look great, too. I imagine Dish will make the switch to all MPEG4 before long. Dish 6000 users recently got word that their receivers would stop working soon and they were offered an upgrade. (The Dish 6000 receivers are MPEG2 only, so those customers couldn't get the newer MPEG4 channels. More MPEG4 means more bandwidth available to add other channels.)

Here's a Newegg special today (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16822145166) - a 750GB hard drive for $90.

I am currently debating on whether to get DISH or ATT U-Verse.
Any suggestions from those in the area?
I will be ditching Charter Cable soon, as I am not happy with the price and lack of HD Channels.

One aspect I'm curious about is how HD picture quality stacks up on Uverse when compared to other options. I've heard conflicting information on this subject. I've read a few reports that HD picture quality on Uverse is noticeably worse than OTA and cable, while a poster here seemed to think that the HD picture quality on Uverse was better than cable.

FYI, to my untrained eye, I generally don't notice much of a difference between Charter HD and OTA.

The Dish 722 DVR is first rate, with 2 sat tuners and an OTA tuner for locals, which means you can record up to 3 local channels at once. Not bad, if you like CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, The CW and/or PBS HD. Also, you can record 3 HD channels while watching another that's already been recorded. You can multiply that by as many boxes for other rooms as you want to add to your account. U-Verse, I believe, is just getting to the point you can watch 2 steams (or record one while watching another). Don't know about a DVR with U-Verse.

Dish probably gives you the most flexibility of all the providers available to us. I doubt you'll be disappointed with the amount of HD programming, either, and they're adding new channels soon. Their MPEG4 channels look great, too. I imagine Dish will make the switch to all MPEG4 before long. Dish 6000 users recently got word that their receivers would stop working soon and they were offered an upgrade. (The Dish 6000 receivers are MPEG2 only, so those customers couldn't get the newer MPEG4 channels. More MPEG4 means more bandwidth available to add other channels.)
Thansk for the detail. I am also looking to add something other than the OTA signals to my house since I now have a 61" Sammy LED DLP in the new basement.

I was leaning towards the U-Verse setup but after reading around I am not so certain any longer.

My biggest issue is several large trees in and around my backyard that my block the signal. I guess there is no way to tell until someone attempts to install the dish...

Hi all- after years of abuse from charter, we switched to Dish Network today in our new house. We got the HD and the Local channel packages, but I can't get the locals in HD. A call to support determined that my dish is not picking up the right sat. I know there is a tree that the installer was trying to get around, so its possible that we may not be able to get the sat we need for that.

Enough backstory. The question is whether its better to get the locals package or to hook up a HD antenna to my 722 box and get them from there?

Second- I assume if I go the OTA route, I won't be able to get locals on the SD box on the 3rd tv?

Third- I assume I will be able to get locals on the 2nd SD tv that is served by the 722 box with the OTA tuner?

Thanks all!

One aspect I'm curious about is how HD picture quality stacks up on Uverse when compared to other options. I've heard conflicting information on this subject. I've read a few reports that HD picture quality on Uverse is noticeably worse than OTA and cable, while a poster here seemed to think that the HD picture quality on Uverse was better than cable.

FYI, to my untrained eye, I generally don't notice much of a difference between Charter HD and OTA.

We've had U-Verse since January. Very pleased with picture quality. In general, I think PQ is usually a little better from OTA, but my wife says she can't tell the difference (and got mad at me when I switched to the antenna during the Final Four).

When we first got U-Verse, I noticed in scenes with a very dark background, I could see some artifacts where the background shifted to a slightly less dark color. I rarely see that anymore, so I'm guessing AT&T did something to improve the PQ along the way.

Hi all- after years of abuse from charter, we switched to Dish Network today in our new house. We got the HD and the Local channel packages, but I can't get the locals in HD. A call to support determined that my dish is not picking up the right sat. I know there is a tree that the installer was trying to get around, so its possible that we may not be able to get the sat we need for that.

Enough backstory. The question is whether its better to get the locals package or to hook up a HD antenna to my 722 box and get them from there?

Second- I assume if I go the OTA route, I won't be able to get locals on the SD box on the 3rd tv?

Third- I assume I will be able to get locals on the 2nd SD tv that is served by the 722 box with the OTA tuner?

Thanks all!

Probably a stupid question: but did you check the 6000 channel range? My HD locals on Dish wouldn't map down on the guide for quite some time after my install.

I have a hard time believing you couldn't see the locals on the 118 sat, without running into issues on channels from the 119 sat as well.

Even if you couldn't get HD locals via satellite...I would still subscribe to them. Using OTA only, you could only record one local channel at a time and you are correct in that you wouldn't be able to get SD locals on the 2nd and 3rd TVs. Also, if you don't subscribe to the locals, you do not receive guide data for the channels you pull in OTA.

Hi all- after years of abuse from charter, we switched to Dish Network today in our new house. We got the HD and the Local channel packages, but I can't get the locals in HD. A call to support determined that my dish is not picking up the right sat. I know there is a tree that the installer was trying to get around, so its possible that we may not be able to get the sat we need for that.

Enough backstory. The question is whether its better to get the locals package or to hook up a HD antenna to my 722 box and get them from there?

Second- I assume if I go the OTA route, I won't be able to get locals on the SD box on the 3rd tv?

Third- I assume I will be able to get locals on the 2nd SD tv that is served by the 722 box with the OTA tuner?

Thanks all!

Because your location is such that you can't get the satellite locals in HD doesn't necessarily mean you won't be able to get them in SD for your SD TVs. I have a friend who's in the same boat. He can't pick up the local HD signals via satellite because he's in a valley with a lot of trees, but he gets the SD versions via satellite. He has an OTA antenna and picks up local HD that way with his 622.

The only way to know for sure is to have someone come out and check your location.

Thansk for the detail. I am also looking to add something other than the OTA signals to my house since I now have a 61" Sammy LED DLP in the new basement.

I was leaning towards the U-Verse setup but after reading around I am not so certain any longer.

My biggest issue is several large trees in and around my backyard that my block the signal. I guess there is no way to tell until someone attempts to install the dish...

I really like that Samsung LED based TV, at least from what I've read and seen in stores. It solves the rainbow problem and requires no lamp replacement. It also maintains its brightness for the life of the TV. That pretty much eliminates the negatives of DLP technology. Keep us posted on how you like it.

I got my CD/DVD duplication tower up and running. It was really pretty easy - if yesterday's tests were any indication. I was able to burn 7 regular DVDs in about 7 minutes. In the 8 months since my godfather passed away, I've had to have over 2000 discs for various projects I've worked on - most of them involving him and the church in one way or another. Once I was finished producing the CDs and DVDs, making disc copies on a regular computer was a royal pain, technologically speaking. The dup tower makes it all so easy - drop CDs or DVDs into the burners and press a button, no computer necessary. Producing the original discs, of course, is the real challenge, but making the copies is now as easy as it should be.

I'm astounded, though, at how really bad the documentation was for assembling the tower. I eventually found what I needed, but it was amazing the hoops I had to jump through to get basic information.

Carpenter's Comeback on DISH looks really choppy on 418...

-Matt

I didn't notice that on 418. It looked the same as always for an SD broadcast to me.

I was really happy with Carpenter's return. Although his control looked shaky for the first 3 innings, the 4th looked great - vintage Carpenter. (If the Braves hadn't swung the first 3 innings, they would have had a better chance. He must have thrown more balls than strikes.) If the Cards can get Wainwright back and pitching well these last two months, the Cards have a real chance to make a run for it. The hitting, at times, has been electric - it just needs a little more consistency.

That seems to be the case with us...we'll see on Friday when the tech comes back. I could live with pulling the HD locals in OTA, but it seems like paying full price for the locals without HD is a little unfair.

Carpenter's Comeback on DISH looks really choppy on 418...

-Matt

It felt like the DVR was having problems streaming from the HD, pauses, choppy video, audio would keep going but picture would lock untill the channel was changed up and back...I've noticed audio dropouts ONLY when recording the Simpsons on Sunday night, too. Hope the drive lasts another week, U-Verse coming the 4th.

I, too was pleased with Carp's performance. As ugly as the first three innings were, Atlanta was held to one run, and then the fourth was great. Two months to go...

It felt like the DVR was having problems streaming from the HD, pauses, choppy video, audio would keep going but picture would lock untill the channel was changed up and back...I've noticed audio dropouts ONLY when recording the Simpsons on Sunday night, too. Hope the drive lasts another week, U-Verse coming the 4th.

I, too was pleased with Carp's performance. As ugly as the first three innings were, Atlanta was held to one run, and then the fourth was great. Two months to go...

You might want to try a reset (soft - press the power button, or hard - unplug for a minute and then plug it back in). Those symptoms sound similar to what happened to my folks' PVR recently.

Carpenter at 75% is better than most pitchers at 100%. Let's just hope he stays healthy for the rest of the season. I thought it was wise to limit him to 4, even though the 4th was his best inning. It's also amazing what a domino effect occurs when pitchers go down. Let's hope the dominoes in the bullpen can stay up now that it looks like some serious help is on the way for the starting staff.

Dish Network will start providing 1080P (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dish073108.htm) output for its MPEG4 receivers. And LG Blu-ray owners will be able to download movies from Netflix (http://www.tvpredictions.com/lg073108.htm) through their players - SD only, though, at the start.

Here are links to the user guides.

It looks like the Cisco model you might have been able to do what you are
talking about, but the Motorola model, which you will get, you can not.

Motorola Model (http://helpme.att.net/rtrack.php?http%3A%2F%2Fhelp.sbcglobal.net%2Fpdf%2Fuverse%2F motorola_vip_1200_receiver.pdf)

Cisco Model (http://helpme.att.net/rtrack.php?http%3A%2F%2Fhelpme.att.net%2Fpdf%2Fuverse%2Fatt_ series_receiver_install_manual.pdf)

So do you have a phone line in this closet or something? Is that why you
are having them run the Gateway there?


I just plugged my computer into the back of my ATT Motorola TV Reciever. I did an ipconfig /release ............. ipconfig /renew and I got an IP from my router. I just did a speed test and here are the results..

http://www.dslreports.com/im/55082167/1320.png

So obviously you can use the receiver as a hub. Have fun.

Dish Network will start providing 1080P (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dish073108.htm) output for its MPEG4 receivers.

This should be interesting to see. The 1080p is VOD, downloaded to your DVR, first up is I am Legend at 1/2 price. I normally don't watch "on demand" from Dish, but I will have to check out the quality compared to the BluRay version on my Unraid server. :)

I just plugged my computer into the back of my ATT Motorola TV Reciever. I did an ipconfig /release ............. ipconfig /renew and I got an IP from my router. I just did a speed test and here are the results..

http://www.dslreports.com/im/55082167/1320.png

So obviously you can use the receiver as a hub. Have fun.

Sweet! thanks for checking. that'll save me an hour of wiring!

-Matt

Here's a list of the 114 HD channels (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dish114073108.htm) Dish should have up today, with a promise of 130 by August 15th. The new satellite is not acitve yet, but the recent successful launch means 150 channels by year's end.

The important part for me, other than the increasing quantity, is that I'm noticing far less MPEG artifacting now than I did a few months ago. (Remember me byotching about that?) It looks like they've tweaked their compression to get more efficiency from the bandwidth they have. I can't remember the last time I saw an MPEG artifact on SciFi. Of course, that might be a result of vision decline. Come to think of it, that would explain this morning, when I put a handkerchief on my foot and blew my nose into a sock.

The important part for me, other than the increasing quantity, is that I'm noticing far less MPEG artifacting now than I did a few months ago. (Remember me byotching about that?)

I believe we seeing the advantage of mpeg4.

Neither of my two receivers received the upgrade overnight, a few new channels yes...If you can see channel 501 you have the "BluRay" quality VOD....

I believe we seeing the advantage of mpeg4.

Neither of my two receivers received the upgrade overnight, a few new channels yes...If you can see channel 501 you have the "BluRay" quality VOD....

heh .. not to start another argument, but there is no way in the world you're going to get BR quality packed into an mpeg4 stream with their bandwidth.

heh .. not to start another argument, but there is no way in the world you're going to get BR quality packed into an mpeg4 stream with their bandwidth.

It is downloaded to the hard drive on your dvr, at this time it is believed to be sent over the satellite as bandwidth permits.

We will see in time, it has been said that the 722's will come with a terabyte drive soon. Most BR are running 30-47 gigs for me, I have stripped one down from 46 to 29, I am sure that is what they will send, just the movie with no extras..

It is downloaded to the hard drive on your dvr, at this time it is believed to be sent over the satellite as bandwidth permits.

We will see in time, it has been said that the 722's will come with a terabyte drive soon. Most BR are running 30-47 gigs for me, I have stripped one down from 46 to 29, I am sure that is what they will send, just the movie with no extras..

Ah, ok, VOD ... so do you have to wait for the entire file to DL before you can watch? Not exactly "on demand" at that point, hehe. Anyhow.

Ah, ok, VOD ... so do you have to wait for the entire file to DL before you can watch? Not exactly "on demand" at that point, hehe. Anyhow.

It is my understanding that is will not show up as available until you have the complete movie on you DVR, so yea not exactly what most of us consider "on demand", but I am still interested to see the picture quality compared to my ripped HDDVD/BR collection.

"my ripped HDDVD/BR collection."

SHHHHH!!! there may be spies.

Dish tech came out today...found the problem very quickly. The install tech installed the wrong dish! He installed one that can only pick up 3 sats, but you need four to get locals in HD. When I told the guy that I was able to get the HD OTA, he suggested I did not need the right dish. I told him that I was paying for HD locals, so I expected to get a dish that could pick them up. I don't know why they would install a dish that could not get all of their programming. The tech did not have an extra on his truck, so we have to wait until Tuesday. The installer was good, other than that.


Because your location is such that you can't get the satellite locals in HD doesn't necessarily mean you won't be able to get them in SD for your SD TVs. I have a friend who's in the same boat. He can't pick up the local HD signals via satellite because he's in a valley with a lot of trees, but he gets the SD versions via satellite. He has an OTA antenna and picks up local HD that way with his 622.

The only way to know for sure is to have someone come out and check your location.

SHHHHH!!! there may be spies.

Backups from my personal collection of course! ;)

Dish tech came out today...found the problem very quickly. The install tech installed the wrong dish! He installed one that can only pick up 3 sats, but you need four to get locals in HD. When I told the guy that I was able to get the HD OTA, he suggested I did not need the right dish. I told him that I was paying for HD locals, so I expected to get a dish that could pick them up. I don't know why they would install a dish that could not get all of their programming. The tech did not have an extra on his truck, so we have to wait until Tuesday. The installer was good, other than that.

For people who have no alternative because of their limited line of sight to the satellite, the 622/722's capability of receiving OTA signals is a real boon. But, to say that you don't need the satellite HD locals because of that is just wrong (and a guy not wanting to do his job). The flexibility of the Dish receivers is one of their greatest strengths. You might not think that having that capability is all that important - until you get used to it. Just a little while ago, I was recording the Cardinals/Phillies game, the new USA HD episode of Monk and a local PBS HD travel show, all at the same time, and all while I was watching something I recorded last night in HD. That happens a lot more than you might think. (Is it too late to claim I don't watch too much TV?)

heh .. not to start another argument, but there is no way in the world you're going to get BR quality packed into an mpeg4 stream with their bandwidth.

I seriously doubt the claim, too, but I'm willing to wait and see. It's certainly possible to do with MPEG4. MPEG4 at 14-15mbps should look a lot better than MPEG2 at even the full broadcast (appx) 19mbps. I'll be doing a test, if I can, although I'm reluctant to do it with "I Am Legend." I already saw that on Blu-ray and I'm not anxious to see it again. Remember, too, that they should be able to encode 1080p (at 24fps - almost all major motion pictures are shot at this frame rate) more efficiently than 1080i.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this new development unfolds.

Dish's major movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Encore, etc.) go from ch. 300 up through 356. As I was scanning through them for the new HD additions, I was struck by how many of the total movie channel package is now available in HD. I need a chance to evaluate the bitrate, but if they've maintained quality, it's a really good sign. If they've stolen bits from other channels to give us quantity, it's certainly not a good trade-off. I should be able to tell more tonight, although a thorough bitrate examination will take a while. I'm sure other people in the HD programming section of the Forum have already started that analysis.

Did we just lose 10 days of posts? Not that those 2 posts will be missed, but just curious.

did we just lose 10 days of posts? Not that those 2 posts will be missed, but just curious.

lol

Perhaps AVS is feeling the economic crunch, and cutting back on blue ink :D

Is anyone else having issues with all the D* HD locals?

Update: Looks like whatever was wrong cleared up (9:45pm)

It was never answered in the missing posts, so I'll repost it:

Does anyone know what's up with 11.2? After being gone for a while, it's back with nothing broadcast on it. EPG still says "Tube TV".

It was never answered in the missing posts, so I'll repost it:

Does anyone know what's up with 11.2? After being gone for a while, it's back with nothing broadcast on it. EPG still says "Tube TV".

I answered it: It never went away. I've always had 11-2 and 4-2. Blank screens, but every scan with both my samsung stb and my tivo hd, they were there.

Last time I scanned with the HR20 and with Windows Media Center, neither were there anymore, though KMOV had restored full bandwidth to 4-1 while KPLR had NOT done the same with 11-1.

Found this, oddly, on missingremote.com rather than here:

AVS Forum Community:

On the morning of August 11, AVS Forum suffered a major failure in the database and backup storage. As such, we have no choice but to recover from August 2nd.

This represents tens of thousands of lost posts and new threads for the last week. There is nothing we can do about it at this time but move forward. We are sorry about the loss and will work to be sure this does not happen again. We are as upset about this as you may be, more than likely even more.

Regretfully,

AVS Forum

Is anyone else having issues with all the D* HD locals?

Update: Looks like whatever was wrong cleared up (9:45pm)

I had a problem with recorded Olympics from D* HD channel 5. I thought maybe I had a bad recording (if that's possible). It was mostly cleared up by the end of May/Walsh sand volleyball match yesterday.

Hey everybody,

Just stopping by to prove that I'm not dead. Perhaps I can keep up better now that I have mobile access.

Adrian

Is anyone else enjoying the Olympics like I am? I've notice one issue that must be E* related because I notice it when viewing HD events recorded over the sat but not seen via OTA. This issue is unique to KSDK and was reported last year and resolved. But it seems to have reappeared.

I notice brief image breakups during sudden scene transitions or camera changes. It doesn't happen every time but does happen quite regularly. In fact, I can freeze the faulty frames and clearly see the breakups. I prefer to record the sat broadcasts because the greater compression allows me to store more events on the DVR. I've noticed this on my 622 and my 722.

Is anyone else enjoying the Olympics like I am? I've notice one issue that must be E* related because I notice it when viewing HD events recorded over the sat but not seen via OTA. This issue is unique to KSDK and was reported last year and resolved. But it seems to have reappeared.

I notice brief image breakups during sudden scene transitions or camera changes. It doesn't happen every time but does happen quite regularly. In fact, I can freeze the faulty frames and clearly see the breakups. I prefer to record the sat broadcasts because the greater compression allows me to store more events on the DVR. I've noticed this on my 622 and my 722.

Same is true on Charter ... Both on KSDK and on the two sub-channels they have running for Soccer and Basketball

Same is true on Charter ... Both on KSDK and on the two sub-channels they have running for Soccer and Basketball

That's surprising. I don't see the issue on OTA and I haven't watched the sub-channels enough (I assume you mean Universal, USA or other HD feeds) to notice.

This issue predates the Olympics as I began noticing it crop up on Leno and Conan, but only via HD sat. I never see it OTA. Could both Charter and E* possibly be getting their feed from the same faulty source?

That's surprising. I don't see the issue on OTA and I haven't watched the sub-channels enough (I assume you mean Universal, USA or other HD feeds) to notice.

This issue predates the Olympics as I began noticing it crop up on Leno and Conan, but only via HD sat. I never see it OTA. Could both Charter and E* possibly be getting their feed from the same faulty source?

NBC has two HD Olympics only channels running on Charter. One is for soccer, one is for basketball, they are not on 24/7.

That's surprising. I don't see the issue on OTA and I haven't watched the sub-channels enough (I assume you mean Universal, USA or other HD feeds) to notice.

This issue predates the Olympics as I began noticing it crop up on Leno and Conan, but only via HD sat. I never see it OTA. Could both Charter and E* possibly be getting their feed from the same faulty source?

I think what you're seeing is the problem of blocking artifacts created by a low bit rate. Ch. 5 has never resolved the issue since they started multicasting and they won't until they stop. 1080i is hard to compress, and when you steal bits from the signal, MPEG2 can't maintain a good image at scene changes or during camera dissolves. The individual frames are just too different for the low bit rate to keep up. Multicasting sucks.

I think what you're seeing is the problem of blocking artifacts created by a low bit rate. Ch. 5 has never resolved the issue since they started multicasting and they won't until they stop. 1080i is hard to compress, and when you steal bits from the signal, MPEG2 can't maintain a good image at scene changes or during camera dissolves. The individual frames are just too different for the low bit rate to keep up. Multicasting sucks.

Well, they could move to mpeg4 like the Sat companies ... I mean that's all about multi-casting really.

OTA in this country is MPEG2. That's not going to change for a long, long time.

I think what you're seeing is the problem of blocking artifacts created by a low bit rate. Ch. 5 has never resolved the issue since they started multicasting and they won't until they stop. 1080i is hard to compress, and when you steal bits from the signal, MPEG2 can't maintain a good image at scene changes or during camera dissolves. The individual frames are just too different for the low bit rate to keep up. Multicasting sucks.

I don't see this issue with their OTA signal. I only see it via sat. So while I am not a fan of the "Leader", how can this be their fault?

Perhaps what you're seeing is not the blocking artifact I'm talking about, because blocking definitely happens with their OTA signal as well. Since there's so much motion in many of the Olympic games, it's fairly easy to see. When the shot changes from one camera to another (through a direct cut or a dissolve, say, from one shot to a slo-mo replay) the image breaks up into distinct blocks (a mosaic type pattern). It happens because of the way MPEG2 encodes. The lower the bit rate, the worse the blocking. MPEG4 can show blocking, too. Microsoft's codec, VC1, is based on a wavelet compression scheme that doesn't block. Lower bit rates cause the image to look softer, with less detail, but it doesn't break into blocks. I think it looks a lot better than low bit rate MPEG2. Unfortunately, it can't be used for broadcast, either, just like MPEG4. The hardware tuners in ATSC HDTVs can't understand it.

This link to TVPredictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dchannels081408.htm) says that D* has just made FSNMW HD a 24/7 channel. I'm assuming that means simple upconversion of the SD parts, not studio HD cameras, right? Could someone check and see for sure what that means?

Perhaps what you're seeing is not the blocking artifact I'm talking about, because blocking definitely happens with their OTA signal as well. Since there's so much motion in many of the Olympic games, it's fairly easy to see. When the shot changes from one camera to another (through a direct cut or a dissolve, say, from one shot to a slo-mo replay) the image breaks up into distinct blocks (a mosaic type pattern). It happens because of the way MPEG2 encodes. The lower the bit rate, the worse the blocking. MPEG4 can show blocking, too. Microsoft's codec, VC1, is based on a wavelet compression scheme that doesn't block. Lower bit rates cause the image to look softer, with less detail, but it doesn't break into blocks. I think it looks a lot better than low bit rate MPEG2. Unfortunately, it can't be used for broadcast, either, just like MPEG4. The hardware tuners in ATSC HDTVs can't understand it.

What I am seeing goes well beyond mere blocking artifacts. It's just ugly, difficult-to-describe junk. I think I'll gather up the camera and shoot a few pictures of choice freeze frames for your viewing pleasure. I'll try to do this over the weekend. I have not posted images on this page before so it's one more thing I may need to figure out.

What I am seeing goes well beyond mere blocking artifacts. It's just ugly, difficult-to-describe junk. I think I'll gather up the camera and shoot a few pictures of choice freeze frames for your viewing pleasure. I'll try to do this over the weekend. I have not posted images on this page before so it's one more thing I may need to figure out.

Good. I'd like to see what the problem is. The easiest way to include a picture is to use the "Manage Attachments" button at the bottom of the Message/Quote screen when you're posting. You'll get a browse button that will allow you to attach a photo to your post. (You might want to scale it down to no more than a couple of megapixels, depending on how high the resolution is on your camera.) We'll need to click on it, but it's a really fast way for us to see what you're talking about.

What I am seeing goes well beyond mere blocking artifacts. It's just ugly, difficult-to-describe junk. I think I'll gather up the camera and shoot a few pictures of choice freeze frames for your viewing pleasure. I'll try to do this over the weekend. I have not posted images on this page before so it's one more thing I may need to figure out.
I believe I have tons of screenshots of this issue. Is this what you're seeing, before and during?
Though this is of SNL on NBC, it is not a KSDKrap issue.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=116797&d=1218738854

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=116798&d=1218738854

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=116799&stc=1&d=1218739687

Note that picture was pixellated BEFORE the TV14DL bug was added.

Note that picture was pixellated BEFORE the TV14DL bug was added.
Dan,
Good observation....
Is it added by the network, or the local affiliate?

That looks more like a transmission problem than low bandwidth, or maybe a Dish encoder problem. You do see blocking artifacts, but they don't look as though they were created by a low bit rate. It's a much more severe problem than what multicasting typically causes. This is a problem we should all keep an eye out for with the sat locals. If it is a Dish encoder problem, they should fix it. I always choose the OTA locals when I can, because there's one less encoding/decoding step in the chain.

Ken,

Your pictures look like the old "Video Pizza" issue that we noticed when KSDKrap ( I love the name!) first went up on 118. The issue I'm seeing now isn't as bad but is equally distracting. I guess I'm going to just have to find time to locate, freeze and shoot a few frames for posting purposes. Stay tuned.

That looks more like a transmission problem than low bandwidth, or maybe a Dish encoder problem. You do see blocking artifacts, but they don't look as though they were created by a low bit rate. It's a much more severe problem than what multicasting typically causes. This is a problem we should all keep an eye out for with the sat locals. If it is a Dish encoder problem, they should fix it. I always choose the OTA locals when I can, because there's one less encoding/decoding step in the chain.

I don' think that was the original idea, as that is what I see on Charter as well, and others say it happens in KDSK's OTA reception too.

Hey everybody,

Just stopping by to prove that I'm not dead. Perhaps I can keep up better now that I have mobile access.

Adrian

Glad you are back. :)

This link to TVPredictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dchannels081408.htm) says that D* has just made FSNMW HD a 24/7 channel. I'm assuming that means simple upconversion of the SD parts, not studio HD cameras, right? Could someone check and see for sure what that means?

If you look at your channel lineup you'll now see two 647's, FSNMWHD and FNSMW and 647-1 is now gone. Unfortunately, FSNMW still does not broadcast all content in HD so most of it will be "simple upconversion" as you put it. That will make a bit easier for recording Cards game, though. You won't have to check the HD schedule, just always record the FSNMWHD channel.

If you look at your channel lineup you'll now see two 647's, FSNMWHD and FNSMW and 647-1 is now gone. Unfortunately, FSNMW still does not broadcast all content in HD so most of it will be "simple upconversion" as you put it. That will make a bit easier for recording Cards game, though. You won't have to check the HD schedule, just always record the FSNMWHD channel.

Thanks. That's good news. It's a step toward that eventual goal - everything in HD. It's coming. I don't have D*, but anything good that happens with one service is good for the other as well. That's one reason I don't like the idea of a D*and E* merger. The competition is a very good thing.

OK folks, attached are two pix that illustrate the issue I am describing. It does not occur all the time but when it occurs it is always immediately after a quick camera switch....never with a slow fade. This was very difficult to capture as it only lasts a frame or two and the DVR isn't easy to navigate at the frame level. You will see blurred bands across the first image. The bands are usually in the same place and may be lighter or darker than the rest of the image, depending upon the image itself. Because of all the sand, this isn't the greatest example, but I did manage to capture it. Again, I only notice this when viewing HD on KSDK via sat.

That sure looks like low bit rate to me. You'll really notice it on dissolves. It simply destroys the HD image.

OK folks, attached are two pix that illustrate the issue I am describing. It does not occur all the time but when it occurs it is always immediately after a quick camera switch....never with a slow fade. This was very difficult to capture as it only lasts a frame or two and the DVR isn't easy to navigate at the frame level. You will see blurred bands across the first image. The bands are usually in the same place and may be lighter or darker than the rest of the image, depending upon the image itself. Because of all the sand, this isn't the greatest example, but I did manage to capture it. Again, I only notice this when viewing HD on KSDK via sat.
Nice looking display, Mo :)
I agree Joe.
What is your normal signal strength reading for 118 Tp 18, and see if it is any different just after you see one of these glitches.
You're seeing this while viewing a live stream, yes?

I have been watching ota through a 622 and 722 receiver, 622 is on a 42 Toshiba Regza lcd, the 722 it through a Mits HC6000 projected to 119". I have noticed just a bit of the blocking, but typically only during picture changes from event to studio or commercial. I can only recall 1-2 times this week that I noticed any during an event. I have probably been watching 2-3 hours a night.

Nice looking display, Mo :)
I agree Joe.
What is your normal signal strength reading for 118 Tp 18, and see if it is any different just after you see one of these glitches.
You're seeing this while viewing a live stream, yes?

I see this live or recorded. It doesn't matter which. That's how I can reproduce and play it over & over (for capture). Signal strength for 118 is quite good at around 60. Fox2 is on the same transponder and I never see this on that channel. Actually, the issue cropped up many times last night and was quite obvious to me. But I was watching the Olympics with the family and they refused to tolerate me try to freeze-frame and shoot pix. When it occurs, it's always immediately after a camera switch. If I had all day, I could produce a dozen clear examples (at least) from last night. It happened many times and some were more obvious that others. But what's the point if no one from E* is involved? My only recourse is to always view/record channel 5 OTA. I see this on both DVRs so I doubt I'm alone. It happens all the time while viewing Leno or Conan. Hopefully, it will go away when the St. Louis locals are moved off 118.

That sure looks like low bit rate to me. You'll really notice it on dissolves. It simply destroys the HD image.

I agree. But for only one frame? And why not all the time? And why only KSDKrap?

I don't think I can blame this one on them.....especially when I don't notice this on OTA.

I agree. But for only one frame? And why not all the time? And why only KSDKrap?

I don't think I can blame this one on them.....especially when I don't notice this on OTA.

Blocking artifacts almost never happen on only one frame. They will differ in severity depending on when the inter-frame sampling takes place (for instance, at the beginning, middle or end of a dissolve), and on the motion in the shot. A couple of the recent Cardinals games come to mind for having some of the worst blocking artifacts I've ever seen on an HD broadcast.

I can say that I do see blocking artifacts on KSDK OTA for the Olympics, especially during the Olympic graphics transitions. That graphic transition happens very fast and I really can't remember a time when it didn't block during these games. Any blocking would likely be exaggerated when re-encoded to MPEG4.

Joe,

I agree completely with what you're saying. In fact, I've pretty much gotten used to the blocking artifacts that occur mostly during slow dissolves or fade-ins and fade-outs. I see this on most channels and can live with that. I also agree that recent Cardinal games have been just plain nasty with blocking artifacts.

But that's not what I'm seeing with KSDK. I'm seeing brief (1 or 2 frame) "streaks" that resemble railroad tracks. If this was analog, I would equate it to switching transients or noise. It's so brief that most people don't even notice it.

IMHO, KSDK has always had the "noisiest" picture when viewed on sat. It has always clicked, clacked and lost audio sync when coming out of local cut-ins. I must wonder if the issue I'm describing is related to this. Have you ever observed this phenomenon? It's all the time. Just watch the Today show when they come back from a weather break or at the top of the hour or half-hour. It's downright ugly. (Not sure you have E*).

Joe,

I agree completely with what you're saying. In fact, I've pretty much gotten used to the blocking artifacts that occur mostly during slow dissolves or fade-ins and fade-outs. I see this on most channels and can live with that. I also agree that recent Cardinal games have been just plain nasty with blocking artifacts.

But that's not what I'm seeing with KSDK. I'm seeing brief (1 or 2 frame) "streaks" that resemble railroad tracks. If this was analog, I would equate it to switching transients or noise. It's so brief that most people don't even notice it.

IMHO, KSDK has always had the "noisiest" picture when viewed on sat. It has always clicked, clacked and lost audio sync when coming out of local cut-ins. I must wonder if the issue I'm describing is related to this. Have you ever observed this phenomenon? It's all the time. Just watch the Today show when they come back from a weather break or at the top of the hour or half-hour. It's downright ugly. (Not sure you have E*).

I do have E*, but I haven't watched a lot of satellite KSDK lately. I'll check it out.

redwine,

Thanks. I actually posted a few days ago, but the post was lost with the other pages that are gone. I've missed hanging out here.


I'm seeing the breakups on D* thru the sat. I'll check OTA, and the other sat channels as well. Like Joe said, I'm sure that it's the low bit rate.

Adrian

redwine,

Thanks. I actually posted a few days ago, but the post was lost with the other pages that are gone. I've missed hanging out here.


I'm seeing the breakups on D* thru the sat. I'll check OTA, and the other sat channels as well. Like Joe said, I'm sure that it's the low bit rate.

Adrian

I don't know if Best Buy gets its D* HD demo loop from a satellite feed or maybe from some store-based hard drive supplied by D*. Whatever the case, the blocking artifacts are really pretty terrible. No matter where they get it, they should dump it and start over. That demo's quality is at least as bad as anything I've seen on Dish's worst channels (except for some of the FSNMW Cardinals games, which occasionally have been among the worst I've ever seen anywhere).

That said, all these companies are working to get enough bandwidth into play to eliminate these problems. It's just that at this point in time, the hype is all about quantity of channels. Before too long, they'll have nothing but quality to crow about in their marketing. IMHO, quality will improve. (Except, I'm afraid, for the OTA locals. They could go the route of selling off their bandwidth to make money - i.e. multicasting. We all know what that means.)

Apparently it's possible to get pretty good Blu-Ray playback with a plain ol' Athlon 3500 (or even less) with an ancient AGP video bus....

Just get a Blu-Ray drive and a RadeonHD 3650 AGP video card. Halfway decent results were obtained even with an AthlonXP 2400 Mobile!

http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2959&Itemid=1

Jedi, that link's for you........

I would like a recommendation of a decent DVD recorder or DVR with ATSC tuner that doesn't involve monthly fee like Tivo does. I've done a lot of research and the DVD recorders don't seem too reliable and I've got a philosophical issue with having to buy a Tivo with no way to record unless you pay their monthly fee for a scheduling service where the TV schedules are generally free on the internet.

Thanks!

I would like a recommendation of a decent DVD recorder or DVR with ATSC tuner that doesn't involve monthly fee like Tivo does. I've done a lot of research and the DVD recorders don't seem too reliable and I've got a philosophical issue with having to buy a Tivo with no way to record unless you pay their monthly fee for a scheduling service where the TV schedules are generally free on the internet.

Thanks!

Hmmm, well, there are very few standalone DVR's that don't have a fee (Tivo) or come with a subscription (cable, satellite service.) There are plenty of computer based solutions you could use. Mac and PC.

OR .... if you can afford it ..... get THIS baby:

http://www.alienware.com/products/hangar-18-home-entertainment-center.aspx

But yea, DVD-Recorders are mostly bunk and a waste of media IMHO

Joe,
I hope you are right about where the quality issue might be headed. Still, I feel that I'm getting great results on D* as long as I'm not watching KSDK. The national MPEG4 channels look awesome.

Bob,
Thanks, that looks tempting. I'm just afraid to get stuck with an AGP video card on the upgrade road, as you know.

Adrian

How's this for a hard drive deal? (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/System_Drives/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=2242&sku=A1463976&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643) Dell has a 1TB drive for $110, with free shipping.

...... Still, I feel that I'm getting great results on D* as long as I'm not watching KSDK. The national MPEG4 channels look awesome.

It's interesting (not surprising) that "The Leader in HD" seems to have some of the worse pix quality on D* and E*.

Joe,
I hope you are right about where the quality issue might be headed. Still, I feel that I'm getting great results on D* as long as I'm not watching KSDK. The national MPEG4 channels look awesome.
Adrian

I was just struck by how bad the D* demo looks at Best Buy. You'd think both the store and the sat company would want to put their best foot forward with demo material. But that sort of thing happens all too often. It's as though the people who create these things don't bother to go see what it is they've put out there.

I was just struck by how bad the D* demo looks at Best Buy. You'd think both the store and the sat company would want to put their best foot forward with demo material. But that sort of thing happens all too often. It's as though the people who create these things don't bother to go see what it is they've put out there.

Obviously, they don't know better, don't care or both. :mad:

Obviously, they don't know better, don't care or both. :mad:

As long as the TV's fly out the door, I doubt they care. And I bet most of their sales staff don't know better.

Wow, the water polo action on KSDK looks the worst, huh?

Adrian

I would like a recommendation of a decent DVD recorder or DVR with ATSC tuner that doesn't involve monthly fee like Tivo does. I've done a lot of research and the DVD recorders don't seem too reliable and I've got a philosophical issue with having to buy a Tivo with no way to record unless you pay their monthly fee for a scheduling service where the TV schedules are generally free on the internet.

Thanks!

FWIW, I'm ota only with a tivohd and the $12.95 a month is worth it, imo. I get what you are saying about paying, but its not just the guide you are paying for...you've got the recommendations plus all the newer Broadband features...

I would like a recommendation of a decent DVD recorder or DVR with ATSC tuner that doesn't involve monthly fee like Tivo does. I've done a lot of research and the DVD recorders don't seem too reliable and I've got a philosophical issue with having to buy a Tivo with no way to record unless you pay their monthly fee for a scheduling service where the TV schedules are generally free on the internet.

Thanks!


Buy a cheap PC and install GBPVR. It may take a while to get it functioning correctly but it will work.

The TiVo fee goes to keep the updates coming for new features. I have 4 TiVo HD Units all networked. Multi room viewing and being able to offload content to the PC is awesome. I have 1 multi-stream CableCARD from Charter in all my boxes. I switched to TiVo from having 2 Moxi w/ mates from Charter.

For uverse folks, will the receiver work with the harmony remotes(assume yes, but don't like to assume)

My theater room is completed and I am very pleased with the results so far. The next step I have started thinking about is installing acoustic panels to cut the reflections, but I have no idea where to find the materials locally. I have found web sites selling the pre-built panels (big $$) and the Owens Corning 703 panels for doing it myself, but I would prefer to save shipping costs and buy locally. Has anyone here already gone through this and found a source for the panels and cloth to build their own? I want to do this on a minimal budget.

Any and all advice is welcome!

Thanks,

Mike

Yes, the Harmony remotes will work with U-Verse. I have an 890 and it is working fine with the Motorola DVR.

Yes, the Harmony remotes will work with U-Verse. I have an 890 and it is working fine with the Motorola DVR.

Thanks, that's what I expected, I just don't want to have to teach it everything.

OK
I know the game against the chargers was not worth watching, but I recorded the rebroadcast at 10:30 to see what the first stringers did.

As I expected the video was SD 4x3. Disappointed by both the video quality and the Rams lackluster play, I quickly deleted it.

Today while looking for something to watch at lunch I saw the NFL network broadcast and it was full HD.

What gives??? If they have the HD cameras, why can't the local station get the signal?? How long till they can??

Very frustrating as a football fan and an HD fan...

Dave

They may have shown it HD live, but they might not have a way to timeshift/replay earlier HD broadcasts. KSDK and KMOV(IIRC) just recently added this capability.

I think NFL Network owns their own cameras, crew, and truck, and isn't much about sharing their material.

Perhaps Roger and Bud are neighbors :D

Hello.....Hello.....Hello....

must be football season

And it's campaign season.

Watching the Democrats on CNN-HD as I type this. Awesome PQ, though I find myself flipping to SD C-SPAN quite often to avoid the bubbleheaded comments from the "analysts" (note I'm avoiding Fox News for the same reason tonight).

I might add that C-SPAN's PQ seems quite a bit better than it did during the '04 conventions, even though it's still SD. I'm not finding myself noticing how bad the picture is to the point of distracting from the speeches as I did in '04. Faint praise to be sure, but the difference is noticeable.

Or, hopefully, there is more HD content with less HD screwups on properly calibrated HD displays recieving HD locals through Sat/Cable/OTA without signal issues.

I'm usually a "glass half empty guy", but knock on wood, I'm having no problems with my AV equipment. Now, if that was the case with my computer, I'd be happy.

Hey, did 24-1 and 46-1 boost their transmission strength?

I bought two of the Zenith DTV converters today, for the 20" CRT TV's in the guest bedrooms. To my surprise during the autoscan process, they picked up 24-1 and 46-1 rock solid, no problems.

I'd previously not been able to pick up 46-1 since a windstorm blew my antenna about 30 degrees off axis a couple of years back. And I've never been able to pick up 24-1 at all.

So I headed back out to the family room and sure enough, the HR20 is now receiving those channels.

So did they increase their power, or what?

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

DISH Ready for MPEG-4 Video

DISH Network said Monday that it will transmit all standard and high-def programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding Standard, a move the DBS provider said is a first among video providers.

The move followed other technology efforts by the company, including the delivery of movies in 1080p resolution. Also, DISH said it’s still committed to offering up to 150 national HD channels by the end of the year.

The MPEG-4 push will include local TV packages.

In the East, the first wave of all MPEG-4 locals will occur in 21 markets, including Cleveland; Richmond, Va.; Baltimore; Columbia, S.C.; Tampa; Green Bay, Wis.; Greensboro, N.C.; Providence, R.I.; Greenville, S.C., Knoxville, Tenn.; Raleigh, N.C.; Chicago; Detroit; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; Nashville, Tenn.; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; New York; and Hartford, Conn. Additional markets will be announced at a later date, the company said.

Here is the dilemma I'm in. My HDTV choices are DISH or U-VERSE. Problem is, I need internet too. I can not use any internet from U-VERSE unless I order tv package. My only other option(s) for internet are Cable America or Dish DSL (which looks very slow).


Input?

And it's campaign season.

Watching the Democrats on CNN-HD as I type this. Awesome PQ, though I find myself flipping to SD C-SPAN quite often to avoid the bubbleheaded comments from the "analysts" (note I'm avoiding Fox News for the same reason tonight).

I might add that C-SPAN's PQ seems quite a bit better than it did during the '04 conventions, even though it's still SD. I'm not finding myself noticing how bad the picture is to the point of distracting from the speeches as I did in '04. Faint praise to be sure, but the difference is noticeable.

PBS-HD, whose studio guests are much less vapid and bombastic, is also covering the convention in HD.

Here is the dilemma I'm in. My HDTV choices are DISH or U-VERSE. Problem is, I need internet too. I can not use any internet from U-VERSE unless I order tv package. My only other option(s) for internet are Cable America or Dish DSL (which looks very slow).


Input?

Some people have been able to order Uverse internet by itself lately. If not others order Uverse Internet/TV and cancel the TV package within 30 days and are able to keep the internet.

Do you know how they did this? Did they have to talk to them on the phone?

Do you know how they did this? Did they have to talk to them on the phone?

Um, can't you just get regular ATT DSL service? That's all the "UVerse" internet is anyhow, glorified DSL so if you're in an area that is UVerse ready certainly you can get their DSL service. ATT offers naked DSL now, I know that for a fact - ie, DSL service without phone service.

Um, can't you just get regular ATT DSL service? That's all the "UVerse" internet is anyhow, glorified DSL so if you're in an area that is UVerse ready certainly you can get their DSL service. ATT offers naked DSL now, I know that for a fact - ie, DSL service without phone service.

Fastest dsl they offer id http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10938
That's only 6mb download , where the u-verse has some package with 10mb

I think NFL Network owns their own cameras, crew, and truck, and isn't much about sharing their material.

Perhaps Roger and Bud are neighbors :D


I think you're right. The game against the Ravens was SD, but NFL Network is listing it as an HD game.

I guess the regular season will be here soon enough and the games that don't get blacked out should be in HD...

And it's campaign season.

Watching the Democrats on CNN-HD as I type this. Awesome PQ, though I find myself flipping to SD C-SPAN quite often to avoid the bubbleheaded comments from the "analysts" (note I'm avoiding Fox News for the same reason tonight).

I might add that C-SPAN's PQ seems quite a bit better than it did during the '04 conventions, even though it's still SD. I'm not finding myself noticing how bad the picture is to the point of distracting from the speeches as I did in '04. Faint praise to be sure, but the difference is noticeable.


Be carefull Robert!

Hillary in HD may damage your set... Not to mention what it could do to your appetite.

Dave

Fastest dsl they offer id http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=10938
That's only 6mb download , where the u-verse has some package with 10mb

My experience with ATT internet is that won't make a difference anyhow, lol

My experience with ATT internet is that won't make a difference anyhow, lol

At my Father's home, he is only able to keep a stable DSL connection at 364 both directions. He is ~18000 ft from the CO. With Uverse it looks like he will be within ~2000ft from the vrad. It will make a big difference for those on the edge.

DISH's Internet solution is via satellite..."blue-something," and yes, it is the same speed as DSL, for a whole lot more a month. The equipment is costly, which you lease for a one-time fee of $199.00. Plus you need a second dish antenna, plus there's an installation fee. 1.5m/up is $79.00/mo. Its primary market is for subscribers on the farm, who are still using rotary party-line phones. I think Joe Clark has it :D
They also offer DSL through various partners...AT&T, Verizon, etc., but DSL is DSL is DSL.

Hughes provides a satellite Internet service. I don't know anything about it, but you may want to check it out.
I think it's hughesnet.com.

Looks like PBS is pulling a Leno with its convention coverage.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 indicator is lit on my surround receiver, but I only have sound coming from the left and right fronts. No center, no rears, and no sub.

Looks like PBS is pulling a Leno with its convention coverage.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 indicator is lit on my surround receiver, but I only have sound coming from the left and right fronts. No center, no rears, and no sub.

Ditto. I've seen this before with a few Soundstage concerts on 9.1. Sometimes the center channel is active but out of sync with the left & right channels, making listening difficult with a very hollow sound.

Do any of these guys care??????

I did a search of the forums but I am still unclear on how to purchase from Skywalker Communications? Can I just walk in and purchase anything or do I need to be a dealer/retailer? If I just wander into the store, surely they will not turn away my money. I wanted to order from Monoprice.com, but they are out of all of the bulk cable that I am going to need.

Thanks for your help.

You can just walk in. It is located in the back building. When you walk in go upstairs, place your order. Then you have to go downstairs to pay/pickup. I set an account up with them so I can order from home then just stop by and pick it up. Most people are nice, but do lack some knowledge of cables and options available for more advanced hookups.

As you are doing, they are my backup for Monoprice.

What is everybody's favorite solution for wireless home distribution of cable/satellite TV?

Thanks!

I ordered a part from them. Shipping price was very low. Saved on not using gas.

Skywalker Communications
9390 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
O'Fallon, MO 63366
(800) 844-9555
(314) 272-8025
Fax (314) 272-8214

I ordered a part from them. Shipping price was very low. Saved on not using gas.

Skywalker Communications
9390 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
O'Fallon, MO 63366
(800) 844-9555
(314) 272-8025
Fax (314) 272-8214Further on SkyWalker, they have both trade and retail prices. In my experience, the prices in the catalogs are trade prices and you should generally expect to pay 10-20% above those if you have not set up a business account with them. But anyone can buy from SW.

Thanks everyone for the tips on Skywalker. I have just one more question for those that have accounts setup with them. Do you have to be a business owner to setup the account (the application asks all kinds of company related questions)? Could I setup a "personal" account w/o linking it to any business?

Thanks again.

Thanks everyone for the tips on Skywalker. I have just one more question for those that have accounts setup with them. Do you have to be a business owner to setup the account (the application asks all kinds of company related questions)? Could I setup a "personal" account w/o linking it to any business?

Thanks again.

I had no issues setting up an account as described. :)

Any DISH subs here, hearing audio drops on the SAT Locals?
tia

I had no issues setting up an account as described. :)

Will a personal account at skywalker give you any discount or anything? just wondering cause no reason for me to set up if i dont cause i live 5-8 minutes from skywalker.

Any DISH subs here, hearing audio drops on the SAT Locals?
tia

Lots of them on Ch. 11, just like the good old days. I could hardly watch Reaper the other night.

Lots of (dropouts) on Ch. 11, just like the good old days. I could hardly watch Reaper the other night.

That's why I stopped watching Supernatural, even though it's one of my FAVORITE shows. When Season 3 comes out on Blu-Ray in November, I've got a lot of catching up to do....

It was mentioned here recently that subchannel 11-2 has reappeared (it was gone for a while, though full bandwidth was never restored to 11-1). Maybe that has something to do with the return of the dropouts?

Y'know, at this point I wouldn't be disappointed if CW just went away and Supernatural moved to CW half-owner CBS. If Smallville moved to CBS along with it, I wouldn't miss CW at all.

Any DISH subs here, hearing audio drops on the SAT Locals?
tia

I do. I do. All my info is posted on another thread and I assume you know this. Fire away or PM me if you have any questions.

Y'know, at this point I wouldn't be disappointed if CW just went away and Supernatural moved to CW half-owner CBS. If Smallville moved to CBS along with it, I wouldn't miss CW at all.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if the CW went away. It hasn't done well since the WB/UPN merger, and the competition from other networks (cable/satellite) is stronger than ever.

My cousin is beginning to play in more and more amatuer golf tournaments that are televised on VS/Golf Channel HD. Last week about an hour of the coverage was dedicated to his match. In the past I've burned these appearences to DVD for his archives along with copies for his parents. These have all been SD captures from my 721 in the past.

I would really like to get them in HD when possible, but I'm having a hard time justifying the Nextcom solution (about $700 after I get a new Vip722)

Hauppauge has released a box that captures analog Component video 1080i and 720p. It also captures the Dolby Digital sound. Hear it streets for about $250.

The plus on the HD DVR, besides price, is I can use it on pre-recorded as well as live material and I can use it on a number of sources. Downside is the analog to digital conversion.

Anybody else seen this?
I think Robert has a nextcom setup. do you find scheduling recordings difficult? can you record to both DVR and the nextcom at the same time?

Dave

We tend to get all excited about high tech around here, but the real benefits of ever-faster computers and advanced technology are medical (http://healthcare.zdnet.com/?p=1297&tag=nl.e539). A researcher trying to help his son's diabetes has come up with a technique for injecting cells (in mice, for now) with genes that cause them to create insulin.

Now that's cool.

I think Robert has a nextcom setup. do you find scheduling recordings difficult? can you record to both DVR and the nextcom at the same time?

Dave

I have a Nextcom R5000 modded Dish 211. I also have a 622, but it's not modded. Although R5000 scheduling is easy, I wouldn't want to have to deal with trying to resolve the myriad conflicts that could occur as a result of the normal name-based recordings of the 622 and R5000 schedules. It could get really hairy. There are people who are doing it, though.

I have a Nextcom R5000 modded Dish 211. I also have a 622, but it's not modded. Although R5000 scheduling is easy, I wouldn't want to have to deal with trying to resolve the myriad conflicts that could occur as a result of the normal name-based recordings of the 622 and R5000 schedules. It could get really hairy. There are people who are doing it, though.

So... Do you just use the 211 for archiving?
I currently have a leased 622 (would not want to modify) and a Dish 721 we use for SD recording. If I went with the nextcom I would probably move the 622 up to replace the 721 and put the 722 in my home theater.

initial reviews for the Hauppauge that I've been able to find are not flattering.

My HTPC is a MSI K8NGM2-FID with an AMD 3400+ CPU and 2GB RAM running Windows MCE 2005. I'm looking at adding a video board to offload video from the MB and change from DVI to HDMI w/ audio. I'm hoping that will be enough to play my archived HD DVD's/Blu Ray's.

Is this enought for the nextcom?

Thanks
Dave

Well, DISH engineering is working on it. It sounds to be a CW issue, but who knows. At least its' finally made it to the top of the list, so perhaps now it will get resolved.

If the CW audio is the same issue as last year, then it's a KPLR problem and Dish won't be able to do anything about it... I had the same dropouts via DirecTV and over the air back then.

Well, DISH engineering is working on it. It sounds to be a CW issue, but who knows. At least its' finally made it to the top of the list, so perhaps now it will get resolved.

Ken,

The audio issue that Engineering is working on (I and several others have received letters and provided direct feedback) is rather widespread and reported here:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=134343

Is a whole 'nother animal and it appears to be linked primarily to local Fox and ABC shows in certain markets including St. Louis, Detroit and San Fran among others. Take a look....the reported findings are similar. It appears as very brief dropouts on recorded shows as well as shows stored (the worse offender in my case) on the EHD. It all started with Rel 5.xx and I can duplicate/demonstrate the issue at will. Like most bugs, it's rather elusive and tough to pin down.

Okay, that sounds like a completely different issue than what KPLR was dealing with last year. Sounds like you guys have a Dish issue after all, especially since KPLR has nothing to do with either ABC or Fox.

So... Do you just use the 211 for archiving?
I currently have a leased 622 (would not want to modify) and a Dish 721 we use for SD recording. If I went with the nextcom I would probably move the 622 up to replace the 721 and put the 722 in my home theater.

initial reviews for the Hauppauge that I've been able to find are not flattering.

My HTPC is a MSI K8NGM2-FID with an AMD 3400+ CPU and 2GB RAM running Windows MCE 2005. I'm looking at adding a video board to offload video from the MB and change from DVI to HDMI w/ audio. I'm hoping that will be enough to play my archived HD DVD's/Blu Ray's.

Is this enought for the nextcom?

Thanks
Dave

I use the 211 in my bedroom for viewing, but I have to be aware of when I'm recording. Any accidental starting or stopping of the 211 and I could screw up a scheduled recording in progress.

Your computer system should be fine for the R5000 to do its recording. Playing back MPEG4 shouldn't present a problem for one of the newer Radeon video cards. You'll have to know if you have an AGP or PCIe slot and get the appropriate card. The driver/codec situation can get hairy, though. (Bob Simandl is a better resource for those questions than I am.) I just resolved an HDMI issue I had. I was only getting stereo audio from my Radeon 4850 card over HDMI. A Realtek ATI HDMI Audio driver solved that problem and another I was having with clipped audio at the start of playback.

Having HDMI audio greatly simplified my component setup and wiring.

I use the 211 in my bedroom for viewing, but I have to be aware of when I'm recording. Any accidental starting or stopping of the 211 and I could screw up a scheduled recording in progress.

Your computer system should be fine for the R5000 to do its recording. Playing back MPEG4 shouldn't present a problem for one of the newer Radeon video cards. You'll have to know if you have an AGP or PCIe slot and get the appropriate card. The driver/codec situation can get hairy, though. (Bob Simandl is a better resource for those questions than I am.) I just resolved an HDMI issue I had. I was only getting stereo audio from my Radeon 4850 card over HDMI. A Realtek ATI HDMI Audio driver solved that problem and another I was having with clipped audio at the start of playback.

Having HDMI audio greatly simplified my component setup and wiring.

That's what I'm hoping for. Right now I'm having DVI sync problems running the signal through my Denon 2807. I figure with HDMI all the way I won't have those issues anymore. Not to mention the LPCM should sound better than TOSlink.

I guess the first step is the Video card. It's PCI-e. Just can't decide between ATI and NVidia...

Dave

Ken,

The audio issue that Engineering is working on (I and several others have received letters and provided direct feedback) is rather widespread and reported here:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=134343

Is a whole 'nother animal and it appears to be linked primarily to local Fox and ABC shows in certain markets including St. Louis, Detroit and San Fran among others. Take a look....the reported findings are similar. It appears as very brief dropouts on recorded shows as well as shows stored (the worse offender in my case) on the EHD. It all started with Rel 5.xx and I can duplicate/demonstrate the issue at will. Like most bugs, it's rather elusive and tough to pin down.
DISH is monitoring that thread.
They're working on both issues, and I also believe they're separate of each other :)

That's what I'm hoping for. Right now I'm having DVI sync problems running the signal through my Denon 2807. I figure with HDMI all the way I won't have those issues anymore. Not to mention the LPCM should sound better than TOSlink.

I guess the first step is the Video card. It's PCI-e. Just can't decide between ATI and NVidia...

Dave

I'm using a Denon, too. The 3808. Sync problems have been reduced a lot, also, by going HDMI all around. The 4850 does multi-channel LPCM thru HDMI, whereas the earlier cards - 2xxx and 2xxx series - do just DD and DTS via HDMI. I'm not sure about what the nVidia cards will do.

DISH is monitoring that thread.
They're working on both issues, and I also believe they're separate of each other :)

Well, for about the 4th time in the last couple of weeks, my Dish 622 has just stopped responding to remote commands. I was able to get out of it this time by pressing SysInfo. Before, I just forced a reboot. Don't have a clue why, but it seems to happen after I try to come out of a pause. Very disturbing. I thought I was going to have to reboot in the middle of watching the Missouri-Illinois game. Any other Dish users experience this?

Well, for about the 4th time in the last couple of weeks, my Dish 622 has just stopped responding to remote commands. I was able to get out of it this time by pressing SysInfo. Before, I just forced a reboot. Don't have a clue why, but it seems to happen after I try to come out of a pause. Very disturbing. I thought I was going to have to reboot in the middle of watching the Missouri-Illinois game. Any other Dish users experience this?
L6.10, 6.11, 6.12, or 6.13?
When you come out of pause, are you pressing pause again, or pressing play to come out? There is a known IR remote bug releasing pause using the pause key to resume play, which IIRC is present in some encoders with 6.11 and 6.13, and is only present when using the IR remote. If that is your scenario, try changing the address of your IR remote.

I'll send you a note with some more info on it.

BTW, I'll send that query to Darxxxx on Wed....give her Tues to get caught up.

L6.10, 6.11, 6.12, or 6.13?
When you come out of pause, are you pressing pause again, or pressing play to come out? There is a known IR remote bug releasing pause using the pause key to resume play, which IIRC is present in some encoders with 6.11 and 6.13, and is only present when using the IR remote. If that is your scenario, try changing the address of your IR remote.

I'll send you a note with some more info on it.

BTW, I'll send that query to Darxxxx on Wed....give her Tues to get caught up.

Thanks.

I'll change the code. I usually come out of pause by hitting the pause button again. Sounds like that's my problem.

Thanks.

I'll change the code. I usually come out of pause by hitting the pause button again. Sounds like that's my problem.
So you don't have to look it up in the OM:
-Open Sys Info Page 1 (using remote or front panel button)
-Hold-down SAT button until 3 flashes
-Enter the Address Number you want to change to
-Press # (SAT should flash 3 times)
-Press REC
-Press Select

:)

So you don't have to look it up in the OM:
-Open Sys Info Page 1 (using remote or front panel button)
-Hold-down SAT button until 3 flashes
-Enter the Address Number you want to change to
-Press # (SAT should flash 3 times)
-Press REC
-Press Select

:)

Thanks, Ken. I always forget that procedure and have to look it up. I'll also have to change my Harmony remote codes.

For anyone with relatives/family/friends in New Orleans wanting more hurricane info than the national news networks are giving, DirecTV is now carrying New Orleans channel WDSU wall to wall hurricane coverage on channel 361.

Looks like we have lost the HD feed of the Nadal/Querrey U.S. Open tennis match.
I checked OTA and E* feed.

Anybody watching US Open tennis on 4-1? It's probably a national issue, but the feed has dropped out of HD a few times today. Also, I was going to post about what I've noticed as a softer hd picture quality from D* lately. But it was my fault altogether. I've moved my tv watching into my 2nd theater room, and I was running a long vga cable connected to component adapters at both ends. Big mistake. I have since moved the dvr into the current room, making a direct component connection with my 53 '' rptv, and the quality is wonderful. I do, however, miss the bigger pj image.

Adrian

Oops, looks like we posted about the same time, bigdaddy.

More US Open gripes. At 8pm tonite, the feed switched from USA HD to the Tennis Channel HD. When this happened, the signal remained in widescreen, but it is clearly not in HD. Also, the sound dropped from DD 5.1 to 2 channel. Now, I don't recall ever hearing 5.1 on this channel in the past, but I have seen it show great HD. Bummer. BTW, this is with D* as I stated before.

That's what I'm hoping for. Right now I'm having DVI sync problems running the signal through my Denon 2807. Dave

I am up in Chicago and living with Dish. Late night has sync issues with all channels. We are talking 2 seconds between lip motion and sound. This is via component and L/R channels to the Mits TV. I have tried all sorts of button pushing to no avail. Any ideas.

BTW I hate the search function on the DVR. It leads you to believe that it can find stuff by "keyword" but never does.

Walt

What is everybody's favorite solution for wireless home distribution of cable/satellite TV?

Thanks!bump...

Two days away from the NFL opener & my plasma goes haywire! I have a 50" Pioneer Elite 1130 & the top half of the screen is black. I guess it is some sort of video board issue.

My repair options from the Pioneer site:

- CC Bell. I had a not-so-great experience with them in the past but they say they try to make the repairs in the home which would be great if it works out.

- A-1 Antenna: I need to bring in the monitor & media box or have them pick it up.

- "The Service Center" in Ellisville: Not open yet this morning so have not spoken with them.

Just looking for feedback on any of these vendors as well as the possibility of the CC Bell tech actually showing up with the right part(s) & being able to make the repair in one visit.

Dan,
I use a D-Link Media Center Extender to play AVI/WMV files and access my MCE 2005. It works OK, though it is a bit slow to respond to the remote.

I's just SD (got it for under $100), though I've looked into the new HD ones.
When I get a HDTV for our bedroom I'll probably look at upgrading

Dave

I am up in Chicago and living with Dish. Late night has sync issues with all channels. We are talking 2 seconds between lip motion and sound. This is via component and L/R channels to the Mits TV. I have tried all sorts of button pushing to no avail. Any ideas.

BTW I hate the search function on the DVR. It leads you to believe that it can find stuff by "keyword" but never does.

Walt

Different Sync issue (lipsync), though I've had that before too.

My sync issue relates the the HDCP handshake. If I want to watch my HTPC directly I have to plug the DVI-->HDMI cable directly into the receiver, power the projector and the receiver on, make sure the input is selected, then reboot my HTPC. Since the issue started I switched to using my PS3/Xbox 360 to access my HTPC.

On a side not my Xbox 360 is headed back due to the dreaded "3 red lights on the ring of lights" issue. In about 3 weeks I'll have my second refurb unit since launch date.


Dave

DirecTV and TiVo Agree on New HD DVR

Apologies if this has been posted previously...

From TV Predictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/ddvr090308.htm):
____________________________________________________________ ___

DIRECTV and TiVo announced today that they will develop and market a new DIRECTV HD DVR featuring TiVo's recording service.

The two companies once had a marketing and development agreement. But DIRECTV
decided in 2005 to stop marketing its TiVo DVR and instead launch a new in-house recorder.

Today's announcement should be a major boost for TiVo, which has steadily lost subscribers since the 2005 decision.

DIRECTV and TiVo said their new HD DVR will support the latest TiVo and DIRECTV features, including TiVo's Universal Swivel Search and TiVo KidZone. TiVo will develop the new HD DVR for an expected launch in the second half of 2009.

The satcaster said it will continue to develop and offer its in-house recorders, saying the new TiVo box will be an "alternative choice."

"We have had a very successful history with DIRECTV. Together we brought the TiVo experience to millions of DIRECTV customers and now we look forward to launching a next generation product that uses TiVo's latest features to truly showcase DIRECTV's broad selection of high-definition programming -- all stitched together with the elegance of TiVo's renowned user experience," said Tom Rogers, TiVo's CEO and president.

DIRECTV said the new HD DVR will be marketed and sold nationally to its entire customer base. Pricing and packaging will be announced later.
____________________________________________________________ ___

Two days away from the NFL opener & my plasma goes haywire! I have a 50" Pioneer Elite 1130 & the top half of the screen is black. I guess it is some sort of video board issue.

My repair options from the Pioneer site:

- CC Bell. I had a not-so-great experience with them in the past but they say they try to make the repairs in the home which would be great if it works out.

- A-1 Antenna: I need to bring in the monitor & media box or have them pick it up.

- "The Service Center" in Ellisville: Not open yet this morning so have not spoken with them.

Just looking for feedback on any of these vendors as well as the possibility of the CC Bell tech actually showing up with the right part(s) & being able to make the repair in one visit.It appears that the path of least resistance is CC Bell. The feedback I've heard from various customers over the years is decidedly mixed (in other words, mostly not good), but it sounds like this is just a board-level swap, so Bell ought to eventually be able to puzzle it out.

Best of luck.

Dan,
I use a D-Link Media Center Extender to play AVI/WMV files and access my MCE 2005.Thanks, Dave. This person wants to extend the output of her cable box around the condo without running wires. It is not clear to me from the little I have read about it that the D-Link product can do that.

Thanks, Doug.

CC Bell is scheduled to come by on Friday. I'll go with the "expect the worst" & "hope for the best" approach & will post an update.

Thanks, Dave. This person wants to extend the output of her cable box around the condo without running wires. It is not clear to me from the little I have read about it that the D-Link product can do that.

No, it will not do that. I have tried the boxes that Radio shack used to sell, but it was crap. Once you had a couple of walls between the antenna the signal sucked.

I think Terk might sell something like you're looking for, but I have not used them. You might look for something that sends it over power.

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/secureview-video-transmitter-receiver-system.html

Just a warning to Harmony 600 series owners: the whole series has broken code that will not allow the changing of the upper row of customizable buttons. The three buttons that allow you to access your most frequently used activities with the touch of a single button will stick on the defaults if you attempt to program or reprogram them. This affects the 659 and 670 remotes that I own.

As someone who's done a little computer programming, this strikes me as the tech equivalent of a mechanic fixing a car and forgetting to put on one of the wheels before you drive it home. "Sorry, mister, I just didn't notice we left that wheel off." All they had to do was run a basic set of tests to see that something they did broke a vital function of the remote. The word is that it may take a few weeks to fix it.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Anybody here know why the CDFreaks site is down? I have some observations to report on my duplication tower, but no one seems to be home. :(

OK, until I find out, I'll just report here. I've discovered a feature of the Acard controller card for my tower. It allows you to specify a source for the duplication image, and, if you have a burner instead of a player in the player slot, it automatically writes to that drive as well as the other burners. In my case, that means that if I load a DVD image onto the hard drive of the tower, designate it as the source and hit "Copy," it burns to eight drives instead of just seven. That cuts duplication time down by about 15%. For a big job, that's a lot of time saved.

I've struggled with burning DVDs with a regular computer and multiple DVD burners over the last 9 months (representing some five or six pretty big projects that I've been involved with). The tower was easy to build (although I would just buy one if I knew then what I know now) and pretty cheap.

I have another big church project coming up in the next couple of months and the tower promises to save me a lot of time.

If anyone out there has need of multiple DVDs, I now have the capability of fast duplication, and I can print high quality laser DVD labels, too. If you're interested, shoot me a PM. (This post really didn't start out as a commercial. :))

Anybody else getting the "500" internal server error when trying to access your que on Blockbuster Online? I have not had access since late last week. :(

Along with this, I think I have been flagged as I have only received 1 movie in two weeks that was correct and was not damaged so bad that it would not play. :mad:

Came home tonight and found that I'm getting 0 for signal level on all D* transponders, thus no sat picture at all. It is cloudy, but there is no rain right now. Funny, because I have been able to watch while it rained in the past. Also, my recorded programs are still there, but my fav. channels lists are gone. I'm out in Ferguson and it's 8:40pm. Anybody else having trouble?

Adrian

No problems with D* here. Well, I didn't check every transponder, but USA-HD was working fine.

Well I called D* and they agreed that something was wrong if I was getting 0 on everything. A service call was scheduled. However, things turned out great for me. I checked at about 1:30am and found that the signal was starting to return. I was actually able to see the repeat of Federer's quarterfinal match from earlier. This is the first time that I've seen complete signal failure when it wasn't raining. I guess the cloud cover from the storm was really thick.

Adrian

Since there are questions about CC Bell service, I'd like to add that my experiences with them have been generally good. I had several Sony crt rptvs in the past, and most of them have need serious convergence repairs, as well as crt gun replacements. Most of the in home calls were handled by a patient, exacting technician named Mark. He always got the job done well, and I requested him each time. The few times that I wound up with someone else instead were not good. BTW, Sony broke form and provided me with a wonderful XBR model in exchange for my 3rd or 4th set that needed multiple repairs. The warranty was quite expired when they did this.

Adrian

I'm curious, since we haven't talked about it a lot around here for a while, how many people have Blu-ray players and regularly rent/buy Blu-ray discs. I don't want to start a poll, but anecdotal stories could be fun. I've read articles saying everything from, "Blu-ray will outsell regular DVD within a year," to "Blu-ray will be dead within five years because of digital downloads."

Although I'm on record as saying that I think HD DVD deserved to win because it was the superior technology at the time, Blu-ray is (slowly) maturing and I've embraced it. I love the quality of Blu-ray titles being released now (although there haven't been many of them this summer).

Also, there is little not to like about the Playstation 3 as a Blu-ray player. It is so fast loading Blu-ray discs that the movie starts playing almost as soon as I sit down after inserting one. And they've done a great job keeping it up to date with the latest features via the Internet. Uncompressed Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks are a big improvement over DD and regular DTS.

What's your experience now that the "war" is over?

This is the first time that I've seen complete signal failure when it wasn't raining. I guess the cloud cover from the storm was really thick.
I also lost several satellites, mostly HD, during one of the storms. They would not come back until I reset the receiver and forced it to search for all of them again.

This effect seems to be worse on the HD channels, the older SD channels come back without resetting.

I'm curious, since we haven't talked about it a lot around here for a while, how many people have Blu-ray players and regularly rent/buy Blu-ray discs. I don't want to start a poll, but anecdotal stories could be fun. I've read articles saying everything from, "Blu-ray will outsell regular DVD within a year," to "Blu-ray will be dead within five years because of digital downloads."

Although I'm on record as saying that I think HD DVD deserved to win because it was the superior technology at the time, Blu-ray is (slowly) maturing and I've embraced it. I love the quality of Blu-ray titles being released now (although there haven't been many of them this summer).

Also, there is little not to like about the Playstation 3 as a Blu-ray player. It is so fast loading Blu-ray discs that the movie starts playing almost as soon as I sit down after inserting one. And they've done a great job keeping it up to date with the latest features via the Internet. Uncompressed Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks are a big improvement over DD and regular DTS.

What's your experience now that the "war" is over?

I would have never bought a standalone BR player, but being a gamer, I did jump on a PS3 recently. It is an amazing device. I only own 3 BR movies and one came with the system :) Price still keeps me from buying a lot of movies (in my opinion most movies on BR aren't worth owning) but as more good stuff comes available, I might. I am not, however, just replacing my current DVD collection. The PS3 does some fine upscaling too. In fact, I took my Oppo out of the home theater and gave it to a friend.

I also lost several satellites, mostly HD, during one of the storms. They would not come back until I reset the receiver and forced it to search for all of them again.

This effect seems to be worse on the HD channels, the older SD channels come back without resetting.

Wait .... I thought the cable bashing Sat companies said weather no longer affected sat service??????

:rolleyes::D:(

I would have never bought a standalone BR player, but being a gamer, I did jump on a PS3 recently. It is an amazing device. I only own 3 BR movies and one came with the system :) Price still keeps me from buying a lot of movies (in my opinion most movies on BR aren't worth owning) but as more good stuff comes available, I might. I am not, however, just replacing my current DVD collection. The PS3 does some fine upscaling too. In fact, I took my Oppo out of the home theater and gave it to a friend.

I don't intend to replace all my DVD collection with Blu-ray either. I almost never buy regular DVDs anymore, though. All my new titles will be Blu-ray, unless it's just something I have to have and is never likely to come out on Blu-ray. As for playback of regular DVD, I still use my HD DVD player. I think it does a better job than the PS3 of upconverting.

Wait .... I thought the cable bashing Sat companies said weather no longer affected sat service??????

:rolleyes::D:(


The same with Charter's sat bashing, "our service is not effected by the weather". ;):D:eek:

Wait .... I thought the cable bashing Sat companies said weather no longer affected sat service??????
Impossible, of course. Water absorbs microwaves. If it did not, I would be drinking cold coffee!

Dan,

In my case, resetting the dvr did absolutely nothing for finding the sats. Bob even helped me repeat the sat setup, but that didn't work either. Now that my signal is back, do you guys think that I should still have a tech check things out?

Adrian

Two days away from the NFL opener & my plasma goes haywire! I have a 50" Pioneer Elite 1130 & the top half of the screen is black. I guess it is some sort of video board issue.

My repair options from the Pioneer site:

- CC Bell. I had a not-so-great experience with them in the past but they say they try to make the repairs in the home which would be great if it works out.

- A-1 Antenna: I need to bring in the monitor & media box or have them pick it up.

- "The Service Center" in Ellisville: Not open yet this morning so have not spoken with them.

Just looking for feedback on any of these vendors as well as the possibility of the CC Bell tech actually showing up with the right part(s) & being able to make the repair in one visit.

Update: The CC Bell tech just left the house. Very nice guy who diagnosed my problem pretty quickly. Doesn't sound too hard though, considering a quick internet search by non-tech yours truly showed what the cause of my problem likely was. Anyway, it's a bad "Upper Y Drive" which is going to cost me $683 part & labor! The part will be here next week.

My 2 year Pioneer Elite warranty expired about 9 months ago. I might call Pioneer to b!tch & try for a partial refund, but doubt that will get me anywhere.

With yesterday's downpour, I have a leak in the basement. Does anyone know a good local contractor I could talk to (or bad one to steer clear of)?

With yesterday's downpour, I have a leak in the basement. Does anyone know a good local contractor I could talk to (or bad one to steer clear of)?

We used Everdry about 13yrs ago and our experience was good, if expensive.
Dug

We used Everdry about 13yrs ago and our experience was good, if expensive.
Dug

Thanks. I'll check them out.

Hey, Bob Simandl, I just noticed that Supernatural: Season 3 is coming to Blu-ray on Nov. 11. along with Torchwood: Season 1, Firefly and Chuck.

I'm curious, since we haven't talked about it a lot around here for a while, how many people have Blu-ray players and regularly rent/buy Blu-ray discs. I don't want to start a poll, but anecdotal stories could be fun. I've read articles saying everything from, "Blu-ray will outsell regular DVD within a year," to "Blu-ray will be dead within five years because of digital downloads."

Although I'm on record as saying that I think HD DVD deserved to win because it was the superior technology at the time, Blu-ray is (slowly) maturing and I've embraced it. I love the quality of Blu-ray titles being released now (although there haven't been many of them this summer).

Also, there is little not to like about the Playstation 3 as a Blu-ray player. It is so fast loading Blu-ray discs that the movie starts playing almost as soon as I sit down after inserting one. And they've done a great job keeping it up to date with the latest features via the Internet. Uncompressed Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks are a big improvement over DD and regular DTS.

What's your experience now that the "war" is over?

As a Blu-ray player owner and as a non-videophile I can report that Blu-ray is no big deal as far as I'm concerned. Unlike the WOW-factor difference between standard definition and high definition television there is little to crow about when comparing a standard 480P DVD against a 1080P Blu-ray disc in my opinion.

1. The Blu-ray players are still too expensive and prices don't seem to be moving downward at all.

2. Blu-ray discs are twice as expensive as standard DVDs.

3. When playing the same movie in different formats (i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean in Blu-ray and standard format) using a Sharp Blu-ray player connected via HDMI/1080p and a Sony DVD player connected using component video at 480P to a Sharp 46" LCD/HD TV the picture quality difference, while noticeable, is not amazingly stupendously so and is not worth the difference in price for both the player and the media. IMHO of course.

Therefore I don't see Blu-ray (or HD-DVD for that matter) replacing standard DVDs anytime soon. I see this much the same as the debate among audiophiles over bit rates when encoding mp3s. The average listener or viewer can't readily appreciate the difference in quality. Where I work I'm still the only one who has a Blu-ray player and none of my colleagues are planning on getting one for the reasons stated above. I sense this is the normal response of the average consumer. If I could go back in time I would not have bought a Blu-ray player knowing what I know now.

As a Blu-ray player owner and as a non-videophile I can report that Blu-ray is no big deal as far as I'm concerned. Unlike the WOW-factor difference between standard definition and high definition television there is little to crow about when comparing a standard 480P DVD against a 1080P Blu-ray disc in my opinion.

1. The Blu-ray players are still too expensive and prices don't seem to be moving downward at all.

2. Blu-ray discs are twice as expensive as standard DVDs.

3. When playing the same movie in different formats (i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean in Blu-ray and standard format) using a Sharp Blu-ray player connected via HDMI/1080p and a Sony DVD player connected using component video at 480P to a Sharp 46" LCD/HD TV the picture quality difference, while noticeable, is not amazingly stupendously so and is not worth the difference in price for both the player and the media. IMHO of course.

Therefore I don't see Blu-ray (or HD-DVD for that matter) replacing standard DVDs anytime soon. I see this much the same as the debate among audiophiles over bit rates when encoding mp3s. The average listener or viewer can't readily appreciate the difference in quality. Where I work I'm still the only one who has a Blu-ray player and none of my colleagues are planning on getting one for the reasons stated above. I sense this is the normal response of the average consumer. If I could go back in time I would not have bought a Blu-ray player knowing what I know now.

I would agree with your assessment. I don't own a blu-ray player, but I have seen the pictures from them. I dont think I will be buying one soon, or maybe ever. I wouldn't pay the price for the player, and especially the higher cost per disk. Not worth it in my opinion.

The only preference that I had between the two formats was that the HD disk contained less data. I fully enjoy either format, and have not watched a regular DVD since having the ability to watch in HD. I built a pc to play both formats, mostly out of spare parts I had around. I had to purchase a disk drive and a video card.

Hey, Bob Simandl, I just noticed that Supernatural: Season 3 is coming to Blu-ray on Nov. 11. along with Torchwood: Season 1, Firefly and Chuck.

Ohhhh, yeah....... Come November 11, I have a lot of catching up to do (I stopped watching Supernatural on KPLR due to the ridiculous audio dropouts shortly after Christmas)!

The only preference that I had between the two formats was that the HD disk contained less data. I fully enjoy either format, and have not watched a regular DVD since having the ability to watch in HD. I built a pc to play both formats, mostly out of spare parts I had around. I had to purchase a disk drive and a video card.

Yes, I have trouble watching regular DVD anymore. It's in the fine details (landscapes, cityscapes, on-screen text) that HD discs really distinguish themselves from SD DVDs. But that difference really starts to disappear with smaller screen sizes. With really well encoded DVDs, sitting 8-10 feet from a 42" HDTV, it's often going to be hard to see a lot of difference. And, as has been noted, that's as big as the majority of people are going to have in their homes.

I agree that Blu-ray's biggest competition has been and continues to be regular DVD. If HD DVD had won, the problem would be the same for that format.

I've been a big-screen proponent for a long, long time. I've had a love affair with movies since I was about 12, and I've said for many years that the missing link between the movies and television is the size of the screen. With a large screen, the differences between Blu-ray and regular DVD become obvious. To me, if you can't have a front projector, the best trade off in screen size is the rear projection DLP sets in the 65-73 inch sizes. They can be viewed in well-lit rooms, yet the size allows you to appreciate the fine detail in HD.

Ohhhh, yeah....... Come November 11, I have a lot of catching up to do (I stopped watching Supernatural on KPLR due to the ridiculous audio dropouts shortly after Christmas)!

This fall and winter promise to bring a lot of new material to the Blu-ray format. This summer has sucked. And they wonder why Blu-ray disc sales seem to have slumped after HD DVD went away. Don't ask me to pay filet mignon prices for White Castle hamburgers.

I wouldn't pay the price for the player, and especially the higher cost per disk. Not worth it in my opinion.

This is another good point. Blu-ray prices have to drop. They have to be competitive with DVD or the format won't last. I think they'll have to see that, and I think it will happen before digital downloads pose a serious threat to Blu-ray.

Don't ask me to pay filet mignon prices for White Castle hamburgers.

Ewwww, I wouldn't take White Casket burgers for FREE!!!!!

anyone else not able to pick up the channel 2 or 5 HD broadcast from dish network off the 118 satellite? I can get 4 and 30 fine, but 2 and 5 wont come in.

This is another good point. Blu-ray prices have to drop. They have to be competitive with DVD or the format won't last. I think they'll have to see that, and I think it will happen before digital downloads pose a serious threat to Blu-ray.

It's already pretty easy to find HD rips online ... if that's what you meant. Or maybe you were talking about on-demand services like the Netflix/Roku setup, etc. Of course there are serious bandwidth issues that have to be worked out for streaming. In fact they don't even offer HD content yet.

One thing about BR discs is the kind of built in features on some discs (beyond the fantastic native HD audio codecs.) For instance, tonight I watched my Dawn of the Dead disc, and I've seen the movie 100 times, so I turned on the "movie tidbits subtitle" option, which pops us little factiods during the movie. Usually I would find this stuff annoying, but it was fun. Does it make the BR discs worth the extra cost? No, hehe.

You can find plenty of specials and good deals online, but meh, I'm tired of buying movies really.

Yes, I have trouble watching regular DVD anymore. It's in the fine details (landscapes, cityscapes, on-screen text) that HD discs really distinguish themselves from SD DVDs. But that difference really starts to disappear with smaller screen sizes. With really well encoded DVDs, sitting 8-10 feet from a 42" HDTV, it's often going to be hard to see a lot of difference. And, as has been noted, that's as big as the majority of people are going to have in their homes.

I agree that Blu-ray's biggest competition has been and continues to be regular DVD. If HD DVD had won, the problem would be the same for that format.

I've been a big-screen proponent for a long, long time. I've had a love affair with movies since I was about 12, and I've said for many years that the missing link between the movies and television is the size of the screen. With a large screen, the differences between Blu-ray and regular DVD become obvious. To me, if you can't have a front projector, the best trade off in screen size is the rear projection DLP sets in the 65-73 inch sizes. They can be viewed in well-lit rooms, yet the size allows you to appreciate the fine detail in HD.

I agree. I have a 106" screen with a 1080p projector (Mits HC4900) and the difference is amazing between SD and Blu-ray. I have the Panasonic DMP-BD30 which is rated very highly, and its price has dropped under $300 since the release of the DB50. I strongly recommend it if your receiver can decode Dolby TrueHD. The improved audio blows away regular DVD's if you have a 7.1 system.

Mike

I agree. I have a 106" screen with a 1080p projector (Mits HC4900) and the difference is amazing between SD and Blu-ray. I have the Panasonic DMP-BD30 which is rated very highly, and its price has dropped under $300 since the release of the DB50. I strongly recommend it if your receiver can decode Dolby TrueHD. The improved audio blows away regular DVD's if you have a 7.1 system.

Mike

A friend of mine also has that Panasonic. The nice thing about it is that it will pass the bitstream of the advanced HD audio codecs (DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD) to newer receivers that can decode. Many of the more reasonably priced newer receivers can decode those bitstreams. The PS3 can't bitstream the codecs, but it can decode and send them over HDMI, so virtually any HDMI receiver can play them. I agree, the difference between the lossless HD formats and regular DD and DTS is remarkable.

I only have a 60" currently, but when watching an SD DVD versus BluRay, everything seems out of focus. It's enough to make me think for a second, I need glasses. Then when the DVD is over and I switch to BR or HD sat, everything is fine again.

I am replacing my most watched DVDs with BluRay. Kill Bills will be next, I only have about 20-30 BRs, but I expect that number to increase.

Also, with netflix, most of our rentals come as BluRay. We were renting BR from Blockbuster, but it was getting too expensive, so we switched to netflix.

Dug

Even if you don't have Dolby TrueHD decoding, plain old Dolby Digital at Blu-Ray's 640k bitrate is a very noticeable improvement over the 384-448k Dolby Digital on DVD's.

I've mentioned it before, but here's what I do with Blockbuster (recommended by a Blockbuster employee): join their $21.99/month plan that allows you to take out one movie at a time, as many as you want for a month. After a month, I've pretty much exhausted what I want from the available Blu-ray titles. Quit the plan and wait for a few months until they accumulate some more films/TV shows, then join again.

As an alternative, Netflix has an $8.99/month plan, one movie at a time, as many during the month as you want. They have tons more Blu-ray titles than Blockbuster, but of course you have to wait for shipping both ways. Blockbuster also has mail-order Blu-ray that allows you to take the viewed movies directly to a local store for immediate return, but it's more expensive per month. Either way, it's cheaper than paying $4.99 each for individual Blockbuster Blu-ray rentals.

From my own experience, I don't believe that the benefit of additional Blu-ray image resolution is going to be fully realized and appreciated until you're looking at an image size of 70+ inches. While picture resolution is obviously important, it actually ranks below contrast ratio, color depth and grayscale accuracy in determining perceived picture quality.

It's worth bearing in mind that when the development of the ATSC HDTV specification was first undertaken, studies were conducted to see how much of an increase in resolution was necessary for the AVERAGE viewer to consider it worth paying to upgrade. These studies found that the AVERAGE viewer didn't really appreciate an increase in resolution until it approached a 10x increase -- and that's basically about what we get when we go from an NTSC BROADCAST signal to a 1080i ATSC BROADCAST signal (a 480i DVD signal actually has higher horizontal resolution than NTSC broadcast).

But that was AVERAGE viewers, and there's no doubt most everyone reading here would be more discerning. Still, this phenomenon explains why it is very, very difficult for most viewers to tell the difference between a 720p native signal on a 720p native display and a 1080p native signal on a 1080p native display -- at that point, the resolution increase is just over 2x. The only thing that sort of marginal increase in resolution alters is the acceptable minimum viewing distance.

However, there are other video quality benefits, particularly for people who own 1080p native displays, as a 1080p signal allows you to avoid the run-of-the-mill de-interlacing and scaling abilities that most consumer HDTVs have. In particular, poor de-interlacing will result in images that seem "soft" or somewhat out of focus.

Also, one of the things that's often retrospectively overlooked in assessing the transition from NTSC to DVD/HDTV is that NTSC signals are acquired via composite video, whereas the native video format for both DVD and HDTV is component video. Because of inherent bandwidth limitations in NTSC composite video, roughly 25% of the color information was thrown away, never to be recovered, at signal acquisition. As a result, there was a substantial and obvious increase in color detail when we moved to DVD and HDTV.

However, Blu-ray (as well as HD DVD) continue to use component video as the native format, so there's really no major gain in that area, such as there was in the move to DVD. While there are a wide range of factors that viewers respond to when comparing different formats and signal types, I think this is one of the key reasons that DVD seems "good enough" for a large percentage of consumers.

All that said, I do think that Blu-ray is an extremely worthwhile format (as was HD DVD). I think there are lots of "challenges" for Blu-ray, with my own personal pet peeves being the poor disc loading times and the sometimes klunky display of menus. But once you get past those sort of nitpicks (and more important, the higher prices) and you actually get a 1080p BD picture on the screen, the benefits are real and definitely worthwhile -- for those with the gear needed to fully exploit the format.

In my previous post, I wanted to be more explicit about the resolution differences between NTSC broadcast and DVD, but I couldn't put my hands on the data when I was writing the note. Now, thanks to Vista Desktop search, I find that it had been hiding on my hard drive all along.

Comparing TV Picture Quality, in pixels*:

VHS Videotape = 150,000*

NTSC TV Broadcast = 210,000*

S-VHS Videotape = 250,000*

DSS Broadcast = 260,000

SDTV Broadcast = 340,000

DVD = 345,000

Digital Camcorder = 345,000

HDTV Broadcast (720p) = 920,000

HDTV Broadcast (1080i) = 2,100,000

* Analog TV, strictly speaking, doesn't contain pixels, but resolutions can be effectively compared by determining the number of alternating black/white vertical lines (horizontal resolution) that can be transmitted and successfully displayed via test patterns.

Thus, the maximum resolution of NTSC broadcast TV is roughly 480 x 435 pixels, while DVD is 480 x 720.

My own observations pretty much confirm what Doug is saying. Contrast ratio is most important to me. A flat, lifeless image (lacking in contrast) is far worse than one with lower resolution. I could have lived pretty happily with a 720p projector if my Optoma H79 hadn't had so many lamp related failures. It's contrast was really good. Even though my screen was 110", I was happy with the image. 1080p is, of course, an improvement at that size, but not so much that I would have changed based on resolution alone.

That said, I'm glad to have made the step up. With my latest changes, I'm now completely 1080p and HDMI throughout the house. My computer monitor is now a Sharp 32" GP1, at 1920x1080. When I switch the output to my Sharp 1080p projector, it's a smooth transition. My main video card for watching HD movies from the computer is a Radeon 4850, which outputs the same video level as the PS3 and Dish 622. Trying to reconcile computer video card output to a 1920x1200 computer monitor and switching seamlessly to my 1920x1080 projector created awkward communications problems between the devices. There were also problems with audio, and video vs. PC digital signal levels. Most of those problems have gone away and I'm pretty close to getting them all resolved.

As usual, with my recent Vista computer build, the main problem is trying to get all the various codecs to play nice together, so that I can watch videos coming from different sources without video and/or audio issues. Still working through that.

One thing that is pretty easy is converting movies from the premium Dish Network movie channels (captured via an R5000 modded Dish 211) to play on the computer, or as Blu-ray titles on the PS3. I recorded an MPEG4 (h.264) copy of Star Trek: Generations to the Dish 622 the other day that was small enough to fit on a single layer DVD. It wasn't typical Blu-ray quality, but the picture was far and away superior to DVD. The Dish MPEG4 encoders have come a long way since they were first brought online.

I've mentioned it before, but here's what I do with Blockbuster (recommended by a Blockbuster employee): join their $21.99/month plan that allows you to take out one movie at a time, as many as you want for a month. After a month, I've pretty much exhausted what I want from the available Blu-ray titles. Quit the plan and wait for a few months until they accumulate some more films/TV shows, then join again.

As an alternative, Netflix has an $8.99/month plan, one movie at a time, as many during the month as you want. They have tons more Blu-ray titles than Blockbuster, but of course you have to wait for shipping both ways. Blockbuster also has mail-order Blu-ray that allows you to take the viewed movies directly to a local store for immediate return, but it's more expensive per month. Either way, it's cheaper than paying $4.99 each for individual Blockbuster Blu-ray rentals.

I have the $3.99/mo Blockbuster plan which gives me 2 mail-orders per month. I swap those at the store for $1.99 each with this plan which gives me 4 Blu-rays/mo for around $8.00. I find the curent releases hard to get mail-order, but almost always available in the store.

Mike

anyone else not able to pick up the channel 2 or 5 HD broadcast from dish network off the 118 satellite? I can get 4 and 30fine, but 2 and 5 wont come in.
No issues here, and I haven't read of any. Did this just begin to happen?
2 and 5 are on transponder 18, 4 and 30 are on 11, which would mean you're receiving one transponder, and not the other.
If you're still having a problem, it is most likely a pointing issue, or LNB failing.

Apparently my being able to pick up 24-1 and 46-1 the other day was a fluke. 24-1 is stuttering now and 46-1 isn't coming in at all. Oh well, if either channel actually aired something I cared about, I'd get up on the roof and spin my antenna back in the right direction. But meantime, I guess neither of them increased their power after all.

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

DTV Switch Set for Today in Wilmington

All systems are go for the nation’s first push into digital TV broadcasting.

On Sunday, the Federal Communications Commission confirmed that plans are moving ahead for an all-digital television transition for the Wilmington, N.C., market. The switch, which has been set up to gauge viewer and broadcaster readiness for the larger Feb. 17, 2009, transition, is set for 12 noon in the coastal market.

There was some talk the transition would be delayed due to the situation created by Tropical Storm Hanna, which impacted the Carolinas and much of the Eastern United States Friday and Saturday. FCC officials said they held a conference call with Wilmington broadcasters about the Monday switch, and both sides confirmed that they would move ahead with the digital TV plans.

The transition should be festive, with city and county officials, FCC staff and broadcasters marking the occasion with events that start in Wilmington at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.

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

DTV Switch Set for Today in Wilmington

All systems are go for the nation’s first push into digital TV broadcasting.

On Sunday, the Federal Communications Commission confirmed that plans are moving ahead for an all-digital television transition for the Wilmington, N.C., market. The switch, which has been set up to gauge viewer and broadcaster readiness for the larger Feb. 17, 2009, transition, is set for 12 noon in the coastal market.

There was some talk the transition would be delayed due to the situation created by Tropical Storm Hanna, which impacted the Carolinas and much of the Eastern United States Friday and Saturday. FCC officials said they held a conference call with Wilmington broadcasters about the Monday switch, and both sides confirmed that they would move ahead with the digital TV plans.

The transition should be festive, with city and county officials, FCC staff and broadcasters marking the occasion with events that start in Wilmington at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.

A bunch of people partying at an execution - deplorable! :D

Oprah in HD, folks. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/topfour090808.htm) Ain't no stoppin' it now.

I'm curious, since we haven't talked about it a lot around here for a while, how many people have Blu-ray players and regularly rent/buy Blu-ray discs. I don't want to start a poll, but anecdotal stories could be fun. I've read articles saying everything from, "Blu-ray will outsell regular DVD within a year," to "Blu-ray will be dead within five years because of digital downloads."

Although I'm on record as saying that I think HD DVD deserved to win because it was the superior technology at the time, Blu-ray is (slowly) maturing and I've embraced it. I love the quality of Blu-ray titles being released now (although there haven't been many of them this summer).

Also, there is little not to like about the Playstation 3 as a Blu-ray player. It is so fast loading Blu-ray discs that the movie starts playing almost as soon as I sit down after inserting one. And they've done a great job keeping it up to date with the latest features via the Internet. Uncompressed Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks are a big improvement over DD and regular DTS.

What's your experience now that the "war" is over?

I got a PS3 shortly after launch date. Connected to my Sharp 720 DLP with 106" screen. Even though it's only 720P I can see a huge difference with well produced Blu Ray. I have begun selling my DVD's, replacing my favorites as they come out. Latest one is ID4 which looks and sounds incredible.

I'm in the process of changing my HTPC to Blu/HD-DVD capable.
I've added a LG combo drive and now I'm looking at video cards. I was all set to go for one of the new ATI 3450 cards, but then I noticed the ASUS HDMI 1.3 card that's due this month. Now I'm thinking of getting a cheaper Video only HDMI card and pairing it with the ASUS.

I also use netflix to get most of my BD movies.
Dave

I got a PS3 shortly after launch date. Connected to my Sharp 720 DLP with 106" screen. Even though it's only 720P I can see a huge difference with well produced Blu Ray. I have begun selling my DVD's, replacing my favorites as they come out. Latest one is ID4 which looks and sounds incredible.

I'm in the process of changing my HTPC to Blu/HD-DVD capable.
I've added a LG combo drive and now I'm looking at video cards. I was all set to go for one of the new ATI 3450 cards, but then I noticed the ASUS HDMI 1.3 card that's due this month. Now I'm thinking of getting a cheaper Video only HDMI card and pairing it with the ASUS.

I also use netflix to get most of my BD movies.
Dave

I'll look forward to hearing what you think of the Asus sound card. I think it has an HDMI passthrough for the video, right?

You're right about Independence Day. It's a great looking film on Blu-ray. I remember going to the 10:00pm showing of Independence Day at the Esquire Theater when it came out. The air conditioning was out and it was hot, but people didn't seem to care. It's a great popcorn movie.

I have a 106" screen with a color filtered Marquee 8500 projector. If I was a little better with the magnets I could do 1080p. At the moment I project SD DVDs at 1440X960p and the picture is pretty awesome. I own the necessary equipment (colorimeter, Oscope, etc.) to do the correct color things. My HTPC is set up for video output.

A while back, I did an A/B comparison with a PS3 and the HTPC. The movie was "Kingdom of Heaven". To allow the computer to best display the movie, I ripped it to the hard drive so that all the BS that is on the disk was disabled, better than the "on the fly" programs such as DVD43 or AnyDVD which I normally use. My neighbor, his wife, and I watched the movie in 1080i stopping at the same frames to do a comparison. Perhaps someday when I have it tweaked to do 1080p, I will invest in a BD player at current prices. However, the price for a BD burner must get sub $100 dollars before I hit the piggy bank.

Just an old man's opinion.

Walt

I have a 106" screen with a color filtered Marquee 8500 projector. If I was a little better with the magnets I could do 1080p. At the moment I project SD DVDs at 1440X960p and the picture is pretty awesome. I own the necessary equipment (colorimeter, Oscope, etc.) to do the correct color things. My HTPC is set up for video output.

A while back, I did an A/B comparison with a PS3 and the HTPC. The movie was "Kingdom of Heaven". To allow the computer to best display the movie, I ripped it to the hard drive so that all the BS that is on the disk was disabled, better than the "on the fly" programs such as DVD43 or AnyDVD which I normally use. My neighbor, his wife, and I watched the movie in 1080i stopping at the same frames to do a comparison. Perhaps someday when I have it tweaked to do 1080p, I will invest in a BD player at current prices. However, the price for a BD burner must get sub $100 dollars before I hit the piggy bank.

Just an old man's opinion.

Walt

So, how did the two compare - PS3 vs. HTPC? Which video card and playback software are you using? I've just simplified my HTPC to use all HDMI for audio and video and I plan to do a similar comparison between PS3 and HTPC. I thought I'd use Twister, which is one of my all time favorite popcorn movies.

No issues here, and I haven't read of any. Did this just begin to happen?
2 and 5 are on transponder 18, 4 and 30 are on 11, which would mean you're receiving one transponder, and not the other.
If you're still having a problem, it is most likely a pointing issue, or LNB failing.

ya, i narrowed it down to transponder 18. All of the others have a reception of 50-60, but not 18. The weird thing is that during the day, I get a signal of 17-19, but night it's 2 or 1. Just started on Friday and there hasn't been any wind or storms before it started.

Anyways, a tech is coming out later this week to do some reaiming.

I am new to this forum so I hope this is the appropriate location to ask this question. I currently have DISH and wish to upgrade my DVR and satellite to HD. I have called a couple of local companies to discuss the upgrade. One didn't bother to call me back and the other sent someone out for a sight survey and never contacted me again. So can anyone recommend a St. Louis area company that could perform the service. I live in Wildwood.

Thanks

So, how did the two compare - PS3 vs. HTPC? Which video card and playback software are you using? I've just simplified my HTPC to use all HDMI for audio and video and I plan to do a similar comparison between PS3 and HTPC. I thought I'd use Twister, which is one of my all time favorite popcorn movies.

Joe

My HTPC is not state of the art. I am running an Abit AL8 mobo with an lg775 3.2 gig Intel processor. The graphics card is an ATI PCIe X700. The playback software is what came with the MyHD card. I like playback through the card because I can use my proto with its dongle. As was stated in a prior post, the most noticable difference was in the background especially in freeze frame. Since most of my attention while viewing is on the forground, the difference was not impressive. My neighbor and his wife were also disapponted. I am going to with hold my dollars from the devil Sony for a little longer.

Walt

Since we're talking about our HTPCs today, does anyone here have the Vista Media Center remote working with PowerDVD? I've read a couple of articles about it, but finding the files to make it work is proving a problem.

ya, i narrowed it down to transponder 18. All of the others have a reception of 50-60, but not 18. The weird thing is that during the day, I get a signal of 17-19, but night it's 2 or 1. Just started on Friday and there hasn't been any wind or storms before it started.

Anyways, a tech is coming out later this week to do some reaiming.
It pretty much can be only 1 of 4 things
-Re-aim Dish (most likely)
-Failing LNB
-Bad cable or end
-failing switch (least likely)

Joe

My HTPC is not state of the art. I am running an Abit AL8 mobo with an lg775 3.2 gig Intel processor. The graphics card is an ATI PCIe X700. The playback software is what came with the MyHD card. I like playback through the card because I can use my proto with its dongle. As was stated in a prior post, the most noticable difference was in the background especially in freeze frame. Since most of my attention while viewing is on the forground, the difference was not impressive. My neighbor and his wife were also disapponted. I am going to with hold my dollars from the devil Sony for a little longer.

Walt

I don't blame you one bit. I'm just such an HD junkie, I can't resist. That said, Blu-ray prices are outrageous, and the movie industry, as far as I'm concerned, is still its own worst enemy. My main source of entertainment the past few years has been HD television, which I think has long since eclipsed movies in terms of quality programming. I can't remember the last time I went to a comedy film that I really laughed at. It's all so "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," a film I couldn't get through the first 10 minutes of. On the other hand, I'm actually looking forward to the new TV season, broken as it may be from last year's strike.

Wow, there's a lot of great posting around here lately. Some good info is being passed around, and now I'm remembering why I first joined. It's good to be back.

Does anyone know if some of the weaker digital stations will pump out a stronger signal coming up in Feb.? I'm out near the airport, which is death for cell phones, OTA and sat tv. For years I couldn't get decent signals for stations like 2.1, 4.1, the 9s, and I didn't dare hope for 24.1, 47.1 or others that weak. Things have improved in the last year or 2, and I've found that I can get watchable signals on some of these that were weak before at my house. For KETC, I've got a crazy indoor ant. setup that requires me to elevate my Silver Sensor all the way up to the ceiling. Perhaps my big mistake here is that I haven't gone with a good roof setup. I did try a couple of average rooftops in the past, and I don't remember pulling in a single station. Will things improve to the point that I won't need long boxes and a balancing act with my indoor ant.? Am I just hosed because of where I live? Any hope for the future? Help me, OB1.

Adrian

Yeah, you can check the supposed signal levels at tvfool.com. They have post-transition projections up there.

According to them, I'll be able to lock in 46.1...which is the only station I can't get in (well I can get in in the mornings).

Does anyone know if some of the weaker digital stations will pump out a stronger signal coming up in Feb.? I'm out near the airport, which is death for cell phones, OTA and sat tv. For years I couldn't get decent signals for stations like 2.1, 4.1, the 9s, and I didn't dare hope for 24.1, 47.1 or others that weak. Things have improved in the last year or 2, and I've found that I can get watchable signals on some of these that were weak before at my house. For KETC, I've got a crazy indoor ant. setup that requires me to elevate my Silver Sensor all the way up to the ceiling. Perhaps my big mistake here is that I haven't gone with a good roof setup. I did try a couple of average rooftops in the past, and I don't remember pulling in a single station. Will things improve to the point that I won't need long boxes and a balancing act with my indoor ant.? Am I just hosed because of where I live? Any hope for the future? Help me, OB1.

Adrian

Here's what I see:

2: Nothing changes
4: Same 1000 kW signal on a lower channel number, just the lower channel number should help.
5: Nothing changes
9: Wants to move their digital antenna up in height 150 feet and slightly increase power, from 124.6 kW to 142.5 kW
11: Wants to move their digital antenna up in height more than 150 feet and keep the 1000 kW they have now.
13: This station should be signing on a 1000 kW signal sometime soon, and this one looks like it'll cover St. Louis and areas east.
24: Nothing changes
30: Nothing changes
46: Wants to boost power from 109.4 kW to 750 kW from the same antenna.

Hope that helps!

- Trip

For you other PowerDVD/HTPC users out there, apparently the latest patch of PowerDVD 8 has broken Blu-ray playback. People upgrading report that they can no longer play Blu-ray discs on their computers. Hope it's nothing more insidious than a bug. As a bug, it's in the same league as my recent incident with Logitech breaking the main activity buttons on its 600 series Harmony remotes. "Sorry, ma'am, I fixed your toaster but I clean forgot to put the springs back in. Just reach right down there when it's done and pull it on out."

Here's an article (http://www.tvpredictions.com/wilmington090908.htm) on the experiment to move Wilmington to digital TV before the rest of the nation. Apparently, it didn't go too well the first day.

Here's Swanni's take on it:

"Next February's nationwide transition to digital could become the Katrina of technology, creating widespread panic and chaos throughout the nation. The government better start taking this problem more seriously -- or else."

I can see it now: riots, grocery stores pillaged, Democrats sleeping with Republicans. I'm shuttering my windows and buying a shotgun.

One more item that just might be of interest around here. I've mentioned before how much I love my Dish 211, which I had modified to record Dish programming. Well, the new Dish 211K (which is replacing the 211) cannot be modified. It's chipset doesn't allow Nextcom the physical path to do the modification. You can get a pre-modded Dish 211 (http://nextcomwireless.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=68) directly from Nextcom for now. I know this isn't imiportant to most folks, but for archivers like me it's a great service (and perfectly legal).

Thank you, guys, for your thoughts on signal strength after Feb. 9. Hopefully I'll be in better shape with the expected increases and a good rooftop ant. setup.

Adrian

Is anybody interested in a beautiful, huge Sony analog 35" crt Trinitron tv? I'm helping a friend to sell it, and will most likely haul it over to my house for folks to view it. I helped her pick this set many years, and she hasn't had any service issues with it. Everything appears to work well. Although it won't do HD, it has a component video input that should handle 480p. I'll check that out. She's only asking $250 for the set. Warning, this sucker is huge, and probably requires 3 to 4 guys to move it safely. I think Bob can confirm that. The remote is included, but no manual or stand. Any takers?

Adrian

Since we're talking about our HTPCs today, does anyone here have the Vista Media Center remote working with PowerDVD? I've read a couple of articles about it, but finding the files to make it work is proving a problem.

Once I use my keyboard/mouse to launch PowerDVD in the first place, my Media Center remote seems to work with PowerDVD fine and dandy... though I'll admit I haven't tested every button there is to test.

I'd like to tell ya what I did, but it seemed to work okay right out of the box.

Is anybody interested in a beautiful, huge Sony analog 35" crt Trinitron tv? I'm helping a friend to sell it, and will most likely haul it over to my house for folks to view it. I helped her pick this set many years, and she hasn't had any service issues with it. Everything appears to work well. Although it won't do HD, it has a component video input that should handle 480p. I'll check that out. She's only asking $250 for the set. Warning, this sucker is huge, and probably requires 3 to 4 guys to move it safely. I think Bob can confirm that. The remote is included, but no manual or stand. Any takers?

Adrian

If the TV doesn't say HDTV or at least EDTV, chances are those component inputs still only handle 480i.

I'll vouch for the weight... my 36" Sony CRT weighs 240 pounds! Took three of us to lift it off the floor and onto the stand. That was in 2001 and I haven't moved it since!

For anyone still interested in a CRT, Sonys are about the best.

Here's what I see:

2: Nothing changes
4: Same 1000 kW signal on a lower channel number, just the lower channel number should help.
5: Nothing changes
9: Wants to move their digital antenna up in height 150 feet and slightly increase power, from 124.6 kW to 142.5 kW
11: Wants to move their digital antenna up in height more than 150 feet and keep the 1000 kW they have now.
13: This station should be signing on a 1000 kW signal sometime soon, and this one looks like it'll cover St. Louis and areas east.
24: Nothing changes
30: Nothing changes
46: Wants to boost power from 109.4 kW to 750 kW from the same antenna.

Hope that helps!

- Trip

Hmmm, maybe that should get me 46-1 reliably without having to spin my antenna after all (it got spun about 30 degrees off during a huge windstorm two years ago).

And maybe I'll get 13-1 for the first time, too...........

Hmmm, maybe that should get me 46-1 reliably without having to spin my antenna after all (it got spun about 30 degrees off during a huge windstorm two years ago).

And maybe I'll get 13-1 for the first time, too...........

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1251455.html

There's a service map for 13-1 from the FCC. That map may not be too terribly accurate, but there it is.

- Trip

I found at least part of an answer to a question I posed here a few days ago. PowerDVD has support built in for the Vista Media Center remote control. When I fire up a Blu-ray film in PowerDVD, I have control over most functions from the VMC remote. There are still a few quirks, but it works.

Bob,

Thanks for the heads up about the component video limitations on that analog Sony crt tv. I should be able to check that out soon.

Adrian

does 13-1 actually exist? i can't recall anybody ever talking about picking it up?

does 13-1 actually exist? i can't recall anybody ever talking about picking it up?

According to the FCC, they have a super-weak 2 kW signal on channel 21 on their analog tower near Mount Vernon, but I'd be very surprised if much of anyone can see it, considering it's only 350 feet up.

- Trip

Hey, how'd we all miss this? (as seen on KPLR's web site)

On September 8, 2008, Tribune Broadcasting’s CW Television Network affiliate, KPLR CW 11 made a change in the programming line-up.


CW 11 News now airs 7PM Monday through Friday. The newscast has been expanded to one-hour, making it the only local, early news in prime time. “We feel there is a real opportunity to reach the news audience whose busy lifestyles may not allow them to be home in time for news that is over by 6:15 in the evening,” said Sheldon Ripson, CW 11 News Director.

With news in the first hour of prime time, the station moved The CW Television network’s programming to one hour later, beginning at 8PM. “Research shows that the last hour of prime on the other stations skews older, so we will be offering a unique choice to younger viewers, notably in the 9 o’clock hour,” said Bill Lanesey, Vice President and General Manager for KPLR-TV. The main audience for The CW programming is 18-34. “In St. Louis, the number of adults in that demographic who are watching television is nearly five rating points higher between 9PM-10PM, rather than 7PM-8PM,”added Lanesey. This unprecedented move came with the involvement and blessing of The CW executives in Los Angeles. "We have worked with Bill Lanesey and Tribune over the last number of months on this matter. We respect the needs of our affiliates and their knowledge of their own individual marketplace," said Elizabeth Tumulty, The CW Senior Vice President of Distribution. "As a new network constantly exploring innovative ways to drive ratings, we support KPLR's initiative to improve their business and will work in concert with them to make this experiment a success."

The change took place the week of September 8, 2008; one week after The CW season premieres aired. The strategy is to speak directly to the core audience of hit shows like “Gossip Girl,” “Smallville” and “America’s Next Top Model” as to where they will find their favorite CW programs in the future.

In a related move, on weeknights, the station switched “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Two and a Half Men” to 6PM and 6:30PM, respectively. “Two and a Half Men” is the perfect adult audience to lead into our expanded prime time news,” said Lanesey.

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

Um, I'm not aware of KPLR acquiring the equipment necessary to record and rebroadcast a network feed in HD. Hell, they still have to show the first 30 seconds of Smallville and Supernatural as 4x3 upconverts so they can plaster their local bug on top of it. Does this mean the entire CW primetime lineup is going be 1-hour delayed 4x3 upconverts? If so, my days of watching Smallville and Supernatural (other than the Blu-Ray sets that come out right before NEXT season) are OVER.

I'd e-mail KPLR and ask them about this, but my last several e-mails asking about the audio dropouts have gone unanswered.

Um, I'm not aware of KPLR acquiring the equipment necessary to record and rebroadcast a network feed in HD.

Good point, Bob. That was my first thought. Maybe management at KPLR doesn't know about this new HD thing. I've been a hot and cold fan of Reaper, but it's been tough to watch with the audio issues. Now there's a thought - maybe they're fixing the audio issue by eliminating HD from the equation.

Here's the point of view on this from the Post-Dispatch. Introduces KTVI into the equation in a way I'd never have foreseen:

KPLR (Channel 11) has made the move of its news official. The newscast expands to an hour and moves to 7 p.m. from 9 p.m. as of Sept. 8. Weekend news will disappear. The weeknight move will push CW network programming to 8-10 p.m. (in effect, Eastern time) from 7-9 p.m. (Imagine trying to get all those promos straight!)

General manager Bill Lanesey explains that people getting home later, maybe because of the I-64 disruption, may not have time to watch a 6 p.m. newscast, let alone one at 5 p.m. Those folks may be eager to come home, relax, have dinner with the family and then catch the news at 7 p.m., when the Channel 11 hour will be the only option. Viewership (households using television, or HUTS) are higher as the evening goes on, too, so CW shows may benefit from higher ratings. A side benefit: R-rated “Gossip Girl” will air at 8 p.m., not 7!

I’ll attach the official statement below, but there’s little chance that this isn’t the end of the story. The Tribune TV stations (now owned by the eccentric Sam Zell) have a deal with Local TV LLC that will put all both groups’ stations under shared management. Local TV LLC is the new owner of KTVI (Channel 2), and there’s much speculation that the deal could result in Fox 2 running CW 11. What was Fox’s 2’s only competition for its 9 p.m. newscast? You got it.

(the "official statement" referred to above is what I already posted here about a half hour ago)

Guess I'll be watching Gossip Girl at 8PM Monday. If it ain't HD, then no need to bother setting the DVR and the Media Center PC for Supernatural and Smallville on Thursday.

Guess that's why Friday Night Smackdown bailed on Channel 11

Not that I condone watching Wrestling

Or Gossip Girl for that matter :-)

Bob,

Very interesting. I'll be watching tonight as well.

Adrian

For those of you losing sleep over whether the new multi-billion dollar collider is going to destroy the world (I know I haven't had a wink of sleep since about 8:00 this morning), here's a web site for you (http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/).

I check this site every few hours. It's a Godsend.

For those of you losing sleep over whether the new multi-billion dollar collider is going to destroy the world (I know I haven't had a wink of sleep since about 8:00 this morning), here's a web site for you (http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/).

I check this site every few hours. It's a Godsend.

That's hilarious!!:)

Good point, Bob. That was my first thought. Maybe management at KPLR doesn't know about this new HD thing. I've been a hot and cold fan of Reaper, but it's been tough to watch with the audio issues. Now there's a thought - maybe they're fixing the audio issue by eliminating HD from the equation.

That is a good point about the upconverts... How can you tell if this is actually the case? When I had CW-11 on this weekend my TV was still reporting that the broadcast was either 720P or 1080i (can't remember which right now)...

On a completely other topic...

What kind of set-top antenna is everyone using? My 61A750 is in the basement so I have a crappy RCA HDTV antenna in the little window behind the TV to try and get as good a signal as I can, but it still suffers frequent signal loss on most channels, even on a clear day.

I built a ghetto-version DB4 antenna this weekend but I still need to find a place on the roof to mount it and run the long ass RG6 cable down to my meet-me-closet where all the network/phone/video (Cat5e & Coax) converge on. The run from the antenna will likely be about 75' before in hit the splitter/amplifier (that I still need to purchase).

I ask because I don't know if my ghetto rig will be any better than a quality set-top antenna and don't want to go through the time and effort to run the cable and such if it is not worth it...

The antenna looks like this one, except mine is ugly and made of 2x4s, chicken wire and stripped down Romex copper. :-D

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4606/db4morningnz3.jpg

That is a good point about the upconverts... How can you tell if this is actually the case? When I had CW-11 on this weekend my TV was still reporting that the broadcast was either 720P or 1080i (can't remember which right now)...

Here's my guess on what it will look like, assuming KPLR records the HD broadcast and plays it back an hour later as an SD upconvert....

Your TV will still receive a 1080i signal, but the actual program will be a letterboxed 4x3 signal windowboxed inside your 16x9 TV (in other words, black bars on all four sides of the picture.

And the sound will be Dolby 2.0 instead of 5.1

I hope I'm wrong.

Here's my guess on what it will look like, assuming KPLR records the HD broadcast and plays it back an hour later as an SD upconvert....

Your TV will still receive a 1080i signal, but the actual program will be a letterboxed 4x3 signal windowboxed inside your 16x9 TV (in other words, black bars on all four sides of the picture.

And the sound will be Dolby 2.0 instead of 5.1

I hope I'm wrong.

AACCKK!! Hope you are wrong as well. I guess I will turn on the CW and see what I get... although I can't think of anything that I watch on the CW right now...

Double AACCKK!! Looks like they're not even recording the HD feed in the first place.

We're getting the 4x3 480i feed upconverted to 4x3 1080i with black bars on the sides of our 16x9 TV's.... and Dolby 2.0 sound.

Apparently the HDTV crowd is waaaaaaay too small for KPLR to give a rat's ass about.

I just sent this email to the GM:

I just wanted to check and make sure that Ch.11 is eliminating HD in St. Louis. This seems to be the case, since Gossip Girl is in 4x3 with your move to push programming back an hour. I assume you don't have the equipment to record and play back the HD programming at a later time?

For the past year, many of your St. Louis viewers have had serious issues with CW11 HD quality, especially audio. It's interesting that you've chosen to solve those problems by taking away our ability to get CW shows in HD at all.

At a time when more and more programming is HD, and just a few months before the digital transition is complete, you've chosen to take a giant step backwards. Rest assured that I, along with many of your viewers, will not waste time with Ch. 11 programming anymore. There were several CW shows that I watched on a regular basis (if I could stand the consistent audio breakups) - including Smallville and Reaper. I'll miss those shows, but you've taken away any incentive I had to continue to watch.

Two thoughts:

Suddenly kSDk doesn't seem so bad by comparison.

I reeeeeally wish DirecTV had a national CW HD feed available, and that I could (legally) subscribe to it.

Man, this sucks!!

A few more thoughts...

KPLR has deliberately put itself in the same position that KDNL was in for a few years... broadcasting nothing but a 4x3 upconvert of the network's analog signal even though there is a genuine HD signal available from the network.

At least at the time, KDNL had the excuse that it didn't have the equipment to broadcast the HD signal. KPLR can do an HD broadcast, but is simply choosing not to.

A few years back, several WB shows used to repeat on TNT the following week. Too bad TNT and CW apparently don't have the same arrangement.

Since CBS owns half of the CW network, let's just shut CW down and move Smallville, Supernatural, and Reaper to CBS and get it over with. KPLR can then show Matlock and In the Heat of the Night after the 7PM news, and everybody can be happy.

I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see the CW shutter its windows for good. The network hasn't done well since UPN and the WB merged, and the competition for viewers just keeps on getting tougher.

I was a little hurt that the GM didn't get right back to me with that email I sent, though. You'd think he just doesn't care. :confused:

They can just watch their local ratings slip if there are enough HD people that won't watch and will use other means...

It's hard to know what they're thinking with this boneheaded play. It's like watching a 3-year-old stick a dead bird in his mouth. You cry out in horror and try to figure out a way to tell him how very stupid it is. (But you really know there's some dried up doggy poo out in the back yard with his name on it.)

The reason this is really dumb is because...do they really think that they are going to get better ratings a 7pm? I mean seriously..."I don't want to watch 'My Name is Earl' tonight because I really want to watch the news!"

Just the idea that people are going to pass on all the network shows to watch their dumb news is just mindboggling...