So are we all guessing that they will not be showing anything in HD this year or can I cross my fingers and hope they just had a 'glitch' last night.... I can tell you for sure that if they just went to a no HD line up that I will not watch anything on KPLR anymore. Instead I will turn to commercial ripped downloads and watch them on my xbox or something so that I can get my Smallville and supernatural kick for the season....

Standard def Xvid downloads through my xbox always look multiple times better than any analog or upconverted signal I have ever seen on my TV. I hate to mess with downloads only because I often forget to download them and get a few weeks behind but if my only other choice is to watch an upconvert you can bet I will.

I think we are guessing at this point, but it looks like a pretty good bet.

I stopped in at the South County Best Buy this afernoon, where they have a display of two Samsung LCD HDTVs, one with what looks like a just-out-of-the-box picture and the other supposedly calibrated. The uncalibrated set looks like most - colors over saturated, contrast and brightness cranked too high. The other set, however, looks much worse. It was flat, with no punch or life whatsoever, subdued colors and a yellow tint. I spoke with one of the young salesmen, and he made the typical comment, "Most people like the first set because it's brighter." I told him it wasn't just brightness. It was mainly contrast, followed by inaccurate colors and a wealth of other picture issues. I told him their set was giving calibration a bad name and they wouldn't convince anyone of the need to get a calibration from that display. I asked him to speak to the manager, but I think the next time I'm in there, I'll do that myself. I think 99% of the people who saw that display would prefer the first set, and so would I, by a wide margin.

Meanwhile, think twice before having one their home theater installers do a calibration if you buy a set there. Do yourself a favor and call Doug (DropTheRemote) instead.

So are we all guessing that they will not be showing anything in HD this year or can I cross my fingers and hope they just had a 'glitch' last night....

I think we're gonna be referring to HD on KPLR as "the good ol' days."

At least kSDk isn't the worst station in town anymore.

New name for channel 11: KraPLR

BTW, KraPLR actually started doing this LAST week.

The fact that none of us even noticed 'til last night speaks volumes about how many of us watch that channel in the first place. Maybe they were thinking "what have we got to lose?"

My Dish 622's timers will be changed tonight to remove any and all references to KPLR programming. :mad:

Well this may be why KPLR is no longer broadcasting in HD


Tribune and Local TV to Partner in St. Louis and Denver
Local Marketing and Shared Services Agreements Create More News and Programming Choices

Last update: 5:15 p.m. EDT Sept. 16, 2008
CHICAGO and CINCINATI, Sept 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a move that refocuses programming and news on the needs of the local community, Tribune Company and Local TV Holdings, LLC today announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to enter into a local marketing agreement for their television stations in Denver and a shared services agreement for their television stations in St. Louis. These agreements will enable the stations to stagger news, programming and community affairs programs so that viewers have more options to fit their increasingly hectic lifestyles. In Denver, the agreements will involve KDVR (Local TV/FOX) and KWGN (Tribune/CW). In St. Louis, KPLR (Tribune/CW) and KTVI (Local TV/FOX) will enter a shared services arrangement.
The agreements will allow the stations to locate in the same facility, use combined news operations and share certain programming. In St. Louis the stations will co-locate in the offices of KPLR and use one news room to produce nine hours of news every day, with no overlap. (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/tribune-local-tv-partner-st/story.aspx?guid={7F142F77-1C1A-4277-89ED-6218CC8E2FB3}&dist=hppr)

Wonder what this will mean for programming on KPLR and KTVI?

If KTVI owned HD recording equipment, I'd say this is a good thing since KraPLR would be able to use it for the CW primetime lieneup.

But I don't think they do. :(

Well this may be why KPLR is no longer broadcasting in HD


Tribune and Local TV to Partner in St. Louis and Denver
Local Marketing and Shared Services Agreements Create More News and Programming Choices

Last update: 5:15 p.m. EDT Sept. 16, 2008
CHICAGO and CINCINATI, Sept 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a move that refocuses programming and news on the needs of the local community, Tribune Company and Local TV Holdings, LLC today announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to enter into a local marketing agreement for their television stations in Denver and a shared services agreement for their television stations in St. Louis. These agreements will enable the stations to stagger news, programming and community affairs programs so that viewers have more options to fit their increasingly hectic lifestyles. In Denver, the agreements will involve KDVR (Local TV/FOX) and KWGN (Tribune/CW). In St. Louis, KPLR (Tribune/CW) and KTVI (Local TV/FOX) will enter a shared services arrangement.
The agreements will allow the stations to locate in the same facility, use combined news operations and share certain programming. In St. Louis the stations will co-locate in the offices of KPLR and use one news room to produce nine hours of news every day, with no overlap. (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/tribune-local-tv-partner-st/story.aspx?guid={7F142F77-1C1A-4277-89ED-6218CC8E2FB3}&dist=hppr)

Wonder what this will mean for programming on KPLR and KTVI?

Hopefully it won't screw with FOX programming... FRINGE kicks azz and looks pretty good to boot....

Sounds to me like for all practical purposes, KraPLR will be operated by KTVI (or the other way around). Considering KraPLR is the channel that moved its newscast so as not to compete with KTVI's newscast, I'd say more likely the first option than the second.

I recorded 90120 for my girlfriend and noticed that it was broadcast in HD, so maybe last night was a fluke?

I recorded 90120 for my girlfriend and noticed that it was broadcast in HD, so maybe last night was a fluke?

I sure hope so. Suddenly I wish I'd tuned in again to see tonight. Did it fill the entire 16x9 screen without black bars on the sides? Did people look normal, not short and fat? And was there genuine HD detail in the picture?

If this is the case, it would mean KPLR did indeed acquire HD recording equipment and just (forgot?) to use it last night. Sure hope so.

I'd like nothing better than for this to have been making a mountain out of a molehill.

I'll go ahead and set my DVR's for Smallville and Supernatural Thursday night, and we'll see what happens....

Thanks for letting us know there might be some hope here yet.....

Here's the e-mail I just sent to the KPLR engineering department:

Quick question for ya...

Gossip Girl and whatever was after it Monday night were both 4x3 upconverts instead of genuine HD.

I hope that was a fluke?

There's a lot of consternation going on at the AVSForum.com St. Louis OTA thread about KPLR's decision to move its newscast to 7PM and delay the CW primetime shows by an hour. We're not aware of KPLR owning any HD recording equipment, and have a nasty feeling this programming change will mean nothing but 4x3 upconverts of the analog signal instead of real HD for all CW shows.

Would you be able to shed some light on this?

Thanks...

I sure hope so. Suddenly I wish I'd tuned in again to see tonight. Did it fill the entire 16x9 screen without black bars on the sides? Did people look normal, not short and fat? And was there genuine HD detail in the picture?

If this is the case, it would mean KPLR did indeed acquire HD recording equipment and just (forgot?) to use it last night. Sure hope so.

I'd like nothing better than for this to have been making a mountain out of a molehill.

I'll go ahead and set my DVR's for Smallville and Supernatural Thursday night, and we'll see what happens....

Thanks for letting us know there might be some hope here yet.....

It filled the entire screen, no black bars. Everyone looked normal, no short and fat people and the picture looked good. It certainly didn't look like an upconvert.

Hopefully Smallville and Supernatural are in HD, only shows I care about.

Hopefully it won't screw with FOX programming... FRINGE kicks azz and looks pretty good to boot....

I thought Fringe was horrible. Just an XFiles + CSI mess.

Now True Blood is a good show :)

I'm in Memphis right now, but I'll be checking the posts on Thurs. night to see what happened with Smallville and Supernatural in HD.

Adrian

We're not aware of KPLR owning any HD recording equipment, and have a nasty feeling this programming change will mean nothing but 4x3 upconverts of the analog signal


The CW offers 3 feeds to its affiliates; one for the Eastern, Mountain and Pacific timezones. KPLR can simply take the HD Mountain feed without the need to record anything.

The CW offers 3 feeds to its affiliates; one for the Eastern, Mountain and Pacific timezones. KPLR can simply take the HD Mountain feed without the need to record anything.

Now THIS might be the piece of the puzzle we've been missing since the conversation started. Maybe they simply forgot to switch to the Mountain Time feed Monday night, and did it correctly Tuesday night?

It would certainly seem more logical than not showing any HD on CW programming just to run local news at 7PM!

I guess we'll find out tonight at 8:00.

Thanks for the info, awh!

My apologies for helping stir up a tempest in this teapot, if that's what it's been. I suppose I really owe Ch. 11 a thank you. After all, they've helped my communication skills over the past couple of years - what with having to fill in missing audio and video from the broadcasts with my imagination.

I thought Fringe was horrible. Just an XFiles + CSI mess.

Now True Blood is a good show :)


I like the Doc... of course that could be because I relate to him...

XFILES + CSI is a pretty good analogy though... Maybe they need Horatio on there to pull off his sunglasses in a dramatic fashion 8 or 9 times an episode...

I like the Doc... of course that could be because I relate to him...

XFILES + CSI is a pretty good analogy though... Maybe they need Horatio on there to pull off his sunglasses in a dramatic fashion 8 or 9 times an episode...

No, the GOOD CSI, not Miami, haha.

I like the Doc... of course that could be because I relate to him...

Are you...

...a lovable curmudgeon?

...posting from a mental institution?

...currently conducting illegal experiments?

...all the above?

Let's do lunch.

I like Fringe more than enough to want to see what they do with it. I don't think it's likely it'll find it's way to the top of my favorites list, but it definitely has potential. Joshua Jackson is sort of a Kiefer Sutherland-lite. Not sure if that's going to be a good thing or not.

Has anyone caught reruns of Lost on SciFi? One of the reasons I'm drawn to Lost, still, is how great it looks on ABC - real eye candy. The SciFi broadcasts, in comparison, have been soft and milky, at least on Dish. What does it look like on D*?

The Blu-ray Lost episodes look absolutely spectacular.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/tube-talk/tube-talk/2008/09/ktvi-kplr-merger-is-a-done-deal/
"KTVI boss Spencer Koch is meeting with folks at KPLR today to talk about their place in the two stations’ merger of operations, which will also result in KTVI moving to KPLR’s offices in Maryland Heights.

For months, everybody has known this was happening; Local TV LLC/Oak Hill Capital, which bought KTVI from Fox, has a deal with Tribune (which owns KPLR) to manage the two companies’ stations jointly. KPLR’s recent shift of its newscast to 7 p.m. was clearly part of the plan, although nobody was saying so at the time.

In St. Louis, the deal just announced is a ”shared services arrangement.” In addition to becoming roommates in KPLR’s digs (which are newer and much nicer than KTVI’s; they even have a gym), the stations will combine news operations."

This will be very interesting. The positive spin is that combining facilities might improve things for both stations. Let's hope.

This will be very interesting. The positive spin is that combining facilities might improve things for both stations. Let's hope.

I was just wondering what the FOX ppl were going to do when they shut down the Hampton ramp and bridge to Rt40 :)

Wonder if they will fire Tim Ezell (sp?)

I was just wondering what the FOX ppl were going to do when they shut down the Hampton ramp and bridge to Rt40 :)

Wonder if they will fire Tim Ezell (sp?)

He's the reason my mom stopped watching them. That wouldn't bother her.

Well, guess we're gonna have to wait til 9:00 to see if KPLR's gonna give us HD tonight... right now they're showing America's Next Top Model, a cheesy SD reality show. Tonight's moment of truth will be when 90210 starts about 50 minutes from now.

Here's hoping awh is right about them just showing the mountain time feed!

Just took a look at Monday night's Prison Break from KTVI. The picture changed to a letterboxed 4x3 upconvert for 30 seconds while KTVI showed us its local bug. Can this be the first "benefit" to the KTVI/KPLR "sharing of operations?"

Really odd... since an hour earlier, KTVI showed its local bug over the beginning of The Sarah Connor Chronicles without affecting the HD in the slightest.

Hoorays and hosannahs.......

90210 went HD as soon as the local KPLR bug disappeared!

I guess they just flipped a wrong switch Monday night.

My apologies to KPLR for most of the things I said about them the last few days (though they could have nipped this in the bud a lot sooner if they'd simply replied to the e-mails Joe and I sent them).........

One thing though... at the beginning of 90210, CW displayed a bug that clearly stated Dolby 5.1 where available. Seven minutes into the program, the sound is still 2.0.

Yes, I'm in a b!tchy mood lately. :D

Just took a look at Monday night's Prison Break from KTVI. The picture changed to a letterboxed 4x3 upconvert for 30 seconds while KTVI showed us its local bug. Can this be the first "benefit" to the KTVI/KPLR "sharing of operations?"

Really odd... since an hour earlier, KTVI showed its local bug over the beginning of The Sarah Connor Chronicles without affecting the HD in the slightest.

Fox stations can only show a single bug in the bottom right corner without dropping out of HD. That single bug is completely controlled by Fox. The local station is otherwise completely unable to tamper with the HD in any way other than to drop out of it.

That is the nature of the Fox splicer.

- Trip

Hoorays and hosannahs.......

90210 went HD as soon as the local KPLR bug disappeared!

I guess they just flipped a wrong switch Monday night.

My apologies to KPLR for most of the things I said about them the last few days (though they could have nipped this in the bud a lot sooner if they'd simply replied to the e-mails Joe and I sent them).........

One thing though... at the beginning of 90210, CW displayed a bug that clearly stated Dolby 5.1 where available. Seven minutes into the program, the sound is still 2.0.

I guess snarky (my email) and polite (your email) get the same reaction. That's the way it should be. Treat all your viewers the same - ignore them.

Who's the b!tchy one here? :D

Here's a peek (http://www.cinemaspy.ca/article.php?id=1357) at the Battlestar Galactica wrap book - some intimate, behind the scenes photos.

Here's a peek (http://www.cinemaspy.ca/article.php?id=1357) at the Battlestar Galactica wrap book - some intimate, behind the scenes photos.

Thanks Joe. When does the final season air?

Mo

I believe the BSG final episodes start airing in January.

Yes, it's January for the start of the final 10 episodes. Here's a link (http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=279928) to a ComicCon panel discussion of BSG that includes the creators and 6 of the actors. I'm sure many of the BSG fans here have seen this, but if not it's a blast. Kevin Smith is the panel moderator, and his questions are "colorful," if you know what I'm frakkin' talkin' about.

Smallville went HD as soon as KPLR's local bug went away. 2.0 channel sound, but Smallville's been broadcast in 2.0 for the last couple of years.

Guess we can retire the "Is KPLR still HD or not" thread, but I've yet to hear 5.1 channel sound from this station lately.

Supernatural, in addition to being one of my favorite shows, is also the second best sounding show on TV (or at least it was 'til KPLR's dropout problem came along), second only to 24 on Fox. I'll be waiting to see if the 5.1 channel audio is present.

Supernatural's been on for 14 minutes... so where the Hell is the 5.1???????????

Bob,

I'm guessing that Lost is 3rd on your list of the best sounding shows on tv, right?

Adrian

You are correct, sir, yes!!!!!

Though between the dropouts last year and the 2.0 sound so far this year, Supernatural is pretty much off the list... Lost is now the second best sounding show on TV.

Well, technically (cough, clears throat) Lost is your # 1 best sounding show right now, until you get the 24 movie in November. Hahah. Also, this is assuming that Lost sounds as good on SciFi HD as it did on ABC.

Adrian

Well, today's the day. I'm looking at 45 years young. Wow, I didn't know it would get here so soon!!

Adrian

Just curious. What type of OTA antenna does everyone use? i'm in SoCo (near the mall) and my reception is fairly spotty with a set-top in the basement window.

I recently built a home brew DB4 but I am still getting fairly garbage reception and can't pick up KETC digital at all with it hooked up to my crappy RCA amplifier.

Well, today's the day. I'm looking at 45 years young. Wow, I didn't know it would get here so soon!!

Adrian

Young whippersnapper! (rolls eyes).............................

Just curious. What type of OTA antenna does everyone use? i'm in SoCo (near the mall) and my reception is fairly spotty with a set-top in the basement window.

I recently built a home brew DB4 but I am still getting fairly garbage reception and can't pick up KETC digital at all with it hooked up to my crappy RCA amplifier.

I'm using a db2 from Antennas Direct, its in my attic and I pick signals up fairly good but that's because I'm in the city and the farthest a transmitter is away from me is 22 miles, with most being less than 5.

Well, today's the day. I'm looking at 45 years young. Wow, I didn't know it would get here so soon!!

Adrian

Happy birthday, Adrian. Hope you had a great day!

Just curious. What type of OTA antenna does everyone use? i'm in SoCo (near the mall) and my reception is fairly spotty with a set-top in the basement window.

I recently built a home brew DB4 but I am still getting fairly garbage reception and can't pick up KETC digital at all with it hooked up to my crappy RCA amplifier.

Radio Shack U-75R. 7-15 miles from the towers. Pretty good reception with everyone except for WRBU (which I only care about during college basketball).

Just curious. What type of OTA antenna does everyone use? i'm in SoCo (near the mall) and my reception is fairly spotty with a set-top in the basement window.

I recently built a home brew DB4 but I am still getting fairly garbage reception and can't pick up KETC digital at all with it hooked up to my crappy RCA amplifier.

I'm using a Channel Master 4221A here in north county just south of the airport with good success. WRBU is a bit spotty but from my perspective that tower is way off to the west from where the other towers are located. I bought it at Skywalker Communications in O'Fallon MO.

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.

Rumored for months before this. One rumor has it that somebody wants ABC, bad. So, why not downgrade the CW, before dumping it on a certain station...

Thanks Bob and Joe,

I had a nice day (saw a movie, played a concert, and went out afterwards). The folks I'm staying with have a nice little Vizio hdtv that's about 32'' or so, and they even know about correct aspect ratios. I'll return to STL on Sunday night, and it now appears that I'll be able to use my approved auto financing at the dealership of my choice near me, rather than driving way the heck down south. Timing's great, I think I'm buying myself a new car as a B-day gift.

Joe,

What do you think about my replacing the raw bulb in my H31 pj with a 200 watt pj bulb that has all the right specs, and put it into the same bulb housing I already have? That's essentially what I've done with the H79, and it worked fine and cost much less.

Adrian

Thanks Bob and Joe,

I had a nice day (saw a movie, played a concert, and went out afterwards). The folks I'm staying with have a nice little Vizio hdtv that's about 32'' or so, and they even know about correct aspect ratios. I'll return to STL on Sunday night, and it now appears that I'll be able to use my approved auto financing at the dealership of my choice near me, rather than driving way the heck down south. Timing's great, I think I'm buying myself a new car as a B-day gift.

Joe,

What do you think about my replacing the raw bulb in my H31 pj with a 200 watt pj bulb that has all the right specs, and put it into the same bulb housing I already have? That's essentially what I've done with the H79, and it worked fine and cost much less.

Adrian

Probably a good idea. I did that with a Sharp 9000 lamp years ago. I'm getting nowhere with Optoma on the H79 problems, and AVS doesn't handle Optoma anymore because of reliability issues. They stopped shortly after I bought the H79 - bad timing, huh?

Thanks for trying, Joe. These days, I'm most distracted with solving my car crisis, not the pj. Putting a cheap raw bulb in the H31 housing will atleast get my big picture back. Do you know of a business that could track down the bulb I need? The folks at relampit.com want around the same price for the reseated bulb and housing as I could spend for a brand new bulb/housing combo.

It's pretty funny that I got home from MI with time to watch the pj and listen to music, but the pj failed after a couple if days of watching, and 2 of my big amps are down, so no listening for me.

Adrian

I'm using a db2 from Antennas Direct, its in my attic and I pick signals up fairly good but that's because I'm in the city and the farthest a transmitter is away from me is 22 miles, with most being less than 5.

Apparently the guy that owns that place is an Ex-McDonald Douglas engineer...

I checked out AntennaWeb.og and all the antennas are within 5 or 6 miles of our house. Of course PBS is the opposite direction of the rest of them... :-(
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/576/antennawebeh3.jpg

Are you using an amplifier oon the line from the antenna to split the signal for multiple TVs? I bought a GE distro amp from home depot but it doesn't seem to be worth a poo.

SPECS:
Input : 1x IN - 4x OUT
Bandwidth : 50-900 Mhz
Gain : 3dB, 1 dB Min. to each port
Response Flatness : +/- 2dB

I think I need to try one of those 22 dB 1x IN / 1x OUT and push it into a passive splitter to go to all the other TVs in the house.

Anyone know if that would be better? Also, would it be usable for a sattelite dish as well? Still kicking around D-TV... I can't run antenna & dish to all the rooms in the house, only 2 of the rooms have 2x coax in the same location.

The folks at relampit.com want around the same price for the reseated bulb and housing as I could spend for a brand new bulb/housing combo.Adrian

I'm looking for a good company, too. I found this one (http://www.projectorlampcenter.com/?WT.srch=1&gclid=CNCkuprR7ZUCFQxsGgodEB01ew), but I don't know anything about them yet. They have a lamp for my Sharp XV-Z20000 cheaper than other places I've tried.

It's pretty funny that I got home from MI with time to watch the pj and listen to music, but the pj failed after a couple if days of watching, and 2 of my big amps are down, so no listening for me.

Adrian

Isn't it a serious drag when the old HDTV goes dark? I knew that feeling so many times with the Optoma H79 projector. Just the opposite is true of the Sharp XV-Z20000. It's been as trouble-free as the Optoma was a pain. And it looks like Sharp may be getting out of the home theater projection business. That's a shame if it's true.

I think I probably mentioned this, but it bears repeating. I now have just about flawless playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray, picture and sound, from the computer. I've had issues of one kind or another with computer playback off and on, to the point that something was compromised almost all of the time. The ATI Radeon 4850, for now anyway, seems to have solved all my former problems with HD playback - that is, the 4850 and a little research here on AVS. I'm now completely HDMI throughout the house, and it's simplified my life dramatically in terms of getting all my components talking together. I hoped I wouldn't, but I expected to run into HDMI problems, but I've lucked out.

Now, if I can just restrain myself from making that "final improvement," I might just be able to enjoy this for a while. One thing I'm doing, though, is backing everything up with Acronis TrueImage 11. If I do manage to screw it up, I should be able to get back to where I am now.

If the rumor is true concerning Sharp, then maybe some of their sweet pjs might be had for crazy deals. The Z12000 720p pj can be found for nice prices right now, but I still don't have the fundage.

Adrian

Anyone else watch the Emmy's tonight?
Any video issues?

Yes, nothing but. On both OTA and satellite. It's a real mess.

If the rumor is true concerning Sharp, then maybe some of their sweet pjs might be had for crazy deals. The Z12000 720p pj can be found for nice prices right now, but I still don't have the fundage.

Adrian

That is one sweet projector. I saw it demoed a couple of times. I loved my Sharp 9000, and now the 20000. They have great color management systems (CMS). I'd trade a 1080p Optoma for a 720p Sharp any day of the week, even with a large screen. Even at 110", I could live with a 720p projector. If I'd had the Sharp 12000 instead of the Optoma H79, I'd probably still be watching it today.

Anyone else watch the Emmy's tonight?
Any video issues?
Yes, nothing but. On both OTA and satellite. It's a real mess.
Jim??

Just curious. What type of OTA antenna does everyone use?
In the CWE near the Chase, about 5 miles from the major tower cluster.

1st floor big TV uses an old VHF/UHF/FM antenna on the 3rd story roof. A couple of elements have fallen off and the connections are rusty, but no problems with 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 30.

2nd floor office uses a Silver Sensor that has to listen through several inches of brick (house is 106 years old). 9 is not very strong, but all of the above channels are stable.

Yes, nothing but. On both OTA and satellite. It's a real mess.

Was it on ABC? GMA was a basket case this morning on OTA and SAT.

I have a standard ChannelMaster Yagi on top of my roof, about 30 degrees off axis from where it should be because of a huge windstorm 2 years ago.

All digital channels come in fine except 24-1 (which sometimes stutters) and 46-1 (which sometimes shows no signal at all). Even those two channels gave me decent reception when my antenna was pointed correctly.

I haven't watched anything on KDNL/ABC recently so can't comment on Emmy/GMA picture quality.

Was it on ABC? GMA was a basket case this morning on OTA and SAT.

Yes, ABC. The problem was at the source. Does anyone have Jim's pager number handy (as Ken suggested)?

Yes, ABC. The problem was at the source. Does anyone have Jim's pager number handy (as Ken suggested)?

314-259-5757 office
314-652-8355 cell
Jim
Note: in one post the cell/pager is typed as 314-852-8355, and in another 314-652-8355:)

Anyone watch Sarah Connor tonight? I noticed intermittent audio dropouts that ran through the whole program. Maybe Fox is using the Ch. 11 gear that was causing so many of the audio problems on the CW shows?

I bought a GE distro amp from home depot but it doesn't seem to be worth a poo.

SPECS:
Input : 1x IN - 4x OUT
Bandwidth : 50-900 Mhz
Gain : 3dB, 1 dB Min. to each port
Response Flatness : +/- 2dB



I might look for a little more bandwidth on the next one.

Walt

I might look for a little more bandwidth on the next one.

Walt

I was thinking that same thing... Crazy thing is that I can't find any that push over 1Ghz. Even the ones that the guys at Solid State suggested an amp that runs 50-900...

Joe,

Looks like I'm out of luck on finding a raw bulb for my H31. The people at relampit.com informed me that this particular bulb is not available for sale to individuals anywhere(pj repair businesses are ok), but the bulb for the H79 is. OTOH, I've found a site selling a new H31 bulb for slightly less than what the relampit people want for their service. I might go for that.

Adrian

I hope in a year or two, if I'm ready to part with my beloved Sharp 20000, there'll be an LED (or maybe laser) equivalent to lamps for front projection that I might like. They're already here, but expensive, dim and from companies I'm not sure about. In a couple of years, hopefully the technology will be more mainstream.

HDNet Movies is doing a sneak preview (http://www.tvpredictions.com/humboldt092108.htm) of "Humboldt County" today, two days before the theatrical release. It's part of an on-going experiment from HDNet's Mark Cuban that may not bode well at all for theater owners. No more sticky floors and Jujyfruit - whatever will we do?

That is one sweet projector. I saw it demoed a couple of times. I loved my Sharp 9000, and now the 20000. They have great color management systems (CMS). I'd trade a 1080p Optoma for a 720p Sharp any day of the week, even with a large screen. Even at 110", I could live with a 720p projector. If I'd had the Sharp 12000 instead of the Optoma H79, I'd probably still be watching it today.



I too love my Sharp. It's the XV-Z3000 720P DLP on a 106" screen. I got it at Magnolia for dirt cheap when my Panasonic AE-700 died on me. I got the 4 year extended warrenty so I've still got a free bulb coming. When this one goes I will be looking for a true 1080P. Bummer if sharp exits the FP arena...

Dave

HDNet Movies is doing a sneak preview (http://www.tvpredictions.com/humboldt092108.htm) of "Humboldt County" today, two days before the theatrical release. It's part of an on-going experiment from HDNet's Mark Cuban that may not bode well at all for theater owners. No more sticky floors and Jujyfruit - whatever will we do?

This is the second movie I've seen them do this with. The first was called "Shrooms", another indie flick distibuted by Magnolia Pictures. After watching it I don't think thater owners lost much money... Initial reviews of Humbolt County are a little better...

Dave

http://slashdot.org reference to Wilmington, N.C testbed (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/24/1421211)

I too love my Sharp. It's the XV-Z3000 720P DLP on a 106" screen. I got it at Magnolia for dirt cheap when my Panasonic AE-700 died on me. I got the 4 year extended warrenty so I've still got a free bulb coming. When this one goes I will be looking for a true 1080P. Bummer if sharp exits the FP arena...

Dave

I think I remember you talking about that, Dave. I'd be surprised if you've had any trouble with your Sharp. Mine have been extremely reliable (except for the one time I clogged my 9000 with dust during my livingroom-to-home-theater-room renovation - altogether my fault).

Oddly, I haven't seen a lot of LCD home theater projectors - none of the Panasonic's. I know I love the look of DLP, and my perception (from business LCD's) has always been that DLPs beat LCDs for image impact (intra-image contrast). I love that about DLP. The business LCDs I've seen always seem so much flatter. How did your AE compare to the Sharp?

http://slashdot.org reference to Wilmington, N.C testbed (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/24/1421211)

It's going to be ugly for a while. Thankfully, the education efforts are reaching at least some people. Just the other day, I was speaking with a 98 year old nun who is now aware of the Feb. 17th date. I recently helped her get a new HDTV installed, but many of the nuns in her order don't have a clue about what to do to prepare for the transition. I told her I'd be happy to meet with them and help them get through it. Many of them have just regular TVs with antennas. I might be really busy in the next few weeks. :)

This is the second movie I've seen them do this with. The first was called "Shrooms", another indie flick distibuted by Magnolia Pictures. After watching it I don't think thater owners lost much money... Initial reviews of Humbolt County are a little better...

Dave

I think HDNet Movies has done this 3 or 4 times now. I guess the numbers haven't been too bad or they would have pulled the plug on it already. Credit Mark Cuban with being willing to experiment in this area. I do think the theater owners have something to worry about because of direct-to-the-home movies, but I doubt it will be for several years.

The next big thing in movies, according to people I know in the industry, is 3D. It's a way for theaters to distinguish themselves from HDTV, as widescreen movies were decades ago when TV seemed to be a threat. The problem (for the movie theaters) is that the technology is there to do that at home, too. Still, there's still no 3D movie that I'm aware of that will play on those few Samsung and Mitsubishi sets that do 3D. The only things available right now are computer games. That has to change.

I acknowledge that Apple's attack ads against Microsoft and Vista are brilliant and hilarious. Conversely, Microsoft's latest responses to them seem severely lame in comparison. However, the distortion of reality that accompanies Apple products constantly amazes me. I shouldn't be surprised that reviewers usually start a comparison of the Apple iPhone and the new Samsung Instint by saying something like, "It's no iPhone." Then they go on to talk about all the things the Instinct can do that the iPhone can't, but still come back to the idea that it's "No iPhone." I know people with iPhones and they love them, but in the few times I've had the opportunity to play with them, I keep asking, "Can it do this, that or the other thing that the Instinct can?" No.

I can use the Instinct exclusively with my left thumb while having a sandwich at St. Louis Bread Company - to check weather, news, sports and my email, then get in my car and have it guide me to a movie I just found. It guides me by voice (naming the streets as I go) and corrects the route if I make a wrong turn.

I think if the Instinct had been the iPhone, the reviewers would be all over a competitor that omitted things like spare batteries, MicroSD storage, and a host of other features the Instinct has right now.

Here's a link (http://instinctthephone.com/?dl=video/vs/vs_live_tv) to the Samsung site that I think is in the same league with the Apple ads in terms of attacking a competitor. It's a hoot, and it's dead on when comparing features.

The Instinct is a piece of tech that I rate right up there with the most useful and fun that I own, including my home theater system. Well, I guess the screen size isn't quite as nice as my Sharp projector's. :D

I think I remember you talking about that, Dave. I'd be surprised if you've had any trouble with your Sharp. Mine have been extremely reliable (except for the one time I clogged my 9000 with dust during my livingroom-to-home-theater-room renovation - altogether my fault).

Oddly, I haven't seen a lot of LCD home theater projectors - none of the Panasonic's. I know I love the look of DLP, and my perception (from business LCD's) has always been that DLPs beat LCDs for image impact (intra-image contrast). I love that about DLP. The business LCDs I've seen always seem so much flatter. How did your AE compare to the Sharp?

While the AE-700 was great as my first projector because of it's low price and flexibility (2x Zoom, H+V shift) it did not have the "Pop" that DLP has. Colors are better and the screen image as a whole looks more like a CRT than the LCD. As you mentioned, image contrast is way better. I was worried about headaches from "rainbow effect" but I cannot even induce that when I try to (darting my eyes back and forth really fast)

The only down side is the fan noise. I'm in the process of building a hush box to surround it with large slow fans to insure good air circulation. I'm hoping by the time it kicks the bucket (which may be several years), laser based DLP units will be widespread and cheaper, along with better zoom lengths and vertical lense shift. Due to my basement layout I must have the projector mounted no more than 12' from the screen. This really limits my options and I was lucky that the Sharp fits perfect into that spot.

Dave

I acknowledge that Apple's attack ads against Microsoft and Vista are brilliant and hilarious. Conversely, Microsoft's latest responses to them seem severely lame in comparison. However, the distortion of reality that accompanies Apple products constantly amazes me. I shouldn't be surprised that reviewers usually start a comparison of the Apple iPhone and the new Samsung Instint by saying something like, "It's no iPhone." Then they go on to talk about all the things the Instinct can do that the iPhone can't, but still come back to the idea that it's "No iPhone." I know people with iPhones and they love them, but in the few times I've had the opportunity to play with them, I keep asking, "Can it do this, that or the other thing that the Instinct can?" No.

I can use the Instinct exclusively with my left thumb while having a sandwich at St. Louis Bread Company - to check weather, news, sports and my email, then get in my car and have it guide me to a movie I just found. It guides me by voice (naming the streets as I go) and corrects the route if I make a wrong turn.

I think if the Instinct had been the iPhone, the reviewers would be all over a competitor that omitted things like spare batteries, MicroSD storage, and a host of other features the Instinct has right now.

Here's a link (http://instinctthephone.com/?dl=video/vs/vs_live_tv) to the Samsung site that I think is in the same league with the Apple ads in terms of attacking a competitor. It's a hoot, and it's dead on when comparing features.

The Instinct is a piece of tech that I rate right up there with the most useful and fun that I own, including my home theater system. Well, I guess the screen size isn't quite as nice as my Sharp projector's. :D

I'm stunned by the devotion of Apple folks. While I admit they make good machines, the fact is people throw a lot more hardware and software at a PC than any Mac. I've been an MS engineer for almost 15 years. When I started all I heard was how great Novell was and how MS sucks. Well, if a MS server just did email and file/print sharing it would be just as stable as a Novell server, but people insist on loading all kinds of crap on them end expect them to run perfect. Then you throw in the fact that since MS was the desktop OS it made it very easy to exploit the underlying communications to spread viruses and MS got a really bad reputation. I'm not saying MS is the best OS, I'm just saying it's not as bad as some people would have you believe.

Can you imaging if MS created the Iphone and then months after release pulled the 3G switch that Apple did. People would be up in arms ripping into them.

Bottom line, blind devotion to any manufacturer is never a good thing. No company is perfect. No OS is perfect because once you set it up you taint it with third party software. I've been running Vista now for almost a year without issue. It runs better than XP did and I've been pushing it harder than ever. I recently switched my HTPC to Vista and so far I'm very happy with the results (knock wood).

That's just my opionion, FWIW.

Dave

I'm stunned by the devotion of Apple folks. While I admit they make good machines, the fact is people throw a lot more hardware and software at a PC than any Mac.

Can you imaging if MS created the Iphone and then months after release pulled the 3G switch that Apple did. People would be up in arms ripping into them.

Bottom line, blind devotion to any manufacturer is never a good thing.

Dave

When I taught I had plenty of opportunity to see lots of hardware and software thrown at Macs. You have to load them up to do serious video editing. At that point we had plenty of issues with them, too - all sorts of hardware and software conflicts, just as many or more than people have with PCs. Upgrading software on Macs was usually even worse, with the driver situation and software compatibility being more vexing than they typically are on PCs.

For the average person without computer experience, I always advise they get a PC. You can do more and you can do it cheaper, and it's no more difficult to learn than a Mac. I've helped a number of people here in the St. Louis area with home theater PC related stuff, like using MyHD to record and watch OTA programming. For even the most computer inexperienced, it's been relatively easy. And, my own transition to Vista has been painless. Within the last month, I"ve built and configured a new PC to do home theater duties using Vista. I've found it even easier than using XP.

Joe,

Thanks for the PM. As you know, I'm crazy about the Sammy Instinct as well. I have a few gripes with it, however. There is no place to insert the stylus into the phone, though a sleeve is provided on the side of the included leather carrying case. My phone has fallen out of that, so I use something else. I have found the TeleNav software used in GPS mode to be flaky. Sometimes the map info goes dead, even when I'm getting full signal strength. Exiting the application usually brings it back, but only for a couple of minutes sometimes. Sprint advertises that you can speak an address into the phone and have it activate GPS automatically, but Samsung confirmed for me that the phone will not do that. Last, I'm a bit bothered that the screen still emits light during a phone conversation. It dims after a few seconds, but if you're in a dark space, it's like having a flashlight in your face the whole time.

These are small gripes and I have reported them to Sprint and Samsung. Still, I'm very much a fan of the phone. It's with me all the time.

Adrian

Joe,

Thanks for the PM. As you know, I'm crazy about the Sammy Instinct as well. I have a few gripes with it, however. There is no place to insert the stylus into the phone, though a sleeve is provided on the side of the included leather carrying case. My phone has fallen out of that, so I use something else. I have found the TeleNav software used in GPS mode to be flaky. Sometimes the map info goes dead, even when I'm getting full signal strength. Exiting the application usually brings it back, but only for a couple of minutes sometimes. Sprint advertises that you can speak an address into the phone and have it activate GPS automatically, but Samsung confirmed for me that the phone will not do that. Last, I'm a bit bothered that the screen still emits light during a phone conversation. It dims after a few seconds, but if you're in a dark space, it's like having a flashlight in your face the whole time.

These are small gripes and I have reported them to Sprint and Samsung. Still, I'm very much a fan of the phone. It's with me all the time.

Adrian

Ask most iPhone users and you'll find many more significant complaints (and a much longer "wish list") than these. :) I've run into a few things, too, especially early on. I couldn't watch some of the videos for a few days and I called Sprint about it. They confirmed there was a problem with provisioning of those particular videos. They fixed that in a couple of days. I always expect some bugs with any new device like this, but so far Samsung/Sprint seems to be responding to the problems pretty quickly. It's still a very good experience, even for a product new to market. I had a Sprint/Samsung Palm based PDA phone before the Instinct, and it was a very good device, though much more limited. Samsung is a company that's been doing this for a long time, and their experience shows with the feature-rich Instinct.

Ask most iPhone users and you'll find many more significant complaints (and a much longer "wish list") than these.

No complaints from this iPhone user...I love it. I have not used the Samsung but it sounds like a very nice device. The beauty of Mac products is not just in the particular functions but in the style they are implemented. There are also some very cool "application" downloads available from 3rd party vendors that make the iPhone even more functional & enjoyable.

I'm waiting for the release of the Blackberry Storm. Full blackberry with wifi and touchscreen.

And I still don't even own a cell phone. Go figure.... :D

Supernatural was in HD last week...

So why the hell are we getting a (letterboxed) 4x3 upconvert tonight???????

Supernatural was in HD last week...

So why the hell are we getting a (letterboxed) 4x3 upconvert tonight???????

The last 10 minutes of Smallville was in letterboxed 4x3. Right as the preview for Supernatural came on, they had a please standby message on for about 30 seconds.

Not sure what it is about but ever since they went to that 7:00 news cast, there has been nothing but trouble with the CW programming.

Oh, now that was bizarre.

Right as I posted the previous message, the SD upconvert Supernatural was jarringly interrupted in mid-sentence by an HD Iron Man commercial for about 3 seconds, then equally jarringly resumed in SD, also in mid sentence.

Then it went to a scheduled commercial break, and started showing that same Iron Man commercial again, this time as a 4x3 upconvert.

Do Sam and Dean need to visit KraPLR, and "kill some evil sons of b!tches and raise a little hell?"

What I wouldn't give for a national CW-HD feed from DirecTV right about now....

Oh, now that was bizarre.

Right as I posted the previous message, the SD upconvert Supernatural was jarringly interrupted in mid-sentence by an HD Iron Man commercial for about 3 seconds, then equally jarringly resumed in SD, also in mid sentence.

Then it went to a scheduled commercial break, and started showing that same Iron Man commercial again, this time as a 4x3 upconvert.

Do Sam and Dean need to visit KraPLR, and "kill some evil sons of b!tches and raise a little hell?"

What I wouldn't give for a national CW-HD feed from DirecTV right about now....

Yeah I saw that Ironman commercial.
I agree would love a national CW-HD feed from DirecTV.

Yeah I saw that Ironman commercial.
I agree would love a national CW-HD feed from DirecTV.

As a Dish subscriber I get 3 or 4 CW channels. I'm hoping at least one of them goes HD by the end of the expansion.

This blows as I was really looking forward to the new seasons of Smallville and Supernatural.

Anyone else notice Survivor in HD. While there's not much eye candy in the cast (and they will only get worse as the days go by) the scenery is gorgeous.

Dave

Yeah, I remember the Superstation package from my Dish Network days. That's still the package I miss most... WPIX, KTLA, KWGN... even though the reason I signed up for it in the first place was to get the two UPN stations, WWOR and the one from Boston. That's how I got my Star Trek Voyager fix when St. Louis didn't have a UPN station.

But just to b!tch about KPLR one more time... why do the local Two and a Half men reruns get listed in the guides as HD when they've been nothing but upconverts from day one?

Last year, Jim stated that the Prime Time ABC closed caption issues would be resolved in the Fall. Well, I'm here to report that issues sadly remain. While my E* DVR decodes CC just fine in the mornings on GMA (HD channels via sat and OTA), they are missing (same channels & settings) during Prime Time. The "Boston Legal" and "Gray's Anatomy" season premiers each had no CC.

Bob,

I do admire your resistance to jump into the cell phone market, and understand the freedom that comes with it. Still, mine really came in handy and saved the day while I was in Memphis last week. I stayed with a musician friend who drove me back and forth to rehearsals and wherever. On my last day there, we had to drive seperately since I was headed back to St. Louis after the concert. On the way to the hall, which was one I hadn't been to, I realized that I'd left my coat and tie back at her house. I called her on my cell phone and we both pulled over on a side street. The concert was coming up fairly soon and she couldn't risk going back with me, especially since she was the first chair violinist. She gave me her house key and I used GPS on the phone to get back to her house. I then called the personnel manager, got the street address of the hall, and used GPS to get spoken turn by turn directions(and 3-d graphics) to the hall. I even made it there in time to start the concert. My goose would have cooked that day if I didn't have my Sprint Instinct with GPS.

Adrian

October's PC Magazine (which I just picked up this morning) has a couple of articles on the whole Mac/PC thing that say better than I ever have what frustrates me about Apple ads. The editor's article is titled, "Macs are PCs, Dammit!" Another article by John Dvorak talks about how the Mac has forced PC makers (dominated by the engineering-crowd mentality) to acknowledge that style is important in the lives of human beings. They're both good reads - objective and unbiased.

And John Dvorak has finally made the move to Vista. Since I just did, too, it makes me wonder how alike we might be. There could be worse things. Let me think.... wait.... No, nothing comes to mind.

Back on topic: Smallville sounded fairly clean last night on the CW, if only stereo. Too bad they showed the last quarter in windowboxed SD. Looked as though they just forgot to throw the switch. On the plus side, Bones the other night was pretty good throughout, picture and sound.

I'm going to give my nephew my old LG DVD Player/ATSC Tuner. He lives down in the Imperial area - sort of a valley off Old Rte. 21, about 2 miles south of where it hits new 21. I guess I'll find out next week when I take it down, but I thought I'd ask here what the OTA reception is like in that area. Anyone live close by?

Here's a deal (http://sellout.woot.com/) on a rebranded Toshiba A3 HD-DVD player at Woot - $50 for the player and 2 random HD-DVDs. That's a really good deal on a terrific upconverting DVD player, even if you never watch another HD-DVD movie in your life. I still use my A2 to watch SD DVDs, because I think it does a better job of upconverting than my PS3. I just ordered the player so I can give my nephew the LG. He doesn't have an ATSC tuner in his HDTV.

Wow,

That's a great deal!!

WOOT OF THE DAY www.woot.com

Pinnacle PCTV HD Card (PCI)
$19.99 + $5 shipping

TV Standards

* ATSC (HDTV up to 1080i, SDTV)
* NTSC (cable, over the air)
* ClearQAM (HDTV up to 1080i, SDTV)

Inputs

* TV antenna input (F-connector/Coaxial)
* FM antenna input
* S-Video, Composite Video (RCA), Stereo Audio (2 x RCA)

Recording Formats

* MPEG-1/2
* DivX®

System Requirements

* Windows Vista™ (32-bit) or Windows® XP with latest service pack
* Intel® Pentium® 4 2.4 GHz, Pentium M 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon™ 64 processor (for HDTV reception, a Pentium 4 2.8GHz or Pentium M 1.7 GHz or equivalent AMD Athlon 64 processor is recommended)
* RAM: Windows XP – 256MB (512MB recommended); for Windows Vista – 512 MB (1GB recommended)
* Free PCI rev. 2.3 slot
* Sound / graphics controller with support for DirectX® 9
* Hard drive with minimum 1 GB free space (20 GB recommended for TV recording)
* DVD player/burner
* Internet connection for registration/activation
* High-gain indoor or rooftop aerial and/or connection to an existing cable TV jack (coaxial cable)

In the Box:

* PCI TV tuner card for for ATSC, ClearQAM, NTSC and FM radio reception
* Mini remote control including batteries
* Remote control receiver cable
* FM radio antenna
* A/V Adapter Cable
* Printed quick start guide
* CD with Pinnacle TVCenter Pro and VideoSpin editing software

I'm going to give my nephew my old LG DVD Player/ATSC Tuner. He lives down in the Imperial area - sort of a valley off Old Rte. 21, about 2 miles south of where it hits new 21. I guess I'll find out next week when I take it down, but I thought I'd ask here what the OTA reception is like in that area. Anyone live close by?
Joe,
Old Rt 21 crosses New 21 in 2 places, east of Imperial...1 north of MM, and the other south. If he lives towards the north crossing, close to the Jefferson Heights area, I know someone living there, and they receive OTA fine, though they are using a roof-mounted DB8.
Probably no help, but I felt talkative tonight :)

Joe,
Old Rt 21 crosses New 21 in 2 places, east of Imperial...1 north of MM, and the other south. If he lives towards the north crossing, close to the Jefferson Heights area, I know someone living there, and they receive OTA fine, though they are using a roof-mounted DB8.
Probably no help, but I felt talkative tonight :)

I'm going to take my Silver Sensor over next week and try it with the LG. The LG ATSC tuner is not the latest technology, but the SS and the LG might give me a clue about the prospects of getting good reception with a better antenna.

I'm going to take my Silver Sensor over next week and try it with the LG. The LG ATSC tuner is not the latest technology, but the SS and the LG might give me a clue about the prospects of getting good reception with a better antenna.
Take a long run of coax, so you can play around with the SS outside. Even if it's not off ground level, being outside the structure may yield you some helpful indication. If you don't have one, I have some 100 footers...stop by, you'll already be 1/2 way here, or we could meet at a point 15 minutes for each...lmk.

BTW, those things you'll see, wondering around, eating grass, are called cows...they won't harm you :D

Did D* stop allowing the reception of FOX 88 (out o New York)? I haven't watched that channel recently. Since KTVI isn't going to broadcast the Cowboy/Redskin's game, I was going to watch it on that feed. However, the "receiver' indicates I have not purchased this channel?

Did D* stop allowing the reception of FOX 88 (out o New York)? I haven't watched that channel recently. Since KTVI isn't going to broadcast the Cowboy/Redskin's game, I was going to watch it on that feed. However, the "receiver' indicates I have not purchased this channel?

Yup, *D pulled the plug on our channel 88 a month or so ago. :(

Yup, *D pulled the plug on our channel 88 a month or so ago. :(


Thank you sir for the info....I knew I wasn't crazy!

Anyone know why?

Take a long run of coax, so you can play around with the SS outside. Even if it's not off ground level, being outside the structure may yield you some helpful indication. If you don't have one, I have some 100 footers...stop by, you'll already be 1/2 way here, or we could meet at a point 15 minutes for each...lmk.

BTW, those things you'll see, wondering around, eating grass, are called cows...they won't harm you :D

Good idea, Ken. I have a lot of coax that I've collected over the years, much of which is in the basement, unused. I replaced many of the digital audio lines (really just RG6 coax with RCA connectors/adapters) with HDMI. Amazing how many cables HDMI replaced in my rigs.

Actually, I was a country boy originally. I was born in southern Missouri. I've been in St. Louis, though, since about the 2nd grade, so I pretty much lost any accent I had and I don't remember much about those early years. Nothing to fear from cows, you say? I do occasionally have these vivid dreams about huge nipples. Could be related to some early trauma with bovines, I suppose.

Hmmm, I think I'll go have a donut and some milk.

Good idea, Ken. I have a lot of coax that I've collected over the years, much of which is in the basement, unused. I replaced many of the digital audio lines (really just RG6 coax with RCA connectors/adapters) with HDMI. Amazing how many cables HDMI replaced in my rigs.

Actually, I was a country boy originally. I was born in southern Missouri. I've been in St. Louis, though, since about the 2nd grade, so I pretty much lost any accent I had and I don't remember much about those early years. Nothing to fear from cows, you say? I do occasionally have these vivid dreams about huge nipples. Could be related to some early trauma with bovines, I suppose.

Hmmm, I think I'll go have a donut and some milk.
You're always finding a way to bring Shania into everything.

They had public school back then...for real?

I was nestled in the bosom of the St. Louis Public Schools, where they once demoted me a full year, measured my IQ a couple of years later at 138, then decided to have me skip a grade. Try sucking on that and see if you don't end up dazed and confused. Some people even say it made me unstable, but I'm not buying it.

Gotta go now. Shania's making me a snack. Hey, that glass is too full, sweety.

Some people even say it made me unstable, but I'm not buying it.
Gotta go now. Shania's making me a snack. Hey, that glass is too full, sweety.

Now that I have met you, I would have to agree you are not unstable.

But if you have the Shania I am thinking of pouring you milk..... I think I need to make a visit very soon to checkout your theater setup! :D


It was ashame we had to cut the visit short, but the band did place 4th overall! :)

Actually, I'm the one who's always bringing Shania into everything, so give me my credit where it's due! :D

Actually, I'm the one who's always bringing Shania into everything, so give me my credit where it's due! :D

Credit given! :) But if she is serving milk, I have to go to Joe's! :D

Ken, Sat. morning, depending on his directions, he may have past a cow or 2. No cows to be seen from the house, but I did introduce him to a LCD projector! ;)

I was really impressed by your home theater room, Tom. Another friend of mine has the DaLite High Power 119" screen, and it always amazes me how much bigger it looks than my 110". Very nice. And your Mitsubishi LCD throws a great image!!! They've come a long way with LCD systems and I'm glad I finally got a chance to see one on a big screen.

From today's Wall Street Journal:

TiVo, Nero Unveil Package That Lets PCs Record TV (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122265023394784227.html?mod=rss_whats_news_technology)

Yup, *D pulled the plug on our channel 88 a month or so ago. :(

I still have it for some reason. Along with the mpeg4 398.

I still have it for some reason. Along with the mpeg4 398.Oh sure, rub it in. My D* 88 has been gone for a while.

I still have it for some reason. Along with the mpeg4 398.

Why dont you call D* and ask why?

Guys,

I was just sitting here thinking about the fact that I've tried a couple of different types of rooftop hdtv antenna setups in the past with no luck at all. One was made by Terk and was shaped like a bar with curved edges, while the other was fancier with fold out arms(I don't remember the brand). In both cases, I used plenty of RG6 and ran it out the window while someone else walked around the roof waiting for me to get a signal. I couldn't pick up anything more than a single station with the fancier one, and nothing at all with the Terk. I live in Fergusen near the airport. I've had much better luck with a couple of indoor pieces like the SS and a Radio Shack powered unit. Does it make sense that I would get better results with indoor antennas rather than rooftops?

In looking back at all this, maybe it was my fault. I eventually figured out at some point that hdtv tuners have to run scans to pick up digital channels, and maybe I didn't do that with each new roof location that was chosen. I did this quite often while I was testing my indoor OTA. I'm thinking that I need to try my foldout rooftop again. Anybody want to check my logic? Sorry, I'm mostly just thinking out loud about this.

Adrian

Why dont you call D* and ask why?

I was afraid to call them and have them fix my programming, but I did anyway and I still didn't lose it.

I don't use it that often anyway, but I did use it Sunday for the real football game.

Guys,

I was just sitting here thinking about the fact that I've tried a couple of different types of rooftop hdtv antenna setups in the past with no luck at all. One was made by Terk and was shaped like a bar with curved edges, while the other was fancier with fold out arms(I don't remember the brand). In both cases, I used plenty of RG6 and ran it out the window while someone else walked around the roof waiting for me to get a signal. I couldn't pick up anything more than a single station with the fancier one, and nothing at all with the Terk. I live in Fergusen near the airport. I've had much better luck with a couple of indoor pieces like the SS and a Radio Shack powered unit. Does it make sense that I would get better results with indoor antennas rather than rooftops?

In looking back at all this, maybe it was my fault. I eventually figured out at some point that hdtv tuners have to run scans to pick up digital channels, and maybe I didn't do that with each new roof location that was chosen. I did this quite often while I was testing my indoor OTA. I'm thinking that I need to try my foldout rooftop again. Anybody want to check my logic? Sorry, I'm mostly just thinking out loud about this.

Adrian
Adrian,
Generally speaking, with OTA, the higher off the ground the antenna is, the better the reception. Qualified to say, there is no science to terrestrial reception.

You only need to do one scan, that being with your indoor working antenna. Once the channels are scanned and locked, simply switch to your outdoor antenna, walk the roof, and see if you still have signals. There's no need to re-scan at that point.

If you're close enough to the airport to where multi-path may be an "added bonus," this is also something to consider.

KDG454,

Being in Farmington, do you receive any OTA HDTV signal? I have a place 12 miles south of Bourbon and can receive channels 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11 but no HD stations or channel 30. As the crow flies, I am about 50 - 60 miles from the stations. My antenna is a large one and mounted quite high.

I know the higher freq (UHF) channels do not travel as far as VHF. It appears that a lot of people will lose all their TV reception come next Feb. There are lots of people that cannot afford satellite.

I am hoping not to have to subscribe to satellite but have my doubts of any other solution.

Your thoughts?

Thanks,
Steve

Thanks Ken,

What was stuck in my head was rescanning for any OTA channels that did not show up and lock in when I was at the beginning of the process way back when. Now that channels are locked in pretty well, I'll try the roof search again. I don't get channels like 24-1 or 47-1 inside the house, so I'd have to rescan for those on the roof, right? Yes, I'm in a pretty crappy valley quite close to the aitport. Planes fly by and disrupt the sat signal as well. Bummer.

Adrian

My antenna is a large one and mounted quite high.At UHF frequencies feedline contributes a lot to the overall signal losses. Be sure you have a good grade of RG-6 or better, connectors properly crimped, no balun transformers or other adapters, splitters, etc. If necessary, add a low noise preamp AT THE ANTENNA.

Charter Reneges on HD Choices Promise

From today's TV Predictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/charter093008.htm) web site:
________________________________________________________

Charter Communications promised in November 2007 to double its High-Definition lineup to more than 40 channels in every market by the end of 2008.

However, you can apparently throw that promise right out the window.

In an interview this week with Multichannel News, Charter CTO Marwan Fawaz was asked about the company's pledge to double its high-def lineup in 2008.

His response?

"We’re adding a significant amount of HD channels, but it really varies based on market. We’re adding what we believe are the right channels. And we’re not necessarily adding just linear channels -- we’re adding on-demand," Fawaz told the publication.

Is this a Charter Communications executive?

In other words, Charter subscribers, you can forget what the company promised you nearly a year ago. It's inoperative. Meaningless. Incorrect.

And, if you're a bit cynical, you might be tempted to call it a bunch of lies designed to keep you as a subscriber back in November 2007 when DIRECTV started adding more high-def channels.

Charter is now refusing to commit to offering 40 or more HD channels in each market. In fact, it's not even saying it will offer a specific number of channels.

Charter now offers less than 30 high-def channels in many markets, with the numbers in the low 20s in some. But Fawaz apparently believes that it's not important to have more channels so long as you're getting "the right channels."

I guess Fawaz is the best judge of what constitutes the "right channels."

In November 2007, Charter said it would "stay competitive with our peers."

But now it appears that the company has decided that staying competitive is simply too much trouble.
________________________________________________________

KDG454,

Being in Farmington, do you receive any OTA HDTV signal? I have a place 12 miles south of Bourbon and can receive channels 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11 but no HD stations or channel 30. As the crow flies, I am about 50 - 60 miles from the stations. My antenna is a large one and mounted quite high.

You say you have a "large" antenna and can't receive channel 30 in analog. It's quite possible the antenna you have is VHF-only, and you need to replace it with a UHF antenna.

- Trip

Charter Reneges on HD Choices Promise

From today's TV Predictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/charter093008.htm) web site:
________________________________________________________

Charter Communications promised in November 2007 to double its High-Definition lineup to more than 40 channels in every market by the end of 2008.

However, you can apparently throw that promise right out the window.

In an interview this week with Multichannel News, Charter CTO Marwan Fawaz was asked about the company's pledge to double its high-def lineup in 2008.

His response?

"We’re adding a significant amount of HD channels, but it really varies based on market. We’re adding what we believe are the right channels. And we’re not necessarily adding just linear channels -- we’re adding on-demand," Fawaz told the publication.

Is this a Charter Communications executive?

In other words, Charter subscribers, you can forget what the company promised you nearly a year ago. It's inoperative. Meaningless. Incorrect.

And, if you're a bit cynical, you might be tempted to call it a bunch of lies designed to keep you as a subscriber back in November 2007 when DIRECTV started adding more high-def channels.

Charter is now refusing to commit to offering 40 or more HD channels in each market. In fact, it's not even saying it will offer a specific number of channels.

Charter now offers less than 30 high-def channels in many markets, with the numbers in the low 20s in some. But Fawaz apparently believes that it's not important to have more channels so long as you're getting "the right channels."

I guess Fawaz is the best judge of what constitutes the "right channels."

In November 2007, Charter said it would "stay competitive with our peers."

But now it appears that the company has decided that staying competitive is simply too much trouble.
________________________________________________________

This is why I dumped Charter TV for D* last year and haven't looked back since. With AT&T announcing they are going to start bundling D* on 1/31/09, I'll be changing to U-verse for internet hopefully.

Interesting results on my test of a Silver Sensor antenna in the Imperial area this afternoon. No matter which way I turned the antenna, inside or out, I couldn't get a lock on any channel that stayed for more than a few seconds, except... wait for it... KNLC, Ch. 24.1. It stayed locked in pretty much any way the antenna was turned.

That's good enough for me. I'm watching only Ch. 24 from now on. :D

I think, with a good antenna on a tall pole, reception might be OK. Others have rooftop antennas in the area. Any suggestions for a good installer in that area - that is, near 141, old 21 and new 21?

TigerDirect has the Canon HF100 HD camcorder (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3588924&sku=C925-1350) for $599, today only. If you're in the market for an HD camera, this is a real gem. It uses SDHC memory cards (Class 4 or 6) - the ones the size of a postage stamp - to record AVCHD video (MPEG4). I get a little over 2 hours at the best image quality with a 16GB card. Cards cost a lot more than tape, but they're also a lot more convenient. I have the HF10 (this camcorder's big brother, despite the number) and I love it. Editing is still less convenient than HDV or SD, but it will get better. And this thing is tiny, a great vacation camcorder - or good for those band competitions, Tom. The future of the camcorder is tapeless.

I am near telegraph and becker in the Oakville area.
I can get all OTA digital stations with an attic antenna except
for KMOV station 4.1.
Channel 11.1 KPLR comes in fine and I think they
share a tower with 4.1 in the Lemay area.
Kmov comes and goes, when I can get it, it looks great.
Any one getting 4.1 without problems?

TigerDirect has the Canon HF100 HD camcorder (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3588924&sku=C925-1350) for $599, today only. If you're in the market for an HD camera, this is a real gem....


I bought the HF100 back in July and I'm very happy with it as well.
After getting the right codec (CoreAVC) the raw videos play pretty well on my HTPC with MediaPortal.

I think I paid $640 back in July from Amazon.

Token

I am near telegraph and becker in the Oakville area.
I can get all OTA digital stations with an attic antenna except
for KMOV station 4.1.
Channel 11.1 KPLR comes in fine and I think they
share a tower with 4.1 in the Lemay area.
Kmov comes and goes, when I can get it, it looks great.
Any one getting 4.1 without problems?

I'll check when I get home from work, but I'm only about 2 miles north on Telegraph and haven't been having any problems. I'm using the biggest RadioShack rooftop antenna I could fit in my attic. I typically only have problems with 24 and 46, but never watch them.

Charter Reneges on HD Choices Promise

From today's TV Predictions (http://www.tvpredictions.com/charter093008.htm) web site:
________________________________________________________

Charter Communications promised in November 2007 to double its High-Definition lineup to more than 40 channels in every market by the end of 2008.....
.....But now it appears that the company has decided that staying competitive is simply too much trouble.
________________________________________________________
Charter11 is still in business?

I'll check when I get home from work, but I'm only about 2 miles north on Telegraph and haven't been having any problems. I'm using the biggest RadioShack rooftop antenna I could fit in my attic. I typically only have problems with 24 and 46, but never watch them.
Thank you for the reply.
I adjusted the antenna from slightly NE to Slightly NW and it made a big improvement
in KMOV 4.1. The following stations now come in good with my attic antenna.
2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 11.1, 24.1, 30.1, and 46.1.

Thank you for the reply.
I adjusted the antenna from slightly NE to Slightly NW and it made a big improvement
in KMOV 4.1. The following stations now come in good with my attic antenna.
2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 11.1, 24.1, 30.1, and 46.1.

I am over off Cordes by the mall so my reception has been kinda spotty too. What model antenna do you use?

I recently built a DB4 but it didn't work out as well as I hoped... Trying to talk a guy at work into giving me hos antenna direct DB4 and post before he sells his house... :D

I am over off Cordes by the mall so my reception has been kinda spotty too. What model antenna do you use?

I recently built a DB4 but it didn't work out as well as I hoped... Trying to talk a guy at work into giving me hos antenna direct DB4 and post before he sells his house... :D
I have an old double bow tie UHF antenna that I put in the attic in 1986 when
cable was not yet available in our part of the subdivision.

Not sure how this figures in but, KSDK's (Channel 5) antenna is 340 meters about ground. My antenna, for sake of discussion, is 40 feet above ground and 53 miles from the KSDK tower. If there are no trees/hills in the way, line of sight at those elevations is 48 miles visual, and 56 miles reach for radar.

My antenna is a VHF/UHF antenna and I do not get Channel 30 or any of the HDTV channels.

I am trying to determine if I will get reception with a new antenna without having to buy one and give it a try. Seems like I am very boarder line for reception even with a good antenna.

/Steve

Does anyone have vonage that had charter phone installed before that since thats not a traditional setup how would i go around to doing this? The way i was thinking of how to do this is that the box that charter comes into with the phone i unplug the phone jack things and also disconnect from the apc they installed.

I need a bit of advice for high speed internet.

I live in the O'Fallon, MO area and the only DSL service available is CenturyTel. I have been using them for a number of years (1.5Mbps), but have been tempted to switch to Charter for internet. They have a cheaper deal (for 6 months) and faster speeds. Is it worth the switch or does Charter Internet have lots of problems?

BTW, I have DirecTV, so I wouldn't use their cable package. Will Charter try to add a bunch of fees, since I don't subscribe to their cable package or phone package?

Thanks in advance!

Jeremy

I have used both services. From my viewpoint I had issues with both companies, but I have returned to Centurytel.

I would give them an equal grade on Internet service. Depending on your location, Centurytel has speed up to 10/768, I believe Charter is up to 16/2. If you happen to be in new construction or a test area for Centurytel they offer up to 15 down, not sure of the upload. This is done with fiber to the home. Remember if you have no other services with Charter you will be hit with an additional $10 fee for the internet service, this may only show up after the promotion has expired.

Customer service: Centurytel has far surpassed Charter in my experience with both companies, as well as friends that have used both. I had Charter for 1 year, received 5 correct bills in that time period. I could actually go on and on about my Charter experience. I thought I would be able to handle them, but I told my wife to never let me use them again...

Does CenturyTel offer an internet package without an active land line yet?
I got flyer in the mail a while back but never looked into it.

When I setup my internet service a few years ago, you couldn't get internet without an active phone line.

They offer it, although like Charter the cost is more than with a phone line. They may tell you they can't do it because you are a current customer, but my understanding it that everyone is eligible for the service in a CT area.


http://givemepure.com/

Thanks for the info!

Hello all. I'm very new to getting HD via OTA. When I first got an indoor antenna (I live in a high rise apartment), KMOV (4.1) came in just fine. A couple of weeks later, no signal whatsoever. This all happened around the Master's this year.

Does anyone have any suggestions in terms of what may have caused this? I apologize if this has been discussed before.

Hey Dave,

You might want to mention the general area that you are in, as well as the specific indoor antenna you are using. Hopefully, someone near you will chime in and offer help.

Well guys,
It turns out that the rooftop antenna I tried with no results way back when is the Wineguard 6010. I got it out last night, and connected it to the MyHD card instead of my SS. It took some moving around, and it's generally up higher than it was when I had it indoors last, but I got much better OTA results this time. All channels that I normally get are locked in with strong levels except 9-1 thru 9-4( I was still able to watch a stable picture regardless of the low signal). I'm totally convinced that I must not have had any channels locked when I first tried this thing up on the roof. I'm now excited to get it back out outside to see if I can get the 9s stronger and to see if 47-1 or other weak channels will come in.

Adrian

Thank you for the reply.
I adjusted the antenna from slightly NE to Slightly NW and it made a big improvement
in KMOV 4.1. The following stations now come in good with my attic antenna.
2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 11.1, 24.1, 30.1, and 46.1.
Sorry I didn't get a chance to check my reception earlier, but I've been busy setting up my new garage accessory:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/gateway_sc/92%20SC/IMG_0784_7x8.jpg
Anyway, my 4.1 is still working and it looks like you found your problem.

I live along the west side of Forest Park (just north of Clayton and Skinker). I am using an RCA indoor antenna, Model: ANT111. Thanks Adrian.

I live along the west side of Forest Park (just north of Clayton and Skinker). I am using an RCA indoor antenna, Model: ANT111. Thanks Adrian.
4.1 is solid here at the east end of Forest Park, second floor indoor antenna firing through 3 layers of brick.

My "Notification" goes away when I switch from desk top to laptop on the road, so I missed e-mails about problems.

During the Emmy's we had some microwave issues that only affected some receivers.
ABC is in the process of updating all their HD distribution equipment which will deliver CC on the HD path. They are behind schedule, but we should be installed by the end of the year. We also are installing new local equipment that will allow us to do HD crawls without having to switch out of HD.

Correct cell phone # is 314-852-8355.

We also are installing new local equipment that will allow us to do HD crawls without having to switch out of HD.

Correct cell phone # is 314-852-8355.

This is great news on HD crawls!

Can you comment on the volume of commercials relative to shows? I had to keep turning down the volume on my amplifier durring commercials while watching college football last saturday. It was amazingly loud. I know tv stations like to make sure you hear the ads, but this was more annoying than normal.

.......ABC is in the process of updating all their HD distribution equipment which will deliver CC on the HD path. They are behind schedule, but we should be installed by the end of the year. We also are installing new local equipment that will allow us to do HD crawls without having to switch out of HD........

Cool! Thank you for the updates, Jim. I'm sure there is a good reason, but why is CC fine with GMA each morning yet completely gone in Prime Time?

This is great news on HD crawls!

Can you comment on the volume of commercials relative to shows? I had to keep turning down the volume on my amplifier durring commercials while watching college football last saturday. It was amazingly loud. I know tv stations like to make sure you hear the ads, but this was more annoying than normal.

Channels 2.1, 5.1, and 11.1 OTA have the same issue, as does Fox Sports Midwest on DirecTV.

Cool! Thank you for the updates, Jim. I'm sure there is a good reason, but why is CC fine with GMA each morning yet completely gone in Prime Time?

That's a good question! The signal travels the exact same path...plus we have CC on our monitors.

This is great news on HD crawls!

Can you comment on the volume of commercials relative to shows? I had to keep turning down the volume on my amplifier durring commercials while watching college football last saturday. It was amazingly loud. I know tv stations like to make sure you hear the ads, but this was more annoying than normal.

Another HD anomaly! I can sometimes hear a slight difference when monitoring in 2 channel, but it's not annoying. When a show is in 5.1 the encoder stays in that mode for the whole show. Some receivers may not like 2 channel commercials. Our new system will use a TC Electronics loudness and format controller so the receivers will always see 5.1 audio even on 2 channel content. Also, the networks are working on better audio control. In addition, I'm expecting a Dolby loudness monitor soon.

Anybody else having issues with their HR20's today?

I have two HR20-700's, one in the family room, one in the master bedroom, installed about three months apart. Both are on surge protectors. In fact, the unit in the family room is on a battery backup.

When I got up this morning, both of them were completely unresponsive to the remotes. Also unresponsive to pushing buttons on the units themselves. Had to do red button resets on both.

This afternoon, the HR20 in the family room is dead again, and not even a red button reset is working. I'm gonna do a hard cold reset (unplug from power and plug back in after a few minutes). The bedroom unit seems to be still working fine.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Apparently LOTS of people had problems with their HR20's today... and HR21's, and HR22's....

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=141604

Yep Bob,

I had the same problems with my HR20 today. The soft reset worked, but I won't be home until late tonite to see if it's still responsive to the remote. I'll check out the link you posted.

Adrian

WTF????????

Both of my HR20's are currently in the process of spontaneously rebooting.

I was in the middle of watching a recorded show on one of them and WHAM!

"Welcome! Starting up...."

WTF????????

Both of my HR20's are currently in the process of spontaneously rebooting.

I was in the middle of watching a recorded show on one of them and WHAM!

"Welcome! Starting up...."

On DBStalks, they announced that this would happen. It was to fix the issues.

Anybody else having issues with their HR20's today?Yep, happened to me too.

If this was actually mentioned prior to the event over at dbstalk, I need to start checking there more frequently.

Slickdeals.net notes some exceptional deals today: (http://slickdeals.net/#p3787) 4GB of PC6400 memory for $29, an Intel Core2Quad 9550 for $285, and 1TB hard drives for $90.

That's a good question! The signal travels the exact same path...plus we have CC on our monitors.

Jim, I'll do some more checking. What I see comes from my Dish Network VIP receiver. I see no CC in the PM via the sat channel or the OTA decoder. My DLP set lacks an ATSC receiver but my Panny plasma in the bedroom has one that I seldom need to use. I'll see if there is any CC there and will report back. I'm pretty sure the answer will be "nope".

Has anyone seen a Blues HD schedule yet.

Has anyone seen a Blues HD schedule yet.

here

http://blues.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=TeamSchedule

There are several listed as hd, but they don't look available in STL. It's also a little flaky that you have to figure out if they are home or away to see what is available HD.

I would imagine most home games broadcast by FSNMW will be in HD. That is basically what it looks like.

Received in my e-mail from DirecTV a few minutes ago:

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR HD DVR OR DVR RECEIVER

In our effort to improve and expand our service, we experienced a temporary technical glitch. If your HD DVR or DVR receiver is not responding to your remote control or front panel commands, you can resolve this issue by pressing the red "Reset" button located inside the small door on the front right corner of your receiver. Please allow about 15 minutes for your receiver to complete the resetting process. Once completed, your picture will return automatically. Unfortunately, any show you may have scheduled to record yesterday will not be available on your DVR.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Our promise is to provide you with the best television experience, and to resolve any issues that might arise as quickly as possible. If you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate in contacting us at 1-800-347-3288.

Received in my e-mail from DirecTV a few minutes ago:

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR HD DVR OR DVR RECEIVER

In our effort to improve and expand our service, we experienced a temporary technical glitch. If your HD DVR or DVR receiver is not responding to your remote control or front panel commands, you can resolve this issue by pressing the red "Reset" button located inside the small door on the front right corner of your receiver. Please allow about 15 minutes for your receiver to complete the resetting process. Once completed, your picture will return automatically. Unfortunately, any show you may have scheduled to record yesterday will not be available on your DVR.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Our promise is to provide you with the best television experience, and to resolve any issues that might arise as quickly as possible. If you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate in contacting us at 1-800-347-3288.

I must have missed the part where they were going to credit us for the inconvenience :rolleyes:

I just got this email from Netflix:

Dear Joseph,

As you may know, Blu-ray movies are more expensive than standard definition movies. As a result, we're going to start charging $1 a month (plus applicable taxes), in addition to your monthly membership charge, for unlimited access to Blu-ray movies.

The additional charge for unlimited Blu-ray access will be automatically added to your next billing statement on or after November 5th, 2008 and will be referenced in your Membership Terms and Details. If you wish to continue getting Blu-ray movies for $1 a month more, you don't need to do anything. If not, you can remove Blu-ray access anytime by visiting Your Account at the Netflix website.

If you have questions about this change or need any assistance, please call us anytime at 1-888-638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

I'd heard that they were going to start doing this, so it's no great surprise. A dollar extra per month isn't too bad for Blu-ray. It goes from $8.99 to $9.99. Still the best deal for Blu-ray rental, IMO.

Bob,

No problems with my HR20 dvr after that soft reset I did. I got that same email as well. They are also pumping out that message if you call the CS reps. I needed to talk to them because I found out that D* was trying to take just over $75 out of my checking account, even though I have a zero balance, and it's well ahead of my 10-19 billing date. They agreed to release the authorization hold on the funds.

I think I might have that huge analog Sony crt sold. Hopefully, it'll be gone tomorrow. I'm also making it clear that I'm not going to be one of the 3 guys(minimum) needed to move the set!!

Adrian

No problems with my HR20 dvr after that soft reset I did. I got that same email as well. They are also pumping out that message if you call the CS reps. I needed to talk to them because I found out that D* was trying to take just over $75 out of my checking account, even though I have a zero balance, and it's well ahead of my 10-19 billing date. They agreed to release the authorization hold on the funds.
Adrian

That sounds like a Charter tactic. After my godfather moved several years ago, and the account was closed, they tried to charge him several months later for the old account. Even after talking with them and getting it "straight," they billed him again. It took some time to clear it all up.

NBC announced yesterday that it plans to dump digital channel Weather Plus. A date wasn't given. Perhaps we can hope that 5-02 is removed and bandwidth restored.

Sounds like too much common sense for kSDk to muster. :D

Perhaps we can hope that 5-02 is removed and bandwidth restored.
I don't think you would see much improvement. KSDK is currently using only 2.5Mbps for 5.2, and 15.5Mbps for 5.1. That is comparable to the 15.0Mbps Jim is using for 30.1. He says he tried different bit rates and could not see any difference beyond 15Mbps.

If KSDK has any picture deficiencies, they must be due to something other than sheer bandwidth.

If they do restore the bandwidth, it could make a difference. 1080i is harder to compress than 720p (which ABC uses). 1080i (NBC) needs all the bandwidth it can get. I doubt they'll restore it, though. They probably have some other, equally good use in mind for those bits.

That sounds like a Charter tactic. After my godfather moved several years ago, and the account was closed, they tried to charge him several months later for the old account. Even after talking with them and getting it "straight," they billed him again. It took some time to clear it all up.

That's why I never let any company auto-debit my bills. I'm more than happy to login to my bank and pay them.

Yep, this is getting messy. It now appears that D* did not release my $75, and the funds have already left my account. Some businesses take several days to credit a refund. I'm certainly going to the website right now to cancel my auto pay.

Adrian

I'm trying to put together a quick list of what OTA stations exist around Saint Louis. Can anyone fill in any of the blanks in the attached table? Thanks!

Ouch:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/57DB8DDFDC007823862574DD0063217C?OpenDocument

I'm trying to put together a quick list of what OTA stations exist around Saint Louis.
Now HERE (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=&call=&arn=&city=&chan=&cha2=69&serv=&type=0&facid=&list=1&dist=100&dlat2=38&mlat2=39&slat2=00&dlon2=-90&mlon2=16&slon2=00&size=9) is an interesting list!

Now HERE (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=&call=&arn=&city=&chan=&cha2=69&serv=&type=0&facid=&list=1&dist=100&dlat2=38&mlat2=39&slat2=00&dlon2=-90&mlon2=16&slon2=00&size=9) is an interesting list!

Not sure what I am looking at... Care to shed some light into my dim view?? ;)

Not sure what I am looking atFCC TV licenses within 100 km (60 mi) of 63108. Various codes for construction license, temporary license, etc. Tower coordinates and height, power levels, distance and compass bearing from my house.

I was from a kick I got started on, trying to identify the several low-power stations I am seeing.

KPLR didn't run 90210 in hd this week. Also, D* posted the wrong episode guide summary for Knight Rider this week on my HR20 dvr. Oops.

Adrian

Jim, I'll do some more checking. What I see comes from my Dish Network VIP receiver. I see no CC in the PM via the sat channel or the OTA decoder. My DLP set lacks an ATSC receiver but my Panny plasma in the bedroom has one that I seldom need to use. I'll see if there is any CC there and will report back. I'm pretty sure the answer will be "nope".

Jim,

I checked the past few days and the results are pretty consistent. Full CC in the AM with GMA, No CC in Prime Time, full CC returns during Nightline. This is via OTA on two different sets via ATSC. OTA via the Dish receivers gives the same results.

Here's a quote from Joshua Zyber (November 2008 issue of Home Theater Magazine) concerning the many failures of consumer electronics products, in particular Blu-ray players:

"Frankly, I find it inconceivable that they would skimp on something like (having enough memory in a Blu-ray player to make it fully compliant with the standard). Do the engineers even attempt to use their products before the ship them out?"

I made a similar observation about the Logitech engineers who recently released a software upgrade to the Harmony 600 series remotes that broke the programmable activity buttons at the top of the remote. I called Logitech about it and 2 support people spent about 20 each with me to reprogram my 2 Harmony 670 remotes to work around the problem. They couldn't give me a time frame for a permanent fix for the problem.

I think this problem represents the inability of many programmers to think like normal human beings. I'm not a programmer, but I have done a relative small amount of programming. I know how hard it can be and I empathize with programmers trying to meet deadlines, but it seems to me that too many of them just don't understand the importance of making products user friendly. More disturbing is the trend toward releasing products before they are thoroughly tested, which is not just a programming issue but a corporate management issue as well. As the consumer electronics world has collided ever more violently with the computer world, the problem has manifested itself in things like the Harmony snafu, or the fact that 4th generation Blu-ray players have to be replaced in some people's homes because they can't do what they should be able to do. Unfortunately, I think we have many years of this mess ahead of us.

Great news for me...I haven't had high speed internet here at my house for the last few months. When I had it last(ATT dsl) I was only able to get the Express package, which only allows speeds up to 1.5 M. Now that I'm signing up again, enough expansion has happened in my area so that I can move up to the Pro level, which gives download speeds up to 3.0 M. I'm still too far away from the hub to get the Elite deal (6.0 M), but it will be here eventually. My line goes active on Tuesday.

Bob,
I finally got that huge 35 '' Sony crt out of my house today. Strangely, only 2 guys lifted it, but the buyer has to get it up 18 flights of stairs. Ouch!! Not my problem...

Adrian

I apologize if this has been posted before, but I ran across this information on the FCC assignments for digital channels, come Feb. 17, 2009. It looks like the only change is that KMOV is moving from ch. 56 to ch. 24. That means that none of our main locals will be moving to VHF frequencies (and thus we won't have to worry about these channels requiring that we put up a VHF antenna alongside the UHF one).

ST. LOUIS 4 24
ST. LOUIS 11 26
ST. LOUIS 30 31
ST. LOUIS 5 35
ST. LOUIS 9 39
ST. LOUIS 2 43

I don't see 46 on the list, so I don't know what's up with them.

I don't see 46 on the list, so I don't know what's up with them.

46 is staying on 47. 24 on 14.

The deal with 46 is that they're technically licensed to East St. Louis, IL. Thus on a list that is by state, you won't see the IL station mixed in with the MO stations. =)

- Trip

I'm glad that we won't have to worry about VHF, but I'm still worried about the power levels of the various towers. I'd like to see some of the weaker signals beef up a bit come Feb.

Adrian

I'm glad that we won't have to worry about VHF, but I'm still worried about the power levels of the various towers. I'd like to see some of the weaker signals beef up a bit come Feb.

Adrian

They should be able to boost power to the digital stations (since they won't have to power the analog one anymore) without additional expense.

They should be able to boost power to the digital stations (since they won't have to power the analog one anymore) without additional expense.

I'm not an engineer or even close to being one, but it's a known fact that the higher UHF frequencies require much more power than a VHF signal to cover a given geographic area. For example, VHF analog Channel 2 broadcasts at maybe 200 or 300 kilowatts while their DT channel (43) broadcasts at one thousand kilowatts (one megawatt). Due to the properties of the higher frequencies, the DT UHF signal probably will not travel as far. And boosting the signal from say, 1,000 KW to 1,500 KW may not buy you that much additional coverage.

I'm certainly no engineer, so I really don't know about the costs. That was just a guess. I've read that there are some technical challenges using the lower band VHF frequencies (2-6), and all our locals have elected to remain UHF. I'm just happy I don't have to put up a VHF antenna. :)

They should be able to boost power to the digital stations (since they won't have to power the analog one anymore) without additional expense.
Here (http://www.transmitter.com/zenith/nab96rcw.html) it says:

"The Charlotte NC field tests showed that VSB coverage is better than NTSC on the same channel, with VSB power 12 dB below NTSC power ( the planned ratio). The VSB line-of-sight margin was about 25 dB at 55 miles on channel 53 with power 10 dB below the planned maximum. At planned maximum power, the line of sight margin would be about 35 dB.

Even with the 90% of time availability requirement, the results in Charlotte were better than predicted. UHF VSB results were excellent; the percentage of sites served exceeded NTSC at all distances. We conclude that UHF VSB can duplicate VHF NTSC, except where an entire area is over the horizon or heavily shaded (> 35 dB shading at the edge of service area). To explore this further, we look at a P(L, T) curve and the geographical variations in reception."

(8-VSB is the modulation method in common use for ATSC transmissions.)

Yes, but are we talking in theory or what's actually going to happen in Feb.? I know that we've gone over this before, but I'm concerned about being stuck with the same weak signals coming off the towers of channels like the 9s, 47-1, etc. If I can't get them out here in Fergusen near the airport right now, what hope do I have that things will improve?

Adrian

Yes, but are we talking in theory or what's actually going to happen in Feb.? I know that we've gone over this before, but I'm concerned about being stuck with the same weak signals coming off the towers of channels like the 9s, 47-1, etc. If I can't get them out here in Fergusen near the airport right now, what hope do I have that things will improve?

Adrian

You are most definitely located close enough to the towers for flawless OTA reception for all local channels with their current power levels. Perhaps you've gone over this and I missed it, but any decent, roof top omni-directional UHF antenna should pull everything in just fine.

For example, I live in a 1-story home in a rather flat area in Creve Coeur and all channels (except 24 and who cares?) come in at 90% or better on all TV's even after splitters. In fact, the Channel 9 channels---all four of them---come in slightly stronger than Channel 30 (go figure).

Are you located in a valley? Are you unable to use a roof mounted antenna?

Yep, I'm in a bit of a valley. In fact, it's called Cool Valley. I also fear that my close proximity to the airport disrupts signals. I've noticed this on my cell phone as well. I get more signal bars as soon as I get away from this area. I haven't exhausted all options as far as the roof antenna is concerned. Right now, I use a couple of well placed indoor antennas, since using one won't pull in everything well enough. Even so, I still can't get 46 or 24(I know, who cares?). I do have a Wineguard 6010 rooftop on hand. My first attempts at using it failed, due to my error. I'm testing it indoors now, and it is picking up channels, but some are quite weak. I called the guy who did my satellite system to see if I could hire him for the job. Anybody have info on someone else if this guy doesn't call back?

Adrian

Bob,
I finally got that huge 35 '' Sony crt out of my house today. Strangely, only 2 guys lifted it, but the buyer has to get it up 18 flights of stairs. Ouch!! Not my problem...

Adrian

Someone lives in an 18 story (or 9 stories x 2 flight each) building without an elevator?

Well, NBC giveth and NBC taketh away. Swanni reports (http://www.tvpredictions.com/nbc101408.htm) that WeaterPlus (the bit-stealing multicast) will be replaced by a 24 hour sports channel. Looks like the golden days of high quality local 1080i are over.

Well, NBC giveth and NBC taketh away. Swanni reports (http://www.tvpredictions.com/nbc101408.htm) that WeaterPlus (the bit-stealing multicast) will be replaced by a 24 hour sports channel. Looks like the golden days of high quality local 1080i are over.

Cause American men love sports!

Too bad its not cartoons.

Well, NBC giveth and NBC taketh away. Swanni reports (http://www.tvpredictions.com/nbc101408.htm) that WeaterPlus (the bit-stealing multicast) will be replaced by a 24 hour sports channel. Looks like the golden days of high quality local 1080i are over.

I hate when inaccurate reports are broadcast by reputable sources, after a while I usually just give up on correcting things.

Universal Sports has been available for a while now, and there are plenty of NBC stations which are not adopting it. I know of two that will be moving to an in-house weather service.

Most stations (rightfully I think) don't see an audience for the kind of sports that Universal Sports has.

- Trip

Here's a link (http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Oct-0-2008/PROCT14thin/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL101408&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL101408-_-email-_-E0B-_-HDD&cm_lm=jc1luvjc2@gmail.com) to a Newegg page that offers a 1.5TB hard drive for $179 (you have to use the promo code or it's $189). This drive has dropped really fast. The 2 and 3 TB drives might be close to release. You don't have to look too hard to find 1TB drives for $100.

I called the guy who did my satellite system to see if I could hire him for the job. Anybody have info on someone else if this guy doesn't call back?


Jon Kniss
Audio Video Concepts
314-704-0251

He would be able to help you out.

Saluki,

Maybe my neighbor got it wrong, and it's only 18 steps the tv has to go up. Even so, not a fun job without an elevator.

skippy,

Thanks for the installer reference.

Adrian

New channel alert, and for me it's huge....

According to dbstalk, FOX NEWS HD goes live on DirecTV channel 360 Friday morning, around 6AM!!!!!

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=142719

Too bad I gotta go to work at 7. :(

Guess I won't get to drool over Megyn Kelly in HD til Monday..........

It's 5:05AM and Fox News Channel HD is here!!!!!!!!!

Man, you woke me up!

Yep, I'm in a bit of a valley. In fact, it's called Cool Valley. I also fear that my close proximity to the airport disrupts signals. I've noticed this on my cell phone as well. I get more signal bars as soon as I get away from this area. I haven't exhausted all options as far as the roof antenna is concerned. Right now, I use a couple of well placed indoor antennas, since using one won't pull in everything well enough. Even so, I still can't get 46 or 24(I know, who cares?). I do have a Wineguard 6010 rooftop on hand. My first attempts at using it failed, due to my error. I'm testing it indoors now, and it is picking up channels, but some are quite weak. I called the guy who did my satellite system to see if I could hire him for the job. Anybody have info on someone else if this guy doesn't call back?

Adrian

I looked at the antenna you have and I don't know if my tip I have posted several times in the past will help or not as I have a Channel Master 4221 (http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/cm4221.html). My tip is to tilt the antenna up. Mine is tilted this much: / Maybe a tad more that than that. I am right at the airport, in a shallow valley and have huge 50 year old trees all around. I also walked the roof and located the best spot for it and put it on a slightly higher mast. It took a lot of trial and error and patience but my OTA is crystal clear even though I am practically on top of the airport. The signal is strong enough that multipath is not an issue.

When I tried an indoor Silver Sensor when I first got my set I found putting it on my south facing wall as high up as possible pulled in a couple of channels well. So try getting it up as high as you can inside and or near a window. With the Silver Sensor I recall moving it just a few inches made a difference.

Mo

I need a bit of advice for high speed internet.

I live in the O'Fallon, MO area and the only DSL service available is CenturyTel. I have been using them for a number of years (1.5Mbps), but have been tempted to switch to Charter for internet. They have a cheaper deal (for 6 months) and faster speeds. Is it worth the switch or does Charter Internet have lots of problems?

BTW, I have DirecTV, so I wouldn't use their cable package. Will Charter try to add a bunch of fees, since I don't subscribe to their cable package or phone package?

Thanks in advance!

Jeremy

I live off of Bates Road near Winghaven which is currently getting all the utilities relocated due to its planned widening. New fiber lines appear to be getting buried, and I figured maybe Centurytel was upgrading our area, but this morning I noticed AT&T trucks parked nearby! Has anyone heard if they are going to overlap their service area with Centurytel in Dardenne Prairie or O'Fallon?

Mike

It's 5:05AM and Fox News Channel HD is here!!!!!!!!!

I'm jealous! With all the News Corp. disputes going on, who knows when this might appear on E*?

Does anyone want to guess??????

I noticed AT&T trucks parked nearby! Has anyone heard if they are going to overlap their service area with Centurytel in Dardenne Prairie or O'Fallon?

Mike

We can only hope

I live off of Bates Road near Winghaven which is currently getting all the utilities relocated due to its planned widening. New fiber lines appear to be getting buried, and I figured maybe Centurytel was upgrading our area, but this morning I noticed AT&T trucks parked nearby! Has anyone heard if they are going to overlap their service area with Centurytel in Dardenne Prairie or O'Fallon?

Mike

Each has their own service area, you are not going to see service overlap. ATT has fiber running all over as does Centurytel.

I did hear awhile back that Centurytel was testing some older areas with fiber to the home. They are already doing this in new developments. If they would follow through, this should be much better than Uverse...

Bob,

I checked out some stuff on FNHD between 6 and 7pm and found the audio sync way off. What about you? My ATT dsl is up and running, and I'm supposed to be at the ''Pro'' level, which grants download speeds between 1.5 M and 3.0 M. So far, my best bandwidth speeds test out at 2wire.com at around 1.66. This really bites, because technically, it's in the pro range, but just barely. It may not be worth it to pay more money to stay at this level, since I was getting atleast 1.5 before. Charter's 5 M service, paired up with phone services is sounding pretty good to me now.

Adrian

Mo,

Thanks for the rooftop ant. advice. It's encouraging to know that someone else near the airport is getting good results. I'll be sure to experiment with placement and different angles. I've gotten fairly good results with my indoor units, but I'm ready for better results with the rooftop. If I need to, I'll get something like what you have.

Adrian

Bob,

I checked out some stuff on FNHD between 6 and 7pm and found the audio sync way off. What about you? My ATT dsl is up and running, and I'm supposed to be at the ''Pro'' level, which grants download speeds between 1.5 M and 3.0 M. So far, my best bandwidth speeds test out at 2wire.com at around 1.66. This really bites, because technically, it's in the pro range, but just barely. It may not be worth it to pay more money to stay at this level, since I was getting atleast 1.5 before. Charter's 5 M service, paired up with phone services is sounding pretty good to me now.

Adrian

I recently upgraded to Charter's 10meg service for an extra $5/month. I'd had the the 5meg service for a LONG time, but decided to try the 10meg to see if it would make much difference to me. Even though I'm not a big downloader, the difference was pretty amazing. If you go that route, you might want to try MagicJack instead of Charter phone service. I got it for my nephew as a present. He's had his share of trouble with it, but a lot of people have no problems at all. I got him 5 years of service for about $106. It might be worth a look.

Joe,

Wow, I'd love to have the 10 M service. However, I'm afraid of getting raped by Charter's price of having internet service alone. It seems that combining it with another service makes it easier to swallow. I did record a promotional about MagicJack the other night. I'm not sure how it works, as I was too tired to process any info when I watched it. I'll check it out.

Adrian

Magic Jack really couldn't be much easier. Plug the little device into an open USB port on your computer, wait for the software to configure and then choose a telephone number. Plug any regular phone in and start using it. The only practical drawback is that your computer has to run 24/7 or your phone service won't work. Charter often runs promotions for its Internet service, and usually without long term commitments. You can get into Magic Jack for $40, and if you don't like it you send it back. Some people have had significant problems getting the service to run reliably, but others have had no problems at all. YMMV. My nephew has cheap ATT DSL ($30 or $35/month) without any other ATT services. So, he has high speed Internet and free local and long distance for that one low price. ATT had to provide him with a "dry line" (IIRC), which means he has just DSL without telephone service.

Bob,

I checked out some stuff on FNHD between 6 and 7pm and found the audio sync way off. What about you? My ATT dsl is up and running, and I'm supposed to be at the ''Pro'' level, which grants download speeds between 1.5 M and 3.0 M. So far, my best bandwidth speeds test out at 2wire.com at around 1.66. This really bites, because technically, it's in the pro range, but just barely. It may not be worth it to pay more money to stay at this level, since I was getting atleast 1.5 before. Charter's 5 M service, paired up with phone services is sounding pretty good to me now.

Adrian

I haven't noticed anything out of synch, but I have noticed the audio is a bit weird... heavy dialog leaking into the front left and right speakers when it should be staying in the center. Fox Business on channel 359 has had this same oddity from day one nearly a year ago. I know it's not my system because it's only these two Fox HD channels. Everything else is fine.

But seeing Alison Camerota in HD this morning before work... the audio could have been Swahili and I wouldn't have cared......... :D

Well after waiting for over a year and a half for Directv to get local PBS I took down my old antenna (20 years old at least) and put up a $30 Radio Shack UHF and ran some new (no splice, no splitter) cable to my HD set. WOW!!!! I had no idea how much better OTA is than that over compressed stuff from Direct. The difference between the OTA and Direct feed of the Tigers game was astonishing. OTA RULES!!!

skippy,

Thanks very much for that installer info you posted. Jon is coming out Monday morning at 9:30 to put up my rooftop antenna. Cool.

Adrian

I took a closer look at the paperwork for my rooftop ant. and found out that it is really just for FM!! I've had it all this time and didn't know it. So, this morning I made a mad dash for Radio Shack and picked up a UHF/VHF setup that ran about $60 plus mounting gear. I knew that the chimney was about the only place that the landlord would let me get away with, so the installers weren't able to do any location experimenting. They just simply pointed it in the general direction of the towers. After running the OTA setup on D* I found that I could only get 2-1, 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 11-1, and 30-1. Nothing else. The channels seemed to come in clearly, but I have to say that I'm very disappointed. I'll have to continue using a secondary indoor ant. to try and get a faint signal for the 9s, with no hope for 47-1. We even checked out what antennaweb.org said about my address, and they only list the channels that I'm already getting for my area. The installer charged me $235 for the job, so I've paid dearly to find out that I'm still screwed.

I was just getting ready to connect other tuners and run more tests when the power went out. Wow, what a nice day off.

Adrian

KETC and WRBU are both planning to boost power and/or height after the transition. Don't give up hope yet!

What does TV Fool say for your location?

- Trip

I know one of you has the answer to this one. Several years ago I got 100' of the super heavy duty coax, like the cable company uses to do an outdoor run. I need to make a few connections and I have no idea what connectors to look for. Any ideas? Also will I need some sort of special tool to crimp the new ends on?

I know one of you has the answer to this one. Several years ago I got 100' of the super heavy duty coax, like the cable company uses to do an outdoor run. I need to make a few connections and I have no idea what connectors to look for. Any ideas? Also will I need some sort of special tool to crimp the new ends on?

You should be able to find the connection tool and RF connectors at Lowes or Home Depot. Don't know what the diameter of your cable is, though, so you need to measure it before you go.

I prefer compression connectors, rather than simple crimpers. The connections are stronger.

The power was off for a few hours at my house. When it came back on, I continued with my OTA testing. There is good news and bad news as far as reception is concerned. The good news is that I'm getting a steady signal on the 9s. In fact, I haven't seen it break up yet, though I fear that it's probably going to do that a lot. The rescan I did on my D* dvr after the new antenna went up didn't show the 9s because I wiped them out of my favorite channels list a long time ago. There was no need to keep them if I had no reception. When I switched the guide to show all channels, I saw that D* locked in all the OTAs that I should get, including 24-1 and 47-1(I still don't get any signal on these, however). The 9s are all there, but the signal meter on the MyHD card doesn't show any signal bars at all for them. I imagine that reception will change daily on these.

Now for the bad news: My initial viewing, which lasted just a few minutes before the house lost power, showed that all channels that I should be getting were coming in well. This is not the case. I've got a very weak signal on 11-1. Apparently I must have caught it during a few seconds when it wasn't breaking up. The MyHD only shows a bar or 2 at best for 11-1, and the signal is not reliable at all. What's really funny is that even though it shows no bars for the 9s, I'm getting a steady, watchable signal, but not on 11-1. Perhaps I can get Jon to come back out to tweak things a bit. If not, I'll have to continue using an indoor for pc and dvhs hd recordings off 11-1. Things could be worse, it's just that I was hoping to be done with the indoor unit.


More good news for me: The new rooftop ant. is giving me even better FM reception than my current rooftop FM ant. That's a nice plus. The next thing to do is to try and simplify some of this coax mess I've got running all over the house. Nothing has been done yet about any excess coax running along my floors. The installers used an old Charter feed that was already coming into the house. It was probably well grounded way back when, but they didn't say anything about checking it out. I'll have to call and ask about that.

Trip,

I hope that you're right about the signal boostings next year, and that it's enough to clear my issues up. I'll check out the site you mentioned.

Adrian

You're in luck about 11 too, they also have a permit to increase tower height. Hopefully it'll help.

- Trip

2:28 PM. All STL stations are off on DirecTV. Going to bed now...

2:28 PM. All STL stations are off on DirecTV. Going to bed now...

Funny. I noticed the HD loals on E* were out last night too at around midnight. Is this coincidence or a common feed?

I'm really noticing the differences in sensitivity between my D* dvr OTA tuner and the MyHD card. While both are still having trouble with the rooftop ant. feed for 11-1, the HR20 is holding steady on the 9s, even when planes fly by. I'm impressed. The MyHD isn't doing well with the 9s right now, but I've seen it have trouble during the day, and regain reception later on at night. I'm curious now to see how well my Sammy T165 OTA tuner does with the 9s at various times.

I'm really noticing the differences in sensitivityYou ought to try an AutumnWave OnAir GT.

Funny. I noticed the HD locals on E* were out last night too at around midnight. Is this coincidence or a common feed?
All I lost was the 4 locals from 118. All the other channels were working, as was local OTA. Odd also, the signal strengths from 118 were normal.

Most likely, another one of Joe's atmospheric experiments gone awry :D

I'm becoming a much bigger fan of Sarah Connor on Monday nights. Last night, though, the sound was just as bad or worse than it's been the last few weeks. It's just like Reaper, Smallville, etc. were last year - to the point it's almost unlistenable sometimes. Hate it!

All four network HD locals on E* went down at 10PM yesterday for the second time in 24 hours. This time the outage was shorter. Wassup with this? Some think this may be related to the ongoing audio dropout issue. I cannot imagine taking down all four channels at a peak viewing hour just to deploy a possible fix.

All four network HD locals on E* went down at 10PM yesterday for the second time in 24 hours. This time the outage was shorter. Wassup with this? Some think this may be related to the ongoing audio dropout issue. I cannot imagine taking down all four channels at a peak viewing hour just to deploy a possible fix.
Any possible audio fix is not, nor would be related. Why the channels are going off line, I have no clue, but it's not related to audio-drops.
All I can say about it :)

Mo,

Thanks for the rooftop ant. advice. It's encouraging to know that someone else near the airport is getting good results. I'll be sure to experiment with placement and different angles. I've gotten fairly good results with my indoor units, but I'm ready for better results with the rooftop. If I need to, I'll get something like what you have.

Adrian

The CM 4221 used to sell for only $20 at Skywalker. Not sure what the price is now.

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

Since I can't find a dedicated StL Uverse thread, I'll ask here. If off topic, please to point me elsewhere :-)

Thinking of switching from Charter ... not from any major problems, just would like the Whole House DVR function, and UVerse does have more HD channels.

For me the pricing is just about a wash. I do get a bunch of free movie channels from Charter, however I rarely use them ... the content on HBO/Cinemax/Starz HD is very repetitive and the SD channels look meh. I'd rather DL or rent films anyhow (bluray.)

So anyhow, my main question is, I've read up and the 4 stream recording seems to satisfy an old reason I wouldn't switch. However I've seen reports of macroblocking on the UVerse HD channels. Its hard to decipher what's valid on some boards. My basic question for this group is, does anyone have UVerse and if so, how do the HD channels look?

Cheers

I switched from Charter to U-verse about two months ago. Up until a few weeks ago, I would say that it was better than Charter, but not a lot better. There are more HD channels, including channel 4, but the limitations of having only 4 streams at one time is a challenge at times. However, now that the whole house DVR feature is in place, it is awesome. It is also nice to have the very high internet speeds that you can only get with u-verse.

It is also nice to have the very high internet speeds that you can only get with u-verse.

Could you elaborate on this? Do they have higher than 16 meg?

Walt

I switched from Charter to U-verse about two months ago. Up until a few weeks ago, I would say that it was better than Charter, but not a lot better. There are more HD channels, including channel 4, but the limitations of having only 4 streams at one time is a challenge at times. However, now that the whole house DVR feature is in place, it is awesome. It is also nice to have the very high internet speeds that you can only get with u-verse.

Thanks for the info. Internet isn't really a deal breaker for me at home, Charters has been plenty fast enough, and I'm sure the UVerse DSL will suffice. I work all day on a fibre pipe, and do most of my DL'ing there. Home use is basic email / surfing anyhow. Mostly waiting for more info about the HD quality.

4 streams would be great for me ... my current Moxi can only do two!

Thanks for the info. Internet isn't really a deal breaker for me at home, Charters has been plenty fast enough, and I'm sure the UVerse DSL will suffice. I work all day on a fibre pipe, and do most of my DL'ing there. Home use is basic email / surfing anyhow. Mostly waiting for more info about the HD quality.

4 streams would be great for me ... my current Moxi can only do two!

The 4 streams is broke down to 2 HD and 2 SD, and this is if your line can sync at the full 25 mb rate needed for internet and video. If your line is marginal you may be limited to 1 HD and 3 SD feeds.

I took a closer look at the paperwork for my rooftop ant. and found out that it is really just for FM!! I've had it all this time and didn't know it. So, this morning I made a mad dash for Radio Shack and picked up a UHF/VHF setup that ran about $60 plus mounting gear. I knew that the chimney was about the only place that the landlord would let me get away with, so the installers weren't able to do any location experimenting. They just simply pointed it in the general direction of the towers. After running the OTA setup on D* I found that I could only get 2-1, 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 11-1, and 30-1. Nothing else. The channels seemed to come in clearly, but I have to say that I'm very disappointed. I'll have to continue using a secondary indoor ant. to try and get a faint signal for the 9s, with no hope for 47-1. We even checked out what antennaweb.org said about my address, and they only list the channels that I'm already getting for my area. The installer charged me $235 for the job, so I've paid dearly to find out that I'm still screwed.

I was just getting ready to connect other tuners and run more tests when the power went out. Wow, what a nice day off.

Adrian


With you near the airport and in a valley, they can't just point it in the direction of the towers. Antennaweb lists the channels, but also their degrees. I initially used a compass. I tried tuning the hardest to get channel (for me it's ABC 30-1) first and went from there. Did you look at the antenna they recommended? What kind of antenna is it? Was there a reason you did not get a UHF only antenna? Btw, there is an OTA thread here at AVS somewhere.

If all the other channels come in then a slight tweak really should pull in 9-1. For example, I show ch. 2-1 at 181 degrees and ch 9-1 at 185. That's just 4 degrees. On antennaweb choose the Show Digital Stations Only radio button to simplify the the info and choose the button for View Steet Level Map. FWIW, I range from 165 degrees to 185 degrees for the network channels and PBS. I don't bother with 11 or 24 since I watch neither. IIRC, I can pull in 11 but 24 is weak.

STL Biz Journal: Downturn Could Spell the End for Charter

From today's St. Louis Business Journal:
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Charter Communications Inc. has strained under its $20.5 billion debt for a long time, but there’s growing concern the company’s pattern of borrowing more money to pay for existing debt has reached its limit.

The company, which has never made a profit since it went public in 1999, mainly because of its huge debt load, has seen its stock price drop to 42 cents a share. It has traded below $1 a share for the past 30 days, which would normally qualify it for a notice of possible delisting by NASDAQ, except that the stock exchange has temporarily waived its rules because of current volatility in the markets.

Now, credit is scarce and what little is available has become more expensive. That’s led some analysts to question Charter’s viability. If the company can’t borrow sufficient money in the next year, controlling shareholder and Chairman Paul Allen may be faced with taking the company private or filing for bankruptcy.

“This downturn might finally spell the end of Charter in its current form,” Morningstar analyst Michael Hodel wrote in an Oct. 10 note to investors.
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"“This downturn might finally spell the end of Charter in its current form,” Morningstar analyst Michael Hodel wrote in an Oct. 10 note to investors."

Really? Charter still has investors at 42¢ a share? Wow.:eek:

The 4 streams is broke down to 2 HD and 2 SD, and this is if your line can sync at the full 25 mb rate needed for internet and video. If your line is marginal you may be limited to 1 HD and 3 SD feeds.

Is this something purely based on distance from the head end office and/or having up-to-date wiring going to your neighborhood, or is there some other variability to it, in other words does having 2 vs. 1 HD streams come and go, depending on your connection speed at the time?

Is this something purely based on distance from the head end office and/or having up-to-date wiring going to your neighborhood, or is there some other variability to it, in other words does having 2 vs. 1 HD streams come and go, depending on your connection speed at the time?

It doesn't go back to the office .... there is a refrigerator sized box around the corner from my house with is one of the UVerse nodes .... even sounds like a server room! I pity the person who lives right behind it, that sucker is loud.

But, as I don't have UVerse yet, I can't really answer your question. From what he wrote, I think it has to do with the copper from the fiber to my house. UVerse is not true FTTH

Mo,

I didn't think to just get an antenna from Radio Shack that does UHF only. They just sold me something that should have about a 70 mile range for digital. All of this was done at the last second because I realized a few hours before the install that I didn't have a real rooftop tv ant. I have discovered that my HR20 picks up the 9s steadily, but not the pc. I still have to check my Sammy T165 OTA tuner. I can't get 11-1 well on the dvr or the pc. I'll be calling Jon back to see if he can tweak the angle, or possible get the ant. up a bit higher with a pole extension or something.

Well guys,
I got around to calling ATT dsl tech support about why my line is only doing about 1.66M when the pro level I signed up for should go up to 3.0. They ran some tests and told me that my line produced so many errors that I never should have been offered the 3.0 package. It's not supposed to be available in my area because I'm too far away from the central office. How's that for competence?

Adrian

Here is a link to the UHF antenna I purchased from RadioShack, http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103088&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032205&parentPage=family

I live near St. Paul, northwest corner of Ofallon, MO. I do live up on a hill and was able to pull in decent digital signals with a 6 ft pc of coax attached to my TV. :p

As for the Uverse, it will depend on distance from the VRAD, which has been described above, along with the quality of the copper your pair runs over.

Mo,


I got around to calling ATT dsl tech support about why my line is only doing about 1.66M when the pro level I signed up for should go up to 3.0. They ran some tests and told me that my line produced so many errors that I never should have been offered the 3.0 package. It's not supposed to be available in my area because I'm too far away from the central office. How's that for competence?

When we figured AT&T was trying to take Charter's place around here, this isn't exactly what we meant............ :D

When we figured AT&T was trying to take Charter's place around here, this isn't exactly what we meant............ :D

Haha

Hey all, who should I contact for a local repair on a Philips 37" LCD? Warranty expired and the backlight just flashes when the unit is turned on, and then it shuts down.

-Matt

Hey all, who should I contact for a local repair
Call Schneider and ask if they handle it.

Is anyone else in Illinois have problems with Charter Internet access? I still have a connection, but in the past 5 or 6 days, speeds have been poor. I did a couple of bandwidth checks yesterday and both were around 1.3 Mb. I checked three times this morning and received 1.1. 0.8 and 1.0 Mb. I'm paying for 3.0 Mb.

Of course, I call Charter to pursue a fix (I should have my head examined) and got the usual runaround (after telling the first rep twice that I could not hear what she was saying, she hung up on me). Anyway, I called back (sigh) and eventually I was asked if I was located within 30 miles of East St. Louis, as there is an outage there that may be having wider effects.

I also insisted on a credit, and the phone jock tried to tell me that it would happen automatically. How is it automatic, I asked? "Well, because Charter knows there's an outage, your bill will credited for the period the problem existed."

Right. I'm thinking I must sound really naive and/or stupid on the phone. In the end, I did get the CSR to issue an actual credit. They're also sending someone out to do a local line test.

But again, I'd be interested to know if anyone else in IL seeing slow speeds. Thanks.

I have seen 2-3 threads on DSL reports in the last week about Charter issues in the St. Louis area. Like you, it seems the lack of throughput is the major complaint.