I think Charter actually has a pretty strong hand here. While this could definitely hurt Charter's subscriber numbers over the next few months, the pain for KMOV is immediate and complete, right at the moment the SD channel is removed from the Charter line-up.

Poof -- there go several hundred thousand KMOV advertiser eyeballs. Can't be good for ad sales in an already rough economic environment.

Charter also can probably use the oncoming analog shutdown for some additional cover, even though the failed negotiations with Belo and the shutdown are not directly related. Lots of time for grandstanding between Jan 2 and Feb 17.

How does this work with the "must carry" madate by the FCC? Aren't they required to carry the SD signal?

Tim

Must-carry is not a requirement unless the station invokes it. If the station wishes to be paid for use of its signal, must-carry does not apply and the cable company must reach an agreement with the station in order to offer that channel to subscribers.

I have to think that KMOV will be hurt much worse than charter. Sure Charter may lose a bunch of subscribers, but they are in such a bad place, it can't get much worse.

Help me out guys....

If KMOV pulls the plug, would charter have the right to negotiate with a Jeff City, Columbia, Cape G, etc station and provide their feed?

Tim

Tim,

Based on my understanding of how broadcast territories are defined and enforced by the FCC, and by how this sort of development has played out in other markets, the answer would be negative. Of course, you're right in thinking that this is anti-consumer, because it is. The whole exclusive territory concept is a relic of the 1940s and should be scrapped.

The more I look at this situation, the more I think Belo (KMOV parent) will have to cave, though they may try to tough it out until the AFC playoffs have passed.

We'll see...

The more I look at this situation, the more I think Belo (KMOV parent) will have to cave, though they may try to tough it out until the AFC playoffs have passed.
No doubt the majority of KMOV viewers are on cable. When KMOV goes dark I suppose all its advertisers will rush to renegotiate contracts if the TV audience is vastly reduced.

Help me out guys....

If KMOV pulls the plug, would charter have the right to negotiate with a Jeff City, Columbia, Cape G, etc station and provide their feed?

Tim

Nope. KMOV has the exclusive rights to CBS programming in the St Louis market area.

- Trip

Nope. KMOV has the exclusive rights to CBS programming in the St Louis market area.

- Trip

Local media blog http://stlmedia.net/ is reporting the following:

(I wonder if Charter can legally do this).

"..... Plans are finalized to replace KMOV w/signal from CBS station from another market. Which market? Irrelevant, but am hearing NYC, Jacksonville, FL., Philly, Charlotte N.C. possible. That means viewers still get CBS programming, while KMOV loses roughly 440,000 households. for their local "news" programming. This is GREAT news for Fox 2 and KSDK.
Several other things are in play or relevant here:
1. A few years back, Sinclair tried this with their stations across the country and it went nowhere.
2. Belo would be fools to throw away nearly a half-million households here. While this is still one of the most under-cabled markets in the US, it'd be ratings suicide.
3. Charter's stock is at about fifteen cents a share and the company is considered to be one of the ten most likely to go out of business in 2009, so all this may be moot or at the very least, a temporary inconvenience."

Interesting that Charter would try to secure out-of-market CBS programming.

My first reaction is that Belo/KMOV would try to block this in court, if only to delay it from happening if not stop it entirely. On the other hand, maybe they tread carefully on the legal front, because there could be some risk of such a court case opening up the validity of local broadcaster monopolies. That could have much, much wider implications than the dispute between Charter and Belo in St. Louis and two other markets.

I still believe that sooner or later, the national networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC) are going to tear down the affiliate structure and simply make their programming available direct to cable and satellite. National distribution and local news were the impetus for developing affiliate networks when TV started back in the 40s, and both of those are largely irrelevant now.

As the national network audience shrinks further and further, there's less reason to hold onto the past way of doing business. Reality programming is one sign of this and the Leno deal slicing away at traditional prime time programming is another more recent one.

I've been told that's very, very illegal (else I imagine every cable company would do it). This ought to be fun.

- Trip

I've been told that's very, very illegal (else I imagine every cable company would do it). This ought to be fun.

- Trip

If it goes through, that could open up the possibility for me to get the national feeds on D*(i would hope) that way the shows I watch would NEVER get pre-empted for stupid local programming or Billy Graham....

Although much of this is self-inflicted, this could not be happening at a worse time for KMOV. First, there is the move from DT channel 56 to 24 in January. Then there is the Analog shutdown in February. Finally, there are the apparent power increases and antenna tweaking that are not projected to be completed until early March.

All this can only lead to reduced viewership and confused masses while the rest of us sit back and view the chaos with our satellite dishes and/or rooftop OTA antennas.

.....and don't forget February Sweeps Week......

What are they thinking??????

Local media blog http://stlmedia.net/ is reporting the following:

(I wonder if Charter can legally do this).

"..... Plans are finalized to replace KMOV w/signal from CBS station from another market. Which market? Irrelevant, but am hearing NYC, Jacksonville, FL., Philly, Charlotte N.C. possible. That means viewers still get CBS programming, while KMOV loses roughly 440,000 households. for their local "news" programming. This is GREAT news for Fox 2 and KSDK.
Several other things are in play or relevant here:
1. A few years back, Sinclair tried this with their stations across the country and it went nowhere.
2. Belo would be fools to throw away nearly a half-million households here. While this is still one of the most under-cabled markets in the US, it'd be ratings suicide.
3. Charter's stock is at about fifteen cents a share and the company is considered to be one of the ten most likely to go out of business in 2009, so all this may be moot or at the very least, a temporary inconvenience."

That is GREAT news. I'm not sure about the legality, but if it was illegal, why wouldn't all the networks demand an astronomical fee from the sat and cable providers. The providers wouldn't have a choice....they would be forced to pay.

Tim

My guess is that a deal will be reached, with Belo saying, OK you can have the SD signal for free, as long as you add the HD signal, for a fee--maybe slightly more than Charter has been willing to pay, up until now. This is the arrangement, with the other channels, I suspect., like Sinclair's ABC.

Given the KMOV discussion here this morning, I thought this Swanni prediction (http://www.tvpredictions.com/swannifive122308.htm) was interesting.

My guess is that a deal will be reached, with Belo saying, OK you can have the SD signal for free, as long as you add the HD signal, for a fee--maybe slightly more than Charter has been willing to pay, up until now. This is the arrangement, with the other channels, I suspect., like Sinclair's ABC.

Unless Belo decides to impose a resolution limitation (heaven help us!), there will be no SD signal after Feb. 17. Belo is either stupid, nuts or merely posturing in an attempt to leverage the best deal possible. But this just seems dumb both in timing and in light of the present financial shape of Charter. You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip.

Evidently, they are more focused on a few measly cents-per-head rather than the number of eyeballs.

Given the KMOV discussion here this morning, I thought this Swanni prediction (http://www.tvpredictions.com/swannifive122308.htm) was interesting.I think this is a very lame prediction -- it's Y2K-style scare-mongering writ small.

By definition, those households that rely solely on OTA broadcasting place little priority on television viewing -- if they can get TV for free, then great; if not, that's OK, too. These are not the homes with the TV on 12 hours a day. These are people with higher priorities or more varied interests than the average person. If a significant part of this segment of the population chooses not to get a converter box, it means that segment isn't watching much TV now and that they will figure out a way to completely do without come mid-February.

Now, before someone suggests I'm being callous about lower-income households, let me point out that more than 60% of the households that meet the federal government definition of "poor" have either cable or satellite TV. Again, if it's a priority, people will pay.

Loss of these indifferent OTA viewers won't make for even a blip on the Nielsen ratings.

As for Swanni, he's clearly in the camp that sees TV as something approaching a God-given right. In addition to his long-running hand-wringing over the transition, he's repeatedly suggested that Congress should intervene and impose settlements in the sort of commercial disputes that we're seeing between Belo and Charter.

Which, I guarantee, would only lead to more of these types of disputes.

Given the KMOV discussion here this morning, I thought this Swanni prediction (http://www.tvpredictions.com/swannifive122308.htm) was interesting.

Yeah, well, I remember when the world was supposed to end because of the Y2K bug in 2000. And we all know how that prediction faired. But it's all academic anyway because the world will really, truly end in 2012. That's when the Mayan calendar runs out, Nostradamus' predictions stop, and I'm fix'in to retire from at&t. It never fails.

I think this is a very lame prediction -- it's Y2K-style scare-mongering writ small.

By definition, those households that rely solely on OTA broadcasting place little priority on television viewing -- if they can get TV for free, then great; if not, that's OK, too. These are not the homes with the TV on 12 hours a day. These are people with higher priorities or more varied interests than the average person. If a significant part of this segment of the population chooses not to get a converter box, it means that segment isn't watching much TV now and that they will figure out a way to completely do without come mid-February.

Now, before someone suggests I'm being callous about lower-income households, let me point out that more than 60% of the households that meet the federal government definition of "poor" have either cable or satellite TV. Again, if it's a priority, people will pay.

Loss of these indifferent OTA viewers won't make for even a blip on the Nielsen ratings.

As for Swanni, he's clearly in the camp that sees TV as something approaching a God-given right. In addition to his long-running hand-wringing over the transition, he's repeatedly suggested that Congress should intervene and impose settlements in the sort of commercial disputes that we're seeing between Belo and Charter.

Which, I guarantee, would only lead to more of these types of disputes.

I often disagree with Swanni's predictions, and I've found him irritating in the few times I've seen him in videos, but he's always dancing around issues I find interesting. His views get me thinking. I think he's a lot closer to getting it than the shirts who get paid to predict what's going to happen in the TV marketplace.

I don't know what effect analog TV going dark might have on the future of local television and the likes of NBC, etc. I tend to agree more with your idea that it won't have much of an impact.

This does bring up memories of discussions we had here some time ago about the converter boxes. My gut feeling right now is that the transition won't be as traumatic as any of us were suggesting, much like Y2K. We'll soon find out.

There's been a lot of talk here recently about how the current economic environment is going to change the business landscape in next few years. InfoWorld has a very interesting and timely take on that theme, listing 10 businesses/business models that won't exist by the time this recession ends. While I wouldn't bet the farm on all of these happening, I think 50% is a layup:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/12/23/10_things_that_wont_survive_the_recession_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2008-12-23

And what do you know -- some of them are actually on topic... :)

There's been a lot of talk here recently about how the current economic environment is going to change the business landscape in next few years. InfoWorld has a very interesting and timely take on that theme, listing 10 businesses/business models that won't exist by the time this recession ends. While I wouldn't bet the farm on all of these happening, I think 50% is a layup:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/12/23/10_things_that_wont_survive_the_recession_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2008-12-23

And what do you know -- some of them are actually on topic... :)

The one thing I don't want to see go away is Blockbuster. I find myself loving their combination brick-and-mortar/online subscription model. For $20/month I get to have 3 Blu-ray movies out at a time, 5 free exchanges of those movies a month in the store, and $2 exchanges if I go past 5 free.

I might be inclined to predict that people are going to prefer the quality of DVD/Blu-ray over online downloads, but the degree that inferior sounding MP3s have replaced CDs makes me think that would be a risky bet to make. The only reason I might be inclined to make it anyway is that I don't think the infrastructure improvements in high speed Internet are going to be accelerating either, given the economic climate. We need that infrastructure to improve dramatically before HD-quality downloads become pervasive.

I think this is a very lame prediction -- it's Y2K-style scare-mongering writ small.

By definition, those households that rely solely on OTA broadcasting place little priority on television viewing -- if they can get TV for free, then great; if not, that's OK, too. These are not the homes with the TV on 12 hours a day. These are people with higher priorities or more varied interests than the average person. If a significant part of this segment of the population chooses not to get a converter box, it means that segment isn't watching much TV now and that they will figure out a way to completely do without come mid-February.

Now, before someone suggests I'm being callous about lower-income households, let me point out that more than 60% of the households that meet the federal government definition of "poor" have either cable or satellite TV. Again, if it's a priority, people will pay.

Loss of these indifferent OTA viewers won't make for even a blip on the Nielsen ratings.

As for Swanni, he's clearly in the camp that sees TV as something approaching a God-given right. In addition to his long-running hand-wringing over the transition, he's repeatedly suggested that Congress should intervene and impose settlements in the sort of commercial disputes that we're seeing between Belo and Charter.

Which, I guarantee, would only lead to more of these types of disputes.

I couldn't agree with you more.

We went OTA-only for these reasons:

1) The majority of our shows on our DVR were on broadcast TV.
2) A lot of out time is divided between out newborn daughter on both us being in Grad School(!!!)
3) I can pay around $75 to cover iTunes purchases for my missed shows and order UFC off of Yahoo. Netflix can cover the rest.

It just made sense. Instead of spending around $1200 a year on TV, between Tivo, Netflix and iTunes, I spend around $350.

Yet, when I tell people that I don't have cable/sat, I get a lot of funny looks and several times people have asked if we are "on a budget" or something similar.

And here is my point: I am approaching OTA-only for one year, ironically in February. You know how many people I've met WITHOUT cable or sat?

none.

That's right. Zero.

I am the only person I know.

I am the only person I know.

This has huge philosophical implications. I've studied the theory that reality exists only in conscious thought, but I hadn't considered the possibility that my existence might rest only in your consciousness.

Wait a minute. If you're the only person you know, it's going to be mighty lonely this Christmas. Sorry, dude.

Wait a minute, I didn't even get you a Christmas present. Please don't get mad. How about I get you a subscription to Dish?

Wait a minute. I gotta get another eggnog.

Hey, Linda, what the hell did you put in this eggnog? I feel a little ..........

This has huge philosophical implications. I've studied the theory that reality exists only in conscious thought, but I hadn't considered the possibility that my existence might rest only in your consciousness.

Wait a minute. If you're the only person you know, it's going to be mighty lonely this Christmas. Sorry, dude.

Wait a minute, I didn't even get you a Christmas present. Please don't get mad. How about I get you a subscription to Dish?

Wait a minute. I gotta get another eggnog.

Hey, Linda, what the hell did you put in this eggnog? I feel a little ..........

LOL

I, on the other hand, find most of my DVR material is from non-network cable channels.

It sounds like maybe Charter and KMOV are close to working out a deal...

From the St. Louis Business Journal:
___________________________________________________

Charter Communications and KMOV-TV are moving closer to a carriage agreement, Charter said late Tuesday.

“Charter indicates that details of an agreement take time, but that a final agreement is likely without loss of a Belo station’s signal,” said John Miller, a spokesman for Charter, in a statement.

Charter is negotiating carriage agreements with network affiliates nationwide.

CBS affiliate KMOV is asking for a fee for its content and Charter has said that it’s asking for too much money but didn’t specify the amount.

Network affiliates nationwide are starting to charge cable companies and pay-TV providers for content. Similar disputes are playing out between Charter and ABC affiliates in Montgomery, Ala., Suffolk, Va., and North Texas.
___________________________________________________

Full story can be found here: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/12/22/daily33.html

Hey all. The new Sammy 67" is still great. I just bought an XBox 360 Elite (with HDMI). I'm going to try out the Netflix streaming video with it. I originally wanted to do the Apple TV, but their rental model is too expensive and too draconian.

Heh...now I'm out of HDMI inputs on the TV.

I got this link about the death of VHS (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-vhs-tapes22-2008dec22,0,5852342.story) from an old student. It's a pretty good read. For anyone with VHS tapes still on their shelves, it might be a wake-up call to find other options. In case some of you might be unaware of this, tape deteriorates over time. Even if you have a VHS player, don't expect to be able to play those tapes very much longer. Sure, DVD is on its death bed, too, but they're likely to last a little longer than VHS.

Hey all. The new Sammy 67" is still great. I just bought an XBox 360 Elite (with HDMI). I'm going to try out the Netflix streaming video with it. I originally wanted to do the Apple TV, but their rental model is too expensive and too draconian.

Heh...now I'm out of HDMI inputs on the TV.


I was excited when Netflix became available on the 360. No HD, no DD...Kind of blows.

I was excited when Netflix became available on the 360. No HD, no DD...Kind of blows.There is not a lot in HD streaming from Netflix, but there is some -- I have Heroes S1 in HD in my Play Instantly queue -- and I expect that will get better.

Edit: looks like Roku has also upgraded its player to HD: http://www.roku.com/products/netflixplayer/index.php

Recession? What recession?

Looks like the site of the old Noah's Ark restaurant and motel in St. Charles is going to become, among other things, a new luxury movie theater... and I *do* mean LUXURY... as in $30 a ticket with valet parking!

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/3AE926F91284CDEA8625752A0007C645?OpenDocument

I've only been able to pick them up with a 4228, connected to a Zenith DTT-901 CECB. And then, only intermittently:

http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_report2/St_Louis_MO.pdf

I couldn't agree with you more.

We went OTA-only for these reasons:

1) The majority of our shows on our DVR were on broadcast TV.
2) A lot of out time is divided between out newborn daughter on both us being in Grad School(!!!)
3) I can pay around $75 to cover iTunes purchases for my missed shows and order UFC off of Yahoo. Netflix can cover the rest.

It just made sense. Instead of spending around $1200 a year on TV, between Tivo, Netflix and iTunes, I spend around $350.

Yet, when I tell people that I don't have cable/sat, I get a lot of funny looks and several times people have asked if we are "on a budget" or something similar.

And here is my point: I am approaching OTA-only for one year, ironically in February. You know how many people I've met WITHOUT cable or sat?

none.

That's right. Zero.

I am the only person I know.

Incorrect. I'm broadcast-only too. :) Have been for four years. I can get what I need from the internet, or DVD. Gave up on sports decades ago.

I think Mr. Calibrator is correct; many high end customers may opt out of cable/sat. (I was encouraged by a blocked southern horizon, and Charter's customer service...) Lower income customers may see it as a needed child-care option. The middle tier will get squeezed.

This is happening with all media. Newspapers, radio, the works.

Incorrect. I'm broadcast-only too. :) Have been for four years. I can get what I need from the internet, or DVD. Gave up on sports decades ago.

I think Mr. Calibrator is correct; many high end customers may opt out of cable/sat. (I was encouraged by a blocked southern horizon, and Charter's customer service...) Lower income customers may see it as a needed child-care option. The middle tier will get squeezed.

This is happening with all media. Newspapers, radio, the works.

I'm not sure it's a matter of high-end vs. low-end, but of how much you value the OTA networks vs. other options. I, for one, with the big exception of sports coverage, would barely miss the OTA networks since I can count on one hand the number of OTA shows I watch regularly year to year.

My exgirlfriend has been watching OTA for the 12+ years that we've known each other. Actually, she'd been into OTA for several years before that, probably all her life. A few months ago I set her up with a Sammy OTA tuner, but she instantly got frustrated with the reception issues in Fergusen with her attic anntena, and the slowness of channel surfing. She did admit that the picture quality was superior, even on her Panny SD set, but asked to be put back on her previous setup. Recently, she's talked about putting up a decent rooftop for the Feb. changeover.

Adrian

Hey all. The new Sammy 67" is still great. I just bought an XBox 360 Elite (with HDMI). I'm going to try out the Netflix streaming video with it. I originally wanted to do the Apple TV, but their rental model is too expensive and too draconian.

Heh...now I'm out of HDMI inputs on the TV.

Hey, Dean, have you noticed any rainbow effect on your LED set? I ask only because I've read reports that some people can still see it, even on those sets. I can see it, if I work hard, on color wheel DLPs, but I've yet to see it at all on the Samsung LED-based DLPs at Best Buy. The change rate is soooo fast with LED, I don't think I ever will.

Hey, Dean, have you noticed any rainbow effect on your LED set? I ask only because I've read reports that some people can still see it, even on those sets. I can see it, if I work hard, on color wheel DLPs, but I've yet to see it at all on the Samsung LED-based DLPs at Best Buy. The change rate is soooo fast with LED, I don't think I ever will.No I have not noticed, but I'm not looking to see if it exists either.

I bought the TV to be happy, so unlike a lot of folks over in the display forums nitpicking and finding all kinds of problems they can come up with, I am not going to check it's geometry, flash my head and hands around to look for rainbow effect, and so on. Anyway, it has a 120Hz color engine, LED light source, and no color wheel. AFAIK, that is supposed to eliminate the rainbow effect.

I could stand to have the TV calibrated for HDMI input, but other than that I couldn't be more pleased with it.

No I have not noticed, but I'm not looking to see if it exists either.

I bought the TV to be happy, so unlike a lot of folks over in the display forums nitpicking and finding all kinds of problems they can come up with, I am not going to check it's geometry, flash my head and hands around to look for rainbow effect, and so on. Anyway, it has a 120Hz color engine, LED light source, and no color wheel. AFAIK, that is supposed to eliminate the rainbow effect.

I could stand to have the TV calibrated for HDMI input, but other than that I couldn't be more pleased with it.

I liked the set a lot when I saw it at Best Buy. When they get LED front projection DLPs bright enough, I'll almost certainly get one. :)

I liked the set a lot when I saw it at Best Buy. When they get LED front projection DLPs bright enough, I'll almost certainly get one. :)We replaced an older HLP6163 720P DLP. This set is definitely brighter. We watched all of Band of Brothers on Blu Ray this past week and it was fabulous. :)

I've just decided to get a Harmony One remote. I have an older URC MX-700 that acts a bit flakey now and then, so I'm replacing it.

We replaced an older HLP6163 720P DLP. This set is definitely brighter. We watched all of Band of Brothers on Blu Ray this past week and it was fabulous. :)

I've just decided to get a Harmony One remote. I have an older URC MX-700 that acts a bit flakey now and then, so I'm replacing it.

I've owned and recommended Harmony remotes to lots of friends. They're great - much better than other universal remotes I've used. I'm using a couple of 670s in my home now.

I've owned and recommended Harmony remotes to lots of friends. They're great - much better than other universal remotes I've used. I'm using a couple of 670s in my home now.I've heard good things about Harmony.

In any case I'm done as a customer of URC and their draconian restrictions/difficulties getting the software to program their remotes. Not to mention, I like the idea of being able to program it from my Mac.

Here's a question for anyone who might know: can you run a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate as a virtual machine within a properly licensed Vista computer, without paying for another license? I don't think it's legal with any other version of the OS, but I've read reports that it can be done with Ultimate, Business or Enterprise. I have some programs that don't play well together, so I'd like to set up a system with my most used programs and a virtual machine with the rest.

I've only been able to pick them up with a 4228, connected to a Zenith DTT-901 CECB. And then, only intermittently:

http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_report2/St_Louis_MO.pdf

Wow! I was at relatives in IL over Christmas trying to help them set up for the DTV transistion and now I understand why noone was able to pick up a digital signal for WPXS.

Thought you guys might find this funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-pD-M0rY4

It appears that Charter and Belo/KMOV have worked out an agreement to keep KMOV on the cable line-up.

From the Multichannel News web site:
_______________________________________________________

Charter Communications has evidently staved off retransmission-consent deadline battles with a trio of Belo TV stations. As such, there are no plans for a discontinuance of service on Dec. 31.

Charter has reached tentative accords with Belo Corp.’s KMOV-TV, the CBS affiliate in St. Louis and the company’s WVEC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Norfolk, N.C., according to message on the station’s Web sites. Similarly, the operator has reached a tentative agreement with Belo’s WCNC–TV-DT, an NBC affiliate serving the Charlotte, N.C. DMA.

It was unclear at press time, if Charter had come to an agreement with Belo’s St. WFAA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Early last week, the Belo stations had notified customers via their Web sites that their signals may go dark on Charter systems in the aforementioned markets.

The disputes centered on cash compensation. KMOV, in a newscast Dec. 19, indicated that it was asking for 1 cent per Charter cable subscriber per day, which would total about $1.6 million a year, The St. Louis Dispatch reported. On its Web site, WFAA also claimed it is asking for “about a penny a day per subscriber.”
_______________________________________________________

Full story here: http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6625047.html?desc=topstory

No I have not noticed, but I'm not looking to see if it exists either.

I bought the TV to be happy, so unlike a lot of folks over in the display forums nitpicking and finding all kinds of problems they can come up with, I am not going to check it's geometry, flash my head and hands around to look for rainbow effect, and so on. Anyway, it has a 120Hz color engine, LED light source, and no color wheel. AFAIK, that is supposed to eliminate the rainbow effect.

I could stand to have the TV calibrated for HDMI input, but other than that I couldn't be more pleased with it.Dean,

Let me know if you decide you want to have your Samsung calibrated. As you may know, it has a highly functional color management system, which set up with the proper equipment and with proper grayscale adjustment can definitely improve color fidelity.

FWIW, Samsung has been leading the way in this area, though it appears this might be the end of the line for rear-projection DLP. Mitsubishi will probably hang in there with its premium-priced LaserVue sets, but indications are that Samsung is getting ready to go exclusively flat panel and front projection, if not for 2009 then 2010. Fortunately, Samsung's CMS expertise is carried over to these other products.

I've read some bad things about Samsung's front projectors, despite the fact that their other HDTVs seem to be light years ahead of the competition in many ways. I know that I read Joe Kane collaborated with Samsung on a 720p front projector that had advanced calibration features, but the unit was plagued with other issues. Did you ever calibrate one of the Joe Kane pj's and are they easier to program than other front pj's?

For all you Galactica fans with DirecTV HD DVR's....

If you don't feel like going online to watch the first new webisode on your PC screen, it's now available on DirecTV on Demand (though it's a little tough to find). When you fire up the On Demand menu and do a Browse by Channel, Sci-Fi 1244 is not listed.

Instead, go to Search for Shows. Search for Battlestar. The webisode and two catchup specials titled "Recap" and "Catch the Frak Up" will pop up as VOD shows from channel 1244... even though Sci-Fi Channel 1244 is not an official part of DirecTV's On Demand lineup.

The webisode is produced in a 16x9 aspect ratio, though it does not automatically appear that way on either of my HDTV's... I had to play with the screen format buttons on both DVR's/TV's to get the webisode to display properly.

But it beats having to watch it at scifi.com. Enjoy!

Hey Doug, Its been a while since I last visited this thread. It's good to be back :)

Any idea if Charter plans on offering it's St Louis customers the KMOV feed in HD?

I've read some bad things about Samsung's front projectors, despite the fact that their other HDTVs seem to be light years ahead of the competition in many ways. I know that I read Joe Kane collaborated with Samsung on a 720p front projector that had advanced calibration features, but the unit was plagued with other issues. Did you ever calibrate one of the Joe Kane pj's and are they easier to program than other front pj's?Joe,

Yeah, there were some reliability issues with the first-generation of the Samsung projector designed by Joe Kane, but my understanding from a friend who has sold several is that these problems were subsequently addressed. The newest 1080p models are getting rave reviews and are apparently very popular in Hollywood.

I haven't actually calibrated one of the Samsung DLP projectors, though I have seen a unit calibrated at a trade show. On the advanced calibration, Joe Kane discovered that Texas Instruments included API calls that could be used to adjust the color gamut to any desired spec (SMPTE C, HDTV, EBU, etc). and that grayscale is calibrated as part of the process. So he worked with Samsung to incorporate the programming that would allow those APIs to be properly exploited.

The way this works, is you defeat the built-in color control processing and measure the native color coordinates and light output levels of each of the primary colors and white. You then enter the targets for the color space you desire (normally HDTV Rec 709) and your measured data. You then re-activate the color control processing, at which point the projector automatically recalculates the primaries and grayscale, based on the data and targets entered. This typically gets you 95% of where you need to be, and then you can manually tweak the primaries, secondaries and grayscale the rest of the way.

Samsung migrated a version of this system to their rear-projection DLPs the model year after the initial Joe Kane projector. They have since added a similar system that is less automated but overall a bit more robust for the LCD and plasma flat panels. I worked on one of the new Samsung LED-backlit LCDs a couple of weeks ago, and the controls provided and end-results were both excellent.

To your other question, I wouldn't say that the Samsungs are easier to work on. In fact, they require more work, because there is "more to work with" in aid of producing accurate images. Given a choice, I'd much rather have full access to all the required controls so that I can produce better results -- even if it takes twice as long as something less capable.

Either way, it pays the same. :)

Tom,

I haven't been here a lot myself lately, as I travel a fair bit nowadays. I've actually been around a bit more than usual the past month.

As far as I know, the recent negotiations would include the HD feed, but I've not seen that stated explicitly. But I assume that with the analog shutdown in February, that the focus would be on the digital feed. I assume that come February, the digital feed will be converted to SD for analog and other non-HD cable customers.

Doug,

My projector needs a tune-up. I took the Lumagen out of the loop because it couldn't handle my HTPCs 1080p output very well. I also need to talk to you about the gamma setting and where we start with the calibration.

I've owned and recommended Harmony remotes to lots of friends. They're great - much better than other universal remotes I've used. I'm using a couple of 670s in my home now.I got my Harmony One yesterday. BB had it on sale for $200 and I had a $50 gift card.

I love this remote. Easy-peasy to setup, software works with my Mac (but you have to use Java 5 as your default VM, rather than Java 6). Today I found the Pronto discrete codes for the Movie/Standard/Dynamic picture modes for my TV. I sent a support request to Logitech to add them to my TV setup. Within two hours they had done it. I started my software, it had the new codes, and I updated my remote with them. What great service! :)

Contrast that with Universal Remote Control who act like total NAZIs about providing their software (i.e. they have draconian rules about getting the software you need to program their remotes). Good riddance to URC. The Harmony One is better for me at half the price, and I don't have to deal with total asses. :rolleyes:

Tom,

I haven't been here a lot myself lately, as I travel a fair bit nowadays. I've actually been around a bit more than usual the past month.

As far as I know, the recent negotiations would include the HD feed, but I've not seen that stated explicitly. But I assume that with the analog shutdown in February, that the focus would be on the digital feed. I assume that come February, the digital feed will be converted to SD for analog and other non-HD cable customers.

I know Charter has claimed that they would add three more HD channels (MLB-HD, SciFi-HD, and USA-HD) in "January 2009". So they could possibly just add CBS to that list, or they could also wait for the deal to become finalized as opposed to the current "tentative" deal. I would strongly suspect that the analog shutdown date to be the absolute final date for the CBS-HD to be added.

Hello all,

It's been a while since I've posted on this site but I continue to monitor it from time-to-time.

I need your help in finding somebody locally who's familiar with modified X-Box machines using Box media center. I have my DVD's loaded up to network storage and stream the movies to a couple of PC's throughout the house. I also am streaming the movies to an Xbox with XBMC.

I had an old Xbox modified by somebody locally about two or three years back using a "hard-mod". I recently tried to upgrade the software and, not surprisingly, something went wrong and it won't display titles anymore. Does anybody know somebody who knows somebody who'd be willing to work on this machine. I think it's an easy fix if you know what you're doing. Unfortunately, I don't.

I live in Chesterfield and would certainly pay for the service.

Thanks,

Mike (Da Bears)

just heard on KMOX that the settlement includes kmov hd for charter customers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has KPLR on their digital 11-1 channel started to stretch everything they broadcast? Just tuned it to that 70's show at 5:00 and it was stretched.

Same for "Family Guy" on Charter :(

just heard on KMOX that the settlement includes kmov hd for charter customers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Considering that the digital signal is all that they will be broadcasting soon, it
would have been useless to reach an agreement without it.

Here's a question for anyone who might know: can you run a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate as a virtual machine within a properly licensed Vista computer, without paying for another license? I don't think it's legal with any other version of the OS, but I've read reports that it can be done with Ultimate, Business or Enterprise. I have some programs that don't play well together, so I'd like to set up a system with my most used programs and a virtual machine with the rest.

Hey Joe, I vaguely remember the hitch being... you can't run Vista Home Premium or Basic with a certain product key in a virtual machine inside a Vista Home Premium or Basic system that was registered with that same product key. Has to be a different product key. Otherwise I'm not aware of any restrictions there.

Funny you should be asking this now... I'm typing this in Firefox running in Ubuntu Linux, which I'm running in a virtual machine on my editing/encoding PC (host operating ststem Windows XP Home).

I'm using Sun xVM VirtualBox as the virtual machine host. It's freeware and seems to run fine... though the guide (http://apcmag.com/the_ultimate_guide_to_virtualization.htm) that I followed was missing a few important steps I had to figure out myself as I went.

Hey Doug, Its been a while since I last visited this thread. It's good to be back :)

Any idea if Charter plans on offering it's St Louis customers the KMOV feed in HD?

And just where have you BEEN, young man?????????? :D

Hey Bob, nice to be back. Are you still at the same place? I need to come by some afternoon and say hi

Has KPLR on their digital 11-1 channel started to stretch everything they broadcast? Just tuned it to that 70's show at 5:00 and it was stretched.

Yes, I have noticed it also and the SD channels has the sides cut off and it is unwatchable. I hope they change it back ASAP.

Yes, I have noticed it also and the SD channels has the sides cut off and it is unwatchable. I hope they change it back ASAP.

Egads! It's a good thing I don't watch the channel. What are they thinking?

This strategy must be from the same advisors who suggested to KMOV to pull the plug on Charter three weeks before the move to the new DTV channel.

Doug,

My projector needs a tune-up. I took the Lumagen out of the loop because it couldn't handle my HTPCs 1080p output very well. I also need to talk to you about the gamma setting and where we start with the calibration.Joe,

I'd be happy to get together with you. I'm in Chicago today and Tuesday, but will be back in STL on Wednesday. I'm also around through the weekend, and then I'm off to KY-TN-NC-SC-GA for about 2 weeks, returning sometime around the 18th.

Let me know if you want to do get something done before I go and I can carve out a day. If not, we should probably talk about something later in January, as I'll likely be heading out again during the last week of the month and would be away around 10 days.

PS -- I'm surprised/bummed to hear about the Lumagen issue. Do you have the latest firmware loaded? Have you taken that up with anyone at Lumagen? If not, let me know the specifics and I can try to determine if there's a workaround.

I think WRBU (46.1) must have boosted their signal. Anyone else know about this or even notice?

It is the only digital/hd station I can't pick up but starting yesterday, it's been coming in rock solid. It's still the "weakest" according to the TivoHD signal strength meter, but it's signal stays "locked" at a number...when I would pick it up in the past (summer mornings), it was a low signal (high 30's to low 40's) and would still break up or get those "tiles" and my signal number would not remain constant.

Now it stays locked, no breakups, etc...I don't believe it has anything to do with leaves off the trees...nothing has changed since last winter and I couldn't get jack then.



Now I am holding out hope I'll get RTN out of Mt. Vernon in...which no one really seems to know anything about.

Did anyone attempt to watch the Pirates movie last night on KDNL?

I had it on for a little bit but I couldn't take it any more.

It was flagged as DD but only R/L was active. No voices. Lots of background sound though.

The switchboard operator at KPLR said they know about the problem with there digital channel and are working on getting it fixed. But, they have no timeframe on when it will be fixed. :(

Did anyone attempt to watch the Pirates movie last night on KDNL?

I had it on for a little bit but I couldn't take it any more.

It was flagged as DD but only R/L was active. No voices. Lots of background sound though.

I received a call from my Dad about 7:15 last night inquiring about this. We spent yesterday installing a new 37" LCD, so he was thinking we had a problem. After tuning in on my set during the call I had the same issue. Just a minute or two later it seemed fixed, as far as hearing voices, I didn't watch the rest of the program.

Per an email from the KMOV (CBS affiliate) engineering staff, the digital TVGOS is being transmitted as part of KMOV's OTA digital signal.

I'm trying to get a DTVPal DVR (www.dtvpal.com) to populate with TVGOS data, have tried a couple of local zip codes, have turned the unit off overnight (not in manual, but required for population to happen per DISH tech support), and so far, it is still only populated with PSIP data, and not a weeks worth of TVGOS data (no TV Guide logo shows in the Guide screen either).

Anyone know of a confirmed Zip code that works for local Digital TVGOS?

Anyone notice Fox 2 having really bad audio variations lately, especially during their local newscast? I have a number on receiver that is the "usual" volume for the cable (most channels) and FOX seems to get REALLY LOUD lately, but only in places ...

Only other channel that has such variations (and has forever) is AMC ... their commercials are so much louder than the movies / shows.

I have a Panasonic TH42PZ80U with a PS3 connected via HDMI. I have had the TV about 6 months now and did not realize how poor of image quality I have been seeing until I took my PS3 to my parents to watch the Ironman Blu-Ray on their 36' HD LCD. The quality completely blew mine out of the water. Everything looked crystal clear and smooth. I can hardly notice a difference when watching a DVD vs a Blu-ray. It does not matter what Blu-ray I watch it does not seem as clear and as fluid as it did on their TV.

I just recently found this forum and have been trying out display settings that others have posted but nothing seems to reduce grainy image. Is there anyone in the Saint Louis area (Hazelwood) that could perhaps come to my house and offer a consultation for me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

How would you like some decent MP3s for about 2 pennies each? Amazon has 99 Beethoven MP3s (http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B001NWULS0/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1) for $1.99 today. It's an odd arrangement, and usually not all the movements from a given work, but it's hard to beat the price. Some good musicians, too.

Joe,

I'd be happy to get together with you. I'm in Chicago today and Tuesday, but will be back in STL on Wednesday. I'm also around through the weekend, and then I'm off to KY-TN-NC-SC-GA for about 2 weeks, returning sometime around the 18th.

Let me know if you want to do get something done before I go and I can carve out a day. If not, we should probably talk about something later in January, as I'll likely be heading out again during the last week of the month and would be away around 10 days.

PS -- I'm surprised/bummed to hear about the Lumagen issue. Do you have the latest firmware loaded? Have you taken that up with anyone at Lumagen? If not, let me know the specifics and I can try to determine if there's a workaround.

I won't have a 100 hours on the new lamp until the end of the month, anyway, so the end of January will work better. The problem with the Lumagen is that it doesn't like the 1080p/60 frame rate from my HTPCs. I think 1080p 30 is the best it can do, isn't it? I wasn't able to get it to recognize 1080p/60 at all. The main problem is that black and color levels differ a little between my Dish 622 and the other components.

I ordered, then canceled the order for a DVDO Edge. I was excited about it's possibilities, but then read that the brightness, contrast and color controls didn't give a very fine degree of adjustment. I think the differences between my components might require a more than the coarse level the DVDO could provide. Do you know anything about that unit? My system otherwise looks like it would be a good fit for its capabilities.

How would you like some decent MP3s for about 2 pennies each? Amazon has 99 Beethoven MP3s (http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B001NWULS0/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1) for $1.99 today. It's an odd arrangement, and usually not all the movements from a given work, but it's hard to beat the price. Some good musicians, too.Thanks for the tip. You can beat that deal, even if only a small percentage are any good. I only listen to classical and jazz, so this may be a nice addition to my iPod for the car.

I have a Panasonic TH42PZ80U with a PS3 connected via HDMI. I have had the TV about 6 months now and did not realize how poor of image quality I have been seeing until I took my PS3 to my parents to watch the Ironman Blu-Ray on their 36' HD LCD. The quality completely blew mine out of the water. Everything looked crystal clear and smooth. I can hardly notice a difference when watching a DVD vs a Blu-ray. It does not matter what Blu-ray I watch it does not seem as clear and as fluid as it did on their TV.

I just recently found this forum and have been trying out display settings that others have posted but nothing seems to reduce grainy image. Is there anyone in the Saint Louis area (Hazelwood) that could perhaps come to my house and offer a consultation for me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You're not in the band Lost Prophets, are you? :)

There are several dedicated threads for the PS3 on AVS, as well as, I'm sure, one dedicated to your specific TV.

First things first .... make sure your TV and PS3 firmware are up to date.

If they are, then look in the Panny forums for issues regarding firmware. I have a Samsung, a friend of mine has a Sharp Aquous, and in certain cases rolling BACK the firmware can help with specific problems ... that's a generality but he had an issue with his Sharp that was fixed by going back to an earlier firmware version.

Then there's the question ... maybe you just have a bad HDMI cable? Did you take the cable to your parents house, or use another cable?

Just trying some process of elimination. Good Luck!

edit: I searched some and notice your TV is a plasma ... which may be neither here nor there, except I have more current experiences with LCD's. Naturally any TV will need some basic calibration out of the box for different inputs, and the PS3 has its own settings, so ... it may just need tweaking on both sides. Make sure you have the PS3 outputting 1080P

ok last edit, hehe:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1019763

I have Dish HD and when watching football games, the tonight show, and Discovery Ch, the picture is pretty good, but when I switch to HBO HD, it looks like crap! The faces are reddish and some scenes are washed out. I then hooked up some $10 rabbit ears and the local hd channels look dynamite. My wife is watching CW11 and it looks great. Is Dish working on getting a better signal out? Would Direct be a better provider? Where I live I can only get satellite.

I have Dish HD and when watching football games, the tonight show, and Discovery Ch, the picture is pretty good, but when I switch to HBO HD, it looks like crap! The faces are reddish and some scenes are washed out. I then hooked up some $10 rabbit ears and the local hd channels look dynamite. My wife is watching CW11 and it looks great. Is Dish working on getting a better signal out? Would Direct be a better provider? Where I live I can only get satellite.

I have Dish HD and I think it looks pretty good, the picture quality is going to vary by channel and by the what movie or show they are showing. Older movies on HBO tend to be washed out a bit but I was just watching the Golden Compass on HBOW HD and it looked fantastic. Starz HD is the same way some movies look horrible on it and other looks great. Over the air antenna is going to look better than anything on Dish or Direct, most of the new shows are shot in HD and look really good plus they are not being re compressed to Mpeg4 to send over the satellite. Dish's mpeg4 compression has definitely gotten better since they started using it. I used to be able to tell rather my DVR recordings were from the OTA feed or the Dish feed just by the picture quality and compression artifacts. It is getting harder to tell them apart over the last year or so but there is still some differences. This might be a stupid question but you do have your dish receiver set to output 1080i and 16x9 correct?

You're not in the band Lost Prophets, are you? :)

There are several dedicated threads for the PS3 on AVS, as well as, I'm sure, one dedicated to your specific TV.

First things first .... make sure your TV and PS3 firmware are up to date.

If they are, then look in the Panny forums for issues regarding firmware. I have a Samsung, a friend of mine has a Sharp Aquous, and in certain cases rolling BACK the firmware can help with specific problems ... that's a generality but he had an issue with his Sharp that was fixed by going back to an earlier firmware version.

Then there's the question ... maybe you just have a bad HDMI cable? Did you take the cable to your parents house, or use another cable?

Just trying some process of elimination. Good Luck!

edit: I searched some and notice your TV is a plasma ... which may be neither here nor there, except I have more current experiences with LCD's. Naturally any TV will need some basic calibration out of the box for different inputs, and the PS3 has its own settings, so ... it may just need tweaking on both sides. Make sure you have the PS3 outputting 1080P

ok last edit, hehe:



Thanks the for the reply, yes I used the same HDMI cable at both places, I also tried different ports on my TV. I got the same result with each. The link that you posted is actually the first page that I found, but none of the setting people have posted look anything like the quality that I saw when viewing a movie using my PS3 and HDMI cable on my parents TV. That is why I want to think there is an issue with my TV and not just the settings.

edit: Parents tv is a....Sony Bravia XBR KDL-32XBR6 32" LCD HDTV

I have a Panasonic TH42PZ80U with a PS3 connected via HDMI. I have had the TV about 6 months now and did not realize how poor of image quality I have been seeing until I took my PS3 to my parents to watch the Ironman Blu-Ray on their 36' HD LCD. The quality completely blew mine out of the water. Everything looked crystal clear and smooth. I can hardly notice a difference when watching a DVD vs a Blu-ray. It does not matter what Blu-ray I watch it does not seem as clear and as fluid as it did on their TV.

I just recently found this forum and have been trying out display settings that others have posted but nothing seems to reduce grainy image. Is there anyone in the Saint Louis area (Hazelwood) that could perhaps come to my house and offer a consultation for me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the obvious question, but if you press info or display or whatever on your TV when you are using the PS3, does it tell you the resolution that is being displayed?

On my TV if I press info it will say 1080p or 1080i or whatever...

Sorry for the obvious question, but if you press info or display or whatever on your TV when you are using the PS3, does it tell you the resolution that is being displayed?

On my TV if I press info it will say 1080p or 1080i or whatever...

I guess it depends on your TV, on my sony, display button(IIRC) shows 1080p. On the PS3, you can hit info(or display) and it will tell you resolution, audio codec and bitrate(although the bitrate meter isn't super accurate).

Something is very wrong, "Out of the box" that Panny should CRUSH that Sony LCD in the PQ department. That is unless you don't like black and love the goofy red push and comic book greens

I guess it depends on your TV, on my sony, display button(IIRC) shows 1080p. On the PS3, you can hit info(or display) and it will tell you resolution, audio codec and bitrate(although the bitrate meter isn't super accurate).

The TV says it is displaying at 1080p, I will double check what the PS3 is broadcasting the image at, I have everything set to automatic, and I know that the main PS3 menu says that it is using the 1080p resolution. I am not sure about when it is playing a disc though.

The TV says it is displaying at 1080p, I will double check what the PS3 is broadcasting the image at, I have everything set to automatic, and I know that the main PS3 menu says that it is using the 1080p resolution. I am not sure about when it is playing a disc though.

Maybe I missed it. What type of cabling are you using between your source and the Panny? I have a 50" Panny Plasma and the PQ is nothing short of outstanding.

HDMI should be your first choice followed by Component cables. If using Component, make sure all three connections are clean and tight at both ends.

Maybe I missed it. What type of cabling are you using between your source and the Panny? I have a 50" Panny Plasma and the PQ is nothing short of outstanding.

HDMI should be your first choice followed by Component cables. If using Component, make sure all three connections are clean and tight at both ends.

He's using an HDMI

Then make sure you're set up for the optimal resolution at both ends. Especially be certain the PS3 is set up for HD, Wide Screen, etc.

CBS-HD returns to Charter tonight at 12am!!!

Ya, I have my settings @ 1080i and 16x9....What set do you have? I cant get an answer on the thread this tv is on, so I'll ask here. Does anyone have the Toshiba 46XV540U? If so, how do you like it?

CBS-HD returns to Charter tonight at 12am!!!

And it has. 784 is active but no guide data on the Tivo 3 yet. Even after forcing a connection, I still get "To be announce". I suppose it may take a few days for the notifications to roll out to all the partners.

Steve

I am making the move on my TV away from Charter to Dish and will be keeping Charter for phones and internet. My issue is I have a spare bedroom that has a TV in that won't be hooked up to a Dish receiver. I can't see spending $40 a month to have basic analog cable for this room, is there any other options.

I am making the move on my TV away from Charter to Dish and will be keeping Charter for phones and internet. My issue is I have a spare bedroom that has a TV in that won't be hooked up to a Dish receiver. I can't see spending $40 a month to have basic analog cable for this room, is there any other options.

If you are getting the Dish DVR they have duel outputs. You can connect the rf output to another TV and it will run off the included RF remote for the second room. You can tell the output what channel to output on, anywhere from 1 to 99. It will act independently from the primary TV allowing you to watch different channels in each room. The only time when they step on each other is when both tuners(3 tuners with the HD DVR 1 OTA) are recording something at the same time or you have told it to record on tuner 2. It works pretty good.

I am making the move on my TV away from Charter to Dish and will be keeping Charter for phones and internet. My issue is I have a spare bedroom that has a TV in that won't be hooked up to a Dish receiver. I can't see spending $40 a month to have basic analog cable for this room, is there any other options.

Just run standard cable from the RF out of the Dish receiver to the TV. This would be SD quality but it's fine for a guess or occasional viewing. The RF remote that comes with most new models provides ample control.

If you are getting the Dish DVR they have duel outputs. You can connect the rf output to another TV and it will run off the included RF remote for the second room. You can tell the output what channel to output on, anywhere from 1 to 99. It will act independently from the primary TV allowing you to watch different channels in each room. The only time when they step on each other is when both tuners(3 tuners with the HD DVR 1 OTA) are recording something at the same time or you have told it to record on tuner 2. It works pretty good.

I am getting one dual HD DVR & one dual HD receiver. I am going to use the SD outputs on two other existing TV's. I am going with the Turbo HD only package that only provides HD channels and down converts them to the SD for the second room. For an addiitonal TV do I need to get another HD receiver? Can I also down convert off of both outputs if I want to send to two SD TV's? Does Charte offer an local only package?

Here are some more self-proclaimed "fearless" predictions for TV in 2009, from TVPredictions.com. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/swanniseven010109.htm)

I've been saying for years that the way the government and TV industry were ignoring the coming digital TV transition was borderline criminal. Swanni predicts the transition will be a "disaster." My view has tempered since my initial pessimism. That's mainly due to anecdotal evidence, more than combing through exhaustive studies (are there any?). My folks are not tech savvy, but even they are aware of the transition, as is a 98 year old nun I know. Their general confusion over the change leads me to believe that it will be messy, but I think everyone expected that. I no longer think the transition will be as traumatic as I initially believed. Less than 2 months and counting. (BTW, I'm not taking any bets on my position on this issue.) :)

Swanni's 5th prediction is the most disturbing to me - that D* will buy E*. Having seen the DirecTV DVR, there's no way I'd want to give up my Dish 622 (or 211). I much prefer the features of the Dish HD DVRs. I'm sure a sale to D* would lead eventually to Dish DVRs going away. D* talks the talk, but the really innovative features seem to come from E*.

No flames, please. I'm sure most of you D* subscribers won't agree with me on this one. Just my 2 cents. :)

Swanni's 5th prediction is the most disturbing to me - that D* will buy E*. Having seen the DirecTV DVR, there's no way I'd want to give up my Dish 622 (or 211). I much prefer the features of the Dish HD DVRs. I'm sure a sale to D* would lead eventually to Dish DVRs going away. D* talks the talk, but the really innovative features seem to come from E*.

No flames, please. I'm sure most of you D* subscribers won't agree with me on this one. Just my 2 cents. :)

I never owned a D* DVR, but from what I've read and heard about them from friends, the E* DVRs certainly seem superior. While I am a huge fan of the VIP 722, it's not without it's flaws (what is?) and the UI is not as simple or clean as TiVo. I loved my Series One TiVo but kissed it goodbye in the dawn of HD.

IMHO, a VIP722 with a TiVo UI would be a dream machine. Sprinkle in some SLING technology along with a few more HD channel holdouts (c'mon Comedy, FNC, etc.) and I'm done:)

My original Dish 921 certainly wasn't the greatest DVR to grace the planet, but the 622 has made up for its shortcomings in a big way. And they keep upgrading the features, too.

One thing you D* owners might be interested in is this component HD recorder from Hauggauge (http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html). It allows you to re-encode any component output from an HD DVR like the 622 or the HR20 to H.264. It creates a Blu-ray compliant stream that can be stored on your hard drive, or even burned to DVD as an AVCHD disc that will play on most Blu-ray players (though not all, I've found). The quality is not as good as what I get from my Nextcom R5000 (which records the exact stream Dish sends out), but it's a really good option for archiving DVR programs that I didn't get around to recording directly to computer disk. I've done a couple of dozen recordings using it so far, and the quality is pretty good. It also records 5.1 audio from a digital audio output.

I won't have a 100 hours on the new lamp until the end of the month, anyway, so the end of January will work better. The problem with the Lumagen is that it doesn't like the 1080p/60 frame rate from my HTPCs. I think 1080p 30 is the best it can do, isn't it? I wasn't able to get it to recognize 1080p/60 at all. The main problem is that black and color levels differ a little between my Dish 622 and the other components.

I ordered, then canceled the order for a DVDO Edge. I was excited about it's possibilities, but then read that the brightness, contrast and color controls didn't give a very fine degree of adjustment. I think the differences between my components might require a more than the coarse level the DVDO could provide. Do you know anything about that unit? My system otherwise looks like it would be a good fit for its capabilities.Is your PC really outputting 1080p at 60 frames per second? If so, can you go 1080p at 30 frames instead? No doubt 60 frames would have some benefit, but I wouldn't think it was so great to make it worth not making use of the Lumagen.

On the DVDO Edge, I haven't had a lot of experience with this product yet, but of the two I have dealt with one was pretty flaky, as the front panel HDMI output was noticeably dimmer than the those on the back panel. Assuming the Edge de-interlacing and scaling is clean, it's a pretty good value. It also has HDMI inputs and associated lip sync correction, so that earns a star, too. On the other hand, I would bet the Lumagen Vision does a better job de-interlacing/scaling and that it completely blows away the Edge when it comes to video processing, as there's no grayscale adjustment (not even 2-point) or gamma on the Edge. Although the more expensive DVDO Pro 50 has grayscale adjustments, they don't work correctly, which I'll admit does color my opinion of the current state of DVDO's technical chops.

Also, I'm not sure which firmware version of the Vision you have, but about 6 months ago Lumagen also added a pretty useful CMS system.

While the new Lumagen Radiance is a very, very nice processor, it is also very expensive. I can understand why Lumagen chose to go upmarket after doing well with the Vision series, but I think DVDO made the better market play going downmarket with the Edge, especially the way the economy has gone. Even though the Edge is a lot less capable than the Lumagen entry-level, the Edge is still a good value.

Still, I think I'd check carefully on customer feedback and maybe wait and see, unless the feedback is overwhelmingly possible. These are the sort of products that are rarely solid coming out of the gate, but they do get better over time.

Also, I saw your private message. I'll check in with around mid-month on setting up an appointment. Good news on the new video cards providing both PC and video levels. On the gamma, I calibrated your projector first and then did most of the gamma work in the Lumagen -- so taking it out of the loop is probably the main issue. It may also be a matter of your bulb dimming enough that what was acceptable gamma from the projector alone has taken a hit over time as the bulb weakened.

Here are some more self-proclaimed "fearless" predictions for TV in 2009, from TVPredictions.com. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/swanniseven010109.htm)

I've been saying for years that the way the government and TV industry were ignoring the coming digital TV transition was borderline criminal. Swanni predicts the transition will be a "disaster." My view has tempered since my initial pessimism. That's mainly due to anecdotal evidence, more than combing through exhaustive studies (are there any?). My folks are not tech savvy, but even they are aware of the transition, as is a 98 year old nun I know. Their general confusion over the change leads me to believe that it will be messy, but I think everyone expected that. I no longer think the transition will be as traumatic as I initially believed. Less than 2 months and counting. (BTW, I'm not taking any bets on my position on this issue.) :)

I wish I could share your optimism Joe. At my house when the temperature drops below 20F 5-1 starts breaking up. I rarely get 11-1 and 46-1. I'm in St. Charles a bit south of I-70 near Wappelhorst Park. I've added amplifiers and repointed antenna a couple of times. My mother in law is near Lindenwood University and for her, 2-1, 4-1 and 9-1 break up on occasion. She has a new antenna and amplifier. Both antennas are stuck in the attic. The wife and MIL won't let me put the antenna outside where it belongs.

I wish I could share your optimism Joe. At my house when the temperature drops below 20F 5-1 starts breaking up. I rarely get 11-1 and 46-1. I'm in St. Charles a bit south of I-70 near Wappelhorst Park. I've added amplifiers and repointed antenna a couple of times. My mother in law is near Lindenwood University and for her, 2-1, 4-1 and 9-1 break up on occasion. She has a new antenna and amplifier. Both antennas are stuck in the attic. The wife and MIL won't let me put the antenna outside where it belongs.

Antennas are one of the reasons for my optimism. I hooked up 2 digital converter boxes for my folks' TVs, each with an old antenna that had been around for, literally, decades. Their main TV's antenna is stuffed in an enclosed entertainment center. The other one is in the basement. They both pull in everything but Ch. 47, and neither one can be positioned very well. I assumed the new ATSC tuners were simply a lot better at receiving signals than the early ones were. In the same neighborhood, I had to have an antenna put on my roof to receive those same stations with earlier ATSC tuners (one of the pitfalls of being an early adopter).

Anyway, evidence like this is purely anecdotal, so it's not worth much. I'm sure a lot of people are going to have more trouble - like the poor woman in the checkout lane at Best Buy when I bought the converter boxes for my parents. She was being told that she had to buy a new, special digital antenna to use her converter box. I told her to try her old antenna first. I suppose I could stand in line at checkout counters to offer my expertise when people buy their converters. After all, that sort of approach seems to work for Santa Claus.

Is your PC really outputting 1080p at 60 frames per second? If so, can you go 1080p at 30 frames instead? No doubt 60 frames would have some benefit, but I wouldn't think it was so great to make it worth not making use of the Lumagen.

On the DVDO Edge, I haven't had a lot of experience with this product yet, but of the two I have dealt with one was pretty flaky, as the front panel HDMI output was noticeably dimmer than the those on the back panel. Assuming the Edge de-interlacing and scaling is clean, it's a pretty good value. It also has HDMI inputs and associated lip sync correction, so that earns a star, too. On the other hand, I would bet the Lumagen Vision does a better job de-interlacing/scaling and that it completely blows away the Edge when it comes to video processing, as there's no grayscale adjustment (not even 2-point) or gamma on the Edge. Although the more expensive DVDO Pro 50 has grayscale adjustments, they don't work correctly, which I'll admit does color my opinion of the current state of DVDO's technical chops.

Also, I'm not sure which firmware version of the Vision you have, but about 6 months ago Lumagen also added a pretty useful CMS system.

While the new Lumagen Radiance is a very, very nice processor, it is also very expensive. I can understand why Lumagen chose to go upmarket after doing well with the Vision series, but I think DVDO made the better market play going downmarket with the Edge, especially the way the economy has gone. Even though the Edge is a lot less capable than the Lumagen entry-level, the Edge is still a good value.

Still, I think I'd check carefully on customer feedback and maybe wait and see, unless the feedback is overwhelmingly possible. These are the sort of products that are rarely solid coming out of the gate, but they do get better over time.

Also, I saw your private message. I'll check in with around mid-month on setting up an appointment. Good news on the new video cards providing both PC and video levels. On the gamma, I calibrated your projector first and then did most of the gamma work in the Lumagen -- so taking it out of the loop is probably the main issue. It may also be a matter of your bulb dimming enough that what was acceptable gamma from the projector alone has taken a hit over time as the bulb weakened.

1080p30 is not an option on the Radeon cards. 1080p60, 1080p24 and 1080i30 are. Problem is, 1080i30 doesn't provide a clean display for the Windows desktop. At least, I never was able to get it to do that. Fine text gets very blurry and the colors shift. Since I need the signal to bounce back and forth easily between my projector and my computer monitor, I need it very clean. Let's talk about the gamma contols on the projector and how they might be able to help in this situation.

I love the fine control the Lumagen gives. I don't think the Edge even comes close, from what I've read. Right now, though, I can't see investing in a Radiance to get 60p support.

Here's an illuminating article from ProjectorCentral.com (http://www.projectorcentral.com/judder_24p.htm) on 24p playback and frame interpolation. 24p playback has become a real buzzword but most people don't understand what it is. This article explains it and tells why, under some circumstances, it might actually make a film look worse than one played back at 60p.

There's also an interesting review of the new Panasonic AE3000 1080p projector with frame interpolation. I'd love to see this pj. Anyone here own one?

Here's a really interesting read (http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/177951/top_50_movie_special_effects_shots.html) - the top 50 movie special effects shots. If you find these interesting, don't forget to take a look at the 24 worst sfx shots at the bottom, and the 10 most depressing movie endings.

Happy New Year

FYI for Galactica fans with DirecTV HD DVR's...

Webisodes 2 and 3 are now available On Demand, though as with Webisode 1 they're not the easiest things to find.

Instead of going to On Demand, go to Search For Shows. Search for Battlestar and Webisodes 1, 2, and 3 will pop right up... as will a few "catch-up" and interview specials.

Enjoy!

In other news, the Feb. 2 episode of Chuck will be in 3D (http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/11/07/chuck-gets-3-d-super-bowl-boost/) (or at least part of it will).

I've made my affection for 3D pretty clear here of late, and I was happy to hear this. It's the funky anaglyphic process (with cyan and magenta plastic lenses), but I'll take it anyway. I even bought the 3D Blu-ray version of Brendan Frasier's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which story-wise is total sludge. The 3D glasses are being given out at Pepsi retailers - 150 million pairs. I guess they think a lot of people are watching Chuck. It couldn't have anything to do with that other little event happening at about the same time - the Super Bowl.

In other news, the Feb. 2 episode of Chuck will be in 3D (http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/11/07/chuck-gets-3-d-super-bowl-boost/) (or at least part of it will).

I've made my affection for 3D pretty clear here of late, and I was happy to hear this. It's the funky anaglyphic process (with cyan and magenta plastic lenses), but I'll take it anyway. I even bought the 3D Blu-ray version of Brendan Frasier's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which story-wise is total sludge. The 3D glasses are being given out at Pepsi retailers - 150 million pairs. I guess they think a lot of people are watching Chuck. It couldn't have anything to do with that other little event happening at about the same time - the Super Bowl.

That's so 1950's :)

Its just a ploy to get people back in the theaters. 3D tv? no thanks! they should work on bandwidth for more/greater HD than gimmicks.

And those glasses are almost unbearable for extended viewing. I do a lot of blinking.

Still, I'll put up with it for a taste of 3D. I honestly don't think I'll see much 3D in my lifetime, though, but I'd love to be wrong about that. I'll take 3D TV, 3D Blu-ray, anything they'll give me in the home. But, most of it will be in the theaters, I'm afraid. I'm just too spoiled by my home theater to enjoy the movie houses much anymore.

I'm just too spoiled by my home theater to enjoy the movie houses much anymore.+1
I also can't stand how movie houses drive their awful audio systems into clipping distortion. It sounds like crap and it hurts to hear it. I stopped going many years ago because of that more than anything else.

+1
I also can't stand how movie houses drive their awful audio systems into clipping distortion. It sounds like crap and it hurts to hear it. I stopped going many years ago because of that more than anything else.

Bad sound, scratched picture and uncomfortable seats - that pretty much sums up the movie-going experience for me today. I realize how much I love movies to have endured that for so many years.

Dean, you bought a Sharp projector some time ago, right? I'm having trouble resetting the lamp timer on my Sharp 20000 and I'm wondering if you've replaced your bulb yet. Any difficulty getting it to reset?

Dean, you bought a Sharp projector some time ago, right? I'm having trouble resetting the lamp timer on my Sharp 20000 and I'm wondering if you've replaced your bulb yet. Any difficulty getting it to reset?I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else. I have no projector. I have 3 Samsung digital displays: 32" 720P LCD, 40" 1080P LCD, and 67" 1080P DLP.

Sorry about that.

Wanted to let you all know that the lamp reset issue on my Sharp projector was also a brain lapse on my part. I just forgot a step in the process. :o

Anybody seeing these channels yet? A few in the Charter forum say they have them but I don't see them on my Moxi box here in Shiloh.

MLB - 769
USA - 786
Sci Fi - 787

Sorry about that.

Wanted to let you all know that the lamp reset issue on my Sharp projector was also a brain lapse on my part. I just forgot a step in the process. :o

Joe,
That was me. Still loving my XV-Z3000. No need for a new lamp yet, and I've got a freebie coming with my extended warranty. When it does go I am tempted to look at the AE-3000 (by then it will probably be the AE-5000)

Dave

Yes, they are active on my TiVo with cablecards

Anybody seeing these channels yet? A few in the Charter forum say they have them but I don't see them on my Moxi box here in Shiloh.

MLB - 769
USA - 786
Sci Fi - 787

Joe,
That was me. Still loving my XV-Z3000. No need for a new lamp yet, and I've got a freebie coming with my extended warranty. When it does go I am tempted to look at the AE-3000 (by then it will probably be the AE-5000)

Dave

Well, if your experience with Sharp is as good as mine, that might well be the AE-7000. The only trouble I've had with my Sharp projectors has been my fault.

Wish I could say the same for that Optoma H79 projector. What a turkey. The thing that bothered me most was the typo in the greeting when the projector was turned on. It said, "Warming up . Please wait." Notice the space before the first period? Well, that little extra space became the symbol of Optoma design carelessness. Every time I saw it, it reminded me that the next service trip back to Optoma was not far away.

Or maybe it was just the English teacher in me. I did have to throw away a screen because I couldn't get the red correcton mark off that spot. :D

Galactica webisode 4 now available on DirecTV On Demand for HR2x users. If interested, see my previous posts from a few days back for how to download. BTW, these webisodes are free, no charge.

Sony plans to start offering Seinfeld for local broadcast in HD starting Jan. 26. I don't know if KPLR will be among the stations that can deliver in HD, but given its problems in the past, it's hard to imagine it will be better than the TBS HD broadcasts. The TBS broadcasts are a lot better than any other Seinfeld airings I've seen, but they are on the soft side. Unlike KPLR, though, I can actually watch an entire episode without having the audio drop out 50 times and the picture switch constantly between HD and SD.

I may have been wrong about the 3D episode of Chuck being in the traditional anaglyphic 3D process. I've read a couple of reports that make mention of the process being better than anaglyphic (though it still uses the cheap, two-color plastic/cardboard glasses). Anyway, the glasses are being given out at Pepsi displays, so I'll pick up a few pairs between now and Feb. 2.

If you're going to be anywhere near Fazoli's, they're offering a free spaghetti with meat or marinara sauce with a drink purchase. See you at lunch.

You need this coupon. (http://www.freespaghetti.com/coupon)

I wish I could share your optimism Joe. At my house when the temperature drops below 20F 5-1 starts breaking up. I rarely get 11-1 and 46-1. I'm in St. Charles a bit south of I-70 near Wappelhorst Park. I've added amplifiers and repointed antenna a couple of times. My mother in law is near Lindenwood University and for her, 2-1, 4-1 and 9-1 break up on occasion. She has a new antenna and amplifier. Both antennas are stuck in the attic. The wife and MIL won't let me put the antenna outside where it belongs.

Repair4man,

I'm really close to you (just behind FHN/Henderson) and I have not seen any problems with 5-1. I have a 25 year old RatShack antenna in my attic with a cheap amplifier I got at HomeDepot. I am using the OTA tuners in a Dish 722 and Dish 622. I will try and watch a bit closer and let you know if I notice anything.

The TV says it is displaying at 1080p, I will double check what the PS3 is broadcasting the image at, I have everything set to automatic, and I know that the main PS3 menu says that it is using the 1080p resolution. I am not sure about when it is playing a disc though.

Well?

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

CES 2009: Vizio, LG Get Into The Connected TV Game

At the Consumer Electronics Show Wednesday in Las Vegas, entry-level HDTV maker Vizio and LG Electronics both announced their own entries to the rapidly growly web-connected HDTV segment.

LG's version, built into two new lines with NetCast Entertainment Access, offers users access to streaming movies, TV shows, web video and a widget-based control scheme. Content is available from Yahoo, Netflix and YouTube, giving users access to a wide range of internet-backed offerings like weather, photos and news.

The NetCast Entertainment Access feature is built into LG's new 42- and 47-inch LH50 LCD models as well as its 50- and 60-inch PS80 plasmas, the company said.

Vizio's "Connected HDTV" platform, also based around Yahoo's widgets, offers content from Accedo Broadband, Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix, Flickr, Pandora, Rhapsody and others. Although it isn't yet available to the market, Vizio said it plan to include Connected HDTV functionality in all its models by fall 2009.

I'm looking for NAD's CES announcements. I may sell my Arcam AVR to get their T775/T785 successor.

Will D* announce anything using TIVO? I plan to cancel later this year unless there's a compelling reason to stay.

I'm looking for NAD's CES announcements. I may sell my Arcam AVR to get their T775/T785 successor.

Will D* announce anything using TIVO? I plan to cancel later this year unless there's a compelling reason to stay.

I don't know about Tivo, but I did read that the plans to integrate Vista Media Center into D* have gone away, at least for the time being.

CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) starts today. Panasonic is talking up 3D (http://www.t3.com/ces/news/panasonics-shows-of-3d-full-hd-plasma-at-ces-2009?=37736), along with James Cameron, in a home theater system. Cameron's new film, Avatar, will be in 3D.

Also at CES, E* has announced the 922 DVR with Slingbox technology (http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090108/CLTH91008012009-1.html). I'm going to be looking at this box a lot more closely when it's released in the spring.

I don't know about Tivo, but I did read that the plans to integrate Vista Media Center into D* have gone away, at least for the time being.Not a Vista user so don't care. Only even use Windows at all when dragged kicking and screaming to a login. ;)

As for D*, today I get my Antec MX-1 and WD Cavier 1 TB to see if it'll work on my HR21. It certainly doesn't like the Seagate FreeAgent Pro dives I use with my HR20.

Also at CES, E* has announced the 922 DVR with Slingbox technology (http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090108/CLTH91008012009-1.html). I'm going to be looking at this box a lot more closely when it's released in the spring.I may have a look a Dish later this year. I plan to consider all the options available.

I won't exactly be laying out my black suit for this one, but I'll miss it when Stargate Atlantis leaves the air as a regular SciFi series tomorrow night. They've had marathon airings of the series all week, including several I never saw. Rumor has it that a new Stargate series will replace it.

I won't exactly be laying out my black suit for this one, but I'll miss it when Stargate Atlantis leaves the air as a regular SciFi series tomorrow night. They've had marathon airings of the series all week, including several I never saw. Rumor has it that a new Stargate series will replace it.

I second this. I really enjoy watching Stargate Atlantis. I'm interested to see how they end it as it seems like it will have to be kind of abrupt. There hasn't been much of a connected storyline leading up to an ultimate conclusion.

Now that Atlantis will be going away, I have set my DVR to start recording Sanctuary (although I think that season ends tomorrow, so I'm a bit late!). I don't know much about it, but the few lead-in commercials I saw after my Atlantis recordings look interesting. Worth a shot.

I'm looking for NAD's CES announcements. I may sell my Arcam AVR to get their T775/T785 successor.

Will D* announce anything using TIVO? I plan to cancel later this year unless there's a compelling reason to stay.

It is my understanding that D* is not even at CES this year.


Added: Additional information on the 922:

"EchoStar will also leverage the features of the 922 by announcing this spring a tru2way SlingLoaded STB for trials for the cable industry."

I second this. I really enjoy watching Stargate Atlantis. I'm interested to see how they end it as it seems like it will have to be kind of abrupt. There hasn't been much of a connected storyline leading up to an ultimate conclusion.

Now that Atlantis will be going away, I have set my DVR to start recording Sanctuary (although I think that season ends tomorrow, so I'm a bit late!). I don't know much about it, but the few lead-in commercials I saw after my Atlantis recordings look interesting. Worth a shot.

I don't much care for Sanctuary. I think the basic premise of the show has painted them into a corner. Just about everything is "virtual," which has lead to some serious compromises in the storylines. If you're forced to create virtual environments for every show, you end up having to take shortcuts with locations and characters in order to get the show in on time. Some of the Sanctuary stories have been among the lamest I've ever seen in SciFi. I've found it so tedious that it's hard to finish watching any given episide. I really like Amanda Tapping, but I fear the budget and time constraints placed on this show will always prevent it from being what was originally envisioned. Characters and stories are paper thin and there's little on-screen chemistry. It's a shame, because I think the actors could do much better, given a different framework.

It's ironic, but predictable, that a show that concentrates so much on virtual 3D environments is so flat in almost every other way.

I second this. I really enjoy watching Stargate Atlantis. I'm interested to see how they end it as it seems like it will have to be kind of abrupt. There hasn't been much of a connected storyline leading up to an ultimate conclusion.

Now that Atlantis will be going away, I have set my DVR to start recording Sanctuary (although I think that season ends tomorrow, so I'm a bit late!). I don't know much about it, but the few lead-in commercials I saw after my Atlantis recordings look interesting. Worth a shot.
I've always been a big fan of the Stargate franchise. I have DVDs of every season of SG-1 and Atlantis. There are a couple direct-to-disk movies planned. I had heard there was going to be another spinoff series, but wonder if that will happen with MGM canceling Atlantis after only 5 seasons.

I started watching Sanctuary, but I just cannot get past Amanda Tapping's horrible english accent. It's that annoying!

I've always been a big fan of the Stargate franchise. I have DVDs of every season of SG-1 and Atlantis. There are a couple direct-to-disk movies planned. I had heard there was going to be another spinoff series, but wonder if that will happen with MGM canceling Atlantis after only 5 seasons.

I started watching Sanctuary, but I just cannot get past Amanda Tapping's horrible english accent. It's that annoying!

SG1 was tough after O'Niell left, and I never got into Atlantis. Sanctuary looks very rough and I won't even try watching it. SG1 had the 2 direct to dvd movies and the first that was released is soon to be on BluRay. I don't know if they are doing Atlantis movies too though. I think it was more SciFi that cancelled rather than MGM. Also, the new show is called Stargate: Universe(IIRC) and it sounds a lot like ST:Voyager.....hopefully I am wrong. Voyager wasn't terrible, but the others were better IMO.

SG1 was tough after O'Niell left, and I never got into Atlantis. Sanctuary looks very rough and I won't even try watching it. SG1 had the 2 direct to dvd movies and the first that was released is soon to be on BluRay. I don't know if they are doing Atlantis movies too though. I think it was more SciFi that cancelled rather than MGM. Also, the new show is called Stargate: Universe(IIRC) and it sounds a lot like ST:Voyager.....hopefully I am wrong. Voyager wasn't terrible, but the others were better IMO.I heard that SciFi was willing to continue Atlantis and that MGM pulled the plug, due to rising production costs in Canada.

There are supposed to be one or two Atlantis direct-to-disk movies.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6589329.html

I heard that SciFi was willing to continue Atlantis and that MGM pulled the plug, due to rising production costs in Canada.

There are supposed to be one or two Atlantis direct-to-disk movies.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6589329.html

Thanks, I hadn't been following it that close lately.

Thanks, I hadn't been following it that close lately.Yeah, I usually read up on it while I'm cleaning my P90 and recharging my Zat. :p

I've always been a big fan of the Stargate franchise. I have DVDs of every season of SG-1 and Atlantis. There are a couple direct-to-disk movies planned. I had heard there was going to be another spinoff series, but wonder if that will happen with MGM canceling Atlantis after only 5 seasons.

I started watching Sanctuary, but I just cannot get past Amanda Tapping's horrible english accent. It's that annoying!

I have the direct-to-Blu-ray "Stargate Continuum" and have watched it a couple/three times already. It's production value is quite good, as are the video and audio quality. The first of those "direct-to" movies, "Stargate: Ark of Truth," is out on Blu-ray next Tuesday. They plan such a film for Atlantis, too. After this week's SciFi Stargate Atlantis marathons, I should have almost the whole series on the external hard drives I use with my Dish 622.

As for Tapping's English accent, it's not great but it's solid, unlike some A-list actors' accents - think Tom Cruise trying to do any accent at all, or, gag, Kevin Costner in Robin Hood. I actually had a pretty decent English accent when I was 12 - at least that's what my family told me. (I'm sure my mom wouldn't lie about something like that. :confused:)

Funny how accents get harder the older I become. I used to do English, French, German, Russian, Italian, maybe Japanese. At some point, though, they all started to sound like English with a speech impediment.

Also at CES, E* has announced the 922 DVR with Slingbox technology (http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090108/CLTH91008012009-1.html). I'm going to be looking at this box a lot more closely when it's released in the spring.

I was just having a conversation with my bro-in-law that this is what U-Verse needs!

I was just having a conversation with my bro-in-law that this is what U-Verse needs!

Here's hoping I can get it working with my Instinct phone. They've had a connection issue the last couple of days that I just got resolved. I called Sprint tech support, but found the solution online while I was waiting for the tech to investigate the issue. :D

The woe-is-us digital TV transition hand-wringing nannies are upping the stakes, as the Consumer Union is urging Congress to delay the shutdown of the analog TV system until a plan is in place to address the loss of TV for viewers who are unaware or unprepared for the switchover.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703916.html?hpid=moreheadlines

More of this to come, no doubt.

The woe-is-us digital TV transition hand-wringing nannies are upping the stakes, as the Consumer Union is urging Congress to delay the shutdown of the analog TV system until a plan is in place to address the loss of TV for viewers who are unaware or unprepared for the switchover.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703916.html?hpid=moreheadlines

More of this to come, no doubt.

Oh there is more.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/390DBB3DC9DF37BE86257538006DC3BB?OpenDocument

Yes, I read this, too. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't postponing the change to digital cost broadcasters money, in that they would have to keep the analog and digital broadcasts going simultaneously longer than they planned?

Here's hoping I can get it working with my Instinct phone. They've had a connection issue the last couple of days that I just got resolved. I called Sprint tech support, but found the solution online while I was waiting for the tech to investigate the issue. :D

Uverse lets me schedule recordings online, and I can see the titles of what's recorded on my box online. I can delete them via the interwebernet but I can't view them...how much harder can that be?!:D

Uverse lets me schedule recordings online, and I can see the titles of what's recorded on my box online. I can delete them via the interwebernet but I can't view them...how much harder can that be?!:D
Once you have a Sling, you'll be able to ;)

Oh there is more.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/390DBB3DC9DF37BE86257538006DC3BB?OpenDocumentI'm not really surprised. Our government is clearly overrun by nannies and girly men.

In addition to the cost for broadcasters running two transmitters, there might be bigger issues in delaying the handover of spectrum from broadcasters to the telecom companies and other investors who won auctions and have already made down payments for that spectrum. But maybe there's no longer a big rush for new wireless capacity in the current and projected state of the economy.

Also, there are a couple billion dollars plugged into the federal budget from these spectrum sales. Then again spending money -- and not worrying very much at all about where it's coming from -- is apparently the way forward for our government.

Clearly, "trillion" is the "new black." :eek:

Many stations across the US are in transition mode due to the channel reassignments. For example, here in St. Louis, KMOV-DT needs to drop down to Channel 24 from 56 and analog KNLC needs to vacate that frequency by Jan 19. This has been in the works for some time and is why we've been seeing all the screen-crawl warnings that their signal may be less than stellar until March 1.

One must wonder how any delay might affect these plans nationwide, which I believe are already underway in many places.

A newscaster here in the Chicago area last night stated that anyone who gets their television from an antenna would lose their signal on the 17th of Februaray.:mad:

Walt

Does anyone have any info if ktvi will broadcast Seinfeld in hd on 1/26(The date sony says local syndication broadcast the episodes in hd)

Here's a link to a program called Orb. (http://www.orb.com/) It may not be a Slingbox, but it does give me access to the contents of my PC (and my media servers) from my Samsung Instinct. It works with Blackberry's, iPhone's, and a lot of other devices. Setting up the software was fairly easy (once I Googled a few issues I had to get music, photos and video to play).

Right now, I'm streaming music from my unRAID server thru the Instinct's browser. I've also played a couple of clips from HD movies. The quality suffers a little on a small screen. :)

Recommended.

Here's a link to a program called Orb. (http://www.orb.com/) It may not be a Slingbox, but it does give me access to the contents of my PC (and my media servers) from my Samsung Instinct. It works with Blackberry's, iPhone's, and a lot of other devices. Setting up the software was fairly easy (once I Googled a few issues I had to get music, photos and video to play).

Right now, I'm streaming music from my unRAID server thru the Instinct's browser. I've also played a couple of clips from HD movies. The quality suffers a little on a small screen. :)

Recommended.

Yea I used Orb on my iPhone for a bit, worked nice. In the end, I just can't watch anything on a screen that small for any length of time. :)

I'm going to get a UPS for my D* HR21-700 and eSATA drive. I'm about to pull the trigger on a DirectUPS DP600 60VA 300W unit from Newegg for about $52 shipped. Any recommendations for this or something else? I just want it to keep the DVR running during power blips, brief outages, etc.

Yea I used Orb on my iPhone for a bit, worked nice. In the end, I just can't watch anything on a screen that small for any length of time. :)

The video quality is, of course, poor. I do like having access to my entire music/photo library virtually anywhere I am, constantly updated with whatever I've recently put on my unRAID server (although the Instinct has plenty of room for a big library on an SD Card). And there are a lot of Internet radio and TV stations. I haven't even scratched the surface of that whole area.

In the end, it may not prove to be terribly useful, but it's a fun diversion.

I'm going to get a UPS for my D* HR21-700 and eSATA drive. I'm about to pull the trigger on a DirectUPS DP600 60VA 300W unit from Newegg for about $52 shipped. Any recommendations for this or something else? I just want it to keep the DVR running during power blips, brief outages, etc.

Hey try going to EPC in St Charles,Mo i got a UPS for mine and its awesome they don't guarantee the battery's(but you can always pick a new battery up for like 40 bucks brand new) but they are usually in great shape i got a APC UPS for $40 bucks works awesome and its a 450watt one i believe.

EPC
3941 Harry S Truman Blvd
St Charles, MO 63301
(636) 443-1999

Retail Hours

Mon - Fri: 9:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.
Sat: 9:00a.m. - 2:00p.m.

Hey try going to EPC in St Charles,Mo i got a UPS for mine and its awesome they don't guarantee the battery's(but you can always pick a new battery up for like 40 bucks brand new) but they are usually in great shape i got a APC UPS for $40 bucks works awesome and its a 450watt one i believe. Thanks for responding (and PM), but how is this better? I would have to take the time and gas to go well out of my way to get something for about $10 less that has no guarantee. Am I missing something in this?

Thanks for responding (and PM), but how is this better? I would have to take the time and gas to go well out of my way to get something for about $10 less that has no guarantee. Am I missing something in this?

Yeah the fact that APC ups's are the best out there...Also the ones at epc have multiple plugins, like 7 plugins. Heres the one i picked up from EPC:

http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-Broadband-Backup-BE725BB/dp/B000085OXN

I got a 187 dollar UPS for 35 bucks (plus around 3-4 tax) i think that's a steal.

Yeah the fact that APC ups's are the best out there...Also the ones at epc have multiple plugins, like 7 plugins.OK, thanks, but I'll pass on it. I really just wanted something simple, cheap, and new that I can get online or near me locally. An APC is probably overkill for my application -- I only need two plugs & no management -- and it'll cost me more in time than any savings by buying used at EPC.

OK, thanks, but I'll pass on it. I really just wanted something simple, cheap, and new that I can get online or near me locally. An APC is probably overkill for my application -- I only need two plugs & no management -- and it'll cost me more in time than any savings by buying used at EPC.

K thats cool i bought one just cause i wanted a surge protector and to have the ability to record/watch tv if the power goes out for a second since the hr21s take like 8 minutes to load back up after an outage..

...have the ability to record/watch tv if the power goes out for a second since the hr21s take like 8 minutes to load back up after an outage..Right, same here. I just want the HR21 and it's eSATA drive to stay on during short power outages, etc. I won't be using it for any other equipment. I also want to prevent it rebooting from the internal drive after a power drop if I'm away. Sometimes if the power goes the ext drive doesn't get enough time to power on and spin up before the HR21 starts booting.

I'm getting massive pixellation and macroblocking on the 24 season premiere tonight, both through DirecTV and straight over the air on my HR20. Anybody else getting this?

I'm getting massive pixellation and macroblocking on the 24 season premiere tonight, both through DirecTV and straight over the air on my HR20. Anyobdy else getting this?

Same thing on Charter...almost unwatchable

I'm getting massive pixellation and macroblocking on the 24 season premiere tonight, both through DirecTV and straight over the air on my HR20. Anybody else getting this?

Same here with Dish and OTA.

Same in Souther IL. O.T.A. ,,,,,,bad

I'm getting massive pixellation and macroblocking on the 24 season premiere tonight, both through DirecTV and straight over the air on my HR20. Anybody else getting this?

Yep getting the same thing.

Ditto here OTA in St. Charles, two TVs, HTPC, and a conveter box.

Is this a network thing or is it the local signal?

Update FWIW. Fox's analog OTA signal is plagued with white and other colored dots. All other analog OTA are crystal clear.

it's almost unwatchable

it's almost unwatchable

Its been that way for two season

:):rolleyes::D

I'm getting massive pixellation and macroblocking on the 24 season premiere tonight, both through DirecTV and straight over the air on my HR20. Anybody else getting this?

Same for me. Loving the start of the show though.

but, i still would like to watch it without the signal sucking.

anyone try to contact KTVI?

doubt they respond.

The problems with 24 tonight would almost certainly seem to be a KTVI problem, considering that both the network programming (i.e. the actual show) as well as the locally produced commercials had the same problem. Shame on Channel 2 -- I waited 1.5 years for this and the broadcast is the worst in recent memory.

In between the picture/audio breakups every 10 seconds, the episodes were actually pretty good. Hopefully they'll fix the issues before tomorrow night.

Its been that way for two season

:):rolleyes::DActually, it wasn't this bad during the last season. Boy do I really miss the east coast feed on DirecTV right now :mad:

It was an issue with KTVI. They announced during the news that they had problems with there digital signal during 24.

Well, I just removed the 24 Series Link for KTVI on my HR20 and replaced it with one for DirecTV channel 88 (Fox-HD East, which is still active despite the letter I got telling me it'd be shut off months ago).

BTW, I was on the phone with a co-worker who has nothing but Charter Expanded Basic (no HD)... she told me KTVI's analog signal was pixellated crap too.

By the time I left a comment at the KTVI website, I got an immediate reply that the mail box had exceeded its quota. I suggest we keep peppering them with e-mails demanding they rebroadcast the premier in Hi Def, or buy us the DVD when it come out.

By the time I left a comment at the KTVI website, I got an immediate reply that the mail box had exceeded its quota. I suggest we keep peppering them with e-mails demanding they rebroadcast the premier in Hi Def, or buy us the DVD when it come out.I got the same response. Maybe we should email the advertising department and suggest we will start contacting the companies that advertise during the show.

Shocking! This is the World Series of their Winter lineup. How inept can you get? Someone should have been all over this.

Is there no backup strategy?????

It was an issue with KTVI. They announced during the news that they had problems with there digital signal during 24.

Looked fine on NY East channels 88/398 via D* :D

The season premiere also looks fine streaming from hulu.com, which brings me to something I've been meaning to do for a few weeks now... a review of PlayOn (http://www.themediamall.com/playon).

PlayOn is a nifty little piece of software that you install on a Windows PC. It acts as a UPnP server that streams content from the Internet to any UPnP client on your home network. So far, the only devices officially supported are the PS3 and the Xbox 360. But it works pretty well on many other UPnP devices.... including the DirecTV HR2x DVR's.

There are six web sites currently supported by PlayOn for streaming media:

hulu.com (Hulu account not required but useful to access your queue)
cbs.com
netflix.com (Netflix account required)
cnn.com
espn.com
youtube.com

The following are the minimum requirements for the PlayOn PC software:

* Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later), Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2003/Windows Home Server (Service Pack 1 or later). 64-bit versions of Windows are also supported.

* Windows Internet Explorer 6 or later (7 is highly recommended, 8 not yet tested)

* Windows Media Player 11.0 or later.

* Installation includes the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (Service Pack 1) if needed.

* Minimum 1.5 GHz x86 processor.

* 512 MB RAM.

* 100 MB of available disk space for installation, plus recommended 4-5 GB extra space on the same drive where Windows is installed.

* Internet broadband connection of at least 1.5 Mbps, and home network with wired, powerline, or 802.11n connections (for wireless home networks with 802.11g, either the PC or device should be on a wired connection).

PlayOn is shareware. Once installed, you have a two week trial before you have to cough up $30 to keep it working. It's in Beta, and nowhere near bug-free. But it's working well enough on my HR20's that I paid the $30 two weeks ago.

After I had it up and running, I hit the menu on my HR20, hit the Music, Photos, and More option, hit My Computers, and the PC named "Videostation2" was now listed twice... once for the WMP UPnP server I'd enabled months ago, and once for the PlayOn UPnP server.

I hit videostation2 and the choices were Netflix, Hulu, CBS, YouTube, CNN, and ESPN. I tried CBS first. Choices were Primetime, Daytime, TV Classics, "Movies, Specials, and Originals," and "All TV Shows." I hit Primetime and was greeted with an alphabetical list of most of CBS's primetime shows. I picked CSI Miami, and got a choice of "full episodes" or "clips." I picked full episodes and found several recent ones available. I picked one at random and the streaming started. The episode was formatted in 16x9 but was not triggering the automatic 16x9 squeeze on my 4x3 CRT HDTV. I had to call up my TV setup menu and trigger the 16x9 squeeze manually. Picture quality for the most part was about equal to a good VHS tape, though during slow camera pans the video stuttered a bit (strobelight effect) and during fast movement there was more breakup/pixellation than I cared for. Sound was Dolby 2.0 and had some pops. There was one commercial before the show and during most break points (but not all).

When the episode ended, I picked Criminal Minds and got "no media files in this folder," even though there were a few episodes there on my web browser. Exiting the menu in my HR20, going to the PC and stopping/restarting the PlayOn server got the episodes to appear when I went there from the HR20 again. But by now I wanted to try Hulu, so I exited back out and picked Hulu.

Choices on Hulu were User Queue, TV Episodes, TV Clips, Feature Films, Movie Clips, Recently Added Episodes, and Recently Added Feature Films. I picked TV Episodes and got a list of 1-9 followed by A-Z. Lots and lots of old TV shows (even Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot and Welcome Back Kotter!) and several new ones from NBC and Fox. I picked "2" and 24 was one of the choices. I picked 24 and there were several episodes available including the recent Redemption move, which I picked. The hulu logo appeared with a message that this program had limited commercial interruptions. Again, it was formatted for 16x9 but did not trigger the 16x9 squeeze on my 4x3 HDTV. Had to do that manually again. Picture quality was much better than the CSI Miami on cbs.com, almost DVD quality and with far less artifacting during movement. Sound again was Dolby 2.0 but with no pops or clicks. Fewer commercials than the network broadcast, and only one commercial per break.

My girlfriend is a big E.R. fan, and makes me watch it with her, so we tried E.R. through Hulu/PlayOn. The whole current season was available and we watched the season premiere. Much the same as 24 Redemption. She's not big on HDTV, and I'm not big on E.R., so this was awesome. Woo hoooo, I don't have to record E.R. anymore!!!

Under the F menu was "The Film Crew," a relatively new project from some of the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast. I picked the episode "Giant of Marathon." Didn't have to play with the format menu on my TV because this show was formatted 4x3 in the first place. Picture quality of the move was horrible. But I suspect that was the print used rather than any reflection on Hulu, because the host segments looked decent. Commercials were unfortunately much LOUDER than the program.

I haven't tried Netflix since I don't have an account there. Briefly looked through CNN, ESPN, and YouTube but found nothing of interest. Combine that with the disappointing performance of cbs.com, and I'll be using this program mainly for Hulu... at least until PlayOn adds some more sources. I'd love to see ABC and Lifetime added to PlayOn's source list (a lot of Sci-Fi Channel programming is already on Hulu). DirecTV doesn't have Lifetime in HD yet, so I suspect Army Wives would look BETTER through PlayOn than it does on DirecTV/Lifetime.

Programs streaming through PlayOn can be paused but not skipped, so you do have to watch the commercials. But there are fewer of them than there are on the network broadcasts.

That would be the end of my review if the 24 season premiere on KTVI last night hadn't sucked dishwater. So I fired up Hulu and went to the 24 menu this morning. Sure enough, there was last night's season premiere in the form of two episodes. I watched episode s07e01. Again, I had to manually engage the 16x9 formatting on my TV during the announcement that this episode was being presented with limited commercial interruptions. Picture was almost DVD quality with Dolby 2.0 sound.... none of KTVI's horrendous glitches... and NO COMMERCIALS. A far more pleasant experience than watching KTVI's godawful broadcast last night.

Watching the 24 season premiere through Hulu on my HR20 was itself worth far more than the $30 I paid for this program. Highly recommended now, and I assume will only get better with updates and more sources added.

The season premiere also looks fine streaming from hulu.com, which brings me to something I've been meaning to do for a few weeks now... a review of PlayOn (http://www.themediamall.com/playon).

PlayOn is a ...Anything comparable for MacOS to stream from these sites. I have an XBox 360 and a PS3.

Thanks for the PlayOn info, Bob. I'm going to try it on the PS3 sometime this week.

Here's an interesting prediction (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=649&tag=nl.e539) on the debut of Windows 7 from Ed Bott. I downloaded the 32-bit version over the weekend and noticed a prominent reference to AVC and MPEG4, so I'm assuming Win7 has support for these codecs integrated into the OS, and by extension, Windows Media Player/Media Center. I've been impressed with how easy setting up my HTPCs has been since I switched to Vista, and I'm looking forward to some official support from Microsoft on the new codecs used in Blu-ray. We'll see if that's what this means (although the support for Blu-ray in PowerDVD is great).

I'll offer a mini review of Win7 when I get around to setting it up.

Yes, Windows 7 will have H.264 MPEG-4 support built into the OS, including hardware acceleration.

And local OTA HD channels in Windows 7 Media Center will be labeled 2-1. 4-1, etc, instead of 1021, 1041, etc, as they are in Vista Media Center.

I use PowerDVD for H.264 (and all Blu-ray) playback in Vista. It works really well. I hope Win7's native support in Media Center improves on Vista's. I might give it another look. Right now, though, the combo of Vista and PowerDVD is nearly ideal. With just a couple of rare, quirky exceptions, I love how easy and seamless it is for me to deal with all sorts of HD content on the PC. I think my occasional problems may have more to do with flaky HDMI copy protection issues than Vista, but HDMI has reduced my cable clutter dramatically. I wouldn't want to give it up.

Has anyone seen those Chuck 3D glasses around town? They're supposed to be giving out 150 million pairs at Pepsi displays, but so far I haven't seen any. Maybe when we get closer to the Super Bowl.

Looked fine on NY East channels 88/398 via D* :D

lol You know if I was thinking last night and I guess I wasn't I would of switched. But, I forgot all about channel 88.

Yes, Windows 7 will have H.264 MPEG-4 support built into the OS, including hardware acceleration.

And local OTA HD channels in Windows 7 Media Center will be labeled 2-1. 4-1, etc, instead of 1021, 1041, etc, as they are in Vista Media Center.

Anyone know if this numbering convention will change when Feb. 17th rolls around? Seems like it would be silly to extend the 4.1, 5.1 numbering past that point.

Anyone know if this numbering convention will change when Feb. 17th rolls around? Seems like it would be silly to extend the 4.1, 5.1 numbering past that point.
And what format would you suggest for 9.2, 9.3 and 9.4? (Other than killing them and devoting the bandwidth to something useful<G>!)

And what format would you suggest for 9.2, 9.3 and 9.4? (Other than killing them and devoting the bandwidth to something useful<G>!)

My point was that applying a number to the digital channel that reflects the old analog channel would appear to add more opportunity for confusion down the line. There won't be any analog channel 2,4,5,9,11,30, etc., for the digital channels to reference. Digital 5.1 references 35.1 (UHF channel 35). Why not just use that once the transition is complete? They might think, though, that it would confuse people too much at this point. I just haven't read anything about this particular issue, one way or the other.

I'm once again getting those same hiccups during 24 that I was getting last night. Another strange thing is that I can get 2.1 through my Direct TV box OTA but I can't get 2.1 OTA through my vista HTPC.

It'll lead to massive levels of confusion to revert everyone to physical channel numbers. Mapping to analog channels will continue for the forseeable future.

- Trip

Has anyone seen those Chuck 3D glasses around town? They're supposed to be giving out 150 million pairs at Pepsi displays, but so far I haven't seen any. Maybe when we get closer to the Super Bowl.

Nope, been checking around hope to see em pop up sometime soon..

I'm once again getting those same hiccups during 24 that I was getting last night. Another strange thing is that I can get 2.1 through my Direct TV box OTA but I can't get 2.1 OTA through my vista HTPC.

I'm watching it on channel 88 WNYW through DirecTV, no issues here. As for the OTA 2.1 feed, it recorded on both the HTPC with Media Center/HDhomerun and the editing PC/FusionHDTV card. I'll let ya know how the recordings came out later if you're interested... and even if you're not. :D

Yes, I'm a 24 fanatic.

I'm watching it on channel 88 WNYW through DirecTV, no issues here. As for the OTA 2.1 feed, it recorded on both the HTPC with Media Center/HDhomerun and the editing PC/FusionHDTV card. I'll let ya know how the recordings came out later if you're interested... and even if you're not. :D

Yes, I'm a 24 fanatic.

Yeah I'd be interested!

I ended up watching on the channel 2 feed from DirecTV and there were no problems on that channel.

The KTVI-DT OTA feed from tonight's episode of 24 was fine...until the last ~7 minutes of the second episode, which were inexplicably flipped to Standard Definition. Can't these idiots at KTVI get anything right?

The KTVI-DT OTA feed from tonight's episode of 24 was fine...until the last ~7 minutes of the second episode, which were inexplicably flipped to Standard Definition. Can't these idiots at KTVI get anything right?

Well, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick!!!

Confirmed, last several minutes in 4x3 letterbox SD. And Dolby 2.0 sound.

When KTVI and KPLR merged their operations a few months back, apparently the KraPLR people were put in charge. :eek:

Sorry Arative, but this is all I need to know about KTVI's broadcast... I no longer feel any need to check the rest of it.

I noticed tonight that 4.2 is back. Will this have something to do with KMOV moving to channel 24 next week? Also has anyone else been getting channels 39.10 and 39.11 for the past 2 days. I just find it weird.

39.10 and 39.11 are related to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UpdateTV

- Trip

I noticed tonight that 4.2 is back. Will this have something to do with KMOV moving to channel 24 next week? Also has anyone else been getting channels 39.10 and 39.11 for the past 2 days. I just find it weird.

They will be simulcasting KNLC on 4.2. It is part of the deal KMOV brokered to get KNLC to get off of channel 24 a month early.

They will be simulcasting KNLC on 4.2. It is part of the deal KMOV brokered to get KNLC to get off of channel 24 a month early.

What's the point of doing that since the analog channel 24 will still be gone and they already broadcast the DTV signal on channel 14? They'll just be in two places on the "dial".

Not to mention, is this 4.2 arrangement with KNLC permanent? Sure hope not!

KMOV's picture sucked dishwater during the time they had a 4.2 before.

Well, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick!!!

Confirmed, last several minutes in 4x3 letterbox SD. And Dolby 2.0 sound.

When KTVI and KPLR merged their operations a few months back, apparently the KraPLR people were put in charge. :eek:

Sorry Arative, but this is all I need to know about KTVI's broadcast... I no longer feel any need to check the rest of it.
Yeah, I think the 4x3 letterbox SD started when they did the evening news promo with about 7 minutes left in the show. Other than that, I was pleasantly surprised with the broadcast quality as compared to the horrible broadcast on Sunday night.

My point was that applying a number to the digital channel that reflects the old analog channel would appear to add more opportunity for confusion down the line.
Ah, I see. I thought you were discussing the suffix, not the number itself.

Perhaps they want to keep the number for "brand identification."

Well, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick!!!

Confirmed, last several minutes in 4x3 letterbox SD. And Dolby 2.0 sound.

When KTVI and KPLR merged their operations a few months back, apparently the KraPLR people were put in charge. :eek:

Sorry Arative, but this is all I need to know about KTVI's broadcast... I no longer feel any need to check the rest of it.

No problem. I just thought it was strange that I could get a signal OTA through my DirecTV box but not my HTPC. Guess I'll have to monkey around with it tonight.

Great piece at American Thinker today on the calls for a delay for the analog TV shutdown:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/01/government_incompetence_presen.html

The money quote:
____________________________________________________

According to Nielsen, about 8 million households remain unconverted. What about them? Simple. This should be where "The Couch Potato Law of Motion" is utilized ("an object at rest will remain at rest until it no longer gets television reception"). The switch should be made regardless -- people will figure out what they need to do quickly once they can no longer see Oprah or the NCAA tournament.

But the government probably won't view it this way. There will more than likely be a delay -- while more of our tax dollars are dumped down the drain and charged to future generations. Thanks to our government, my unborn grandchildren already have a negative credit score.
____________________________________________________

Thanks to our government, my unborn grandchildren already have a negative credit score.I'm waiting for a bill to pass that requires all newborns to sign a promissory note for the debt they accrued while in the womb.

What's the point of doing that since the analog channel 24 will still be gone and they already broadcast the DTV signal on channel 14? They'll just be in two places on the "dial".

That's the million dollar question. I have no idea. Stronger signal strength, perhaps?

Thanks to our government, my unborn grandchildren already have a negative credit score.

I pay off all my credit cards in August... and the entire global economy FUBAR's in September.

Geez, I had no idea so much was depending on that check I was writing to Chase Bank every month!

:eek:

The switch should be made regardless -- people will figure out what they need to do quickly once they can no longer see Oprah or the NCAA tournament.
This pretty much sums up exactly the way I feel. The advertisements and screen crawls have been so ubiquitous (I've seen commercials regarding the DTV switch thousands and thousands of times), that you'd have to be living in a cave not to have seen one of them if you watch any TV at all.

The only thing that will get some people off their butts and comply with the new digital transmission standard is to cut them off--wasting more government money is NOT the answer.

Has anyone seen those Chuck 3D glasses around town? They're supposed to be giving out 150 million pairs at Pepsi displays, but so far I haven't seen any. Maybe when we get closer to the Super Bowl.


I saw them today at one of the local schucks. They were next to a Suberbowl pepsi display.

I saw them today at one of the local schucks. They were next to a Suberbowl pepsi display.

Great. I'll drop by tomorrow to pick up a couple of pairs. Any purchase necessary?

Great. I'll drop by tomorrow to pick up a couple of pairs. Any purchase necessary?


Not that I saw but they came in sheets that you cut to divide them.

Has anyone noticed that SD content (for example, Seinfeld at 6:30) on KTVI 2-1 is sometimes really choppy, and SD commercials seem sometimes mis-framed? By mis-framed I mean you can see overscan content at the very top of the image. It's not a reception issue; it's not lost frames, it's definitely part of the broadcast. Funny, because KPLR actually seemed to improve when the stations merged, and KTVI went straight into the crapper.

Funny, because KPLR actually seemed to improve when the stations merged, and KTVI went straight into the crapper.

I won't go so far as to say KraPLR improved... I haven't seen the Dolby Digital 5.1 indicator on my receiver light up on a CW program since October.

Channel 4.2 is now broadcasting a 480i version of what's on 4.1. Let's hope the main channel doesn't suffer too badly. I guess this is in preparation for the ch. 24 mirror, which still makes no sense to me.

Channel 4.2 is now broadcasting a 480i version of what's on 4.1. Let's hope the main channel doesn't suffer too badly. I guess this is in preparation for the ch. 24 mirror, which still makes no sense to me.
Stream 1 (0x0031) uses about 14 Mbps, clearly the HDTV signal.
Stream 2 (0x0041) uses about 2.6 Mbps and is no doubt "4.2."
Stream 3 (0x1fff) uses about 2.4 Mbps and is labeled "private data TVG1" -- must be a digital program guide.

Has anyone noticed that SD content (for example, Seinfeld at 6:30) on KTVI 2-1 is sometimes really choppy, and SD commercials seem sometimes mis-framed? By mis-framed I mean you can see overscan content at the very top of the image. It's not a reception issue; it's not lost frames, it's definitely part of the broadcast. Funny, because KPLR actually seemed to improve when the stations merged, and KTVI went straight into the crapper.

Yes. I sure would like to know WTF is going on at KTVI cuz they are really beginning to suck.

Has anyone noticed that SD content (for example, Seinfeld at 6:30) on KTVI 2-1 is sometimes really choppy, and SD commercials seem sometimes mis-framed? By mis-framed I mean you can see overscan content at the very top of the image. It's not a reception issue; it's not lost frames, it's definitely part of the broadcast. Funny, because KPLR actually seemed to improve when the stations merged, and KTVI went straight into the crapper.

I most definitely have noticed this (OTA). The local news seems to be ok, but then the Seinfeld following it is VERY choppy.

Stream 1 (0x0031) uses about 14 Mbps, clearly the HDTV signal.
Stream 2 (0x0041) uses about 2.6 Mbps and is no doubt "4.2."
Stream 3 (0x1fff) uses about 2.4 Mbps and is labeled "private data TVG1" -- must be a digital program guide.

Stream 3 is actually null packets. Because the rest of the data in the stream doesn't add up to 19.393 Mbps, and the signal must contain that much data, it's stuffed with null packets to make up the extra bandwidth. TVG1 and TVG2, you'll find, are related to the TV Guide On-Screen service, and take up almost no bandwidth.

Any chance I could convince you to run TSReader for me on all the local St Louis stations and send me detailed HTML Exports on each one? I'd be most grateful. =) PM and I'll give you details.

- Trip

Has anyone noticed that SD content (for example, Seinfeld at 6:30) on KTVI 2-1 is sometimes really choppy, and SD commercials seem sometimes mis-framed? By mis-framed I mean you can see overscan content at the very top of the image. It's not a reception issue; it's not lost frames, it's definitely part of the broadcast. Funny, because KPLR actually seemed to improve when the stations merged, and KTVI went straight into the crapper.

FWIW, the choppiness reminds me of my first HTPC computer. Only occurred when playing DVD with the sound card doing the Dolby decoding. After lengthy investigation found video and sound cards were sharing IRQ. Moved sound card a couple slots and problem went away. I really, really hope they're not using windows computers to run the show. They need real time computing and Windows hasn't a clue about real time.

Hi All:
This has been asked way back in this lengthy thread, but I'm wondering about QAM on Charter in St. Louis (Clayton specifically). I have a Samsung 26" HDTV that supports QAM. I have basic cable (non-HD) and no set top box. When I got the Samsung a few years back (amazing clearance deal at Target), I called Charter and was told they don't do QAM.
Two questions:
1. Does Charter now in fact do QAM of HD (on basic)? If so, which stations (I assume just local)?
2. If they do not do QAM, are they required to by law? Can you point me to the appropriate law/regulation to throw at them?
Thanks, Jeff

I hope 4.2 goes away after the transition. I'd love it if stupid 5.2 went away too, but I suppose that's not going to happen. Thanks for the replies re: KTVI at least I'm not going crazy. Here's to hoping they get whatever software problems they're having fixed. I won't hold my breath.

Hi All:
This has been asked way back in this lengthy thread, but I'm wondering about QAM on Charter in St. Louis (Clayton specifically). I have a Samsung 26" HDTV that supports QAM. I have basic cable (non-HD) and no set top box. When I got the Samsung a few years back (amazing clearance deal at Target), I called Charter and was told they don't do QAM.
Two questions:
1. Does Charter now in fact do QAM of HD (on basic)? If so, which stations (I assume just local)?
2. If they do not do QAM, are they required to by law? Can you point me to the appropriate law/regulation to throw at them?
Thanks, Jeff

Charter does do QAM, but from what I've heard, it's not exactly ideal. Here's the best answer I've seen on Charter's QAM services:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15476891#post15476891

To All Seinfeld Fans:

According to the Directv Guide On January 26th KTVI will be broadcasting Seinfeld In HD (Data is rarely wrong i noticed for locals such as ktvi)

To All Seinfeld Fans:

According to the Directv Guide On January 26th KTVI will be broadcasting Seinfeld In HD (Data is rarely wrong i noticed for locals such as ktvi)

Seinfeld wouldn't have even been recorded in HD back then... So I suppose the only way this would have happened is if the shows were recorded on Film and they have gone back to encode all the old episodes in HD format...

Seinfeld wouldn't have even been recorded in HD back then... So I suppose the only way this would have happened is if the shows were recorded on Film and they have gone back to encode all the old episodes in HD format...

Yep. Transfers. Been on TBS.

Yep. Transfers. Been on TBS.

Yes and sony pictures has approved network broadcasters to broadcast the episodes in hd on January 26th

I got home and tried to find QAM channels, but didn't. Between STD, IRC, and HRC, I chose STD and QAM. Again, I don't have a digital package, just the very basic cable (and internet over Charter). Any suggestions?

TIA, Jeff

Hi All:
This has been asked way back in this lengthy thread, but I'm wondering about QAM on Charter in St. Louis (Clayton specifically). I have a Samsung 26" HDTV that supports QAM. I have basic cable (non-HD) and no set top box. When I got the Samsung a few years back (amazing clearance deal at Target), I called Charter and was told they don't do QAM.
Two questions:
1. Does Charter now in fact do QAM of HD (on basic)? If so, which stations (I assume just local)?
2. If they do not do QAM, are they required to by law? Can you point me to the appropriate law/regulation to throw at them?
Thanks, Jeff

I just finished watching Coral Reef Adventure on Blu-ray. Oh! My! God! This has to be one of the best and most beautiful HD programs ever produced. The original version that I saw was on a PC disc - the very first HD movie I ever bought. Several years ago, I struggled to get it to play smoothly on my computer at 720p. I did get that working, eventually, and it was a treat, but the Blu-ray, at 1080p and with DTS HD Master Audio, was absolutely incredible.

This is going to become one of the showcase discs when I have people over.

I got home and tried to find QAM channels, but didn't. Between STD, IRC, and HRC, I chose STD and QAM. Again, I don't have a digital package, just the very basic cable (and internet over Charter). Any suggestions?

TIA, Jeff

I'd go ahead and try the other two settings (IRC and HRC) and do the search over again. Also make sure to let the search run its course. When my cable box failed, I remember the QAM search took well over an hour.

Also, there should be a thread for your tv model elsewhere in the AVS forum under "Display Devices". Perhaps someone there would have advice for finding QAM on your TV.

Tonight's episode of Battlestar Galactica on SciFi will run 3 1/2 minutes long, a fact which probably isn't reflected in your DVR program guide. Set your recorder accordingly.

Here's the link for bidding on BSG memorabilia online (http://www.battlestarprops.com/), if you simply must have the Arrow of Apollo.

Circuit City's liquidating

Circuit City's liquidating

Not surprising, eh?

Keep us posted if you hear about any amazing deals.

Not surprising, eh?

Keep us posted if you hear about any amazing deals.

not surprising, sad for my ex-coworkers.:(

OK, word on the street is that it's the same type of company that did the compusa liquidation. So tomorrow (saturday) prices will actually be HIGHER than today so they can start "discounting". 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days will see incrementally better discounts.

I've got some friends willing to give the hookup so I'm going tonight to get hooked up and still use no interest on my Circuit City card, which will NOT be offered tomorrow or ever again. Today's deal was 36 months no interest on the CC card if you're over $1000 in A/V department. If you have any CC gift Cards USE THEM TONIGHT, they will be useless tomorrow. As of 4:00 the website is down, so that avenue is probably gone for good, too.

OK, word on the street is that it's the same type of company that did the compusa liquidation.... If you have any CC gift Cards USE THEM TONIGHT, they will be useless tomorrow. As of 4:00 the website is down, so that avenue is probably gone for good, too.

Not so. cnn.com reported earlier that gift cards would still be valid. The CC website confirms it as well.

Will Circuit City stores continue to accept Circuit City gift cards?

Yes, customers holding Circuit City gift cards may redeem them at full value at our stores during the liquidation sales. Once the stores are closed and the company is out of business, the gift cards will have no value.

Ooops, looks like my contact was wrong. You're right, Dean, gift cards are good until the doors are shuttered. Sorry for the misinformation. I'd still recommend taking advantage of the disgruntled employees and managers ability to discount tonight.

From the Channel 4 website...

"If you watch KMOV on cable or via satellite - you should be good to go. All other viewers, no matter where you live, must rescan the channels on their television sets or digital converters after January 19, 2009 to receive KMOV-TV’s digital signal."

http://www.kmov.com/news/asseenonnews4/stories/090116-kmov-contour-dtv-reception-maps.bcc4125.html

Here's an interesting article (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/01/final-fifth-cylon-ellen-tigh-battlestar-galactica-dualla-dee-.html) on what happened in last night's episode of Battlestar Galactica. Caution: spoilers! Don't read if you haven't seen the episode yet.

Anyone find any good deals at circuit city? I figured the liquidators would jack everything up to MSRP, then go down from there so going to wait a while before looking.

Anyone find any good deals at circuit city? I figured the liquidators would jack everything up to MSRP, then go down from there so going to wait a while before looking.

I stopped in there today everything looked marked up so I didn't see any good deals

The good folks over at Slysoft (http://www.slysoft.com/en/) have extended their offer for free lifetime updates of AnyDVD HD through today, January 18th. If you want to buy without having to worry about a yearly subscription fee, this is your last chance.

I'm surprised they've taken this long to move to a subscription model. Lots of other companies that started with the promise of free updates long ago abandoned the idea. Slysoft promises that they will continue with free updates for those who purchase before Jan. 19th.

I stopped in there today everything looked marked up so I didn't see any good deals

Ditto, on Sunday. Most big items were priced high with a 10% discount. There were lines at the checkout but it looked like most folks were holding small items. Sometimes these early feeding frenzies consist of delusional/uninformed buyers. I also noticed that many of the locked cages under the shelves that would normally contain small, valuable boxed items such as laptops, I-Pods and cameras were completely empty. One must wonder what's up with that? Were items returned to vendors? Or, do they plan to stretch out this liquidation sale as long as possible? I doubt it's all been sold this quickly.

Who knows???????

Ditto, on Sunday. Most big items were priced high with a 10% discount. There were lines at the checkout but it looked like most folks were holding small items. Sometimes these early feeding frenzies consist of delusional/uninformed buyers. I also noticed that many of the locked cages under the shelves that would normally contain small, valuable boxed items such as laptops, I-Pods and cameras were completely empty. One must wonder what's up with that? Were items returned to vendors? Or, do they plan to stretch out this liquidation sale as long as possible?

Who knows???????

Maybe employees that were losing their jobs helped themselves?

I figured they would have jacked the prices up to try and get as much money as they could for the items. Few weeks or months should see some good deals.

... Or, do they plan to stretch out this liquidation sale as long as possible? I doubt it's all been sold this quickly.
How would dragging out a liquidation make any business sense? The longer it takes to liquidate, the higher the costs of liquidation (due to labor and other overhead costs, etc).

Maybe employees that were losing their jobs helped themselves?

I figured they would have jacked the prices up to try and get as much money as they could for the items. Few weeks or months should see some good deals.

A lot of the really good stuff will be wholesaled immediately. Probably never see that stuff in the liquidation.

Yes and sony pictures has approved network broadcasters to broadcast the episodes in hd on January 26th

Of course KTVI shows "Rams Weekly" on Mondays in Seinfeld's 6:30pm slot. :)

Anyone find any good deals at circuit city? I figured the liquidators would jack everything up to MSRP, then go down from there so going to wait a while before looking.

I got in on Friday as I previously reported and picked up a Onkyo TXSR706 receiver for $440 @ 18 months no interest. :D No way to get that deal now, though as the liquidators control the price, not the managers.

Kurt Warner was supposed to washed up and done.

Apparently somebody forgot to convince Warner of that.

Congratulations to Kurt and the Cardinals. Here's hoping they win the Super Bowl!!!!