St. Louis, MO - OTA [Text View] - Page 37

RaceTripper

03-13-09, 01:06 PM

FYI -- Firefox 3.1 beta 3 is now available. If you're already using one of the betas, you can update from inside the browser by going to Help -> Check for Updates.

Also FF has decided that 3.1 is really more deserving of a 3.5 designation. There is one more beta coming before release candidates and it will be re-cataloged as 3.5b4.

More details here:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10195372-2.html?tag=nl.e703

Note that while the past 3.1 betas have been very stable, this is still non-production software. Also, if you are coming from 3.0x, moving to the current beta will likely break some or all of your add-ons and extensions, though many have been updated...And if you are a Safari user, be sure to check out the Safari 4 beta. I've been using this since it was released and really like it.

Robert Simandl

03-13-09, 05:28 PM

I watched season 4 or 5 at the urging of friends (won't mention any names, Bob and Adrian). I hated it. Thanks, guys. :D

Then they told me I happened to pick the worst season in the history of the show. So, I won't have any trouble waiting for the Blu-ray from Blockbuster.

Hey Joe,

I vividly remember you started watching at season 6, which indeed was the worst season the show had. It started great in season 1, and got better and better through season 5 (the best of the series) before it hit a wall in season 6 and degenerated into self-parody.

They did an almost complete overhaul of the show for season 7 (the current season) and in my opinion have hit their stride again... though I can't stand Janeane Garofalo in or out of character... and hope her character on 24 dies a spectacular death. This season's still not as good as season 5, but it's good enough to return 24 to its status as my favorite show. Besides, Special Agent Freckles is HOT. :D

As a Trek fan, you may be interested to know that the terrorists this season are currently being led by Tony Todd (Worf's brother Kern in Next Generation and DS9).

I'll be picking up that Blu-Ray on release day.

bballcards

03-13-09, 05:36 PM

24 fans rejoice (although you probably already know this): 24 Season 7 hits Blu-ray in May. (http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Fox/TV_on_High-Def/Disc_Announcements/24_Headed_to_Blu-ray/2577)

Those of us who haven't watched the show must wait for the other 6 seasons to hit, so we can start from the beginning.
That's pretty significant, considering the Season 5/6 DVD sets were released the December following the end of the season (i.e. ~5 months after the season ended). This means the season 7 sets are basically being released just as the season ends. Sweet.

Robert Simandl

03-13-09, 07:29 PM

elgibby

03-13-09, 08:13 PM

... This season's still not as good as season 5, but it's good enough to return 24 to its status as my favorite show. Besides, Special Agent Freckles is HOT.

Bob
Special Agent Freckles is a St. Louis girl. Read about her here! (http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:8H7Fuxyr-2IJ:dailyme.com/story/2009011600005847/+gail+pennington+24+annie&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)
barry

Joseph Clark

03-13-09, 08:30 PM

I question the business sense there, though.

Wouldn't be surprised if a LOT of people (who hate having to wait an hour in between episodes in the first place) just skip watching the rest of this season since the DVD/Blu release is just two months away.

If typical 24 fans are anything like you, Bob, it makes perfect business sense, no? I know I couldn't wait to watch Chuck, no matter when the Blu-ray discs were coming out.

24 is one of those shows I look forward to seeing from the beginning on Blu-ray. We're in a situation now in which a few shows are coming out in the middle of their runs on Blu-ray. Lost has seasons 3 & 4 on Blu-ray, but not 1 & 2.

Joseph Clark

03-13-09, 08:36 PM

As a Trek fan, you may be interested to know that the terrorists this season are currently being led by Tony Todd (Worf's brother Kern in Next Generation and DS9).

Tony Todd was a recurring character on Chuck until he left to be on 24. C. S. Lee played Harry Tang on Chuck until he was scooped up by Dexter. Both were great and I was sorry to see them go.

Joseph Clark

03-13-09, 08:42 PM

Hey, guys, has anyone here worked with bass traps?

I have to tame a boomy bedroom and I've been reading the AVS thread on the topic. What I'd like to know is if anyone has ever used the Owens Corning rigid fiberglass to build bass traps for an unruly room?

Robert Simandl

03-13-09, 11:59 PM

Hey Joe,

Tony Todd may be free to come back to Chuck sooner than you think.

Yeah, *I'd* buy that 24 Blu-Ray a week after getting done watching the season. Lotsa 24 fans would. But releasing the DVD/BD now instead of December loses the promotional aspect of plugging the NEXT season premiere in January. Unless they cut the price in December and plug THAT as a great Christmas gift. Hmmm, maybe I should hold off a bit on picking up that BD....

Robert Simandl

03-13-09, 11:59 PM

Oh, and Lost seasons 1 & 2 hit Blu ray in June!

elgibby

03-14-09, 01:42 AM

Bob
Special Agent Freckles is a St. Louis girl. Read about her here! (http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:8H7Fuxyr-2IJ:dailyme.com/story/2009011600005847/+gail+pennington+24+annie&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)
barry

Well that link vanished quickly.
Try this one. (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/columnists.nsf/gailpennington/story/71A8BEFF3F3AD7CC8625753E006F859B?OpenDocument)

barry

elgibby

03-14-09, 02:23 AM

Mr_Bester

03-14-09, 10:37 AM

Anyone have any experience with Monoprice in-wall speakers and in-wall speakers in general?
In our new place, I'm thinking of going 6.1, with the L/R surrounds and back surround in-wall. The Monoprice Kevlar 4100s even have aimable tweeters.
We're rehabbing an old place, so the ceilings are high. There are no side walls (one side is open, other has wide doorway), and we're thinking of making a coffered ceiling over the TV area. In-walls could go in the coffered part, bringing them a bit lower.
I'll use regular "box" speakers for fronts and sub.
barry

I don't have a high end system by any means, but I replaced the Yamaha HTIB speakers with the monoprice in-walls and the difference was staggering. There was a thread in the speaker section about the monoprice speakers and the general consensus was that they outperformed their price.

elgibby

03-14-09, 11:15 AM

Thanks, Mr. B, I'll check out that thread
barry

dabrooks

03-14-09, 04:46 PM

Tony Todd was a recurring character on Chuck until he left to be on 24. C. S. Lee played Harry Tang on Chuck until he was scooped up by Dexter. Both were great and I was sorry to see them go.

Lee was already a regular on Dexter's season one in 2006, the year before Chuck premiered. Apparently he found time to do both in 07.

miggystl

03-14-09, 04:59 PM

Is anyone getting any program info for 30.1 using Windows media center? I am still getting no data available.

Arative

03-14-09, 09:06 PM

Well not surprising, CW is broadcasting Smallville in SD and not HD since they preempted the programing for the Blues game on Thursday.

dabrooks

03-15-09, 02:05 PM

Is anyone getting any program info for 30.1 using Windows media center? I am still getting no data available.

miggystl, I posted about the same issue last week, someone else said they also had the problem. Seemed to start for me maybe 2 weeks ago. I suspect this has something to do with the sitch to digital-only. I don't believe I've seen anyone say that they DID have KDNL programming shown in Windows Media Center, that would be interesting to know. I haven't been able to resolve the problem, pretty much screws things for me and channel 30.

Robert Simandl

03-15-09, 05:53 PM

Must be an issue between Sinclair broadcasting and Microsoft. I have no KDNL data on Windows Media Center, but data fine and dandy on DirecTV's HR20.

Robert Simandl

03-15-09, 08:37 PM

The lack of guide data for stations is apparently not limited to St. Louis.

Over in the HTPC topic area, there are sporadic reports of one or two stations in several cities losing their guide data in Windows Media Center.

Speculation is, Microsoft gets program data from each channel's analog listings. According to this theory, since KDNL shut off its analog signal a couple of weeks back, Microsoft now has no data for KDNL... or any other station in the country that has shut off its analog broadcast.

Not sure if that's the whole story or not. KNLC still has Windows Media Center guide data for 24-1 even though its analog signal was shut off back in JANUARY.

RescueMe

03-15-09, 11:13 PM

Is anyone getting any program info for 30.1 using Windows media center? I am still getting no data available.

I have WMC 2004 and 2005, and I do not guide data for channel 30.1. I would also like to know what the problem is. I've searched over at the greenbutton.com but don't see any posts on the issue.

RescueMe

03-16-09, 12:07 AM

Thanks, I gave them a call but they directed me to Belle (or Bell) TV in STL since they don't service my make. Belle said it would either be $200 to fix if it was the simple problem (replacing some capacitors on some circuit board) or $800 to fix if it was the bigger problem (replacing the whole circuit board). If it was the $800 fix, I'd just be out the $105 for the service call since no way I'd sink that much money into a 6 year old tv that can't do 1080p.

Hmm... maybe time to shoot Doug (Droptheremote) and email for his professional opinion on 3 possible DLP tv sets I'm looking at since I would naturally put his calibration services to use... Now I just need to convince my wife that spending $1500-2000 is the much smarter path than spending either $200 to fix the old one, or $105 to determine if we have to buy a new tv if it can't be fixed on th cheap... That logic seems fuzzy, even to me.

I have 55613 that suddenly would not turn on and I would get a green blinking light next to the on button. I searched around and found this to be a known problem with the capacitors on the DM module. Anyway take a look here and read carefully
http://hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=32186&page=1&pp=20
it helped me do the repair myself. I replaced four capacitors that cost about 50 cents each. From what I was told the board can be easily damaged when removing the old capacitors but I had no problem. A local shop said they would do the soldering for $40 if I brought them the parts and the DM module. First you need to locate the DM module. If I remember I think is where the Digital audio out plugs into the back of the TV. When you open the back of the tv the module is about 12" high, 1.5" wide ,8" deep, metal encased box. Remove this and open it up. You're looking for four capacitors in a row. Normally the capacitors should be flat on top. If they are slightly bulging there is a good chance this may be your problem. I initially had a difficult time removing the DM module. To remove the DM module on my 55613 I had to first remove the paneling from the back of the TV. The tray on the bottom is designed to slide out. At the front of the tray in the middle is a screw that must be removed and two tabs at the left and right must be depressed to allow the tray to slide forward. As you slide the tray forward wires will need to be disconnected to allow the tray to continue to be slide forward. I used masking to help make sure I got the wires connected back to there correct places. Once the tray is slid forward enough you should be able to see the screws that hold the DM module. BTW I have just enough soldering and electronics experience to get me in trouble, but was able to do this repair. Don't forget to unplug the TV and be careful not to damage the DM module by static electricity.

Joseph Clark

03-16-09, 12:13 AM

Frys has the Samsung 52" A550 LCD on sale for $1,299. (http://shop3.frys.com/product/5541270) Free shipping.

Joseph Clark

03-16-09, 12:16 AM

I was just barely able to resist buying the Samsung LED DLP from Amazon the other day. I'm still agonizing over what size and kind of set to buy for the spare bedroom. It's gotta be 1080p, but I'm torn over how big to go. Again, a plea - if anyone spots any great deals, please post.

RescueMe

03-16-09, 12:35 AM

I have DishNetwork DTVPal OTA DVR that has an electronic program guide that does not fully populate. I believe KMOV the CBS affiliate for the St. Louis area is responsible for sending out the TVGOS data to populate the EPG. I get the TV Guide logo on my guide so I believe I am recieving TVGOS and not PSIP.
I get 7 days of data for channels 4.1, 5.1, 11.1, 9.1, 9.3. The problem is with the following channels:

2.1 - get only approx. 24 hrs of data
30.1 - get only approx. 36 hrs of data
46.1 + 9.2 - get only approx. 11 hrs of data

This is aggravating as the EPG is used to help set the timers for recording and I can't see the shows I would like to record for the upcoming week. I've emailed KMOV but never got a response. Can anybody shed some light on this?

elgibby

03-16-09, 08:52 AM

I've got a good chance in our new place (taking over a stalled rehab) to get whole house video distribution. Coax from every room that has it ends in the basement. Any recommendations on who to get to put in the necessary equipment?
Or a good step by step tutorial for someone prone to lop off body parts when using tools?
thx
barry

epalau

03-16-09, 09:59 AM

I have 55613 that suddenly would not turn on and I would get a green blinking light next to the on button. I searched around and found this to be a known problem with the capacitors on the DM module. Anyway take a look here and read carefully
http://hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=32186&page=1&pp=20
...

Thanks - I saw that thread as well when doing research on the problem. Interestingly enough after 1.5 days of my TV repeating the blinking green light, it magically started working again. Fortunate for my wallet, unfortunate for me not being forced to buying a new tv.

WRacer

03-16-09, 10:55 AM

Each station can set how many hours in advance the EPG is transmitted. Each EIT (event information table) has 3 hours of data. The minimum required by the FCC is 4 EIT's. We, KDNL-DT, send 12 EIT's or 36 hours. Some stations don't change from the default of 4. We could do more EIT's and ETT's (extended text tables), but I would take more bandwidth.

We monitor the EPG all the time and all of our receivers are displaying it.

dabrooks

03-16-09, 11:17 AM

I have WMC 2004 and 2005, and I do not guide data for channel 30.1. I would also like to know what the problem is. I've searched over at the greenbutton.com but don't see any posts on the issue.
I found considerable discussion on the issue here.
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/83/ShowForum.aspx

Appears that folks are posting the particulars of their guide loss and Microsoft is monitoring/responding and attempting to address as reported. The issue with our KDNL guide has been reported there. No telling if/when it will be resolved.

DroptheRemote

03-16-09, 11:44 AM

Thanks - I saw that thread as well when doing research on the problem. Interestingly enough after 1.5 days of my TV repeating the blinking green light, it magically started working again. Fortunate for my wallet, unfortunate for me not being forced to buying a new tv.Eric,

I'm not repair tech, but it sounds like you have failing capacitors on or more of the circuit boards on your TV. Mitsubishis, for whatever reason, seem to be particularly susceptible to this. I would recommend against leaving this to chance. There are lots of reports of capacitors leaking, and once this occur it will cause irreparable damage your TV.

There are posts elsewhere on AVS on how to do DIY capacitor repair, but I have no real experience with that. If you decide to go that route, you need to ensure that you are getting the exact same capacitors for replacement, as some of the gray market stuff is susceptible to near-immediate failure.

Bottom line: You need to address this, either by having your TV serviced, trying to diagnose and repair this yourself, or consider it time for a replacement.

Again, there is a major risk in remote diagnosis of TV repair issues, but your problems sound like they fit a familiar pattern.

Sorry to be the bearer of not-good news...

DroptheRemote

03-16-09, 11:46 AM

More bad news for Charter, as they report their 4Q results today. From Associated Press:
__________________________________________________________

Cable operator Charter Communications says its loss for the fourth quarter widened from a year ago and one of its subsidiaries, CCH II LLC, will not make a schedule interest payment on some of its debt.

Charter, which plans to file a prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy by April 1, said its loss climbed to $1.5 billion, or $3.96 per share, compared with a loss of $468 million, or $1.27 per share, a year earlier.

Charter said its most-recent results included a $1.52 billion impairment charge.

Sales grew 6.6 percent to $1.66 billion from $1.55 billion.
__________________________________________________________

wmschultz

03-16-09, 02:00 PM

Eric,

I'm not repair tech, but it sounds like you have failing capacitors on or more of the circuit boards on your TV. Mitsubishis, for whatever reason, seem to be particularly susceptible to this. I would recommend against leaving this to chance. There are lots of reports of capacitors leaking, and once this occur it will cause irreparable damage your TV.

There are posts elsewhere on AVS on how to do DIY capacitor repair, but I have no real experience with that. If you decide to go that route, you need to ensure that you are getting the exact same capacitors for replacement, as some of the gray market stuff is susceptible to near-immediate failure.

Bottom line: You need to address this, either by having your TV serviced, trying to diagnose and repair this yourself, or consider it time for a replacement.

Again, there is a major risk in remote diagnosis of TV repair issues, but your problems sound like they fit a familiar pattern.

Sorry to be the bearer of not-good news...

I have a MITS WS65613 and the capacitors on mine went bad. I had them replaced, under warranty though.
They put a higher temp capacitor on the board when they replaced them.

Joseph Clark

03-16-09, 09:30 PM

I'm going to buy some Owens Corning rigid fiberglass panels (4'x2'x2"). I can do it online, but shipping is expensive. Does anyone know of a place locally where I can get this type of panel (or something very similar)? I'm going to use it to build some bass traps for one of my rooms, as part of some acoustical work I'm doing.

These panels are really light weight, but rigid. They're the same dimensions as drop ceiling panels, but 2" thick.

MoInSTL

03-17-09, 11:50 AM

Recorded BSG: The Last Frakkin' Special last night. Looks like it will replay a few more times this week before the series finale. Also, this Friday SciFi will run an 11 hour marathon. I think the 11th hour may be the special but check to make sure.

Joseph Clark

03-17-09, 03:44 PM

That special was great, especially Katee Sachoff's frustration about how to play her character this season. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they're going to end it.

black_macleod

03-17-09, 03:49 PM

I'm still watching Dollhouse. I'm not exactly sure why.

Joseph Clark

03-17-09, 05:30 PM

I'm still watching Dollhouse. I'm not exactly sure why.

My guess? Amy Acker. Even with scars, she's incredibly beautiful. :)

Joseph Clark

03-17-09, 05:35 PM

Never mind about finding a place to buy rigid fiberglass. I found it about 10 minutes from my house in South County - cheaper than online and no high shipping charges. :)

black_macleod

03-17-09, 05:38 PM

OT Question: Anyone in the county have their American Missouri Water bill go up this period .. not because of a rate hike, but because of a supposed "increased usage." At first, I was like, hmmm, we used that much more in winter? Today I found out a guy I work with had the exact same increase and we're both perplexed. I'm fairly positive I don't have any leaks. Usually we're using less in the winter as we don't water the lawn, wash the cars, etc.

Its no small increase either ... almost $20 for the period, and my bill has been pretty consistent for over 2 years.

Looking for a conspiracy here!

BTW, I'm in Webster, he's in Brentwood.

coe82

03-18-09, 12:36 AM

black_macleod

03-18-09, 12:40 AM

I live in Clayton and noticed the same thing. Our bill went up about $10 over the last statement. We actually used a little less water, but the usage charge was hiked up about 20 percent. The company apparently obtained PSC approval for a rate increase in November.

Yea, you know I read that ... but both my friend and I, when we called -- the CSR's said NOTHING about that ... told us both to check for leaks :mad:

MegaTrain

03-18-09, 12:39 PM

We got the same "usage increase" on our local water bill (and we're in Jefferson county).

We had a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving holiday, so we thought it was legitimate, but then the next bill was just as high.

We noticed, though, that the *dates* were off--the billing period was more than a month. I don't know why they would shift their end-of-cycle dates, or if it just depends on how/when their techs get around to reading a physical meter somewhere....

tullysdad

03-18-09, 01:21 PM

In Shrewsbury my bill went up from $66.78 to $91.49. I didn't keep a copy of my bill so I can't compare the usage.

OT Question: Anyone in the county have their American Missouri Water bill go up this period .. not because of a rate hike, but because of a supposed "increased usage." At first, I was like, hmmm, we used that much more in winter? Today I found out a guy I work with had the exact same increase and we're both perplexed. I'm fairly positive I don't have any leaks. Usually we're using less in the winter as we don't water the lawn, wash the cars, etc.

Its no small increase either ... almost $20 for the period, and my bill has been pretty consistent for over 2 years.

Looking for a conspiracy here!

BTW, I'm in Webster, he's in Brentwood.

wmschultz

03-18-09, 05:16 PM

Mine went up in St. Charles. I just told my wife to stop drinking so much water and flushing the toilet all day..She stays home now.

PinkSplice

03-18-09, 11:10 PM

WPXS-13's analog will go dark on 30 APR 09:

http://www.fcc.gov/DA-09-589A2.pdf

Their digital is on RF 21.

Robert Simandl

03-18-09, 11:20 PM

WPXS-13's analog will go dark on 30 APR 09:

http://www.fcc.gov/DA-09-589A2.pdf

Their digital is on RF 21.

I've never been able to pick up their analog signal. Or their digital signal either, for that matter. Not that I've noticed a lot there worth watching (DirecTV carries their analog signal and that's the only way I see this channel at all).

bballcards

03-19-09, 12:12 AM

Joseph Clark

03-19-09, 12:32 AM

Anyone else have some big time issues with the sound on "Lost" Wednesday night? I experienced some annoying buzzing accompanying a large portion of the dialogue (specifically any of the louder dialogue) -- making it annoyingly unwatchable.

Yep. Same here. I thought for a minute something happened to my center channel. It sounded almost like a blown speaker.

coe82

03-19-09, 12:42 AM

Anyone else have some big time issues with the sound on "Lost" Wednesday night? I experienced some annoying buzzing accompanying a large portion of the dialogue (specifically any of the louder dialogue) -- making it annoyingly unwatchable.

Yep, my older son claimed the sound was too loud and creating distortion. It was distorted, but not because of the volume.

However, it was still a great episode.

moman19

03-19-09, 09:51 AM

I remember watching an episode of Housewives two weeks ago and noticed that the audio was pumping like in the old analog compressor days. Whenever there was silence, the background noise level would drastically rise. It sounded sort of like the ocean surf when the dialog and/or music wasn't there. It would vanish as soon as something was said or played, only to return with the next moment of silence.

.....Did it sound anything like that? I've only noticed this occasionally on KDNL.

Joseph Clark

03-19-09, 10:03 AM

matth1138

03-19-09, 10:05 AM

DroptheRemote

03-19-09, 10:13 AM

I know what you mean, but it didn't sound like that to me. It sounded like a bad speaker - a crackling - as though it had been overdriven and blown.Ditto -- my experience exactly. As far as I could tell, this was limited to the center channel.

And yes, it was another GREAT episode. I wouldn't rate any of the "Lost" episodes this season below an 8 out of 10. I actually had some concerns about how the writers would handle the latest plot twists (risk of shark-jumping), but last night largely eased my concerns.

Low-risk spoiler alert: Still, I'm not completely sold on a plane crash-landing going unnoticed, even with the engines off and on an adjacent island.

Joseph Clark

03-19-09, 10:21 AM

Hey all, spring cleaning time. Does anyone know a local resource for trading in Blu Ray movies? If not local, a reliable web site that does the same? I've got a stack that needs to leave the closet, per the wife...

My Gods, Matt, doesn't your wife realize that if you trade in those movies, you won't have them anymore!!!???

No matter that you might never watch them again during your lifetime. Let that sort of sloppy reasoning into the argument and all hope is lost. I'd never let my wife deliver an ultimatum about my movies.

Wait... I don't have a wife. Hmmmm... :(

Joseph Clark

03-19-09, 10:26 AM

Ditto -- my experience exactly. As far as I could tell, this was limited to the center channel.

And yes, it was another GREAT episode. I wouldn't rate any of the "Lost" episodes this season below an 8 out of 10. I actually had some concerns about how the writers would handle the latest plot twists (risk of shark-jumping), but last night largely eased my concerns.

Low-risk spoiler alert: Still, I'm not completely sold on a plane crash-landing going unnoticed, even with the engines off and on an adjacent island.

I think it worked the way they set it up. It's conceivable they could have come in unnoticed. This opinion is based on my vast knowledge of commercial jets. :D

matth1138

03-19-09, 10:52 AM

My Gods, Matt, doesn't your wife realize that if you trade in those movies, you won't have them anymore!!!???

No matter that you might never watch them again during your lifetime. Let that sort of sloppy reasoning into the argument and all hope is lost. I'd never let my wife deliver an ultimatum about my movies.

Wait... I don't have a wife. Hmmmm... :(

ROFL...;)

Most of these movies have been watched ONCE...and since our daughter turned 1, we've been watching way too much Elmo...

wmschultz

03-19-09, 12:27 PM

Why don't you post a list here...Some my actually buy them from you...or PM me if you don't want to advertise.

DroptheRemote

03-19-09, 04:37 PM

Interesting details coming out on the state of Charter once it enters bankruptcy.

Note the explanation of how Paul Allen manages to maintain 35% voting control over the company despite having only 3% "skin in the game."

Got to say this is one very clever idiot...

From Reuters:
__________________________________________________________

Private equity firm Apollo Group is planning to take ownership of most of Charter Communications Inc (CHTR.O) through the cable company's reorganization in bankruptcy court, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

Apollo, which has purchased Charter's debt, plans to own the majority of its equity following the bankruptcy restructuring, which includes a preplanned reorganization of its debt and an equity rights offering, the sources said.

Charter said on Feb. 12 it planned for a restructuring that included filing for bankruptcy. On March 16, it said the bankruptcy filing was on track to be on or before April 1.

A spokeswoman for Charter and a spokesman for Apollo declined to comment.

Apollo purchased the bonds, and in bankruptcy court the debt will be swapped for equity in the new company, the sources said. Apollo, which took part in debtholder negotiations with the company, will be able to increase its stake after a rights offering that will take place when Charter emerges from bankruptcy.

Paul Allen, the Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder who has controlled the company, will own about 3 percent in equity but retain control through a 35 percent voting stake, according to an SEC filing from February. His equity stake could increase to about 7 percent through the conversion of additional warrants, the filing said.

Allen was able to retain the voting rights because of a clause in the bank loan agreements that would have allowed the banks to reprice the company's bank debt at a much higher rate if there had been a change of control in the company, two sources said.

Another source said Allen could have taken only equity in the company, but decided to diversify with a mixture of stock and warrants.
__________________________________________________________

Click here (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1942658120090319) to read the full story.

dabrooks

03-19-09, 05:31 PM

Here's a post from a Microsoft employee on The Green Button that describes the cause of the missing guide data in MCE and advises that Microsoft is rolling out a solution today. I just refreshed my guide, no joy, will try again this evening.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/344879.aspx

WRacer

03-19-09, 07:10 PM

I know what you mean, but it didn't sound like that to me. It sounded like a bad speaker - a crackling - as though it had been overdriven and blown.

Interesting comments!!! We fed last nights HD from a different source. Did not hear any issues in monitoring the stereo audio.
Jim

dabrooks

03-19-09, 07:33 PM

Interesting comments!!! We fed last nights HD from a different source. Did not hear any issues in monitoring the stereo audio.
Jim

I recorded via Directv and watched while using headphones (wife asleep kind of thing). I had noticed a difference in audio quality immediately, sounded as if the audio level was weak I had boosted my volume to the point that background noise was exaggerated as well. Of course I hadn't done that, but that seemed to be the effect.

matth1138

03-19-09, 07:34 PM

Why don't you post a list here...Some my actually buy them from you...or PM me if you don't want to advertise.

PM sent...if anyone else is interested, let me know. I can post the list here but don't want to get in trouble from the mods;)

Mr_Bester

03-20-09, 10:49 AM

PM sent...if anyone else is interested, let me know. I can post the list here but don't want to get in trouble from the mods;)

You don't have to list them for sale, you could just let us know what BluRays you own but haven't watched in a while. I have Bridge to Terabithia and thought it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. So we don't watch that one any more....

matth1138

03-20-09, 10:59 AM

You don't have to list them for sale, you could just let us know what BluRays you own but haven't watched in a while. I have Bridge to Terabithia and thought it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. So we don't watch that one any more....

Ha ha..OK here goes. These are the movies I haven't watched in a long time and are taking up space in my closet:

Blu Ray:
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Lethal Weapon (1)
Transporter 2
Pirates of the Caribbean 2 Dead Man’s Chest
Happy Feet
Blazing Saddles
50 First Dates
Invincible
300
Die Hard (1)
Night at the Museum

HD-DVD:
The Mummy Returns
Apollo 13
Transformers
Stardust (Never Opened!)
Mission Impossible (Ultimate Missions Collection, movies 1-3)
Shaun of the Dead
Anchorman
Planet Earth (Complete Series (4-disc set)
King Kong
The Mummy
The Italian Job
V for Vendetta
Superman Returns

Where, oh where can they go?:D

Joseph Clark

03-20-09, 11:31 AM

OK, guys (and Mo). Tonight's the night. Battlestar Galactica's final episode.

Talk about conflicted feelings. I can't decide if the anticipation feels more like waiting to make love, or witness an execution.

reuthermonkey

03-20-09, 12:37 PM

black_macleod

03-20-09, 12:58 PM

moman19

03-20-09, 01:07 PM

Interesting comments!!! We fed last nights HD from a different source. Did not hear any issues in monitoring the stereo audio.
Jim

Not to beat up on you Jim, but last night's Nightline and this morning's GMA (at least the first 30 minutes that I saw) were in SD. What's up with that?

black_macleod

03-20-09, 01:16 PM

Interesting comments!!! We fed last nights HD from a different source. Did not hear any issues in monitoring the stereo audio.
Jim

You're kidding right? The audio on Lost was horrible this week. If you monitor in stereo how can you tell what the 5.1 sounds like?

WRacer

03-20-09, 02:07 PM

You're kidding right? The audio on Lost was horrible this week. If you monitor in stereo how can you tell what the 5.1 sounds like?

At home I don't have a 5.1 receiver yet. We do have a 5.1 monitor in the control room, but it's a rather noisy environment. The meters display the levels but of course not quality. Also, we need to switch listening to incoming audio not delayed off air audio so that monitor is kept lower than others. It may sound simple to the consumer, but the digital world is much more difficult and problematic. BTW, we did monitor some possible 5.1 audio issues last night. Also, we do appreciate the comments from viewers....you can detect problems with quality viewing rooms that we have no practical way to set up at the studio. Often a problem will only show up on certain brands/models of equipment.

black_macleod

03-20-09, 02:28 PM

At home I don't have a 5.1 receiver yet. We do have a 5.1 monitor in the control room, but it's a rather noisy environment. The meters display the levels but of course not quality. Also, we need to switch listening to incoming audio not delayed off air audio so that monitor is kept lower than others. It may sound simple to the consumer, but the digital world is much more difficult and problematic. BTW, we did monitor some possible 5.1 audio issues last night. Also, we do appreciate the comments from viewers....you can detect problems with quality viewing rooms that we have no practical way to set up at the studio. Often a problem will only show up on certain brands/models of equipment.

yea, sorry, i was harsh :eek: I was echoing my girlfriend's rant to me during Lost 'WHATS WRONG WITH THE SOUND! FIX IT!'

Joseph Clark

03-20-09, 03:22 PM

At home I don't have a 5.1 receiver yet. We do have a 5.1 monitor in the control room, but it's a rather noisy environment. The meters display the levels but of course not quality. Also, we need to switch listening to incoming audio not delayed off air audio so that monitor is kept lower than others. It may sound simple to the consumer, but the digital world is much more difficult and problematic. BTW, we did monitor some possible 5.1 audio issues last night. Also, we do appreciate the comments from viewers....you can detect problems with quality viewing rooms that we have no practical way to set up at the studio. Often a problem will only show up on certain brands/models of equipment.

It's easy to understand how the problem could have been missed in a noisy environment. Thanks, Jim.

Joseph Clark

03-20-09, 03:32 PM

I just got this note from a friend:

"SyFy (yes, that's how they spell their name now) has just announced that the series finale is not 2 hours long. It's two hours AND ELEVEN MINUTES long! As so often happens, this is NOT reflected yet on my cable TV schedule and probably isn't on yours either. If you don't want to miss the last 11 minutes of the series finale, you MUST go to your TV and either extend the episode an extra 15 minutes (or half hour) or just tape the next show airing on SyFy."

SyFy??? That can't be right. But check your DVR anyway.

WRacer

03-20-09, 03:52 PM

Not to beat up on you Jim, but last night's Nightline and this morning's GMA (at least the first 30 minutes that I saw) were in SD. What's up with that?

FYI, Nightline was in SD because the Dolbly decoder locked up and we had to go to SD. GMA often feeds SD during the first part of the show. Some segments were in HD.

Nuzy

03-20-09, 03:53 PM

By MICHELLE KUNG
Friday night, after four seasons of attacks, betrayals, ethical struggles and a key character's resurrection, the warship of "Battlestar Galactica" reaches its destiny -- and its fans and cast will have to figure out what to do next. Edward James Olmos, who plays the pivotal, gruff Admiral William Adama, has already planned his next move.

SCI FI Channel
Edward James Olmos
Though the 62-year-old actor has completed his on-screen duties, he's hard at work editing "The Plan," a TV movie he's directed. It's one of two "Battlestar"-themed projects set to air this fall and early next year on the Sci Fi network (soon to be rechristened SyFy), which runs the series.

Mr. Olmos has been living with his character since the reimagined series premiered as a miniseries in 2003. "It's all very tragic," he says. "I've been crying a lot. Feeling self-conscious. And saying thank you."

The series seems to provoke big emotions. From its unpromising origins as a reboot of the short-lived 1970s TV show, it grew to tackle issues of genocide, religion and terrorism as its ragtag group of human survivors sought Earth -- which many believed to be part of a mystical prophecy -- in a post-apocalyptic world. Critics put it on their year-end best-of lists, sales of series DVDs topped $100 million, and cultists made the show a staple of sci-fi and fantasy conventions.

The series has even made it to the United Nations: This week, a "joint summit" between cast members and producers, U.N. representatives and more than 100 high-school students discussed how the show's plotlines reflected modern conflicts over human rights and civilizations' values. One example: a character's use of waterboarding in the first season.

Mr. Olmos has ample reason to stay in the "Battlestar" embrace. The Latino actor played Lieutenant Martin Castillo on TV's "Miami Vice" for five years and successfully made the transition to film. He won an Oscar nomination for playing a steadfast teacher in 1988's "Stand and Deliver" and had key roles in "Blade Runner" and the prison-gang drama "American Me," which he also directed. But he remained largely under the radar until the cult explosion of "Battlestar."

Mr. Olmos relishes how race is never made a factor on Battlestar: "It's simply not what the series is about. There's only one race, the human race, battling the cylons, which are essentially human technology," he says. "It's like me battling my own self." Mr. Olmos is less optimistic about the real world, however. "Hispanic filmmaking is actually going down," he says. "Even though we've become better filmmakers and we're doing a lot more work...we're still less than 2% of the images onscreen."

"Eddie has a serious side," says executive producer and writer Ronald D. Moore, who rebooted the old series. He recalls a discussion with the actor in regards to the finale. "I was never tempted to make the ending very nihilistic and kill everyone, but Eddie wanted to."

For Mr. Moore, "'Battlestar' is over; that chapter has now closed." He delivered the final cut of the finale a mere five days before air date. He adds, "From the final day of shooting to speaking at various events about the end of the show, there have been a lot of emotional moments." Even "Caprica," the new "prequel" series about the families of "Battlestar" set to air next year, was deliberately planned as a "new start." Mr. Moore says, "We made sure not to make the series space-based and use a new style of shooting."

As for Mr. Olmos, his focus is on "The Plan." "I only direct projects where I have tremendous passion for the story," says Mr. Olmos. The film revisits earlier events from the perspective of deadly cybernetic machines known as the cylons. "I just finished my cut," he adds. "I didn't get any break between the two projects, but am still feeling the void of being the only one left on board. I'm literally the last one standing."

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W2

Robert Simandl

03-20-09, 05:46 PM

Nuzy

03-20-09, 07:50 PM

Nuzy

03-20-09, 07:53 PM

Yup, Sci-Fi is indeed changing its name to "SyFy." I wish I were making that up, but I'm not.

http://www.mania.com/sci-fi-channel-becomes-syfy_article_113742.html

The powers that be think this new name is fresh and hip. It's also trademarkable, unlike "Sci-Fi."

My wife will be the first one to tell you I'm not the most fresh and hip person around, but even so, I think most people will find this, excuse my political incorrectness, completely retarded.

RescueMe

03-20-09, 09:36 PM

black_macleod

03-20-09, 10:46 PM

Dollhouse Spoiler Alert: Don't read more if you haven't watched yet.

----------------------------------

Mmmmm Dollhouse was excellent tonight, even though I called the "neighbor as active" thing way early ... but it was awesome. However, as my GF pointed out, if the FBI guy would just check his answering machine ... he'd hear the trigger phrase :-) Also that guy can't act.

Hope they don't ruin the show!

Kurt K

03-20-09, 11:28 PM

FYI, Nightline was in SD because the Dolbly decoder locked up and we had to go to SD. GMA often feeds SD during the first part of the show. Some segments were in HD.
I just watched my recording of Scrubs and the sound had a noticeable amount of background noise. Probably similar to what was reported about Lost.

TubaSaxT

03-21-09, 04:54 PM

MoInSTL

03-21-09, 06:05 PM

Will check out The Plan. Caprica based on the clips not really interested. I will tune in and check it out though.

I'm already missing BSG.

WinstonSmith

03-22-09, 12:30 AM

Anyone else lose their DirecTV guide data tonight? I lost it somewhere around the end of the Duke-Texas game.

I am not sure what time that was.

Robert Simandl

03-22-09, 08:31 AM

Anyone else lose their DirecTV guide data tonight? I lost it somewhere around the end of the Duke-Texas game.

I am not sure what time that was.

I noticed at 10:05 that it was missing because I tried to start recording something, and the record light wouldn't come on. No guide. So I did a manual recording at that point. At 10:20 the manual recording stopped (though I set it to go for two hours) and the guide data was back. So now I have a two-part recording. :rolleyes:

DroptheRemote

03-22-09, 09:38 AM

Winston,

I noticed something weird happening around that time. Shortly after 10 p.m., the info banner flashed onto the screen (To Be Announced) and the screen went to black. At first, I thought that maybe KMOV had some local program scheduled between the expected end time of the game and the start of the local news, and that for some reason they have an automated switchover. But then the game came back on.

Shortly after that I tried to access the Guide and all I got was the PIP window and the guide background where the data normally appear. Worse, the DVR was locked in this mode, meaning that I couldn't Exit or otherwise return to full screen. Reboot time.

This is actually the second time in the last week where the DVR became unresponsive to remote control commands.

A couple unrelated side notes:

* Does anyone else have problems with the DirecTV DVR in handling multiple Skip Forward commands. Sometimes when I enter the maximum Skip commands allowed/buffered (20), sometimes the program jumps all the way back to the very beginning even though I was nowhere in the vicinity of the end of the program. This means I have to FF again through everything I've already seen plus what I wanted to skip over. Very annoying.

* Also, how hard would it be for DirecTV to show how many remaining skips are in the buffer? It's incredibly dumb that no matter how many skips you request, the timeline banner shows that number and does not count them down as they are executed. Seems very basic.

MoInSTL

03-22-09, 04:29 PM

Guide issues. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=154768

Robert Simandl

03-22-09, 05:14 PM

I'm guessing the guide disappeared at 8:30PM, because the cheesy movie on Sci-Fi that started recording at 7:59, I belatedly discovered this morning, ended at 8:30 even though the movie ran til 10PM. :(

Oh, and it only affected one of my HR20's, the one in the family room. The HR20 in the bedroom retained its data the entire evening and the recording it was doing is fine.

jedi35

03-23-09, 04:47 AM

You mean the cheesy, soon to be Sy Fy movie?? Gosh, I hate that spelling.

Doug,
Does the D* HR20 have PIP? Is it a newly added feature, or are you using another dvr?

Adrian

DroptheRemote

03-23-09, 07:18 AM

jedi,

Sorry to mislead. What I meant is the small window that appears and shows the current active programming when you are in the Guide or the Playlist.

That's not really PIP, more like POG or POL (Picture on Guide or Picture on List). :)

DroptheRemote

03-23-09, 07:23 AM

Here's a story from Crave about the DirecTV program guide problems on Saturday evening:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10201673-1.html

Robert Simandl

03-23-09, 09:35 AM

For those who like Fox News Channel here, the "America's Newsroom" show is now in real HD (was 4x3 upconvert with the ridiculous sidebar til today).

Megyn Kelly in HD. Yum!

I may have to rewrite my schedule at work so I don't have to leave the house til 10:00. :D

moman19

03-23-09, 10:10 AM

Also noticed the same audio problems with "Grey's Anatomy" that others have reported with "Lost." Haven't watched our "Private Practice" recording yet to see if it continued.

I seem to recall hearing this same issue with "Grey's" the previous week during the first five minuted of the show, then it suddenly was fixed and no longer an issue.

Thanks WRacer for checking in and trying to help.

Jim,

Last night I palyed catch-up by watching back to back episodes of "Housewives" with the wife. These were recorded 3/15 and 3/22 via OTA. I was listening in DD5.1 thru the home theater. This is via an optical link from the Dish DVR.

Audio on the first episode was flawless. The second episode (last night, 3/22) was horrible! The center channel would drastically increase in volume whenever there wasn't any dialog.......is actually sounded like the ocean surf between words! Even my wife (who still insists that HD looks no better than HD---but that's another story) asked me, "what's going on..."?

So I killed the audio and listened to the remainder of the show thru the TV speakers. And it sounded quite good. Therefore, this is issue is new and is somehow related to DD5.1 encoding/decodong. It is very obvious.

jmeitz

03-23-09, 12:44 PM

I also had issues with Dish Network with Desperate Housewives, noise was very crackly in the beginning but got better. My issue i am having and this only happens on channel 30 is that i get a lot of flicker in my picture. Only does it on this channel and it does not matter if its live or DVR'ed. 622 HDMI to my sony 40xbr6

dabrooks

03-23-09, 06:21 PM

I tried to update my guide data also and still no data available. I also tried resetting up the guide, no success.

As of this morning there was still no MCE guide data for KDNL so I took the advice that several posters gave at TheGreenButton. I downloaded and installed Media Center TV Pack 2008 (links to the download are easy to find).

This "OEM" version (along with Win7's MCE) pulls guide data from different sources, or so I understand. Installed easily, had to rerun setup and readd my programming, but it did solve the guide problem. Several other nifty features that really suggests upgrading even if we weren't having guide problems.

davesalaman

03-23-09, 09:37 PM

Just caught up with last week's Scrubs. I have to agree with the comments made so far. The center channel is clipping, and the center and the fronts are overcompressed. I also noticed that the center channel peaks also lowered the level of the fronts, which I don't care for at all. The fronts and the center level up way too much and too quickly during quieter passages.

This reminded me of what some FM stations sounded like a couple decades ago when Optimods first hit the scene. So I see there are Optimods now for mutichannel television and I wonder if that's what is inline now at KDNL ?

Whatever it is, I think it's being overdriven, drop the input levels way back. You really don't want it to do much at all for the programming, it should be working harder during the commercials where the levels are hotter. And, on that note, it is doing a great job of equalizing the levels between program and commercials, which was a real sore spot before.

I think it will be quite a challenge getting it adjusted right without having a way to listen to the results. I don't think the meter readings alone can tell the whole story.

uozzim

03-25-09, 12:23 AM

The Fox Sports Midwest Cardinals HD Schedule has been posted:
http://msn.foxsports.com/id/9358672

WRacer

03-25-09, 10:51 AM

Joseph Clark

03-25-09, 12:58 PM

Dave and others...thanks for your input. We made some changes for last night...lowered input to the exciter 3db and lowered compression in 1/2. I'm still not happy yet, but unfortunately the equipment that has our alternate feed is in Coluimbus which makes it difficult. We'll be working more on it in the next few days.

Thanks for the update, Jim.

miggystl

03-25-09, 01:40 PM

This fixed all the problems with the guide info. It even displays all the programing for 9.2, 9.3 and 9.4. I recommend everyone do this.

miggystl

03-25-09, 05:06 PM

Here a link that will tell you what to.

http://digiex.net/guides-tutorials/699-windows-media-center-tv-pack-2008-download-installation-guide.html

DroptheRemote

03-25-09, 05:54 PM

van105

03-25-09, 08:14 PM

Joseph Clark

03-25-09, 08:17 PM

Has anyone here had contact with Ken (kdg454)?

I sent him an eMail a month or so ago and then left him a voice mail last week that hasn't been returned. It looks like the last time he was here on AVS was back in September.

Ken, are you out there? Hope everything is OK.

I haven't had contact with Ken lately, but I know his wife has been quite ill. That may explain why he's not been around. Ken's a great guy. Let's all send our best thoughts his way.

Beaker74

03-25-09, 09:10 PM

Is anyone getting that "jumpy" signal on ABC30? It started with Lost. And it hasn't quit.

Quite annoying, and I don't think it's my antenna.

davesalaman

03-25-09, 09:16 PM

Is anyone getting that "jumpy" signal on ABC30? It started with Lost. And it hasn't quit.

Quite annoying, and I don't think it's my antenna.

Yeah, it's dropping frames like crazy. Via both OTA and Cable.

Sound is much better though.

Edit ... Video cleared at 8:20. Still some clipping on the center channel.

jpconard

03-25-09, 09:18 PM

Yes, it is bad. Both DISH and OTA. Was it last week or week before the audio was all crackly? Not good lately for sure.

ProjectSHO89

03-25-09, 09:19 PM

Is anyone getting that "jumpy" signal on ABC30? It started with Lost. And it hasn't quit.

Quite annoying, and I don't think it's my antenna.

Of course it's not the antenna... antennas cannot cause such a thing.

I also noticed it on OTA, right before I surfed to something else.

MizzouTiger

03-25-09, 09:48 PM

Yeah, it's dropping frames like crazy. Via both OTA and Cable.

Sound is much better though.

Edit ... Video cleared at 8:20. Still some clipping on the center channel.

I think the sound is still bad. Still getting some distortion on the center channel dialogue.

SHADO 1

03-25-09, 10:12 PM

I dropped Dish today after 7 years, I just don't like the direction they are taking, plus the expense. I'm toying with using OTA with a Tivo. Has anyone used the streaming with Netflix to Tivo? My broadband (DSL Elite) is pretty decent and am looking for anyone experiences.

black_macleod

03-25-09, 10:36 PM

Time for Lost ... let's throw the "Crappy" switch!

Horrible.

Mr_Bester

03-25-09, 11:17 PM

I am considering going to wireless telephone service but am concerned about not having a phone line connected to my hddvr. Does anyone use their dvr this way and are you able to order payperview by using the remote? Any other reason to have a phone line connected?
I have my hddvr connected to the network. I am on D*. So if whatever service you have allows that, you should be fine.

Mr_Bester

03-25-09, 11:18 PM

WRacer,
Scrubs tonight had the same center channel static as last week. Just a heads up if you were looking for a change.
Dug
(D*)

moman19

03-26-09, 09:23 AM

Jane B.

03-26-09, 06:06 PM

Just wanted to say thanks. The changes made by KDNL in going digital also improved reception in Centralia, Illinois. Before going digital it always took turning my tower mounted antenna for reception and sometimes it did not come in. But, even before upgrading the UHF section of my antenna it has been very easy to get since they went digital!

I can't comment on the current sound problems as I have enough of a hearing loss to have to depend on closed captioning.

Jane

WRacer

03-26-09, 06:18 PM

Jim,

Until recently, KDNL had stellar audio and video quality.....especially via OTA. However, the station has taken a nose dive in recent weeks. Can you please do a "System Restore" back to around February 1? ;)

I'm very aware of the issues. We're trying to get a good HD feed from our Columbus hub, but unfortunately there are some problems. Last night on Lost the HD receiver went nuts and it took 15 minutes to locate the problem. Lost was the only program we were planning to feed from St. Louis, but the receiver failed and had to switch back to Columbus. Tonight we're running HD from St. Louis with a new Dolby decoder and a rebooted receiver. Would appreciate comments on the difference.

black_macleod

03-26-09, 06:51 PM

I'm very aware of the issues. We're trying to get a good HD feed from our Columbus hub, but unfortunately there are some problems. Last night on Lost the HD receiver went nuts and it took 15 minutes to locate the problem. Lost was the only program we were planning to feed from St. Louis, but the receiver failed and had to switch back to Columbus. Tonight we're running HD from St. Louis with a new Dolby decoder and a rebooted receiver. Would appreciate comments on the difference.

Any reason you can't throw the switch 1/2 BEFORE one of the most popular shows on the network? I mean most of us on this forum are geeky in some fashion, and a little more tolerant and forgiving ... but my girlfriend, for example, was about ready to hunt somebody down :) I think most consumers are more like her than us, heh.

Jane B.

03-26-09, 07:00 PM

ProjectSHO89

03-27-09, 08:08 AM

I am in Centralia, IL and can get the analog version of KETC very well at all times of day or night. But . . . ALL of their digital versions 9.1, 9.2 etc. will only come in at night, I get the other digitals out of St. Louis just fine. This is after making major upgrades to a tower mounted antenna.

Does anyone know what the situation there is?

Thanks
Jane

Jane,

Help is on the way but you'll have to wait until this summer for it to arrive.

KETC will be doing two things that should help:

1) Their digital antenna will be moved up the tower about 50 meters (IIRC) after the analog transmitter is turned off June 12th.

2) They have a license modification permit to increase their ERP from around 125 kW to almost 150 kW.

Both activities are supposed to be completed by August 1st.

Since Centralia is outside the declared service area of KETC, you'll still be "deep-fringe" and the changes might not be enough for reliable reception even after the upgrades. See the gain/loss map here: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/images/callsigns/KETC.gif

Jane B.

03-27-09, 08:37 AM

Thanks ProjectSHO89! I have not gotten anything back from the station but my latest email to them was last night.

Do you have any idea how the upgrade they will be doing will compare with what they had for coverage from their analog transmitter? Analog has been good most of the time (short term problems only from any St. Louis station) and St. Louis stations are what we have relied on here for our TV. I will admit that many have gone to Charter, Dish or DirectTV mainly for the additional channels. But when you compare cost I think I come out on top. I put up the current tower with a VHF antenna that has some UHF capability and rotor in 1989 and if you prorate what I spent over the years it comes out to $54 and cents per year ! I hope my addition of a later amp (old one still works and is being kept just in case) and UHF antenna works out as well.

Jane,

Help is on the way but you'll have to wait until this summer for it to arrive.

KETC will be doing two things that should help:

1) Their digital antenna will be moved up the tower about 50 meters (IIRC) after the analog transmitter is turned off June 12th.

2) They have a license modification permit to increase their ERP from around 125 kW to almost 150 kW.

Both activities are supposed to be completed by August 1st.

Since Centralia is outside the declared service area of KETC, you'll still be "deep-fringe" and the changes might not be enough for reliable reception even after the upgrades.

moman19

03-27-09, 09:22 AM

I'm very aware of the issues. We're trying to get a good HD feed from our Columbus hub, but unfortunately there are some problems. Last night on Lost the HD receiver went nuts and it took 15 minutes to locate the problem. Lost was the only program we were planning to feed from St. Louis, but the receiver failed and had to switch back to Columbus. Tonight we're running HD from St. Louis with a new Dolby decoder and a rebooted receiver. Would appreciate comments on the difference.

Jim,

I have a few shows on the DVR that I plan to view over the weekend and will report back. But I did catch Nightline last night and a bit of GMA this morning. In a nutshell, video quality did not look as crisp is it normally does. Maybe it's my eyes, but it looked like a good up-convert rather than true HD.

Dan in St. Louis

03-27-09, 01:09 PM

I hope my addition of a later amp (old one still works and is being kept just in case) and UHF antenna works out as well.
Jane, one factor to consider when installing amplifiers is to get them as close to the actual antenna as possible. If they are too far downstream, the coaxial cable losses can bury the signal in noise and no amplifier can help after that.

Also, if your coax has been outdoors for 20 years you might replace it with something newer and lower-loss.

jedi35

03-27-09, 01:37 PM

RaceTripper

03-27-09, 03:03 PM

Charter is bankrupt! Files Chap. 11 (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/technology/companies/28cable.html?_r=3&ref=technology). Big surprise.

Jane B.

03-27-09, 03:32 PM

Jane, one factor to consider when installing amplifiers is to get them as close to the actual antenna as possible. If they are too far downstream, the coaxial cable losses can bury the signal in noise and no amplifier can help after that.

Also, if your coax has been outdoors for 20 years you might replace it with something newer and lower-loss.

I think I am alright that way. The tower is 30' and then has a 10' mast on it. The new UHF part is at the very top followed by the VHF and then what I think is the amplifier. I am not sure of the exact distance between these parts but they are all toward the upper part of the mast. What I take to be the rotor is where the mast meets the tower.

I brought up the possibility of changing the coax but he must have found it in good shape as he did not change it.

Jane

ProjectSHO89

03-27-09, 09:15 PM

Jane, clink on the link in my post above to see the gain/loss coverage map. It has the answer to your question regarding the change in coverage are for KETC for digital vs. analog.

Joseph Clark

03-28-09, 09:11 AM

I haven't gotten an instant email notification sent from AVS to my mailbox for about the last day. Has anyone else experienced the problem? (I use the feature to find out when people have posted on my favorite threads.)

black_macleod

03-28-09, 09:12 AM

Nuzy

03-28-09, 09:15 AM

I just got one about this post :)

Same here - might be time to try a resubscribe, Joe.

Joseph Clark

03-28-09, 09:29 AM

Same here - might be time to try a resubscribe, Joe.

That doesn't seem to be working either. I've tried that for a number of the threads already. Hmmmm......

DroptheRemote

03-28-09, 09:41 AM

Joseph Clark

03-28-09, 09:48 AM

I've noticed that the eMail notification here at AVS has run hot and cold ever since the last major forum software update. So, for me, it's been less than reliable for at least a year.

That said, it does seem that it's taken a turn for the worse in the last week.

That's been my experience, too. I typically don't get notifications for several threads I post in infrequently, but as of the last day I've gotten nothing from any thread. Resubscribing hasn't helped. :(

Nuzy

03-28-09, 02:33 PM

That's been my experience, too. I typically don't get notifications for several threads I post in infrequently, but as of the last day I've gotten nothing from any thread. Resubscribing hasn't helped. :(

Perhaps clearing cookies will help...kind of like, if all else fails, reboot.

bballcards

03-28-09, 03:17 PM

The audio seemed back to normal during Thursday's "Grey's Anatomy." (i.e. no center channel buzzing/static sounds). On a related note, "Grey's" looks to finally be rebounding story-wise since the ill-fated and ill-received ghost storyline from the beginning of the current season.

Joseph Clark

03-28-09, 11:03 PM

Back to my 3D kick for just a second. :)

This week's issue of Entertainment Weekly (March 27, 2009) has a feature on 3D, as well as 11 pages of 3D, including shots from films that will be released soon. The issue even has a pair of 3D glasses (no earpieces, though). You'll need an extremely bright light to compensate for the filters.

DroptheRemote

03-29-09, 08:02 PM

Today's Post-Dispatch has an article that more or less lowers the curtain on the Paul Allen era at Charter Communications.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/columnists.nsf/davidnicklaus/story/99B930195E9BAF61862575870000103A?OpenDocument

The following two excerpted paragraphs probably sum up the history of Charter as well as anything you're going to find:
_________________________________________________________

Other big cable companies are struggling with debt, too, but [Hal Vogel, chief executive of Vogel Capital in New York and author of a book on the economics of entertainment] places Charter in a class by itself. "They're way out in their own galaxy somewhere," he adds. "Their balance sheet was so out of balance that there's no way they could avoid this outcome."

The problem with Allen's investment in Charter was that he was buying old technology that needed upgrading. And he bought it just as cable was losing its monopoly. Competition from satellite TV, and later telephone companies, meant that cable operators could no longer hold onto customers while offering mediocre service at ever-escalating prices.
_________________________________________________________

MoInSTL

03-30-09, 07:00 AM

I've noticed quite a bit of improvement in KECT's signal in the past few weeks or so. I live out near the airport, and learned to live with very low signal bars from this station, even when I went from an indoor powered antenna to a decent rooftop setup. Something has changed, and now I am consistently getting very healthy signal readings for the 9s. If the signal upgrades aren't due to hit until this summer, how is it that things have drastically improved for me already? BTW, I have not touched the rooftop ant. since it was put up.

Adrian

I live a mile south of the airport exit and have always had a very solid signal strength on KETC. The one channel that gets flakey when all the leaves are out is KDNL. If you have several large trees near you it may be the lack of leaves too?

DroptheRemote

03-30-09, 08:56 AM

Joseph Clark

03-30-09, 10:18 AM

Today's Big Hollywood blog breaks down the weekend box office for the animated "Monsters vs. Aliens" ($58 million), noting that 43% of the take was from digital 3D screens.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/03/29/monsters-vs-aliens-with-almost-12k-per-3-d-screen-the-future-of-3-d-is-looking-up/

Thanks for the link, Doug. I'm going to see the movie today at the IMAX in the Ronnies in South County.

I think the differences between 3D today and 3D from decades ago are the support it now has from industry heavy hitters and the digital technology that makes it easier and more affordable. Once the infrastructure is in place, we'll see more and more 3D. The early numbers for "Monsters vs. Aliens" and other 3D efforts seem to support that theory.

jedi35

03-30-09, 01:10 PM

Mo, your suggestion about the leaves is interesting, but I've had several years to get a handle on what happens to reception when the seasons change. This is the first time ever that I've received a consistent strong signal on KETC. Another thing to consider is my closer proximity to the airport than you, as there is a rather large radio tower of some kind almost right next to my house. Maybe something has happened to the tower that allows better reception for me. I do notice that I don't get full signal strength on my Sprint Instinct phone while I'm at home, but when I leave the area the signal gets better.

Adrian

cgh3rd

03-30-09, 01:25 PM

Just wanted to say I have had similar issues described here with audio during Lost and Life on Mars. Thanks being responsive to our concerns.

Robert Simandl

03-30-09, 02:59 PM

Watched last week's LOST via the HR20 last night. Great sound but lots of video stuttering (like one of my PAL to NTSC encodes gone bad) for the first 15 minutes or so. Then, when I presume the switch was made back to Columbus, the video straightened out and the audio went to hell again.

Here's something really odd. A coworker missed that episode, so I reencoded it to 720x480 23.96 fps, and authored a DVD-RW from it that he could borrow before this week's episode. I forwarned him about the video stuttering and buzzy/muffled audio. The next day, he told me the DVD I'd burned was perfect. No stuttering and beautiful 5.1 sound.

Huh?????

_token_

03-30-09, 04:35 PM

RaceTripper

03-30-09, 05:14 PM

In case anyone has an Iphone, DirecTV just released the Scheduler app.
It's free and seems decent at first glance.
More info here (http://www.intomobile.com/2009/03/30/directv-iphone-application-goes-live-on-appstore.html)

TokenThanks for the link. This is the first scheduler from D* that lets you schedule a recording on all DVRs at once. Previously, I had to locate and schedule a show separately for each DVR.

DroptheRemote

03-30-09, 08:00 PM

Interesting news item about Charter Communications from dslreports.com:
____________________________________________________________ _

The other day Charter Communications rather cheerfully announced they'd be filing Chapter 11 as part of a restructuring that will trim about $8 billion from their $21 billion debt load. The "good news" (to use CEO Neil Smit's words) may not be so good, given the restructuring has annoyed some investors. Little Rock's Key Colony Fund has sued Charter for fraud, claiming the carrier misled investors by repeatedly claiming they had "sufficient liquidity through the year 2009 to meet its debt obligations." Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, JPMorgan is opposing Charter's attempt to "reinstate" $11.8 billion in debt, which could force the carrier to take out additional loans in a time of tight credit. Charter also today received a delisting warning from NASDAQ.

Despite all of the problems and fiscal wrangling, Charter customers shouldn't lose service. Probably.
____________________________________________________________ _

Full item available here: http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charter-Dueling-With-Annoyed-Creditors-101631?nocomment=1

RaceTripper

03-30-09, 08:10 PM

Despite all of the problems and fiscal wrangling, Charter customers shouldn't lose service. Probably.

Wait Doug, are you claiming Charter customers get service? :D

DroptheRemote

03-30-09, 08:46 PM

Oh no...don't be putting words in my mouth. This is DSL Reports, not me. Really. :)

Look, I don't want to get any flame war started here. I understand that a lot of people here and elsewhere in markets where Charter offered its service were generally happy. But personally there's no way I could have lived with Charter for cable TV, particularly in considering how slow they were to ramp up HD programming. Their offering today is respectable, but still lacks several channels I would miss.

I also find the customer service interactions I have with my Internet service to be more than enough to keep me at barge pole-distance otherwise. But that's just my opinion.

Joseph Clark

03-30-09, 10:01 PM

Well, I saw "Monsters vs. Aliens" today at the Ronnie's IMAX 3D. I was impressed. First and most important, the movie was a lot of fun. Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland and the rest of the voices were terrific. And there were lots of laugh out loud moments. All 7 of us in the theater were having a great time. (Did I mention that I went at noon? $10 for a matinee ticket. :eek:)

The 3D was very convincing, and the color and contrast were good. Of course, since I watch almost everything digitally these days, I was more than a little annoyed by the flecks of dirt and debris that got stuck every few minutes in the projection path. It reminded me of listening to LPs. I have NEVER listened to an LP that didn't have some kind of analog noise evident in the playback - dust, scratches, pops. That includes records from my audiophile friends who take every precaution and carefully prepare the record for each playing.

The polarized glasses, treated with the same kind of tints as the recent Super Bowl and Chuck events, worked well. The MvsA 3D had no hint of the double vision I saw in the Chuck episode, and none of the funky color anomalies.

The theater actually has it in both IMAX 3D and a regular 3D theater. I think I'm going to go back to see it in digital 3D, just to have a basis of comparison between the IMAX and the digital projection systems.

The stadium seats were more comfortable than typical theater seating. With the list of 3D films in the pipeline growing all the time, I'm going to be spending more time in the theater. That was the goal, financially, of the big 3D push by the studios and the theater chains.

I still want 3D in my home theater, though. :(

jedi35

03-31-09, 01:04 AM

Thanks for the review, Joe. I'd love to check out the IMAX 3D theater. Bob, are you game?

Adrian

WattoDaToydarian

03-31-09, 04:18 PM

Watched last week's LOST via the HR20 last night. Great sound but lots of video stuttering (like one of my PAL to NTSC encodes gone bad) for the first 15 minutes or so. Then, when I presume the switch was made back to Columbus, the video straightened out and the audio went to hell again.
Ya I had the same problem watching lost on my 46"! It seems like they were missing frames in the video but had great sound for once and then it just swapped and the picture was perfect and the sound went bad. It sounded like clipping and dynamic range reduction.
Glad I'm not paying for this crap!:mad:

Lucid504

04-01-09, 09:18 AM

RaceTripper

04-01-09, 09:40 AM

IF anyone's thinking about getting directv anytime soon Tocco's Custom Sound just moved into Mid Rivers Mall and April 1-5 they are having a grand opening special of if you sign up for directv you get a free year of showtime.I'll bet if you called D* directly at any time, you could probably get the same deal or better out of them.

Joseph Clark

04-01-09, 10:23 AM

Here's a link to a Sharp 52" 1080p LCD HDTV for $699. (http://www.woot.com/) It's a closeout special. Amazing.

Nuzy

04-01-09, 10:56 AM

Here's a link to a Sharp 52" 1080p LCD HDTV for $699. (http://www.woot.com/) It's a closeout special. Amazing.

Just a bag of crap as of 9:56am - sold out as usual.

Lucid504

04-01-09, 02:00 PM

I'll bet if you called D* directly at any time, you could probably get the same deal or better out of them.

Yeah you probably could i just thought id post it, just to also let people know that they opened up a new store, the setup is pretty sweet for a kiosk setup. No i don't work there i work for the mall in housekeeping department.

paxi

04-01-09, 08:53 PM

Sorry, if its been covered before, but I am looking for recommedations for a good Direct TV installer. Our house has a fair amount of tree surround which had kept me from looking into it, but this year I really want NFL sunday ticket, so looking for an experienced installer with "make it happen" attitude :) thanks, and you are welcome to PM

Lucid504

04-01-09, 10:30 PM

paxi

04-01-09, 11:02 PM

Just incase you wasn't aware directv needs a view of the southern sky. (just thought id tell you).

yep, I had, which is why I have never bothered even looking into it, but I have heard varying thing about just how "open" things need to be. I visited a friends cabin the other day and his neighbor had direct TV set up in an area,that just eyeballing, I never would have thought would have worked. Granted, I don't know how well his works. Hearing that Direct TV extended the exclusive NFL sunday ticket contract until 2014 made me at least want to look into it.

cgh3rd

04-02-09, 12:30 AM

Lost and Life on Mars both looked and sounded great tonight!

Mr_Bester

04-02-09, 10:57 AM

Lost and Life on Mars both looked and sounded great tonight!

No problems with Scrubs this week either.
Thanks Jim!

WRacer

04-02-09, 11:11 AM

Lost and Life on Mars both looked and sounded great tonight!

No problems with Scrubs this week either.
Thanks Jim!

Good...I think there's still a little too much compression and the level is a little low. We're making progress!! Thanks for the input.
Jim

Dan in St. Louis

04-02-09, 12:53 PM

Is it my receiver, or is KETC's aspect ratio generated at random?

Right now I am seeing:

9-1: 4:3 programming with black pillars at left and right

9-2: Appears to be 16:9 programming further stretched horizontally, leaving black bars top and bottom

9-3: Appears to be 16:9 programming further stretched horizontally, leaving black bars top and bottom

9-4: Appears to be 4:3 programming stretched to fill 16:9 frame

Thanks!

davesalaman

04-02-09, 01:02 PM

I think it's your receiver.

9.1 is broadcasting 16x9 so the pillars are added by the broadcaster to fill the frame when transmitting 4x3 source material.

The subchannels are all broadcast 4x3. It's your receiver that is stretching it to 16x9.

Is it my receiver, or is KETC's aspect ratio generated at random?

Right now I am seeing:

9-1: 4:3 programming with black pillars at left and right

9-2: Appears to be 16:9 programming further stretched horizontally, leaving black bars top and bottom

9-3: Appears to be 16:9 programming further stretched horizontally, leaving black bars top and bottom

9-4: Appears to be 4:3 programming stretched to fill 16:9 frame

Thanks!

Lucid504

04-02-09, 04:09 PM

There is some talented installers out there though in the area i live in i saw someone that had a slimline mounted on top of their chimney which i thought was a bit crazy.

yep, I had, which is why I have never bothered even looking into it, but I have heard varying thing about just how "open" things need to be. I visited a friends cabin the other day and his neighbor had direct TV set up in an area,that just eyeballing, I never would have thought would have worked. Granted, I don't know how well his works. Hearing that Direct TV extended the exclusive NFL sunday ticket contract until 2014 made me at least want to look into it.

kjohnson

04-03-09, 11:37 AM

About KETC-DT:

I'm happy that KETC is showing HD programming on 9.1. Can't KETC at least show 9.3 in 16x9 SD?

Trip in VA

04-03-09, 12:59 PM

The feed 9-3 uses comes in 4x3 off the satellite.

- Trip

kjohnson

04-03-09, 08:16 PM

The feed 9-3 uses comes in 4x3 off the satellite.

- Trip

Damn. Thanks, Trip.

Joseph Clark

04-06-09, 10:55 AM

All it took was a global economic crisis to make Microsoft understand that ads that trumpet price might make a dent in Apple's Mac vs. PC marketing campaign. Remember the dumb "I'm a PC and I'm (proud)" ads, or the Gates/Seinfeld ads? Apparently, not too many people do.

Mary-Jo Foley talks about it here. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=2449&tag=nl.e589)

I know this is off topic, but better that than the deafening silence that is the St. Louis thread lately. 3 days since a post???

bahist17

04-06-09, 11:12 AM

How long has KETC been broadcasting movies in HD?

I was flipping through the channels for a minute last night and noticed Hotel Rwanda. I had to flip on the guide to make sure I was 9.1. It was a pleasant surprise.

jebo_4jc

04-06-09, 11:21 AM

matth1138

04-06-09, 01:10 PM

I know this is off topic, but better that than the deafening silence that is the St. Louis thread lately. 3 days since a post???

Just waiting for opening day...Now we can gripe about poor HD quality coverage and baseball again!:D

3 hours to game time!

black_macleod

04-06-09, 01:36 PM

Mr_Bester

04-06-09, 04:53 PM

I'd rather silence than read media talking about media.

:)

IT'S STILL HOCKEY SEASON!

Channel 11 still can't do a local Hockey game in HD, what is this 2002?

Joseph Clark

04-06-09, 07:26 PM

Just waiting for opening day...Now we can gripe about poor HD quality coverage and baseball again!:D

3 hours to game time!

Bummer. Are we on our way to another 75 blown saves season like we had last year? I know, it wasn't 75, but it felt like it.

lkrupp

04-06-09, 07:47 PM

DroptheRemote

04-06-09, 08:15 PM

Just waiting for opening day...Now we can gripe about poor HD quality coverage and baseball again!:DI don't have any major complaints about the HD, it's Dan and Al that set my teeth a-grinding. :(

JDKH

04-06-09, 09:57 PM

I agree with that!!

coe82

04-07-09, 12:57 AM

Joseph Clark

04-07-09, 10:05 AM

Looks like Blockbuster may not be around much longer. (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Blockbuster-may-not-be-able-apf-14864522.html) I'd really hate to see this happen.

DroptheRemote

04-07-09, 11:10 AM

What was the deal with the thin green line down the right side of the screen during the NCAA championship game? This appeared to be unique to KMOV as it did not appear on any other station. Maybe a subtle ad for CBS' Masters coverage?This sort of thing sometimes happens with various channels. Noise is often seen at the top of local SD channels, as the broadcaster sometimes expands its "vertical blanking interval" beyond where it should be.

Also, I have seen something similar to the green line down the side with Palladia (formerly MHD). Not sure exactly what is causing that (apart from some technician's lack of attention), but the best way to address it is to shift your TV's aspect control to a setting that introduces a bit more overscan, as these sorts of anomalies are usually only visible when you are in a screen mode that presents the image with zero overscan.

If you're not sure about this, let me know what brand/model TV you have and I might be able to give you more specifics.

reuthermonkey

04-07-09, 11:43 AM

It's hilarious to watch a company with ~85% market share going after a "competitor" with ~10%. Is Ballmer that paranoid? It would appear so. Can you say inferiority complex.
Not exactly. Apple has been making inroads into the PC market (laptops) and the mobile market. Microsoft competes with them in both fields. It may only be 10% market share in desktops and 5% in mobile, but it's growing quickly due to the Apple ad campaigns.

People need some sense knocked into them, and MS is finally striking the right cord.

Nuzy

04-07-09, 12:34 PM

Looks like Blockbuster may not be around much longer. (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Blockbuster-may-not-be-able-apf-14864522.html) I'd really hate to see this happen.

I agree, this stinks. My kids are just starting to get to the ages (4 1/2 and 2 1/2) where they will sit down for an hour and a half or so and have what they/we refer to as "popcorn movie night." Kind of a treat for them. It's nice to be able to pick a movie up locally without the planning ahead associated with a mail service. I haven't been to Blockbuster in a very long time since we haven't had much time over the last several years to watch movies at home. By the time the kids are asleep, we're tired or have other things to do. My wife and I have both started to watch more rented movies now that we have more routine and stability with the kids - I suppose too little too late!

TubaSaxT

04-07-09, 12:47 PM

What was the deal with the thin green line down the right side of the screen during the NCAA championship game? This appeared to be unique to KMOV as it did not appear on any other station. Maybe a subtle ad for CBS' Masters coverage?

Looks like the green line was definitely a network issue:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1136440

lkrupp

04-07-09, 09:58 PM

Not exactly. Apple has been making inroads into the PC market (laptops) and the mobile market. Microsoft competes with them in both fields. It may only be 10% market share in desktops and 5% in mobile, but it's growing quickly due to the Apple ad campaigns.

People need some sense knocked into them, and MS is finally striking the right cord.

Last time I checked Windows installs and runs just fine on a Mac. In fact Microsoft makes a bundle off of every Mac user who buys a retail copy of Windows to install on their machine, much more than they make on the OEM copy they supply to Dell and HP. So wouldn't it make sense for Microsoft to encourage Mac users to install Windows on their Macs instead of trashing the machine? This new ad campaign of Microsoft makes no sense to me. Hardware is hardware and Microsoft doesn't build hardware. Microsoft should be pushing Windows on all hardware that will run it, and Macs do run Windows... and Office.

It just appears that Apple's Mac vs. PC ads got under Ballmer's skin and he's lashing out at a very profitable segment of the market for Microsoft. Does that make sense? Now if Apple were to license OS X to install on non-Apple hardware THAT would be a horse of a different color in terms of competition. What if a customer could order a Dell or HP or Mac with either Windows or OS X, or Linux, or all three installed?

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 12:30 AM

If you haven't given Chuck a try yet, you might want to catch last night's episode on NBC.com. Chevy Chase and Scott Bakula made guest appearances, and it was a really good episode. Not since Buffy have I wished so hard for a show to be renewed. With the Leno move to the 9:00 slot every weekday night, it may be hard for a show like Chuck to survive. That would be a shame.

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 12:39 AM

Although not my favorite network show, the one that has surprised me the most is Sarah Connor. Last Friday's episode was shocking. The tone of this show couldn't be much different than Chuck, but for me it works. It's a slow, comtemplative sci-fi show. Much as I like what Joss Whedon has done with his shows, Sarah Connor pulls me in much more than Dollhouse.

And is it just me or are all of our local stations doing a better job lately with their broadcasts? Reaper and Smallville on the CW have not been plagued by the audio and video glitches of last year. Fox has been clean with Bones, Fringe and Sarah Connor. And, even Ch. 5 is doing better (though the compression artifacts won't get better until they return to the practice of giving their 1080i all its bandwidth).

TubaSaxT

04-08-09, 01:32 AM

And is it just me or are all of our local stations doing a better job lately with their broadcasts? Reaper and Smallville on the CW have not been plagued by the audio and video glitches of last year. Fox has been clean with Bones, Fringe and Sarah Connor. And, even Ch. 5 is doing better (though the compression artifacts won't get better until they return to the practice of giving their 1080i all its bandwidth).

I take it you didn't watch American Idol tonight? :) SD for the first two-and-a-half segments with serious static in the audio during that time. Not sure if it was local or network (haven't been to the AI thread yet). And, they ran 5+ minutes long, so I missed the last performance, because the DVR is only set for 3 extra minutes.

RaceTripper

04-08-09, 09:25 AM

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 09:43 AM

I take it you didn't watch American Idol tonight? :) SD for the first two-and-a-half segments with serious static in the audio during that time. Not sure if it was local or network (haven't been to the AI thread yet). And, they ran 5+ minutes long, so I missed the last performance, because the DVR is only set for 3 extra minutes.

Wouldn't you know it. That'll teach me to go a braggin'. :(

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 09:52 AM

I am to the point where the only thing I now use Windows for (running XPPro in VMWare on my Mac) is to ... program my race scanner.

I suppose determining race is difficult by looking at the color of the person's skin, but don't they object when you put them on that cold glass? :D

RaceTripper

04-08-09, 09:58 AM

I suppose determining race is difficult by looking at the color of the person's skin, but don't they object when you put them on that cold glass? :DNo the objection comes when I shave a patch of skin off to place on the scanner. :eek:

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 10:23 AM

No the objection comes when I shave a patch of skin off to place on the scanner. :eek:

I often wonder what people have in their home theaters, but now I wonder what you might have in your basement freezer. :D

cgh3rd

04-08-09, 11:58 AM

I agree, this stinks. My kids are just starting to get to the ages (4 1/2 and 2 1/2) where they will sit down for an hour and a half or so and have what they/we refer to as "popcorn movie night." Kind of a treat for them. It's nice to be able to pick a movie up locally without the planning ahead associated with a mail service. I haven't been to Blockbuster in a very long time since we haven't had much time over the last several years to watch movies at home. By the time the kids are asleep, we're tired or have other things to do. My wife and I have both started to watch more rented movies now that we have more routine and stability with the kids - I suppose too little too late!

Good riddance, I say. They are getting what they deserved. For years, they were the king of milking late fees from people and were far from customer friendly. What comes around goes around. I like to think I contributed to their demise by not doing business with them since 2001.

They were late to the game online and paid the price. Not that Netflix is perfect with their throttling practices among a few things but they blew away Blockbuster from the get go, imo. Among the pluses, no late fees, immediately sending out a movie that was damaged and wouldn't play and I never had to spend any gas going driving to their store. I'm not sure how much planning their is associated with a mail service. The movie arrives, we watch it when we get a chance. Send it back, the next one comes. Each of my kids (two teens) has their own list, so they can get their own movies to watch with parental controls. Even if we don't watch that many movies the amount my kids watch makes it worth the price each month compared to the cost of a real theater. I actually enjoy fiddling around with my Netflix movie list, but to each his own.

MizzouTiger

04-08-09, 12:16 PM

+1
MS knocked sense into me a couple years ago.

I finally gave up and dumped Windows and my problem ridden Dells for a MacBook Pro. Everything (hardware/software/OS) runs much better, the software is better & less expensive, and I am to the point where the only thing I now use Windows for (running XPPro in VMWare on my Mac) is to access corporate Exchange email an IM, and to program my race scanner. I also ended up dumping my wife's laptop for another MacBook Pro.

We too, have recently converted to a Mac household. Bought a MacBook Pro last summer and an iMac a couple of months ago. I have to admit, that I am also running Windows XP on both machines using Parallels Desktop - only use it to access my work e-mail exchange (can access it in Safari, but don't get all of the features unless in a Windows environment) and to use our Windows Quicken program that we have been using for years. I was going to go with the Mac version of Quicken, but read that when you convert your Quicken files/setup from Windows to Mac, not everything translates over cleanly, so decided to stay with our Windows version. Have to say, I haven't had anywhere near the software issues with the Mac's that we had with PC's.

MoInSTL

04-08-09, 01:28 PM

Anyone else on D* getting lots of KTVI AV glitches? Signal strength in mid to high 90's. Was trying to watch mid-day news and too many drop outs. KMOV not as bad. HR20-700. I am getting frakking tired of it.

Robert Simandl

04-08-09, 04:30 PM

I suspect Blockbuster may be having a more serious problem with REDBOX than Netflix.

Those little Redbox movie dispensers are EVERYWHERE. McDonalds, Dierbergs, little quikee marts, you name it. Renting DVD's from them is a dollar a night (including new releases). And you can return a movie to any Redbox. Rent one from a Mcd's Redbox tonight, return it to a Dierberg's Redbox while grocery shopping tomorrow morning.

ez1dog

04-08-09, 05:02 PM

You can also get FREE movies on mon. with a code.Wish they had Blu-Ray though.BTW did anybody watch SpeedRacer on MaxHD over the weekend?Looked great but i had a lot of motion blur,anybody else?

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 07:38 PM

There are just too many Windows programs that I use on a daily/weekly basis that have no Mac equivalents. I couldn't become a Mac-only computer user. As a matter of fact, I put together a Hackintosh last year, but ended up not using it. After the challenge of getting it running on a PC, I found I simply had very little use for it. That was no big deal, since I got OSX from a friend who had an educational license he let me have. When I used Mac's on a regular basis at the university, it would have made more sense for me to have one at home, too. As far as reliability and stability go, when we loaded our Mac'S up with a lot of hardware and software (like I usually do my PC's), they were no more stable or trouble free than PC's.

Joseph Clark

04-08-09, 07:44 PM

What I really like about Blockbuster is the ability to choose a plan that allows me 5 free exchanges at the store for a month ($20). That's the best of both worlds - get the movies I want online, then return them to the store for new releases. Practically no waiting for most new titles. And Netflix has started charging more for Blu-ray. I can't remember the last time I watched a regular DVD. Not to mention the fact that I could walk to my nearest Blockbuster if I felt like it. By car, it's less than 5 minutes away.

RaceTripper

04-08-09, 08:08 PM

...and to use our Windows Quicken program that we have been using for years. I was going to go with the Mac version of Quicken, but read that when you convert your Quicken files/setup from Windows to Mac, not everything translates over cleanly, so decided to stay with our Windows version. Have to say, I haven't had anywhere near the software issues with the Mac's that we had with PC's.I wrote a blog (http://deanwette.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/quicken-is-incompatible-with-itself/) article about that Quicken Win->Mac nonsense a few years ago. I've been using iBank 3 and am really pretty happy with it.

PinkSplice

04-08-09, 11:46 PM

I wrote a blog (http://deanwette.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/quicken-is-incompatible-with-itself/) article about that Quicken Win->Mac nonsense a few years ago. I've been using iBank 3 and am really pretty happy with it.

Further OT:

I want the old DOS MYM back.

DroptheRemote

04-09-09, 01:02 AM

I just got around to watching Tuesday night's American Idol and have to agree with Mo and others that it was a total train wreck. Not sure if this was a problem from the network or locally, but it was an absolute mess. Advertisers should get a refund, and when a network/station screws something up this badly, there ought to be at least a token gesture to make it right by running a repeat within 24 hours.

That was some ugly sh*t, KTVI/FOX.

I'm not so bothered by the late runtime -- after all, it Idol is a live and reasonably spontaneous show. But the technical fumbles don't get the same pass.

DroptheRemote

04-09-09, 01:12 AM

Joseph Clark

04-09-09, 01:32 AM

You can also get FREE movies on mon. with a code.Wish they had Blu-Ray though.BTW did anybody watch SpeedRacer on MaxHD over the weekend?Looked great but i had a lot of motion blur,anybody else?

What I noticed when I checked it out for a few minutes was the horrible compression artifacts. There's so much fast motion (and thus frame to frame changes) with Speed Racer that the highly compressed signal can't keep up. You can really see the blocks when you pause the film. Nothing but a higher bitrate will solve that problem. Not gonna happen until there's more bandwidth.

Joseph Clark

04-09-09, 01:39 AM

I have to admit, I'm in the HATE BLOCKBUSTER crowd. I was never a member until I moved back to St. Louis and it proved to be a short-lived relationship. I found the staff rude and mostly clueless about most things. And prices seemed high and availability never exceeded the mediocrity level. Maybe things have gotten better in the past few years, but I decamped to Family Video and while I'm not wild about it, overall it's been a pretty good experience.

Good riddance, BlockBuster.

I've had pretty much the opposite experience with Blockbuster. The people who work at the stores I frequent are generally very nice. I've never had a rude encounter. When I've wanted a title the store didn't have, they helped me find it from somewhere else. I started going to Hollywood Video when they began to carry Blu-ray, but the Blockbuster online programs (and Blockbuster starting to carry Blu-ray) drew me back in.

Robert Simandl

04-09-09, 07:16 AM

What I noticed when I checked it out for a few minutes was the horrible compression artifacts. There's so much fast motion (and thus frame to frame changes) with Speed Racer that the highly compressed signal can't keep up. You can really see the blocks when you pause the film. Nothing but a higher bitrate will solve that problem. Not gonna happen until there's more bandwidth.

And when there's more bandwidth, it's likely to be filled with more channels, not higher quality signals for the existing channels.

Mr_Bester

04-09-09, 09:20 AM

Joseph Clark

04-09-09, 10:21 AM

While working on my mac here at work, I tried to watch the preview for tonight's Office. No sound. So I go to youtube and click at random....no sound. I google no sound firefox osx. It says check audio midi...settings are correct. go to second page of google results....I have to launch and quit garage band for my sound to work....I didn't even realize I had garage band on this computer.

This mac is used for photoshop, illustrator, indesign and "slow time" browsing. When you start using macs for high end work, they are just as flaky or not, as windows machines. Too many fonts on a mac make many webpages not show up properly(greek looking text)...Can you tell my mac has been bugging me lately?

Back on topic, Although I wouldn't watch idol if you were torturing me, I heard on the radio from Fox 2 that the beginning was a network issue.

At first, I thought the American Idol problem was with our local affiliate. Usually, AI has decent quality, although the techs who run the show need a few lessons in basic studio camera and sound setup. You'd think a high profile show like Idol could get something as simple as camera shading right, but half the time they don't.

Funny you should mention torture and American Idol. That's how I got interested a few years back. The instructions that came with my whip and spiked leather neck band said to watch American Idol while using them. Mmmmm... just like peanut butter and chocolate.

Joseph Clark

04-09-09, 10:36 AM

In the category of "Huh?" Dish Network has dropped its HD Access fee. (http://www.multichannel.com/blog/The_Satellite_Dish/11786-Dish_Makes_Move_That_Makes_Cents_.php) Not that I'm complaining, and I'm not affected by it, but "Why now?" is the question I'd like to see an answer for.

Regardless, hooray for one less fee.

moman19

04-09-09, 04:50 PM

tstolze

04-10-09, 02:11 AM

Either it was dropped for competitive reasons or to make way for a newer, more creative way to get charged :D

They raised rates in Feb and claimed it was for new HD channels, now it is April and they finally added some new HD!

SPIKE HD, CMT HD, Comedy Central HD, MTV HD, VH1 HD, and NICK HD

moman19

04-10-09, 10:20 AM

They raised rates in Feb and claimed it was for new HD channels, now it is April and they finally added some new HD!

SPIKE HD, CMT HD, Comedy Central HD, MTV HD, VH1 HD, and NICK HD

Cool. That IS creative.

.....Can't have too many HD channels.

duihlein

04-10-09, 11:28 AM

jebo_4jc

04-10-09, 11:30 AM

Cool. That IS creative.

.....Can't have too many HD channels.
IMHO, you can, especially when it takes away from the bandwidth of other channels.

I remember watching Sunrise Earth about 4 years ago on my 720p DLP....I thought I was looking through a window.

Now, it really lacks a lot of the "wow" factor on my 1080p LCD.

Tis a shame.

Robert Simandl

04-10-09, 11:56 PM

I was watching Smallville on KPLR-HD and the picture was fine, but audio was two channel only.

I noticed the same thing while watching the Cards games on FSMW-HD.

ESPN-HD of the Masters was fine.

I'm using HDMI from my Dish622.
Anyone else having issues?

By "two channel," do you mean only Pro Logic instead of 5.1? That, unfortunately, has been normal for Smallville on the CW network for the last couple of years. There's no "5.1 channel sound where available" blurb at the beginning of Smallville like there is on Supernatural right after it. If you want 5.1 channel Smallville, you'll have to pick up the Blu-Rays or watch the reruns on HDnet.

Or by "two channel," do you mean audio only coming from the left and right front channels with no rears, center, or subwoofer, a la Leno on kSDk? That would be an issue that needs fixing (though kSDk apparently doesn't think so with Leno).

Joseph Clark

04-11-09, 07:59 AM

Robert Simandl

04-11-09, 08:37 AM

Well, I haven't been following the entertainment news very closely lately. Apparently, everyone but me knew that "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was canceled. (http://www.fmqinc.com/terminator-cancelled/) This show had really started to grow on me.

Hmmm, I'd heard it was on the bubble, but didn't know the cancellation was a done deal. I would have thought they'd leave the option open until they see if the upcoming T4 movie gives it a boost? Guess not.

jebo_4jc

04-11-09, 10:46 AM

thats a shame. i have been enjoying the storyline as well, and was interested to see potential tie ins with the movie also.

im a couple weeks behind, so Jessie just killed Riley in the episode I watched.

I must say though, it is hard, at times, to believe the kid playing John would someday become the leader of the human cause.

Joseph Clark

04-11-09, 01:03 PM

One of the common complaints in the Sarah Connor thread (which I read only occasionally) is about the storyline moving too slowly. I liked that. Too bad it didn't have a chance to grow. The Terminator concept (especially focusing on Sarah) has some great possibilities, especially time travel. "Lost" is exploring many of those possibilities right now and those elements are the main reason I'm liking it so much.

Joseph Clark

04-11-09, 01:08 PM

Hmmm, I'd heard it was on the bubble, but didn't know the cancellation was a done deal. I would have thought they'd leave the option open until they see if the upcoming T4 movie gives it a boost? Guess not.

I don't think I'm going to be able to sit through Terminator 4 without being reminded constantly of the Christian Bale meltdown (and its mashups). I didn't know he was such a d!ck until that audio started making the rounds. A friend of mine knows Bale and apparently the tirade wasn't terribly surprising to some.

Nuzy

04-11-09, 02:27 PM

Well, I haven't been following the entertainment news very closely lately. Apparently, everyone but me knew that "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was canceled. (http://www.fmqinc.com/terminator-cancelled/) This show had really started to grow on me.

That's a shame. I've been watching from the beginning and looked forward to each eposide. I watched the season finale last night and it seemed strange to end the way it did. I was wondering where they would go with it - I guess this answers my question, no where.

Joseph Clark

04-11-09, 09:22 PM

That's a shame. I've been watching from the beginning and looked forward to each eposide. I watched the season finale last night and it seemed strange to end the way it did. I was wondering where they would go with it - I guess this answers my question, no where.

I thought that ending had so much potential. It really made me want to tag along to find out where the writers were going with the story. If it had to end there, though, it's a much better fate than other series have gotten through the years. At least we have the movies to fill in many of the missing pieces.

Joseph Clark

04-12-09, 10:13 AM

Newegg has a 750 GB Western Digital hard drive for $60 with free shipping. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16822136150)

tstolze

04-12-09, 12:05 PM

Newegg has a 750 GB Western Digital hard drive for $60 with free shipping. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16822136150)

I still have plenty of space on my Unraid, both data and more hard drives. I did see that the latest Unraid beta has support for 20 drives. :)

Joseph Clark

04-12-09, 04:56 PM

I still have plenty of space on my Unraid, both data and more hard drives. I did see that the latest Unraid beta has support for 20 drives. :)

That's great, but parity checks on an array that size wouldn't be a lot of fun. Also, I can't fit any more drives in my UnRAID boxes. I plan to continue to upgrade with 1.5 and 2 TB drives in the future as I need more space. Drives just continue to drop in price.

PinkSplice

04-12-09, 07:23 PM

Trip in VA

04-12-09, 07:34 PM

KETC has a permit to increase their height by 150 feet and slightly increase power. It's not what you're hoping for, but it's still an improvement...

- Trip

Jane B.

04-12-09, 09:17 PM

Doug will love this:

I took my mom an Easter Dinner (she needs home health care that my sister and I provide). She lives in St. Louis Hills, in a hole, crowded in with dense foliage. KDNL, KPLR, KSDK are all within a mile. KMOV is right down the River Des Peres. No sat for mom, but mucho front end-overload. Surprisingly, she gets WRBU and KNLC solid.

KETC is the problem. Mom can't live without PBS Create. A good day is two bars.

As usual, I checked the 4221, guyed at 21 feet AGL. The severe winds had pushed the 4221 off angle. KETC showed massive pixellation. The SWBT/AT&T phone line had also been blown loose from it's mounting, and was rubbing tiles off the garage roof. A service call fixed that.

Forty minutes of climbing later, I had lock on KETC. I used to climb mountains for fun, and towers for a living. At five decades, it's getting to be a chore.

124 KW ERP @ 900 feet ain't cutting it. The extreme south county location sucks tor aiming as well (hence the broad angle coverage 4221).

From an engineering standpoint, KETC needs to move to Shrewsbury for aiming and co-channel issues, bump power up to at least 200 KW ERP, preferably at the 1150 ft average of the Shrewsbury towers. A new tower, not a piggyback, is the answer. They might cut a deal with WRBU, and some of the lesser Class C FM's. There's a property vacant at Weber and MacKenzie that might work.

Programming, I'll leave for another thread...

KETC has a permit to increase their height by 150 feet and slightly increase power. It's not what you're hoping for, but it's still an improvement...

- Trip

Trip's response may will not be what either of us are wanting but at least it is more than I, for one, have gotten from emailing the station.

You might want to look at post #9135 and several that immediately follow it for more about my situation. What got me was at #9182 kjohnson was complaining about part not being in HD. He is at least getting the content never mind the format!

Pinksplice, I am wondering if you have tried to get Channel 8? It is the PBS station out of Carbondale, IL but their tower is close to DuQuion, IL and their coverage map does show just into St. Louis and they are on the VHF band! I am in Centralia, IL which was shown as just outside Channel 9's analog band (which was/is also VHF the way I understand it) but that part of their broadcast was/is very easy for me to pickup. If you can get Channel 8 "Create" is on 8.3.

I am still hoping that Channel 9's upgrades will be enough for me to get them back reliably. They do have some locally produced things that I would hate to have to give up. But, currently it has been unpredictable even at night and a lost cause during the day for their digital broadcasting.

Hope we all have good luck eventually getting them consistantly1
Jane

Joseph Clark

04-12-09, 10:42 PM

I've been trying to catch up on my technology and broadcast TV news this weekend. For those of us frustrated by PowerDVD, TMT and WinDVD "updates" and "upgrades" that fix one thing, break three and add unnecessary bloat to their Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD players, there's relief in sight. Those who use a computer to play back media may have a reliable player from perhaps the most reliable computer software company ever.

The clever guys over at Slysoft are working on Slyplayer. (http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=28240) It looks as though it will play back Blu-ray disc with bit perfect audio via HDMI, whether the user has HDCP compliant equipment or not. The interface may not be pretty, but I'm tired of living in fear that if I upgrade PowerDVD, some aspect of Blu-ray playback (video, audio, etc.) will be broken. These guys are awesome.

tstolze

04-12-09, 11:01 PM

The clever guys over at Slysoft are working on Slyplayer. (http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=28240) It looks as though it will play back Blu-ray disc with bit perfect audio via HDMI, whether the user has HDCP compliant equipment or not. The interface may not be pretty, but I'm tired of living in fear that if I upgrade PowerDVD, some aspect of Blu-ray playback (video, audio, etc.) will be broken. These guys are awesome.

This is exciting news for me. :) I was one of the thousands suckered into purchasing the ATI video cards with onboard audio that were never able to get them working properly. :mad:

In the last month I started research on hardware/software for HD/BluRay playback. Current setup is Windows Media Center PC, PowerDVD, HDMI for video, audio is sent to the Denon via analog. I hope to throw the audio cables away shortly! :p

PinkSplice

04-13-09, 12:13 AM

KETC has a permit to increase their height by 150 feet and slightly increase power. It's not what you're hoping for, but it's still an improvement...

- Trip

Yes, I know. ETECH has been pushed back into late summer. The HAAT increase is the most important of the two.

An urban station needs to be a blowtorch. KETC blew a lot of cash on a (politically incorrect words) building in the arts section of town. They lost a fight, perhaps fortunately, to stay on analog 9 (war with WSIU-8, Carbondale IL). How much of a TPO can you get without tubes, and how high can you run it up the stick? KETC dodged this until the last minute. Current ANT is a sidemount. They had hoped to re-use the original VHF-High XMTR and ANT.

Joseph Clark

04-13-09, 12:32 AM

This is exciting news for me. :) I was one of the thousands suckered into purchasing the ATI video cards with onboard audio that were never able to get them working properly. :mad:

In the last month I started research on hardware/software for HD/BluRay playback. Current setup is Windows Media Center PC, PowerDVD, HDMI for video, audio is sent to the Denon via analog. I hope to throw the audio cables away shortly! :p

I suspect the Slysoft product will do what it says it will do, without all the drama of the big name players from Cyberlink, etc. I'm using HDMI exclusively, now, and it makes life so much easier, but I dread the thought of each new software release for PowerDVD. They've taken out support for HD DVD altogether, and each new release has the potential to send me scurrying to the Web to try to find a fix for something that's been broken.

Apparently, this product will work for Vista or later only. No XP support, unfortunately. I'm running mostly Vista now, so for me it's not a problem.

PinkSplice

04-13-09, 12:46 AM

Trip's response may will not be what either of us are wanting but at least it is more than I, for one, have gotten from emailing the station.

You might want to look at post #9135 and several that immediately follow it for more about my situation. What got me was at #9182 kjohnson was complaining about part not being in HD. He is at least getting the content never mind the format!

Pinksplice, I am wondering if you have tried to get Channel 8? It is the PBS station out of Carbondale, IL but their tower is close to DuQuion, IL and their coverage map does show just into St. Louis and they are on the VHF band! I am in Centralia, IL which was shown as just outside Channel 9's analog band (which was/is also VHF the way I understand it) but that part of their broadcast was/is very easy for me to pickup. If you can get Channel 8 "Create" is on 8.3.

I am still hoping that Channel 9's upgrades will be enough for me to get them back reliably. They do have some locally produced things that I would hate to have to give up. But, currently it has been unpredictable even at night and a lost cause during the day for their digital broadcasting.

Hope we all have good luck eventually getting them consistantly1
Jane

Jane, I've been trying since WSIU went DTV on 8. At my house (not Mom's), I'm 56 feet higher MSL, and with a collection of antennas that drives my neighbors nuts. No dice. When they were analog, I got them regularly after sunset, and the former DTV on 40 came in fairly well.

And, yes, I know WSIU is to up power from 33 to 53 KW ERP. Twice nothing is still nothing. All DTV VHF-Highs should run at 100 KW ERP.

VHF-High is a cruel lie. :)

KETC here is a first diffraction zone receive, due to terrain/trees to my immediate south. I get it fine, due to my monster antenna farm. :) KETC, and other urban stations, need to be blowtorches to penetrate structures, beat higher noise levels, and fill in holes. Out in the country, where you have lower noise levels, (and in Centralia, flatter terrain), it's a different story.

thanks.

Additional: WSIU is now officially at 53 KW ERP (and has been for 2 weeks) Still no difference (daily and nightly checks). WSIU site:

http://wsiutv.blogspot.com/2009/03/wsiu-tv-increases-power.html

Color this urban TV DX'r both annoyed, and gloating that I was right.