I'm not a gossip/scandal sort of guy, but it has been a bit difficult the past few weeks to avoid hearing about Charlie Sheen. At the risk of crossing some boundaries here, I can't stop myself from relaying the news that HDNet's Mark Cuban is reportedly in program development talks with Sheen.



The result of those talks would most likely look like this:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/march-5-miley-cyrus/1311485/

A couple of days late to the Firefly talk. Big Bang Theory has made several mentions of it. There was at least one more reference to Firefly in Castle when he started speaking Chinese and Beckett asked if he took it in college and he said he learned it, "from a TV show he used to love".

He recently mentioned that if he ever happened to win $300 million in the California Lottery, the first thing he would do is buy the rights to Firefly and restart the show on the internet. A lot of folks have gone a little overboard since sending him lottery tickets and offering to pony up part of the $300 mill. There's still a lot of love for the show and if you haven't seen it, give it a shot. I doubt you'd regret it. (Except after you fall in love with it, you'll be as disappointed as the rest of us that it isn't on any more.)

Mercy is the mark of a great man. [stab] Guess I'm just a good man. [stab] Well, I'm all right. - Mal in Shindig

Dear Diary: Today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Today we were kidnapped by hill folk, never to be seen again. It was the best day ever. - Jayne in Safe

Sorry...I'll stop now :-)

I've followed this forum on add off for some time now, but this is my first post. I've had a Ceton cable card tuner since early December and thought I would share my experiece/impressions with you.

I built a new Media center PC 6+ months ago. Core i5, 60Gb SSD boot drive, 1.5Tb Data/Recorded TV drive, 2 VBox OTA tuners from my original HTPC, and just recently a GT430 Nvidia video card. I would encourage anyone contemplating building a HTPC to use a SSD boot drive. Going into and out of sleep is almost instantaneous and menu navigation is lighting fast. If I ever have to use my wife's Charter Motorola, it's painful. It's like running DOS from the 1980's.

I'll say this up front that I've had Charter for 12-13 years now and have been general pretty pleased, particularly with internet servce(I'm in OFallon MO). Once I received my Ceton tuner I set up an appointent for a cable card install. I told them I had a TIVO because telling them them it would be installed in a computer would probably have complicated things. I installed the tuner software and ran digital cable advisor before the appointment.
The install went pretty smoothly all things considered. The tech had never installed a cable card in a computer before so I did most of the install. The hardest part was getting the card seated properly. Cable cards are not slotted in any manner and can be in inserted upside down. My Htpc is in an enclosure and could only be turned 45 degrees while hooked up, so we of course inserted the cable upside down on the first try.

Once inserted properly, we ran through the TV signal setup. The tech called in the info to pair and activate the card and we were off and running. The SDV tuning adapter Charter supplied was a Motorola unit capable of 4 channels so I only needed one.

Windows media center guide allows you to combine channels so I combined the OTA channels from my Vbox tuners with Charters local HD channels and set the priority to the OTA tuners. I can now record 6 HD streams simultaneously as long as 2 are local channels. Just as a test, I started 6 HD recordings then started viewing a previously recorded HD program and then started navigating the guide listings. All silky smooth. I am one happy camper as far as this is concerned.

The PQ is certainly as good as charters Motorola DVR. Channel changing is slower ~2.5 sec compared to the Charter DVR at ~1.5 sec. This is not a big deal to me because I don't channel surf, I use the guide to navigate. It also takes 20-25 sec before you can tune a channel after reboot or coming out of sleep. It doesn't affect recordings and is a known issue. Hopefully both of these can be improved with firmware updates.

The only other issue I ran into (and this is the type of thing that makes HTPCs impractical for the average Joe) is after about a month of use my video card suddenly decided my display wasn't HDCP compliant even though it continued to pass the Digital Cable Adviser. I have a 6yr old 42in Panasonic Professional plasma and had the HTPC connected via a DVI blade. I was running sound only to my receiver via optical SPDIF. I was doing this because my Yamaha receiver(also 6 yr old) doesn't do 1080P. I only have one HDMI input blade and that was connected to the receiver output for other video sources. I decided to connect the HTPC via HDMI to the receiver and output 720P. This cleared the HDCP issue and I can't see any PQ degradation probably because the display isn't even fully 720P at 1024x768.

Overall I am very pleased so far. Enough so that I have built a similar HTPC for my wife and am ordering another Ceton for my wife. She needs a 4 channel cable tuner more than I do. A two channel cable tuner with my OTA tuners would have been enough for me 99% of the time.

I really like Windows Media Center. I have it customized with My Channel Logos and Media Center Studio. I have Netflix and Hulu integrated. It looks and functions light years ahead of Charters Motorola DVR, (I've never seen the Moxi in operation). It works so well now Microsoft must be considering giving up on Media Center:) I have a 12Tb Windows Home Server with Bluray, DVD and HD movies recorded via firewire.

On another note, how do you break a display and still have your wife believe nothing fishy is going on. I've thought about pouring a little salt water down the back or sticking a small screw driver through the vents and then tuning it on. This seems dangerous:) I could get a 58" 1080P professional plasma for what I paid for that 42" 6 years ago. I will still take the PQ of my old plasma over my wife's 6 month old LG LED LCD.

Welcome to the thread. :)

Sounds like a smooth transition to the cable card tuner. I like Windows Media Center, too. I use it with My Movies, for Blu-ray and DVD rips. It works and looks very much like my Dish DVR (although I use it only for OTA recordings). I sometimes forget which one I'm using.

I like the salt water idea. :D

I also use My Movies, nice piece of software. The "average Joe" comment wasn't pointed at you;)

This is interesting...the Japan earthquake apparently moved the island of Japan 8 feet from its previous location, and it also resulted in the earth shifting 4 inches on its axis.

From The Weather Space.com site:
_______________________________________________________

Reports from agencies say that the Japan quake moved the island eight feet, also affecting the Earth's axis.

Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told TheWeatherSpace.com that one GPS station moved eight feet and that a map from the Geospatial Information Authority is showing the shift is consistent. Japan has officially moved eight feet from where it once was before the quake.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the quake shifted the planet on its axis by four inches, or ten centimeters.

During the Chile quake in 2009, Earth's rotation also sped up. It is likely this is what happened during the Japan quake as well.
_______________________________________________________

Link: http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-3_12_2011_japanshifts.html

So, I wonder what effect, if any, these shifts would have on satellite communications, both in Japan and elsewhere.

Would this mean GPS units are off 4 inches more than they were?

Would this mean GPS units are off 4 inches more than they were?I'm sure they can make the necessary adjustment to the GPS satellites. They already have to compensate for relativistic effects.

Would this mean GPS units are off 4 inches more than they were?

In Japan.

Would this mean GPS units are off 4 inches more than they were?
They will also be off by different amounts in different parts of the world. The satellites drift around a little in their orbits and to achieve high precisions corrections must be made. The corrections that are accurate enough to be used by surveyors depend on the known locations of earth-based high-precision receivers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_GPS#Post_processing) whose corrections are posted daily to the Internet. Not all of those receivers moved the same amount.

And remember, Japan moved eight feet.

On another note, how do you break a display and still have your wife believe nothing fishy is going on.

If you have a Wii, just forget to use the wriststrap, if you don't have one, I have one for rent, until you get the job done! :cool:

If you have a Wii, just forget to use the wriststrap, if you don't have one, I have one for rent, until you get the job done!

I don't think that would fly(figuratively). My wife knows we're a hard core XBox clan, but thanks for the offer!

Just got done watching last night's season finale of V. For a show that had been sadly lacking in surprises for the last two years, they ended with LOTS of surprises!

Word is this show is on the cancellation bubble. I hope it comes back next season.

Netflix has officially become the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/netflix-to-enter-original-programming-with-mega-deal-for-david-fincher-kevin-spacey-drama-series-house-of-cards/

No word on Chuck?

From TV Week:
______________________________________________________

NBC announced that it is bringing back three of its Thursday night sitcoms next season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bob Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, made the announcement that “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community” will be back for the 2011-12 season.

"I am so pleased to renew these three outstanding comedies, which are all at the top of their game creatively,” Greenblatt said.

Currently in its seventh season, “The Office” has been averaging 7.7 million viewers with a 4.0 rating in adults 18-49, the story says. Steve Carell is leaving the show, with his farewell episode due in late April.
______________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/03/nbc-renews-three-thursday-nigh.php


I did a Google search for "Chuck renewal" and found only references to last year's cliffhanger decision.

FYI, for those that care, "30 Rock" was previously renewed for 2012-13.

Netflix has officially become the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/netflix-to-enter-original-programming-with-mega-deal-for-david-fincher-kevin-spacey-drama-series-house-of-cards/I say, "Good for Netflix."

They provide a quality service that consumers obviously love. I have never met a client who used Netflix that wasn't at least 90% satisfied with it.

No doubt now that Netflix is coming to be seen as the biggest gorilla in that part of the jungle, there will be growing calls for it to be stomped on because it has too much market power. Of course, these demands will be coming largely from opportunistic political class layabouts who haven't created anything during their entire lives -- you know, not counting the biggest public finance sinkhole in the history of man.

And the crowds will cheer them on... :rolleyes:

No word on Chuck?

From TV Week:
______________________________________________________

NBC announced that it is bringing back three of its Thursday night sitcoms next season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bob Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, made the announcement that “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community” will be back for the 2011-12 season.

"I am so pleased to renew these three outstanding comedies, which are all at the top of their game creatively,” Greenblatt said.

Currently in its seventh season, “The Office” has been averaging 7.7 million viewers with a 4.0 rating in adults 18-49, the story says. Steve Carell is leaving the show, with his farewell episode due in late April.
______________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/03/nbc-renews-three-thursday-nigh.php


I did a Google search for "Chuck renewal" and found only references to last year's cliffhanger decision.

FYI, for those that care, "30 Rock" was previously renewed for 2012-13.
This was how the renewal went last year too. Community(YES), Parks and Rec and the Office got early renewal. Chuck was a last minute renewal, hence many of the staff taking jobs on shows that looked more likely to be back longer than Chuck(like No Ordinary Family, Human Target, both likely not coming back).

Maybe I should have mentioned that I saw references to "Chuck" actors being bullish that they would be renewed. But nothing official or even other speculation found.

I say, "Good for Netflix."...........

I agree but I must question how much longer this gravy train will last. Keep in mind, Netfix relies heavily upon the broadband provided by (in many cases) their competitors in the cable industry. Their $8/month is real bargain when compared against cable rates for say, just HBO alone. How much longer will the cable providers allow them to chip away at their business models while being forced to provide more and more bandwidth for all the on-demand content?

If this continues to grow, I fear consumers will eventually take it in the pocketbook in the form of higher Internet usage fees, overages, or whatever. While this is good for Netflix and the consumer, I wonder how long this can continue.

If this continues to grow, I fear consumers will eventually take it in the pocketbook in the form of higher Internet usage fees, overages, or whatever. While this is good for Netflix and the consumer, I wonder how long this can continue.

I have no problem with paying for internet by how much I use. Put a meter on all of us and let us pay like we do for water, electric, and gas.

The providers don't want it that way, they want to overcharge the users who use little and really take it to the ones that go above a "certain" level. Providers can't be hurting when they pay pennies per gig transferred.

....... Providers can't be hurting when they pay pennies per gig transferred.

True, but it will hurt them when their subs start cancelling their $80 monthly cable bills because they can now get unlimited movie & TV rentals for "$8" thru Netflix. No one is going to let the public get away with such a low monthly fee for long. Too many hands in the till.

This will come sooner rather than later. See this recent story:

http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/2011031610963/atat-braces-for-video-explosion-with-bandwidth-caps.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rapidtvnews+

What's that two-hour HD movie going to cost at $1 per 5 GB?

Hello everyone I am new to the forum and I recently purchased a panasonis st30 plasma and have uverse in the St louis area and noticed watching basketball that images close were great but when a shot from half court the peoples faces seemed blurry.does anyone else with uverse notice this?

Hello everyone I am new to the forum and I recently purchased a panasonis st30 plasma and have uverse in the St louis area and noticed watching basketball that images close were great but when a shot from half court the peoples faces seemed blurry.does anyone else with uverse notice this?

I do not have Uverse, but I have seen similar complaints before.

Hello everyone I am new to the forum and I recently purchased a panasonis st30 plasma and have uverse in the St louis area and noticed watching basketball that images close were great but when a shot from half court the peoples faces seemed blurry.does anyone else with uverse notice this?

The busier the frame, the more problems you'll see. There's too much detail for the high compression to handle without showing artifacts.

Before I waste my time doing another channel scan...

Can anyone with a DirecTV HR20 tell me if DirecTV has added 2-2, 30-2, and 30-3 to its guide yet?

Thanks!

Before I waste my time doing another channel scan...

Can anyone with a DirecTV HR20 tell me if DirecTV has added 2-2, 30-2, and 30-3 to its guide yet?

Thanks!

I'd have to waste my time doing a scan to find out....

I'd have to waste my time doing a scan to find out....

Isn't it sad that the only channel in town NOT multicasting is 46?

Isn't it sad that the only channel in town NOT multicasting is 46?

Two smarta$$ answers:

1. One can only guess what type of innovative programming we would otherwise have :eek:

2. At least we don't have to worry about any bit-robbing from the main channel :rolleyes:

Two smarta$$ answers:

1. One can only guess what type of innovative programming we would otherwise have :eek:

2. At least we don't have to worry about any bit-robbing from the main channel :rolleyes:

Since they don't broadcast anything in high def, it really doesn't matter anyway, which I suppose is your point....

Bought a new TV for my basement....a Samsung UN55D8000, LED 3D TV. I brought is home on Monday and it's still not ready :(

My main TV is a older Pioneer Elite Pro 720HD, and being that vintage it only has component inputs. Therefore I have the pleasure of needing essentially everything else--BluRay player, new surround system, etc. I may have jumped the gun on my surround system and bought a BOSE lifestyle system from Ultimate Electronics. I only chose the BOSE system because of the small speaker size and it was a complete system...well the bankruptcy savings helped too.

For my Blu-ray player, I'm considering an Oppo unit, but I'm open to suggestions.

I've got an old HD200 DirecTV receiver I will probably use for now, but I think I will be considering upgrading my system to a multi-DVR system if I can get a deal.

I just wanted to share and I hope I can have everything installed soon so I can start watching. Progress will be slow until the weekend.

Bought a new TV for my basement....a Samsung UN55D8000, LED 3D TV. I brought is home on Monday and it's still not ready :(

My main TV is a older Pioneer Elite Pro 720HD, and being that vintage it only has component inputs. Therefore I have the pleasure of needing essentially everything else--BluRay player, new surround system, etc. I may have jumped the gun on my surround system and bought a BOSE lifestyle system from Ultimate Electronics. I only chose the BOSE system because of the small speaker size and it was a complete system...well the bankruptcy savings helped too.

For my Blu-ray player, I'm considering an Oppo unit, but I'm open to suggestions.

I've got an old HD200 DirecTV receiver I will probably use for now, but I think I will be considering upgrading my system to a multi-DVR system if I can get a deal.

I just wanted to share and I hope I can have everything installed soon so I can start watching. Progress will be slow until the weekend.Thumbs up on the TV, and on the potential Oppo Blu-ray player.

If you're looking at the potential of a multi-room DVR from DirecTV, I think you'll also need to factor in the cost of a new multiswitch. If you're in a position to haggle with DirecTV (outside an existing commitment) be sure that you get all needed components and free installation as part of your deal. In my experience, you probably won't get the upgrade completely free, but should be able to keep it at around $100, though there will be a new 2-year commitment in return.

And, of course, it goes without saying that a calibration of the TV would be the best tweak of all. I haven't worked on any of the D series Samsungs yet, but last year's C series were excellent, producing virtually perfect accuracy after calibration. If you thinking about calibration, you need to log around 100 hours beforehand. :cool:

Bought a new TV for my basement....a Samsung UN55D8000, LED 3D TV. I brought is home on Monday and it's still not ready :(

My main TV is a older Pioneer Elite Pro 720HD, and being that vintage it only has component inputs. Therefore I have the pleasure of needing essentially everything else--BluRay player, new surround system, etc. I may have jumped the gun on my surround system and bought a BOSE lifestyle system from Ultimate Electronics. I only chose the BOSE system because of the small speaker size and it was a complete system...well the bankruptcy savings helped too.

For my Blu-ray player, I'm considering an Oppo unit, but I'm open to suggestions.

I've got an old HD200 DirecTV receiver I will probably use for now, but I think I will be considering upgrading my system to a multi-DVR system if I can get a deal.

I just wanted to share and I hope I can have everything installed soon so I can start watching. Progress will be slow until the weekend.

I saw your TV at Best Buy today. Incredibly thin bezel and an impressive picture. I'm going back with some dark 3D content to take another look, but what I saw looked great. Last year's Samsungs had trouble with their IR 3D glasses. This year, I'm told, they're RF, and I didn't notice any problem with dropped sync.

Oppo owners love their Blu-ray players. It should excel at DVD playback. If Blu-ray via HDMI is your main source, one of the cheaper player (like Sony, Samsung or Panasonic) will be just as good and cheaper. I have a Sony 570 and a Panasonic 110 (both 3D and under $150). They do a stellar job of Blu-ray playback and they're much faster than older Blu-ray players. But do your due diligence on the feature set to determine what your needs are.

Good news for many in this group, Fringe has been renewed....Now all I need is Chuck and Parenthood. Parenthood is more likely given Chuck's wretched ratings lately.

Source (http://www.hitfix.com/articles/fox-renews-fringe-for-a-fourth-season)

I just read about Fringe. Hoo-rah!!!

As one of Chuck's biggest supporters in the past, I'm sorry to say that I've been disappointed with its creative direction the last two seasons. I feel a dramatic change in the tone and the writing. I still watch, but two years ago if you'd suggested that I would like Fringe better at this point, I wouldn't have believed you.

Re Fringe: Awesome!

Any word on Human Target and/or Chicago Code yet?

I just read about Fringe. Hoo-rah!!!

As one of Chuck's biggest supporters in the past, I'm sorry to say that I've been disappointed with its creative direction the last two seasons. I feel a dramatic change in the tone and the writing. I still watch, but two years ago if you'd suggested that I would like Fringe better at this point, I wouldn't have believed you.
I actually think the earlier episodes of Chuck this season have been some of the best. I'm still hoping for renewal.

Great news about Fringe.

I'm interested to find out about Human Target, but I'm not holding my breath. There have been numerous shows in the past that have been yanked from my favorites viewing.

I actually think the earlier episodes of Chuck this season have been some of the best. I'm still hoping for renewal.

Great news about Fringe.

I'm interested to find out about Human Target, but I'm not holding my breath. There have been numerous shows in the past that have been yanked from my favorites viewing.

I'm in for the long haul with Chuck, but to me it feels a little like MASH - one of my all time favorite shows until you get to the last few years. At that point, the chemistry and the writing (or at least my perception of it) soured. Unfortunately, that started to happen with Chuck at the very beginning of season 3. By the time they ended the Chuck/Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) relationship, it was so far from what made me love Chuck that I was feeling seriously alienated. I very much understand why people like it. The acting is really good. It's just that I can't connect anymore emotionally. Even though it's always been a little goofy, I was able to do that during the first two seasons.

I'm in for the long haul with Chuck, but to me it feels a little like MASH - one of my all time favorite shows until you get to the last few years. At that point, the chemistry and the writing (or at least my perception of it) soured. Unfortunately, that started to happen with Chuck at the very beginning of season 3. By the time they ended the Chuck/Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) relationship, it was so far from what made me love Chuck that I was feeling seriously alienated. I very much understand why people like it. The acting is really good. It's just that I can't connect anymore emotionally. Even though it's always been a little goofy, I was able to do that during the first two seasons.

I understand where you are coming from on Season 3, but after re-watching it on Blu instead of with the massive breaks that broke it up for weeks at a time, I liked it much better with proper flow. I also think part of the problem is trying to fit an entire season into 13 eps, then having more added after the main arc is finished. The last Great season was the last season they had a full order and could pace the season the way they wanted.

I thought the last 2 weeks of "Chuck" were really poor. Not much that was funny, and the plot direction seems all too obvious. Spoiler Alert: After all, Ellie is the only core character on the show who hasn't been a spy. And Robin Givens was terrible.

Even the product placement stuff, which usually has a likeable tongue-in-cheek quality, was just crass.

Maybe it was just a bad run, but it seemed more like fatigue and playing out the string. I'll admit that a part of me wants it to be over so that I can avoid any further contact with kSDk.

BTW, the first three seasons of Chuck (as well as as seasons 1-2 of Fringe) are $26.99-$27.99 each on BD at Amazon right now. I just ordered Chuck season 3.

Sometimes it's fun to watch an old movie and discover someone in it (that you never thought of again) has gone on to bigger things.

I just got done watching the 1993 version of Body Snatchers on DVD (there's no BD release coming any time soon). The skinny gawky teenage girl in that movie is Gabrielle Anwar, now the extremely hot girlfriend of Jeffrey Donovan in Burn Notice.

As for the DVD, it's decent given the fact that it's a flipper with the widescreen version on one side and P&S on the other side, and hasn't been remastered since its original DVD release in 1999. Unfortunately, the sound is only 2-channel Pro Logic. No excuse for that even back then.

This flick needs a remaster!

In light of the recent discussion here about Netflix, I thought this was interesting:

From the TechDirt site:
_________________________________________________________

It's really kind of amusing (and frustrating) to watch the entertainment industry look to kill every golden goose that comes its way. Any time a new offering is successful, the entertainment industry gets greedy and either tries to demand a much larger cut, more control... or it tries to kill off the offering because it has "too much power." We saw it with the labels, when they turned on iTunes (though Apple's been able to hold that together pretty strongly) and music video games. It's part of what's been driving the record labels to give Spotify such a hard time in signing a deal to bring the (rather successful in Europe) service to the US. And it's not just the recording industry. We've noted that Hollywood has now decided that Netflix has been too successful for them, and it's time to put the company in its proper place.

Thus, we're starting to see Netflix partners push back and start to limit what Netflix can stream. First it was Showtime pulling back from streaming its content via Netflix, and now it's Starz that's pulling back in a big way. That's pretty significant, because it was the original deal between Netflix and Starz that really jumpstarted Netflix's ability in the streaming space. The big studios have been complaining about the Starz deal for years, and it's not hard to see their hands in the company's decision to scale back its relationship.

It really is amazing. Some new service comes along that drags these industries -- often kicking and screaming -- into the modern era, and then starts making them lots of money. And suddenly the industry turns on them (and fans and consumers) claiming that these services are simply too successful and need to be cut down to size. It's really a case of the entertainment companies overvaluing the content over the service. They think that all the value is in the content, and if the services are making money and getting users, it's because they're somehow "exploiting" the content in unfair ways. On top of that, I really think there's a psychological issue, where the entertainment industry bosses still think that if anyone else is making a lot of money, it's "unfair" -- even if they're making plenty of money themselves.

Of course, these moves will backfire. It'll just make people on Netflix watch less of these companies' content... or seek it out from alternative sources that Hollywood probably likes even less.
_________________________________________________________

Link: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110324/17421513618/hollywood-continues-its-plan-to-kill-netflix.shtml

Note: The web site version of this article has several external links to stories that provide more information about the recent actions by Showtime and Starz.

Not sure if this will be a winner or a stinker, but "The Kennedys" mini-series is probably worth a look if only for all the controversy surrounding it. It debuts on the Reelz Channel on April 3.

This program was originally created for the History Channel, but they pulled the plug on it, with rumors suggesting that political and/or family pressure had been applied. The series was produced by the guy behind "24," Joel Surnow. It was produced in HD, and although both DirecTV and DISH carry Reelz (not sure about Charter or Uverse), neither carry the HD version of the channel.

Spoiler Warning: Here's an episode guide that appeared at the entertainment news blog of the Wall Street Journal web site...

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/03/21/the-kennedys-a-users-guide/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvk-vdam9c&feature=player_embedded

Can 3DTV succeed without broadcast TV? Will it have a choice?

The link below is to an HDTV Magazine series that will examine the challenges it faces and the options available for broadcast TV to climb onto the 3DTV bandwagon.

Part One here (http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2011/03/3dtv-overtheair-broadcasting-in-a-bind.php).

It's more than a 72-hour drought on this thread, so here's an interesting article on a new book by Microsoft co-founder (and Charter Communications former owner) Paul Allen:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576232051635476200.html?mod=e2tw

"24" fans will want to check out Kiefer Sutherland's new web series "The Confession" on Hulu:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/227229/the-confession-chapter-1

Sutherland plays a hit man making a confession to Priest John Hurt.

The first three webisodes (6-7 minutes each) are available now, webisodes 4 and 5 will show up there April 4.

Hulu Plus subscribers can fire up their net-connected Blu-Ray players and watch in 720p HD on their big screens.

It's more than a 72-hour drought on this thread, so here's an interesting article on a new book by Microsoft co-founder (and Charter Communications former owner) Paul Allen:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576232051635476200.html?mod=e2tw

Sort of like what went down between Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Wozniak says Jobs cheated him out of his half of the money they got for doing some programming work for Atari back in the day. Funny that Gates and Allen weren't so buddy-buddy either in the early days.

Sort of like what went down between Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Wozniak says Jobs cheated him out of his half of the money they got for doing some programming work for Atari back in the day. Funny that Gates and Allen weren't so buddy-buddy either in the early days.This seems to me to be a dumb move by Paul Allen. Even if what he says is true, it makes him look like a whiny loser. And the fact that most of the businesses he's bought or started since he left Microsoft have belly-flopped, doesn't exactly validate the idea that he deserves more credit than he's gotten for Microsoft's ultimate success.

I'm not familiar with the specifics of the Woz-Jobs feud, but it's pretty much undisputed that Apple went into the toilet almost immediately after Jobs was fired by John Sculley -- and that it only recovered when he returned. On the other hand, Microsoft only got stronger after Allen departed the company.

Windows Vista was probably the biggest failure in the post-Allen Microsoft timeline. It seems to me that Charter, which was the centerpiece of Allen's "wired world" vision, was hands down the bigger and more persistent turkey. It certainly did more to destroy shareholder value.

Foot-dragging to the future...FOX asks Time Warner to cease iPad streaming of FOX channels.

Via Engadget:
___________________________________________________________

While we'd heard many networks were unhappy with Time Warner's decision to release its live TV streaming iPad app and there have even been whispers of cease-and-desist letters in the offing, Fox has put a request to have its channels excluded in writing.

At issue is whether or not their agreement allows Time Warner to provide the channel on devices other than the TV -- while TWC is confident it does since it only works within the customer's home, the networks would apparently like to renegotiate before conceding anything. Senior VP of Fox Networks Group Scott Grogin confirmed the letter was sent but did not reveal any details about its contents.
___________________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/fox-asks-time-warner-to-stop-streaming-its-channels-to-customers/

Foot-dragging to the future...FOX asks Time Warner to cease iPad streaming of FOX channels.

Via Engadget:
___________________________________________________________

While we'd heard many networks were unhappy with Time Warner's decision to release its live TV streaming iPad app and there have even been whispers of cease-and-desist letters in the offing, Fox has put a request to have its channels excluded in writing.

At issue is whether or not their agreement allows Time Warner to provide the channel on devices other than the TV -- while TWC is confident it does since it only works within the customer's home, the networks would apparently like to renegotiate before conceding anything. Senior VP of Fox Networks Group Scott Grogin confirmed the letter was sent but did not reveal any details about its contents.
___________________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/fox-asks-time-warner-to-stop-streaming-its-channels-to-customers/
Sounds a bit like the record companies wanting to get a cut of amazon streaming my own music to me...

Sounds a bit like the record companies wanting to get a cut of amazon streaming my own music to me...

We might as well pirate the music we want, since we'll just hit paywalls to play it in useful ways anyhow. Seriously!

Sounds a bit like the record companies wanting to get a cut of amazon streaming my own music to me...

You're talking about Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player, right? I've been reading a lot about the services the past few days. 5GB of free storage for anyone who signs up, with 20GB for free (for one year) if you've bought an Amazon MP3. Lets you store your music, documents, photos and videos. Some are complaining about "Draconian" anti-piracy measures, but it sounds like a pretty good idea to me. I'm going to wait for a couple of weeks to sign up, just to read more reviews, but for what I would store in the cloud, I don't see much of a downside.

You're talking about Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player, right? I've been reading a lot about the services the past few days. 5GB of free storage for anyone who signs up, with 20GB for free (for one year) if you've bought an Amazon MP3. Lets you store your music, documents, photos and videos. Some are complaining about "Draconian" anti-piracy measures, but it sounds like a pretty good idea to me. I'm going to wait for a couple of weeks to sign up, just to read more reviews, but for what I would store in the cloud, I don't see much of a downside.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. My only downside is my data plan is 200mb instead of unlimited, so I won't be able to stream much outside of wifi...

Am I the only one who doesn't like the new score box on the Fox Midwest Cardinal telecasts?

The fonts are not very legible and it's a bit difficult to see how many outs there are.

Am I the only one who doesn't like the new score box on the Fox Midwest Cardinal telecasts?

The fonts are not very legible and it's a bit difficult to see how many outs there are.Scratch that. The new score box is fine in HD, but it is harder to pick up at a glance on the SD set I have in my office.

But I'd much rather see things optimized for HD than SD.

Before I waste my time doing another channel scan...

Can anyone with a DirecTV HR20 tell me if DirecTV has added 2-2, 30-2, and 30-3 to its guide yet?

Thanks!

I still haven't seen 2-2 on my HR20 receiver, but it is available on my old Sony HD200 receiver that I have brought out of retirement for my new TV, until I decide what route I plan on going (maybe *cringe* U-verse).

I still haven't seen 2-2 on my HR20 receiver, but it is available on my old Sony HD200 receiver that I have brought out of retirement for my new TV, until I decide what route I plan on going (maybe *cringe* U-verse).

I still don't have 2-2, 30-2, or 30-03 on my HR20 receiver yet either. I don't remember it taking this long to update in the past.

......it is harder to pick up at a glance on the SD set I have in my office.

Of all people in the world to still own an SD set. I'm stunned! :eek:

(I wonder if it's calibrated :D)

I still don't have 2-2, 30-2, or 30-03 on my HR20 receiver yet either. I don't remember it taking this long to update in the past.

Thanks.

As the original asker of the question, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one looking for them (didn't care much, but was wondering). :D

FYI -- a review of Amazon Cloud Drive and Amazon Cloud Music Player:

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/audio/Amazon-Cloud-Drive-and-Cloud-Music-Player.aspx

Of all people in the world to still own an SD set. I'm stunned! :eek:

(I wonder if it's calibrated :D)Yeah, I don't watch much TV in my office, and it's really there primarily for when I'm watching a ballgame downstairs and come upstairs to check/reply to eMail. Or occasionally for news. When it dies, I'll probably just stick a spare LCD computer monitor there.

And yeah, the SD CRT was calibrated at one point, but that was long, long ago. There really never was much point to calibrating any TV (SD or HD) for composite or RF sources, particularly for SD cable and satellite. The TV is nowhere close to being the weakest link in that particular chain. I used to discourage my customers from calibrating for composite/RF SD sources, because it was a waste of time and money.

It looks like Time Warner is buckling to pressure being brought to bear by various networks against its iPad streaming app:

From TV Week:
____________________________________________________

Time Warner Cable said it will focus on other channels and “pursue all of our legal rights against the programmers who don’t share our vision,” according to a statement from the company.

The 12 networks that will be pulled are Viacom's BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike TV and VH1; Fox's FX and National Geographic; and Discovery's Animal Planet, TLC and Discovery Channel, the article notes.
____________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/04/under-pressure-from-cable-nets.php

Whoa -- I almost fell for this one.

From the Evening Bridge:
______________________________________________________

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski abruptly quit this morning issuing a terse statement:

"I'm tired of the Congressional sniping ... in fact, I'm tired of Congress meddling with my rights to confiscate all spectrum in order to install universal internet access over the air."

When questioned about his startling decision, Genachowski also criticized broadcasters saying they are like kindergarten students who want to keep the school's balls.
______________________________________________________

This sounded so much like the official policy and posture of the FCC, that I almost forgot it was April 1!

Close call...

Here is one I wish wasn't posted on April fools day.

http://www.thetvaddict.com/2011/04/01/breaking-netflix-to%C2%A0relaunch-firefly/
Fresh off their landmark deal to secure the rights to HOUSE OF CARDS, the much-anticipated television series and political thriller from Executive Producer David Fincher and Kevin Spacey, comes the news that Netflix has given the go-ahead to make Nathan Fillion's dream a reality.

Ditto on the "Firefly" goof -- even after reading your note, it had me going...I really want that to be true.

And speaking of Nathan Fillion, he tweeted this earlier today:
________________________________________________

You probably already heard about Castle being cancelled, I'm sad to see it go. Let's cross fingers for movie projects.
________________________________________________

My big server PC is outputting nothing from the video card, and I'm counting the number of times the CPU fan spins. And if I can count that with the naked eye, then it's obviously not spinning at its rated 7500RPM. I guess it's time to blow it up and rebuild it from scratch.

Looks like Verizon is gonna bring 4G LTE wireless service to the home residential market, specifically to areas that once upon a time had Verizon DSL.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Will-Aim-Fixed-LTE-At-Discarded-DSL-Users-113501

Article doesn't mention us specifically, mainly concentrating on Frontier and Fairpoint (2 small phone companies I've never heard of). But those of us out west (St. Peters and westward) in CenturyLink's service area... well, this was GTE for many years once upon a time, then Verizon for a couple of months before being sold off to CenturyTel.

A coworker has the new HTC Thunderbolt Verizon 4G phone and hit speedtest.net with it for me... down speed was 25 megs! That's five times faster than I get at HOME with CenturyLink! And five times faster than my netbook gets with Clear's 4G, too.

But Verizon's 5GB and 10GB per month bandwidth caps would have to go away, or no sale. I could blow through those in one night. :D

Another long-time PBS affiliate is leaving the network.

It sounds like the public broadcasting business model is getting wobbly...and could get wobblier still if there are significant cuts to or elimination of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding.

From TV Week:
_________________________________________________

Another public television station in a top 20 market is leaving the PBS fold, reports Elizabeth Jensen in The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

The station is WMFE-TV in Orlando, Fla., which is being purshased by an undisclosed buyer. The sale comes just months after KCET-TV in Los Angeles quit PBS, citing high dues it couldn't afford, the article notes.

PBS confirmed that WMFE will leave the PBS family under its new owners, and that PBS will look to other member station partners to help serve the Orlando market, the story says. Two smaller public TV stations, WDSC-TV in Daytona and WBCC in Cocoa, have signals that overlap with WMFE, the piece notes.

WMFE president Jose Fajardo told the publication that the public TV model isn't viable any longer, at least in Orlando, where it was unable to pay its $1 million annual dues to PBS after donations plunged. He added that the station was also concerned about cuts in state and federal funding.
_________________________________________________

Link: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/04/another-tv-station-in-a-top-20.php

The buyer has been disclosed. It's Daystar, owner of WPXS.

- Trip

Looks like Verizon is gonna bring 4G LTE wireless service to the home residential market, specifically to areas that once upon a time had Verizon DSL.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Will-Aim-Fixed-LTE-At-Discarded-DSL-Users-113501

Article doesn't mention us specifically, mainly concentrating on Frontier and Fairpoint (2 small phone companies I've never heard of). But those of us out west (St. Peters and westward) in CenturyLink's service area... well, this was GTE for many years once upon a time, then Verizon for a couple of months before being sold off to CenturyTel.

A coworker has the new HTC Thunderbolt Verizon 4G phone and hit speedtest.net with it for me... down speed was 25 megs! That's five times faster than I get at HOME with CenturyLink! And five times faster than my netbook gets with Clear's 4G, too.

But Verizon's 5GB and 10GB per month bandwidth caps would have to go away, or no sale. I could blow through those in one night. :D25 meg is very, very impressive. I would love to see that, never mind actually have it. But it's ultimately pretty pointless with those sort of usage caps. Seems to me the whole point of faster speeds is to enable more data-intensive services.

25 meg is very, very impressive. I would love to see that, never mind actually have it.
I'd do a real test of measuring the d/l time of a known large file. Speedtest.net and others are known to give false reports if the incoming file is cached in some manner (such as while being scanned by an antivirus program) before being ultimately committed to the hard drive.

Four days and counting...

When is FSN Midwest going to calibrate that dugout camera? It's the St. Louis Cardinals, not the St. Louis Orioles.

Painful to look at.

Four days and counting...

When is FSN Midwest going to calibrate that dugout camera? It's the St. Louis Cardinals, not the St. Louis Orioles.

Painful to look at.

Color balance is TV Studio 101. This shouldn't be happening. Still, I have noticed a distinctive orange cast to the Fox SloMo cam before, and it's possible that the high speed nature of the camera makes it incapable of accurate reds. Still, it seems worse than it's been in seasons past. It's very distracting.

I wonder if there's some configuration here where fewer bits for color might mean more bandwidth to allow for slower, clearer slo-mo playback. If so and that's the compromise, they got it wrong.

Also, it seems like that camera gets used quite a bit for live shots of the batter's box area and the left side of the infield.

Thinking I might have found something more annoying than Dan McLaughlin. But no. Already tonight Dan was back to offering up his pointless "If This Happens and Then That Happens, Would You Walk Pujols?" riddles. So, that's 2 down, 98 to go.

Maybe I'm just 1-3 grouchy.

25 meg is very, very impressive. I would love to see that, never mind actually have it. But it's ultimately pretty pointless with those sort of usage caps. Seems to me the whole point of faster speeds is to enable more data-intensive services.

Agreed. They may have the speed, but this is offset by limited radio spectrum. If all subscribers had full access to 25Mbps all the time, performance will surely plummet rapidly. Each cell tower can quickly become a choke point if/when too many folks in your neighborhood simultaneously decide to download the latest epic on Netflix. Setting limits forces users to think twice or decide to forgo the effort all together. So what good is all that speed if you can't enjoy it without worrying about breaking the bank?

In reality, usage caps ultimately create large overage fees, which is where those loving carriers really make their dough. Add a couple of bucks to each HD film downloaded from your $8 Netflix account :mad:

Well, I swallowed my pride and went back to Charter this morning.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1240877774.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

CenturyLink had drops just like Charter, and Charter's a lot faster when it's running right.

Strictly for Internet. The MagicJack does a decent enough job for my phone. And they can have my DirecTV when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. :D

What modem are you using? I just start HSI with charter about a month ago on the 12/1 plan. I'm leasing a Motorola 6120.

I'm using a 6120 also, but I bought it from Amazon a while back. I'm on the 60/5 plan.

So far, so good. Much better service than I was getting from Charter when I left last year (at least as far as lack of signal drops goes). I wonder if Charter finally fixed the issues that drove me to CenturyLink?

3TB Hitachi Deskstar drive at Micro Center for $130. :eek: (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361177) Remember that there can be issues with drives over 2TB in some Windows systems.

Well, I swallowed my pride and went back to Charter this morning.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1240877774.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

CenturyLink had drops just like Charter, and Charter's a lot faster when it's running right.

Strictly for Internet. The MagicJack does a decent enough job for my phone. And they can have my DirecTV when they pry it from my cold, dead hands. :D

I know how you feel, Bob. My Internet connection with Charter has been really spotty - drops out frequently and unpredictably. I'd jump ship if I had any viable alternative, but I don't. When it works, it's great. Wish I could count on it consistently.

I know how you feel, Bob. My Internet connection with Charter has been really spotty - drops out frequently and unpredictably. I'd jump ship if I had any viable alternative, but I don't. When it works, it's great. Wish I could count on it consistently.
Here is why I don't trust the speed test sites any more. Pretty good results from 6Mbps, eh?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=208374&d=1302294672

A separate speed meter I use, that directly monitors the incoming binary, sat around 5.4Mbps at the same time.

Here is why I don't trust the speed test sites any more. Pretty good results from 6Mbps, eh?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=208374&d=1302294672

A separate speed meter I use, that directly monitors the incoming binary, sat around 5.4Mbps at the same time.

Must be a speed test site Charter recently purchased:D

My Dad just had Charter installed at his house yesterday, after suffering through DSL with ATT with a max throughput between 364-768 depending on the line conditions. They showed up on time, did a decent installation. He is on the 12/1 plan and on test with speedboost we were getting 25/1, I hope billing doesn't screw things up.

U-verse and Small Local Cable Companies May Suffer Cardinals Baseball "Black Out"
____________________________________________________________ ___

A financial dispute between Fox Sports Midwest and AT&T U-verse and others is threatening to keep up to 20 Cardinals games off those TV programming outlets. FSM said Friday that unless a settlement is reached, the affected blackout schedule would begin Sunday - when the Cards play San Francisco.

In addition, games against Arizona on Monday and Tuesday nights are to be withheld.

Also impacted would be customers of Grafton Technologies in Jersey County plus other programming providers outside the immediate St. Louis market. Cable One, which serves the medium-size Missouri towns of Joplin and Kirksville, is on the blackout list.
____________________________________________________________ ___

Full Text: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_16903232-623d-11e0-84dd-0019bb30f31a.html

Maybe FSN is going to use this money to fix the first base dugout camera by the time the Cards return home?

My Dad just had Charter installed at his house yesterday, after suffering through DSL with ATT with a max throughput between 364-768 depending on the line conditions. They showed up on time, did a decent installation. He is on the 12/1 plan and on test with speedboost we were getting 25/1, I hope billing doesn't screw things up.

When I first moved here I had Charter and had to babysit my bill. I had a 6 month new customer price. Every month they charged me the regular price and promised it wouldn't happen again. Had to call every month. At month number 6 they still didn't have it corrected. I left.

That was several years ago, but I would still monitor your bill.

http://www.foxsportsmidwest.com/04/08/11/Cardinals-channel-information-for-Saturd/landing_stlcardinals.html?blockID=500069&feedID=3578


On Saturday, April 9, FOX Sports Midwest will televise the Cardinals game at San Francisco and the Blues game vs. Nashville.

Check URL for alternate channel listings.

Has any body watched Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior? Apparently CBS has run out of HD equipment. Looks like some kind of SD upconvert. Very soft, although Forest Whitaker's droopy eyelid would probably be more distracting in good HD and I don't think there's any amount of softness that will make looking at Janeane Garofalo tolerable. Probably not going to stay on my series record list.

What a demoralizing beginning to this season for the Cardinals. Excellent pitching backed up by miserable defense. :confused: Only 8 games, but it feels like a trend.

Anyway, on a technical note, I was struck by how much better the cameras look out in San Fran - excellent contrast and color. That's unlike what we have here in St. Louis, where it looks like they run all the lenses through a bag of dirt before each game. However, just like here, the first base camera (Fox slow motion) also looks orange. The tint must be related to the high frame rate.

Has any body watched Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior? Apparently CBS has run out of HD equipment. Looks like some kind of SD upconvert. Very soft, although Forest Whitaker's droopy eyelid would probably be more distracting in good HD and I don't think there's any amount of softness that will make looking at Janeane Garofalo tolerable. Probably not going to stay on my series record list.

You had me at Janeane Garofalo. I could barely handle 24 when she was in it during Season 7. And 24's my favorite show!

I thought that one or both of the data tables below might be useful for future discussions here, specifically relating to Pay TV and high-speed internet providers. This comes from the quarterly The Bridge report.

FWIW, The Bridge report talks about the rapidly changing face of pay TV by noting that Netflix has overtaken Comcast as the country's largest subscription video service. Bridge notes that while Netflix is strong in numbers it is weak in other areas, such as average subscriber monthly revenue of only a bit more than $12 and the fact that annual churn is close to 50 percent.

Pay TV numbers:

http://www.mediabiz.com/thebridge/scratch/1249.jpg

HSI customers, by carrier:

http://www.mediabiz.com/thebridge/scratch/1253.jpg

Full Report: http://www.mediabiz.com/thebridge/#top

Aiming at Movie Downloads, AT&T Imposes Broadband Caps

From Home Media Online:
____________________________________________________

As expected, AT&T will soon impose limits on the amount of broadband data — notably movies and TV shows — subscribers can download from the Internet on a monthly basis without paying additional fees.

AT&T's residential DSL plans will have a usage allowance of 150 gigabytes (GB) per month, while residential U-verse plans will have a usage allowance of 250GB per month.

The caps amount to about 100 hours per month of TV programming for DSL users and 200 hours for U-verse. The caps would limit users to 20 movie downloads in standard definition (25 for U-verse) and 10 (13 for U-verse) in high definition.
____________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/digital-evolution/att-cap-data-usage-may-2-23620

At the risk of getting flamed, if you accept the reality that broadband is not an infinite resource, this actually seems like a reasonable level for limits, though I'm not sure the SD/HD equivalents in the article are valid.

Of course, there is an issue of changing service terms in the middle of a contract, especially if there are subscriber term commitments and cancellation penalties. If this change were imposed in the middle of a 2-year commitment and I wasn't happy with the new policy, I would expect to be able to opt out without penalty. Not sure how AT&T would handle that, but I suspect it might be tough sledding, based on past AT&T practice.

Anyway, it looks to me that AT&T is not really aiming to shut down movie downloads entirely, as the limits seem like they would allow the average household a reasonable number of Netflix (or other source) movies per month. Am I wrong (not for the first time)?

But I do wonder about how this works out when all web activity, apart from movie downloads, comes into play. And I also wonder about the accuracy of the monitoring tools that AT&T is providing to its customers.

It will definitely be interesting to see how this plays out.

[B]
But I do wonder about how this works out when all web activity, apart from movie downloads, comes into play. And I also wonder about the accuracy of the monitoring tools that AT&T is providing to its customers.


Our house uses between 90-100 gigs a month. We don't use Netflix and we are not a heavy YouTube viewers. I am glad I am not with ATT and truly hope it backfires on them.

I have stated several times, if they want to play this way, then make it true pay per use, just like electric, water and gas.

Interesting snippet from an article at The Hill.com, regarding regulation of the telecoms sector.

The following quote comes from former Obama White House Technology Adviser Susan Crawford:
_______________________________________________________

"Unfortunately the world where regulating these guys into to an inch of their life is exactly what needs to happen."
_______________________________________________________

In a way, this is real progress -- it's unvarnished honesty, at least.

See, regulation isn't about protecting consumers. It's ultimately about punishing successful businesses and threatening their livelihood through legal means. It's about payback and payoff.

Full article with more interesting stuff can be found here (http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/155087-telecom-gurus-discuss-competition-reform-at-free-press-conference).

Our house uses between 90-100 gigs a month. We don't use Netflix and we are not a heavy YouTube viewers. I am glad I am not with ATT and truly hope it backfires on them.

I have stated several times, if they want to play this way, then make it true pay per use, just like electric, water and gas.

If you accept at&t's statistics (and there's no real reason not to) less than 5% of their DSL subscribers exceed the 150GB limit each month. I have an AppleTV and we watch several movies per month. We also peruse YouTube quite a bit. And then there's the usually large OS updates, patches, and such. With all of that our average usage, according to at&t's own data usage web site is around only 10GBs per month. I really can't even imagine how we would even get close to 150GBs. If you don't download movies then how do you get to that 90-100 GBs per month?

Discovery HD Theater To Be Replaced By Male-Focused Velocity

I remember when Discovery HD Theater was the ONLY channel where you could be sure that you could catch some HD images. But that was more than 10 years ago...

From Broadcasting and Cable online:
____________________________________________________________

Discovery Communications will launch Velocity, a new network aimed at an upscale male audience, in the fourth quarter of 2011. The new all-HD channel will replace the current HD Theater network and be available in about 40 million homes at the time of its launch.

Velocity will have more than 400 hours of programming in the categories of automotive, sports and leisure, adventure and travel. Current car-themed HD Theater series including Inside West Coast Customs, Mecum Auto Auctions, Café Racer and Chasing Classic Cars will anchor Velocity's initial primetime lineup.

"We started noticing some good ratings with some of our more upscale lifestyle programming, especially in the auto arena, and we just felt let's keep building on that, now's the time," Discovery COO Peter Liguori told B&C of the timing of the rebrand.
____________________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/466767-Discovery_Launching_Velocity_New_Network_For_Men.php?rssid=2 0065

DISH DVRs Headed for Blackout?

From the Morning Bridge:
_______________________________________________

The long-awaited US Court of Appeals decision on TiVo v. DISH/EchoStar came down split ... but with the scales weighted to TiVo.

The court gave DISH a victory by unanimously vacating the district court's contempt ruling on its software design workaround. However, it gave TiVo the bigger victory in backing (by 7 to 5) the lower court finding that DISH is in contempt of the disablement provision.

That leaves DISH faced "with an imminent shut-down of millions of DVRs," noted Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett. That, he posits, could leave the DBS operator with a "gun-to-the-head settlement requirement" which could run into the $3B range for disabling and replacing the infringing DVRs. (No one really knows how many infringing DVRs there are and Charlie Ergen, quite naturally, isn't saying.)

Don't expect the DISH/EchoStar crew to give up easily, though. They're now talking "stay of injunction," taking it all to the US Supreme Court and a "motion to dissolve the injunction."

So it's not over yet although the market made its judgment clear, boosting TiVo by nearly 30% to $10.86.

For his part, Citi's Jason Bazinet thinks "With today’s partial TiVo victory, the odds of an outright victory for Dish just got slimmer. However, given Dish’s push to swap out older MPEG4 boxes, coupled with it’s efforts to implement a new work-around, it seems clear the two parties are unlikely to reach a negotiated settlement."
_______________________________________________

On a completely different note, I find it sad that an ABC affiliate in a major Top 20 market like St. Louis cannot cost justify a local news department. During Thursday evening's storms, TV30 resorted to a straight low-resolution retrans of Channel 5's HD signal. Other than being blurry, there was no indication I was tuned to channel 30. Now I get to see kSDk in two places. But seriously, the daily "Powered by NewsChannel 5" broadcasts look like one big commercial for their biggest competitor. It's nothing like the Channel 2/11 arrangement. Although owned by the same company and sharing studios, they seem to keep their distance & identities for the most part.

BTW, I think the Anchor girl that does the KDNL 10PM news does a fine job. I just wish they would put a little more effort into the project to make the show look more like their own. At least strip off all the Channel 5 references (bugs, microphones, etc.).

Rant off.

What is with FOX Sports these days? The Saturday afternoon game coverage includes a camera that thinks it is supposed to be part of a Susan G. Komen charity walk, as both the Cardinals and Reds uniforms are showing up as PINK!

Clearly they can see this in the control room, so why do they continue to use that camera? Geez! Fix it or shut it down.

Really pathetic work from this network these days.

Anyone hear when KTVI plans to air Fringe? They aired Glee late Wednesday after local storm coverage preempted it on Tuesday - I think at 1:05 am. I already watched the episode online, but I want to record it. I thought it was up there with the best Fringe episodes ever.

Just found it in the guide - 10:35 tonight. I'll watch again. It's an excellent episode. I have to say, though, that I slightly preferred watching it online today. Locally, here on KTVI, it's soft, murky and artifact ridden.

I actually prefer to do a lot of my watching online lately. I get Chicago Code and Jay Leno's monologue via Hulu Plus, and Nikita, Human Target, Burn Notice, and Army Wives via Amazon. I lose the 5.1 channel sound that way, but the picture is usually *better* online lately... with no annoying animated ads.

BTW, my girlfriend is the Army Wives fan, not me. :D

Just found it in the guide - 10:35 tonight. I'll watch again. It's an excellent episode. I have to say, though, that I slightly preferred watching it online today. Locally, here on KTVI, it's soft, murky and artifact ridden.

I wouldn't count on the 10:35 repeat. Because I was watching Benny Hill on 2-2 since I missed it last night due to having no power. At 9 they decided to preempt it for their news and they said its going to be on for 2 hours. What it is the point of having sub channels if your going to preempt the programming just to show the same thing the you have on the main channels in SD. I'm not worried about missing Fringe since I can watch it on Hulu Plus on my PS3. Supernatural on the other hand I'll get on Itunes since I got Apple Tv this week.

I wouldn't count on the 10:35 repeat. Because I was watching Benny Hill on 2-2 since I missed it last night due to having no power. At 9 they decided to preempt it for their news and they said its going to be on for 2 hours. What it is the point of having sub channels if your going to preempt the programming just to show the same thing the you have on the main channels in SD. I'm not worried about missing Fringe since I can watch it on Hulu Plus on my PS3. Supernatural on the other hand I'll get on Itunes since I got Apple Tv this week.

Yep, Fringe isn't one right now. I didn't catch the beginning to know if they are just postponing the start due to the telethon/news. I added 3 hours to my recording and I'm back to watching hockey.

Yep, Fringe isn't one right now. I didn't catch the beginning to know if they are just postponing the start due to the telethon/news. I added 3 hours to my recording and I'm back to watching hockey.

It wasn't worth recording anyway, not with the flood warning and John Beal ad taking up 20% of the frame. And it was even softer than usual.

I'm also waiting for the Smallville ep to show up online. I'm not much of a fan anymore, but I want to see how they wrap up the series. I really lost interest when Smallville became Metropolis - and we lost the small town/family warmth that drew me to it originally. And I'll take Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) over Erica Durance (Lois Lane) any day.

This morning's Morning Bridge has an item from the "Be Careful what you Wish for" Department:

Retrans and Renewals: What's good for the gander could choke the goose as SNL Kagan reports that FOX's rumored reverse retrans demands could strip affiliates of most, or all, of the fees they're collecting. Rumors say that FOX wants stations in the top 125 markets to cough up 25¢/sub/month initially with the fee doubling over four years. Smaller markets are reportedly being hit up for 15¢/sub/month with a four year bump to 25¢. Said SNL Kagan analyst Robin Flynn, that 25¢ per sub in major markets is "about the average of what (the affiliates) are getting total."

I know it'll never happen, but I wish everyone could put up antennas again so this whole retrans thing would go away.

It was a pleasure to watch the Cards last night on ESPN. For the first time this season during a Cardinals home game (and a majority of road games), all of the colors pretty well matched in going from one camera to another.

I should note that the FOX Network on Saturday did attempt to correct the "pink" camera (see my previous note here), and while they definitely improved it, they never did get it to be a good match with the other cameras. Just wanted to acknowledge that they tried to fix the issue; they just weren't entirely successful.

Not sure why this should be so difficult for FOX Sports and FOX Network. It was never a problem (at least nowhere close to this degree) in past years.

I always enjoy watching the Cardinals on ESPN, especially Sunday Night Baseball.

I do not like Valentine on the broadcast crew, however. I agree that Oral is an upgrade over Joe Morgan, and I like Dan Shulman a lot, too, but I miss John Miller.

Charter Reported Readying Sale of Los Angeles System, Subscribers

From TV Week:
___________________________________________

Charter Communications is getting ready to sell its Los Angeles system in an auction that could attract $2 billion or more, reports Multichannel News.

The move comes after Charter failed to reach an agreement with Time Warner Cable to swap systems, with Charter seeking to swap its L.A.-area systems for Time Warner Cable's Wisconsin systems, the story says.

Charter’s systems in the city of Los Angeles and outlying areas reach 551,000 customers. Time Warner Cable, which has about 560,000 subscribers in Wisconsin, balked at the swap, the article says.

A Charter spokeswoman declined to comment. Charter's Los Angeles systems could attract bids between $2 billion and $2.5 billion, the story says.
___________________________________________

Link: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/04/charter-positioning-to-sell-la.php

It's no secret that one of my major pet peeves with network television is the gnat's width attention span and patience of the people in charge of prime-time programming decisions. They have regularly pulled the plug on programs that I liked, leaving me wanting more and getting, at best, something else promising that likewise gets snuffed out before it reaches its potential.

So, it goes without saying that I enjoyed Paul Reiser's appearance of the Tonight Show last night. I don't normally watch Leno, but I was channel surfing and came across Reiser in mid-rant and found it pretty irresistible.

Finally, something on NBC that I can identify with!

From FOX 411:
_______________________________________________

Comedian Paul Reiser, who had a long-running hit on NBC with “Mad About You,” is not pleased about the network canceling his new show.

The funnyman’s self-titled comedy lasted just two episodes before getting the axe from NBC honchos. On Monday night, Reiser laid into the network with his appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”—which the network had previously booked for him to, ahem, promote his new show.

"NBC, to my knowledge, they don't traditionally make bad decisions. Have you heard that? I don't know what your experience is," Reiser deadpanned to Leno, who suffered his own humiliation at the hands of NBC over the confusion of whether Conan O’Brien was replacing Leno on “The Tonight Show.”

"It turns out they said we enjoy missing you more than actually having you," Reiser joked. "But listen, I don't take it personally. Listen, when you're the last place network, you don't want to jeopardize that. You've found your niche. Stay there. So I get it."

______________________________________________

Full Text: http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/04/26/paul-reiser-disses-nbc-on-nbcs-the-tonight-show/#ixzz1KeMlfTJz

Reiser also made the point that NBC initially dragged its feet in scheduling his new program and then suddenly turned on a dime and abruptly called to let him know it was going to be added to the lineup -- the following week against "American Idol. " He also pointed out that this was without the extensive promotion that was promised beforehand.

He also joked that he received the cancellation phone call in the same abrupt manner as the news that his show was being added -- on Good Friday.

"Really, not such a good Friday, for me."

I agree. The network hook comes out far too fast for new shows. There's no chance for them to find their voices. And sometimes it's simply a matter of stupid decisions by network execs, or a lack of promotion. Although I didn't care for the first episode, Reiser certainly deserved better than he got from NBC.

Our business was at 70 and St Charles Rock Rd until Friday anyway
now it is scattered across the county.

Our home is on the corner of Bridgeton and Maryland Heights and destruction of the Tornado begins just three houses down from ours.

Charter as been out since Friday and have no idea when will be back.

ATT yesterday ran our three business lines into our house and had the DSL up this morning. The installer had to go through the roadblocks to connect the lines or something and then laid a line across my neighbors yard to be buried at a latter date but still no Charter.

Maybe I should have addressed Uverse while he was at it.

Ron

Our business was at 70 and St Charles Rock Rd until Friday anyway
now it is scattered across the county.

Our home is on the corner of Bridgeton and Maryland Heights and destruction of the Tornado begins just three houses down from ours.

Charter as been out since Friday and have no idea when will be back.

ATT yesterday ran our three business lines into our house and had the DSL up this morning. The installer had to go through the roadblocks to connect the lines or something and then laid a line across my neighbors yard to be buried at a latter date but still no Charter.

Maybe I should have addressed Uverse while he was at it.Comp,

I'm sorry to hear about the damage caused to your business and the outages at home. I hope that things get back to normal for you as soon as possible.

I'm sure if you have questions about Charter vs. Uverse that there are guys or gals here who could answer your questions or give an opinion. Likewise, I'd be happy to address any questions you might have about the DirecTV option, assuming that is an option for you at home.

In the meantime, hang in there...

Aiming at Movie Downloads, AT&T Imposes Broadband Caps

From Home Media Online:
____________________________________________________

As expected, AT&T will soon impose limits on the amount of broadband data — notably movies and TV shows — subscribers can download from the Internet on a monthly basis without paying additional fees.

AT&T's residential DSL plans will have a usage allowance of 150 gigabytes (GB) per month, while residential U-verse plans will have a usage allowance of 250GB per month.

The caps amount to about 100 hours per month of TV programming for DSL users and 200 hours for U-verse. The caps would limit users to 20 movie downloads in standard definition (25 for U-verse) and 10 (13 for U-verse) in high definition.
____________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/digital-evolution/att-cap-data-usage-may-2-23620

At the risk of getting flamed, if you accept the reality that broadband is not an infinite resource, this actually seems like a reasonable level for limits, though I'm not sure the SD/HD equivalents in the article are valid.

Of course, there is an issue of changing service terms in the middle of a contract, especially if there are subscriber term commitments and cancellation penalties. If this change were imposed in the middle of a 2-year commitment and I wasn't happy with the new policy, I would expect to be able to opt out without penalty. Not sure how AT&T would handle that, but I suspect it might be tough sledding, based on past AT&T practice.

Anyway, it looks to me that AT&T is not really aiming to shut down movie downloads entirely, as the limits seem like they would allow the average household a reasonable number of Netflix (or other source) movies per month. Am I wrong (not for the first time)?

But I do wonder about how this works out when all web activity, apart from movie downloads, comes into play. And I also wonder about the accuracy of the monitoring tools that AT&T is providing to its customers.

It will definitely be interesting to see how this plays out.

These caps are not about relieving consumer congestion on the network, so much as they are about protecting their video service profits. The best part is that it costs your average Tier 1 provider between 1.5 and 2 cents per GB that they deliver to the ISP, and another 5 to 7 cents per GB depending on where you live for the ISP to deliver it to you.

Congestion Pricing Myths Exposed: A Guide to the ‘Bandwidth Crisis’ at AT&T (Or Anywhere Else) (http://stopthecap.com/2011/03/15/congestion-pricing-myths-exposed-a-guide-to-the-bandwidth-crisis-at-att-or-anywhere-else/)

Wow. Not only have the Cards-Astros games not been in HD this series, they might just be the worst video quality I've ever seen. First and third base lines look like a series of crude dashes. Just awful.

Wow. Not only have the Cards-Astros games not been in HD this series, they might just be the worst video quality I've ever seen. First and third base lines look like a series of crude dashes. Just awful.

I didn't watch much of the game last night, but I'm pretty sure it was HD on D*. I could be wrong, but I thought I watched some on the 60" in the family room.

I didn't watch much of the game last night, but I'm pretty sure it was HD on D*. I could be wrong, but I thought I watched some on the 60" in the family room.Correct.

I think this may just be an issue with AT&T and DISH. Charter has actually been running radio ads about being the only source for all Cards' games. I don't think the ads mention HD specifically, but I may have missed that. I don't know any reason that DirecTV would not have all games and have them in HD.

Maybe DISH and AT&T should negotiate to carry just the first eight innings of the Cards games... :rolleyes:

The game was in HD tonight.

How much fun is it to have Lance Berkman as a Cardinal? :D I love to see a veteran like Berkman, or Larry Walker, or Will Clark, come into St. Louis and do well, but there's something special about Berkman this year. It's great to see players from Matt Holliday to David Freese around Berkman - laughing and having a good time in the dugout. Is it just me or has that been lacking the last few years?

A also like the team of Rick Horton and Dan McLaughan. I think they work well together. I'd just as soon see and hear Al Hrabosky do post game exclusively (or stay home). I've never cared for his smugness. Horton is self-deprecating, but very knowledgeable about the game, not to mention extremely likable, and a fast wit. I could get used to this.

It looks like the stlhdtv.info link is expired. That's the way I come to this thread, bummer...

It looks like the stlhdtv.info link is expired. That's the way I come to this thread, bummer...
Bookmarks are handy. Make one that points to this URL:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=793006

Bookmarks are handy. Make one that points to this URL:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=793006

Thanks, I did that, I just have to change my habit of typing "stlh-enter"...:eek:

DISH Agrees to Pay TiVo $500m to Settle DVR Patent Dispute

From Bloomberg:
__________________________________________

Dish Network Corp., the second-largest U.S. satellite-television provider, agreed to settle all patent litigation with TiVo Inc. and reported profit that topped analysts’ estimates.

Dish and EchoStar Corp. agreed to pay TiVo $500 million, including an initial payment of $300 million, as part of an agreement to dismiss all pending litigation between the companies, they said in a statement today. First-quarter profit reached $1.22 cents a share, Englewood, Colorado-based Dish said in a separate statement. Analysts projected 68 cents, the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

“We are pleased to put this litigation behind us and move forward,” Dish Chief Executive Officer Charlie Ergen said in the statement. “Our agreement with TiVo provides us a competitive advantage as one of the few multichannel operators with rights to operate under TiVo’s Time Warp patent, which ultimately will allow us to enhance the performance'' of the company's digital video recorders.

TiVo, a pioneer in the market for home DVRs, has been trying to shut down Dish’s DVR service since winning cases before a jury four years ago and before an appeals court in 2008 and 2010.
__________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-02/tivo-will-receive-500-million-after-dish-echostar-settle-patent-lawsuits.html

Dish announced a whole home dvr setup today at Team Summit. Looks like it has 3 sat. tuners and uses a remote box at each tv. If someone wants more tuners they can just add another main unit, all information is shared between the units. More info at satelliteguys.us

FOX Dumps Affiliates Resisting Retransmission Revenue Sharing

From TV Week:
________________________________________________

Fox Broadcasting dropped two stations from network affiliation after failing to reach deals under a new plan to get broadcast affiliates to pay for programming, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

The network had warned that it was ready to drop stations if they didn't accept Fox's new terms, the story says. The stations are WTVW-TV in Evansville, Indiana, owned by Nexstar Broadcasting, and KTRV-TV in Boise, Idaho, which is owned by Block Communications.

Fox wants stations in the country's top 125 markets to pay the network a portion of the funds they receive from cable and satellite operators who carry the stations' programming, the piece notes. Fox has said it needs the money to cover its programming costs and to offset declines in advertising.
________________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/05/fox-dumps-two-affiliates-part.php

FOX Dumps Affiliates Resisting Retransmission Revenue Sharing



Ain't Karma a b*tch? :D

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the following is about the best example one could hope for to illustrate what government regulation and anti-trust oversight is REALLY about.

It's just that this example tops most others in terms of shamelessness and naked intent. Regulation and anti-trust reviews have always been nothing but pay-to-play shakedowns.

From NPR online:
_______________________________________________

Washington's revolving door is spinning again this week, with Federal Communications Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker's announcement that she is resigning to become a lobbyist for Comcast.

Baker's last day on the commission will be June 3, a few weeks before the end of her term, and just over four months after she voted to approve the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal.
_______________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/12/136250400/for-government-employees-revolving-door-continues

NBC Reportedly Renews "Chuck" for Fifth Season

From the Daily Blam:
_____________________________________________

Chuck has defied the odds, yet again. TV Line is reporting that Zachary Levi and company will be back for a fifth season next fall.

Since the beginning of the series, NBC's action/comedy has been on the brink of cancellation. However, like a good spy, the show finds a way to continue no matter how large the odds are stacked against it. At one point, Subway came to the show's rescue in exchange for some heavy-handed advertising.

Reports have stated that the show recently hit an all-time low in ratings but it still carries a strong, faithful fan base.

Rumor has it Chuck will return for at least another 13 episodes, despite NBC having no official comment on the subject.
_____________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/05/12/chuck-renewed-fifth-season

NBC Reportedly Renews "Chuck" for Fifth Season

From the Daily Blam:
_____________________________________________

Chuck has defied the odds, yet again. TV Line is reporting that Zachary Levi and company will be back for a fifth season next fall.

Since the beginning of the series, NBC's action/comedy has been on the brink of cancellation. However, like a good spy, the show finds a way to continue no matter how large the odds are stacked against it. At one point, Subway came to the show's rescue in exchange for some heavy-handed advertising.

Reports have stated that the show recently hit an all-time low in ratings but it still carries a strong, faithful fan base.

Rumor has it Chuck will return for at least another 13 episodes, despite NBC having no official comment on the subject.
_____________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/05/12/chuck-renewed-fifth-season

It is official now. The reports are that it is a 13 ep renewal with the back 9 option again, however it is also reported as the Final season....Hopefully, they'll be able to plot everything smoothly to finish out the show!!!

It is official now. The reports are that it is a 13 ep renewal with the back 9 option again, however it is also reported as the Final season....Hopefully, they'll be able to plot everything smoothly to finish out the show!!!

they have moved Chuck to Fridays at 7pm...and it won't get more than 13 episodes unless they start pulling 10million viewers on Friday, so enjoy it's 13 episode farewell tour!!!

In one week, Chicago Code, Human Target, and V all got cancelled.

Looks like next season I'll be spending more time watching movies and less time watching series TV.

I looks like Grimm will be going against Fringe, which is probably good for Chuck, at least it doesn't have to split it's audience(although I don't think the numbers will really make any difference)

NBC Affiliates Hand Over "Proxy" Retrans Negotiation Rights to NBC

From TV Week online:
_________________________________________

NBC and its affiliate stations have the framework in place for an unusual -- and potentially groundbreaking -- arrangement in which the network would take the lead on behalf of affiliates in retransmission consent negotiations with cable and satellite providers, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

The arrangement, which is essentially an optional “proxy” deal for affiliates, has been in the works for a couple of years. But the details came together Monday during NBC’s affiliate board meeting in New York, held in conjunction with the network’s upfront presentation to advertisers, the story says.

NBC called the approach "another step toward further solidifying the partnership" with affiliate stations, the story reports.

According to the B&C piece: “Affiliates that opt in would hand over ‘proxy rights’ to retrans negotiations to the network. NBC affiliates board Chairman Brian Lawlor described it as a one-of-a-kind arrangement in broadcast television.

Said Lawlor: "It's a brand new kind of deal. It completely changes the network-affiliate model."
_________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/05/nbc-works-out-unusual-proxy-ar.php

Hard to see what's in this for the affiliates.

Hard to see what's in this for the affiliates.
Well, if XYZ Cable Co. threatens to deny to carry a particular affiliate programming, the network could threaten to cut off all network programming to the entire Cable Co. That;s what I read into it.
Collective bargaining for the affiliates.

Well, if XYZ Cable Co. threatens to deny to carry a particular affiliate programming, the network could threaten to cut off all network programming to the entire Cable Co. That;s what I read into it.

Collective bargaining for the affiliates.Actually, the cable company is required to carry the channel under FCC "must carry" regulations; however, "must carry" is null and void once the station requests payment for carriage. So the current issues aren't about the cable company refusing to carry the channel -- it's the fact that the station and cable operator can't agree to financial terms. If anything, it's the TV station withholding the station from the cable company (for negotiating leverage), not the other way around.

I don't think the proposed NBC arrangement is designed to allow the network to cut off NBC from an entire cable system as a result of a dispute with a single station. On the other hand, if a national cable company and NBC couldn't come to terms for a national agreement, then the resulting NBC blackout would be nationwide.

Also, this proposed arrangement goes beyond collective bargaining. In a collective bargaining arrangement it's unusual (maybe unprecedented) for the bargaining unit to be the entity that gets paid. Under this proposed arrangement, it appears that cable providers would be contracting directly with NBC, and then NBC would be passing on to the affiliates a share of the fees agreed and collected. Now, I'm not saying that NBC would try to screw its affiliates, but if the network is getting paid directly, it's almost inevitable there are going to be payment disputes as a result.

Also, it's not clear cut to me if/how NBC will be able to get a better deal for the locals than the locals could get themselves. It seems to me that the cable companies are already being pushed pretty hard and we have to be getting close to a limit on how much more pay TV subscribers are prepared to pay. If I'm the Comcast guy in charge of negotiating with NBC, I'm looking for a discount based on national volumes. Maybe that works, maybe it doesn't, but that seems a logical starting point for getting NBC programming into 20 million-plus households at the stroke of a pen.

For quite a few years, I've said that eventually at least one network would eventually go completely around the affiliates and distribute directly through the cable and satellite companies. Seems to me that this is an interim step toward that sort of an arrangement.

......For quite a few years, I've said that eventually at least one network would eventually go completely around the affiliates and distribute directly through the cable and satellite companies. Seems to me that this is an interim step toward that sort of an arrangement.

Your logic makes sense from an NBC standpoint but why would any affiliate sign away their rights to negotiate and allow the network to go around them? Remember the recent KMOV-Charter dispute? Despite missing Larry Conners, what leverage would they have had if CBS stepped in to provide all network programming during the blackout?

In one week, Chicago Code, Human Target, and V all got cancelled.

Looks like next season I'll be spending more time watching movies and less time watching series TV.

I liked all 3 shows. I read that Detroit 1-8-7 got the ax as well. It was a quirky favorite.

This is an excerpt of an article regarding the streaming of movies and entertainment on ZDNet and it made me go UGH!
___________________________
Compared to Blu-ray streaming video looks terrible. But if you like what you are watching, who cares?

As Philip Kortum, psych prof at Rice and co-author of the study “The Effect of Content Desirability on Subjective Video Quality Ratings” put it:

If you’re at home watching and enjoying a movie, we found that you’re probably not going to notice or even concern yourself with how many pixels the video is or if the data is being compressed. This strong relationship holds across a wide range of encoding levels and movie content when that content is viewed under longer and more naturalistic viewing conditions.

Blu-ray’s window of opportunity has slammed shut.
_________________________

The entire article is at the link below:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/storage/blu-ray-death-by-streaming/1386?tag=nl.e539

This is an excerpt of an article regarding the streaming of movies and entertainment on ZDNet and it made me go UGH!
___________________________
Compared to Blu-ray streaming video looks terrible. But if you like what you are watching, who cares?

As Philip Kortum, psych prof at Rice and co-author of the study “The Effect of Content Desirability on Subjective Video Quality Ratings” put it:

If you’re at home watching and enjoying a movie, we found that you’re probably not going to notice or even concern yourself with how many pixels the video is or if the data is being compressed. This strong relationship holds across a wide range of encoding levels and movie content when that content is viewed under longer and more naturalistic viewing conditions.

Blu-ray’s window of opportunity has slammed shut.
_________________________

The entire article is at the link below:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/storage/blu-ray-death-by-streaming/1386?tag=nl.e539
I'd worry if I actually believed anything ZDNet says.

I'd worry if I actually believed anything ZDNet says.

What about that article do you disagree with? I'd say its pretty much spot on. Remember, videophiles are the distinct minority.

What about that article do you disagree with? I'd say its pretty much spot on. Remember, videophiles are the distinct minority.

I don't consider myself a true videophile, but I am the first of my friends to comment, or avoid certain viewing experiences because of the lack of quality in sound or video. With that said though its hard to argue with the instant abilities services like Netflix provide. I went from a DVD collection that peaked near 400 movies, and am now down to just 130. The only hope physical media has to survive is bandwidth caps. For me, I get my HD content from online sources, cable, and rental. But I am done with purchasing them, and will probably downgrade my Netflix account to streaming only and only have it active for Bluray rentals a few months out of the year.

I'd agree with the article as far as rentals go (Amazon recently sent me an e-mail apologizing for some of my rentals streaming in SD rather than HD and gave me a credit for $415 in free Amazon Instant Video. Yes, $415!)

But for the collection, nothing beats having the disc on my shelf (except having it in the player). :D

Well, I woke up this morning and noticed the world didn't end last night.

So I had to do laundry and go to work today after all.

Kinda sucked.

:D

It looks like the stlhdtv.info link is expired. That's the way I come to this thread, bummer...


oops... I forgot it wasn't on autorenew. I was out of town and busy when it expired. It is fixed. Sorry!

oops... I forgot it wasn't on autorenew. I was out of town and busy when it expired. It is fixed. Sorry!

Thanks for fixing it, no worries, since you are doing out of the kindness of your heart, there are no expectations for it to continue, it just threw me off...

Hey, skippy -- it's very generous of you to keep the domain ownership going. Thanks.

I feel like I owe you a beer.

CBS is looking to up the ante on retransmission agreements.

From Broadcasting & Cable (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/468737-CBS_Raises_the_Retrans_Bar.php?rssid=20065):
_______________________________________

Retransmission consent and reverse compensation revenue could double over the next five years to $1 billion at CBS, chief financial officer Joe Ianiello told an industry conference Tuesday.

CBS has said in the past that it expects to reap $250 million in retransmission consent revenue from its owned and operated stations and another $225 million in so-called reverse compensation from its affiliates. At the Barclays' Communications, Technology & Media Conference in New York, Ianiello said that is based on receiving 50 cents per subscriber per month for its O&Os and another 25 cents per subscriber per month from its affiliate stations.

"That's $475 million of revenue and profit, because there is no cost against it," Ianiello said of the current retrans and reverse compensation haul. "My simple math was it should be $1; just double everything. That's the $1 billion. Whether that happens in three years or five years, we can debate about the time frame, but nobody is debating that it's there. We know every contract when it expires and what we need to get in those negotiations. The track has been laid. The good news is that from where we sit today, there is significant upside that is significantly accretive to our margin."
_______________________________________

An update on the Sasquatch of the consumer electronics world -- the new DirecTV TiVo DVR -- from TV Predictions:
_________________________________________

In a call with Wall Street analysts following the release of its first quarter report, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said: "In terms of DIRECTV, we're making real progress. We're getting close there. They are testing the product. We will launch relatively soon, I hope."

He added: "Part of the reason that it's taking somewhat longer is a bunch of additional feature work that we were doing there. I can't comment on specific features of DIRECTV such as multi-room."

In 2008, TiVo and DIRECTV announced that they were reuniting to develop a new HD DVR which would be offered to DIRECTV's subscribers in mid-2009. However, the launch has been delayed several times for reasons unclear.
_________________________________________

Full Text: http://www.tvpredictions.com/directvtivo052511.htm

An update on the Sasquatch of the consumer electronics world -- the new DirecTV TiVo DVR -- from TV Predictions:
...Now that Duke Nukem Forever is GM, something has to take its place: DirecTivo HD is as good a candidate as any.

At this point I've long given up on this and would rather they just continue improving the current HD DVRs. My wife and I never really missed Tivo anyway.

Now that Duke Nukem Forever is GM, something has to take its place: DirecTivo HD is as good a candidate as any.

At this point I've long given up on this and would rather they just continue improving the current HD DVRs. My wife and I never really missed Tivo anyway.Agree. The homegrown DirecTV DVRs took a while to become stable and with the full feature set I expected (dual buffers was the last item on my wish list to be realized). I see a lot of other DVRs, especially cable DVRs, and the DirecTV DVRs are head and shoulders above most. For example, the Time Warner DVR is brutally bad, as is Charter's non-MOXI option. DISH's DVR is pretty good, but there's the whole TiVo litigation issue there.

While I enjoyed using the original TiVo DVR at the time, today it seems overly simplistic and dumbed-down. I think the air long ago escaped the TiVo balloon and the fact that it has taken TiVo and DirecTV nearly 3 years to get a TiVo product back in the lineup is a big fail for a company that is clearly struggling to survive.

DISH's DVR is pretty good, but there's the whole TiVo litigation issue there.
.

This was settled at the beginning of the month.

In the spirit of dissing the local OTA stations when they mess up: I have noticed that channel 38-1, the digital low power Home Shopping Channel, has been broadcasting nothing but a black screen containing only the overlay of their 800 number and the words 'no signal' for the last. several. days. :eek: Seriously, whats the point? Just pull the plug on the transmitter until you figure out out how to power cycle the IRD or re-aim the dish!

I hate to be Mr Complainer but why was Modern Family in SD last night? They were showing tornado and thunderstorm watches but only for the first few minutes.

I hate to be Mr Complainer but why was Modern Family in SD last night? They were showing tornado and thunderstorm watches but only for the first few minutes.

It was that way for all of prime time until about 10 minutes into Cougartown. I'm pretty sure I've seen overlays on the HD signal on ABC before...

It was that way for all of prime time until about 10 minutes into Cougartown. I'm pretty sure I've seen overlays on the HD signal on ABC before...

Thanks for the info. I was out of town and we had a vacation relief guy on. Should have cut back to HD when not running a crawl. Also FYI, we finally might have a fix for running the crawls in HD. The manufacturer has sent us another box that we'll be testing Tuesday.

TVWeek had a story a few days ago about how TV stations are struggling to handle the demands of the digital world and how that may (MAY?!?!) inhibit their efforts to deliver products and services to mobile users.

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/05/study-shows-broadcasters-at-ri.php

I couldn't resist commenting on the TVWeek article, and there's also a reply to me from an unidentified station tech who concurs that technical quality is circling the drain.

TVWeek had a story a few days ago about how TV stations are struggling to handle the demands of the digital world and how that may (MAY?!?!) inhibit their efforts to deliver products and services to mobile users.

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/05/study-shows-broadcasters-at-ri.php

I couldn't resist commenting on the TVWeek article, and there's also a reply to me from an unidentified station tech who concurs that technical quality is circling the drain.

True many stations don't pay attention to what they're broadcasting partially because everything now runs unattended on a PC. That's why we are just starting a multimillion dollar HD upgrade to most of our markets that will include local and remote alarming of numerous parameters. Also, some local cable companies really mess up the signal, which we have little control over.

Thanks for the info. I was out of town and we had a vacation relief guy on. Should have cut back to HD when not running a crawl. Also FYI, we finally might have a fix for running the crawls in HD. The manufacturer has sent us another box that we'll be testing Tuesday.

I was just about to ask about that. One other question; will metro map include the counties that are part of the DMA now. I think the one KDNL is using is about 10 years out of date; if I remember correctly, that's a relic from the News30 era, right?

Thanks.

Were the breakups during the Indy race yesterday in the network feed, or do I need to have a look at my antenna? Video blocking, black-screen outages, audio stuttering and dropouts. About 1pm, Ch30, OTA.

It looks like the last channel in st.louis without a sub station is getting one. WRBU is adding METV on July 1.

http://www.metvnetwork.com/wherewatch.php?zipcode=63042&x=25&y=20

It looks like the last channel in st.louis without a sub station is getting one. WRBU is adding METV on July 1.

http://www.metvnetwork.com/wherewatch.php?zipcode=63042&x=25&y=20For all practical purposes, WRBU IS a subchannel.

Were the breakups during the Indy race yesterday in the network feed, or do I need to have a look at my antenna?

It was in the network feed - I was watching the backhaul off the Galaxy-3c satellite - it's a pitiful display for a big-time TV network to have these kinds of problems at a *major sporting event* in this day and age.

I picked up some 2TB Seagate Barracuda 5900rpm drives at Micro Center the other day for $70 each. The ad said $80, but they rang up at $70. :eek:

I was disappointed to learn today that American Furniture, Electronics and Appliances is closing stores in St. Louis. I have bought furniture, appliances and furniture from them and thought they always had comparable prices to the other big-box stores. At least I will have an opportunity to hopefully get a deal on a TV for my garage :)

Already? Haven't they only been here maybe three years? Sure doesn't seem like very long?

No, I bought some speakers from them in '06 and I think they'd been there already for a couple of years. Too bad. First Ultimate and now American. And that much less of an opportunity to check out electronics locally.

Anyone seeing KPTN-LD 36 on the air? Should be mapping to 7-1 and if SiliconDust is to be believed, may have Univision in HD.

- Trip

I was disappointed to learn today that American Furniture, Electronics and Appliances is closing stores in St. Louis. I have bought furniture, appliances and furniture from them and thought they always had comparable prices to the other big-box stores. At least I will have an opportunity to hopefully get a deal on a TV for my garage :)

So I guess the Anderson's are homeless now. :P

Anyone seeing KPTN-LD 36 on the air? Should be mapping to 7-1 and if SiliconDust is to be believed, may have Univision in HD.

- Trip

Yes I'm seeing 4 channels that are showing color bars. I doubt they would show Univision wouldn't they use the first channel for home shopping? The other 3 I guess would be the ION channels. About the only thing I can think of.

I was disappointed to learn today that American Furniture, Electronics and Appliances is closing stores in St. Louis. I have bought furniture, appliances and furniture from them and thought they always had comparable prices to the other big-box stores. At least I will have an opportunity to hopefully get a deal on a TV for my garage :)

That's a bummer. I'll have to call and make sure our furniture that's on order is still coming...

Also seeing nothing but color bars on all four 7-x channels.

....... At least I will have an opportunity to hopefully get a deal on a TV for my garage :)

What garage would be complete without a 60" HD wide-screen? :D

I'm only picking up 7-1, attempts to tune 7-2,3, etc. result in 'no signal.'

What garage would be complete without a 60" HD wide-screen? :D
Mine wouldn't be :eek:

Who has DirecTV's Whole Home (multi-room) setup? My DVR has been dying for a while now, so today I pulled the trigger on new receivers and the whole house setup. I'm looking for any info regarding required cabling, so I can pre-run some of the cables before the installer shows up.

Thanks.

Mine wouldn't be :eek:

Who has DirecTV's Whole Home (multi-room) setup? My DVR has been dying for a while now, so today I pulled the trigger on new receivers and the whole house setup. I'm looking for any info regarding required cabling, so I can pre-run some of the cables before the installer shows up.

Thanks.
I have it. It all runs off the RG coax cable. One receiver needs to connect to your LAN/router.

Or in my case, I have it in "unsupported mode" without the single line multiswitches and with all receivers connected to my router. My only complaint is the 30-second skip doesn't work as well when you're skipping on a program recorded on a box different from the one on which you're playing it. But that's pretty minor. Overall, it's pretty cool.

Or in my case, I have it in "unsupported mode" without the single line multiswitches and with all receivers connected to my router. My only complaint is the 30-second skip doesn't work as well when you're skipping on a program recorded on a box different from the one on which you're playing it. But that's pretty minor. Overall, it's pretty cool.I'm running in the official mode, and 30 second skip works flawlessly. I can' tell local programs from remote ones in that regard. The only downside is you can't manage scheduling of remote DVRs from a local DVR.

Well, another Cardinals game in SD. There are more SD games than HD ones on Dish these days.

The refreshing thing, though, was Al Hrabosky's general lack of smugness and sarcasm. Staying at home has been good for him. I was so sick of the incessant snide comments, which to me always made it more obvious that he had little of substance to say. I like the more Horton, less Hrabosky formula. It's making Hrabosky better when he is there.

And by the way, that Garcia kid can pitch, can't he? :D

I have it. It all runs off the RG coax cable. One receiver needs to connect to your LAN/router.

So right now, I have two cables running to my existing DVR, one cable running to my other receiver, and one cable running to my garage. Do I need 2 cable to everything? Does the coax run between each receiver, or are they all connected to the dish?

Thanks again.

So right now, I have two cables running to my existing DVR, one cable running to my other receiver, and one cable running to my garage. Do I need 2 cable to everything? Does the coax run between each receiver, or are they all connected to the dish?

Thanks again.I have three HD DVRs. They all use a single cable from the satellite and I can still use both tuners. When you get the home home DVR, you will no longer need two cables to any DVR. There is no other cable to run. You will get new hardware at the dish end of things and at the DVR end, but you should be good on cable. There is no new cable to run between the DVRs, or anywhere else for that matter.

Just an FYI for Dish people tired of the SD Cards games. You can often see the games in HD if you search the alternate channels (440s). Must give credit to my son for discovering this. I wasn't home Friday night so not sure if that was an option, but it was during the SF series a couple times. I don't understand why they don't show up on FSMW-HD.

I'm only picking up 7-1, attempts to tune 7-2,3, etc. result in 'no signal.'

7-1 is now up and running. Just as I figured there showing the same thing they showed on there analog signal Home Shopping. The other 3 sub channels are still showing color bars.

Got another one; anyone seeing KUMO-LD 51 on the air? If so, is it airing Daystar or RTV?

- Trip

Just an FYI for Dish people tired of the SD Cards games. You can often see the games in HD if you search the alternate channels (440s). Must give credit to my son for discovering this. I wasn't home Friday night so not sure if that was an option, but it was during the SF series a couple times. I don't understand why they don't show up on FSMW-HD.

Thanks. I'd forgotten about this. I'd be watching the game in SD again tonight if not for the reminder. :D

My DirecTV install was fairly painless today. I got the whole home setup with one DVR. The DVR is the HR24, and the other two receivers are H25's (apparently I was only the 2nd person that the technician had given that receiver). The tech was planning on setting up one of my receivers with RF, but the new receivers no longer have the RF built-in; you have to be the RF module from DirecTV.

The other disappointment for me was despite my pleading for at least one receiver with OTA since my old Pioneer Elite RPTV doesn't have a built-in digital tuner. Not too surprising to me, the people on the phone have no idea that the new receivers do not have OTA tuners. Lastly, the H25's do not have TOSLINK connections, so I have to buy a new digital cable.

Overall, the install was pretty smooth.

Does anybody know if I can plug in my old external drive from my HR20 to the new HR24 and retain all of my recorded shows and schedules?

Nope, the HR24 will reformat the drive and start from scratch with it.

Nope, the HR24 will reformat the drive and start from scratch with it.It will not reformat the drive if it was already formatted with a HR2x series DVR. The schedule will remain intact, but none of the recordings will be usable because they are DRM-tied to the DVR that recorded them.

I have done this before, moving a drive from one DVR from one HR2x to a different one. The reformat only occurs if the drive does not have the correct file system (i.e. it's a Windows FAT formatted drive, or whatever).

It will not reformat the drive if it was already formatted with a HR2x series DVR. The schedule will remain intact, but none of the recordings will be usable because they are DRM-tied to the DVR that recorded them.

I have done this before, moving a drive from one DVR from one HR2x to a different one. The reformat only occurs if the drive does not have the correct file system (i.e. it's a Windows FAT formatted drive, or whatever).
Hmm, I may have to try this to see if my schedule stays in tact. I honestly figured this was a long shot anyway.

I'll have to try it sometime this weekend, as I'm already recording things that will need to be watched.

FYI -- latest quarterly pay TV subscriber totals:

http://www.mediabiz.com/media/content/video_to_4Q10.jpg

7-1 is now up and running. Just as I figured there showing the same thing they showed on there analog signal Home Shopping. The other 3 sub channels are still showing color bars.

Yeah, I saw that. I wonder what the other 3 channels are for?

Got another one; anyone seeing KUMO-LD 51 on the air? If so, is it airing Daystar or RTV?

- Trip

It's up. Daystar. For some reason, they refuse to broadcast RTV in this market. Not sure why.

Yeah, I saw that. I wonder what the other 3 channels are for?

They're up for lease. It's Mako's business model. They light up LPTV stations and lease out all the subchannels.

- Trip

Now I'm just getting a blank screen on 7-1. Still getting color bars on the other 7-x subchannels.

I went to the O'Fallon, IL, American store tonight.

No major deals, in my view. 20% off a lot of merchandise, 40% off os some. Most TVs were up to $300 off it seemed.

I went in and didn't really plan on buying anything unless there was a significant discount, which I didn't really see.

I posted this in a couple threads here on AVS, but always love to hear input from you guys as I know we off topic from OTA-HDTV around here... However, if I am able to get this to work, the next addition would be an outdoor TV w/ OTA HDTV access.



We are putting an inground pool in our backyard and we are going to extend our current patio around the pool and enlarge it.

What I would like is to have 2 (or maybe 4) of the rock speakers around the pool in the landscaping and then have 2 indoor/outdoor speakers on the deck facing the patio area.

I'd also like to be able to hook the speakers up to a receiver inside my house, and connect that speaker (somehow) to my Windows Home Server so that I can stream mp3s, Internet radio, etc. to the speakers surrounding the pool and patio. I'd like to be able to control the entire thing (or at least the mp3/streaming part of it through my Android phone or an iPod touch. However, I'm not sure if any or all of this is possible.

I am not looking for audiophile quality here, getting the music out there is the main goal. Essentially looking for entry-level stuff to accomplish the goal. After the costs of the pool and landscaping, retaining wall, etc. there isn't a lot of budget for music.

I guess I have a few questions I was hoping for some help with:

-- Any experience with the rock style speakers? Are some inexpensive ones good enough for what I'm wanting to do?

-- What type of receiver would I need?

-- Is it even possible to stream mp3s from a server to a receiver and control it with a smartphone?

-- What kind of speakerwire would be necessary to run underground?


Truly, any advice would be helpful.

...

-- Is it even possible to stream mp3s from a server to a receiver and control it with a smartphone?
...I stream FLAC (better than MP3, but can do MP3), to a Naim Uniti (I have the Qute) and control it with Naim's iPhone/iPad app. Works very nicely...

...but still doesn't sound anywhere near as good as vinyl. :p

I stream FLAC (better than MP3, but can do MP3), to a Naim Uniti (I have the Qute) and control it with Naim's iPhone/iPad app. Works very nicely...

...but still doesn't sound anywhere near as good as vinyl. :p

Where did you buy that?

Where did you buy that?Music For Pleasure on Big Bend. I think you can also get outboard DAC/streamers for less that connect to an existing receiver. Cambridge Audio and (I believe) Marantz also make them for less cost than the Naim (anything with the Naim label means $$$$). :)

Music For Pleasure can hook you up. Tell them Dean sent you.

Music For Pleasure on Big Bend. I think you can also get outboard DAC/streamers for less that connect to an existing receiver. Cambridge Audio and (I believe) Marantz also make them for less cost than the Naim (anything with the Naim label means $$$$). :)

Music For Pleasure can hook you up. Tell them Dean sent you.

I was afraid it was going to be pretty high-end.

I will have to look at the Cambridge and Marantz option and head over there.

So, with that type of set up, no PC or receiver is required to be connected?

I was afraid it was going to be pretty high-end.

I will have to look at the Cambridge and Marantz option and head over there.

So, with that type of set up, no PC or receiver is required to be connected?You have to stream the music from somewhere. I have a Mac with all my FLAC files on an external drive. I use UPnP streaming software to stream to the Naim. These devices are UPnP clients. You stream the music from somewhere (a computer) and they connect to it. If you use Windows Media Center or Windows 7, you already have a UPnP server. If you use a Mac, you can add UPnP for free or cheap.

If you want solutions that also store the music, that gets more expensive, AFAIK.

Music For Pleasure can help you our with options and choices.

Now I'm just getting a blank screen on 7-1. Still getting color bars on the other 7-x subchannels.

I get a blank screen with "No signal" on my Insignia box. Same as you on the other 3.

They're up for lease. It's Mako's business model. They light up LPTV stations and lease out all the subchannels.

- Trip

Thanks for the info. I've got a few ideas (Telemundo, Univision, Telefutura), etc. RTV would be nice, seeing as KUMO isn't airing it. A return of ion, wouldn't be bad either.

I guess I have a few questions I was hoping for some help with:
-- Any experience with the rock style speakers? Are some inexpensive ones good enough for what I'm wanting to do?
-- What type of receiver would I need?
-- Is it even possible to stream mp3s from a server to a receiver and control it with a smartphone?
-- What kind of speakerwire would be necessary to run underground?


Here's another option for streaming. If you have a PC with Windows Media Center, you can install a free program called Media Browser that runs inside of WMC. Someone has developed an app that can control Media Browser via the internet with an ios or android based device. I personally have not tried it (I haven't tried the app, but I do use Media Browser), but it has been in development for a while and apparently works.

Media Browser Home Page:
http://www.mediabrowser.tv/

Web Control:
http://community.mediabrowser.tv/permalinks/3448/new-iphone-frontend-beta

The PC would just need to connect to a regular old receiver via the sound out and one of the receiver inputs.

Regarding speaker wire, I think you can direct bury UF electrical wire, just get as thin of a gage as you can because it's kind of hard to work with. If you've got everything already torn up because of the pool build, your best bet is to run conduit and then feed regular speaker wire through that. It'll be safer in the long run, especially if you might be digging in any of those areas later on.

I'm also interested in information regarding yard type speakers. I have a pair of all-weather Boston Acoustics on the deck, but in order to hear them in the back of the yard, they have to be loud enough that you couldn't carry on a conversation on the deck. I tried a wireless omni directional speaker about 10 years ago and it was awful. (Bad range and bad sound) But, in the span of 10 years, I would think there has to have been some improvements on those. I just haven't tried one again.

I get a blank screen with "No signal" on my Insignia box. Same as you on the other 3.

What UHF channel is this on? I have a decent rooftop antenna in Creve Coeur pointed towards the South/Southeast to pick up the major towers but I see no new channels after many scans.

RTV would be nice, seeing as KUMO isn't airing it.

RTV is being broadcast by KPXS on channel 16 (NTSC/Analog), and as best I can remember, has been for the better part of two years.

What UHF channel is this on?

Here's my cheat sheet, maybe someone can supply the channels I'm missing (ie; 21 (DTV), 22, 49, etc.)

NTSC FCC-ID DTV FREQ-MHz NETWK
02 -- KTVI -- 43 -- 647.000 -- FOX
04 -- KMOV -- 24 -- 533.000 -- CBS
05 -- KSDK -- 35 -- 599.000 -- NBC
07 -- KPTN-LD 36 -- 605.000-- HSN
09 -- KETC -- 39 -- 623.000 -- PBS
11 -- KPLR -- 26 -- 545.000 -- CW
16 -- WPXS -- NA -- 485.000 -- RTN
24 -- KNLC -- 14 -- 473.000 -- GOD
30 -- KDNL -- 31 -- 575.000 -- ABC
33 -- ???? -- NA -- 587.000 -- GOD
46 -- WBRU -- 47 -- 671.000 -- MYTV
51 -- KUMO-LP 51 -- 695.000 -- GOD

38 -- K38HD -- rf38 -- HSN

RTV is being broadcast by KPXS on channel 16 (NTSC/Analog), and as best I can remember, has been for the better part of two years.


Have they turned on 16-1 yet? According to rabbitears.info it should be on channel 44. I would be nice to actually see RTV instead of watching it through a snowstorm.

What UHF channel is this on? I have a decent rooftop antenna in Creve Coeur pointed towards the South/Southeast to pick up the major towers but I see no new channels after many scans.

You're not missing much. :)

7.1 is black, and 7.2, 7.3, & 7.4 are a color-bar show.

I think this year's Cardinal broadcasts have been greatly improved by the addition of Ricky Horton into the mix, with fewer games for McLaughlin and Hrabosky. It's too bad, though, that there's no way to have Horton doing the play-by-play, with Horton doing the color. Absent that, I'd still like to see Tom Parris and Horton teamed up.

I thought Horton was particularly on point during last night's extra innings game, when McLaughlin, in his typically clueless way, asked Horton if he thought LaRussa would ask Fernando Salas to go out for a second inning of relief work. Horton, without missing a beat, said if that's what LaRussa wanted to do there wouldn't be any ASKING -- there would be TELLING.

FWIW, that's not the first time there's been that sort of McLaughlin-Horton exchange, though this one was definitely the most pointed. Seems to be some tension developing there...

After a 10-day road trip, would it be too much to hope for that FOX Midwest has finally color-balanced all of the Busch Stadium cameras?

I think this year's Cardinal broadcasts have been greatly improved by the addition of Ricky Horton into the mix, with fewer games for McLaughlin and Hrabosky. It's too bad, though, that there's no way to have Horton doing the play-by-play, with Horton doing the color. Absent that, I'd still like to see Tom Parris and Horton teamed up.

I thought Horton was particularly on point during last night's extra innings game, when McLaughlin, in his typically clueless way, asked Horton if he thought LaRussa would ask Fernando Salas to go out for a second inning of relief work. Horton, without missing a beat, said if that's what LaRussa wanted to do there wouldn't be any ASKING -- there would be TELLING.

FWIW, that's not the first time there's been that sort of McLaughlin-Horton exchange, though this one was definitely the most pointed. Seems to be some tension developing there...

After a 10-day road trip, would it be too much to hope for that FOX Midwest has finally color-balanced all of the Busch Stadium cameras?

I don't care for Horton as play-by-play guy. Maybe it's only because he's paired with Al, but he seems way to prone too making basic mistakes. I also only find him just marginally better than Al as an analyst, but then again I don't really care for any analysts out there. I actually don't mind Dan.

However, I am extremely grateful that Jay Randolph is now retired.

Here's another option for streaming. If you have a PC with Windows Media Center, you can install a free program called Media Browser that runs inside of WMC. Someone has developed an app that can control Media Browser via the internet with an ios or android based device. I personally have not tried it (I haven't tried the app, but I do use Media Browser), but it has been in development for a while and apparently works.

Media Browser Home Page:
http://www.mediabrowser.tv/

Web Control:
http://community.mediabrowser.tv/permalinks/3448/new-iphone-frontend-beta

The PC would just need to connect to a regular old receiver via the sound out and one of the receiver inputs.

Regarding speaker wire, I think you can direct bury UF electrical wire, just get as thin of a gage as you can because it's kind of hard to work with. If you've got everything already torn up because of the pool build, your best bet is to run conduit and then feed regular speaker wire through that. It'll be safer in the long run, especially if you might be digging in any of those areas later on.

I'm also interested in information regarding yard type speakers. I have a pair of all-weather Boston Acoustics on the deck, but in order to hear them in the back of the yard, they have to be loud enough that you couldn't carry on a conversation on the deck. I tried a wireless omni directional speaker about 10 years ago and it was awful. (Bad range and bad sound) But, in the span of 10 years, I would think there has to have been some improvements on those. I just haven't tried one again.

Thanks for the suggestions! I do have Windows 7 so MC is installed and I've played around with MediaBrowser in the past. Sounds like a good, cheap solution for what I'm looking for.

I'm torn between running conduit and just burying wire. I know conduit would be better in the long run, but....

Tonight, I pulled the trigger on the Insignia rock speakers from Best Buy. Got them on sale (a pair) for under $70. Reviews are good and obviously sound quality isn't anywhere near as important as it would be in my basement. Mostly, I'm looking to be able to hear them :)

I'll let you know how they work out. I'm testing them tomorrow but the pool isn't in, so I can't really set them up fully, unfortunately.

Anyone here have one of the new Panasonic VT30 plasma HDTVs? If so, I need to get my hands on one of these to test new software that enables the ISF calibration modes. FWIW, I used to make use of the kind folks at Ultimate for this sort of testing, but they're no longer around. :(

If someone has a VT30 and is interested in having it calibrated, I'll provide full calibration of your TV for 50% of the normal fee. Unfortunately I'm heading out on the road at the end of the week and need to get this done ASAP. Note that the testing is really just familiarization and ensuring the new software works with my computer and associated equipment. Ideally I like to do this sort of first-time run-through in a more controlled, close-to-home setting, rather than from the road. The software (ControlCAL) in question is a full production release, so there is no "testing risk."

If you're interested, contact me at 314-226-1705, as an appointment would need to be scheduled before midday on Thursday (June 23).

Thanks.

I want to again thank the person that mentioned the Cards are on in HD on the alternate FS channels sometimes on Dish. The bullpen was horrendous tonight, but at least I got to see it in HD!

I ordered a JVC GS-TD1 3D video camera a few weeks ago, and I'm having a blast shooting and editing 3D video. I have an awful lot to learn, but this past week I burned my first 3D Blu-ray discs of footage I shot at Shaw's Garden. Editing 3D is not nearly as painless as editing regular HD, but it's doable. And, man oh man, does this little JVC camera produce some incredible 3D images!!! The picture quality is phenomenal. I hope 3D succeeds, because if this first generation 3D camcorder is any indication, the future of 3D at home is looking very, very good.

I ordered a JVC GS-TD1 3D video camera a few weeks ago, and I'm having a blast shooting and editing 3D video. I have an awful lot to learn, but this past week I burned my first 3D Blu-ray discs of footage I shot at Shaw's Garden. Editing 3D is not nearly as painless as editing regular HD, but it's doable. And, man oh man, does this little JVC camera produce some incredible 3D images!!! The picture quality is phenomenal. I hope 3D succeeds, because if this first generation 3D camcorder is any indication, the future of 3D at home is looking very, very good.

Keep us updated Joe..

You have my interest now as to how this would bring out storm/cloud structure, or should I just say weather video in general.

Keep us updated Joe..

You have my interest now as to how this would bring out storm/cloud structure, or should I just say weather video in general.

Unfortunately, because the distance between the lenses is smaller than human vision, 3D at cloud distances would likely be minimal. It's best when foreground, middle ground and background objects are in frame, with the foreground objects at about 4-5 feet. For it to work with clouds, that distance would need to be very, very wide.

An interesting HDTV Magazine article about the increasingly tenuous position of free over-the-air broadcast television in the US:

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/columns/2011/06/hdtv-almanac-is-broadcast-tv-going-away.php

Most interesting fact here is that at least one manufacturer for broadcast equipment is exiting the market based on its gloomy outlook for that business.

On KDNL this evening (6/26/11) the closed captioning was cutting out during Extreme Makeover: Home Addition and at the start of Castle (which I did not stay with) every time a weather alert would come on for me. I am just OTA via antenna. Then when the alert finished the captioning would come back on. Those gaps keep those of us that need the captioning from really knowing what is going on.

Anyone else notice this?

On KDNL this evening (6/26/11) the closed captioning was cutting out during Extreme Makeover: Home Addition and at the start of Castle (which I did not stay with) every time a weather alert would come on for me. I am just OTA via antenna. Then when the alert finished the captioning would come back on. Those gaps keep those of us that need the captioning from really knowing what is going on.

Anyone else notice this?

We ran weather crawls this AM and there was captioning on over the air and Charter. Must be something in your TV that I doesn't like the 4 x 3 with a crawl. BTW, we have HD crawl equipment in place, but the manufacturer still can't get it to work right...hopefully soon!

.......BTW, we have HD crawl equipment in place, but the manufacturer still can't get it to work right...hopefully soon!

You guys must hate dropping back to SD every time there is a storm. These days it seems to be every other afternoon. Maybe it's time to fire that vendor and go after someone else that knows how it's done. :eek:

I just recently cut Uverse out of my life and am going OTA only with some streaming. I would like to find an antenna that I can put in a laundry/mud room where the rest of the AV stuff sits. This antenna would run to two different tvs with one cable run being less than 6' and the other ~50'. It seems i'm about 20 miles from the towers and it's all UHF. I've been looking at a DB2 and also Winegard SS-3000, but would be open to any other recommendation. My two main questions are #1 Will I need some sort of amplifier for the longer 50' run and #2 what antenna would be be best. If I have to I could go in the attic with it, but I would rather not if I can avoid it. Thanks for any advice.

You guys must hate dropping back to SD every time there is a storm. These days it seems to be every other afternoon. Maybe it's time to fire that vendor and go after someone else that knows how it's done. :eek:

I agree!!! Unfortunately it was not handled by me and the engineer that started it passed away suddenly a few weeks ago.

We ran weather crawls this AM and there was captioning on over the air and Charter. Must be something in your TV that I doesn't like the 4 x 3 with a crawl. BTW, we have HD crawl equipment in place, but the manufacturer still can't get it to work right...hopefully soon!

I can't tell you about my end as mine was not on that morning. I did post here knowing that we get good response from your station and not knowing if you knew about this from anywhere else.

I just recently cut Uverse out of my life and am going OTA only with some streaming. I would like to find an antenna that I can put in a laundry/mud room where the rest of the AV stuff sits. This antenna would run to two different tvs with one cable run being less than 6' and the other ~50'. It seems i'm about 20 miles from the towers and it's all UHF. I've been looking at a DB2 and also Winegard SS-3000, but would be open to any other recommendation. My two main questions are #1 Will I need some sort of amplifier for the longer 50' run and #2 what antenna would be be best. If I have to I could go in the attic with it, but I would rather not if I can avoid it. Thanks for any advice.

The DB2 or the C2 would both be reasonable choices although the forecast of reception relies on your particular exact location relative to your immediate surroundings (hills, trees, buildings, etc). An amp might be useful or needed, but I can't tell from here with a generic zip-only evaluation.

It's highly unlikely you'll get consistently good reception on all days across all channels with a near-ground level indoor antenna. I urge you to first consider a roof mount unit----even a small one. If that's not possible, then the attic. Clearly, with line of sight UHF, the greater the antenna height the better. Try antennaweb.org and see what they recommend.

I thinking of hanging my cs2 sideways on my indoor wall so i can get it up higher. Does the cs2 work sideways?

thanks

As someone here once said, getting an antenna to work at your house is more of a black art than a science. Lots of trial and error. I agree with moman, you are better off putting outside if you can. Otherwise, give it a go and see if it works. And remember, small moves.

They have a lot of old shows i would like to watch. I hope tivo adds metv to the channel list soon.

FYI -- a programming note for anyone who's watching the new season of "Burn Notice" on USA.

It appears that there was an error in the electronic programming guide data for "Burn Notice" this week. My DirecTV DVR recorded the Thursday night episode "Bloodlines," and then it also recorded what appeared to be a new episode "Mind Games" on Saturday morning, even though this was, in fact, a repeat of the Thursday night ep of "Bloodlines."

As a result of the EPG error, if you have your DVR set to record only New Episodes, the DVR is likely to not record this coming Thursday night's episode, because as far as the DVR history is concerned, it's already been recorded. The fix for this is to check Upcoming Episodes and if there's no indication that the Thursday July 7 episode of "Mind Games" is going to be recorded, you need to manually set a recording for this week. Assuming no further EPG errors, things should work normally going forward.

Not sure if this is an error only on DirecTV, or if it applies to DISH, Charter, AT&T, etc. If in doubt, check it out.

Edit: Actually, the past week's EPG error originated with the Thursday night episode, which was incorrectly labeled as "Mind Games," which is actually the July 7 episode title. The Saturday morning repeat was correctly labeled "Bloodlines." The net effect is that you may still need to manually record this coming week's Thursday episode.

I suspect that applies to every provider, since I believe they all get their guide data from the same place, Tribune Something or Other.

We went four days without a post? Don't tell me we're actually getting lives or something! :D

They have a lot of old shows i would like to watch. I hope tivo adds metv to the channel list soon.

The MeTV web site itself just says "coming soon."

Wouldn't ya know the one station that could multicast to its heart's content without us making a fuss (since it's only 480i in the first place) is the LAST "major" station to actually start multicasting? :mad:

I'm so glad that NBC feels the need to tell everyone watching the NYC fireworks live, that it is LIVE by using the most awful animated "LIVE" splash at the top of the screen. Their sparkler really detracts from the real fireworks :mad:

I'm so glad that NBC feels the need to tell everyone watching the NYC fireworks live, that it is LIVE by using the most awful animated "LIVE" splash at the top of the screen. Their sparkler really detracts from the real fireworks :mad:

Is the broadcast also cutting in and out OTA on Channel 5? I am in the midst of trying to make sure repairs made after a windstorm are up to snuff. Every now and then including tonight 5 will go blank with "Digital Signal Strength is Low" or similar wording. Then come back and stay for a varying length of time (sometimes indefinately and sometime momentarily).

Is the broadcast also cutting in and out OTA on Channel 5? I am in the midst of trying to make sure repairs made after a windstorm are up to snuff. Every now and then including tonight 5 will go blank with "Digital Signal Strength is Low" or similar wording. Then come back and stay for a varying length of time (sometimes indefinately and sometime momentarily).
Unfortunately, I recently upgrade DirecTV hardware and since my primary TV doesn't have any built-in tuners (nor does new DirecTV hardware), I did not check the OTA signal.

Is the broadcast also cutting in and out OTA on Channel 5? I am in the midst of trying to make sure repairs made after a windstorm are up to snuff. Every now and then including tonight 5 will go blank with "Digital Signal Strength is Low" or similar wording. Then come back and stay for a varying length of time (sometimes indefinately and sometime momentarily).

I was watching via OTA and saw no drops. I also agree the animated "fireworks" loop in the upper right corner was amazingly dumb, distracting and amateurish.

Anyone interested in a break from the regular Cardinals TV announcers can tune in to the game tonight via the ESPN national broadcast.

There is no blackout in force.

The MeTV web site itself just says "coming soon."

Wouldn't ya know the one station that could multicast to its heart's content without us making a fuss (since it's only 480i in the first place) is the LAST "major" station to actually start multicasting? :mad:

Somebody asked them on their facebook page and they said Aug 1st. But I won't be able it see it unless they somehow they actually increase their power because I can barely never get this station in.

Somebody asked them on their facebook page and they said Aug 1st. But I won't be able it see it unless they somehow they actually increase their power because I can barely never get this station in.

I find myself missing the reception in St. Louis. I'm in New York, and I can't pick up anything over the air. Probably because I'm way up north in Manhattan, and on the first floor. An OTA nightmare.

Somebody asked them on their facebook page and they said Aug 1st. But I won't be able it see it unless they somehow they actually increase their power because I can barely never get this station in.

It comes in fine here in eureka. It will be nice to record hogans heroes, taxi and gomer pyle on my tivo hd.

Hello,

I posted this in the receiver subforum, but I always get better feedback from local folks, so if you have any advice, I'd love to hear it!

I need some advice on choosing a receiver for this task:

-- I will have 4 outdoor speakers around my pool/patio and want to be able to connect them to a receiver that will be located inside the house

-- I could connect all 4 outdoor speakers to the same "zone" or two each to separate zones, it doesn't really matter. (2 will be patio area, 2 will be pool.)

-- I'd also like to connect a couple of speakers to the workshop in the basement (this is where the receiver will be located)

-- Someday I might want to connect this receiver to speakers elsewhere in the house

-- I think I need at least one digital input, see below

-- It would be great if I could change the input from outside the house, but I realize this may not be possible.


So, what do I want to play?

-- I want to be able to play AM/FM radio

-- I want to be able to stream my mp3s from my Windows Home Server. Will most likely accomplish this through Apple's AirPlay by purchasing an Airport Express and connecting it to the receiver.

-- I'd like to be able to stream Internet radio like Pandora


I've been looking at all kinds of new and used receivers and just can't find what would be best. I looked at the Pioneer VSX-1021-K which will basically do everything I want (AirPlay built in) but is awfully pricey. I thought I might be able to find something less expensive.

Any advice on receivers?

Thanks for any help!

I just saw the new Harry Potter movie in 3D last night(only option for the advanced screening). This is a post converted 3D experience. The only native 3D I've seen is Coraline. Compared to Coraline, this was OK at best. On it's own, it wasn't too bad. There were 3 or 4 shots that stood out as bad and gave me double vision, these were long shots of Harry standing far away, distant shot of the caves under Gringotts and 2 exterior shots with clouds in the distance. This "double vision" could have been caused by sitting too far to the side in the theater, but that should not happen if you are paying for 3D. Outside of those shots, the 3D was handled quite well. There was good separation, but it was still the "cardboard cutout" style of 3D rather than the "multidimensional objects on multiple planes" style of Coraline(or i would guess Avatar, or anything shot natively).

I hadn't planned on paying to see it in 3D, but I'm glad I'll have the point of reference and will give my opinion after Friday about whether the movie is best experienced in 3D or 2D.

I just saw the new Harry Potter movie in 3D last night(only option for the advanced screening). This is a post converted 3D experience. The only native 3D I've seen is Coraline. Compared to Coraline, this was OK at best. On it's own, it wasn't too bad. There were 3 or 4 shots that stood out as bad and gave me double vision, these were long shots of Harry standing far away, distant shot of the caves under Gringotts and 2 exterior shots with clouds in the distance. This "double vision" could have been caused by sitting too far to the side in the theater, but that should not happen if you are paying for 3D. Outside of those shots, the 3D was handled quite well. There was good separation, but it was still the "cardboard cutout" style of 3D rather than the "multidimensional objects on multiple planes" style of Coraline(or i would guess Avatar, or anything shot natively).

I hadn't planned on paying to see it in 3D, but I'm glad I'll have the point of reference and will give my opinion after Friday about whether the movie is best experienced in 3D or 2D.

Conversions can look pretty bad. Hollywood has jumped onto the 3D bandwagon in the worst way - with hurried 3D conversions and bad films. And then they wonder why enthusiasm for 3D seems to be waning. Imagine that - people don't want to pay extra for a bad 3D experience. Coraline was a good 3D film, as is Avatar. Some of the Imax films are also quite good. I really like Grand Canyon Adventure, narrated by Robert Redford. There are several others, but there are a lot of real 3D stinkers, too. There's nothing like a good film that's shot natively in 3D. The bad ones leave a sour taste in peoples' mouths and make it easy for critics like Phil Swan of TVPredictions to rail against 3D technology. That guy is on a relentless crusade to convince everyone that 3D technology is a total waste of time.

I see 3D technology as just another tool for the filmmaker. Used well, it enhances the experience. Used poorly, it adds nothing and makes it harder for some people to take 3D seriously. One bad 3D film doesn't say anything more about 3D than one bad 2D film says about 2D film making.

Personally, I'm enjoying the ability to create my own 3D material. In the past couple of weeks, I've learned how to burn my own 3D Blu-ray discs from material I shoot with my JVC 3D camcorder. I'm working on a Shaw's Garden 3D video right now, and for me it's as close to being there as I can get without walking the paths myself. I'm also loving the video this camcorder produces. The image quality has pleasantly surprised me.

... I'm working on a Shaw's Garden 3D video right now, and for me it's as close to being there as I can get without walking the paths myself. I'm also loving the video this camcorder produces. The image quality has pleasantly surprised me.

Maybe we can work out our bi-decade meetup and watch it:D

Maybe we can work out our bi-decade meetup and watch it:D

You're welcome over any time. You may have to put up with my never ending mess of electronic upgrades and re-modeling, though. :D

The video should be a lot more polished looking in a couple of weeks or so.

If you're averse to conversions, you'll find this bit of news especially troubling:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/3D_Network/3D/CBS/CBS_is_Considering_a_Paid_3D_Network/7239

Well I saw the movie in 2D last night. It was easier to watch, and brighter. So I lean to 2D for the harry potter movie. However, the presentation wasn't perfect(or even adequate). It was film rather than digital and I think there may have been something wrong with the gate on the projector. The brightness would flutter from top to bottom in a fairly regular pattern throughout the film. I was able to block it out after the first 10 minutes or so, but I did notice it a few more times until I forced myself to avoid it. The flutter gave me a bit of a headache. When we see it again, I will definately make sure it is a digital presentation, but I'll go for 2D. Coraline however was great in 3D at the theater and it isn't even too bad with the yellow/blue glasses. If we had a 3D tv, that's the first movie we'd grab...

Is the fcc really going to get rid of free ota tv?

It looks like they're doing their best to cripple it, at least. VHF, particularly VHF-Lo, just does not work well with digital TV, particularly at the current max power levels, which the FCC steadfastly refuses to raise. Removing the 20 or so stations that they're talking about would force even most medium size markets to have a major network affiliate stuck on VHF-Hi, and almost every large market (that doesn't already) would at least have 1 major network VHF-Lo affiliate. (Incidentally, one of the current commissioners holds interests in online video. If the 20 channels are removed, they will be repurposed for mobile Internet. Looks like a classic conflict of interest to me.)

Edit: Not to mention the fact that another band restructuring so soon after the digital transition and while stations are currently upgrading to HDTV equipment would be prohibitively expensive. At the very least, it would drastically slow the adoption of local HDTV newscast equipment, to the detriment of current and potential HDTV buyers.

Is the fcc really going to get rid of free ota tv?I don't think anyone at the FCC or elsewhere in government is talking about completely shutting down free OTA television.

But OTA is a stagnant industry that is generally shrinking in terms of viewers, of which only about 15% access it via antenna. As a result, there's a strong argument for re-weighting how communications spectrum is allocated. Local TV broadcasting occupies a significant chunk of high-quality, waterfront spectrum, and when less than one in six households is making use of OTA, it's past time to think about how the spectrum used to deliver that service can be put to better, broader use.

So, for now, it's likely that there will be some effort to reduce the slice of spectrum that is available for local television broadcasting. That will primarily be accomplished by reducing the available channel range and putting current channels closer to one another and with few new licenses issued going forward. Currently channels 2-51 are set aside for TV broadcasting, and I would expect that swath is ultimately cut roughly in half. At the same time, there may be some effort to encourage marginal TV stations to exit the market, allowing them to make some money on the way out the door as their spectrum (for which they don't pay) gets sold off.