Check Dish's site to see if you should get the locals. I'm 63011 area code and they say I could get ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX HD. If it says you should get the locals online and you don't, I would call and complain to Dish, as if they say you get them, there may be something wrong w/ the receiver.
He has DirecTV, not DISH. :)
IIRC, the STL HD locals on DTV come from SW1 or SW2. I think they're something like 99°w and 102°w.
5-LNB dish w/MPEG4 receiver required.

You should be able to locate them on Lyngsat.
http://www.lyngsat.com/america.html


Football,
If you (or any other DISH sub in the STL DMA) have DISH, a MPEG4 receiver, and subscribe to locals, you are entitled to be receiving the HD locals at no additional charge. Even if that means DISH has to upgrade your antenna system, it is their responsibility, and no cost to you. :)

Found this while looking for something else (that's how it works sometimes):

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/cut-the-cord-usb-runs-free-with-freescale-149775.php

At roughly 10 times the price of a conventional USB hub, it doesn't make sense, but it has cool all over it. I agree with the review that says that wires suck -- and in my scenario there will be four connections, so that's really a lot to pay just be rid of just one wire.

The design here is sort of what I'm looking for in terms of protecting the dongle, but it would still be exposed even though the Belkin design would sort of isolate it. For me, the ideal is for the dongle to be permanently connected to the hub, for the simple reason that it's easier to overlook a dongle than leave behind the hub. But I think the risk of damage to either the dongle or hub would be high if I just tossed into a bag with it connected.

I'm probably obsessing too much on worst-case scenarios.

Despite the potential for fun -- "Yes, it's a USB hub AND a salad spinner" -- I'm gonna pass on that idea. :D I'll probably just get something basic for now and opt a better fix when it hits me in the face.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Yes but YCbCr is NOT a digital signal. It is an analogue signal and is always (in my limited experience) used in place of YPbPr when that type of I/O is not present.

WaltYCbCr is digital component video. For example, HDMI provides for either digital RGB or digital component video (YCrCb) output.

Not sure how this came up, but strictly speaking, RGB is considered to be part of the component video class. But I agree that through general use, we've come to unofficially redefine component video to mean YPrPb.

RGB is considered to be component video, because each component making up the overall signal is delivered via its own channel (wire), unlike composite or S-Video, where one or more of the luminance or color difference signals share space in the same channel (wire).

Yes, the Lumagens perform transcoding -- all scalers do.

Anyone know which Directv satellite has the St. Louis locals on it? Just had a new dish and DVR installed and I can't get the local channels. Directv customer service is their usual 5-star quality.

SAT 103 has the HD locals. SAT 101 has the SD locals.

If your B Band converters are installed, disconnect those.

Also, they might need to resend the signal and or, you might need to reboot again.

Of you can resend your signal by clicking here (https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/mydirectv/mysystem/mySystemResendAuthorization.jsp), you will need to login to your
account online to do it though.

MLB Reportedly Ready to Forego DirecTV Exclusive

The following story excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
____________________________________________________

Major League Baseball may be reconsidering a plan to award DIRECTV the exclusive rights to carry up to 60 games a week, including many in High-Definition.

...CNN/Money says one source "familiar with the negotiations" now believes that 'Extra Innings' will be available to all TV providers.

"I'd be surprised if the DIRECTV deal goes through," the source told the web site.

The league reportedly was enthusiastic about the DIRECTV deal in part because the satcaster promised to offer full support for its new Baseball Network in 2009, including widespread carriage. However, CNN/Money says the cable operators are now offering roughly the same deal for the new baseball channel.
____________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvmlb022707.htm)

He has DirecTV, not DISH. :)
Hmm, guess I should learn to read :)

TW, Comcast Reportedly Won't Give In to CBS Carriage Demands

The following story excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter.
_______________________________________________

...But the New York Post reports that Comcast and Time Warner, which collectively has nearly 38 million subscribers, will reject the network's demands when their current carriage agreements expire in 2009. Citing sources, the newspaper says the cable ops are not taking the network seriously.

"It's going to be pretty difficult to argue with a straight face that Comcast or Time Warner should pay for what anyone who has a television antenna or an Internet connection can get for free," Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett told the newspaper.

If both sides maintain their current position, Comcast and Time Warner subscribers could risk losing their CBS signals in 2009.

That's also the year when the nation will switch from analog to Digital TV, which some observers fear will lead to millions of TV viewers losing their signals, at least temporarily.
_______________________________________________

To read the entire story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/cbscable022707.htm)

Sony Plans to Offer $600 Blu-ray Player This Summer

What's ironic here is that on the one hand Sony wants to avoid commoditizing the pricing of its "next big thing" as long as it can, but it also wants to end the format competition with HD DVD by winning the numbers game.

If there were a single HD disc format, maybe prices could be kept in the $400 range for another 2 or 3 years. But now, the way things are going, HD DVD and Blu-ray players will be available at $199 by the Christmas 2007 shopping season.

The following is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
___________________________________________________

Sony President Stan Glasgow said today that the company will drop Blu-ray HDTV DVD player prices by 50 percent by year's end. He added that the company will launch a $599 player in mid-summer.

Sony's Blu-ray high-def player is now priced at $999.

Glasgow's comments today are in sharp contrast to his remarks made in a January 17 interview with CNET's News.com. At that time, Glasgow said it could be three years before Blu-ray player prices dropped to $399.
___________________________________________________

Got a question for some of y'all about the MLB package....It says it offers many games in HD...let's say the Cards are playing, IDK, the Mets...the Cards are only on FSN in SD, but the Mets are broadcasting the game in HD....will I be able to watch the Mets HD version? I'm just wondering how they do blackouts and all that with a sports package....I suppose in other words, am I "forced" to watch my market's broadcast of my home team?

Jeff,

Yes, the blackout rules apply as they normally would for SD broadcasts, so get Extra Innings isn't likely to yield you additional HD Cards' broadcasts.

One POSSIBLE exception to that rule of thumb would be the fact that WGN and TBS broadcasts are not blacked out when the Cards are playing the Cubs (or White Sox) or Braves, at least on the SD side. However, I am at least a little doubtful that this practice would be faithfully applied for HD broadcasts -- it should, but I think it's a subtle point that is likely lost when the blackouts gets imposed by DirecTV, DISH or whoever else might be distributing MLB EI...

"It's going to be pretty difficult to argue with a straight face that Comcast or Time Warner should pay for what anyone who has a television antenna or an Internet connection can get for free," Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett told the newspaper.I would think that an ethical viewpoint would be that if the programming is already supported by advertisers, re-transmitting it by satellite only brings that advertising to a wider market and thus benefits the advertiser and by extension, the station.

OTOH, if the satellite companies are required to pay for the programming, they should be able to blank the aired ads and insert their own.

"If your B Band converters are installed, disconnect those." ?????

Why?

I would think that an ethical viewpoint would be that if the programming is already supported by advertisers, re-transmitting it by satellite only brings that advertising to a wider market and thus benefits the advertiser and by extension, the station.

OTOH, if the satellite companies are required to pay for the programming, they should be able to blank the aired ads and insert their own.This has nothing to do with ethics.

It's a ton of baloney to suggest that because this programming is free over the air that it can't be charged for through other distribution means. The Riverfront Times provides its editorial articles free to anyone who wants to pick up a copy of its weekly magazine, but that doesn't justify the Post-Dispatch demanding reprint rights to those articles without fees going to the RFT.

If a consumer wants the local digital stations for free, they need only erect an antenna and have the required equipment to receive these signals. On the other hand, if consumers want the convenience of it coming down their cable or satellite pipe with no fuss or muss (and cable/satellite companies see value in providing it in that form), they should expect to pay (charge) for that privilege.

Make no mistake -- I have no special love for either TV broadcasters or cable/satellite companies. :) But it's clear to me that everyone (including Moffett) is looking at this issue through the lens of "way it's always been" over the last 30 years, rather than the commercial realities.

I've long said that the balance of power lies with cable and satellite, because the locals have more to lose in viewership/ad rates than they have to gain via redistribution fees. But it seems clear now that broadcasters are going to go to the wall on this, and with the CBS network adopting this stance the hammer is definitely tipping in favor of the broadcasters.

This issue isn't going to go away and I still believe that Congressional intervention would be the worst possible outcome. But demagoguery is what our elected officials know best, so I suspect that's what ultimately happens.

Got a question for some of y'all about the MLB package....It says it offers many games in HD...let's say the Cards are playing, IDK, the Mets...the Cards are only on FSN in SD, but the Mets are broadcasting the game in HD....will I be able to watch the Mets HD version? I'm just wondering how they do blackouts and all that with a sports package....I suppose in other words, am I "forced" to watch my market's broadcast of my home team?


How about when FSMW-HD IS showing the game in HD on Dtv and Charter.
Anyone on the forum subscribe to MLB EI on Dish? Can you get the Cards HD broadcast or are they blacked out?

Good day to you all. To be brief, I am having issues with receiving KETC's HD broadcast. Parts List: I am using a Squareshooter SS-1000 with Radio Shack 15-2507 amp (not the best amp but it is all I had on hand). The television is a Samsung HPS-4253. There is about 50 feet total of RG-6 quad shielded coax between the antenna and the TV . I am able to pick up all of the other stations with no problem. The HPS-4253 has a signal strength meter that shows pretty much every station beteween 4 and 5 bars out of 5. I checked the antennaweb site and it looks like KETC is at 144 degrees and I made sure to point that direction. There are no major objects within the line of sight for at least 50 yards.

The closest major intersection to me is Highway M and Tom Ginnever.

Any suggestions/comments/sarcasm would be greatly appreciated.

Good day to you all. To be brief, I am having issues with receiving KETC's HD broadcast. Parts List: I am using a Squareshooter SS-1000 with Radio Shack 15-2507 amp (not the best amp but it is all I had on hand). The television is a Samsung HPS-4253. There is about 50 feet total of RG-6 quad shielded coax between the antenna and the TV . I am able to pick up all of the other stations with no problem. The HPS-4253 has a signal strength meter that shows pretty much every station beteween 4 and 5 bars out of 5. I checked the antennaweb site and it looks like KETC is at 144 degrees and I made sure to point that direction. There are no major objects within the line of sight for at least 50 yards.

The closest major intersection to me is Highway M and Tom Ginnever.

Any suggestions/comments/sarcasm would be greatly appreciated.If you're getting all the other stations with reasonably strong signals, I wouldn't expect that you'd have problems with KETC.

Two possibilities come to mind (but unfortunately neither of them presents much opportunity for sarcasm ;) ):

* Position your antenna to line up with the KETC tower. Unplug your receiver and leave it unplugged for 5 minutes. Power it back up and re-scan for all channels and see if it discovers the KETC signal.

* If the first step doesn't work, try physically moving your antenna. Although you'd usually get intermittent reception with multipath, it might also explain why you're getting no signal at all. Moving your antenna -- forward/backward, right/left, up/down and varying the angle --- may allow you to skirt around the possibility of a reflected signal that is causing your receiver to reject the primary signal.

If neither of these steps results in a fix, you may want to look at a different antenna. Although I have zero direct experience with the Square Shooter, I have am highly skeptical of any antenna that puts significant effort into looking like a misplaced pizza box.

I stand corrected -- sarcasm is in the house... :)

MLB Reportedly Ready to Forego DirecTV Exclusive

The following story excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
____________________________________________________

Major League Baseball may be reconsidering a plan to award DIRECTV the exclusive rights to carry up to 60 games a week, including many in High-Definition.

...CNN/Money says one source "familiar with the negotiations" now believes that 'Extra Innings' will be available to all TV providers.

"I'd be surprised if the DIRECTV deal goes through," the source told the web site.

The league reportedly was enthusiastic about the DIRECTV deal in part because the satcaster promised to offer full support for its new Baseball Network in 2009, including widespread carriage. However, CNN/Money says the cable operators are now offering roughly the same deal for the new baseball channel.
____________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvmlb022707.htm)
Yay! :)



How about when FSMW-HD IS showing the game in HD on Dtv and Charter.
Anyone on the forum subscribe to MLB EI on Dish? Can you get the Cards HD broadcast or are they blacked out?
It should be noted, MLB EI does not broadcast all scheduled games. Rather, MLB EI broadcasts a selection of games. They produce a schedule, at the beginning of the season, just like any other broadcaster.

DISH will usually air one HD game per day on 9467. They are PPV for non-MLB EI subs, and free to MLB EI subs. Last season, they aired 4 Cardinal HD games, and all were blacked out. In almost all cases, home or away, Cardinals games aired into the STL DMA via MLB EI is blacked out.

MLB EI is for watching out-of-market games.

Thanks for the response and the laugh!

I agree about the pizzabox shape but, it had a better WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) that the Yagi I really wanted. I did try moving the antenna around but only a few feet, tilt, and even rotation. I even made sure that I am dead set pointed at 144 degrees to maximize signal reception. My wife grew tired of working on this and it is really tough to do this alone. It might me time to sneak out and go antenna shopping.

Cheers!


If you're getting all the other stations with reasonably strong signals, I wouldn't expect that you'd have problems with KETC.

Two possibilities come to mind (but unfortunately neither of them presents much opportunity for sarcasm ;) ):

* Position your antenna to line up with the KETC tower. Unplug your receiver and leave it unplugged for 5 minutes. Power it back up and re-scan for all channels and see if it discovers the KETC signal.

* If the first step doesn't work, try physically moving your antenna. Although you'd usually get intermittent reception with multipath, it might also explain why you're getting no signal at all. Moving your antenna -- forward/backward, right/left, up/down and varying the angle --- may allow you to skirt around the possibility of a reflected signal that is causing your receiver to reject the primary signal.

If neither of these steps results in a fix, you may want to look at a different antenna. Although I have zero direct experience with the Square Shooter, I have am highly skeptical of any antenna that puts significant effort into looking like a misplaced pizza box.

I stand corrected -- sarcasm is in the house... :)

Any suggestions/comments/sarcasm would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum! :)

Scott

Thanks for the response and the laugh!

I agree about the pizzabox shape but, it had a better WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) that the Yagi I really wanted. I did try moving the antenna around but only a few feet, tilt, and even rotation. I even made sure that I am dead set pointed at 144 degrees to maximize signal reception. My wife grew tired of working on this and it is really tough to do this alone. It might me time to sneak out and go antenna shopping.

Cheers!

FWIW, the second antenna I tried was the Square Shooter. I was able to take it back to Skywalker. I was not able to pull half of my channels in. It was while I was experimenting with it that one of the Winegard guys suggested tilting it. I see you said you tilted it. Try really tilting it. The Winegard guy said to turn it 180 degrees which is backwards. I tried several things and ended up returning it.

You mentioned you tried moving it a few feet. Once you are getting the channels in fairly well, try moving it a few INCHES at a time. Use tape and a marker to number the tape and start moving it a little at a time. It makes it easier for the person watching inside and is easier to keep track of changes. The last person who helped me suggested the tape and numbering.

I have a Channel Master 4221. It's a 4-bay antenna pointed south. From the street only the profile is seen. It's slim unlike a Yagi. I have multipath issues and adding height to it helped as did a lot of tilt. I was leaning towards a Yagi style antenna when I first started researching. I found many people were getting better results with the CM 4221 and the 4228, its bigger brother.

My CM was $20 at Skywalker. Their shipping is also very reasonable.

Edit: Are you using the S shaped mast or the J type? The J is higher.

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

Antennas Direct
1699 West 5th Street - Suite F
Eureka, MO 63025
877-825-5572

Scott lives in O'Fallon. What antenna are you using Scott?

A couple of new things:
KNLC is *finally* broadcasting somewhere near to full power. You're not really missing anyting on KNLC-DT, but the fact of the matter is that you can actually get it in (or at least I can) with minimal fuss. Type in 14, and et viola!. It's stretched 4:3 to a 16:9 frame, but they are doing something WRBU won't: put out a 16:9 signal. Seriously, I would take 16:9 480p, if WRBU can manage it. 4:3 is embarassing.

I've pulled off a feat that may bring smiles to posters here: I can officially get all the DT locals on with the Samsung reciever. Last night, the last holdout, KNLC finally came in. I've got some multipath issues, but they all come in. I've achieved this with an indoor antenna (a lowly Zenith Silver Sensor).

The computer is a different story...

Scott lives in O'Fallon. What antenna are you using Scott?

Terk

TV32

Medium Directional UHF

Mounted in my attic

Features:

Pefect for UHF only reception in suburban areas

CEA color code: Light Green

Constructed of high-tensile aluminum for extra strength

High-quality polymer finish protects the surface from oxidation

Includes mounting kit with 5' mast, wall and attic mounts

http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14176&langId=-1

Scott

On the other hand, if consumers want the convenience of it coming down their cable or satellite pipe with no fuss or muss (and cable/satellite companies see value in providing it in that form), they should expect to pay (charge) for that privilege.I would suggest that an equally valid argument is that the locals should pay the satellite to present their ads to a wider audience. Are ad rates not based on eyeballs? More eyeballs, the local can charge more for ads?

"If your B Band converters are installed, disconnect those." ?????

Why?

1. They are not needed yet.
2. They have been coming out of the box bad.
3. Simple elimination of problems.

Thanks for the response and the laugh!

I agree about the pizzabox shape but, it had a better WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) that the Yagi I really wanted. I did try moving the antenna around but only a few feet, tilt, and even rotation. I even made sure that I am dead set pointed at 144 degrees to maximize signal reception. My wife grew tired of working on this and it is really tough to do this alone. It might me time to sneak out and go antenna shopping.

Cheers!

iguru

I agree about the antenna search but if WAF is a problem perhaps you should add "rotor" to the list. Then you can do it without her help. :)

Walt

I would suggest that an equally valid argument is that the locals should pay the satellite to present their ads to a wider audience. Are ad rates not based on eyeballs? More eyeballs, the local can charge more for ads?If that's a valid argument, then why didn't that happen back at the turn of the century, when satellite companies were allowed for the first time to carry local stations?

Hmmmm... The only explanation I can come up with is that the people who ran DirecTV and DISH then were just flat-out stupid. After all, they willingly paid for something that you think they should have been paid for taking off the hands of the local stations. :eek:

No, the fact is that satellite television subscriber numbers and profits took off like a rocket ship once DISH Network and DirecTV were allowed to pay for the privilege of carrying local stations. I don't know of any better illustration of the value of the content that local stations control. Obviously the people running the satellite TV companies recognized that value and how it could help to catapult their businesses to the next level.

And at that very moment, cable TV executives had to have heard the sound of the other shoe dropping. I don't know -- maybe they actually believed that the cost of carrying those stations would put the satellite guys out of business. Whatever, they completely dropped the ball and never even tried to pick it up. I mean, they could have completely avoided the current drama years ago by including off-air analog and/or digital tuners in all their cable set-tops.

But then, that's not how monopolists think -- they don't need to adapt, because they believe market will ultimately bend to their will.

The key problem underlying the ongoing dispute between local stations and cable companies is the fact that the market for local station distribution has been distorted by government regulation -- regulation that no doubt had good intentions way back when and may even have been necessary in the early days of cable television. But look at how screwed up things are now -- satellite willingly pays for local station carriage, while cable, the primary competition of the sat TV industry, goes running to the government for relief when they're asked to do the same.

And your solution is that local stations should pay satellite? I don't get it, but I give you mucho points for way-outside-the-box thinking.

FWIW, the second antenna I tried was the Square Shooter. I was able to take it back to Skywalker. I was not able to pull half of my channels in. It was while I was experimenting with it that one of the Winegard guys suggested tilting it. I see you said you tilted it. Try really tilting it. The Winegard guy said to turn it 180 degrees which is backwards. I tried several things and ended up returning it.

You mentioned you tried moving it a few feet. Once you are getting the channels in fairly well, try moving it a few INCHES at a time. Use tape and a marker to number the tape and start moving it a little at a time. It makes it easier for the person watching inside and is easier to keep track of changes. The last person who helped me suggested the tape and numbering.

I have a Channel Master 4221. It's a 4-bay antenna pointed south. From the street only the profile is seen. It's slim unlike a Yagi. I have multipath issues and adding height to it helped as did a lot of tilt. I was leaning towards a Yagi style antenna when I first started researching. I found many people were getting better results with the CM 4221 and the 4228, its bigger brother.

My CM was $20 at Skywalker. Their shipping is also very reasonable.

Edit: Are you using the S shaped mast or the J type? The J is higher.

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

Antennas Direct
1699 West 5th Street - Suite F
Eureka, MO 63025
877-825-5572

Thanks for the response! I have a J type mount. I will give the major tilt suggestion a try since I was only tilting a few degrees at the most. I just have to get my wife on board for another round of signal strength meter watching. ;)

Cheers!

iguru

I agree about the antenna search but if WAF is a problem perhaps you should add "rotor" to the list. Then you can do it without her help. :)

Walt

That is a great idea! I do not know why I did not think about that before. Thanks!

A couple of new things:
KNLC is *finally* broadcasting somewhere near to full power. You're not really missing anyting on KNLC-DT, but the fact of the matter is that you can actually get it in (or at least I can) with minimal fuss. Type in 14, and et viola!. It's stretched 4:3 to a 16:9 frame, but they are doing something WRBU won't: put out a 16:9 signal. Seriously, I would take 16:9 480p, if WRBU can manage it. 4:3 is embarassing.

I've pulled off a feat that may bring smiles to posters here: I can officially get all the DT locals on with the Samsung reciever. Last night, the last holdout, KNLC finally came in. I've got some multipath issues, but they all come in. I've achieved this with an indoor antenna (a lowly Zenith Silver Sensor).

The computer is a different story...

That lowly SS happens to be, in my opinion, the best indoor antenna on the market. I have one and I can pull in all the channels with easy and it is inside my garage...just has to be pointed in the right direction. :)

If that's a valid argument, then why didn't that happen back at the turn of the century, when satellite companies were allowed for the first time to carry local stations?

Hmmmm... The only explanation I can come up with is that the people who ran DirecTV and DISH then were just flat-out stupid. After all, they willingly paid for something that you think they should have been paid for taking off the hands of the local stations. :eek:

No, the fact is that satellite television subscriber numbers and profits took off like a rocket ship once DISH Network and DirecTV were allowed to pay for the privilege of carrying local stations. I don't know of any better illustration of the value of the content that local stations control. Obviously the people running the satellite TV companies recognized that value and how it could help to catapult their businesses to the next level.

And at that very moment, cable TV executives had to have heard the sound of the other shoe dropping. I don't know -- maybe they actually believed that the cost of carrying those stations would put the satellite guys out of business. Whatever, they completely dropped the ball and never even tried to pick it up. I mean, they could have completely avoided the current drama years ago by including off-air analog and/or digital tuners in all their cable set-tops.

But then, that's not how monopolists think -- they don't need to adapt, because they believe market will ultimately bend to their will.

The key problem underlying the ongoing dispute between local stations and cable companies is the fact that the market for local station distribution has been distorted by government regulation -- regulation that no doubt had good intentions way back when and may even have been necessary in the early days of cable television. But look at how screwed up things are now -- satellite willingly pays for local station carriage, while cable, the primary competition of the sat TV industry, goes running to the government for relief when they're asked to do the same.

And your solution is that local stations should pay satellite? I don't get it, but I give you mucho points for way-outside-the-box thinking.

I think Dan's point is, the value is in the programming, not the ads, so if Cable/Satellite has to pay to carry the signal, then they shouldn't have to carry the ads. Using your Post Dispatch/Riverfront times example, if the Post decides to carry a story from the Riverfront times, they have to pay a re-print fee, but they certainly don't have to carry a selection of the phone sex ads usually present in the RFT :D . This is obviously only a theoretical point, since there's no way a station is going to strip the ads out of its broadcast signal.

In response to all of todays comments-antenna problems-rebroadcast of cable vs. over the air-satellite reception problems. Remember when you came home, turned on the TV and changed channels (of course there were only 4 channels to choose from.) With the choice of 300 channels comes all this complication-over the air-which satellite, problems with satellite and cable, etc. etc. etc. I'm starting to sound like my father.

Chuckparr,

Yes, I remember those days. I also remember having to boil hotdogs to cook them. Now I microwave them. What could you all live without for a week TV or microwave?

Scott

Anyone interested....Thursday's Card/Mets game, is on MLB TV.
(subscription required-no blackouts for ST games)

Chuckparr,

Yes, I remember those days. I also remember having to boil hotdogs to cook them. Now I microwave them. What could you all live without for a week TV or microwave?

Scott

Microwave hotdogs? Yuck.. grill them babies :)

That lowly SS happens to be, in my opinion, the best indoor antenna on the market. I have one and I can pull in all the channels with easy and it is inside my garage...just has to be pointed in the right direction. :)

The USB receiver I use with the computer seems to be a little more finicky. I would guess that SS would work, but I haven't have a chance to do tests with the SS. If it does work...I'll buy a second one. :)

And your solution is that local stations should pay satellite? I don't get it, but I give you mucho points for way-outside-the-box thinking.I think you realize that I do not advocate that, but simply presented that it could be an equally argued viewpoint.

1. They are not needed yet.
2. They have been coming out of the box bad.
3. Simple elimination of problems.

Yeah, it's looking like the installer didn't know how to correctly point the dish. The sat. with the St. Louis HD stations on it doesn't even register above a 20 signal strength on any of the transponders. I would love to try and fix this myself, but they said they would send a tech out tomorrow.

On a side note I get really bad green horizontal lines moving through my image background. While the ESPN HD image blows away anything my projector was doing last week these lines are making all of the other channels almost unwatchable. It is most noticable when on a whiter background and for some reason on HBO HD. My low knowledge research has found that some internet users call these "Hum Bars" and suggest that grounding may be an issue. Anyone heard of this being a problem with the Directv HD-DVR? I have never seen this problem occur this until this new equipment was installed yesterday. Is this a pretty well known problem or am I just a lucky one? (I don't get the "hum bars" at all on my DVD player so it has to have something to do with the DVR. I will post something similar on a directv user site, but any info/help is always welcome!)

Yeah, it's looking like the installer didn't know how to correctly point the dish. The sat. with the St. Louis HD stations on it doesn't even register above a 20 signal strength on any of the transponders. I would love to try and fix this myself, but they said they would send a tech out tomorrow.

I really should by a Super Buddy and just provide a service to our locally community. These installers are absolutely awful.

From March 1, all TVs Sold with Analog Tuner to Include Digital Tuner

The following story is from today's Retail Bridge newsletter:
_____________________________________________________

The 2009 digital TV transition is getting closer every day, and, starting this Thursday, every television that ships with an analog tuner will also include a DTV tuner.

"The finish line for the transition to digital broadcasting is less than 2 years away, and the consumer electronics industry has reason to celebrate this latest milestone on the pathway to a successful transition," said CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. "As of March 1, any product shipped with an analog TV tuner will also include a DTV tuner, making access to the benefits of DTV a reality for more American consumers as these shipments reach the retail store shelf."

The move represents the final step in the DTV transition as broadcasters and consumers gear up for the all-digital switch coming in February 2009. The CEA has been active in recent years in helping buyers understand this change, pushing manufacturers to include DTV information with their products and encouraging retailers to display DTV materials in their stores.
_____________________________________________________

AT&T Announces Expanded Rollout of U-verse TV Service

U-verse has only 7,000 subscribers to date? In isolation, I'd say this proves my point that the telecos should be acting as a wholesaler of TV delivery bandwidth rather than end seller, but then there's the Verizon subscriber numbers, which aren't so shabby...

AT&T needs to get moving fast, or the U-verse "death watch" countdown clock will start to tick on Wall Street...

The following story excerpt is from today TV Predictions newsletter:
_________________________________________________________

Looking for a high-def alternative to cable and satellite?

AT&T says it's shaking off the cobwebs and will soon roll out its TV service to several more markets. The telco offers nearly 30 different High-Definition channels, more than any other TV provider except for EchoStar's Dish Network.

The company had launched its 'U-verse' TV service in 11 cities at the end of 2006, but software glitches forced it to hit the pause button. AT&T is using IPTV software from Microsoft, which has a history of TV-related software problems.

However, AT&T says it will offer U-verse in parts of Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin at once and Dallas-Fort Worth and Kansas City next month. Several more markets are expected to get the service soon thereafter.

Like Verizon, which has also launched a TV service, AT&T hopes that U-verse will appeal to viewers frustrated with cable and satellite.

"We have had our fits and starts, but right now we feel we're in a pretty good place," John Stankey, AT&T's group president for operations support, told the Associated Press yesterday. "We're ready to play the game and put numbers on the board."

The company says it now has only about 7,000 subscribers, although it's available in markets with more than two million homes, according to AP. The wire service says Verizon had signed up 217,000 subscribers by the end of 2006.
_________________________________________________________

For additional analysis of the AT&T U-verse news, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/att022807.htm)

[B][SIZE=3]


"The finish line for the transition to digital broadcasting is less than 2 years away, and the consumer electronics industry has reason to celebrate this latest milestone on the pathway to a successful transition," said CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. "As of March 1, any product shipped with an analog TV tuner will also include a DTV tuner, making access to the benefits of DTV a reality for more American consumers as these shipments reach the retail store shelf."
_____________________________________________________


Anyone have any idea on when/if a simple ATSC tuner for "legacy" TV's is fothcoming.

Right now I pump a composite feed from my LG 3510A into a RF modulator for TV's other than the living room HDTV.

Wasn't the whole subsidy debate about outfitting "people without means" with such a beast?

Dave

I set the DVR to record a HD movie in the early morning. Shut it off and went to bed. The movie was recorded. I am now transferring the movie from the Moto 3416 to the hard drive in my HTPC via firewire. I am only going to record 30 minutes of the movie as I am not really interested in it and I have an IEP to attend in an hour. This is just a test to see if it can be done. I have not tried the channel changer yet but I don't see how I would need it. For you Dave, I'll give it a try later today time permitting.

Walt

AT&T Announces Expanded Rollout of U-verse TV Service

U-verse has only 7,000 subscribers to date? In isolation, I'd say this proves my point that the telecos should be acting as a wholesaler of TV delivery bandwidth rather than end seller, but then there's the Verizon subscriber numbers, which aren't so shabby...

Doug

I think AT&T runs fiber to the neighborhood and coax to your house????? I understand Verizon runs fiber to your house. I read where Verizon will give you a 30mps connection on the east coast. They had a lot of problems in the beginning but I have not heard of any recently. If this is true, I am not surprised why Verizon is beating AT&T. Now that I have a DVR I think I will be waiting for the Verizon service. :)

Walt

Doug

I think AT&T runs fiber to the neighborhood and coax to your house????? I understand Verizon runs fiber to your house. I read where Verizon will give you a 30mps connection on the east coast. They had a lot of problems in the beginning but I have not heard of any recently. If this is true, I am not surprised why Verizon is beating AT&T. Now that I have a DVR I think I will be waiting for the Verizon service. :) Walt,

Yes, I think that's correct about the network -- though I can't even get AT&T DSL in my neighborhood. By the by, a customer told me last night that AT&T is REQUIRED to offer DSL to every home in Illinois by the end of 2007. Considering my Charter Pipeline continues to emulate a yo-yo (up and down at least two dozen times in the last 48 hours), I CAN'T WAIT.

On the other hand, I think you might be waiting quite a while for Verizon's FioS here, as it probably is only going to be available initially in markets where Verizon is the primary provider of local phone services. Running fiber to the home in a market that is effectively "owned" by AT&T doesn't seem like a recipe for timely return on investment.

Originally Posted by wmschultz
1. They are not needed yet.
2. They have been coming out of the box bad.
3. Simple elimination of problems.

I wasn't aware of that. I have been having problems with my H20 (not HR) where after an amount of time the picture on certain SD channels will begin to breakup, freeze, and pixelate. My other SD receiver is fine on those same channels at the same time. If I change channels on the H20 and back the picture is again fine for a period of time. The problem doesn't happen on any of the MP4 locals or the MP2 national HDs..only SD nationals. Wonder if the converter could be contributing?

At what point is the B-Band converter necessary? How do you identify a bad one?

Also in response to the wealth of channels available now...when I grew up we had ONE channel available (CBS affiliate from Cape Girardeau). On good days we could barely pick up NBC from Paducah, KY. Later, my dad raised the antenna and added a rotor and we could then also pick up ABC from Jonesboro, ARK. I don't feel so bad now.

Dave

[QUOTE]I set the DVR to record a HD movie

Is this movie not 5c encrypted?

I am now transferring the movie from the Moto 3416 to the hard drive in my HTPC via firewire.

I thought the only way to record 5c encrypted HD via firewire was with a Mac or DVHS? :confused:

Help me out here.
Thanks

Anyone have any idea on when/if a simple ATSC tuner for "legacy" TV's is fothcoming.

Right now I pump a composite feed from my LG 3510A into a RF modulator for TV's other the living room HDTV.

Wasn't the whole subsidy debate about outfitting "people without means" with such a beast?There will be a subsidy (aka TV "food stamps") of around $150 for each household.

No word on who, if anyone, is building this $150 (or less) receiver/converter, but I would assume that there will be one or more providers looking to tap into this opportunity.

Originally Posted by wmschultz
1. They are not needed yet.
2. They have been coming out of the box bad.
3. Simple elimination of problems.

I wasn't aware of that. I have been having problems with my H20 (not HR) where after an amount of time the picture on certain SD channels will begin to breakup, freeze, and pixelate. My other SD receiver is fine on those same channels at the same time. If I change channels on the H20 and back the picture is again fine for a period of time. The problem doesn't happen on any of the MP4 locals or the MP2 national HDs..only SD nationals. Wonder if the converter could be contributing?

At what point is the B-Band converter necessary? How do you identify a bad one?


The only way to tell if the B-Band converter is bad is to take it out of line and see if your problem goes away.

They will probably be required when the new national HD channels are available because
these should be on the new satellites that are supposed to be launched soon.

[QUOTE=aspec2]Dave



Is this movie not 5c encrypted?



I thought the only way to record 5c encrypted HD via firewire was with a Mac or DVHS? :confused:

Help me out here.
Thanks

Of course the movie is NOT 5C encrypted. I never said I could copy a 5C encrypted movie. In a previous post, I said that the channel that is 5C'd the most is HDnet Movies. All the others hardly ever have 5C set. I have a perfect 30 minute trial copy of an HBOHD presentation on my HTPC. It took 2.053gig of hard drive space for the 30 minutes. To all those that said it was was impossible to do this.....FOOOIEE.

Walt

Doug

Makes sense but we can hope ya no. This capability would take VOD to a whole new level.

Walt

[QUOTE=DLSDO]

Of course the movie is NOT 5C encrypted. I never said I could copy a 5C encrypted movie. In a previous post, I said that the channel that is 5C'd the most is HDnet Movies. All the others hardly ever have 5C set. I have a perfect 30 minute trial copy of an HBOHD presentation on my HTPC. It took 2.053gig of hard drive space for the 30 minutes. To all those that said it was was impossible to do this.....FOOOIEE.

Walt

That is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! This is exactly why I have avoided diving into the HTPC world. I can not believe its not encrypted.

Nice work

Thanks for the info

Doug (droptheremote) and Walt (aspec2):

U-Verse is FTTN (Fibre to the Node/Neighborhood depending on who you ask) with the "last mile" being twisted pair, not coax.

It's actually vDSL (Very high speed DSL), with twisted pair over the run from the node/neighborhood to the house.

Cheers,

Doug

Makes sense but we can hope ya no. This capability would take VOD to a whole new level.

Walt

Actually, the whole model of U-Verse is essentially VOD. When you select a channel, it's going to start streaming down your selection. When you goto another channel, it stops the current stream and starts another stream.

The downside is that (at this point) you are limited to just 1 HD channel at a time with U-Verse.

Cheers,

Done! Dish finally got installed after three seperate snow delays in Feb, and I'm off to Charter's office in T&C to drop off my CableCard! Suh-weet! Also got my internet price dropped, so overall I'm saving about $40/month.

-Matt

Awesome Matt! Welcome to the wonderful world of satellite. :)

Scott

Done! Dish finally got installed after three seperate snow delays in Feb, and I'm off to Charter's office in T&C to drop off my CableCard! Suh-weet! Also got my internet price dropped, so overall I'm saving about $40/month.

-Matt

I, too, am ready to kick Charter out my door, at least for tv. Dish is supposed to be here by noon today to install. Had it set up for 2 weeks ago but got snowed out. Matth, how low did they go for your internet?

Doug (droptheremote) and Walt (aspec2):

U-Verse is FTTN (Fibre to the Node/Neighborhood depending on who you ask) with the "last mile" being twisted pair, not coax.

It's actually vDSL (Very high speed DSL), with twisted pair over the run from the node/neighborhood to the house.

Cheers,

Yes, that's the difference between them and Verizon. There is no way you could get 30mps from AT&T with coax or twisted pair pipe pinch. Verizon on the east coast goes fiber all the way to the house, from what I have read. With that much bandwidth, I see no reason why you could not get multiple channels simultaneously.

Walt

Yes, that's the difference between them and Verizon. There is no way you could get 30mps from AT&T with coax or twisted pair pipe pinch. Verizon on the east coast goes fiber all the way to the house, from what I have read. With that much bandwidth, I see no reason why you could not get multiple channels simultaneously.

Walt

Yes, that's the difference between Verizon's FIoS (FTTH/FTTP) versus ATT's U-Verse (FTTN). By not changing over until the customers home, you don't have to worry about signal degredation nearly as much as you do with FTTN. There are very few homes where the cable lengths will exceed 200' versus a limit of about 4K feet for FTTN.

Cheers,

I have a Dish installer here now. Having 2 dual tuner receivers installed, one HD. I had asked him about putting up an ota antenna--he says I don't need one, I'll get all local channels in HD. True? What is the point of getting the channels ota?

I have a Dish installer here now. Having 2 dual tuner receivers installed, one HD. I had asked him about putting up an ota antenna--he says I don't need one, I'll get all local channels in HD. True? What is the point of getting the channels ota?
Yes, true.

OTA gives you the ability to record an additional HD or SD timer. Presently, you'll be able to record 2 HD events on your HD DVR...with OTA, it would be 3.
OTA is also a slightly clearer, sharper picture.

I, too, am ready to kick Charter out my door, at least for tv. Dish is supposed to be here by noon today to install. Had it set up for 2 weeks ago but got snowed out. Matth, how low did they go for your internet?


I called out the mailer I had just received = $30 / month for six months, and I'll renegotiate in August.

-Matt

I have a Dish installer here now. Having 2 dual tuner receivers installed, one HD. I had asked him about putting up an ota antenna--he says I don't need one, I'll get all local channels in HD. True? What is the point of getting the channels ota?


Also, you'll get the sub channels (5-2, 9-2, 9-3, etc.) if you're interested.

-Matt

twombomber,

You will also get access to TV when an asteroid knocks the satellite from the sky.

Seriously,

There have been a few times I have been able to watch OTA when my satellite was not receiving signal like during a blizzard. It can only benefit you to have an antenna.

Scott

I, too, am ready to kick Charter out my door, at least for tv. Dish is supposed to be here by noon today to install. Had it set up for 2 weeks ago but got snowed out. Matth, how low did they go for your internet?
After several years of my calling and being told no, they fairly easily dropped my Pipeline (5mb) from $62.95/mo to $24.94/mo. I called just after the Belo uprising, and told them DISH offered me a promotion of SAT Internet for $29.95/mo + N/C installation. The Charter retention rep countered by telling me SAT cannot offer speeds of 5mb (which they cannot), but I told her the DISH rep told me it is exactly what I have now.

Mine is stand-alone also. The retention agent originally told me $29.95/mo, but when my statement posted last month, it was $5.00 less.

Hopefully [looking upward] the DSL switches will be here before the year is up, and I will be able to live out one of my lifelong dreams! :D

I didn't realize dish had 11HD and 9HD through the dish....

twombomber,
You will also get access to TV when an asteroid knocks the satellite from the sky.
Seriously,
There have been a few times I have been able to watch OTA when my satellite was not receiving signal like during a blizzard. It can only benefit you to have an antenna.
Scott
....that semi-annual sun-spot thingie which blocks the signals. I forget what it's called.



BTW...OT, but I've been meaning to ask our grammar guru, Mo.....is "that" or "which" proper in my sentence?

I didn't realize dish had 11HD and 9HD through the dish....
They don't....and I don't think anyone posted they did :)
Just 2, 4, 5, & 30 on SAT (Dish)

With OTA, through a DISH receiver, you can get 9 & 11 digital signals.

They don't....and I don't think anyone posted they did :)
Just 2, 4, 5, & 30 on SAT (Dish)

With OTA, through a DISH receiver, you can get 9 & 11 digital signals.

One more reason for him to get an antenna.

Scott

They don't....and I don't think anyone posted they did :)
Just 2, 4, 5, & 30 on SAT (Dish)

With OTA, through a DISH receiver, you can get 9 & 11 digital signals.

Well the OP said the installer did...(emphasis mine)

I have a Dish installer here now. Having 2 dual tuner receivers installed, one HD. I had asked him about putting up an ota antenna--he says I don't need one, I'll get all local channels in HD. True? What is the point of getting the channels ota?

Then you posted...(emphasis mine)

Yes, true.

OTA gives you the ability to record an additional HD or SD timer. Presently, you'll be able to record 2 HD events on your HD DVR...with OTA, it would be 3.
OTA is also a slightly clearer, sharper picture.

So I (and I'm sure others including Mr Bester) can see where you were agreeing with the OP's installers claim that you don't need to have an OTA antenna to get 9 and 11.

But maybe I'm reading way too much into this. :)

Ya, you're right...it said "all."
Not everyone would realize "all" means the big 4 when referring to SAT HD locals. :)

Doug

I think AT&T runs fiber to the neighborhood and coax to your house????? I understand Verizon runs fiber to your house. I read where Verizon will give you a 30mps connection on the east coast. They had a lot of problems in the beginning but I have not heard of any recently. If this is true, I am not surprised why Verizon is beating AT&T. Now that I have a DVR I think I will be waiting for the Verizon service. :)
Walt
Fiber to the neighborhood for existing, fiber to the curb and often fiber to the premises for new construction, typical copper finishes the loop.

Verizon is running fiber to the house as much as possible and spending *considerably* more dollars and as a result depressing their stock price by comparison. AT&T is betting that technology improvements will allow for necessary bandwidth and speed without bringing fiber to the house. Investors seem to agree, for now.

In most areas the 2 telcos won't be competing against one another, but rather with cable and sat, and how the fiber is run by the incumbent telco is what you get.

Actually, the whole model of U-Verse is essentially VOD. When you select a channel, it's going to start streaming down your selection. When you goto another channel, it stops the current stream and starts another stream.

The downside is that (at this point) you are limited to just 1 HD channel at a time with U-Verse.
Cheers,

4 SD channels can currently be recorded at the same time, not sure when multiple HD feeds will be handled simultaneously, but that's in the works.

FYI, all U-Verse supplied tuners will be HD-ready.

....that semi-annual sun-spot thingie which blocks the signals. I forget what it's called.



BTW...OT, but I've been meaning to ask our grammar guru, Mo.....is "that" or "which" proper in my sentence?

Stop it! :eek: I am not the grammar police and my punctuation is horrid. But
since you asked, I would have chosen "the" and then "that". Followed by "forgot" instead of "forget". :)

Stop it! :eek: I am not the grammar police and my punctuation is horrid. But
since you asked, I would have chosen "the" and then "that". Followed by "forgot" instead of "forget". :)
Ahh....I forgot to even ask about forget :p

After several years of my calling and being told no, they fairly easily dropped my Pipeline (5mb) from $62.95/mo to $24.94/mo. I called just after the Belo uprising, and told them DISH offered me a promotion of SAT Internet for $29.95/mo + N/C installation. The Charter retention rep countered by telling me SAT cannot offer speeds of 5mb (which they cannot), but I told her the DISH rep told me it is exactly what I have now.

Mine is stand-alone also. The retention agent originally told me $29.95/mo, but when my statement posted last month, it was $5.00 less.

Hopefully [looking upward] the DSL switches will be here before the year is up, and I will be able to live out one of my lifelong dreams! :D

So for how long will Charter give you that price?

Walt,

Yes, I think that's correct about the network -- though I can't even get AT&T DSL in my neighborhood. By the by, a customer told me last night that AT&T is REQUIRED to offer DSL to every home in Illinois by the end of 2007. Considering my Charter Pipeline continues to emulate a yo-yo (up and down at least two dozen times in the last 48 hours), I CAN'T WAIT.

On the other hand, I think you might be waiting quite a while for Verizon's FioS here, as it probably is only going to be available initially in markets where Verizon is the primary provider of local phone services. Running fiber to the home in a market that is effectively "owned" by AT&T doesn't seem like a recipe for timely return on investment.
A condition of the merger with Bell South, AT&T must provide high speed internet to 100% of their service area by the end of 2007, so it's not just Illinois. However, that does not necessarily mean DSL via your existing phone lines. They will be allowed to provide high speed internet via satellite and/or wireless technology in addition to via phone line. I suspect that will be the solution for extreme rural areas. I believe the goal is to reach at least 80% via land line.

Fiber to the neighborhood for existing, fiber to the curb and often fiber to the premises for new construction, typical copper finishes the loop.

Verizon is running fiber to the house as much as possible and spending *considerably* more dollars and as a result depressing their stock price by comparison. AT&T is betting that technology improvements will allow for necessary bandwidth and speed without bringing fiber to the house. Investors seem to agree, for now.

In most areas the 2 telcos won't be competing against one another, but rather with cable and sat, and how the fiber is run by the incumbent telco is what you get.

Yes. Verizon is definitely providing for the future although AT&T will already be in the neighborhood and the fiber runs will be short when they need to catch up. I saw a picture with how much copper is replaced by 1 fiber cable. It was a PBS program about how the manufacture of fiber cable was achieved. The bundle of copper cables (wires smaller than #20) was at least 4' in diameter and was replaced by 1 fiber cable. I still find it hard to believe but they can't lie on TV, can they.

Walt

Mo is da gramer cop?

So for how long will Charter give you that price?
1 year

I've been a DirecTV customer for about 8 years. I set up an appointment to have my dish swapped out for an HD one. They said the earliest they could give me an appointment is April 17!! WTF?!?!? Is that typical service? I think I've read here that their installers here in STL are terrible, but this is worse than I'd imagined. Six weeks just to hop up on my roof and change a dish out? It's making me think about switching to Dish, which I hear has better (less) compression, anyway.

I've been a DirecTV customer for about 8 years. I set up an appointment to have my dish swapped out for an HD one. They said the earliest they could give me an appointment is April 17!! WTF?!?!? Is that typical service? I think I've read here that their installers here in STL are terrible, but this is worse than I'd imagined. Six weeks just to hop up on my roof and change a dish out? It's making me think about switching to Dish, which I hear has better (less) compression, anyway.
I was originally scheduled for an install March 15. The next day I got online and rescheduled for Feb 27. So, if you like DirecTV, you can try the reschedule online. Just make sure you call and they have the correct equipment on the work order.
Dug

I was originally scheduled for an install March 15. The next day I got online and rescheduled for Feb 27. So, if you like DirecTV, you can try the reschedule online. Just make sure you call and they have the correct equipment on the work order.
Dug


Thanks, Dug. I just rescheduled online for next Friday, March 9, which is when my HD TVs are coming. Yay.

Doug (droptheremote) and Walt (aspec2):

U-Verse is FTTN (Fibre to the Node/Neighborhood depending on who you ask) with the "last mile" being twisted pair, not coax.

It's actually vDSL (Very high speed DSL), with twisted pair over the run from the node/neighborhood to the house.

Cheers,Thanks for this clarification and various follow-ups.

It seems to me that the limitation of one simultaneous HD channel is going to be a deal-killer for a lot of people. This creates a major restriction in terms of time-shifting and makes a DVR significantly less useful that what can be accomplished with competitor products/services.

A condition of the merger with Bell South, AT&T must provide high speed internet to 100% of their service area by the end of 2007, so it's not just Illinois. However, that does not necessarily mean DSL via your existing phone lines. They will be allowed to provide high speed internet via satellite and/or wireless technology in addition to via phone line. I suspect that will be the solution for extreme rural areas. I believe the goal is to reach at least 80% via land line.

I sure hope this is true! I presently have charter pipeline and would love to switch to dsl when it becomes available. I live in High Ridge. Paradise Valley Estates does NOT currently get DSL.

Thanks for this clarification and various follow-ups.

It seems to me that the limitation of one simultaneous HD channel is going to be a deal-killer for a lot of people. This creates a major restriction in terms of time-shifting and makes a DVR significantly less useful that what can be accomplished with competitor products/services.

Doug:

It's a limitation that will be addressed RSN (Real Soon Now).

Cheers,

Paradise Valley Estates does NOT currently get DSL.

Maybe they should call it Almost Paradise Valley Estates. :)

Scott

FYI....I transferred the whole movie to my hard drive from the DVR. I find that when I record HD OTA, it runs about 8 gig per hour. This 1:45 movie took 9.2 gig. It seems Charter is shaving bits also. :mad:

The movie still looks a lot better than the rented DVD, scaled. Now I need the price of burners to come down. It obviously will not compare with the new HD players.

Walt

It ain't HD, but there's enough horror fans here for this to be of interest...

New channel just appeared on DirecTV, "Chiller" on channel 257. Looks to be all horror, all the time. *D's monthly e-mail said it premieres at 9PM tonight, but it's already there.

Maybe they should call it Almost Paradise Estates. :)

Scott

If we could finally dump charter and get dsl it would truly be paradise.

If we could finally dump charter and get dsl it would truly be paradise.

You'll get no argument from 90% of the posters on this thread. I've lived in Paradise for 12 years now.

Scott

I've been lurking for a few days and have noticed the AT&T love and the Charter hate. I have a question in regards to that... Do you all know that AT&T has been giving access to their switching rooms to the NSA? Their offices in the St. Louis area have been specifically mentioned as being a part of this. Or is it a non-factor with most people here? I personally don't like my phone records, conversations and TV viewing habits being forwarded to the government without my knowledge or consent. As soon as I found out, I dumped my land line and cingular service (was already using cable modem because it offers more stable, faster service).

I've been lurking for a few days and have noticed the AT&T love and the Charter hate. I have a question in regards to that... Do you all know that AT&T has been giving access to their switching rooms to the NSA? Their offices in the St. Louis area have been specifically mentioned as being a part of this. Or is it a non-factor with most people here? I personally don't like my phone records, conversations and TV viewing habits being forwarded to the government without my knowledge or consent. As soon as I found out, I dumped my land line and cingular service (was already using cable modem because it offers more stable, faster service).

spazattak,

Welcome to the forum. Keep in mind, everything you type on this forum is being monitored by the NSA. :)

Scott

spazattak,

Welcome to the forum. Keep in mind, everything you type on this forum is being monitored by the NSA. :)

Scott
Not too worried... I'm already on the list ;-)

and thanks :)

I posted this in the Charter forum, but I guess no one really goes there.

Can anyone who had the Moxi and now has the 6416 tell me if the SD PQ is significantly improved? I like the Moxi, but who cares about 4.1 if the picture is meh?

I'd appreciate any info you guys offer.

FYI....I transferred the whole movie to my hard drive from the DVR. I find that when I record HD OTA, it runs about 8 gig per hour. This 1:45 movie took 9.2 gig. It seems Charter is shaving bits also. :mad:

The movie still looks a lot better than the rented DVD, scaled. Now I need the price of burners to come down. It obviously will not compare with the new HD players.

Walt

I assume that you mean a standalone unit, but if you wanna go the PC internal drive route, you won't get much cheaper than this (http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=5&name=CD-DVD-Burners-RW-Drives).

BTW, if I'm breaking some forum rule I don't know about (I honestly reviewed the "forum rules" & an still unsure what is allowed by posting the above link, would someone please let me know...

I posted this in the Charter forum, but I guess no one really goes there.

Can anyone who had the Moxi and now has the 3416 tell me if the SD PQ is significantly improved? I like the Moxi, but who cares about 4.1 if the picture is meh?

I'd appreciate any info you guys offer.
I noticed a significant improvement in SD when my folks switched from the MOXI to the 6416. Others have stated they did not see any problems with SD on the MOXI.

Dave

I assume that you mean a standalone unit, but if you wanna go the PC internal drive route, you won't get much cheaper than this (http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=5&name=CD-DVD-Burners-RW-Drives).

BTW, if I'm breaking some forum rule I don't know about (I honestly reviewed the "forum rules" & an still unsure what is allowed by posting the above link, would someone please let me know...

Sweet,
hopefully this will drop to $350 by Xmas

Dave

FYI....I transferred the whole movie to my hard drive from the DVR. I find that when I record HD OTA, it runs about 8 gig per hour. This 1:45 movie took 9.2 gig. It seems Charter is shaving bits also. :mad:

The movie still looks a lot better than the rented DVD, scaled. Now I need the price of burners to come down. It obviously will not compare with the new HD players.

Walt

Thanks for the follow up.

Who sets the 5c encryption flag? Cable Cos or otherwise?

I noticed a significant improvement in SD when my folks switched from the MOXI to the 6416. Others have stated they did not see any problems with SD on the MOXI.

Dave

Is Charter distributing both 34xx and 64xx series Motorola STB's?

I assume that you mean a standalone unit, but if you wanna go the PC internal drive route, you won't get much cheaper than this (http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=5&name=CD-DVD-Burners-RW-Drives).

BTW, if I'm breaking some forum rule I don't know about (I honestly reviewed the "forum rules" & an still unsure what is allowed by posting the above link, would someone please let me know...

I thought he was talking BluRay or HD-DVD computer burner....

thanks for the info, Dave!

I assume that you mean a standalone unit, but if you wanna go the PC internal drive route, you won't get much cheaper than this (http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=5&name=CD-DVD-Burners-RW-Drives).

BTW, if I'm breaking some forum rule I don't know about (I honestly reviewed the "forum rules" & an still unsure what is allowed by posting the above link, would someone please let me know...

When I say lower, I was referring more towards the price of the units below it. I am not particularly a BR fan (hate sony and their perceived quality) but if it sold in the hundred dollar range I would be all over it. I am very patient when it comes to my wife's wallet so which ever format reaches my price point first, I will probably purchase that type. It is an extinct possibility that I will end up with both formats eventually. It is unlikely that a combo burner will be affordable before the next attempt to get us to repurchase all our home video. :mad:

Charter is distributing the 3412 and 3416 Motorola boxes. I notice a considerable improvement in HD PQ over the Moto 6200 that I had. SD seems to be about the same. I have not viewed SD on a Moxi for any length of time so I can not comment.

I don't know if posting the link was a violation unless you own Newegg. :)

Walt

Feel lucky. I live in the High Ridge area also and can get neither Charter nor DSL where I live. I finally broke down and got Sprint EVDO which I share over wi-fi in my house with Kyocera KR1 router. I get about 400K to the desktop checked with internetfrog. If I connect the card directly to the laptop I get close to 1MB peaks.
Its not great..and its not cheap..but its better than 26.4 dialup!!

Stltoday.com article: Charter's growth reflects bundling of services (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/4FEBBE3C28E66C1B8625729100108DEC?OpenDocument)

Well, my D* service hasn't worked since Tues morning... I thought it might just be the software updates coming out for the HR20, so I let it go on Tues, & all day Wed.

The problem started out that when the receiver would power up it would lock up trying to retrieve the guide data. It did actually work for a bit, late on Tues night, so I decided to check the signal strength, the highest # on there was about 75, most were in the 40's & 50's. Starting Wed morning the unit was searching for software updates & after about 20 min or so of not getting anything it would shut it's self off. I tried numerous reboots & even unplugging the unit several times, all to no avail.

I came home at 11:30 last night & it still didn't work, so after numerous reboots & unplugging the unit several times (again) I finally called D* to schedule a service visit, which they've scheduled for Mon afternoon, with notes on the work order that the tech should be a "lead installer" & they're supposed to call me before they come, so I don't take off work early (3:00) & have the guy show up at 8:30pm like he did when I got my HD-DVR upgrade. :(

When I went home today at lunch it was locked up trying to retrieve the guide data again (I wonder if it ever got the software download?) & decided to climb out onto the back porch roof & have a look at the dish's mount. I found that when I grabbed the dish mast it would wobble around quite a bit with very little effort (even one of the mast stays was loose). It looks as though the installer used some 1/4" or 5/16" lag screws to fasten the dish mount & the two mast stays to the roof, but it's not very solid. My house is 80yrs old; the roof deck is individual 1 x 6 boards. My guess is that some of the screws on the dish mount may have landed in the gaps between the boards, but don't know for sure since it's installed near the edge of the roof, & the overhang is enclosed. I would have certainly thought that the installer would have checked to see if the mounts were solid & everything was tightened down properly before leaving, but judging by the info I've received recently, a "shoddy" install is not that uncommon. :mad:

I would like to have the dish moved in further on the roof so that the mounting points fall inside the exterior wall. This way I could add a "backing plate" (piece of 1 x 10 or something similar) & use nuts & bolts all the way through for a more solid mount. My attic is unfinished, so it's readily accessible, & I don't have to be concerned with a "pretty" install.

I wonder if the tech they send would do this. I'd be more than happy to get the wood & bolts, nuts, washers, etc. but don't want to waste my time if the tech will refuse. The one downside I see to moving the dish would be that the tech would no longer be able reach the dish while standing on the back porch roof, but would instead have to climb onto the main roof to make connections or adjustments.

Two other notes about my current install:

There is no grounding of the dish that I can see.
There are only two rg6 lines running from the dish, down & to the receiver.
(No switches, etc. & I only have one TV / receiver in the house)

As far as I know there was no ground on my old SD dish either, & the installed did not run any new RG6 when I got my upgrade, the lines are the same two belden 1613a lines installed when I first got my SD D* service two & a half years ago. (There was previously no cable installed to or in the house)

Any comments, ideas or opinions?

-Scott

I've been lurking for a few days and have noticed the AT&T love and the Charter hate. I have a question in regards to that... Do you all know that AT&T has been giving access to their switching rooms to the NSA? Their offices in the St. Louis area have been specifically mentioned as being a part of this. Or is it a non-factor with most people here? I personally don't like my phone records, conversations and TV viewing habits being forwarded to the government without my knowledge or consent. As soon as I found out, I dumped my land line and cingular service (was already using cable modem because it offers more stable, faster service).

Just to clarify, AT&T, Verizon, SBC and BellSouth were all implicated, it's a mixed bag of responses from Verizon and BellSouth whether they did/didn't. Lawsuits have been filed that also include Verizon and BellSouth. And don't bet against the thought that if Charter had a reasonably large installed telephone base that they would have participated as well.

Also, for the record, not to defend, the lawsuits do not propose that actual phone conversations were recorded. And TV habits? Not an issue here. :)

Along the lines of tracking viewer habits . ..one of the interactive features of D* HR20 is the What's Hot feature that shows a real time list of the most popular shows.
It has a break down by your current time zone and nationwide.

I kinda wich I could zoom in by zip code sometimes ;)


Token

Is Charter distributing both 34xx and 64xx series Motorola STB's?

My Bad. I fixed it.
Thanks

I noticed a significant improvement in SD when my folks switched from the MOXI to the 6416. Others have stated they did not see any problems with SD on the MOXI.

Dave
I have not switched, but have noticed an improvement in picture quality of Charters SD. It's of course not HD quality, but a significant improvement. Probably happened around Christmas as I recall.

TLR56 my D*service went out this morning and I am thinking it was because of the winds and I also have a piece that is loose on the dish I guess you could call it a arm and I do not know if it is needed.D*is coming out tomorrow to fix it so you are not alone.

I've been lurking for a few days and have noticed the AT&T love and the Charter hate. I have a question in regards to that... Do you all know that AT&T has been giving access to their switching rooms to the NSA? Their offices in the St. Louis area have been specifically mentioned as being a part of this. Or is it a non-factor with most people here? I personally don't like my phone records, conversations and TV viewing habits being forwarded to the government without my knowledge or consent. As soon as I found out, I dumped my land line and cingular service (was already using cable modem because it offers more stable, faster service).

Are you Jim Globe or just trolling??????
You have chosen your username well.
I think I may just change everything over to Charter and sit around with a tin foil cap on my head :)

Are you Jim Globe or just trolling??????
You have chosen your username well.
I think I may just change everything over to Charter and sit around with a tin foil cap on my head :)

Tin foil only works against aliens. :)

Walt

Those high winds moved my OTA antenna. It's my own fault for not going up and re-tightening the clamps last fall :o

I was up there in October....I remember giving it a "nudge," and thinking, "good job, guy...this baby ain't going anywhere" :o²

Uhm...so Mo...watchya doin' this weekend, anyway :D

Circuit City has the Series3 HD Tivo for $634.00 online, and I was thinking about getting one and dumping most of my Charter TV service.
The Moxi has a blue vertical line on some analog channels, and not very good picture, but HD is good.
How good is the Series 3 for picking up hd signals? I live in a valley with poor reception and multiple analog ghosts. Does anyone know what tuner chips are in the Series 3? Thanks in advance!

Circuit City has the Series3 HD Tivo for $634.00 online, and I was thinking about getting one and dumping most of my Charter TV service.
The Moxi has a blue vertical line on some analog channels, and not very good picture, but HD is good.
How good is the Series 3 for picking up hd signals? I live in a valley with poor reception and multiple analog ghosts. Does anyone know what tuner chips are in the Series 3? Thanks in advance!

If that Moxi is no good, why don't you take it back to your Charter office. They issued me the new Moto 3416 without a service call. Just tell them a CSR told you it was no good, after the 1 hour "phone sex". I call it that because of the number of bad words you use when talking to thir computer. ;)

Walt

Circuit City has the Series3 HD Tivo for $634.00 online, and I was thinking about getting one and dumping most of my Charter TV service.
The Moxi has a blue vertical line on some analog channels, and not very good picture, but HD is good.
How good is the Series 3 for picking up hd signals? I live in a valley with poor reception and multiple analog ghosts. Does anyone know what tuner chips are in the Series 3? Thanks in advance!


What output are you using, DVI or Component??? I believe I had a line similar to that on DVI but if I set the output to 480p instead of 480i I haven't noticed the line since.

-Phatty

Has anyone tried this video switcher? The price seems too good?

Vendor: Choice Select
Part#: CHO4005

Choice Select Component Audio/Video Switcher, 4 Inputs/1 Output
Our Price: $22.99 Buy

Now you can use the same television or monitor for a variety of uses, without switching wires! Use your camcorder, game console, VCR with ease. You can switch manually or use the handy auto-sensing feature. Choice Select brings you quality you can rely on, and a price you can afford.

Description
This Choice Select HDTV 4-way Audio Switcher is ideal for connecting DVD players, Cable boxes, Game consoles, Camcorders, VCRs etc. to one monitor, such as HDTV Display, Television or other device, without switching cables. This unit has 4 inputs and one output of either component video, composite video or S Video, plus stereo audio. The switch can be either manual or automatic. The auto-sensing feature will scan inputs 1-4 and output the last input signal found.
(Note: This device does not transcode, that is, the format of the input device must match the format of the output device. For example, input signal from a YPbPR device cannot be output to a YCbCr device.)

Features

4 Inputs / 1 Output
4 Component Video Inputs
4 S-Video Inputs
4 Composite Video Inputs
4 Stereo Audio Inputs
Manual or Automatic Operating Mode
115VAC Power Adapter Included
Channel Separation: 40dB (at 10MHz)
Video Bandwidth: 30MHz
Compatible with Progressive Scan YPbPr 480p, 576p, 720p and 1080i
Compatible with Interlaced Scan YCbCr Component Video
Dimensions: 10in x 2in x 6in
Weight: 1.85 lbs

DISH Network Execs Vow It Won't Lose HD Edge

The following except is from a story in today's TV Predictions newsletter:
___________________________________________________

TP: DIRECTV Vows to Offer 100 National HD Channels This Year. Are You Worried?

[Echostar President] Carl Vogel: "We recognize that DIRECTV has an aggressive plan with respect to HD...We have done extremely well with HD. I still think our price points are going to remain much more attractive than DIRECTV, with or without discounts...We are pleased with where we stand with HD. We do not plan on backing away from HD. We think we have an advantage with our HD DVR product and we think we have an advantage with our HD pricing.

In terms of additional content and additional markets, we can add to that as we move throughout ’07.

TP: Charlie Ergen, Are You Worried?

[Echostar CEO] Ergen: "I think we have always said strategically we are not going to take a backseat to anybody in HD.
___________________________________________________

To read the entire TV Predictions story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/echohd030107.htm)

LIN TV, Cox Reach Agreement on Local Cable Carriage

Apart from the recent report that TW and Comcast will not pay for local channels, the momentum on this issue seems to be moving in the direction of cable carriers agreeing to terms with local stations.

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
___________________________________________________

LIN TV and Cox Communications have reached an agreement that will allow Cox to carry LIN"s local HDTV channels in six markets.

The markets are: Providence, Rhode Island, Mobile, Alabama, Pensacola, Florida, Norfolk, Virginia, Springfield, Massachusetts and Hartford-New Haven, Connecticut.

LIN TV, which owns local stations in those markets, had refused to let Cox carry their high-def signals without being compensated. The dispute had denied nearly one million Cox subscribers an opportunity to watch their local channels in HD.
___________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/lincox030107.htm)

Comcast, Sinclair Extend Deadline for Digital Carriage Talks

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
__________________________________________________

Comcast and Sinclair Broadcasting have agreed to extend its current carriage agreement until March 10. This will allow Comcast subscribers in several states to continue to watch Sinclair-owned local stations (standard definition and HDTV channels) while the negotiations continue.

Sinclair had threatened to force Comcast to pull the channels off the air at 2 a.m. today unless the cable operator agreed to pay for the signals. But the two companies simply extended the agreement today while talks could proceed.

Comcast serves approximately three million people in Sinclair markets nationwide, including Baltimore, Richmond, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Nashville.
__________________________________________________

California Finalizes Rules for Statewide Video Franchising

Most of the stories I've summarized this morning don't have any direct bearing on the St. Louis market, but I think all of them have some trickle-down potential, particularly this one on state franchise reform in California.

From today's Morning Bridge newsletter:
_________________________________________________________

On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved rules for the state's new video franchising process.

The regulations, mandated by the California Digital Infrastructure and Cable Competition Act that was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger late last year, aims to streamline the video franchise process in the state and open the market to new competitors such as Verizon and AT&T.

In a statement, Verizon said it intends to file an application for a state-issued video franchise under the new law "as soon as possible." The application would cover the telco's service areas in Southern California.
_________________________________________________________

We Interrupt Your Normal AVS Programming...

...for the following St. Louis housekeeping break:

In the past, we used to begin each month of the St. Louis discussion with an entirely new thread and usually that started with a cut/paste of basic resource information about HDTV and over-the-air reception. Although those messages were moved to the new thread here that was started in January, that information is still easily overlooked as the new thread is growing rapidly, approaching 50 pages in a relatively short period.

So, in order to make this introductory information more accessible, I will be periodically reposting this advisory/reminder note. The idea is to make the general resource information available here more visible and easier to find for more readers.

With HDTV sales increasing every month, we're getting more and more newcomers here, which is a great thing to see. But like most of us when we took home our first HDTV, there's a huge amount to learn beyond where to point the remote and which buttons to push.

Hopefully, you'll find this information of some use...

Tower Maps, Your Satellite/Antenna Rights & Local Station Feedback (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713839&&#post9713839)

Resources for Receiving Digital/HD OTA Local Stations via an Antenna (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713842&&#post9713842)

Frequently Asked Questions about HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995791&&#post2995791)

HD Programming Available in St. Louis (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9714728&&#post9714728)

Why Isn't KDNL-DT (ABC) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8072643&&#post8072643)

Why Isn't KMOV-DT (CBS) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9341270&&#post9341270)

New! St. Louis Blues in HD Schedule (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8678636&&#post8678636)

2006 Survey Results: HDTV in St. Louis

Part 1: Profile of Survey Respondents (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713951&&#post9713951)

Part 2: Local Digital Stations (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713954&&#post9713954)

Part 3: Digital Multicasting (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713956&&#post9713956)

Part 4: Customer Ratings for Charter, DirecTV & DISH HD Services (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713960&&#post9713960)

Part 5: Customer Ratings for Pay TV HD Channels (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713963&&#post9713963)

Part 6: Best Picture/Sound Ratings & HD Wish Lists (http://http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713965&&#post9713965)

Finally, I want to remind everyone that you can access the St. Louis HDTV discussion here at AVS directly by using the shortcut URL that has been arranged.

The short-form URL also makes it very easy to remember and give the address to anyone you know who's just getting into HDTV.

The shortcut URL is: www.stlhdtv.info

WSJ Reports Blockbuster in Talks to Acquire Studios' Movielink Service

Came across this at Paul Thurott's Internet Nexus:
_____________________________________________________

Movie-rental giant Blockbuster Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire Movielink LLC, an online movie-downloading company owned by the major Hollywood studios, according to people familiar with the matter.

While the proposed deal is small -- the price is said to be less than $50 million in cash and stock -- it has important strategic implications. For Blockbuster, it represents a quick way into the online download business. Movielink has quietly peddled films online since 2002, with little success. In the past year or so, the nascent field has begun to pick up momentum, with big players like Apple Inc.'s.
_____________________________________________________

For additional analysis of this development, click here (http://www.internet-nexus.com/2007/03/blockbuster-in-talks-to-acquire.htm)

Tin foil only works against aliens. :)

Walt

In case anyone needs help with their hat, http://zapatopi.net/afdb/build.html

As for somethin HD: I haven't order an HR20 yet, but can someone remind me? Do I need 2 cables running from the dish to the box so I can record 2 shows at once? I wasn't planning on using the extra cables i ran to the dish before the new siding was installed, but I guess that's what I'll have to use one of them for.

In case anyone needs help with their hat, http://zapatopi.net/afdb/build.html

As for somethin HD: I haven't order an HR20 yet, but can someone remind me? Do I need 2 cables running from the dish to the box so I can record 2 shows at once? I wasn't planning on using the extra cables i ran to the dish before the new siding was installed, but I guess that's what I'll have to use one of them for.

As of right this minute, yes. 2 Coax for the DirecTV feed. If you want to record OTA, you will need a 3rd because diplexing will not be available.

In the future, 1 coax for 2 DirecTV feeds and 1 for OTA.

I hope so as well. I live in Eureka and we dont have DSL either. Cant figure it out. North side of 44 has it but the south side doesnt. Been promised for years and had to do satelite until we get it. cant imagine now days its that hard to get dsl out to current customers.

As of right this minute, yes. 2 Coax for the DirecTV feed. If you want to record OTA, you will need a 3rd because diplexing will not be available.

In the future, 1 coax for 2 DirecTV feeds and 1 for OTA.

Actually when D* moves to the FTM (the 1 coax solution) diplexing becomes available again. So you can actually use 1 cable to feed 2 satellite signals and your OTA signal.

Chris

I have a friend that just moved into the city by Grand and Delor (right across the street from St. Mary's High School) and he can't get DSL. We're not talking the middle of the boonies, we're talking south St. Louis here. I had another friend who moved into an apartment off Morganford and couldn't get DSL. Then again another buddy in Benton Park has DSL.

Wonder why AT&T has coverage holes in south St. Louis?

I have a friend that just moved into the city by Grand and Delor (right across the street from St. Mary's High School) and he can't get DSL. We're not talking the middle of the boonies, we're talking south St. Louis here. I had another friend who moved into an apartment off Morganford and couldn't get DSL. Then again another buddy in Benton Park has DSL.

Wonder why AT&T has coverage holes in south St. Louis?


Cause cell phones have killed land based services and it doesn't make sense to install an expensive switching station.

Cause cell phones have killed land based services and it doesn't make sense to install an expensive switching station.

So by that argument there should be no new switching stations and no expansion of DSL anywhere.

Also the fact that cell phones coverage is poor in south city. Both of my above friends had to add land-line service when moving into the 63118 zip code because their cell phones (one with Verizon, one with T-Mobile) would work so poorly.

Actually when D* moves to the FTM (the 1 coax solution) diplexing becomes available again. So you can actually use 1 cable to feed 2 satellite signals and your OTA signal.

Chris

I don't see how because you will still need the B-Band converter, correct? That is the problem.

So by that argument there should be no new switching stations and no expansion of DSL anywhere.

Also the fact that cell phones coverage is poor in south city. Both of my above friends had to add land-line service when moving into the 63118 zip code because their cell phones (one with Verizon, one with T-Mobile) would work so poorly.
Hmm I'm not far from there.. 63116 right off morganford and have fabulous coverage with t-mobile.

I have a friend that just moved into the city by Grand and Delor (right across the street from St. Mary's High School) and he can't get DSL. We're not talking the middle of the boonies, we're talking south St. Louis here. I had another friend who moved into an apartment off Morganford and couldn't get DSL. Then again another buddy in Benton Park has DSL.

Wonder why AT&T has coverage holes in south St. Louis?

I'm just a few blocks from there and I was told for years I couldn't get DSL, until they finally tried and I could. Of course, it was only 384 kbps, so by today's standard it was puny. It was a big step up at the time from dial-up, though. It all depends how far you are from the central office for your area. I was so close to the fringe, I could only get the slowest speed.

Charter took forever to get into this area with their high speed. Then, it took a lot longer to implement their phone service and I went with Vonage. It's not mission critical (people tell me they couldn't get through when I wasn't on the line), but they always can get back through on the second attempt. Not ideal, but not too bad for my current situation.

Hmm I'm not far from there.. 63116 right off morganford and have fabulous coverage with t-mobile.

I'm in 63111 and my coverage with Sprint at home is marginal. Depends on what part of the house I'm in.

Redefining clueless, as only local TV news can:

http://uweekly.com/cowtown/?p=246

(For immature audiences only)

Those high winds moved my OTA antenna. It's my own fault for not going up and re-tightening the clamps last fall :o

I was up there in October....I remember giving it a "nudge," and thinking, "good job, guy...this baby ain't going anywhere" :o²

Uhm...so Mo...watchya doin' this weekend, anyway :D

When your done with him...can I be next???

I have a friend that just moved into the city by Grand and Delor (right across the street from St. Mary's High School) and he can't get DSL. We're not talking the middle of the boonies, we're talking south St. Louis here. I had another friend who moved into an apartment off Morganford and couldn't get DSL. Then again another buddy in Benton Park has DSL.

Wonder why AT&T has coverage holes in south St. Louis?

It's all in the distant limitation from the CO. Approx 18000 ft for ADSL and 22000 ft for SDSL.

There are still other flavors of DSL in R&D stages now that can go between 30000 - 40000 but they are no where near ready for prime time.

Also keep in mind that in order to stay competitive they are giving service away for $15 - 20 a month. Not nearly enough profit margin to keep turning up new equipment.

My parents live in South STL and are in the same boat, they are around 20000 ft from the CO so they had to get cable which is a shame because my Mom worked for Bell for 30 years she would have gotten it for next to nothing.

OT---sort of

AT&T DSL has become available where I live. Their fastest package is listed as 3-6mb/down. $34.99/mo-no agreement.

Is anyone using this package (it's called 'elite'), who can confirm the actual average download speed?

I'd like nothing more than to dump pipeline, but I don't have any problems with it, and I get a consistent 4.9mb/down using multiple computers. Plus, I'm now only paying Charter 24.99/mo for the next 11 months.

I don't want to sacrifice speed and reliability over my personal dislike of Charter. I would spend the extra $5.00, but not to go backwards....I'm not that quite unstable....yet.

Your speed depends on how far you are away from the CO or RT. If you are close you will see around 5.4 down, if your farther away you will get around 2.5-3 down. The quality of the phone line can also effect your speed, ie. poor splice or corrosion.

To follow up on lack of DSL coverage, although my father does have it, his line will only stay synched at 384 both directions. Any higher and his connection becomes unstable. He lives between Lindbergh and McKelvey in Bridgeton, off of Old St. Charles Road. Hard to believe some of these areas are so poorly serviced. :(

OT---sort of

AT&T DSL has become available where I live. Their fastest package is listed as 3-6mb/down. $34.99/mo-no agreement.

Is anyone using this package (it's called 'elite'), who can confirm the actual average download speed?

I'd like nothing more than to dump pipeline, but I don't have any problems with it, and I get a consistent 4.9mb/down using multiple computers. Plus, I'm now only paying Charter 24.99/mo for the next 11 months.

I don't want to sacrifice speed and reliability over my personal dislike of Charter. I would spend the extra $5.00, but not to go backwards....I'm not that quite unstable....yet.

www.speedtest.net is a pretty good tool. Last week I was only getting approx 680/300. I was having some problems with my line. I called SBC and had them do a test on my line. The lady on the phone told me I had a short somewhere on the line. I went out to my NID (that grey box on the side of the house) and disconnected the rj11 from the house to segment the external and internal lines. The short left her test. A few minutes later I discovered the problem at the NID block inside the house and removed a few old lines (100 year old house) and redid speedtest. Now I'm getting approx 1200/300

brent

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94165770.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Aspec2 and Phatty, thanks for your replies. I couldn't reply sooner, having spent most of the day at the hospital with the birth of our first granddaughter. It's been a good day!

Anyway, is the 3416 better? I'm open to something better than the Moxi box.
They replaced my Moxi about a year ago when it wouldn't any longer output DVI and component simultaneously; they then told me is what the Moxi does now, instead of simultaneous output. DVI is slightly better than component on my HD-ready Panasonic plasma, but I also have an S-video output from the Moxi to a Pioneer dvd recorder, so it seemed better to use component.
Besides baseball, I don't watch much TV. I was thinking of going to basic Charter TV service (also have high-speed internet)with a Tivo Series 3 or a new DVD recorder with ATSC tuner and harddrive for OTA and unencrypted qam, when they become available later this year. With bad reception in my area, I need a latest generation tuner, I believe. How is the Tivo Series 3 for OTA reception? Will it still function as a Tivo without cablecard support? I'm looking for a better solution without paying Charter $96 a month. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Thanks...all I needed to hear. I can't risk any sort of connection issues.
Speedtest returns 4.8mb/down-500k/up with 2 using the connection.

Seems like I've waited forever for this, and I can't believe it myself.
I'll stick with Charter. :mad:

Not ONE word...my wife's already made me feel knee-high-to-a-grasshopper.

Geeze, between this, and my antenna moving...I need a vacation. :o

Redefining clueless, as only local TV news can:

http://uweekly.com/cowtown/?p=246

(For immature audiences only)

OMG. Classic. I didn't notice when watching the video, but when I saw the still...Somebody is losing their job in Augusta.

Scott

OT---sort of

AT&T DSL has become available where I live. Their fastest package is listed as 3-6mb/down. $34.99/mo-no agreement.

Is anyone using this package (it's called 'elite'), who can confirm the actual average download speed?

I'd like nothing more than to dump pipeline, but I don't have any problems with it, and I get a consistent 4.9mb/down using multiple computers. Plus, I'm now only paying Charter 24.99/mo for the next 11 months.

I don't want to sacrifice speed and reliability over my personal dislike of Charter. I would spend the extra $5.00, but not to go backwards....I'm not that quite unstable....yet.

I'm not paying for the elite package, but I'm happy with DSL over Charter (of course, I dropped Charter when they hicked my rate to $49.99/month since I didn't have any other Charter services). Anyway, these are the results of my speedtest.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/93993268.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
FWIW, I'm pretty far from the CO and for years I wasn't able to get DSL, which is why I originally went with Charter.

Anyway, I'm sure I won't change your mind, but I wanted to share my experience.

Aspec2 and Phatty, thanks for your replies. I couldn't reply sooner, having spent most of the day at the hospital with the birth of our first granddaughter. It's been a good day!

Anyway, is the 3416 better? I'm open to something better than the Moxi box.
They replaced my Moxi about a year ago when it wouldn't any longer output DVI and component simultaneously; they then told me is what the Moxi does now, instead of simultaneous output. DVI is slightly better than component on my HD-ready Panasonic plasma, but I also have an S-video output from the Moxi to a Pioneer dvd recorder, so it seemed better to use component.
Besides baseball, I don't watch much TV. I was thinking of going to basic Charter TV service (also have high-speed internet)with a Tivo Series 3 or a new DVD recorder with ATSC tuner and harddrive for OTA and unencrypted qam, when they become available later this year. With bad reception in my area, I need a latest generation tuner, I believe. How is the Tivo Series 3 for OTA reception? Will it still function as a Tivo without cablecard support? I'm looking for a better solution without paying Charter $96 a month. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

I never owned a Moxi so I can't really say its better/worse. The 3416 has a 160 gig hard drive. It has component and an HDMI output, no DVI. I had to get a HDMI to DVI adapter. Get one of these off the net if you decide to do the exchange. You will save some money. There is a SATA port, 2 firewire ports, optical and SPDIF out, RJ45, and others. I have only verified one firewire port. It will cost you 16 bucks/month over the Moto 6200. If you already have a Moxi there should be no change.

I have not experienced any of the problems that are posted on many forums, but, I have only had it a week so maybe I have something to look forward to.

My wifes wallet can't stand the initial price of a Tivo or I would probably have tried one.

Bonne Chance

Walt

Circuit City has the Series3 HD Tivo for $634.00 online, and I was thinking about getting one and dumping most of my Charter TV service.
The Moxi has a blue vertical line on some analog channels, and not very good picture, but HD is good.
How good is the Series 3 for picking up hd signals? I live in a valley with poor reception and multiple analog ghosts. Does anyone know what tuner chips are in the Series 3? Thanks in advance!

I've had the "3" since January and have been impressed with the sensitivity of the internal OTA tuner. I'm near the airport and have planes and loads of huge old trees blocking things every which way. Prior to getting the new Tivo, I was using a Toshiba DTV box, and found that I needed to adjust my cheap RS indoor antenna for each change of the channel. Not the case with the Tivo 3. Point it in the general direction of the towers and forget it.

Steve

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94044511.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Here is mine from Centurytel and I was simultaneously burning a DVD.

Scott

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94054027.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I think I'll stay put. :mad:

What DVD, Scott? "Introduction to News Graphics?" :D

AT&T DSL:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/93547686.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

DirecTV Denies Reports It Has MLB Exclusive

Wow! -- only 5,000 current MLB Extra Innings subscribers via DISH and cable. Talk about kowtowing to small special interest groups....

The following excerpts are from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
____________________________________________________________

Despite news reports, DIRECTV says it does not have an exclusive agreement with Major League Baseball to carry up to 60 out of market games each week, including many in High-Definition TV. Several publications late yesterday reported that the satcaster and the league had reached an exclusive arrangement for DIRECTV to carry the baseball package, which is called 'MLB Extra Innings.'

The reports were based on a seven-page letter DIRECTV submitted to the Federal Communications Commission that referred to the MLB package as "DIRECTV's agreement."

However, DIRECTV spokesman Robert Mercer told the Associated Press that the letter used the wrong language. "The letter should have said proposed agreement. There is no agreement as yet," Mercer told the wire service...

...DIRECTV's FCC letter, which was written by CEO Chase Carey, was an effort to convince the agency that the DIRECTV-MLB exclusive would be good for consumers. The proposed deal has been criticized by lawmakers and media critics because it would take the 'Extra Innings' package away from cable and EchoStar viewers...

...According to AP, Carey argued that only 5,000 current (cable and EchoStar) subscribers to the Extra Innings package would not be able to subscribe to DIRECTV.
____________________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvbaseball030307.htm)

DirecTV Getting Ready to Add National Geographic HD?

No indication whether this would be available via MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, if it is being added...

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
_______________________________________________________

DIRECTV apparently will soon add National Geographic HD to its lineup of high-def channels. While the satcaster has not made an official announcement, it has added the high-def network to its Interactive Programming Guide (IPG) at channel 77.

The on-screen guide says that on March 6 a National Geographic HD program called In the Womb will air in the early morning hours. However, on future days, the DIRECTV IPG for National Geographic HD says "To be announced."

DIRECTV officials were unavailable for comment this morning. However, one well-placed industry source says it's likely that DIRECTV will add National Geographic HD in the near future.
_______________________________________________________

http://www.speedtest.net/result/92527348.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Typical of my Charter connection. :D

Cox, Belo Reach Agreement for CBS Digital Carriage in New Orleans

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
____________________________________________________

Cox Cable subscribers in the New Orleans area will finally be able to watch CBS in High-Definition TV.

Cox and Belo Corp., which owns WWL-TV, the local CBS station in New Orleans, have signed an agreement to allow the cable operator to offer both the station's standard and high-def channels, the companies announced Friday night.

Until now, Belo had refused to let Cox carry WWL's high-def channel, saying it should be compensation for the signal. The two companies did not reveal the financial terms of last night's agreement.

But the deal is likely to include similar carriage rights for Cox systems in other Belo markets across the nation.
____________________________________________________

NTG HD is a good channel, it would be a good addition.

This past week, I had two communications with E* regarding the MLB EI package, and as of Thursday, E* is still saying no final agreement has been reached. They (E*) expect a decision sometime this coming week. I'd say so, since the season is all but upon us.

Does anyone have more information of the launch of MLB TV's own channel, expected to launch in 2009? It sounds like the MLB TV we now see online, coming to TV. From what I've read, it is billed as a cable offering, with 24/7 baseball. If that is correct, it would seem to deflate the value of MLB EI. :confused:

[B][SIZE=3]
...According to AP, Carey argued that only 5,000 current (cable and EchoStar) subscribers to the Extra Innings package would not be able to subscribe to DIRECTV.
____________________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvbaseball030307.htm)


How does he figure this?

It's not clear, and even the wording of that sentence is a little ambiguous. But I'm guessing that this is based on the subscriber numbers that DISH and cable have achieved in sales of MLB Extra Innings. I think part of what might be going on there is that DirecTV has a history of offering this sort of "season ticket" content and DISH and cable do not.

FYI -- it's only recently that cable and DISH have been in a position to offer the MLB pay package -- prior to the current (expired) contract, this was also a DirecTV exclusive. Although no one has come out and said so, I suspect that one of the reasons that MLB was open again to doing an exclusive with DirecTV is that they have probably traditionally done a better job or package promotion and marketing than either DISH or the average cable company.

There are other factors here, too. Unlike the NFL Sunday Ticket, there's not nearly as much demand for out-of-market baseball games as there is for out-of-market football games. This is largely due to the number of games in a baseball season being 10 times greater than in the NFL regular season. In the NFL, every regular season game has a much higher potential impact on the playoff picture, and therefore there's more interest in these games by the casual or "out of town" fan than is the case for baseball.

Extra Innings also suffers in comparison to ST in that it's not a perfect replacement for a the displaced fan, as not every game for your rooting interest is broadcast via Extra Innings. I had the MLB package when I lived in SF up to 2001, and I only received, on average, one or two Cardinal games per week via Extra Innings (a good week might yield three).

At the same time, I saw close to the same number of Cardinal games via WGN, WTBS and the local SF outlets when the Cards played the Cubs, Braves or Giants, as well as via ESPN national broadcasts. It's possible that the composition of the Extra Innings package has changed since I last paid for it...

I think in regards to get so many out of market games per week, you see teams like Boston and both New York teams almost have a game every night, and the least popular teams only get a few games per week.

Also, this may be a stupid question, but is this for this season coming up? Seems like you would think you would have this deal done by now since the season is less than a month away.

This is way off topic so please excuse me. However since the entire knowledge of the world is enclosed within this forum I know you will have the answer. I want to know where I can buy a game port to usb adaptor that will work on a Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro Joystick.

Thanks.

I think in regards to get so many out of market games per week, you see teams like Boston and both New York teams almost have a game every night, and the least popular teams only get a few games per week.

Also, this may be a stupid question, but is this for this season coming up? Seems like you would think you would have this deal done by now since the season is less than a month away.
Yes, this season....you'd think...huh?

I've had MBL EI on DISH the past 2 seasons. One thing I enjoy, is watching the final game of the team next scheduled to play the Cardinals. I found I enjoy the first game of the series more, already knowing where the upcoming opponent is in their season....injuries...lineup...pitching, etc.

DirecTV Denies Reports It Has MLB Exclusive

Wow! -- only 5,000 current MLB Extra Innings subscribers via DISH and cable. Talk about kowtowing to small special interest groups....

The following excerpts are from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
____________________________________________________________

...According to AP, Carey argued that only 5,000 current (cable and EchoStar) subscribers to the Extra Innings package would not be able to subscribe to DIRECTV.
____________________________________________________________

To read the full story, click here (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvbaseball030307.htm)

The most natural reading of that to me is that there are 5,000 DISH and cable EI subscribers for whom DirectTV is not an option, not that there are only 5,000 EI subscribers nationwide on DISH and cable.

The most natural reading of that to me is that there are 5,000 DISH and cable EI subscribers for whom DirectTV is not an option, not that there are only 5,000 EI subscribers nationwide on DISH and cable.Right, I can see how you would read it that way as I thought the same thing, but I don't think that's correct.

If you can receive DISH, why wouldn't you be able to receive DirecTV? Maybe I'm missing factors here that are obvious and/or subtle... :o

game port to usb adaptorHere? (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=game+port+to+usb+adapter&btnG=Google+Search)

Right, I can see how you would read it that way as I thought the same thing, but I don't think that's correct.

If you can receive DISH, why wouldn't you be able to receive DirecTV? Maybe I'm missing factors here that are obvious and/or subtle... :o
I read it as.....if you want MLB EI, 5000 can switch their subscription to DirecTV. Any other MLB EI subs, on cable, that are not capable of receiving SAT, can just pound salt. Those MLB EI subs on DISH, who do not want to switch to DirecTV, can just get in line behind the cable subs. The statement says nothing in reference to how many MLB EI subs would be in that line. It only refers to the 5000 with a viable (useless, IMO) option.

It's a poorly worded, back-peddling, hands-in-the-air, ridiculous response.

I find it difficult to imagine there are only 5000 MLB EI subs, combined cable and DISH, nationwide. IF that is the case, it's not very popular.

Hello all...I'm looking for someone that can make custom cables for my AV setup and to redo all the cabling. I have a rat's nest behind my setup using pre-made cables and have trouble locating what cable is connected to what. What would it cost? Later this spring I will also be looking for someone to change my roof antenna.

It's a poorly worded, back-peddling, hands-in-the-air, ridiculous response.To be fair, this isn't a direct quote, but rather is twice removed from whatever Carey actually said/wrote (first by the AP and then by TV Predictions).

A game of Telephone anyone?

I've had the Elite package for a couple of years now, has been rock-steady. I live in Ellisville, I think I heard about 6000 ft from the CO on Manchester Rd.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94239777.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I read it as.....if you want MLB EI, 5000 can switch their subscription to DirecTV. Any other MLB EI subs, on cable, that are not capable of receiving SAT, can just pound salt. Those MLB EI subs on DISH, who do not want to switch to DirecTV, can just get in line behind the cable subs. The statement says nothing in reference to how many MLB EI subs would be in that line. It only refers to the 5000 with a viable (useless, IMO) option.

It's a poorly worded, back-peddling, hands-in-the-air, ridiculous response.

I find it difficult to imagine there are only 5000 MLB EI subs, combined cable and DISH, nationwide. IF that is the case, it's not very popular.

I may be one of the 5000 being referred to. I switched from DirecTV to Dish in October in order to get the HD DVR. The DirecTV HD DVR was just being rolled out at the time and there were considerable delays and bugs that still needed to be worked out.....so I switched knowing that Dish offered Extra Innings. Anyway, when you sign up you sign up for an 18 month committment. So I can't switch. Of course, that isn't entirely true, I can switch but I would have to pay a termination penalty and I ain't gonna do that just for Extra Innings.

I may be one of the 5000 being referred to. I switched from DirecTV to Dish in October in order to get the HD DVR. The DirecTV HD DVR was just being rolled out at the time and there were considerable delays and bugs that still needed to be worked out.....so I switched knowing that Dish offered Extra Innings. Anyway, when you sign up you sign up for an 18 month commitment. So I can't switch. Of course, that isn't entirely true, I can switch but I would have to pay a termination penalty and I ain't gonna do that just for Extra Innings.
Dan,
I'd be pretty surprised, if you contact E* escalations, and present them with your issue (presuming MLB EI is locked out of DISH), they would not offer you some sort of agreeable compensation. I doubt they would terminate your 18 month agreement, but they will most likely offer something.

Anyway, if you're interested, write to ceo@echostar.net
They usually respond in 24-36 hours.

I'd never entertain the idea of switching to D* over EI either....nothing against D*, it's just not practical. If it does go exclusive, I'm going to connect my Dell 17" HD LCD (it's a monitor also), and use MLB TV. I've previewed the upcoming season video, and it is much improved over seasons past. It's much faster, and the blocking is all but gone on 2x, which was almost unwatchable in the past.


"which" here, not "that." Right Mo?
She's in hiding until all the windblown antennas are fixed :D

http://www.speedtest.net/result/92527348.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Typical of my Charter connection. :D
Tstolze,
When you switched from 3-5mg to 10mg, was it real noticeable? I mean like, "WoW" noticeable, or you could just tell it's faster.

I've considered upgrading, but we're overall content with the current (5mg) connection speed. The only thing that is somewhat slow, is getting into the bank's server thru the Cisco VPN....once in, it's still slower than everything else, but acceptable. I'm trying to decide if upgrading will speed that up.

I get about 1500 kbps down and 400 kbps up with ATT DSL. It's good enough for my $20/month for now, and I'm certainly not about to pay more even if it would be faster.

I get about 1500 kbps down and 400 kbps up with ATT DSL. It's good enough for my $20/month for now, and I'm certainly not about to pay more even if it would be faster.
Working from home, and spending 12 hours/day in front of 6 different monitors/processors....it's well worth it, to me, anyway :)

Here? (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=game+port+to+usb+adapter&btnG=Google+Search)


Thanks I did a Google search but yours came up with some different sites. Very interesting.

Aspec2, thanks for your reply. I already have 3 HDMI cables and a DVI-HMDI cable from Monoprice, so that's not an issue. I'll have to give the 3416 a try, it may be the answer. Thanks!
Hizhonor, Thanks as well. I grew up in Ferguson back in the 1950's and 1960's, near the SSJJ Nun's convent, and it was a wonderful place to live, kinda like a North County Kirkwood. I spent many a day fishing and swimming at January-Wabash park, and I don't think we ever locked the door at home. They could have filmed Leave It to Beaver or Father Knows Best there. I now live in South County, with a 4-acre lake in my backyard and a subdivision pool. Talk about re-living your youth.....
TV reception in Ferguson must be impacted by the airport, as it is near/in the flight path of Lambert. Is multipath an issue, like it is at my location in South County?
Does anyone know what tuner chips they used in the Series 3 Tivo, that may be effective with muli-path and a deep valley? Thanks in advance.

Dan,
I'd be pretty surprised, if you contact E* escalations, and present them with your issue (presuming MLB EI is locked out of DISH), they would not offer you some sort of agreeable compensation. I doubt they would terminate your 18 month agreement, but they will most likely offer something.

Anyway, if you're interested, write to ceo@echostar.net
They usually respond in 24-36 hours.

I'd never entertain the idea of switching to D* over EI either....nothing against D*, it's just not practical. If it does go exclusive, I'm going to connect my Dell 17" HD LCD (it's a monitor also), and use MLB TV. I've previewed the upcoming season video, and it is much improved over seasons past. It's much faster, and the blocking is all but gone on 2x, which was almost unwatchable in the past.


"which" here, not "that." Right Mo?
She's in hiding until all the windblown antennas are fixed :D

Yeah, I looked at the MLB TV website today looking at subscription options. That is one possibility though I already spend too much time in front of my computer.

It would be a big hassle getting a DirecTV reinstall and then trying to get a deal on their HD DVR....they more than likely would want me to fork a couple of hundred just to lease it. I tried negotiating with them a couple of times last fall without alot of luck. I really like my HD DVR....that is one thing I don't want to give up and last time I checked DirecTV was still having alot of problems with its HD DVR.

Tstolze,
When you switched from 3-5mg to 10mg, was it real noticeable? I mean like, "WoW" noticeable, or you could just tell it's faster.

I've considered upgrading, but we're overall content with the current (5mg) connection speed. The only thing that is somewhat slow, is getting into the bank's server thru the Cisco VPN....once in, it's still slower than everything else, but acceptable. I'm trying to decide if upgrading will speed that up.

General surfing I see no difference. I upgraded for the upload more than anything, with some gaming, 5 minute website updates from my weather programs, and a wife that loves to upload pictures to Sam's Club.

I did stop using Charter's DNS servers, I now use Open DNS servers. Something you may want to try, some sites respond the same, but the slow responding sites I use to see are much quicker now.

The "wow" effect comes from downloads, 2.8 gigs in a hour!

Yeah, I looked at the MLB TV website today looking at subscription options. That is one possibility though I already spend too much time in front of my computer.

It would be a big hassle getting a DirecTV reinstall and then trying to get a deal on their HD DVR....they more than likely would want me to fork a couple of hundred just to lease it. I tried negotiating with them a couple of times last fall without a lot of luck. I really like my HD DVR....that is one thing I don't want to give up and last time I checked DirecTV was still having a lot of problems with its HD DVR.
Agree...the DISH HD DVR (622) is reason enough to stay with DISH. It's an awesome machine!

General surfing I see no difference. I upgraded for the upload more than anything, with some gaming, 5 minute website updates from my weather programs, and a wife that loves to upload pictures to Sam's Club.

I did stop using Charter's DNS servers, I now use Open DNS servers. Something you may want to try, some sites respond the same, but the slow responding sites I use to see are much quicker now.

The "wow" effect comes from downloads, 2.8 gigs in a hour!
Thanks....we don't do much in the way of uploading. As for downloading, other than updates, mostly everything is in real time. Though, will all those updates, it can sometimes become a PITA.

The biggest issue we have is, connecting to, and logging into the bank's server. With the mandated 30 minute idle time-out, it becomes annoying throughout the day. Hitting the VPN through Cisco is fast, the lag comes in logging in. I think it's additional security, but IT says no. Still, inside the branch, it's instantaneous....remote takes forever.

Thanks for the DNS tip....I'm going to check with the bank's IT, and make sure we're allowed. I can't see why not, but FDIC and computers don't seem to follow any rhyme-or-reason. They make us do some of the most illogical stuff, and don't allow anything they haven't already reviewed, understand, and approve of.

My wife and I were very, very concerned when we found out that MLB EI might be exclusive to DIRECTV. We hsave Comcast here in KC and saw about every Cardinal game that MLB EI carried. Without it we would be lost although we would never reort to becoming Royals fans. OUCH!
We would also never go to DIRECTV just for the Cardinals games as much as we love them.

Comp-USA To Close Its St. Louis-area Stores

Not really on-topic, but considering how often computer equipment questions come up here, I thought it worth passing along.

There might be some nice shelf-clearing bargains to be had in a few weeks...

From the STLToday web site:
___________________________________________________________

All three CompUSA Inc. stores in the St. Louis area will close in the next 60 to 90 days as part of the Dallas-based chain's plan to shutter more than half of its locations across the country.

By closing 126 stores, Comp*USA can focus on the remaining 103 stores that are located in 39 states and Puerto Rico. The restructuring plan calls for other cost-cutting measures and a $440 million cash infusion from its parent company, Mexico City-based U.S. Commercial Corp.
___________________________________________________________

I think this is my speed test:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94404067.png

I have the 5Mb/second speed from Charter, for the moment. As soon as DSL is available at a comparable speed it's out of here. I'm getting constant drops of synch and routine outages. Since I work from home that's unacceptable to me.

Cheers,

Hello all...I'm looking for someone that can make custom cables for my AV setup and to redo all the cabling. I have a rat's nest behind my setup using pre-made cables and have trouble locating what cable is connected to what. What would it cost? Later this spring I will also be looking for someone to change my roof antenna.

There is a man on the CRT forum who does custom cables. His I.D. is chuchuf. He resides in the Atlanta area and is well respected. You might give him a try if you can't find someone local. I know he won't do your antenna but he would do your G90. :)

Walt

She's in hiding until all the windblown antennas are fixed :D

Not everyone cleared downed limbs near the power lines so I was without power (again) briefly.

I think you are right about windblown antennas. KMOV is breaking up some. It may be the wind was so strong up here near Lambert it was causing too much movement in the antenna. I hope that is the case.

I think this is my speed test:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94404067.png

I have the 5Mb/second speed from Charter, for the moment. As soon as DSL is available at a comparable speed it's out of here. I'm getting constant drops of synch and routine outages. Since I work from home that's unacceptable to me.This sounds very similar to the problems that I've been having with Pipeline. In the past week, I'm constantly resetting my cable modem and router -- in fact, a couple of weeks ago I actually replaced my router in the hope that the problem was hardware on my end, not Charter.

I should have known better... :rolleyes:

Working from home, and spending 12 hours/day in front of 6 different monitors/processors....it's well worth it, to me, anyway :)I can understand that. I work from home too some days (doing software engineering), but current speed is adequate for me. Occasionally I have to upload a software release thru a VPN, so a faster connection would be nice for that. I'd take faster speeds but not at greater cost.

Not everyone cleared downed limbs near the power lines so I was without power (again) briefly.

I think you are right about windblown antennas. KMOV is breaking up some. It may be the wind was so strong up here near Lambert it was causing too much movement in the antenna. I hope that is the case.

I have the opposite problem. My antenna is in the attic and I am still getting OTA OK, but my roof-mounted Slimline dish must have gotten shifted in the winds because I an getting low or no signal on the 103 sat for the HD locals. This started last weekend with breakups, got better mid-week, then went out totally by Thursday. I put in a service call to D* to come out later this week to realign it. At least the protection package will finally get some payback!

Until then I have to switch all the recordings on the HR20 to OTA. :(

Mike

Well, I was about to actually defend Charter's Pipeline, but then I got this....

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94421705.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

That's about a third of what I'm paying for... at least it's not really typical, or so my download speeds when I actually download files indicate.

Try the Chicago server, I have issues with the server you used also.

Two things...

first, I switched to D* at the end of January. Yesterday, in the mail, I received a $140 check from Charter...Normally my bill ran around $90-$110 (depending on payperview, etc and after they raised the rates). Why in the world would I get $140 back? I mean I'll take it, it'll pay for my MLB EI, but it's weird...

Second, I had some problems picking up OTA signals in E-Ville. I should say I hadn't tried too hard. I plugged in an attic antenna that has probably been up there since god knows when. I got fox, cbs, nbc no problem. The 9 channels I could get during the daytime, but not at night.

But starting this week I have had no problems picking up any of them...does the time of year effect ota reception?

This sounds very similar to the problems that I've been having with Pipeline. In the past week, I'm constantly resetting my cable modem and router -- in fact, a couple of weeks ago I actually replaced my router in the hope that the problem was hardware on my end, not Charter.

I should have known better... :rolleyes:

About a 2 months ago I was having those same problems with pipeline. About 3 or 4 mornings per week, I would have to reboot the modem. For the last 3 weeks, I have not experienced an outage.

You will have to excuse me now, my wife just handed me the AmerENron bill and I have to go find my gun. :mad:

Oh, wait, I don't own one......is it time for a change?

Walt

Try the Chicago server, I have issues with the server you used also.
Yes, the server you use affects the numbers greatly. Chicago yields the fastest numbers for me. You might want to try Speakeasy.net, too.

Comp-USA To Close Its St. Louis-area Stores

Not really on-topic, but considering how often computer equipment questions come up here, I thought it worth passing along.

There might be some nice shelf-clearing bargains to be had in a few weeks...

From the STLToday web site:
___________________________________________________________

All three CompUSA Inc. stores in the St. Louis area will close in the next 60 to 90 days as part of the Dallas-based chain's plan to shutter more than half of its locations across the country.

By closing 126 stores, Comp*USA can focus on the remaining 103 stores that are located in 39 states and Puerto Rico. The restructuring plan calls for other cost-cutting measures and a $440 million cash infusion from its parent company, Mexico City-based U.S. Commercial Corp.
___________________________________________________________

I bet your right. Lots of good deals on the way. I will be watching. Thanks for the info!!

I bet your right. Lots of good deals on the way. I will be watching. Thanks for the info!!

My neighbor was there on Friday. He said there wasn't that much of a sale. He said a number of things were around 10% off but that was about it. He also said that it looked like an outside concern was doing the sell off of inventory.

Walt

Actually it was storewide, at least 10% off, some stuff was more, but in general, not a great sale.

Actually it was storewide, at least 10% off, some stuff was more, but in general, not a great sale.

Bummer :(
Thanks for the info

I hope it's not the same shiesters that run the furniture "going out of business" sales. They mark everything up to higher than msrp then take 15% off and tell you you're getting a great deal....

It's probably being run by Hilco Liquidators. I got to deal with them when Frank's Nursery closed up shop in 2001. Every few weeks they'll increase the markdown by another 10%.

Comp-USA To Close Its St. Louis-area Stores

Not really on-topic, but considering how often computer equipment questions come up here, I thought it worth passing along.

There might be some nice shelf-clearing bargains to be had in a few weeks...

From the STLToday web site:
___________________________________________________________

All three CompUSA Inc. stores in the St. Louis area will close in the next 60 to 90 days as part of the Dallas-based chain's plan to shutter more than half of its locations across the country.

By closing 126 stores, Comp*USA can focus on the remaining 103 stores that are located in 39 states and Puerto Rico. The restructuring plan calls for other cost-cutting measures and a $440 million cash infusion from its parent company, Mexico City-based U.S. Commercial Corp.
___________________________________________________________

I would have thought they would have kept one store open: Sunset Hills seemed to do decent business. But Manchester and Rock Road always seemed dead.

To be honest I get everything through newegg or tigerdirect.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/92527348.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Typical of my Charter connection. :D

Damn!

The problem is I live in the DeMun area of Clayton with tons of Wash U. students. When I had Charter my 6Mbps would slow down to less than 1Mbps in the evening. Just too many people on line at the same time.

My DSL has been rock solid at what I pay for 1.5Mbps. Will probably upgrade here shortly.

you guys are right, the Chicago server does work better...

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94628456.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Now that's right about what I'm paying for.

BTW, I'm typing this from my brand spanking new self-built dual core Athlon 64 FX-60 video editing/encoding PC. Assembly and operation so far have been nearly flawless. This thing can play mkv files without having to pay for the CoreAVC mpeg-4 codec. I'm capturing a movie from the DirecTivo as I'm typing and so far not dropping any frames. The two FusionHDTV cards installed without a hitch, though I haven't tried recording anything with 'em yet... guess Monday will be the big test with 24, Prison Break, Heroes, and CSI Miami all on that night. Only snag so far is it's not seeing the other PC's on the home network yet. I'll figure that out pretty soon. But in the meantime, woo hoo!

Robert,

Sounds like we're working on similar projects, although I went Core2 Duo :) I manage my network the easy way with Static DHCP. I set the router up to assign a static address and the PC DHCP. This makes life much easier from both sides.

Of course I'm assuming it's an IP layer issue and not something else.

Cheers,

I tried Chicago and got a better result.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/94677921.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Scott

you guys are right, the Chicago server does work better...

http://www.speedtest.net/result/94628456.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Now that's right about what I'm paying for.

BTW, I'm typing this from my brand spanking new self-built dual core Athlon 64 FX-60 video editing/encoding PC. Assembly and operation so far have been nearly flawless. This thing can play mkv files without having to pay for the CoreAVC mpeg-4 codec. I'm capturing a movie from the DirecTivo as I'm typing and so far not dropping any frames. The two FusionHDTV cards installed without a hitch, though I haven't tried recording anything with 'em yet... guess Monday will be the big test with 24, Prison Break, Heroes, and CSI Miami all on that night. Only snag so far is it's not seeing the other PC's on the home network yet. I'll figure that out pretty soon. But in the meantime, woo hoo!

Most of what I've done in the past with my HTPC has been with MyHD and MPEG2 files. Now that we're moving to MPEG4 and AVC, I also decided to upgrade. I have an Athlon 64 4400+ dual core and I just added an nVidia 7950GT. No problem with AVC playback so far with PowerDVD 7 Ultra. I've mostly owned ATI cards, but I like the nVidia software even better so far. Isn't upgrading fun?

Most of what I've done in the past with my HTPC has been with MyHD and MPEG2 files. Now that we're moving to MPEG4 and AVC, I also decided to upgrade. I have an Athlon 64 4400+ dual core and I just added an nVidia 7950GT. No problem with AVC playback so far with PowerDVD 7 Ultra. I've mostly owned ATI cards, but I like the nVidia software even better so far. Isn't upgrading fun?

Haven't tried any 1080p H264 TS files yet, but my new puppy has no problem with 720p x264 mkv files at all... even with a lowly 7300 video card and without the CoreAVC codec I needed on the previous machine. This thing is also soooo quiet I'm thinking about putting together another one to replace the PC in the bedroom.

Yes, the server you use affects the numbers greatly. Chicago yields the fastest numbers for me. You might want to try Speakeasy.net, too.

Just curious, if you have to pick and choose a server to yield better results, do the results reflect your typical speeds? When you're surfing, you don't get to pick the server location unless you are downloading files from a mirror site.

Just curious, if you have to pick and choose a server to yield better results, do the results reflect your typical speeds? When you're surfing, you don't get to pick the server location unless you are downloading files from a mirror site.

When using these sites, you are only checking for the capability of your machine and not looking for what you typically get. Speed test sites allow you to check your provider to see if they are providing what is advertised.

Walt

Details Emerge of DirecTV Letter to FCC on MLB Package

From today's SkyREPORT newsletter:
__________________________________________________________

Although nothing officially has been announced about DIRECTV landing an exclusive deal with Major League Baseball for its out-of-market programming package, company officials are saying that the satellite version of baseball will be better than it has ever been on other carriers.

In a letter addressed to Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau Chief Monica Shah Desai, DIRECTV CEO Chase Cary said the agency has nothing to fear over the proposed deal because consumers will be the winners in the end.

DIRECTV's rumored deal for MLB's Extra Innings package has attracted heated criticism from law makers, media observers and baseball fans worried their ability to watch baseball will be greatly diminished if the deal goes through. But in his letter, Carey said the satcaster's agreement with the league "is going to be a big win for consumers and is consistent with Congress's and the FCC's pro-competitive policies."

Carey compared the company's plans with Extra Innings to what it has done in the past with the NFL Sunday Ticket and NASCAR Hotpass. The exec said consumers will get a better product with more features, and "more people will choose to subscribe to Extra Innings on DIRECTV alone than when the product was available on cable nationwide." The DIRECTV head also said no consumers will be denied access because viewers, if they desire, can switch from cable to DIRECTV for free.

According to Carey, it was baseball who approached pay-TV providers to negotiate over exclusive carriage of its Extra Innings and only DIRECTV showed interest at a level that satisfied the league - carrying MLB's new The Baseball Channel in the future. Also part of the deal means that The Baseball Channel remains available to DISH Network, cable and other providers.

Another point Carey contends is that allowing the broadband-less DIRECTV to have exclusive rights to Extra Innings will "help stem the flow of subscribers returning to cable in order to purchase the triple-play of voice, video and data... This is the sort of development Congress and the Commission should welcome" because it is "entirely consistent" with the groups' desire to promote competition.

The letter goes on to say that the only real barriers to cable customers who would want to switch to DIRECTV for the programming is "imposed by cable" itself. Carey said the industry penalizes its customers by increasing internet service rates if the sub cancels their video service, and theoretically subs could watch games on MLB.com if cable didn't prohibit a direct connection between the internet and the set-top box.
__________________________________________________________


I appreciate that Carey's assurances don't adequately address the concerns of DISH or cable customers who would like to subscribe to the MLB package but can't or won't switch to DirecTV. But I do think it hits the nail on the head when it addresses the political pressure that is coming down over this deal.

The nimrods in Congress can't have it both ways. Politicians are typically the first to pile on whenever there's talk of industry mergers, such as DirecTV-DISH or AT&T-SBC-Bell South in the past, or Sirius-XM more recently. Of course, these objections are typically hung on the every-ready nail of "preserving competition." But then, when one of these companies goes out and actually competes by trying to present something unique (rather than just slavishly slashing prices of a "me too" product or service), they squawk about unfairness.

They really don't understand how this competition thing works, do they? :)

More on DirecTV-MLB: Most "Extra Innings" Games in HD by 2008

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
________________________________________________________

DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey says DIRECTV would broadcast most of Major League Baseball's 'Extra Innings' games in High-Definition by 2008.

Major League Baseball is reportedly close to giving DIRECTV the exclusive rights to air the Extra Innings package, which includes up to 60 out of market games each week.

However, some lawmakers and media critics have blasted the proposed deal, saying it would deny cable (and EchoStar) viewers an opportunity to see the games.

...Carey also said that DIRECTV's Extra Innings coverage would include several interactive features now available on the satcaster's NFL Sunday Ticket plan, such as a channel that would include up to eight games on one screen.

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that the deal is close to being announced. And Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on Saturday appeared to give his okay to the deal.

The commissioner called criticism of the agreement "ridiculous." He said cable and EchoStar viewers would still be able to see hundreds of games.

"I've heard for years we have too much product out there," Selig said. "Everywhere I've gone...there's no market that has less than 350 to 400 (games on TV) and some have quite a bit more than that. We have an enormous amount of product out there."
________________________________________________________

MHD to Air Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction in HD

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
_________________________________________________

MHD, MTV's High-Definition network, will air the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony live on Monday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The event, which will take place at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, will honor new inductees Van Halen, R.E.M., Patti Smith, The Ronettes and Grandmaster Flash.
_________________________________________________

When using these sites, you are only checking for the capability of your machine and not looking for what you typically get. Speed test sites allow you to check your provider to see if they are providing what is advertised.

Walt

I love DSL Reports (aka Broadband Reports) forums. They have several speed tests (http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest) from servers all over the country. There are a few in Missouri (http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?more=1).

Just curious, if you have to pick and choose a server to yield better results, do the results reflect your typical speeds? When you're surfing, you don't get to pick the server location unless you are downloading files from a mirror site.

You can get a pretty good idea of web site performance and any latency issues by using "tracert" at a command prompt. It's a nice tool to see if there are router problems and where the bottleneck is.

You can get more details of the route using "pathping". It basically combines ping and tracert commands but sends the packet to each router along the path and gives you the results.

You can Google specific parameters to use.

An HD programming note: Cards are scheduled to appear on ESPN for their final game of the exhibition season against Cleveland on March 31 at 4:35 pm.

No word on whether this game will be available in HD, which will coincide with the first NCAA college basketball semifinal.

We Interrupt Your Normal AVS Programming...

...for the following St. Louis housekeeping break:

In the past, we used to begin each month of the St. Louis discussion with an entirely new thread and usually that started with a cut/paste of basic resource information about HDTV and over-the-air reception. Although those messages were moved to the new thread here that was started in January, that information is still easily overlooked as the new thread is growing rapidly, approaching 50 pages in a relatively short period.

So, in order to make this introductory information more accessible, I will be periodically reposting this advisory/reminder note. The idea is to make the general resource information available here more visible and easier to find for more readers.

With HDTV sales increasing every month, we're getting more and more newcomers here, which is a great thing to see. But like most of us when we took home our first HDTV, there's a huge amount to learn beyond where to point the remote and which buttons to push.

Hopefully, you'll find this information of some use...

Tower Maps, Your Satellite/Antenna Rights & Local Station Feedback (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713839&&#post9713839)

Resources for Receiving Digital/HD OTA Local Stations via an Antenna (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713842&&#post9713842)

Frequently Asked Questions about HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995791&&#post2995791)

HD Programming Available in St. Louis (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9714728&&#post9714728)

Why Isn't KDNL-DT (ABC) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8072643&&#post8072643)

Why Isn't KMOV-DT (CBS) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9341270&&#post9341270)

New! St. Louis Blues in HD Schedule (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8678636&&#post8678636)

2006 Survey Results: HDTV in St. Louis

Part 1: Profile of Survey Respondents (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713951&&#post9713951)

Part 2: Local Digital Stations (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713954&&#post9713954)

Part 3: Digital Multicasting (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713956&&#post9713956)

Part 4: Customer Ratings for Charter, DirecTV & DISH HD Services (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713960&&#post9713960)

Part 5: Customer Ratings for Pay TV HD Channels (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713963&&#post9713963)

Part 6: Best Picture/Sound Ratings & HD Wish Lists (http://http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9713965&&#post9713965)

Finally, I want to remind everyone that you can access the St. Louis HDTV discussion here at AVS directly by using the shortcut URL that has been arranged.

The short-form URL also makes it very easy to remember and give the address to anyone you know who's just getting into HDTV.

The shortcut URL is: www.stlhdtv.info

Found out why I couldn't see the rest of my home network on the new PC... there are two network ports on the Asus motherboard, one from nVidia, one from Marvell. I had plugged my existing single CAT cable into the nVidia. Well, seems even though nVidia is great with videocards and mobo chipsets, they suck at network ports and suck even worse at firewall software (known issue at the Asus support forums).

Not only was this interfering with my home networking, it was corrupting every file I tried to download from the net.

I swapped the cable from the nVidia port to the Marvell port, redid the networking wizard, and everything's great. Woo hoo!

An HD programming note: Cards are scheduled to appear on ESPN for their final game of the exhibition season against Cleveland on March 31 at 4:35 pm.

No word on whether this game will be available in HD, which will coincide with the first NCAA college basketball semifinal.
Game will be produced in HD :)

Cardinals vs. Cubs - 4/21 - 2:30 PM/CDT (away)
Cardinals vs. Cubs - 4/28 - 2:30 PM/CDT (home)
Cardinals vs. Astros - 6/2 - 2:30 PM/CDT (away)
Cardinals vs. Phillies - 6/23 - 2:30 PM/CDT (home)
Cardinals vs. Phillies - 7/14 - 2:30 PM/CDT (away)
Cardinals vs. Dodgers - 8/11 - 2:30 PM/CDT (home)
Cardinals vs. Cubs - 8/18 - 2:30 PM/CDT (away)
Cardinals vs. Cubs - 9/15 - 2:30 PM/CDT (home)

"....most of which are presented in High Definition for the first time. The final two Saturdays of the regular season are designated as "wild card" dates, allowing FOX Sports to choose up to three games on each date with postseason, record-setting or other compelling implications..."

Full Article & Schedule HERE (http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6524072)

[QUOTE=MoInSTL]I love DSL Reports (aka Broadband Reports) forums. They have several speed tests (http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest) from servers all over the country. There are a few in Missouri (http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?more=1).[/QUOTE

I like DSL reports also, especially their tools. If you haven't tweaked your computer you need to download some of the tools and do it. It can make quite a difference.

Walt

FCC Formalizes Video Franchising Order for New Entrants

From MarketWatch:
_____________________________________________________

Efforts by telecommunication companies like AT&T Inc.and Verizon Communications Inc. to compete head-on with cable operators in providing video and broadband service were made easier by the Federal Communications Commission Monday. The agency released new rules that aim to standardize the process for new entrants to the video market to get a license from local governments.

Given new entrants use the Internet to provide video service, the FCC also hopes its new rules will speed up broadband deployment across the country.

"The current operation of the local franchising process in many jurisdictions constitutes an unreasonable barrier to entry that impedes the achievement of the interrelated federal goals of enhanced cable competition and accelerated broadband deployment," said the new rules, published on the agency's Web site.

Currently, in the majority of states, companies wanting to enter the video market must apply for a license from the local government, a process that is seen to be costly, time consuming and inefficient.

The FCC doesn't have the authority to create a national system, but Chairman Kevin Martin believes it does have the ability to limit the behavior of local governments. Martin was applauded by representatives from AT&T and Verizon, the two phone companies most aggressively moving into the television market.

"This decision means that we will be able to reach our goal of rapidly expanding the number of consumers who have a choice of video service providers," said Marilyn O'Connell, chief marketing officer at Verizon Telecom, the company's wired-line business.

"The FCC wisely determined that consumers benefit from the rapid deployment of bigger, faster and smarter broadband pipes that deliver video choice for consumers," said Robert Quinn, a senior vice president at AT&T.

The new rules state that local authorities must decide on a franchise application within 90 days; if they don't within that time frame, the license will be deemed granted. They can no longer make extraordinary requests from applicants for the deployment of hardware or for requests unrelated to the provision of video service.

Justifying this, the FCC's final order points to evidence submitted by Verizon which claimed that in parts of the country it has been asked to provide a number of unrelated services in order to get a license. These included the purchase of streetlights, wiring for all houses of worship, installation of cell phone towers, cell phone subsidies for town employees and library parking at Verizon's facilities.

The rules also state that local governments must limit the fees they charge licensees to 5% of gross revenues.

Congress unsuccessfully attempted to reform the franchising system last year. While there was widespread support for the initiative by lawmakers, it was subsumed into a larger piece of telecommunications legislation that was defeated in the Senate.

Several states have created statewide licenses, but according to the FCC's final order, reform at this level is not yet widespread nor moving at a fast enough pace. Nine states have so far reformed their rules, but similar reforms have failed in Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Maine.

Not everyone is happy with the new rules.

The rules were voted for along partisan lines at the FCC's December public meeting with the three Republicans - Martin and Commissioners Deborah Taylor Tate and Robert McDowell - defeating Democratic Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps.

"The sum total here is an arrogant case of federal power riding roughshod over local governments," said Adelstein in a statement accompanying the final order Tuesday. "This item blatantly and unnecessarily tempts the federal courts to overturn this clearly excessive exercise of the limited role afforded to us by the law."
_____________________________________________________

i have a samsung lns-4041 that i purchased the day before the super bowl and now a line is forming in the left center of the picture. i am going to take it back for a new one or another tv. now tell me some horror stories to prep me for going up to best buy!

i have a samsung lns-4041 that i purchased the day before the super bowl and now a line is forming in the left center of the picture. i am going to take it back for a new one or another tv. now tell me some horror stories to prep me for going up there!
Where did you buy it, Cd?

i have a samsung lns-4041 that i purchased the day before the super bowl and now a line is forming in the left center of the picture. i am going to take it back for a new one or another tv. now tell me some horror stories to prep me for going up there!

Up where? You mean CompUSA (since discussion of them closing is going on here)? If it's indeed CompUSA and if they're being run by a third party liquidator now, they'll have a very strict NO RETURNS policy in full force.

Slightly off-topic. Supposedly all the Smokey Bones restaurants in the St. Louis area closed today.

Can anything stay open around here?

dweebe,

Apparently this has been in the works for a while.

They aren't actually closing permanently but are supposed to re-open as something like "Rocky Mountain Bar & Grill." If I'm not mistaken, these restaurants are part of the Red Lobster "empire."

My information goes back to early December, so maybe the plan has changed and the closures are permanent...

Doug:

SmokeyBones is/was part of the Darden group which includes Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and one or two others.

Cheers,

sorry, i updated the post to say best buy. it is happening on all sources, hmi dvd, component hd, ota hd. it just suddenly appeared it seems like.

sorry, i updated the post to say best buy. it is happening on all sources, hmi dvd, component hd, ota hd. it just suddenly appeared it seems like.
Cd,
Maybe call a different BB than the one you're going to....see what they say.
Even though you're beyond the 30 days, the fact you're seeking replace/exchange, rather than refund, may work in your favor.

Perchance, did you purchase BB's extended warranty? If so, replacement should not be any issue.

Darn, I actually really liked Smokey Bones.

Darn, I actually really liked Smokey Bones.

Yeah me too...
They had a shrimp/chicken entree that was great;

And blue moon on tap.

RIP Smokey Bones.

nah, i didnt get the extended warranty. i may try and give samsung a call directly and see what they say. i think i just got a fluke product. i have never had a problem with my other samsung tv's and other products. i am just nervous about what kind of run around i will get from them. there are a ton of horror stories all over the place.

Here is one: http://mrslick.net/2007/02/17/not-the-best-buy-my-dad-ever-made-hdtv-purchase-horror-story/
A second: http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4543970#post4543970
A third: http://bestbuyscam.blogspot.com/

"South Park" HD Debut on XBox Live Marketplace

From today's TV Predictions newsletter:
________________________________________________

South Park will make its High-Definition debut later this month on XBox's Live Marketplace.

The Comedy Central animated comedy will be available as a free high-def download to XBox Live members from March 20 to April 3. This will be the first time that South Park will air in HD.

The XBox episode, titled Good Times With Weapons, first aired on South Park in 2004.

Best Buy will also giveaway a free HD-DVD of the South Park episode with every XBox 360 game console or HD-DVD attachment drive during the two week period.

Microsoft is supporting HD-DVD over the Sony-backed Blu-ray in the war of high-def DVD formats. The software titan is selling the HD-DVD attachment drive, which when connected to a Microsoft XBox 360 game console, will play HD-DVD discs.
________________________________________________

Charter Listed Among "15 Companies Management Can't Fix"

Probably best that the folks over in the Charter thread won't be exposed to this... ;)

The following story appeared on the 24/7 Wall Street site (www.247wallst.com):
__________________________________________________________

15 Companies Management Can't Fix: Charter Communications

There are certain companies that probably cannot be turned around no matter who runs them. They tend to be in industries where macro-economic trends are against them, like the buggy whip business 150 years ago.

Investors are not likely to get much out of these firms, unless and until the trend that is hurting them is reversed

Investors have made a lot of money in Charter Communications (CHTR) over the last year. The stock is up almost 150% to $2.75. But, over five years, the stock is down almost 80% while big cable operator Comcast (CMCSA) is up slightly.

Charter's recent quarterly earnings give a hint about why management will find making the company a big success improbable at best. According to The Wall Street Journal: the debt-laden cable operator reported a net loss of $396 million, or $1.08 a share, compared with $336 million.The company lost 43,300 net basic cable customers during the quarter but gained 40,500 digital cable users.

While the company's cable subscribers tread water, Charter did add 106,000 new VoIP customers. But the firm, saddled with over $19 billion in debt is now facing competition from the fiber offerings of the phone companies which will be able to offer their own package of TV, broadband, and telephone service. Charter has been slow in rolling out its own "triple play" offerings because of its debt load. And, the large telecoms can afford significant marketing costs to try to take customers from cable operators like Charter.

Charter has been refinancing debt and move maturity dates further out, which may buy it some time, but its borrowings are still a huge issue.

Morningstar has a "fair value" estimate price of $1.80 on the company. One reason is that Charter's roll-out of VoIP will cost money and put further pressure on its finances. The research firm is also concerned that: "Insolvency is a realistic scenario for Charter, given the substantial interest expense its massive debt load generates."

A great deal of the company's stock price increase has been based on its ability to refinance debt and the hope that its VoIP service will continue to do well. But that means that Charter may have to spend money its doesn't really have.

Charter may be working on its debt, but its operating results show that its progress is only modest.
__________________________________________________________

I have great reception via a rooftop DB2-double bow-tie antennae (UHF only) using a VIP622-Dishnetwork receiver. On 2-1, 4-1, 5-1 my signal meter is in the high 90s to 100 all the time with no dropouts. On 30-1 the signal is locked in the mid 80s to 90 with no dropouts. 11-1 has the universal compatibility problems common to all 622 receivers so the problem isn't on my end.

My question regards 9-1, KETC-DT. Whenever I check the signal strength it's always 89-92 and steady. However, exactly every 15 minutes, I get a brief 1-2 second complete loss of signal. The clear pattern to the signal loss and otherwise great reception 95% of the time makes me think some type of electrical/appliance interference is occurring. It's almost like an appliance is cycling on/off every 15 minutes causing the brief signal loss. Regardless of how a position my antennae, the same 15 minute signal loss pattern maintains. Do any of the experts have thoughts? In my experience this doesn't seem like a traditional antennae orientation/multipath issue.

Thanks,
Andrew

Darn, I actually really liked Smokey Bones.

Me too, especially the after dinner hot donuts in the bag. :)

Scott

Poor Charter,

My Brother and his family have moved to St. Louis from California. I was at their new home yesterday helping them move when his Wife called to get phone and internet. 411 told her 90% of the area gets Charter, so she called C*. C* tells her their not sure if they service her home, and they would have to place an order, send a rep to the house to do a survey or something. I was standing there by the phone, and told her to hang up. I told her to call Centurytel. Within 10 minutes she had a phone number and an appointment to come install phone and DSL tomorrow. Heck, the could have given her Dish too, but they already have D*. Props to Centurytel for making a unpleasant situation very comfortable for my Sister-in-law. Charter performed exactly the way I expected, so at least they are consistent.

Scott

Actually when D* moves to the FTM (the 1 coax solution) diplexing becomes available again. So you can actually use 1 cable to feed 2 satellite signals and your OTA signal.

Chris
When will the "FTM" solution become available? Also, what does FTM stand for?

When will the "FTM" solution become available? Also, what does FTM stand for?

For the moment? Welcome to the forum Sleeper.

When will the "FTM" solution become available? Also, what does FTM stand for?

I don't remember what FTM stands for, but now it is SWM, Single Wire Multiswitch.

It is currently in select end user trials. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=81489

EDIT: FTM stands for "Frequency Translation Module"

I don't remember what FTM stands for, but now it is SWM, Single Wire Multiswitch.


EDIT: FTM stands for "Frequency Translation Module"
Thanks. I am getting an HR20 installed today, and the installer is saying that I need to run a 2nd coax in order to record 1 show while watching another. Unfortunately, there is no way to run a 2nd coax run to my TV without doing some major drywall work...Can't believe there isn't a way to get two feeds off of 1 coax run...Any suggestions?? Thanks!

Thanks. I am getting an HR20 installed today, and the installer is saying that I need to run a 2nd coax in order to record 1 show while watching another. Unfortunately, there is no way to run a 2nd coax run to my TV without doing some major drywall work...Can't believe there isn't a way to get two feeds off of 1 coax run...Any suggestions?? Thanks!

Live with one tuner for a month or two. The SWM(FTM) shouldn't be too far away if they are in end user testing(assuming no major problems)
Dug

Thanks. I am getting an HR20 installed today, and the installer is saying that I need to run a 2nd coax in order to record 1 show while watching another. Unfortunately, there is no way to run a 2nd coax run to my TV without doing some major drywall work...Can't believe there isn't a way to get two feeds off of 1 coax run...Any suggestions?? Thanks!


How far are you from where your coax comes in the house? If it is only temporary maybe you could just run coax along the baseboard to gain that functionality until they offer the one coax solution. I know my wife would LOVE that.

corporate customer service at best buy sucks a$$. they basically think everyone that calls in is a moron. i am on day 31 and they want to have nothing to do with me. which is fine, i just paid off the best buy card and will never shop there again. samsung on the other hand was great. i was on the phone for about 8 minutes and he got me in touch with someone who is going to come out and take a gander at the tv and let me know what is going on. the samsung rep stated that i will get the tv replaced, but needed to send someone out to take a look just to make sure.

screw the teeny-bopper workers in their blue shirts!

samsung on the other hand was great. i was on the phone for about 8 minutes and he got me in touch with someone who is going to come out and take a gander at the tv and let me know what is going on.

I had the same experience with samsung yesterday. My 50" is randomly turning itself off. No real explanation or pattern either. Just turns off. Kinda makes me wonder if a neighbor has the same set as I do and is screwing with me :)

I've got Charter for phone and ISP. I currently get no more than 2M on download no matter what time of day I test. My phone is local only. I pay about $45 for Internet and 17 for phone. I called today (1-888-get-charter) and selected cancel service. I told the rep about my issues (paying too much for too little speed)

She stated if I upgrade my phone service I could get them both for an additional $5. I told her I only use the phone for my alarm system. She then said she could give me 3M (hah) for 29.95 for 3 months only. I thought other have stated they got it for a year. I told her I would be calling ATT and ordering DSL.

She just said thanks for calling Charter.

bottom line I don't really want to go through the hassles of switching unless I have to.

Any thoughts on how to get 29.95 for a full year?

I've got Charter for phone and ISP. I currently get no more than 2M on download no matter what time of day I test. My phone is local only. I pay about $45 for Internet and 17 for phone. I called today (1-888-get-charter) and selected cancel service. I told the rep about my issues (paying too much for too little speed)

She stated if I upgrade my phone service I could get them both for an additional $5. I told her I only use the phone for my alarm system. She then said she could give me 3M (hah) for 29.95 for 3 months only. I thought other have stated they got it for a year. I told her I would be calling ATT and ordering DSL.

She just said thanks for calling Charter.

bottom line I don't really want to go through the hassles of switching unless I have to.

Any thoughts on how to get 29.95 for a full year?Dave,

I got my $19.95/12 month deal in the midst of a 48-hour outage and by venting at the retention desk. In addition, they claimed no commitment and that I could cancel anytime (though, of course, the proof of that remains to be seen). Your mileage may vary. ;)

Speaking of venting, I've already had two outages so far today. Neither was more than 10 minutes, but it still adds up to a big PITA.

the more and more i talk to other folks, tv repairman, the more i get ticked at the fuzzy blue aliens(best buy). a tv repairman got in touch with me about my samsung, i explained to him the problem (a line down the height of the picture a little left of center) and he explained the process to me. but what really suprised me was how honest he was, he just told me "it does no good for me to come out there. i will contact samsung and see if we can just replace it." very impressed with samsung and with whom they put me in touch with.

screw the teeny-bopper workers in their blue shirts!

Why? They didn't write the corporate policy. I agree, Best Buy should probably exchange the set, but them not doing that is not the fault of the so-called "teeny-bopper's." BTW, maybe I'm a little biased since some of my friends work at Bestbuy and cruise this forum.

Scott

I was going to defend the Blue Shirts as well.

I don't depend upon them for technical information but if it is store policy, it
is not their fault.

I wouldn't have called either, I would have just showed up with the TV.

the more and more i talk to other folks, tv repairman, the more i get ticked at the fuzzy blue aliens(best buy). a tv repairman got in touch with me about my samsung, i explained to him the problem (a line down the height of the picture a little left of center) and he explained the process to me. but what really suprised me was how honest he was, he just told me "it does no good for me to come out there. i will contact samsung and see if we can just replace it." very impressed with samsung and with whom they put me in touch with.Was it Bob from Schneider TV? He's great. Knows how to take care of things.

Was it Bob from Schneider TV? He's great. Knows how to take care of things.

Yes he does. Last year he was in NJ for a weeklong training so he is now a Samsung Certified Field Engineer. But even before his cert. he was very good. He'll be here on the 14th to replace the light engine and even the mainboard unless CC decides it's too expensive to repair.

I had a HLR and now have the HLS. The color wheel is whining, the USB port never worked and the bottom of the screen is very light. Almost like the lens is out of alignment as it is symmetrical and shaped like a half circle. I notice it mostly on a black screen with movie credits or switching to & from commercials with that brief black screen when it switches.

Tell Bob that Dean from U. City says "hi." He knows who I am. He'll get a kick out of it.

Dean do you have a Samsung? I'll mention it when I see him.