A FIOS TV customer service rep told me today that Verizon has a center in Upper Marlboro where you can drop off and pick up set top boxes, thus avoiding the $49 fee for installation by a tech.

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere on here, so I thought I'd pass along the news.

Cox in Fairfax and Fredericksburg has launched their new OnDemand HD channel, on channel 700. According to the press release (http://www.cox.com/fairfax/pressreleases.asp#HD), it's been available since July 6, although I just discovered it last night.

Here are the movies currently available:


Charlotte's Web
Daddy's Little Girls
Deliver Us From Evil
Dreamgirls
Flyboys
Freedom Writers
Happily N'Ever After
Rocky Balboa

Pretty good for a start. We'll probably give it a try and watch Dreamgirls tonight.

Oh yeah, they're $5.99 per movie.

I've attached a screenshot of the menu from my cellphone camera (sorry for the crappy image).

During the current Bones repeat, 213 has terrible audio and video breakups. Both pix and sound freeze randomly but often. OTA is OK. Same on other cable systems??

"Since no one replied to this, I had the typical signal strength I get for WETA-DT 26 last night; WETA-DT came in fine. WETA-DT has a construction permit to move their transmitter location from Arlington to NW DC and boost their power from 75 kW to 90 kW. WETA-DT will stay on UHF 27. But there has been no word on when they will do the move. I don't know if there are any interference issues with WETA-TV analog on UHF 26 or WFPT-DT MPT 62 in Frederick on UHF 28 that have to be resolved first. There may be some documents buried at the FCC website that might provide info on when or if WETA will move the digital transmitter. I'll should do a search for them sometime. I would like them to move their digital transmission to NW DC as that would simplify my antenna aim issues. "
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Afiggatt

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I expect a trip to the roof and some adjustments will do the trick. Jack

During the current Bones repeat, 213 has terrible audio and video breakups. Both pix and sound freeze randomly but often. OTA is OK. Same on other cable systems??


I had audio breakups and minor video breakups on DirecTV.

Unfortunately, I would not hold your breath for those. I've been with Adelphia/Comcast since 1998, and those HD channels are the only ones (aside from HDnet, which was removed when comcast took over) that have ever been offered. I believe that since Loudoun is such a small market (30k subscribers, I think) that there's no incentive for them to spend them money, when 59% of the eligible tv's use directv or dish in the county.

In Loudon, look to 8/18 for changes in the HD lineup. Fauquier, Spotsylvania and Stafford 8/25.

In Loudon, look to 8/18 for changes in the HD lineup. Fauquier, Spotsylvania and Stafford 8/25.

Nice! Any word on channel additions?

...There may be some documents buried at the FCC website that might provide info on when or if WETA will move the digital transmitter. I'll should do a search for them sometime. I would like them to move their digital transmission to NW DC as that would simplify my antenna aim issues.

Here's the response I got from them last Aug. 29:
"We currently have plans to make the move in the coming weeks, however, I can not say specifically when. A date has not been finalized, but it will be in the coming weeks. "

They clearly have a different sense of time than I do.

In the Loudoun extra section today, there was a nice ad from Comcast stating that they are adding up to 50 channels, effective 8/18. From what I saw, it brings their HD offerings up to what I was hoping for (MHD, Universal, A&E, National Geographic, WDCW, My20, comcast sports net, etc.) and adds a few more non HD channels (Soapnet, c-span 3, etc.) It stated to look in your mail for more info about the upcoming switch within the next 2-3 weeks.

I had one quick question, it listed NFL network twice in the lineup, does anyone know if one would be HD (It was not listed as such). Also, since it's part of the sports pack to get NFL, how much does that typically run?

-B

In the Loudoun extra section today, there was a nice ad from Comcast stating that they are adding up to 50 channels, effective 8/18. From what I saw, it brings their HD offerings up to what I was hoping for (MHD, Universal, A&E, National Geographic, WDCW, My20, comcast sports net, etc.) and adds a few more non HD channels (Soapnet, c-span 3, etc.) It stated to look in your mail for more info about the upcoming switch within the next 2-3 weeks.

I had one quick question, it listed NFL network twice in the lineup, does anyone know if one would be HD (It was not listed as such). Also, since it's part of the sports pack to get NFL, how much does that typically run?

-B

Here, the Sports package is $4.95 and it's essential viewing August through January.

Here also they have run all the NFL Net HD stuff on the special events channel and not made it a full time channel, probably because there is little HD content and I believe still only during the season. Best to use that bandwidth for something with more year round HD content.

GoIrish

I woke up and flipped on my set equipped w/ cablecard from Comcast and low and behold TWO new HD stations. At 229 HGTV-HD and I think at 223 A&E HD, my wife went bananas

From dcrtv:

.... Apparently, the photo was part of a promo for an upcoming "Oprah" show. Friday's show featured women who were married to child molesters. A WJLA techie told DCRTV that an 8-year-old Harris Flexicoder - the piece of gear that encodes the digital signal - "locked up hard... A new Harris NetVX digital encoder was approved by 27th floor suits in less than an hour... Look for improved HDTV pictures from WJLA before the end of the year".....

http://www.dcrtv.org/

In the Loudoun extra section today, there was a nice ad from Comcast stating that they are adding up to 50 channels, effective 8/18. From what I saw, it brings their HD offerings up to what I was hoping for (MHD, Universal, A&E, National Geographic, WDCW, My20, comcast sports net, etc.) and adds a few more non HD channels (Soapnet, c-span 3, etc.) It stated to look in your mail for more info about the upcoming switch within the next 2-3 weeks.
For the Comcast subscribers in Loudoun who have not seen the announcement, it is on page 17 of the Loudoun Extra insert in the Sunday Post. On August 18, Comcast is doing a major channel reshuffle and will be adding 8 (eight!) HD channels with the HD lineup moving to 210 and up. New HD channels will be WDCW-DT CW 50, WDCA-DT My 20, A&E-HD, National Geographic HD, MHD (Music HD from MTV), Cinemax HD, Universal HD, and Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic HD. This will give them a decent total of 22 HD channels.

Interestingly four of these HD channels are not currently available on Verizon Fios: A&E-HD, Mojo (shrug), Versus/Golf HD, and CSN MA HD. I expect A&E-HD and Versus/Golf-HD will be added by Verizon whenever they do their next national HD channel line-up expansion (hopefully before or by early September when TBS-HD and CNN-HD start-up). But CSN MA HD is the odd one to be missing. I figure Comcast must be dragging their feet on coming to terms with Verizon on providing them the HD channel. Maybe once most of the Comcast systems in the DC and Baltimore area have CSN MA HD, then they will let Verizon Fios have CSN MA HD. Pure speculation on my part, but you can see why Comcast might be reluctant to allow their own cable systems to be at a disadvantage to Verizon in having CSN MA HD for the sports buffs until the local Comcast systems can carry it as well.

So this qualified as good news for those who were wondering when Comcast would upgrade the HD line-up in Loudoun. The bad news is that it could be a long month for those with Comcast Loudoun waiting for the new channels. Anyone in the other ex-Adelphia counties - Fauquier, Clark, ? - who have similar announcements?

From dcrtv:

.... Apparently, the photo was part of a promo for an upcoming "Oprah" show. Friday's show featured women who were married to child molesters. A WJLA techie told DCRTV that an 8-year-old Harris Flexicoder - the piece of gear that encodes the digital signal - "locked up hard... A new Harris NetVX digital encoder was approved by 27th floor suits in less than an hour... Look for improved HDTV pictures from WJLA before the end of the year".....

http://www.dcrtv.org/
Hmm..... I wonder if this was "planned" - Robert? :cool:

can someone please tell A&E that when they acquire an HD station that they need to provide HD material?

Is anybody having problems with UHD in MoCo?

Is anybody having problems with UHD in MoCo?

Yes for the past several days.

Must have been the web pirates from Harpo Studios in Chicago that "took over the station" :) - I am glad Robert got some more new equipment out of it. Certainly the Allbritton Famiy has the money as they recently made a $22 million purchase in Georgetown (http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/capitol_hill/allbritton_even_more_loaded_than_you_thought_51546.asp?c=rss )


Edit: If I had to guess who'd be next to go HD in news, I would say WJLA, based on what we have read here from Robert's posts. NBC is in cost-cutting mode (the NBC station in Philadelphia, where I was recently, is the only one not airing local news in HD), and who knows what is happening with WTTG

Who knows the truth? We don't know if the new encoder was purchased because of this incident, or if already had been on order. I don't 100% trust Swanni or DCRTV when it comes to stuff like this, especially after they lead off with "Pirates got em". We have better sources here.

Still WJLA has been buying equipment and trying to do stuff with their digital feed more than most other local stations. (Weather Now locally produces unlike Weather PLUS. Before that their ABC News Now, and Super Doppler feeds, and now Local Point).

Besides, If I spent $22m on a piece of property, I would hurt'n for cash for a while.

Hi- I'm currently a high-speed cable only subscriber from Comcast (formerlly Adephia) in Leesburg. I also get basic analog cable TV from that cable internet account I noticed. Anyway, I'm running the analog stations I get (2-79) into a Vista Media Center Edition PC tuner card to record TV. Works okay, but the video quality of analog cable blown up on a projector is not a good match. I build my own PCs so a CableCard Vista PC (needs to be pre-built and certified) is not in the cards for me now. So I was thinking of calling Comcast to get a digital cable box and trying controlling it via the Vista MCE IR blaster and recording S-video in to the tuner/capture card. However, I just read about the FireSTB plug-in to allow firewire control & capture in Vista MCE over various Motorola and SA digital cable boxes w/ active firewire. Is anyone using Comcast Loudoun w/ firewire? Can I get a cable box from them w/ firewire working or is there a hack to turn on the firewire port for a paying customer such as myself?

Must have been the web pirates from Harpo Studios in Chicago that "took over the station" :) - I am glad Robert got some more new equipment out of it. Certainly the Allbritton Famiy has the money as they recently made a $22 million purchase in Georgetown (http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/capitol_hill/allbritton_even_more_loaded_than_you_thought_51546.asp?c=rss )


Edit: If I had to guess who'd be next to go HD in news, I would say WJLA, based on what we have read here from Robert's posts. NBC is in cost-cutting mode (the NBC station in Philadelphia, where I was recently, is the only one not airing local news in HD), and who knows what is happening with WTTG

And they have apparently solved their HD woes with Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune, too (missed Wheel, but caught Jeopardy in HD today). WCAU and WRC are both NBC O&O stations, so neither has any real excuse for cost-cutting. (On the subject of Jeopardy in HD: drop-dead gorgeous picture quality! Hard to believe that's 720p (which is the standard Disney format).)

Ok, it's July, where are our Wheel and Jeopardy in HD on WJLADT (I wanted to be the first one to ask Robert this annoying question)?

Actually, Robert and his All-Star Engineers got 'er done (I saw Jeopardy! in full 720p today on WJLA-DT, though you'd think it was 1080i from the PQ) as of 16 July (today). I'll be posting a congrats to the engineers via WJLA's site later today.

Yes, CableCARD maps all the channels the same way a cable box would. When I talked with Cox a month ago, they said they don't "do" in the clear channels and the person I was talking to insisted I should leave the service if I wasn't happy....some customer service. Now on my second tuner in the TV which is QAM, it maps in the clear channels such as NBC, ABC, Fox, and CW. But not on 130.xx, but on their real channel numbers. NBC is 4-1, Fox is 5-1, ABC is 7-1, so on so forth. Cox is always changing channel mapping and the fact that the MHz channels are scrambled is no surprise. I think because legally nothing needs to be encrypted, everything is encrypted/not provided to ITC channel users. Maybe there needs to be a petition to get all OTA channels ITC from Cox, just my $0.02.

I think Cox does this because Comcast takes the *opposing* approach (Comcast leaves all OTAs, especially digital ones, ITC, and encrypt non-premium digital/HD linear channels case-by-case). For example, in Prince George's County, AEHD has *never* been encrypted since the channel got added (TNT-HD has also never been encrypted since I've had my plasma) and I get 2-1, 11-1/11-2, 13-1, and 45-1/45-2 (all from Baltimore) ITC (despite that Prince George's County dropped the Baltimore analogs several years ago; 45-1/45-2 are remapped in 133-3/133-4). Some OTA channels (notably WTTG-DT) show up twice (WTTG-DT shows up at 133-1 in addition to 5-1; how weird is that?) and others (notably 7-3/LocalPoint) are MIA. Cox simply Wants To Be Different.

Yes for the past several days.

did they fix this yet?

I don't want to turn on the projector to check...

Edit: If I had to guess who'd be next to go HD in news, I would say WJLA, based on what we have read here from Robert's posts. NBC is in cost-cutting mode (the NBC station in Philadelphia, where I was recently, is the only one not airing local news in HD), and who knows what is happening with WTTG
NBC and CBS both announced last fall that they were upgrading the local news to HD for all their O&O stations over the next several years. WNBC in NYC is HD for the local news. NBC O&O WRC 4 is on the upgrade list, but apparently it is further down. Remember around the end of last year, WRC did a big upgrade of their primary studio set & lighting with the comment that the upgrade was a step towards going HD.

WJZ CBS 13 in Baltimore is CBS O&O, so it will get upgraded, but there has been no recent rumors on when.

I'm not sure if Fox has made a similar announcement for their O&O stations, but there were reports last year that WTTG 5 was buying HD studio & field cameras. But cameras are only a modest part of the equipment needed for an HD local news operation. No word beyond that, that I can recall.

WMAR ABC 2 in Baltimore is owned by Scripps - pause - and after a little digging, there was news about Scripps buying HD equipment for all 10 of their stations: http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6448794.html.

So we have local stations moving towards local news in HD, but we don't know who will be the next to finally follow WUSA. I would not be surprised if one of the stations in DC or Baltimore went HD for local news in September for the start of the fall season.

I think Cox does this because Comcast takes the *opposing* approach (Comcast leaves all OTAs, especially digital ones, ITC, and encrypt non-premium digital/HD linear channels case-by-case)....Cox simply Wants To Be Different.

Cox just wants to make money off of their "Digital Gateway($6.95)", and then pay for the cable box($3.99/SD-DVR, $5.90/HD-DVR). And after talking your way out of no "Digital Tiers" they will try to hook you up with their internet and/or phone. So by only caring about money we are left with inferior equipment(buggy CableCARDs). New technology is left in the dust by Cox.

So I signed up for Comcast today (to be installed on 8/10 when I move into my new condo).

$42 gives me digital with HBO for a year.
$12 for HDDVR box
$9 for HD box
$20 for internet for 6 months.

This is in Sterling, VA...

Not bad prices, considering... perhaps Verizon is making them desperate?

did they fix this yet?

I don't want to turn on the projector to check...

Yes, I contacted Comcast and they fixed the problem with UHD.

So I signed up for Comcast today (to be installed on 8/10 when I move into my new condo).

$42 gives me digital with HBO for a year.
$12 for HDDVR box
$9 for HD box
$20 for internet for 6 months.

This is in Sterling, VA...

Not bad prices, considering... perhaps Verizon is making them desperate?


Or DirecTV. When I left DirecTV for Comcast this past December they gave me the Digital tier with HBO and Showtime for 12 months for $30 a month and also the 8mbs internet tier for $30 a month for those 12 months also. And they only charge me $6.95 for the HD box(I use it for On Demand). I also have three Series 3 TiVos with 6 cable cards between them that they only charge me $13.90 total for all three. They gave me a really good deal. And as soon as they start the FIOS installations in my area later this Summer I'll be leaving.

So does anyone have active firewire on their Loudoun Comcast HD or digital tuners? If this is possible, which do I need? HD tuner or HD-DVR (I wouldn't really need the DVR part if I'm able to use Media Center w/ Firewire using that plug-in. If not Comcast, how about FIOS? Any ideas for any local providers who have boxes enabled w/ Firewire?
Hi- I'm currently a high-speed cable only subscriber from Comcast (formerlly Adephia) in Leesburg. I also get basic analog cable TV from that cable internet account I noticed. Anyway, I'm running the analog stations I get (2-79) into a Vista Media Center Edition PC tuner card to record TV. Works okay, but the video quality of analog cable blown up on a projector is not a good match. I build my own PCs so a CableCard Vista PC (needs to be pre-built and certified) is not in the cards for me now. So I was thinking of calling Comcast to get a digital cable box and trying controlling it via the Vista MCE IR blaster and recording S-video in to the tuner/capture card. However, I just read about the FireSTB plug-in to allow firewire control & capture in Vista MCE over various Motorola and SA digital cable boxes w/ active firewire. Is anyone using Comcast Loudoun w/ firewire? Can I get a cable box from them w/ firewire working or is there a hack to turn on the firewire port for a paying customer such as myself?

So does anyone have active firewire on their Loudoun Comcast HD or digital tuners? If this is possible, which do I need? HD tuner or HD-DVR (I wouldn't really need the DVR part if I'm able to use Media Center w/ Firewire using that plug-in. If not Comcast, how about FIOS? Any ideas for any local providers who have boxes enabled w/ Firewire?
It might be possible but why bother? I mean you probably won't be getting a better PQ using the S-video port than the direct tuning done by the card now. The way to improve the PQ is to tune the digital QAM chs directly. Compared to a HD signal all SD blown up on a large screen will look bad.

It might be possible but why bother? I mean you probably won't be getting a better PQ using the S-video port than the direct tuning done by the card now. The way to improve the PQ is to tune the digital QAM chs directly. Compared to a HD signal all SD blown up on a large screen will look bad.
Not exactly what I meant...The digital QAM channels available in Media Center on a tuner like the HD Home Run are only QAM in the clear (networks only, plus one key bonus channel they don't encrypt last time I checked. Anyway, I have an antenna for OTA regardless. What I want is the basic cable stations (FX, Comedy Central, CNN, etc..) I get now in analog in crappy quality, but in digital quality. I have analog noise in the signal, and my channel lineup is limited due to only analog. However I still want to use Media Center to tune and record them. I can use digtial tuner box and capture S-video out, but if I can do it via firewire as others nationally are doing, then I can CONTROL the tuner (change channels when needed for recordings, etc..) without relying on the IR blaster in Media Center working, as well as transfer the video from the STB to the PC. People also have this working for HD stations as well, if it's an HD STB w/ firewire enabled. That would be the ultimate set-up for me if possible- then I could get non-OTA HD stations I'd pay Comcast for, like ESPN-HD, but use them in Media Center. See MCE Firewire info (http://home.comcast.net/~timmmoore/firewire/readme.htm) to see what I mean. I just need to verify if Comcast disables the Firewire (and if that can be circumvented) or not. Worse comes to worse I'll just order a digital package and try it, but I was thinking someone here already may have. Thanks

Does anyone know if Comcast Arlington/Alexandria leaves the HD broadbast channels unencypted. I have a Sony WEGA KDF 46E2000, which has built in ATSC/QAM tuner.

If I hook up the cable line directly into TV, should I be able to pick up these channels in HD? Thanks for the clarification

Does anyone know if Comcast Arlington/Alexandria leaves the HD broadbast channels unencypted. I have a Sony WEGA KDF 46E2000, which has built in ATSC/QAM tuner.

If I hook up the cable line directly into TV, should I be able to pick up these channels in HD? Thanks for the clarification

Comcast seems to be consistent in keeping broadcast unencrypted. I expect it's the same there as well.

GoIrish

If they are unencrpyted, what do I need to do pull those HD channels in. When I hook the cable line in, all I get is the analog stations.

Under this method, is the picture quality any different then what I would get using a cable box?

If they are unencrpyted, what do I need to do pull those HD channels in. When I hook the cable line in, all I get is the analog stations.

Under this method, is the picture quality any different then what I would get using a cable box?
You need to do a digital channel scan with the QAM tuner. If Comcast is not passing the broadcast PSIP data through, the digital locals may turn up at QAM channels such as 64.3, 75.2, 105.4, 115.1. These are not the channels shown on cable line-up listing or the STB because the digital channels are inserted as sub-channels in the QAM channels up to 135. The cable box and cable cards remap the QAM channels to the displayed channels 1 to 999 on the box/TV. Perhaps someone can fill in where the HD locals are on the current Arlington/Alexandria Comcast QAM channel line-up, although these line-ups can change without notice.

unfortunetly I get the message "signal cannot be decoded"

Yes, I contacted Comcast and they fixed the problem with UHD.


Well done :)

unfortunetly I get the message "signal cannot be decoded"
That is not a message I would expect to see. Is there a separate QAM or digital cable channel scan option for the Sony? Exactly what menu options are you using in the Sony? Are you sure that the cable line is connected to the right co-axial input?

I figured it out- pulled in about 31 digital channels, the broadcast channels all being carried in HD!

unfortunetly I get the message "signal cannot be decoded"
Those are the encrypted chs.

Has anyone heard when FIOS will make its way into Montgomery County?

Thanks

Tonight I did a re-scan with my coax connected to my TV with basic Cox cable. I ended up with around 39 analog and 345 digital. Wtf... all of the QAM channels just give me the blue screen and I can't even find the local over-the-air channels anymore. Anyone else notice this?

Has anyone heard when FIOS will make its way into Montgomery County?

Thanks

In my neighborhood currently ;)

For the Comcast subscribers in Loudoun who have not seen the announcement, it is on page 17 of the Loudoun Extra insert in the Sunday Post. On August 18, Comcast is doing a major channel reshuffle and will be adding 8 (eight!) HD channels with the HD lineup moving to 210 and up. New HD channels will be WDCW-DT CW 50, WDCA-DT My 20, A&E-HD, National Geographic HD, MHD (Music HD from MTV), Cinemax HD, Universal HD, and Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic HD. This will give them a decent total of 22 HD channels.

Interestingly four of these HD channels are not currently available on Verizon Fios: A&E-HD, Mojo (shrug), Versus/Golf HD, and CSN MA HD. I expect A&E-HD and Versus/Golf-HD will be added by Verizon whenever they do their next national HD channel line-up expansion (hopefully before or by early September when TBS-HD and CNN-HD start-up). But CSN MA HD is the odd one to be missing. I figure Comcast must be dragging their feet on coming to terms with Verizon on providing them the HD channel. Maybe once most of the Comcast systems in the DC and Baltimore area have CSN MA HD, then they will let Verizon Fios have CSN MA HD. Pure speculation on my part, but you can see why Comcast might be reluctant to allow their own cable systems to be at a disadvantage to Verizon in having CSN MA HD for the sports buffs until the local Comcast systems can carry it as well.

So this qualified as good news for those who were wondering when Comcast would upgrade the HD line-up in Loudoun. The bad news is that it could be a long month for those with Comcast Loudoun waiting for the new channels. Anyone in the other ex-Adelphia counties - Fauquier, Clark, ? - who have similar announcements?

Thanks for posting this update. Hopefully this means that Comcast has worked out some of the network and capacity issues they inherited from Adelphia and that future HD channel additions will be more timely (in line with other markets).

Has anyone heard when FIOS will make its way into Montgomery County?

Thanks
As noted above, FIOS is available in parts of MoCo already. However, I note that you are from Rockville--the City of Rockville still hasn't granted Verizon permission to run their fiber through the city.

Not exactly what I meant...The digital QAM channels available in Media Center on a tuner like the HD Home Run are only QAM in the clear (networks only, plus one key bonus channel they don't encrypt last time I checked. Anyway, I have an antenna for OTA regardless. What I want is the basic cable stations (FX, Comedy Central, CNN, etc..) I get now in analog in crappy quality, but in digital quality. I have analog noise in the signal, and my channel lineup is limited due to only analog. However I still want to use Media Center to tune and record them. I can use digtial tuner box and capture S-video out, but if I can do it via firewire as others nationally are doing, then I can CONTROL the tuner (change channels when needed for recordings, etc..) without relying on the IR blaster in Media Center working, as well as transfer the video from the STB to the PC. People also have this working for HD stations as well, if it's an HD STB w/ firewire enabled. That would be the ultimate set-up for me if possible- then I could get non-OTA HD stations I'd pay Comcast for, like ESPN-HD, but use them in Media Center. See MCE Firewire info (http://home.comcast.net/~timmmoore/firewire/readme.htm) to see what I mean. I just need to verify if Comcast disables the Firewire (and if that can be circumvented) or not. Worse comes to worse I'll just order a digital package and try it, but I was thinking someone here already may have. Thanks
I was asking before about what may be available from the firewire output enabled boxes from Comcast Loudoun, and it seems no one on this thread may know anything about that. I will try it out and report back, but do you know this? As I do more research it seems that 5C broadcast flag may be my downfall with this plan, unless I can get Comcast to waive it for "compatibility reasons" or if it's not enabled on the shows I want to record in Media Center. Is it a reasonable assumption that the only stations that are not burdened with 5C are those same stations I can pick up with my HDHomeRun over QAM in the clear? What about the lower-tier stations from a digital tuner (aka "basic cable"), like CNN, Nick, A&E, Fx, etc...? Do you think those would be abailable from a firewire enabled Comcast digital tuner, with the copy once or copy always (or no) flag, so I can get them into MediaCenter via firewire?

A couple years ago I was able to follow some procedures I found on avsforum.com to connect my 6412 to my computer via firewire and record HD content, though I am forgetting if I was able to get the premium channels, I believe not. It was a convoluted process to even be able to get my computer to recognize the 6412, and I did not bother going through it again after I re-built my computer. This was all done on XP Home, and not a Media Center PC.

I would appreciate some help on behalf of my dad. He's uses Comcast Mont. County. He cannot find the channel map for network HD for ATSC. Could someone post the channels for HD ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and anything else that's unencrypted HD? Heck, if there's a full channel map, I'd appreciate it!!

I would appreciate some help on behalf of my dad. He's uses Comcast Mont. County. He cannot find the channel map for network HD for ATSC. Could someone post the channels for HD ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and anything else that's unencrypted HD? Heck, if there's a full channel map, I'd appreciate it!!
WDCA-DT 64-3
WUSA-DT 103-1
WETA-DT 103-11 (the WETA subschannels are also on 103)
WDCW-DT 105-1 (the Tube 105-2)
WTTG-DT 105-3
WJLA-DT 108-11 (WeatherNow 108-2)
WRC-DT 108-1 (Weather Plus 108-3)

There is also some random SD programming scattered and the MusicChoice channels are on 115-5 thru 115-50

WDCA-DT 64-3
WUSA-DT 103-1
WETA-DT 103-11 (the WETA subschannels are also on 103)
WDCW-DT 105-1 (the Tube 105-2)
WTTG-DT 105-3
WJLA-DT 108-11 (WeatherNow 108-2)
WRC-DT 108-1 (Weather Plus 108-3)

There is also some random SD programming scattered and the MusicChoice channels are on 115-5 thru 115-50
In addition to those i get Lifetime on 94-1 and TV Land on 100-3 and some more channels that don't have sound. Like CNBC and the C-span channels.

Something interesting today:
A report from CBS News's DC bureau was 16:9 SD today on 9 News Now.
The field report was 4:3, however.

I can confirm ESPN-2 HD for RCN in Northeast DC!

The "who has what" section needs to be updated - RCN has TNT-HD and National Geographic HD.

Will do monkey. Thanks.

How long have they been in your line up? I had checked RCN's website a few weeks ago.

I have an been getting DC high def OTA stations via an antenna in my attic into a DirecTV HR10-250. Some time in the past month channel 5, FOX in DC, signal strength is all but gone. While my other high def OTA stations from DC are still in the 80s, channel 5 signal strength doesn't get past about 16. I used to get channel 5 great. I know that weather affects reception and different times of the year I get varying reception, but I never had a station signal strength go so low. Did channel 5 change their antenna, signal strength or anything else or is this just me ??

I have an been getting DC high def OTA stations via an antenna in my attic into a DirecTV HR10-250. Some time in the past month channel 5, FOX in DC, signal strength is all but gone. While my other high def OTA stations from DC are still in the 80s, channel 5 signal strength doesn't get past about 16. I used to get channel 5 great. I know that weather affects reception and different times of the year I get varying reception, but I never had a station signal strength go so low. Did channel 5 change their antenna, signal strength or anything else or is this just me ??
Getting 100% right now.

Will do monkey. Thanks.

How long have they been in your line up? I had checked RCN's website a few weeks ago.

The RCN website is off - I have no idea when they update that sucker.

TNT - HD has been there for a long time.

National Geographic and ESPN 2 HD are relatively new. I did a channel rescan based on the earlier post about ESPN 2 HD showing up in Montgomery county RCN - and they were there on the end of the HD range. I don't know what the channel numbers are to other people - as I am using clear QAM with no box.

Comcast has no reason to help with your QAM signal, but I found some time ago that my analog signal was poor, and they improved that. This also improved my QAM signal. I assume if they can improve your digital signal into the converter box it will also improve the QAM signal, but don't ask them to improve your QAM signal. At times Comcast suggests the use of an amplifier, and I have an inexpensive amplifier with 2 outputs, and it works very well.

Well, Comcast came by again a couple of weeks ago. During the visit the signal got tremendously degraded from one splitter experiment and then by the end was marginally better than before the visit. But I was relieved enough to just be able to see ABC in HD that I let him leave. When looking at other channels later in the day I saw poor results on some other network HD channels. Comcast called to follow up on the appointment and I told them that I still was having some problems. The person on the phone suggested that I might need an amplifier. He set up an appointment for this past Wednesday. No one showed up. I got another appointment yesterday and once again no one showed up. I should have two $20 credits on my account due to the missed appointments. Today someone finally showed up. There were some analog stations (such as C-SPAN) that looked terrible, so I showed him those first. He first tried some other splitter combinations. They did not improve the situation. He finally decided to put a 15db amplifier in. I just did a new rescan and it looks like I am getting all of the QAM channels that I should be getting. The analog channels also look a lot better than they did before. I hope I don't need to have Comcast visit again.

Neil

CSN is showing lacrosse in HD.

CSN is showing lacrosse in HD.Hehe, what else do they have to do with their HD cameras this time of year now that the O's are on MASN.

Hehe, what else do they have to do with their HD cameras this time of year now that the O's are on MASN.

DC United.;)

It was funny, I clicked on CSN's HD website last month and it said that nothing was scheduled for June. The entire month had no HD programming according to their site. And to think that I was hoping that Dish Network would add this channel with their new roll outs.

I even clicked on the site (http://midatlantic.comcastsportsnet.com/hd_schedule.asp) about a week into July and it still said that there aren't any programs scheduled for June. It appears to be updated for the single HD game that was on it July.

Hehe, what else do they have to do with their HD cameras this time of year now that the O's are on MASN.
Loan them to MASN (groan)!

Did Comcast (Arlington VA) drop the NFL network? Sorry if this has already been discussed.

Wouldn't it be on the sports tier now which costs an extra $5?

Wouldn't it be on the sports tier now which costs an extra $5?

[hell freeze mode]Gee, I wonder if Comcast will move Comcast Sports Net to the Sports Tier also? You know to save customers money who don't have an interest in sports.[/hell freeze mode]

I know last season that Comcast showed the live NFL network games(Thursday and Saturday night games) on INHD. Does anyone know if I can still see the live games on INHD this coming season without buying the sports package, or will they just be blacked out?

I know last season that Comcast showed the live NFL network games(Thursday and Saturday night games) on INHD. Does anyone know if I can still see the live games on INHD this coming season without buying the sports package, or will they just be blacked out?

I'm sure it will be blacked out unless the Redskins are playing. Then it would be shown on a local station using the worst picture quality imaginable. Those games are the biggest incentive they have to pay for the package.

The won't be on INHD (or I should say Mojo) at all this year. Last year I'm pretty sure that Comcast didn't have the NFL-HD channel. To be fair, aside from games, there really wasn't much in HD shown on that channel. So when there was a NFL Net HD game, they would just pre-empt INHD programming with the game.

Now that they have the NFL network on the sports tier, I'm nearly 100% sure that unless you sub to that tier you will not see those games. Lets face it, those games are 99% of the value of the NFL network. Without them, there would not be many subs to the sports tier.

BY the way the amplifier that Comcast put in our system is a Viewsonics VSMA-601C http://www.broadbandamps.com/Products/VSMA-601C.htm
Anybody have any experience with this? At the moment it is setup to be plugged in all the time (via their transformer). There is no off switch so I guess it is drawing energy all the time. Should I unplug it when I'm not using the cable or is it drawing so little that I shouldn't worry about it?

Last night I saw The Closer with our new improved signal. It looked really nice.

Neil

I observed an odd thing during the British Open.
I use the LG-4200A as my QAM tuner for Comcast cable, and I discovered Thursday that the British Open was on TNT starting early in the morning. There was video with no sound on TNT, but all the other channels were fine. I found no sound on TNT from Thursday till Monday. On Monday morning the sound was fine.
During this same time-period my OnAir HDTV USB-GT tuner provided sound from TNT.
Any explanations?

BY the way the amplifier that Comcast put in our system is a Viewsonics VSMA-601C http://www.broadbandamps.com/Products/VSMA-601C.htm
Anybody have any experience with this? At the moment it is setup to be plugged in all the time (via their transformer). There is no off switch so I guess it is drawing energy all the time. Should I unplug it when I'm not using the cable or is it drawing so little that I shouldn't worry about it?

Last night I saw The Closer with our new improved signal. It looked really nice.

Neil


It only draws up to 230 mA. Besides it is designed to be on all the time.

The won't be on INHD (or I should say Mojo) at all this year. Last year I'm pretty sure that Comcast didn't have the NFL-HD channel.


In Baltimore they showed the games and the HD replays on a special events channel.

The won't be on INHD (or I should say Mojo) at all this year. Last year I'm pretty sure that Comcast didn't have the NFL-HD channel. To be fair, aside from games, there really wasn't much in HD shown on that channel. So when there was a NFL Net HD game, they would just pre-empt INHD programming with the game.

Now that they have the NFL network on the sports tier, I'm nearly 100% sure that unless you sub to that tier you will not see those games. Lets face it, those games are 99% of the value of the NFL network. Without them, there would not be many subs to the sports tier.

That's what sucks about the move to the sports tier. If you do not have a dedicated NFL-HD channel (like Arlington/Alexandria don't), you won't get the game in HD whether or not you subscribe to the sports tier.

Hehe, what else do they have to do with their HD cameras this time of year now that the O's are on MASN.
They could try putting them in their studio....

Does anyone 'In the Know' re: Comcast read or post on this board? If so, can you please explain why UHD (ch 250) is available in Arlington, but not Reston?

It's beyond me! The CSR denied ever having heard of such a channel - it's ridiculous.

That's what sucks about the move to the sports tier. If you do not have a dedicated NFL-HD channel (like Arlington/Alexandria don't), you won't get the game in HD whether or not you subscribe to the sports tier.

Yes you will.

Yes you will.


On what channel?

That's what sucks about the move to the sports tier. If you do not have a dedicated NFL-HD channel (like Arlington/Alexandria don't), you won't get the game in HD whether or not you subscribe to the sports tier.

So can anyone on Comcast Arlington/Alexandria confirm that if I pay for the sports tier I will get NFLNetHD instead of the 2 SD channels that we had before?

On what channel?
They will probably dump it on MOJO or the Special Events channel.

So can anyone on Comcast Arlington/Alexandria confirm that if I pay for the sports tier I will get NFLNetHD instead of the 2 SD channels that we had before?

There is no NFL-HD Channel yet on Alex/Arlin Comcast yet.

Last year, they had the games on InHD2. This year they will most likely be on MOJO or the Special Events channel. Unless they add the NFL-HD Channel before then.

There is no NFL-HD Channel yet on Alex/Arlin Comcast yet.

Last year, they had the games on InHD2. This year they will most likely be on MOJO or the Special Events channel. Unless they add the NFL-HD Channel before then.


I can't see Comcast giving those games away for free (unless they develop some kind of quick-switch that they can flip to give MOJO or whatever to only sports tier subscribers for 3 hours).

I can't see Comcast giving those games away for free (unless they develop some kind of quick-switch that they can flip to give MOJO or whatever to only sports tier subscribers for 3 hours).

I can see them doing it.

Something interesting today:
A report from CBS News's DC bureau was 16:9 SD today on 9 News Now.
The field report was 4:3, however.


What we need is all our local news in HD. After spending a week at my parents in NYC and enjoying all 4 HD news, I'm now spoiled and peaved. As being the capital area and being such news junkies I don't understand the lack of HD news. :rolleyes:

What we need is all our local news in HD. After spending a week at my parents in NYC and enjoying all 4 HD news, I'm now spoiled and peaved. As being the capital area and being such news junkies I don't understand the lack of HD news. :rolleyes:

Tight fisted owners.

Maybe at WJLA, but to their credit they seemingly upgraded for Wheel and Jeopardy a lot sooner than Robert had hinted that they would. Fox and NBC are both O&Os. I don't know what they're waiting for.

When are the '08 Olympics? I'd imagine NBC will be upgraded by then at the absolute latest. I don't know why it'd take that long though. Given NBC's late night HD efforts and HD national news efforts, and the fact that NBC4 runs news practically all daytime long, an upgrade to HD would make the network substantially close to all HD all the time.

For what it's worth, I'm much more peeved about MASN than local news.

What we need is all our local news in HD. After spending a week at my parents in NYC and enjoying all 4 HD news, I'm now spoiled and peaved. As being the capital area and being such news junkies I don't understand the lack of HD news. :rolleyes:
I now what you mean. a few weeks ago I was watching WRAL-DT local news out of Raleigh N.C. during a ducting period and found that they had all the studio and E.N.G. cameras in full, beautiful H.D.
EVEN THE TRAFFIC HELICOPTER CAMERA! I saved the newscast on H.D. D.V.R to show the unbelievers. I am using stacked and phased channel master 4228 antennas for a total of 16 bays with the 7775 preamp and have logged D.T. signals from New York city to western N.C. here in Charles town, W.V. I live in the valley and have little problem receiving all the D.C. and Baltimore signals including the L.P. analogs 23 and 47 out of D.C. I also get many Pennsylvania D.T. signals and channel 19 and 53 analog out of Pittsburgh. they are very weak, but you could watch it.

I now what you mean. a few weeks ago I was watching WRAL-DT local news out of Raleigh N.C.
WRAL was the first HD news in the country, and they are owned by a small company named Capital Broadcasting - of course houses in Raleigh don't cost the $22 million Robert Allbritton just spent for his new digs. It is embarassing that we live in a top-10 market, the nation's capital, and only 1 station shows the news in HD. Is there a list anyplace here at avs that lists stations in each market that air their news in HD?

In addition, we have a "regional sports network" that shows all its teams' games in SD, one of two RSns in the country (the other one does KC Royals games).

Don't forget that CSN only has 16:9 SD in studio.....
(I don't watch it, but my dad watches that channel like all the time, so it does kind of bug me)

So, speaking of which, 9 News Now is getting better 8/2. They're upgrading their traffic system, which I PRESUME will be HD, because the shot looked to not be cropped in their 16:9 promo frame. It actually looks pretty cool, they have these like 3-D streetview things going on, and maybe in-car traffic reports from viewers (that's only what I'm assuming that was). This probably will lead to an HD helicopter sometime soon.


Does anyone know if 4 has installed HD cameras or something yet? I always thought they had THE best SD quality I had ever seen. If it was cropped, I bet some people would mistake it for HD. I don't know if it's just the lighting or if they've got other things going on.

OK, so on News4 today, the NBC News Special Report probably should have been in HD, but they didn't flip the switch, either at WRC or NBC, because you could see tiny red pillarbars on the CNBC camera on the left and right sides.

WUTB-DT 24 update

A few days ago, out of curiosity, I went to WUTB My 24 website (www.wutb.com) and, on the spur of the moment, sent them an query under their Contact us page asking when will WUTB-DT go full power on their digital signal? To my amazement, I got a non-boilerplate reply! For anyone waiting on getting My 24 in HD OTA, unfortunately the reply was

"the project is taking longer than we had hoped and we had planned on finishing in June, but now are shooting for December."

Yep, they are now dragging their heels until the end of the year. Which, by an astounding coincidence is, if I understand the dates correctly, when their FCC final 6 month waiver extension expires. Yea, I know its My Network, which is not going to have much HD other than some movies this fall with the switch to really cheap reality shows, but it is one of the 7 HD broadcast networks. For the record, I sent the following somewhat rambling reply :p.

Thank you for a real reply! December????

The reason I asked was more from curiosity than anything else as I live in Sterling, VA and am not in your market. I can only get a occasional weak 1 bar hit at night for the weak 530 Watt digital channel 41 for WUTB-DT from here on my Samsung SIR-T451 ATSC tuner. Not even close to a lock, while I can get all the other Baltimore commercial digital stations fine.

My primary OTA tuner is the Samsung which is ATSC only, so no analog on that. I also have a Sony HD-DVR for OTA recording which has NTSC and ATSC, but I deleted the analog stations from the guide list not long after I got it. I can get the analog signal for WUTB 24, but I have to manually enter channel 24. Once you get a HDTV or a digital ATSC tuner, you stop watching the fuzzy or noisy analog stations, so WUTB-TV is a station that is all but invisible to me.

There are only two full power stations left in the Baltimore and Washington markets that have not gone full power on their digital signal: WUTB 24 and the Howard University WHUT 32 station in DC which is not even on the air. So I was curious when WUTB-DT would finally crank up to enough power that people more than few miles away from the broadcast tower could get the station, now that you have an HD sub-channel. I can get My Network from WDCA-DT 20 in DC as I expect many people in Baltimore with digital OTA reception now do.

Excuse me for being a bit cynical, but WUTB-DT got a final 6 month extension from the FCC in May on going full power. So, now rather than going full power this summer, you won't until the 6 month extension almost runs out? Hmm. Even the two independent MHz and the two Ion/Pax stations in the greater DC area are at their full licensed digital power levels.

Frankly I'm surprised at this delay. All new TVs sold > 26" since July 1, 2006 and all TVs as of April 1, 2007 are required to have ATSC tuners. With HD TVs flying out of the stores, although most people are hooking their HD TVs up to cable or satellite, there are some who are still OTA only. Those who live more than a few miles from Catonsville are doing a digital channel scan and don't see WUTB-DT 24.1. Oh well, they shrug their shoulders and watch all the better looking HD and digital SD programming on the other commercial stations. By delaying on WUTB-DT 24 going full power, your station is losing those viewers at an increasing rate. Once WUTB-DT goes full power, those viewers will have to do a re-scan to get the station and some of them may not do that for many months, making WUTB-DT invisible to them.

But it is your station and your ratings, not mine. This was a longer reply than I was planning to write, so sorry if it turned into a bit of a rant. I will pass on the not until December news at avsforum.com, as there are many others on-line who have been wondering what the heck is going on with WUTB-DT My 24.

Sincerely yours,
If anyone in the Baltimore area wants to complain to WUTB about the prolonged delay, send them an email via their website or even call them. Who knows, they even might speed up going to full power.

Anyone know when WHUT-DT will finally get on the air? For that matter, any news on when WETA will move to northwest DC?

I saw an announcement from the NAB stating that 92% of stations were broadcasting digitally. Not bad, until you remember that 100% were supposed to be on the air with DTV back on May Day 2003. :p

Anyone know when WHUT-DT will finally get on the air? For that matter, any news on when WETA will move to northwest DC?

I saw an announcement from the NAB stating that 92% of stations were broadcasting digitally. Not bad, until you remember that 100% were supposed to be on the air with DTV back on May Day 2003. :p
WHUT-DT received a final 6 month extension of their waiver from the FCC on their digital broadcasting back in May. WUTB-DT was in the same batch of waivers. Not sure exactly what date the clock is ticking from, but presumably sometime in May or June. A vote of the five FCC commissioners themselves is required to grant any more waiver extensions for this group, so any station in this group not on the air with their licensed power digital signal by end of the waiver period puts their license to keep broadcasting past 2/17/2009 at risk (if I understand this correctly). WHAG-DT in Hagerstown got a waiver on going full power until December, 2008 or maybe not until 2/17/2009, BTW.

So the clock is ticking for WHUT-DT with maybe November or December as the deadline. Interestingly enough, the wikipedia entry for WHUT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHUT) says: "Recent callers to the station have been told that digital broadcasts are slated to begin in November 2007." We'll see.

As for WETA-DT, I emailed the station with the same question about when they would move the transmitter several weeks ago. So far, no reply at all. I wonder if emails from their website go directly to the trash bin. :rolleyes:

On 8/29, Comcast in Baltimore will add WUTB-DT on channel 215. Maybe they will have some HD by then.

So Fox Sports Net is going to have some college football games in HiDef.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/06/21/more-college-football-games-in-hd-than-ever-before/

So some of them will be on VS...

Will the other ones be on Comcast Sports Net?

I believe they are our Fox affiliate... and if you have CSN-HD, then you should be good to go?

Not necessarily. FSN had a number of college football games (Big XII) in HD last year, and I don't recall CSN providing those games in HD. As a FSN affiliate, CSN frequently disappoints.

I believe the VS. games are the ones they sublicense from FSN (5 Pac-10 and 5 Big-XII).

WETA 26-1 through 26-4 are all coming in strong from the direction of their new antenna. I'm hoping this isn't just a test.

WETA 26-1 through 26-4 are all coming in strong from the direction of their new antenna. I'm hoping this isn't just a test.
Whatever the cause, I am too getting a far stronger signal from WETA.

WETA 26-1 through 26-4 are all coming in strong from the direction of their new antenna. I'm hoping this isn't just a test.

Yeah I just scanned and can finally pick them up. They must be using the new tower because I am in Logan Circle and downtown always blocked the way to their old tower.

According to reports on the Verizon threads the new guide will debut in MD and N. VA on 8/23. We're the last group to get the upgrade so hopefully the upgrade bugs will be worked out by then.

WETA 26-1 through 26-4 are all coming in strong from the direction of their new antenna. I'm hoping this isn't just a test.
26.1 is stronger here than I've ever seen it and in fact my signal strength meter shows it almost approaching strength of 9.1 which is always rock-solid strong.

That's the good news! The bad news is that 26.1 in HD is not a whole lot better in PQ than 26.2, 3 or 4! There otta be a law against that!

WETA 26-1 through 26-4 are all coming in strong from the direction of their new antenna. I'm hoping this isn't just a test.
WETA-DT's signal strength has increased from ~6 bars to a full 10 bars on my Samsung SIR-T451. It is also up to 94% to 100% on the Sony HDD250 HD-DVR. With four reports, it looks that WETA-DT is indeed broadcasting from the tower in NW DC, not just some temporary atmospheric ducting.

The move is not just to a tower in NW DC with a small increase in power, but with a big improvement in antenna height of 77 meters above the average terrain. According to the FCC database (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WETA)

Arlington location: 75 kW, 177 meters HAAT, 126 meters AGL
NW DC location: 90 kW, 254 meters HAAT, 202 meters AGL.

If WETA-DT stays on the air at the new location, it should improve reception for those at the outer fringes. If anyone wants to try manually getting the station, rather than a full re-scan, WETA-DT 26 is on 27 so a 27.1 might work for dual NTSC/ATSC tuners or 27 for ATSC only tuners such as the Samsung T451.

it looks like NFL network is part of some sports package. I can't find a price on comcast's website. Anyone know how much extra it will be? Man, I wish I had a southern exposure so I could Sunday Ticket it up. I might have to threaten Comcast with a switch if the NFL network package is unreasonable (which it most likely will be).

it looks like NFL network is part of some sports package. I can't find a price on comcast's website. Anyone know how much extra it will be? Man, I wish I had a southern exposure so I could Sunday Ticket it up. I might have to threaten Comcast with a switch if the NFL network package is unreasonable (which it most likely will be).
Pretty sure it's $5/month or so. Also includes Fox Soccer Channel, GOLTV, Fox College Sports (3 channels), and some other stuff. I think they have a promo running where you can get it cheaper or free for the first N months.

I just wish they'd add Setanta Sports to the sports tier... :)

Howard County Comcast:

Effective August 20th, 2007 MPT "V-me" replaces MPT Kids & Family on Channel 201.
MPT Select (Channel 202) and MPT Learner (channel 203) will be discontinued.

Coming August 29, 2007, WUTB-DT (MY24-HD) will be on channel 215!


I guess MPT is changing their subchannels. Are the others doing that, too?

Don't forget that CSN only has 16:9 SD in studio.....
(I don't watch it, but my dad watches that channel like all the time, so it does kind of bug me)

So, speaking of which, 9 News Now is getting better 8/2. They're upgrading their traffic system, which I PRESUME will be HD, because the shot looked to not be cropped in their 16:9 promo frame. It actually looks pretty cool, they have these like 3-D streetview things going on, and maybe in-car traffic reports from viewers (that's only what I'm assuming that was). This probably will lead to an HD helicopter sometime soon.


Does anyone know if 4 has installed HD cameras or something yet? I always thought they had THE best SD quality I had ever seen. If it was cropped, I bet some people would mistake it for HD. I don't know if it's just the lighting or if they've got other things going on.


I've noticed the same thing on NBC 4 local news broadcasts..whenever I view NBC4 News through my DirecTV HR20-700 the box switches over to 1080i. Also using the QAM tuner in my samsung tv using Cox cable, when i press the info button on the remote the tv says that NBC4 News is being broadcasted in 1080i also.

Cox Cable channels in Fairfax County (Using QAM tuner)
Washington CW.............108-3
TheTube......................108-4
WETA..........................108-5
Create.........................108-6
WETA Family.................108-7
WETA World..................108-8
AMC............................118-102
WUSA9 CBS..................122-1
WTTG FOX5..................122-2
WUSA9 Live Doppler.......122-13
NBC4 Weather Plus.........132-2
WRC NBC4....................132-3
WJLA ABC7...................132-4
Cox Test Channel...........134-1

Howard County Comcast:

Effective August 20th, 2007 MPT "V-me" replaces MPT Kids & Family on Channel 201.
MPT Select (Channel 202) and MPT Learner (channel 203) will be discontinued.

Coming August 29, 2007, WUTB-DT (MY24-HD) will be on channel 215!


I guess MPT is changing their subchannels. Are the others doing that, too?


Hmmm http://www.mpt.org/about/prdisplay.cfm?pruid=07050201

V-me is going to be a Spanish language subchannel. Also according to their new digital lineup and channel listings, it looks like they might be doing the same thing WETA does and not simulcast their basic analog channel on a digital channel. It says starting August 20 the channel assignments will be:
22.1 MPT HD
22.2 MPT Select
22.3 V-me

Maybe at WJLA, but to their credit they seemingly upgraded for Wheel and Jeopardy a lot sooner than Robert had hinted that they would. Fox and NBC are both O&Os. I don't know what they're waiting for.

When are the '08 Olympics? I'd imagine NBC will be upgraded by then at the absolute latest. I don't know why it'd take that long though. Given NBC's late night HD efforts and HD national news efforts, and the fact that NBC4 runs news practically all daytime long, an upgrade to HD would make the network substantially close to all HD all the time.

For what it's worth, I'm much more peeved about MASN than local news.

I watched the winter olympics in 2002 in HD and I thought I watched them on WRC then.

WETA 26-1 through 26-4 are all coming in strong from the direction of their new antenna. I'm hoping this isn't just a test.
I live outside of Frederick Maryland and I did a signal strength test about two months ago; with my roof antenna rotated to various positions, WETA-DT came in with meter values ranging from 77 to 80%. Checking tonight, I'm getting 87 plus/minus 2, a considerable improvement.

I can only assume that the terrible artifacting will continue as data rates still average less than 9 Mbps.

No change to signal strength of WETA HD coming in via Comcast (of course) but the bit rate is a bit higher at just under 10 Mbps. I don't recall what it was previously, but thought I'ld throw in the tidbit for historical purposes.

I'll have to wait until American Ballroom Dancing comes back on again to check if there is any improvement, as the PQ of that show was so bad I literally stopped watching WETA after that ...

I watched the winter olympics in 2002 in HD and I thought I watched them on WRC then.

I know. I'm saying local news will upgrade to HD in time to feed out from the Olympics for local news coverage. Hopefully they'll have made the switch before then, but I'm thinking that at the absolute latest NBC would want all their O&O operations to be in HD for all the cross-promotion goodness.

Let's not forget, most of the NBC cable networks will also have launched HD feeds by the time the '08 Olympics role around, so it seems like an obvious platform to really promote the fact that NBC is trying to lead the way with total HD coverage.

I know. I'm saying local news will upgrade to HD in time to feed out from the Olympics for local news coverage. Hopefully they'll have made the switch before then, but I'm thinking that at the absolute latest NBC would want all their O&O operations to be in HD for all the cross-promotion goodness.

Let's not forget, most of the NBC cable networks will also have launched HD feeds by the time the '08 Olympics role around, so it seems like an obvious platform to really promote the fact that NBC is trying to lead the way with total HD coverage.
The 2008 Olympics will take place in August, 2008, a little over a year from now. NBC announced last fall (along with CBS and ABC) that they were upgrading the local news to HD for all their owned and operated stations over, IIRC, the next 18 months to two years. WRC 4 is a NBC O&O station, but it was reported way back then, that they were towards the end of the list of stations to be upgraded. The odds are good that WRC 4 will have HD local news by August, 2008, although I consider the Olympics to have little to do with the local news. The bigger plus will be, as you pointed out, is that CNBC-HD is starting up this fall and we may have a MSNBC-HD by then for a almost or all HD Olympics. I assume NBC will also use Universal-HD for some of the Olympic coverage.

Hopefully I'll have FIOS by then. It's more likely that they will have all those channels than Comcast who I currently have.

I've noticed the same thing on NBC 4 local news broadcasts..whenever I view NBC4 News through my DirecTV HR20-700 the box switches over to 1080i. Also using the QAM tuner in my samsung tv using Cox cable, when i press the info button on the remote the tv says that NBC4 News is being broadcasted in 1080i also.

Cox Cable channels in Fairfax County (Using QAM tuner)
Washington CW.............108-3
TheTube......................108-4
WETA..........................108-5
Create.........................108-6
WETA Family.................108-7
WETA World..................108-8
AMC............................118-102
WUSA9 CBS..................122-1
WTTG FOX5..................122-2
WUSA9 Live Doppler.......122-13
NBC4 Weather Plus.........132-2
WRC NBC4....................132-3
WJLA ABC7...................132-4
Cox Test Channel...........134-1

Huh? And this is significant because...?

The reason you're seeing 1080i is becuase they upconvert everything to 1080i whether it's filmed in HD or not. All the locals do this - WUSA, channel 50 and WRC do 1080i and Fox5, WDCA and WJLA do 720p.

Are you asking if they are getting the channel in the clear via Comcast Loudoun? Or Verizon Fios? WUSA-DT CBS 9 did jump to 34.1 (their actual broadcast channel) on my Samsung SIR-T451 ATSC receiver last night, so I assume they sent out some bad PSIP data.

I too am not getting WUSA-DT, previously on 9-1, via clear QAM for a few weeks now in Eastern Loudoun. Have tried rescanning a few times with no luck. Other HD WRC-DT, WJLA etc are coming in OK.

Could it be a signal strength issue?

Thanks.

Well, the Comcast tech came to our house yesterday here in Sterling and set up our HD-DVR, phone and internet service. The HD-DVR box was a Motorola DCT-6412, which does not contain HDMI output. The tech said that I could exchange the Motorola box for an HD-DVR with HDMI at a local payment center. I'm assuming that this is a SA 8300 HD(C?). Can any other Loudoun Comcast customers confirm this?

Satellite Guys forums are reporting that a new Panasonic HD-DVR is available in some Comcast markets. Any chance I could get one of these?

Well, the Comcast tech came to our house yesterday here in Sterling and set up our HD-DVR, phone and internet service. The HD-DVR box was a Motorola DCT-6412, which does not contain HDMI output. The tech said that I could exchange the Motorola box for an HD-DVR with HDMI at a local payment center. I'm assuming that this is a SA 8300 HD(C?). Can any other Loudoun Comcast customers confirm this?
You have the 6412 Series 2 HD-DVR with DVI output. The newer 6412 Series 3 has a HDMI output in place of the DVI port. Adelphia carried both, so I expect Comcast would either give you the newer 6412 Series 3 box or perhaps a new box with wired in cable card slots which they were required by the FCC to start making available as of July 1.

Anyone know if/when Comcast Alexandria will be getting any of the new HD channels (HGTV, A&E, Food Network, etc)?

...

Cox Cable channels in Fairfax County (Using QAM tuner)
...

AMC............................118-102

...

118 and 119 carry Video-On-Demand programming. Perhaps one of your neighbors was watching AMC at the time you scanned.

And, does anyone know why isn't WDCA in clear QAM yet? Maybe it will come in the the ESPN reconfig tomorrow (mentioned in my last bill)?

-SUO

I think I am watching the redsox vs the o's on 626 on D* on my H20... looks to be stretched and in SD...

did I miss something?

I TRY to keep up with the thread, but at times I get busy :rolleyes:

NEVERMIND... it was the boy, wishful thinking got the better of me. Perhaps he could go down to MASN and "help" them adjust their equipment so we could truly get MASN in HD, come on Peter A., give a fella a break :(

update...

I reset everything and checked the screen format under preferences under display on the setup menu and it is in pillar box...

well now all the SD channels are normal EXCEPT 626 MASN???!!

any ideas?

yeah both 626 and 671 seemed to be 16:9 SD

I know the boy managed to switch from IR to RF yesterday, but I can not figure out what he did to ONLY get those two channels to switch to a 16:9 type of stretch; different than the 16:9 stretch on my Samsung CRT... this occurred with a H20 on a 768 monitor... I just don't understand how CNN on 202 was "pillared" and 626 and 671 were not??!!

Anyone know if/when Comcast Alexandria will be getting any of the new HD channels (HGTV, A&E, Food Network, etc)?

Billy,

I don't know the answer to that question, but I have been wondering the same thing for over two months.

The bigger question is whether Comcast can keep up when DirecTV launches a bunch of new HD channels in September. I have little doubt that Verizon has the capacity to keep up with DirecTV and provide as good or better picture quality.

The $64,000 question is when / if Verizon will launch Fios data and video service in the city of Alexandria. Absent that kind of pressure, I don't think Comcast will feel obliged to keep up with DirecTV too soon.

Jim

Charles Co Comcast has announced the addition of Food HD & HGTV HD effective 8/10/07. They also announced that to receive NFL Network in HD you must subscribe to the sports tier.

Here Is An E-mail I Sent To Wusa Tonight In Case Nobody Else Noticed.

I Assume This Is Engineering. If Not Please Pass On To..
I Do Not Know What D.T.V. Test Your Are Doing With 9.2 Not Being Transmitted, However I Will Tell Your Your 9.1 Picture Looks Like Crap!
It Is Muddy And Pixilated. I Can Only Assume You Are Using The Bandwidth For Some Other Purpose That Will If Adopted Bring You More Revenue. I Would Suggest That If I Had To See Transmissions As Inferior As What You Have Tonight, (8/1) I Would Rather See WRC-TV With Their Wonderful Looking Up Converted
480-I S.D. To 1080IAnd Will Go Back To Them. Stop Trying To Put 20 Pounds Of **** In A 5 Pound Bag!
Gary Michaels

God! You Are Right. The Picture Does Look Like Crap. I Went To Channel 13 To Compare, And They Have A Big "CH-4 LFE Tone" Test Image Up On The Screen. They Must Be Watching The Coverage Of the Bridge Collapse In MN.

(geeze, how did you Capitalize every single word in your post? That is hard to do.)

God! You Are Right. The Picture Does Look Like Crap. I Went To Channel 13 To Compare, And They Have A Big "CH-4 LFE Tone" Test Image Up On The Screen. They Must Be Watching The Coverage Of the Bridge Collapse In MN.

(geeze, how did you Capitalize every single word in your post? That is hard to do.)
I drink lots of vodka! oh by the way, I got a very nice response to that wusa letter saying I am right and that in the future they will be lowering their bit rate on 9.1. I of course spelled out why I felt that was a very bad idea. Gary

I drink lots of vodka! oh by the way, I got a very nice response to that wusa letter saying I am right and that in the future they will be lowering their bit rate on 9.1. I of course spelled out why I felt that was a very bad idea. Gary
I knew not being an O&O would come back to bite us in the ass at some point...
How exactly can WUSA, the self-professed HD leader of the market, even think of doing this?

I drink lots of vodka! oh by the way, I got a very nice response to that wusa letter saying I am right and that in the future they will be lowering their bit rate on 9.1. I of course spelled out why I felt that was a very bad idea. Gary
They must be planning to add a another SD sub-channel. <sigh> I will have to compare the picture quality between WUSA-DT and WJZ-DT tonight. But I have seen a weaker signal level for WUSA-DT for a few days now. Not low enough to cause dropouts, but I'm getting 6-7 bars out of 10 for WUSA-DT when it always maxed out at 10 bars. I get 10 bars for WETA-DT 26 now that they moved the their digital broadcast to the new antenna in NW DC. Does anyone know if they are having transmitter problems as well? Or could the lower signal strength be due to a higher error rate as a result of whatever the heck they are doing??

They must be planning to add a another SD sub-channel. <sigh> I will have to compare the picture quality between WUSA-DT and WJZ-DT tonight. But I have seen a weaker signal level for WUSA-DT for a few days now. Not low enough to cause dropouts, but I'm getting 6-7 bars out of 10 for WUSA-DT when it always maxed out at 10 bars. I get 10 bars for WETA-DT 26 now that they moved the their digital broadcast to the new antenna in NW DC. Does anyone know if they are having transmitter problems as well? Or could the lower signal strength be due to a higher error rate as a result of whatever the heck they are doing??
I got another note from wusa this morning saying that they will be done the testing today at 4:45pm. by the way, from time to time this afternoon the audio drops and you can't get it back till you tune off and then back on 9.1. I have 4 receivers and it is that way on all of them including a sony hd dvr.

WUSA Response:
Dear Mr. Kurtzke,
Our DTV tests have concluded. While WUSA has no immediate plans to add an additional digital channel, I can't promise it won't someday happen. When everybody else in town is doing it, not doing it could put a station in a serious competitive disadvantage.


Regards,
Victor Murphy
Director of Technology & Operations
202.895.5521
vmurphy@wusa9.com

I just wish they'd add Setanta Sports to the sports tier... :)

No kidding, especially with the Rugby World Cup around the corner. DirectTV and now Dish both carry Setanta. GoIrish, any idea if Comcast will have Rugby World Cup games for PPV maybe?

No kidding, especially with the Rugby World Cup around the corner. DirectTV and now Dish both carry Setanta. GoIrish, any idea if Comcast will have Rugby World Cup games for PPV maybe?

I hear you too (although it's because I'm a soccer junkie). I have the sports tier b/c of Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV, but I wonder what Comcast will do about NFL-HD. Considering we had the 8 games in HD last year, I sure hope this move doesn't mean they'll kill the HD games (not that they were any good last year).

Are you asking if they are getting the channel in the clear via Comcast Loudoun? Or Verizon Fios? WUSA-DT CBS 9 did jump to 34.1 (their actual broadcast channel) on my Samsung SIR-T451 ATSC receiver last night, so I assume they sent out some bad PSIP data.
Was asking about comcast in Eastern Loudoun. I'll rescan and see if I pick up 34.1 But I'm not hopeful for the "leader in HD" :mad:

You'd think with all the options available and how MASSIVE the Ball-mer/DC area is, that this thread could be split up into multiple cohesive threads instead of everything getting lost in a sea of "that's not me".

WUSA Response:
Dear Mr. Kurtzke,
Our DTV tests have concluded. While WUSA has no immediate plans to add an additional digital channel, I can't promise it won't someday happen. When everybody else in town is doing it, not doing it could put a station in a serious competitive disadvantage.Monkey see, monkey do?

WUSA Response:
Dear Mr. Kurtzke,
Our DTV tests have concluded. While WUSA has no immediate plans to add an additional digital channel, I can't promise it won't someday happen. When everybody else in town is doing it, not doing it could put a station in a serious competitive disadvantage.


Regards,
Victor Murphy
Director of Technology & Operations
202.895.5521
vmurphy@wusa9.com

AKA: Race to the bottom.

Geez, if everyone else were jumping off a bridge, would these guys do it too? I can't believe that they would want to let picture quality fall off a cliff like this.

Hi all. Quick, basic question.

I live in Harford County, Maryland and I'm using Comcast triple play.

I have my main TV hooked up using an SA8300 Explorer and all channels are coming in fine.

I am trying to hook up a secondary TV for my kids and I can't get channels over 100. I have tried using the built in tuner with the TV and also using the tuner in a 10 year old VCR. I'm looking for the cheapest simplest solution - I don't need DVR or HD capabilities on this secondary TV. OnDemand would be nice, but not necessary.

I talked to comcast and they told me I need to rent a different digital box for $7/month.

Ideas for other solutions?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Was asking about comcast in Eastern Loudoun. I'll rescan and see if I pick up 34.1 But I'm not hopeful for the "leader in HD" :mad:

You'd think with all the options available and how MASSIVE the Ball-mer/DC area is, that this thread could be split up into multiple cohesive threads instead of everything getting lost in a sea of "that's not me".

I actually tried a "Balt-DC Comcast" thread a few years ago, but in this market people want a combined thread. Almost all other areas have separate HD and Comcast threads.

Rich N.

Hi all. Quick, basic question.

I live in Harford County, Maryland and I'm using Comcast triple play.

I have my main TV hooked up using an SA8300 Explorer and all channels are coming in fine.

I am trying to hook up a secondary TV for my kids and I can't get channels over 100. I have tried using the built in tuner with the TV and also using the tuner in a 10 year old VCR. I'm looking for the cheapest simplest solution - I don't need DVR or HD capabilities on this secondary TV. OnDemand would be nice, but not necessary.

I talked to comcast and they told me I need to rent a different digital box for $7/month.

Ideas for other solutions?

Thanks a lot in advance.

You need a digital box from comcast to view the channels. You could try a QAM tuner, but anything encrypted will not be available.

Right now on WJLA ABC7 on the bottom left there is a ABC7-HD logo in white being displayed in 16:9 format..meaning its showing up on the black bars on the side of the 4:3 show...Could WJLA be the next HD news channel in the Washington D.C. area??


Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at 4:03PM
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/mbenz249/Photo-0051.jpg

Since I'm local, I figured I'd post this here...

I'm going to be moving into my condo next week and buying a second HDTV. I'll have my Sharp 32" in the bed room, and likely a 42" Vizio in the "great" room.

I will also have a roommate who is getting his own HDTV.

At this point, I'm going to get 1 HDDVR and 2 HD boxes. If he wants to get his own DVR, he's welcome to...

My question is, would it be better for me to put my HDDVR in the great room or bedroom?

I figure the great room, as most all of my football watching would be in there...

However, I'll miss having DVR in the bedroom...

I guess the challenges I see are recording certain shows in certain rooms, but more than anything, I love DVR for the whole pause, rewind, fast forward... so maybe getting respective DVRs isn't such a bad idea?

Any thoughts, any experiences, etc?

It's another $3 for HDDVR over HD.... Comcast Loudoun.

Right now on WJLA ABC7 on the bottom left there is a ABC7-HD logo in white being displayed in 16:9 format..meaning its showing up on the black bars on the side of the 4:3 show...Could WJLA be the next HD news channel in the Washington D.C. area??


Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at 4:03PM
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/mbenz249/Photo-0051.jpg
I thought they weren't supposed to do it for another year.
But ANYTHING with that annoying blue square behind the ABC7 logo is good news. :p


OH wait

Didn't they order a new encoder?
Maybe the ABC7HD logo is a result of that?

Since I'm local, I figured I'd post this here...

I'm going to be moving into my condo next week and buying a second HDTV. I'll have my Sharp 32" in the bed room, and likely a 42" Vizio in the "great" room.

I will also have a roommate who is getting his own HDTV.

At this point, I'm going to get 1 HDDVR and 2 HD boxes. If he wants to get his own DVR, he's welcome to...

My question is, would it be better for me to put my HDDVR in the great room or bedroom?

I figure the great room, as most all of my football watching would be in there...

However, I'll miss having DVR in the bedroom...

I guess the challenges I see are recording certain shows in certain rooms, but more than anything, I love DVR for the whole pause, rewind, fast forward... so maybe getting respective DVRs isn't such a bad idea?

Any thoughts, any experiences, etc?

It's another $3 for HDDVR over HD.... Comcast Loudoun.

I've got three HDDVRs. Watching TV without one is torture. Trick is to figure out what you want to watch where so you aren't recording the same thing on the different DVRs.

I thought they weren't supposed to do it for another year.
But ANYTHING with that annoying blue square behind the ABC7 logo is good news. :p


OH wait

Didn't they order a new encoder?
Maybe the ABC7HD logo is a result of that?


We are testing a logo insertion for the broadcast of the Redskins/Titans game in HD on the 11th. Don't read anything more into it. :)

I live in Ashburn, VA and I have comcast internet. Was thinking that by splitting the cable and taking one output to my Samsung HP-T5054 I will be able to get a HD channel or 2. I have Dish HD so dont really need to do this but I thought I will pick up WETA etc which dish does not give. Not sure if comcast is blocking QAM somehow. I did not get a single station from doing auto-programming.

I am new to the HD arena. Have had it for only 2 months max. But read this forum religiously !! Thanks.

I live in Ashburn, VA and I have comcast internet. Was thinking that by splitting the cable and taking one output to my Samsung HP-T5054 I will be able to get a HD channel or 2. I have Dish HD so dont really need to do this but I thought I will pick up WETA etc which dish does not give. Not sure if comcast is blocking QAM somehow. I did not get a single station from doing auto-programming.

I am new to the HD arena. Have had it for only 2 months max. But read this forum religiously !! Thanks.

I have COMCAst here in Woodbridge. My Samsung DLP picks up all the HD locals from the Comcast cable with it's tuner and maps them to the correct channel number. Although the sub channel numbers aren't all coorect, the main channel number is.
My set has two inputs, both can be used with an OTA antenna but only one can be used with Cable TV. The set is two years old though so I don't know i the newer ones are the same.

I live in Ashburn, VA and I have comcast internet. Was thinking that by splitting the cable and taking one output to my Samsung HP-T5054 I will be able to get a HD channel or 2. I have Dish HD so dont really need to do this but I thought I will pick up WETA etc which dish does not give. Not sure if comcast is blocking QAM somehow. I did not get a single station from doing auto-programming.
WETA-DT 26 is easier to pick up with an antenna now they have moved the broadcast location to the tower in NW DC, rasing the antenna height by 70 meters. Does Dish provide WDCW-DT CW 50 and WDCA-DT My 20 in HD? If not, you might be able to get all three and the other DC HD stations with an indoor antenna from Ashburn.

You could also likely get the Baltimore stations as well, if you were take on the project of putting up an antenna in the attic or outside.

Your TV has an ATSC tuner. If you want to get WETA-DT 26 in HD, I suggest you try a Silver Sensor UHF antenna for ~$25 or even a basic tabletop UHF loop & VHF rabbit ear antenna for $10 to $20. Comcast is passing the local digital stations in unscrambled QAM. But they may block all the basic analog & digital channel frequencies at the outside access box if you are only subscribing to the internet service. If you want the Comcast cable channels, you should sign up for basic service. OTOH, the over the air digital broadcasts are free.

I signed up for the HD package (~$6/mo), and they brought me a HD-DVR. I'm only paying for the HD package, but I have full DVR functionality. Does comcast baltimore city not have digital HD boxes w/o DVRs? I've called in to customer service about other problems, and they haven't seemed to notice.

Anyone else experience this? If they found out, I would probably pay the DVR fee because i've found it to be pretty useful.

WETA-DT 26 is easier to pick up with an antenna now they have moved the broadcast location to the tower in NW DC, rasing the antenna height by 70 meters. Does Dish provide WDCW-DT CW 50 and WDCA-DT My 20 in HD? If not, you might be able to get all three and the other DC HD stations with an indoor antenna from Ashburn.

You could also likely get the Baltimore stations as well, if you were take on the project of putting up an antenna in the attic or outside.

Your TV has an ATSC tuner. If you want to get WETA-DT 26 in HD, I suggest you try a Silver Sensor UHF antenna for ~$25 or even a basic tabletop UHF loop & VHF rabbit ear antenna for $10 to $20. Comcast is passing the local digital stations in unscrambled QAM. But they may block all the basic analog & digital channel frequencies at the outside access box if you are only subscribing to the internet service. If you want the Comcast cable channels, you should sign up for basic service. OTOH, the over the air digital broadcasts are free.

That information was money !! I will try to play with a couple of antennas and see what I can get. I am already paying about 50$ for dish, dont want to spend more - wife may not like it !!

Yes, you are absolutely right - the guys may have blocked it on the curb box. Trying to get the clear channels without getting the basic may tanatamount to activities I may not like to get into. Dish does not give CW 50 or My20 on HD. But dish has these Voom channels which are absolutely gorgeous PQ wise, the content - not so much.

OK, something must have happened to OTA Channel 5 in DC (WTTG) this summer. I used to get all the DC stations petty well with a signal strength of 75-90. This summer I still get all the channels in the 75-90 signal strength but channel 5 is virtually gone with peak signal strength of about 15. I though it might be me but someone else has lost channel 5 this summer as well. Did they change channel number ? Did they reduce the signal strength ? Mover their tower ?

This summer I still get all the channels in the 75-90 signal strength but channel 5 is virtually gone with peak signal strength of about 15.
I don't know if this will help you, but for me Channel 5 (36 digital) used to be picked up using my CM rotor 9527A at a bearing of around 30. But recently, along with Channel 4 (48 digital), I've had to take the reading down to around 17. I believe that equates to a change of around 13 degrees, which is huge for an attic 4228.

Ch. 7 (39 digital) and 9 (digital 34) are still solid at around 30, but no reception for 5 there and 4 is marginal. Who knows what would cause this change??

OK, something must have happened to OTA Channel 5 in DC (WTTG) this summer. I used to get all the DC stations petty well with a signal strength of 75-90. This summer I still get all the channels in the 75-90 signal strength but channel 5 is virtually gone with peak signal strength of about 15. I though it might be me but someone else has lost channel 5 this summer as well. Did they change channel number ? Did they reduce the signal strength ? Mover their tower ?
WTTG-DT Fox 5 is on and will be staying on UHF 36. I have had no problems in picking WTTG-DT up OTA from here in Sterling at 16 miles. Where are you located and how far away are you from the DC stations? You might want to look at tweaking the aim of the antenna for seasonal variations and/or doing a full rescan.

I don't know if this will help you, but for me Channel 5 (36 digital) used to be picked up using my CM rotor 9527A at a bearing of around 30. But recently, along with Channel 4 (48 digital), I've had to take the reading down to around 17. Who knows what would cause this change??

I've had a similar experience. Usually I can leave my Antennas Direct 91-XG aimed at Baltimore and DC comes in just fine. Recently I've had to rotate the antenna 20 deg back toward DC to get WTTG-DT and to stop the occasional blocking of other DC stations. Don't know why, but it happens occasionally.

With the football season around the corner, anyone know when Comcast Howard County is going to start back up the NFL Network HD channel or is it still part time? It's ashame we don't have it all the time, now that we have to pay the extra 6 bucks a month for it. Also, for the Sunday night NBC games, is our NBC affiliate going 5.1 anytime soon?

Is anyone in Alexandria receiving tonight's NFL Network game in HD? I ordered the channel a little while ago but it's in SD. I called Comcast back. The rep seemed clueless, hinting that it would either be on 240-something (so helpful) or 226/227. It's not on either. He then said for some reason it's not in HD in my area but that the regular season games would be. We shall see.

Is anyone in Alexandria receiving tonight's NFL Network game in HD? I ordered the channel a little while ago but it's in SD. I called Comcast back. The rep seemed clueless, hinting that it would either be on 240-something (so helpful) or 226/227. It's not on either. He then said for some reason it's not in HD in my area but that the regular season games would be. We shall see.


That was my question too. If I pay for the sports package, will I get NFLNet HD, or the 2 SD channels we used to get? Last season they showed the live HD games on INHD (Mojo). So I'm wondering if they will show the live HD games on INHD like they did last season, without paying for the sports package.

The Hall of Fame game was on DirecTV 94 last night (NFL Network HD).

What are the odds we will see the Nats on ESPN 2 in HD tonight or will MASN be SOBs again (give Don and Bob the night off)? I heard some milestone event **** may occur tonight :D

Edit: Blacked out as expected. Screw-ups already trying to get to Bob and Don in SF, and unexpected Nats highlights while Ray Knight talks about Barry *****.

Thanks a lot, MASN. Looking forward to the crappy video and audio.

The Hall of Fame game was on DirecTV 94 last night (NFL Network HD).

What are the odds we will see the Nats on ESPN 2 in HD tonight or will MASN be SOBs again (give Don and Bob the night off)? I heard some milestone event **** may occur tonight :D

I would be very surprised indeed if we would get the Nats-Giants game on ESPN2 in HD in the Balt-DC area. Just because one is HD and one isn't doesn't change the local blackout rule. Who would watch MASN in this area if the game were available in HD on another channel?

Rich N.

What are the odds we will see the Nats on ESPN 2 in HD tonight or will MASN be SOBs again (give Don and Bob the night off)? I heard some milestone event **** may occur tonight :D
If ESPN2 is carrying the Giants-Nats game tonight for the Barry Bonds chase, the odds have to be that it will be blacked out here. But since this is not a normal scheduled game, there is a chance that some service providers will forget to black out the ESPN2-HD channel. Worth checking tonight to see if it comes through (if you get ESPN2-HD).

That was my question too. If I pay for the sports package, will I get NFLNet HD, or the 2 SD channels we used to get? Last season they showed the live HD games on INHD (Mojo). So I'm wondering if they will show the live HD games on INHD like they did last season, without paying for the sports package.

Here in Howard County, I was told that the sports package would include the NFLHD channel. However, we don't have it full time.

Dear Member:

I need a few vendors who are experts in external High Definition Antennas so that I may get one installed on my house.

I live in Carksville, MD 21029 which is between Baltimore and DC.

Please provide some vendors who know what they are doing!

Thanks - Thanks - Thanks

Hi all -

For the last several (~4) weeks WTTG-DT has been coming in as 36.1 on my Dish 811 receiver. I've gone through and re-scanned the channels, erased it from the list, tuned into 36.1 to see if it would pick up the correct PSIP info, etc., with no change on my end.

I figured that they would be getting around to fixing it, sooner or later, but I guess they aren't getting enough complaints about it. I've not seen anyone else post about it, either...

Anyone else having this problem?

Cheers -

Mark

I need a few vendors who are experts in external High Definition Antennas so that I may get one installed on my house.

I live in Carksville, MD 21029 which is between Baltimore and DC.

Please provide some vendors who know what they are doing!
1. There is no such thing as an HD Antenna. Digital TV broadcast are done on the same group of VHF 2 to 13 and UHF 14 to 69 channels as analog, but are modulated differently and are on channels not used by analog. The antenna does not care if the signal is NTSC analog or ATSC digital with 8VSB modulation.

The key is to select an antenna that picks up the digital channels over the spread in azimuth and range you need. In the Washington-Baltimore, all of the stations are currently digitally broadcasting on UHF. For example WJLA-DT ABC 7 in DC is currently digitally broadcasting on UHF 39. But in February, 2009, after the analog shutdown WJLA-DT will switch it's digital channel to upper VHF 7 (WUSA-DT 9, WBAL-DT 11, WJZ-DT 13 will also switch from UHF to their upper VHF channels). The low VHF stations such as WRC-DT NBC 4 will stay on UHF.

You are roughly between DC and Baltimore. What you want is a antenna that can pick up stations to the front and behind it, so you do not have to constantly rotate it. What you also need is to get an antenna with good UHF and decent upper VHF 7 to 13 performance. The Channel Master 4211 4 Bay bowtie and the more directionl Channel Master 4228 8 bay bowtie which is also a good upper VHF performer are popular choices for this area. I have the CM 4221 in my attic in Sterling, VA and get the DC & Baltimore stations along with a few others.

2. For a list of antenna installers and station channel info, check the first post of this thread. You should also check the OTA Digital TV reception FAQ in the HDTV Reception Hardware forum at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611957.

Another useful web resource is http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html. If you have specific questions on antennas, local stations, how & where to put the antenna, feel free to ask here or in the hardware reception forum.

I have been having a problem for almost a week now. Using Cox basic cable with the coax plugged into my TV with built in tuner. I did a rescan a couple days ago and got over 300 digital channels, when I should only be getting around 13 (local HD and a couple digital channels Cox throws in). All of these channels are giving me the blue screen/no signal, thus I have been without my HD programming. I've been rescanning everyday and am still getting the same results.

This happened to me a couple weeks ago as well, but a rescan the next day fixed everything... not the case here.

I haven't called Cox yet, but I have a feeling the CS won't know anything, and will probably try to sell me a receiver.
Does the problem lie with my TV's tuner or with Cox; and what should I do? Thanks.

I want to thank "afiggatt" for helping me.

I need a few vendors who are experts in external High Definition Antennas so that I may get one installed on my house.

I live in Carksville, MD 21029 which is between Baltimore and DC.

Please provide some vendors who know what they are doing!
Last I knew, Action Antenna and Davis Antenna did a lot of installations in your area.

If you want to wing it yourself, you might buy a ChannelMaster 4118 and take the backscreen off it so it is bi-directional. In Laurel, which is comparably situated, I've been able to get both markets at the same time using antennas which, for other applications, would be considered absolute junk.

I have been having a problem for almost a week now. Using Cox basic cable with the coax plugged into my TV with built in tuner. I did a rescan a couple days ago and got over 300 digital channels, when I should only be getting around 13 (local HD and a couple digital channels Cox throws in). All of these channels are giving me the blue screen/no signal, thus I have been without my HD programming. I've been rescanning everyday and am still getting the same results.

This happened to me a couple weeks ago as well, but a rescan the next day fixed everything... not the case here.

I haven't called Cox yet, but I have a feeling the CS won't know anything, and will probably try to sell me a receiver.
Does the problem lie with my TV's tuner or with Cox; and what should I do? Thanks.

I get hundreds of channels with Comcast that are Blue screen becasue they are encrypted. The local channels are unencrypted here and are mapped to the proper channel numbers and I can see a picture from them.

I get hundreds of channels with Comcast that are Blue screen becasue they are encrypted. The local channels are unencrypted here and are mapped to the proper channel numbers and I can see a picture from them.
I have tried the old channel numbers but they are not displaying anything either. Cox had my local channels mapped in the 100's for the past month. With my recent scans I did notice that I was pulling in channel information, such as "5-1 Fox," but the channel is blue like every other, besides the SD analog channels. :confused:

Charles Co Comcast has announced the addition of Food HD & HGTV HD effective 8/10/07. They also announced that to receive NFL Network in HD you must subscribe to the sports tier.I got much this same notice in Anne Arundel County in the mail today.

HD additions (with channel and date) are:
HGTV: 229 (8/7)
FoodHD: 231 (8/7)
NFL Network HD: 246 (8/1)
WUTB-HD: 215 (by 9/1)

I've scoured the notice and nowhere on it does it say that NFL Network is in the sports tier.

If ESPN2 is carrying the Giants-Nats game tonight for the Barry Bonds chase, the odds have to be that it will be blacked out here. But since this is not a normal scheduled game, there is a chance that some service providers will forget to black out the ESPN2-HD channel. Worth checking tonight to see if it comes through (if you get ESPN2-HD).


Am I the only one that's pissed the blacked out an HD feed for the messy MASN signal! :rolleyes:

Am I the only one that's pissed the blacked out an HD feed for the messy MASN signal!
Nope. Though Bonds' first at bat was shown on ESPN-HD. LIke night and day. Didn't recognize those players with the W on the caps with a CLEAR picture vs. the lovely SD 1980s pic provided by MASN (Be There!)

Edit: I blame MLB for the outdated blackout rules and MASN for using hand-me-down equipment. Besides, it's fun to rip on Peter Angelos

Am I the only one that's pissed the blacked out an HD feed for the messy MASN signal! :rolleyes:

No, because it's expected. Don't Blame MASN for the game being blacked out, blame MLB.

No, because it's expected. Don't Blame MASN for the game being blacked out, blame MLB.

Shall we also blame MLB for absolutely zero HD for Nationals and Orioles games on MASN this year?

Shall we also blame MLB for absolutely zero HD for Nationals and Orioles games on MASN this year?

Actually, you can, as it was MLB and Darth Selig that set the terms of the sale of the Nationals, and this was one of them. If MLB did no cave to Angelos, MASN could have bid on the rights with Comcast.

I got much this same notice in Anne Arundel County in the mail today.

HD additions (with channel and date) are:
HGTV: 229 (8/7)
FoodHD: 231 (8/7)
NFL Network HD: 246 (8/1)
WUTB-HD: 215 (by 9/1)

I've scoured the notice and nowhere on it does it say that NFL Network is in the sports tier.
Well here is the notice.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/faq_comcast

Looks like in Howard Co. no full time NFLHD in site.

Comcast in Loudoun had the game on ESPN2-HD for about 2 minutes, then it went to blackout. :(

MASN has the Orioles, MASN2 (Channel 19) has CSPAN... so where the heck is the game? :confused:


edit to add: Loaded up my Slingbox from my parents' house in the Philly market... ESPN2 is blacked out there too (showing ESPNews)... they get MASN (O's) but no MASN2. Very weird...

Damn, for a minute there I was thinking that Comcast forgot to black out the ESPN2 HD feed of the Nats/Giants game. Oh well, back to poor MASN2 SD feed.

Comcast in Loudoun had the game on ESPN2-HD for about 2 minutes, then it went to blackout. :(

MASN has the Orioles, MASN2 (Channel 19) has CSPAN... so where the heck is the game? :confused:





Here in Alexandria/Arlington Comcast has it on channel 77.

I signed up for the HD package (~$6/mo), and they brought me a HD-DVR. I'm only paying for the HD package, but I have full DVR functionality. Does comcast baltimore city not have digital HD boxes w/o DVRs? I've called in to customer service about other problems, and they haven't seemed to notice.

Anyone else experience this? If they found out, I would probably pay the DVR fee because i've found it to be pretty useful.

i signed up for the triple play a few months ago and signed up for the DVR service. I get a few of the HD channels (including locals) and full DVR access... guess i should cancel DVR service and add HD service to get all HD and DVR services to save me a few bucks a year!!! anyone else?

Dish Network had also Blacked out ESPN2-HD during the broadcast, but they did have MASN2. So I did get the see the home run.

Actually, you can, as it was MLB and Darth Selig that set the terms of the sale of the Nationals, and this was one of them. If MLB did no cave to Angelos, MASN could have bid on the rights with Comcast.

I think that is a little unfair to MLB. The problem is that MASN chose not to have an HD channel this year, regardless of how they got the O's/Nats broadcast rights. It was a MASN decision, one that has angered many people in the Balt/DC area since we had up to 60 HD O's games last year (Comcaast Sportsnet home games not on Ch 13).

Rich N.

i signed up for the triple play a few months ago and signed up for the DVR service. I get a few of the HD channels (including locals) and full DVR access... guess i should cancel DVR service and add HD service to get all HD and DVR services to save me a few bucks a year!!! anyone else?
My daughter just signed up for Triple Play in her new apt. She ordered HDTV service, and was given an SA8300 DVR STB. She's not complaining!

I saw this on www.dcrtv.com today.

More Digital TV Musical Chairs - 8/8 - According to the latest digital TV documents from the Federal Communications Commission, here's where the local digital TV stations will wind up come 2009, when the plug is pulled on old-fashioned analog broadcasts. Five stations will remain right where they are, with their digital broadcasts on their old analog channel, including WJLA on 7, WUSA on 9, WBAL on 11, WJZ on 13, and WDCW on 50. Several other stations will continue broadcasting their digital signals on their current digital channel allocation, including WRC on 48, WTTG on 36, WFDC on 15, WDCA on 35, WMPT on 42, WUTB on 41, WETA on 27, WHUT on 33, WBFF on 46, and WNUV on 40. And several others get a new digital allocation, including WMAR on 38 (WJZ's current digital channel), WPXW on 34 (WUSA's current digital channel), and WNVC on 24 (WUTB's current analog channel)...

I got the same shrek green notice. I also saw on the Weather Channel, a scrolling ad that Comcast put NFL HD in the Sports Tier.

I saw this on www.dcrtv.com today.
There is really no news in what dcrtv.com posted. On August 6, the FCC posted what should be the final digital channel assignment, power, and HAAT for almost all full power stations at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. There are a few stations, none in our area, that are still arguing for different digital channels. See the Official Final Upcoming final DTV sticky thread in the locals forum if you want details. If you want to look, download Appendix B of the final DTV channel list. This list does not provide the call sign, so you have to figure from the NTSC channel # or look up the ID numbers.

The final DTV channel assignments for the DC and Baltimore stations are the same as released in 2006. The FCC has not released the final DTV channel assignments for the low power stations, which we do have in the DC area, but most of those will be on UHF somewhere. The big question is whether people will have to upgrade their antenna setup or add a separate upper VHF antenna to get:

WJLA-DT 7 at 15 kW, 254 meters HAAT
WUSA-DT 9 at 17 kW, 254 meters HAAT
WBAL-DT 11 at 6.91 kW, 312 meters HAAT (this could be a tough station to get at longer range)
WJZ-DT 13 at 21.4 kW, 312 meters HAAT. WJZ-DT is currently on UHF 38, which will be used by WMAR-DT 2 which in turn is on UHF 52, an out of core channel. Since WMAR-DT has to be off of UHF 52 by midnight of February 17, 2009, WJZ-DT will have to move it's digital signal to VHF 13 sometime before the cutoff so WMAR-DT can switch over.

The list does confirm that WPVI-DT ABC 6 in Philadelphia will be on low VHF 6 which will be an issue for those who get the Philly digital stations with only a UHF antenna.

Still no W*USA-9 in HD on comcast in Eastern Loudoun using Clear QAM. Anyone else experiencing this still? I sent an email to someone at WUSA-9 and they said they forwarded it onto the tech department. But that was a while ago and still no luck(Im sure she just blew me off). Contacting comcast itself is a freakin joke as they will blow you off right to your face.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Other digital broadcast changes in the DC-Baltimore area after the analog shutdown

There are several channel reshuffles in the DC area that should improve the reach of the MHz "Network" and Ion network (formerly Pax) in February, 2009.

WPXW-DT Ion 66 is currently broadcasting on UHF 43 at 90 kW at only 140 meters above the ground on a tower west of Manassas. Looks like they will be moving to the current WUSA-DT 9 antenna in 2009, with their power level cranking up to 1000 kW on UHF 34. So anyone who can get the WUSA-DT digital channel now should be able to get WPXW-DT Ion station in 2009. Ion network has been struggling financially and is being taken to private ownership. So who knows what they will have for programming by then? Infomercials 24/7?

WNVC-DT MHz 56 in Fairfax is currently on UHF 57 at a weak 7.3 kW. In 2009, after WUTB-TV 24 goes away, they are authorized to switch to UHF 24 at 50 kW at a higher antenna height. The sister station, WNVT-DT MHz 30 out of Goldvein, which I get OTA, will be staying at UHF 30 at the current power of 160 kW. But having WNVC-DT 56 on UHF 24 while WUTB-DT 24 is on 41 could make manual digital channel selection interesting if you can get both stations OTA. :eek:

WMPT-DT MPT 22 in Annapolis is staying on UHF 42, but will be authorized to increase their power from 150 kW to 350 kW. WMPB-DT MPT 67, located NW of Baltimore, is staying on UHF 29, but will be authorized to increase their power from 14 kW to 50 kW. WFPT-DT MPT 62 in Frederick stay at 30 kW on UHF 28. The overall reach of the digital signal for MPT will get better in 2009.

WPXW-DT Ion 66 is currently broadcasting on UHF 43 at 90 kW at only 140 meters above the ground on a tower west of Manassas. Looks like they will be moving to the current WUSA-DT 9 antenna in 2009, with their power level cranking up to 1000 kW on UHF 34. So anyone who can get the WUSA-DT digital channel now should be able to get WPXW-DT Ion station in 2009.

I believe that the WPXW signal will be very directional (towards the southwest) however and will not replicate WUSA-DT's current digital signal. If you look at the estimated square mile coverage of WPXW's signal, you will note it is significantly smaller than that of the other signals coming off of that stick.

I believe that the WPXW signal will be very directional (towards the southwest) however and will not replicate WUSA-DT's current digital signal. If you look at the estimated square mile coverage of WPXW's signal, you will note it is significantly smaller than that of the other signals coming off of that stick.
You are right. The square mile coverage & population are approximately 1/2 that of WUSA-DT on VHF 9 and there is a high percentage interference. Looking for other stations on UHF 34, WCAU-DT NBC 10 in Philadelphia will be on UHF 34 in 2009 (currently on UHF 67). So WPXW-DT will have to adjust the antenna pattern to avoid interference with WCAU-DT in Philly by cutting the signal going northeast. Which means I need to take back the comment that those who get WUSA-DT 9 now will be able to get WPXW-DT 66. Those north of Baltimore may not get WPXW-DT Ion. But then again, will they care that much?

Well here is the notice.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/faq_comcast

Looks like in Howard Co. no full time NFLHD in site.
That really freaking sucks. I scoured the flyer again, and there it mentions the addition of NFLHD in 3 separate places without once saying that an additional package is necessary.

Going to their website confirns that this is the case, though. If they would add ESPNU to the sports package, I would consider paying for it. (although since EPSN2HD is in the sports package, if my Hokies end up on ESPN2 anytime this year, I'll probably suck it up and pay it :().

FIOS can't get here fast enough!!!

That really freaking sucks. I scoured the flyer again, and there it mentions the addition of NFLHD in 3 separate places without once saying that an additional package is necessary.

Going to their website confirns that this is the case, though. If they would add ESPNU to the sports package, I would consider paying for it. (although since EPSN2HD is in the sports package, if my Hokies end up on ESPN2 anytime this year, I'll probably suck it up and pay it :().

FIOS can't get here fast enough!!!


ESPNU is the same scenario as the Big 10 Channel. Comcast has offered to carry ESPNU at the price ESPN wants since they launched, but only wants it in the Sports Tier with channels like CSTV which are already there. ESPN has said consistently no and will only accept basic carriage or nothing.

Since they moved NFL Net they are offering the Sports Tier for $1.99 I think for 6 mos. I have had this since they added the tier because of CSTV and the three additional Fox college sports channels which gets me a bunch of additional games per weekend (not all classics of couse). But usually at least 1-2 add'l games each weekend I end up watching or DVR'ing for later.

Only three weeks left to college football, god bless us all....

GoIrish

I think that is a little unfair to MLB. The problem is that MASN chose not to have an HD channel this year, regardless of how they got the O's/Nats broadcast rights. It was a MASN decision, one that has angered many people in the Balt/DC area since we had up to 60 HD O's games last year (Comcaast Sportsnet home games not on Ch 13).

Rich N.

Not really. MASN is only in it's 3rd year of existence. Looking at their Pre and Post game shows for the NATS and O's you can tell it's very low tech. It's not like they have had a couple years of income to spend on expensive equipment. And yes I do blame MLB because what did they expect would happen to give a start up company the TV Rights?

ESPNU is the same scenario as the Big 10 Channel. Comcast has offered to carry ESPNU at the price ESPN wants since they launched, but only wants it in the Sports Tier with channels like CSTV which are already there. ESPN has said consistently no and will only accept basic carriage or nothing.



Which is ridiculous because with DirecTV or DISH, you need to either 1) subscribe to the highest programming package (includes the sports pack) to get ESPNU or 2) have a lower package and pay for the sports pack (which includes ESPNU) as a premium.

ESPN is the 800lbs gorilla of cable channels. They can muscle their way in negotations because no provider in their right mind wants to be without ESPN. This way Disney can get lesser properties such as ESPN Classic, News, or U much more favorable deals.

So not only does ESPN get like $2 per viewer, but they also get to be on the bottom teir (with the most viewers). If all was right in the world, ESPN would be in a sports tier and only those with a Sports interest would have to pay.

Not really. MASN is only in it's 3rd year of existence. Looking at their Pre and Post game shows for the NATS and O's you can tell it's very low tech. It's not like they have had a couple years of income to spend on expensive equipment. And yes I do blame MLB because what did they expect would happen to give a start up company the TV Rights?

You do understand how much money MASN makes, right? A "startup" company owned by the Orioles and Nationals. Yup, they are broke.

Um, the Big Ten Network is a "startup" and they will have about 4 HD games a week.

(although since EPSN2HD is in the sports package, if my Hokies end up on ESPN2 anytime this year, I'll probably suck it up and pay it :().


What county? ESPN2HD is in the standard HD package in Howard County.

What county? ESPN2HD is in the standard HD package in Howard County.Anne Arundel.

This must be a new change, I still get ESPN2HD, even though the website clearly lists it as part of the Sports Package. No NFLHD here though. :(

You do understand how much money MASN makes, right? A "startup" company owned by the Orioles and Nationals. Yup, they are broke.

Um, the Big Ten Network is a "startup" and they will have about 4 HD games a week.

90% owned by Angelos...NUFF SAID.

90% owned by Angelos...NUFF SAID.

Yep, it's not exactly an improvement to go from 60 Orioles games a year in HD to zero. Furthermore, the Nationals deserve better as a showplace team in a top ten market.

Aside from lining Pete Angelos' pockets, there's no reason that these games couldn't be carried on Comcast Sports Net mid-Atlantic. Good to see that MLB and Angelos have the fans' best interests at heart. :rolleyes:

You do understand how much money MASN makes, right? A "startup" company owned by the Orioles and Nationals. Yup, they are broke.

Um, the Big Ten Network is a "startup" and they will have about 4 HD games a week.

They got a good deal from Radio Shack on those cameras...?

90% owned by Angelos

I hope next year we get some games in HD - you would think the Nats would want to show off their new stadium.

Comcast has added NFL Network HD in Baltimore City.

That really freaking sucks. I scoured the flyer again, and there it mentions the addition of NFLHD in 3 separate places without once saying that an additional package is necessary.

Going to their website confirns that this is the case, though. If they would add ESPNU to the sports package, I would consider paying for it. (although since EPSN2HD is in the sports package, if my Hokies end up on ESPN2 anytime this year, I'll probably suck it up and pay it :().

FIOS can't get here fast enough!!!

ABSOLUTELY! I want NFLHD fulltime!

If it makes you feel any better, I have NFL-HD on Dish and the past few Preseason games (including the Skins Ravens scrimage) have been SD).

I think it's pretty lame that Comcast charges extra for the sports package. I have RCN, and we get the three FCS channels, Fox Soccer Channel, GolTV, and the just-added CSTV, all of which are included in the basic digital package. No ESPNU or NFL-HD, unfortunately, and no sign that they will be added anytime soon. It's almost that time of year again, and I'll take all the college football I can get :D

Did any Comcast subscribers get any new channels today?
If you did please state your town/county. Here in Comcast/DC we've received zilch. :rolleyes:

I don't see any new channels - Arlington

The Comcast sports pack is currently $2 a month and is required to watch NFL HD according to a message I got on my cable box.

I'm seeing the NFL HD channel right now without having the sports pack. Don't know if it's a mistake, on purpose, or a sneak preview.

I'm seeing the NFL HD channel right now without having the sports pack. Don't know if it's a mistake, on purpose, or a sneak preview.
Could be because it's the Redskins (ie, local-ish) game. It's being simulcast on WJLA-DT, which Baltimore doesn't get. Oddly enough, neither does Annapolis, but with a QAM tuner, you can get it off the Comcast cable. Or go OTA. Or keep watching on NFL HD. :)

I'm watching over Verizon FiOS in Spotsylvania, VA. This is a rare opportunity to compare PQ between the unencumbered NFL Network and WJLA with its sub-channels.

NFL Network wins by a significant margin. I'm getting either macroblocking or signal interruptions from WJLA. The WJLA feed also seems slightly off colorwise. A bit green maybe?

I was flipping around and found the Redskins game in HD on Channel 246 on Comcast-Howard County. The letters used to identify the channel are HDGOW...not sure what that stands for.

Could be because it's the Redskins (ie, local-ish) game. It's being simulcast on WJLA-DT, which Baltimore doesn't get. Oddly enough, neither does Annapolis, but with a QAM tuner, you can get it off the Comcast cable. Or go OTA. Or keep watching on NFL HD. :)

A message Comcast sent this morning said you have to subscribe to the sports pack to see this game on the HD channel. And the SD channel says Subscription Required.

A message Comcast sent this morning said you have to subscribe to the sports pack to see this game on the HD channel. And the SD channel says Subscription Required.Well then I guess it is a mistake. Enjoy it while it lasts? :)

I was flipping around and found the Redskins game in HD on Channel 246 on Comcast-Howard County. The letters used to identify the channel are HDGOW...not sure what that stands for.

HD Game OF the Week...maybe

I was watching Masters of Science Fiction on the Baltimore ABC HD channel (since the DC one was having a pre-season game) Saturday night. For some reason there was no closed captioning signal coming through. I've seen this on Baltimore HD channels more than DC ones. Anyone know why this is the case?

Thanks,

Neil

I'm watching over Verizon FiOS in Spotsylvania, VA. This is a rare opportunity to compare PQ between the unencumbered NFL Network and WJLA with its sub-channels.

NFL Network wins by a significant margin. I'm getting either macroblocking or signal interruptions from WJLA. The WJLA feed also seems slightly off colorwise. A bit green maybe?


I also flipped back and forth on FIOS (in NoVA) between WJLA and NFL Network and felt NFL Net won the pic quality hands down. I guess good ol' 7-3 sucks away a lot of picture from the HD feed - does anyone watch this channel?

A pair of Fox-owned stations are adding newscasts next month, the company announced today. WTTG Washington (D.C.) unveils Fox 5 News Edge at 6 September 10, while WJBK Detroit introduces Fox 2 News Edge at 11 September 24. Both promise a “unique, fast-paced format” with a lone main anchor and weather near the top of the newscast.


The WTTG newscast sees Brian Bolter as the anchor, and offers the weather at 6:05. “This is a natural next step for our station given viewers’ positive reception to our half-hour news at 11 p.m., as well as our hour-long broadcast at 5 p.m.,” said V.P./G.M. Duffy Dyer.

http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6468279.html

Did any Comcast subscribers get any new channels today?
If you did please state your town/county. Here in Comcast/DC we've received zilch. :rolleyes:

Were we expecting any new channels today?

On three successive weekends I have observed a strange happening on comcast QAM channel 127-5 (TNT). This channel has provided the golf championships for the early golfers, and I obtain an excellent video but no sound using my LG 4200A tuner connected by component to my Olevia TV. There has been no sound on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but each Monday morning the sound is back.
At the same time I have used my OnAir USB GT tuner connected to my PC, and the sound is fine. Both units indicate a strong signal identified as HD @ 1080i with Dolby Digital sound.

Can anyone offer an explanation why one channel out of 20 QAM channels provides no sound every weekend?

Because:

1) They aren't sending it in HD

and

2) Even if it was available in HD, we don't currently have a way to switch it into the HD program stream

Just thought I would answer the "why isn't WBFF sending the pre-season game in HD?" question before it's asked.

Cheers!

Mark

Just thought I would answer the "why isn't WBFF sending the pre-season game in HD?" question before it's asked.

LOL! I am just happy to get an Eagles preseason game down here! ;) The signal is coming in great out here at 40+ miles. :)

Who is doing the camerawork for the game? It looks kind of muddy (like MASN does for the Nats games).

LOL! I am just happy to get an Eagles preseason game down here! ;) The signal is coming in great out here at 40+ miles. :)

Who is doing the camerawork for the game? It looks kind of muddy (like MASN does for the Nats games).

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure who's doing the game. I've seen some paperwork around about it, but I didn't have a chance to look it over. It could conceivably be MASN, but I don't know really know.

Mark

Because:

1) They aren't sending it in HD

and

2) Even if it was available in HD, we don't currently have a way to switch it into the HD program stream

Just thought I would answer the "why isn't WBFF sending the pre-season game in HD?" question before it's asked.

Cheers!

Mark

LOL!

I came home from the game and watched my recording of So You Think You Can Dance and was wondering why it was 4:3 (it is always SD, just widescreen normally).

Then it dawned on me....the game was on WBFF last night so Dance was delayed.

Anybody else not receiving a picture on 9-1 (WUSA)? I'm getting 90% signal strength and the QAM version is fine, but I get no picture or audio on the OTA channel... Just started doing this in the last week (can't be positive when as I don't watch WUSA-9 that often).

Trying to rule out supply-side issues before I declare my Series3 Tivo (itself a warranty replacement) defective.

LOL!

I came home from the game and watched my recording of So You Think You Can Dance and was wondering why it was 4:3 (it is always SD, just widescreen normally).

Then it dawned on me....the game was on WBFF last night so Dance was delayed.

Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we won't have that problem. We're in the process of upgrading our master controls to HD and we should be able to record the HD network feed so that we can play it back later. We're aiming at the end of the year for that.

Mark

Anybody else not receiving a picture on 9-1 (WUSA)? I'm getting 90% signal strength and the QAM version is fine, but I get no picture or audio on the OTA channel... Just started doing this in the last week (can't be positive when as I don't watch WUSA-9 that often).

Trying to rule out supply-side issues before I declare my Series3 Tivo (itself a warranty replacement) defective.
WUSA-DT 9.1 is coming in fine here. Have you done a OTA re-scan? It is possible the ATSC receiver got bad PSIP data for the channel and messed up the channel mapping. If the Tivo allows you to select digital OTA channels directly, what do you get if you tune to 34.1, the actual broadcast channel for WUSA-DT?

BTW, I see WUSA-DT has a new radar map for their 9.2 channel. After 10 seconds, I was already irritated by the background color cycle for the WUSA-DT text at the top.

WUSA-DT 9.1 is coming in fine here. Have you done a OTA re-scan? It is possible the ATSC receiver got bad PSIP data for the channel and messed up the channel mapping. If the Tivo allows you to select digital OTA channels directly, what do you get if you tune to 34.1, the actual broadcast channel for WUSA-DT?

BTW, I see WUSA-DT has a new radar map for their 9.2 channel. After 10 seconds, I was already irritated by the background color cycle for the WUSA-DT text at the top.

Tried a rescan already but it did nothing. And no, the tivo won't let me tune channels directly.

Methinks the Tivo is jacked up. Looks like its time to call them again...

I was watching Masters of Science Fiction on the Baltimore ABC HD channel (since the DC one was having a pre-season game) Saturday night. For some reason there was no closed captioning signal coming through. I've seen this on Baltimore HD channels more than DC ones. Anyone know why this is the case?

Thanks,

Neil

And, when WJLA finally showed Masters of Science Fiction at 1:30 am on Sunday morning, it was in SD. Is that because they can't time shift HD content, or did they simply choose not to?

Why is the titantv.com program listing for Good TV 45.2 incomplete? It shows what is simulcasted from 45 and 54 but says off-air for everything else.

Tried a rescan already but it did nothing. And no, the tivo won't let me tune channels directly.

Methinks the Tivo is jacked up. Looks like its time to call them again...
I would double check to see if the Tivo can manually tune to 34.1. Both of my ATSC receivers do allow me to manually tune to a channel that is not in the scan list, even though that is not in the manual. The Samsung SIR-T451 is ATSC only, so entering channel 34 does the trick. The Sony DHG-HDD250 is NTSC & ATSC, but if I enter a x.1 channel, it tries to tune to the ATSC (8-VSB) channel at channel X. I use this to get signal meter readings for stations that I can't get a channel lock for.

However, I don't see how a hardware failure would result in your Tivo not displaying a picture for WUSA-DT 9.1 with a strong signal reading, but displaying the other 1080i and 720p channels. I would suspect a bad channel map or corrupted processing information for the station in the Tivo's data first. You should try the standard technique for clearing bad channel data that sometimes works. Disconnect the antenna cable and do a full channel scan. This should clear the entire OTA channel list. Then reconnect the antenna and do a full scan again to get all the local stations back. If this does not work, look at doing a reset of the Tivo settings. However, typical fixes for Series 3 Tivos - which I do not have - should be covered in the Tivo forums.

Why is the titantv.com program listing for Good TV 45.2 incomplete? It shows what is simulcasted from 45 and 54 but says off-air for everything else.

Hmmm... I'm not sure. I'll see if I can find out...

Mark

I have attached three photos of my Winegard UHF Antenna and the signal is pre-amplified. Since May, I have been dealing with multipath issues when receiving OTA HD signals from Washington, DC local channels. My DirecTV HD DVR + Receiver has dual OTA tuners and during the Winter months I had rock solid reception. My guess is the foliage on the surrounding trees is the cause and last summer and I did not have this issue. It could be a bad pre-amplifier and I wanted to solicit options from other AVS forum members who might point me in the right direction. When I disconnect the power from the OTA pre-amplifier, the multipath doesn't seem as bad.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Dave

PS Feel free to PM me with suggestions and thanks!

Didn't see this posted anywhere in this thread... FWIW, here is the new Loudoun County Comcast lineup, as of Saturday, August 18.

http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/1/2/CM/VanityURL/documents/lineupchanges/7C4115LdnLineUp11.pdf

And, when WJLA finally showed Masters of Science Fiction at 1:30 am on Sunday morning, it was in SD.Yes, very annoying. And I saw that one of the next two episodes will also be delayed... so, I cancelled my season pass for WJLA and set it up on WMAR.

anyone know if comcast in Howard county will ever add DC locals in HD like verizon has?

I have attached three photos of my Winegard UHF Antenna and the signal is pre-amplified. Since May, I have been dealing with multipath issues when receiving OTA HD signals from Washington, DC local channels. My DirecTV HD DVR + Receiver has dual OTA tuners and during the Winter months I had rock solid reception. My guess is the foliage on the surrounding trees is the cause and last summer and I did not have this issue. It could be a bad pre-amplifier and I wanted to solicit options from other AVS forum members who might point me in the right direction. When I disconnect the power from the OTA pre-amplifier, the multipath doesn't seem as bad.
How far are you from the DC broadcast towers? From the photos, the antenna is the Winegard HD9095P UHF antenna, correct? What pre-amp are you using? The problem is likely multipath, but a pre-amp can make it worse if you are close to the broadcast towers. Also, which DirecTV HD-DVR are you using? For multipath situations, you want the newer generation ATSC tuner chipsets.

How far are you from the DC broadcast towers? From the photos, the antenna is the Winegard HD9095P UHF antenna, correct? What pre-amp are you using? The problem is likely multipath, but a pre-amp can make it worse if you are close to the broadcast towers. Also, which DirecTV HD-DVR are you using? For multipath situations, you want the newer generation ATSC tuner chipsets.

Yes, I have installed the Winegard HD9095P Antenna with their UHF only pre-amp. We're about 20-25 miles from the DC broadcast towers and my house is located at a bottom of a hill (lower elevation in the neighborhood). We have two HR20-700 HD DVR Plus DirecTV receivers. Like I said in my post, when the leaves drop in the fall, my signal is very strong (high 80s to 90s).

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Dave
Herndon, VA

I have attached three photos of my Winegard UHF Antenna and the signal is pre-amplified. Since May, I have been dealing with multipath issues when receiving OTA HD signals from Washington, DC local channels. My DirecTV HD DVR + Receiver has dual OTA tuners and during the Winter months I had rock solid reception. My guess is the foliage on the surrounding trees is the cause and last summer and I did not have this issue. It could be a bad pre-amplifier and I wanted to solicit options from other AVS forum members who might point me in the right direction. When I disconnect the power from the OTA pre-amplifier, the multipath doesn't seem as bad.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Dave

PS Feel free to PM me with suggestions and thanks!

i agree it sounds like you have a multi-path issue. in your photos it looks like you have your pre-amp mounted under the rotor. move it to as close to the antenna as you can and you might do a little better.

i agree it sounds like you have a multi-path issue. in your photos it looks like you have your pre-amp mounted under the rotor. move it to as close to the antenna as you can and you might do a little better.

Gary,

You are right, the pre-amp is located near the rotor. Would a stronger pre-amp make the problem worse or make improvements? Its interesting, that when I disconnect the power to the pre-amp, the multi-path issue is reduce and I still get pixelization on most OTA channels.

Again, I appreciate your advice.

Dave C.

Yes, I have installed the Winegard HD9095P Antenna with their UHF only pre-amp. We're about 20-25 miles from the DC broadcast towers and my house is located at a bottom of a hill (lower elevation in the neighborhood). We have two HR20-700 HD DVR Plus DirecTV receivers. Like I said in my post, when the leaves drop in the fall, my signal is very strong (high 80s to 90s).
Which Winegard UHF pre-amp? They have different models. But the exact model is probably not that relevant unless you you have the AP-4800 28 dB gain model which may be boosting the multipath signals too much or clipping the direct path signals from the stations.

You have the newer DirecTV HR20 DVR which, IIRC, should have newer, maybe 5th? generation ATSC tuners, so it is not a question of using a 2 or 3 year old DVR with 3rd or 4th generation ATSC chipsets.

The HD9095P is a pretty directional UHF antenna, so can't improve on that to help with multipath. The suggestion to move the pre-amp closer to the antenna, which will help slightly by reducing line noise gain is a good one, but you may be better off without a pre-amp or a lower gain model depending on what you have. Because you have a rotator, I assume you have moved the antenna aim to the left and right a few degrees to see if that helps? Can you tilt the antenna aim up a few degrees?

Just in case you missed this, WJLA-DT ABC 7 and WUSA-DT CBS 9 will be switching their digital channels to VHF 7 and 9 in February, 2009 after the analog shutdown. You have a UHF only antenna which is not likely to have much gain for upper VHF.

You are right, the pre-amp is located near the rotor. Would a stronger pre-amp make the problem worse or make improvements? Its interesting, that when I disconnect the power to the pre-amp, the multi-path issue is reduce and I still get pixelization on most OTA channels.
If you disconnect the power to the pre-amp, you end up with a huge antennuator in the signal path. if you want to see what stations you get without the pre-amp, you have to physically bypass it at the antenna mast.

Verizon Fios rolled out the new Interactive Media Guide in northern VA and MD early this morning! I got the automated Fios phone message on my voice mail Monday night, but was not sure that it would happen this soon. All my DVR recordings appear to be there, but I noticed my closed caption font & background settings had been wiped out. The QIP 6416 setup menu for screen display, output format, and captions is still there, but with an extra step: turn box off, press Select, then press Menu on the remote. For details, go to the Fios 6146 thread in the HDTV Recorders forum or the Fios Programming thread.

Does anyone know if WNVT has been testing or something lately? My DISH ViP 211 actually scanned in all its channels on Monday morning and they were still there Tuesday morning as well. The signal strength was solidly in the '80s on Monday, with high '60s readings (borderline) on Tuesday.

This morning I got zip.

I live in Eldersburg in Southern Carroll County MD and I've never received those stations previously. It's new DISH receiver, but I've never found their OTA tuners to be particularly effective at picking up distant signals.

Gary,

You are right, the pre-amp is located near the rotor. Would a stronger pre-amp make the problem worse or make improvements? Its interesting, that when I disconnect the power to the pre-amp, the multi-path issue is reduce and I still get pixelization on most OTA channels.

Again, I appreciate your advice.

Dave C.
it is true that a pre-amp could make the problem worse, but I said to move the pre-amp closer to the antenna because if you are using a long 300 ohm cable from the antenna to the pre-amp, you might be adding some multi-path in the long run and then amplifying it. in any case it is a better idea to have the antenna to pre-amp run as short as you can get it.

Gary,

Good advise. I'll give it a try and thanks for your feedback.

Dave

it is true that a pre-amp could make the problem worse, but I said to move the pre-amp closer to the antenna because if you are using a long 300 ohm cable from the antenna to the pre-amp, you might be adding some multi-path in the long run and then amplifying it. in any case it is a better idea to have the antenna to pre-amp run as short as you can get it.

Just moved out of DC to the suburbs of VA and have two questions for anyone that might care to help.

1. Anyone care to suggest an OTA antenna, I live about 10 miles from the towers according to antennaweb, close to the interchange of 395 and 495 (it's the Watergate at landmark in Alexandria, va 22304 if anyone is familiar). My condo is on the 5th floor of an 18 story building facing west/southwest (away from the towers) so if I put it on my balcony it would point right into the building. Any suggestion for a small UHF antenna that might work well. Right now I have a small powered RCA indoor vhf/uhf antenna on my balcony and it can pick up the 4 networks but they do drop rather frequently. So any help for hopefully a smallish UHF antenna would be great.

2. I just signed up for D* and my HD locals really macroblock, break-up and look way worse than comcast. My 99 sat. signal is in the 70's while, 101, 110, and 103 and the last one 119? are all i n the 90's. Since our locals come from the 99 sat is 70's signal strength a little low or is this just how D* tends to look/act?

Thanks,
Justin

Does anyone know if WNVT has been testing or something lately? My DISH ViP 211 actually scanned in all its channels on Monday morning and they were still there Tuesday morning as well. The signal strength was solidly in the '80s on Monday, with high '60s readings (borderline) on Tuesday.

This morning I got zip.

I live in Eldersburg in Southern Carroll County MD and I've never received those stations previously. It's new DISH receiver, but I've never found their OTA tuners to be particularly effective at picking up distant signals.
Eldersburg, MD puts you around 59 miles from the WNVT-DT MHz 30 broadcast tower which is located south of Manassas. WNVT-DT is broadcasting at a modest 160 kW (for UHF) and 229 meters HAAT. See http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WNVT. We had clear weather on Monday and Tuesday. My guess is that you got the benefit of atmospheric ducting for a somewhat distant station. This is the time of the year for it.

What is your antenna setup and where is the antenna(s) aimed? If you want to keep getting WNVT-DT 30, you should experiment with shifting the antenna aim a few degrees in either direction to see if that boosts the signal for the station. You should also try the station at night to see if it comes in then.

The sister station, WNVC-DT 56 (DT=57), is east of Fairfax, but is currently broadcasting at a low power of 7.3 kW with an antenna that is only 153 meters AGL. I can't get WNVC-DT 56 from my location in Sterling, but I do get WNVT-DT 30 ok.

Verizon Fios rolled out the new Interactive Media Guide in northern VA and MD early this morning!
The biggest improvement I can see is... the DVR now displays "PLAY" instead of just "PLA" when watching a recorded program. :rolleyes:

1. Anyone care to suggest an OTA antenna, I live about 10 miles from the towers according to antennaweb, close to the interchange of 395 and 495 (it's the Watergate at landmark in Alexandria, va 22304 if anyone is familiar). My condo is on the 5th floor of an 18 story building facing west/southwest (away from the towers) so if I put it on my balcony it would point right into the building. Any suggestion for a small UHF antenna that might work well. Right now I have a small powered RCA indoor vhf/uhf antenna on my balcony and it can pick up the 4 networks but they do drop rather frequently. So any help for hopefully a smallish UHF antenna would be great.
If you can find it locally, try the Silver Sensor UHF antenna. Circuit City was carrying a Philips model model PHDTV1, for $25, but that model does not have VHF rabbit ears which will be needed in 2009. If you have tall buildings facing you in opposite direction from the broadcast towers, you might be able to pick up the reflected signals by aiming the antenna at the building. The Terk HDTVi is also a possibility.

If you need more gain, the new Channel Master 4220 2 Bay bowtie can fit on a balcony space. It is large enough that it have enough gain to get WJLA-DT 7 and WUSA-DT 9 in 2009, but no guarantee on that.

1. Anyone care to suggest an OTA antenna, I live about 10 miles from the towers according to antennaweb, close to the interchange of 395 and 495 ...

I'm not too far from you on Duke, right near the Masonic Memorial. I'm in a three story brick apt building (3rd floor), with my balcony facing south. I believe all the stations are to the N or NNW of me but I'm not sure. I have a Radio Shack 15-1892 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131034&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032204&parentPage=family) sitting on an end table in a corner of my living room and I can pick up all the local DC stations (WTTG, WUSA, WETA, WRC, WJLA, WDCW, and some other ones I never watch) plus a couple of Baltimore stations (WBFF & WJZ and sometimes WMAR if I fiddle with it). Once in a while I'll get a drop out for the DC stations; no more than a couple of seconds. More frequently for the Baltimore locals.

I probably could have gotten away with a cheaper antenna - others may have some suggestions but in my case this one works well.