I've seen no signal on 26 digital since last night. It's not just me, is it?

Alas no, one of the PEPCO feeds has gone splat at the Joint Tower. USA/JLA's feed is good, but ETA/HUT have lost their feed. Generators are whirring away quite happily.

(before you ask, UPS for high power UHF transmitters aren't exact super common or cheap :) )

Captain Video,
Are you filtering the FM out of your signal. FM signals will cause reception problems, as they will overload your system. That 4228 is an awfully strong antenna to put with an amp in an suburban area. Do you have the ability to hook up just 1 TV to the system witout an amp and see what results you get?

I'm so ticked off by this. Here in AA county (Crofton), I've lost all widescreen locals (Balt and DC!) except for MPT and WTTG Fox 5.

No STB, just using Clear QAM from Comcrap and my TV's tuner. I thought they were required to pass local signals on to the customer?

Definitely switching to Verizon FIOS, this is complete BS.
Well, I did a rescan with my TV tuner last night, and now I'm getting local Baltimore HD channels and sub-channels through clear QAM. These would be WMAR, WBFF, WBAL and WJZ. Not sure about MPT. Also getting DC Fox WTTG in HD for some strange reason.

WUTB-DT My 24 status
For those wondering when WUTB-DT 24 (DT=41) will increase their power from the current STA power of 530 Watts, the station filed for yet another waiver extension on Monday. WUTB-DT has a post-transition allotment of 200 kW on UHF 41, but according to their filing summary has been waiting a long time for a Construction Permit (CP) to be granted which would allow them to fire up their 200 kW signal. I pasted the key paragraphs below from their Form 337 filing which explains the reason. If WUTB-DT was a big four network station, I suspect this hold-up would have been resolved long ago.

"Exhibit 1
Description: REASON FOR EXTENSION

THE APPLICANT IS PREPARED TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE ITS DTV FACILITY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY UPON GRANT OF ITS APPLICATION FOR MODIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION PERMIT, BMPCDT-20051118ADM. THIS APPLICATION WAS ORIGINALLY FILED ON NOVEMBER 18, 2005 AND WAS MOST RECENTLY AMENDED ON FEBRUARY 8, 2008. ACCORDING TO FCC MEDIA BUREAU ENGINEERING STAFF, THE DELAY IN GRANTING THIS APPLICATION IS THE RESULT OF A REQUIREMENT TO OBTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE COMMISSION'S ENFORCEMENT BUREAU THAT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROPOSED DIGITAL FACILITY (WHICH HAS A SLIGHTLY SMALLER CONTOUR THAN THAT AUTHORIZED BY APPENDIX B TO THE COMMISSION'S DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS)WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE COMMISSION'S FIELD INSTALLATION IN LAUREL, MARYLAND.

THE APPLICANT HAS WAITED UNTIL NOW TO FILE FOR THIS EXTENSION BECAUSE IT EXPECTED GRANT OF ITS CONSTRUCTION PERMIT IMMINENTLY."

"Exhibit 2
Description: STEPS TAKEN BY APPLICANT

AS DESCRIBED IN ITS PREVIOUS APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME, FILE # BEPCDT-20071113ALI, THE APPLICANT HAD ENCOUNTERED SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS IN RESOLVING DIGITAL BROADCAST INTERFERENCE ISSUES AT BOTH ITS DIGITAL AND ANALOG CHANNEL ALLOTMENTS. UPON RESOLVING THOSE ISSUES, THE APPLICANT ORDERED, RECEIVED, AND INSTALLED ITS EQUIPMENT; NOW, THE ONLY REMAINING OBSTACLE TO COMMENCEMENT OF SERVICE IS THE COMMISSION'S CONSENT TO THE PROPOSED MODIFICATION OF THE STATION'S CONSTRUCTION PERMIT, WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE COMMISSION'S MEDIA BUREAU, IS BEING HELD-UP FOR VERIFICATION THAT THE STATION'S OPERATION WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE COMMISSION'S FIELD INSTALLATION IN LAUREL, MARYLAND."

Newstech,

I live .3 miles from WETA and no signal either

Nottenst,

Between the Zenith/Insignia and the Digital Stream, the Zentih wins hands down for sensitivity. I did an A-B comparison and the Zenith will get 2 stations regularly(90 miles out)that the Digital Stream can't touch. On marginal signals(50-70 miles) the DS has dropouts, while the Zenith stays locked in. I have noticed an audio problem that is identical on both units. It seems when a station is broadcasting 5.1 from network feeds the sound is thin/raspy/distorted. Has anyone else noticed this. Picture quality looks the same on both units.(Would love to have S-Video!!)

Thanks!!

4 new HD channels added today:

Science Channel HD (217)
AMC HD (218)
Disney Channel HD (244)
ABC Family HD (245)

AMC HD has the worst picture quality I've seen outside WETA HD. I guess it's no surprise, since the standard definition version of AMC looks terrible as well.

I installed and programmed a new TV last night utilizing Fios clear QAM.
The TV recognized the basic analog and many digital signals but none were in HD, I called Verizon and the Rep of course said " Whats clear QAM" :o.

1)Does Fios offer Clear QAM in HD (Springfield,Va)? per the website they do

2)When using Fios Clear QAM should I have say

1 channel of CBS in analog
1 channel of CBS in Digital (480i)
1 channel of CBS in Digital HD

Right now I'm missing CBS (and others) in HD.

Thanks in advance.

Michael

As some basic cable users have come to know, some cable system will allow us to get some HD stations that otherwise would be on the digital tier. Of course we get no annoucements as would a dig subscriber get & thus I post the question:

Was curious to know ppl who get basic cable - how often to you scan your channels?

I have Basic Cable, Comcast in P.G. County. I do a quick QAM check everytime I lose a channel, about once a month. I have not done a complete scan in the past year. I lost most of my Baltimore HD channels within the past month. No loss of D.C. channels.

Thanks for the information. It is good to know that there was a backup plan for audio mystery. Is someone doing research into why there was no audio? Has that happened before?

Thanks,

Neil

Sorry, I didn't see this post before.

The audio issue was caused by our power outage on Monday AM. When the HD satellite receiver re-booted, it didn't come up with the correct audio parameters.

Since I'm planning on never losing power to that rack again, I shouldn't ever have that problem again, either.

Cheers -

Alas no, one of the PEPCO feeds has gone splat at the Joint Tower. USA/JLA's feed is good, but ETA/HUT have lost their feed. Generators are whirring away quite happily.

(before you ask, UPS for high power UHF transmitters aren't exact super common or cheap :) )

So WETA digital is already broadcasting from Tenleytown? I seem to have more problems with WETA than any other local digital station and assumed that was because of the Alexandria tower location.

So WETA digital is already broadcasting from Tenleytown? I seem to have more problems with WETA than any other local digital station and assumed that was because of the Alexandria tower location.

How come TV Fool has WETA DT In North Arlington on their FM tower. Is this incorrect?

Captain Video,
Are you filtering the FM out of your signal. FM signals will cause reception problems, as they will overload your system. That 4228 is an awfully strong antenna to put with an amp in an suburban area. Do you have the ability to hook up just 1 TV to the system witout an amp and see what results you get?
I don't have an FM trap in the line but with highly directional UHF antennas I wouldn't have thought it would be an issue. The antennas are connected to six USB ATSC tuners that are part of my HTPC. Isolating just one of them without completely uninstalling them in Windows could get to be a bit tricky. The amp wasn't meant to boost a poor signal but just to compensate for the loss when splitting the signal so many times. I have no doubt that I'm overloading the Baltimore signals due to my proximity but the setup seems to be spot on for the DC channels. I'm starting to entertain the idea of going with the 4-bay version of the 4228 (4224?) for the Baltimore channels since I'm so close to the broadcast towers. The new 4220 looks like it may be just right for my needs. (In fact, it looked so good I just ordered one.)

My HTPC is finally recording shows with no artifacts whatsoever. I'm just perplexed as hell about the drop in signal level from the Baltimore stations. I would have expected to see the signal strength top out at near 100 when configuring the tuners in BeyondTV but instead they're only registering about 89-90. The DC locals are showing a level of about 93 by comparison. I'd like to get the setup tweaked so I get the same results with the Baltimore channels so I can watch the Ravens games when the season starts back up again. If I was a Skins' fan then I'd be inclined to leave it as is.

I installed and programmed a new TV last night utilizing Fios clear QAM.
The TV recognized the basic analog and many digital signals but none were in HD, I called Verizon and the Rep of course said " Whats clear QAM" :o.

1)Does Fios offer Clear QAM in HD (Springfield,Va)? per the website they do

2)When using Fios Clear QAM should I have say...
Fios does indeed provide the locals in clear QAM along with the music channels and the PEGs (public/educ/govt channels). There is no CBS analog as QAM is digital only (the analog channels will be shut down in July). Verizon puts the locals in a group which makes them pretty easy to find compared to Comcast. They provide a SD 480i version of WUSA CBS 9 which is in the QAM 63,67,68 set. They also provide the digital ATSC broadcast locals with all their HD and SD sub-channels with 2 stations per QAM channel starting at QAM 71 for 11 local digital stations.

What TV do you have? Some models have been unable to tune to the digital broadcast copy of the locals because of how Verizon is manipulating the PSIP data. There is a very long thread in the Fios TV forum at dslreports.com on the details. The problem is supposed to be fixed in June/July, IIRC. Verizon does provide the PSIP channel mapping so the newer ATSC/QAM tuners will map the locals to their broadcast channel #: 4-1, 4-2, 5-1, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3 and up to 67-1,2,3,4 for MPT (they apparently get MPT via WMPB-DT 67 in Baltimore).

Copying from a several month old post elsewhere:

Here are the clear QAM channels for the Washington Metro market.
55-100: WGN
63: SD locals
65: PEGs
66: 3 SD, 47 Music Choice channels
67: SD locals, PEGs
68: SD locals
71: 2 local HD (WUSA CBS 9, WRC NBC 4, 2 SD subs)
72: 2 local HD (WTTG Fox 5, WDCA MNT 20)
73: 2 local HD (MPT PBS 67, WJLA ABC 7, 4 SD subs)
74: 2 local HD (WDCW CW 50, WETA PBS 26, 4 SD)
75: 2 local stations: WNVC-DT MHz 56 and WNVT-DT MHz 30 stations (8 SD subs)
82: WPXW-DT Ion 66 (4 SD sub-channels)
84: 48 Urge music channels

To the MASN guy,

Can you please fix the DD5.1, or have someone fix the DD5.1? It's back to effectively being mono, with the commentators coming from all directions.

BTW, thanks for fixing the 4:3 "dark box" before I even had a chance to get online and ask about it. :)

PS I'm really impressed with MASN's telecasts as of late. MASN was clearly a second rate network for the first few years of their existence, but nowadays they do put out some really good stuff. Once you get these video/sound problems permanently ironed out (instead of having to fix them every few games), and once the quantity is up at the same high level as the quality, MASN will be one of the premiere destinations for local sports in the Baltimore-Washington market.

And this all coming from one of MASN's biggest detractors in the past. Bravo, guys!

Did WDCA change their mind about broadcasting MASN HD without telling MASN? I'm a FIOS subscriber and I'm stuck watching the SD feed. I read on the Post's Nationals Journal comments that a Cox subscriber is having the same issue.

I used MASN's "Report Technical Difficulties" link (with a surprisingly fast response) and they replied:

"Thank you for your interest in MASN. WDCA does MASN's HD feed. Because Verizon does not air MASN's HD feed, we are unsure if they carry WDCA when they air HD games. Please contact your provider regarding this issue for additional assistance."

I replied that it's not just a Verizon issue, so we'll see how they respond.

Here on RCN in D.C., tonight's game is on WDCA-DT in SD, and in HD, on MASN HD. I'm surprised it wasn't blacked out on MASN HD.

Did WDCA change their mind about broadcasting MASN HD without telling MASN? I'm a FIOS subscriber and I'm stuck watching the SD feed. I read on the Post's Nationals Journal comments that a Cox subscriber is having the same issue.
WDCA-DT 20 is broadcasting the SD version of MASN tonight. The problem is not with Verizon nor Cox. That is a seriously confused reply from WDCA. Verizon carries the HD signal of WDCA-DT on channel 805 and if WDCA-DT was providing the game in true HD, it would be in HD on Verizon. However, MASN is available on Verizon at channel 67 and I think Verizon is supposed to black out MASN where they provide WDCA.

Both WDCA-DT and WJZ-DT started out the season carrying the MASN-HD games they had in HD, but both have regressed. Is there a technical problem or they have the B team running the stations for the weekend games who don't know to hook up the HD signal?

WDCA-DT 20 is broadcasting the SD version of MASN tonight. The problem is not with Verizon nor Cox. That is a seriously confused reply from WDCA. Verizon carries the HD signal of WDCA-DT on channel 805 and if WDCA-DT was providing the game in true HD, it would be in HD on Verizon. However, MASN is available on Verizon at channel 67 and I think Verizon is supposed to black out MASN where they provide WDCA.

Both WDCA-DT and WJZ-DT started out the season carrying the MASN-HD games they had in HD, but both have regressed. Is there a technical problem or they have the B team running the stations for the weekend games who don't know to hook up the HD signal?
The response was from MASN, not WDCA. I just left the WDCA engineers a voicemail message (got the number through the myfoxdc site), but who knows if they're checking messages over the weekend.

New "HD" channels on Comcast DC this morning:

217 SciHD
244 DisneyHD
245 ABC Family HD

All are simulcasting SD programming from their SD channels. So the reason people on Comcast DC have started to see macro-blocking and compression artifacts on your other channels is to make way for these wastes of bandwidth.

I'm seeing the 700 Club in HD right now on 245 and Cool Stuff: How it Works in HD on 217.

What TV do you have? Some models have been unable to tune to the digital broadcast copy of the locals because of how Verizon is manipulating the PSIP data. There is a very long thread in the Fios TV forum at dslreports.com on the details. The problem is supposed to be fixed in June/July, IIRC. Verizon does provide the PSIP channel mapping so the newer ATSC/QAM tuners will map the locals to their broadcast channel #: 4-1, 4-2, 5-1, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3 and up to 67-1,2,3,4 for MPT (they apparently get MPT via WMPB-DT 67 in Baltimore).

Copying from a several month old post elsewhere:

Here are the clear QAM channels for the Washington Metro market.
55-100: WGN
63: SD locals
65: PEGs
66: 3 SD, 47 Music Choice channels
67: SD locals, PEGs
68: SD locals
71: 2 local HD (WUSA CBS 9, WRC NBC 4, 2 SD subs)
72: 2 local HD (WTTG Fox 5, WDCA MNT 20)
73: 2 local HD (MPT PBS 67, WJLA ABC 7, 4 SD subs)
74: 2 local HD (WDCW CW 50, WETA PBS 26, 4 SD)
75: 2 local stations: WNVC-DT MHz 56 and WNVT-DT MHz 30 stations (8 SD subs)
82: WPXW-DT Ion 66 (4 SD sub-channels)
84: 48 Urge music channels


afiggatt,

A Big Thank you!! With your reply, a few more threads and simple trial and error I was able to get my Sony S3000 to receive the HD channels listed above. I had to manually enter channel 71.1 then hit the channel up key, then magically the first HD channel appeared. Repeated for 72-74.

Thanks again,
Newmie

I noticed another digital converter while shopping today. I was at the local BJs wholesale club today and they had the GE 22730 for $50 there. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be getting all that good reviews (especially cnet (http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-hdtv-tuners-receivers/ge-22730-digital-converter/4505-6487_7-32909913.html) , but perhaps it would be adequate for a kitchen TV.

Neil

I'm seeing the 700 Club in HD right now on 245 and Cool Stuff: How it Works in HD on 217.

The 700 Club is the only thing I've seen in HD so far on ABC "Family" "HD". Woohoo! You can now watch these tele-huckster-vangelists tell you how God will make you rich if you give money to CBN. (Not kidding, that's what they were doing last night with a testimonial from a dim-witted couple who explained that once they started pledging money to these folks, God gave them much more money back in return.) Now that's content that deserves to be seen in the full glory of 720p. And I'm certain that Comcast subscribers in DC would rather see preachers begging for money in HD than CNN-HD. Thanks, Comcast!

ABC Family shows more than that.

ABC Family shows more than that.

That's real helpful. Some examples might have been nice.

ABC Family HD apparently has so little HD content that the ABC Family website doesn't even bother to identify anything as HD. Nor does Zap2It list anything on ABC Family today as HD.

As of 5/15 we have these new channels:
217 SCIHD
218 AMCHD
234 CNNHD
237 HISTHD
240 TLCHD
214 APHD
244 DISHD
245 FAMHD

Looks like Dish decided to axe 10 of the 15 Voom channels that they carried. They are now down to just 5 Voom channels.

Catching up...

My understanding is that VOOM is moving towards international distribution, as, I believe, many of it's channels are similar to those already offered in the US. VOOM-HD is growing in the international market.

It's a shame for us; as usual, Europe reaps the benefit of all the R&D long before the US does ;)

MASN claims to have MASN HD and MASN2 HD. Tonight's game was on MASN2 HD. On most cable systems, they put both MASN HD and MASN2 HD on the same channel. On DirecTV, they put MASN HD on 626-1 and MASN2 HD on 671-1.

MASN only has one games-only channel. However, the branding of that channel (MASN1 vs MASN2) is based on the the SD channel for the particular game. So if the game is on MASN2 SD, then, for ratings/advertising purposes, it is on MASN2 HD, even though it's the same channel. (Does that make sense?) Think of a few years ago when the NBA was on ABC on Sundays; it was branded as ESPN on ABC. Similar concept.

For cable viewers MASN-HD or MASN2-HD should always be the same channel (check your local listings). [And you all know the deal with My20.] However, as you D* viewers are aware, DirecTV maps the HD channel as xxx-1 of the SD channel. So if the HD game is on MASN2 in SD, it will be on 671-1 in HD.

Got it? :D

FWIW, there are only about a dozen MASN2-HD games this year.

To the MASN guy,

Can you please fix the DD5.1, or have someone fix the DD5.1? It's back to effectively being mono, with the commentators coming from all directions.

BTW, thanks for fixing the 4:3 "dark box" before I even had a chance to get online and ask about it. :)

PS I'm really impressed with MASN's telecasts as of late. MASN was clearly a second rate network for the first few years of their existence, but nowadays they do put out some really good stuff. Once you get these video/sound problems permanently ironed out (instead of having to fix them every few games), and once the quantity is up at the same high level as the quality, MASN will be one of the premiere destinations for local sports in the Baltimore-Washington market.

And this all coming from one of MASN's biggest detractors in the past. Bravo, guys!

Sorry for the delay... Busy weekend.

As you all are aware, Surround Mixing is not easy. Friday there was an issue with some encoding hardware as well as with the audio set up on site. I believe the hardware was corrected Friday after the game. Please be patient as MASN works on these issues. It is the intention to bring Surround to the viewers, however MASN is still working out the kinks all around (even with SD), and, unfortunately, Surround is the first thing to go if there are problems. Please understand that each time there is a venue change, there is an audio engineer change, which means a new set up has to be performed.

The reason behind up-mixing sources that are not Surround is to maintain consistency on the transmission signal, so those listening via DD do not hear a pop, hiss or hash when the DD decoder switches from 5.1 to 2.0. Often the decision to not produce in Surround is made late in the day, so rather than reconstructing the audio in Master Control, all signals are maintained as Surround. FWIW, there signal is ALWAYS stereo when not in Surround.

The black box was a problem with the Telestrator. Interestingly only HD viewers noticed it, as it filled the 4x3 rastor and just made it look dim :)

Thank you for the kind compliments. I encourage you (and anyone else) to put those in writing through the website comments section. It does make a difference.

Next HD game is today (Sunday) and then Tuesday.

Hey Vidioteic,

I have a couple of questions about MASN.

What is the deal with the contrast? Many time, I can't see Guzman's face AT ALL. I tried different settings on my TV and I am sure it is not the TV. The ball-park and all the surroundings look so dark.

Also, what is the deal with the graphics? I see something that looks like a weird shaped star then the oval that has the team logo. The Nats logo is in a black oval with a little bit of some semi-red color in the center. I thought it was because of I was watching it in SD, but the HD games are no better. This is something I can live with if I have more games in HD, but it would be really nice to have better, clean, and crisp graphics.

WDCA-DT 20 is broadcasting the SD version of MASN tonight. The problem is not with Verizon nor Cox. That is a seriously confused reply from WDCA. Verizon carries the HD signal of WDCA-DT on channel 805 and if WDCA-DT was providing the game in true HD, it would be in HD on Verizon. However, MASN is available on Verizon at channel 67 and I think Verizon is supposed to black out MASN where they provide WDCA.

Both WDCA-DT and WJZ-DT started out the season carrying the MASN-HD games they had in HD, but both have regressed. Is there a technical problem or they have the B team running the stations for the weekend games who don't know to hook up the HD signal?

This was a WDCA issue. The game was originally supposed to be on WDCA exclusively in the DC DMA (which would have caused a MASN2 blackout), however, that was changed at the last minute. This may have caused some confusion at WDCA. The problem with not getting the game in HD on WDCA was WDCA issue, not a MASN issue.

All MASN games that WDCA picks up that are produced in HD will (should) be in HD on WDCA (subject to black outs on MASN HD). It seems the WJZ agreement is different than that of WDCA. Perhaps if the B'more folks complain enough that might change. WJZ carried the first game of the season in HD.

Hey Vidioteic,

I have a couple of questions about MASN.

What is the deal with the contrast? Many time, I can't see Guzman's face AT ALL. I tried different settings on my TV and I am sure it is not the TV. The ball-park and all the surroundings look so dark.

Also, what is the deal with the graphics? I see something that looks like a weird shaped star then the oval that has the team logo. The Nats logo is in a black oval with a little bit of some semi-red color in the center. I thought it was because of I was watching it in SD, but the HD games are no better. This is something I can live with if I have more games in HD, but it would be really nice to have better, clean, and crisp graphics.

Well, I can't answer much about production. Do you have the contrast problem at all parks or just specific ones? I've never noticed an issue, but then again I'm not a sports fan.... <GRIN> If it's just Guzman's face, it might his look; if it's the entire show it may be something bigger. I'll have to keep an eye on that <goes to check today's line up>.

As for the graphics, again, I can't speak for production. I can tell you red never renders well in the world of TV, which is probably part of the problem, and it would a greater problem in SD than in HD. You could write in about it, but I'm not sure how much response you would get.

I wish I could be more help in that realm.

As for more HD, hopefully you are enjoying the HD MASN is providing. You should send a comment stating such, and that you would watch more if more games were offered. All I can say is look at This Article (http://animatedtv.about.com/cs/familyguy/a/fgreturn.htm) about "Family Guy" and do the math. Cryptic, but the smart folks will figure out it's all about ratings.... ooops....

13.1 is showing MASN HD, but the game is definately not in HD today. Oh well, too much to ask that the O's actually be in HD I guess.

I have emailed complaints to MASN and WJZ, but I doubt they will do any good.

Is there a reason that WJZ stopped showing HD on their broadcast of the O's? The opener was in HD, but today's game with the Nats is in SD on Channel 13.1. I also noticed that Friday's broadcast on Channel 20.1 was also in SD.

I have FIOS, and do not have access to the MASN HD channel (still listed as TBD on MASN's website). I just received a letter in the mail from FIOS that they are discontinuing their analog stations in July, and offered me a free digital convereter so that the TVs that I plug directly into the cable without a box will be able to receive digital broadcasts. They informed me that I would get all the regular non subscription stations, except no guide, PPV, etc. If so, I would dump by $5/mo box for my SD televisions.

13.1 is showing MASN HD, but the game is definately not in HD today. Oh well, too much to ask that the O's actually be in HD I guess.

I have emailed complaints to MASN and WJZ, but I doubt they will do any good.

MASN HD is on MASN HD only, not WJZ (see my previous thread). FWIW, the "MASN HD" bug is displayed even on the SD. I'm told this is done to inform viewers that show is avialable in HD.

Keep writing that you want WJZ to carry it's MASN games in HD.

Hi,

I've been having a problem getting channel 5-1 this weekend and was wondering if the problem is with my antenna or their transmitter. I've had my HD antenna for a few years now and it's been rock-solid. But starting yesterday (when it was perfectly clear outside), channel 5-1 started breaking up regularly and it has continued through today.

I ran my TV's signal strength meter and channels 4-1, 7-1, and 9-1 are still great with signal strength steady at anywhere from 88% to 93%. But the meter goes all over the board on 5-1 with it dropping down below 50% and even down to 0% sometimes.

I am in Burke at the top of a big hill with a clear shot toward DC.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jay

I ran my TV's signal strength meter and channels 4-1, 7-1, and 9-1 are still great with signal strength steady at anywhere from 88% to 93%. But the meter goes all over the board on 5-1 with it dropping down below 50% and even down to 0% sometimes.
WTTG-DT Fox 5 is coming in fine here in Sterling with a stable 10 bars (full strength) on my signal meter. If the signal strength is fluctuating that much, you could be having a multi-path problem. If you can access the antenna, you might want to move the aim to the west or east a bit to see if it helps.

I haven't had any problems with fox5 here either.

I picked a Digtial Converter box from Radio Shack. I got the Digital Stream DTX9900. I give it 2 out of 5 stars. It didn't get all of the channels that my "other" box does, plus it doesn't have a EPG for all of the channels. If you press EPG, it just lists whats coming up on the ch that you are. So much for guide surfing.

WTTG-DT Fox 5 is coming in fine here in Sterling with a stable 10 bars (full strength) on my signal meter. If the signal strength is fluctuating that much, you could be having a multi-path problem. If you can access the antenna, you might want to move the aim to the west or east a bit to see if it helps.

Hmmm, would it make sense that this started happening all of a sudden this weekend after 2 years of no problems? I had the antenna professionally installed, so I'm reluctant to try and move it for fear of messing up the other channels.

Comcast SportsNet will show five Mystics games, all in July, four in HD.

Tuesday, July 8 7:00 PM Indiana Fever, HD

Friday, July 18 7:00 PM Detroit Shock, HD

Sunday, July 20 4:00 PM Seattle Storm, HD

Wednesday, July 23 11:30 AM New York Liberty

Sunday, July 27 4:00 PM Connecticut Sun, HD


http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3636741

MASN HD is on MASN HD only, not WJZ (see my previous thread). FWIW, the "MASN HD" bug is displayed even on the SD. I'm told this is done to inform viewers that show is avialable in HD.

Keep writing that you want WJZ to carry it's MASN games in HD.

Well, I only have an antenna, so the only MASN HD I get is on WJZ (and My20), which sounds like no HD. :(

Oh well, I'll keep writing each game. Not like its going to do any good, but it can't hurt.

-John

So does WBFF-DT go HD news today?

I hope so i have been waiting a while, there morning news wasnt in high-def but DCRTV reported sometime this week there newscasts would be HD so hopefully maybe tonight at 10. It should be soon though because a sinclair station in columbus ohio just went hd last week.

This morning a promo just said HD news coming soon. Doesn't sound like today.

I haven't had any problems with fox5 here either.

I picked a Digtial Converter box from Radio Shack. I got the Digital Stream DTX9900. I give it 2 out of 5 stars. It didn't get all of the channels that my "other" box does, plus it doesn't have a EPG for all of the channels. If you press EPG, it just lists whats coming up on the ch that you are. So much for guide surfing.

Have you noticed the audio problem on programs with 5.1 sound. Mine works great on eveything but these types of shows; and also Channel 9's local news. My Zenith & DS box both have this same problem.

Thanks!!

I would say this week for two three reasons

1. if you notice Fox45 hasn't been showing their news graphic during newscasts for about 5 days now,+ DCRTV said this week

2. a sinclair station in ohio just went HD

3. i have seen that HD promo way more on TV in the past week than ever before but who knows we will just have to wait and see

Old Antenna Won't Work With New Digital TV (Duh) - 5/20 - We've been telling you. That old analog TV antenna probably won't work too well with that new digital TV set. Or with that digital converter box with your old TV. Now, Tuesday's DC Post discovers the same thing: "Digital signals are more sensitive to disruption, so the sound mutes and the screen freezes, sometimes dissolving into a cascade of pixels... In the Washington area, about 56 percent of the 370,000 households watching over-the-air broadcasts may need to upgrade their antennas"....

Uhm. I have been using a "analog" antenna for the past 5 years and I've been able to easily receive every Digital TV signal in the Wash/Balt area. There maybe some new antennas which are designed specifically for "digital signals" but to claim that antennas that have been in use for years are somehow deficient is outright false.

What has your experience been?

Uhm. I have been using a "analog" antenna for the past 5 years and I've been able to easily receive every Digital TV signal in the Wash/Balt area. There maybe some new antennas which are designed specifically for "digital signals" but to claim that antennas that have been in use for years are somehow deficient is outright false.

What has your experience been?

The lady in the article does have regular Rabbit ears and I thought they were only for VHF. Am I wrong?

The lady in the article does have regular Rabbit ears and I thought they were only for VHF. Am I wrong?Yep... Not the best for UHF...

Yep... Not the best for UHF...

Also, since I think she is in a high rise apt, it is probably prone to multipath and isn't there a better antenna that can deal with Multipath than Rabbit Ears?

The lady in the article does have regular Rabbit ears and I thought they were only for VHF. Am I wrong?
The picture shows a UHF loop antenna along with the rabbit ears. The tin foil may or may not help. If she is having problems with air traffic, she needs a somewhat more directional antenna. A Silver Sensor UHF antenna with rabbit ears might do the trick such as the Terk HDTVi (the unamplified version).

On 1 set I use rabbit ears I have had for more than 15 years. Also non-amplified.

Another thing that I remember from my first days of going digital was how much better my typical UHF channels looked in digital as opposed to their Analog counterparts. WB50, UPN20, and FOX45 always looked "uhf" to me. Once I went digital they looked just like any other TV channel.

I will confess that before I put my antenna on the roof, that I did have some signal issues, and airplanes could effect the picture on one of my fringe (MPT22 in 2003) channels. But then again at the same time, the analog reception wasn't top notch either. So its not like I was from excellent analog to deficient digital with the same antenna. In fact I found that I saw better results with the digital channel when compared to the analog channels with the same antenna.

I missed the UHF loop when I first saw the picture but it's definitely there. The article has some serious flaws--for one it doesn't specifically mention that channel allocations are changing next year. The comments section is hilarious, though: lots of conspiracy theory nuts and "old analog guys." Good thing for them that channel 49 will still be analog next year.

There's a reason Kornheiser refers to the drctv guy as "The Naked Mole-rat" :-)

-mike

Uhm. I have been using a "analog" antenna for the past 5 years and I've been able to easily receive every Digital TV signal in the Wash/Balt area. There maybe some new antennas which are designed specifically for "digital signals" but to claim that antennas that have been in use for years are somehow deficient is outright false.

What has your experience been?

I'm much more curious as to what to expect with the switchover next year when some of the stations move back to their VHF frequencies. When I bought my first DTV box, I went with a UHF yagi roof antenna. It will be interesting to see if it has enough "juice" to get a decent signal on 7, 9, 11, and 13 when they move back to their VHF allocations. I find it odd that no manufacturers has created an antenna specifically for high VHF/low UHF which is what most areas of the country will be left with for television.

In addition, when the extra digital stations shut down their UHF transmitters (7, 9, 11, 13), isn't it conceivable that that will somewhat improve the UHF signals that are left. Less clutter in the air to interfere...

There's a reason Kornheiser refers to the drctv guy as "The Naked Mole-rat" :-)

dcrtv gets most of their info from the inside. That is well known by us on the inside :) However, the source sometimes works on old info or misunderstood info, or simply things change, some other obstacle becomes a show-stopper and so things get delayed. Who knows.

I find it odd that no manufacturers has created an antenna specifically for high VHF/low UHF which is what most areas of the country will be left with for television.

I don't. I live 50 or so miles from DC towers. I got a combo VHF/UHF antenna rated at 60 miles. The only station I have problems with is 50-1 right now. The big four are in the low 90s in strength. Nothing "special" about it; it looks identical to antennas in my subdivision that have been up for 10+ years. I bought it specifically BECAUSE it did VHF, and I suspected some stations would go back to their VHF channels. Plus, it pulls in FM radio well too, for the handful of times I actually listen to radio in the house.

I considered a UHF only antenna, but took my chances with this one and have been very happy.

I can think of one situation where a current setup might be OK for analog but not for digital. It popped up here a couple of weeks ago on the technical forum: somebody had an antenna wired with twin-lead, which made DTV reception problematic. Replacing with RG-6 fixed the problem.

As much as I find that article irritating (and more or less redundant) the article itself and especially the comments made me realize just how little people know about DTV (and I don't claim to know a lot myself). I wonder what'll happen when people have to rescan next year after the channels change, or reaim their antennas, etc.

But I still maintain that people who are currently having reception issues can more than likely fix them with not too much effort or money, and without unnecessary moaning articles like this.

I find it odd that no manufacturers has created an antenna specifically for high VHF/low UHF which is what most areas of the country will be left with for television.
But they have. Winegard introduced the new line of HD-769 upper VHF/UHF antennas a few months ago. The 3 shorter to medium range models have the advantage of being 36" wide for VHF 7 pickup compared to the standard 110" width to pick up VHF 2. See the HD-769 listings at http://www.winegard.com/offair/vhfuhf.htm. These are on the pricey side, but are considered to be of good quality construction.

Checking the Channel Master website, I see they have also introduced a odd looking upper short-medium range upper VHF/UHF yagi antenna with a upper VHF reflector element, the CM 2016. See http://www.channelmasterintl.com/2016.html. In our region, all the major stations will be on upper VHF and UHF. But across the US, there will be 40 full power stations on low VHF (2 to 6) so there will be people elsewhere who need antennas for low VHF.

One comment on the Washington Post article. While it does an ok job bringing up digital vs analog coverage, side mounted antennas for digital broadcast (WNVC-DT 56 has this issue), and that most stations are currently digitally broadcasting - which has often been ignored in articles on the digital transition, nowhere does it mention that the stations are digitally broadcasting on other channels, ie UHF. I don't expect a mass media article to get down into the deep technical details, but I think they should at least discuss that WRC-DT 4 is broadcasting on UHF 48 for example. And that WJLA-DT and WUSA-DT are currently on UHF, but will transition to upper VHF 7 & 9 next February. The key is that the VHF stations are currently on UHF, so people installing the digital converters need to pay attention to the aim of the UHF part of their antenna if their antenna has separate VHF & UHF parts (such as the tabletop antenna shown in the article). In some cases, they made need to manually tune to UHF 48 or 36 to tweak the aim of the antenna. The concept of digital simulcasting is not that hard to explain.

But they have. Winegard introduced the new line of HD-769 upper VHF/UHF antennas a few months ago. The 3 shorter to medium range models have the advantage of being 36" wide for VHF 7 pickup compared to the standard 110" width to pick up VHF 2. See the HD-769 listings at http://www.winegard.com/offair/vhfuhf.htm. These are on the pricey side, but are considered to be of good quality construction.

Checking the Channel Master website, I see they have also introduced a odd looking upper short-medium range upper VHF/UHF yagi antenna with a upper VHF reflector element, the CM 2016. See http://www.channelmasterintl.com/2016.html. In our region, all the major stations will be on upper VHF and UHF. But across the US, there will be 40 full power stations on low VHF (2 to 6) so there will be people elsewhere who need antennas for low VHF.

Thanks for the update. I hadn't noticed this. I wonder why the Winegard is optimized for 7 thru 69. I thought that the TV band was only going up to 52.

did anyone else hear wmal during the price is right this morning?

did anyone else hear wmal during the price is right this morning?

WMAL generated the monthly EAS test this morning which we carried at 11:30. Was that it?

yeah but it wasnt the cool guy saying "this is a test of the bla bla bla..." it was a commecial for pope john paul high school and actual air time on wmal... it was some ricky talking about gas prices.

who knew a-hole was a no-no here?

Thanks for the update. I hadn't noticed this. I wonder why the Winegard is optimized for 7 thru 69. I thought that the TV band was only going up to 52.
The US TV broadcast band after next February will be limited to VHF 2 to 13, UHF 14 to 51 (skipping UHF 37 which is reserved for radio astronomy). UHF 52 to 69 are the channels being reallocated. (That is why WMAR-DT 2 in Baltimore has to vacate UHF 52 and will take over WJZ-DT 13's UHF 38 transmitter and antenna). I would guess that the reason that the Winegard series is still designed for up through UHF 69 is that it has to cover those channels through next year and there is not that much of a performance advantage by optimizing the UHF antenna to cover only up to UHF 51. They probably left the UHF yagi design alone and just redesigned the VHF part to optimize it for upper VHF 7 to 13 which makes the antenna much more compact.

Hi:
I'm in Silver Spring & have a Channel Master 4221 in my attic crawlspace. It's connected to coax (probably 70 feet or so) which ends up at a 2 way splitter in the basement. With just this setup, I get between 70-80% signal strength on most of the HD channels in the area, but they will drop out regularly. I bought the Channel Master 7777 preamp setup to try to boost the signal a bit, and I'm having some issues.
If I hook the power to the end of the coax in the basement, I get 0% signal on all the channels. When I move it up to the attic, connected to the preamp with just a short coax, I get about the same signal as without it. Can anyone explain why it wouldn't work at all down at the end of the coax, which is where it would ordinarily be, and why it wouldn't amplify the signal noticeably when run right next to the amp? Is the coax too long to supply the power? Is there a way to test that the power supply is working correctly? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bobby

I have the pre-amp attached to a CM 3018 with a run of 100' of coax between the pre-amp start connection at the antenna and the powered module in my basement. I about 60 miles from the towers, and get high 80s to mid 90s for the big 4. Have you tried it without the splitter? I bought a powered 4 way splitter to send the signal out in my house.

I bought the Channel Master 7777 preamp setup to try to boost the signal a bit, and I'm having some issues.
If I hook the power to the end of the coax in the basement, I get 0% signal on all the channels. When I move it up to the attic, connected to the preamp with just a short coax, I get about the same signal as without it. Can anyone explain why it wouldn't work at all down at the end of the coax, which is where it would ordinarily be, and why it wouldn't amplify the signal noticeably when run right next to the amp? Is the coax too long to supply the power?
The power supply provides a low DC voltage. That should work through a fairly long cable run. Do you have any splitters between the end of the coaxial run where you hooked the power supply and the CM7777 at the antenna? I have a CM 7777 powered through a ~ 60' cable run without a problem. I would start by double checking the setup and making sure you have everything connected to the correct ports in the right order. I developed a loose connection on the first power supply I had and eventually ended up replacing it. If you have a voltage meter, you should check the output of the power supply using the end of a coaxial cable.

Again last night "Raymond" was not in HD on My 20. What is going on over at the WDCA control room lately?

Raymond ran for a long time, I wonder if the first several seasons where in HD?

Raymond ran for a long time, I wonder if the first several seasons where in HD?
The first 3 seasons of Raymond originally aired in 4:3 SD, but were apparently originally shot in 16:9 and have been redone in HD. So all umpteen seasons of Raymond are available in HD for syndication. See the Raymond discussions later in this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=885088. Can't say what is going on with WDCA-DT 20, but I noticed they did air the My Network Thursday night movie at 8 PM in HD. Last Friday night, they aired the MASN-HD Nats game in SD, but on Saturday night, the Nats game was in HD. Equipment problems? Someone forget to set it up for HD? I emailed the station about the Friday night game being in SD, but have not received any reply.

if i worked at my20 i would probably nap on the job too...

Look more carefully at the picture... she also has a UHF loop antenna, but this is also covered with aluminum foil... I'm not sure if that helps or not ;-) But clearly, apparment managers should be forced to install suitable master antenna systems... instead of just giving sweetheart deals to the cable company.

Hi:
I'm in Silver Spring & have a Channel Master 4221 in my attic crawlspace. It's connected to coax (probably 70 feet or so) which ends up at a 2 way splitter in the basement. With just this setup, I get between 70-80% signal strength on most of the HD channels in the area, but they will drop out regularly. I bought the Channel Master 7777 preamp setup to try to boost the signal a bit, and I'm having some issues.
If I hook the power to the end of the coax in the basement, I get 0% signal on all the channels. When I move it up to the attic, connected to the preamp with just a short coax, I get about the same signal as without it. Can anyone explain why it wouldn't work at all down at the end of the coax, which is where it would ordinarily be, and why it wouldn't amplify the signal noticeably when run right next to the amp? Is the coax too long to supply the power? Is there a way to test that the power supply is working correctly? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bobby

I also have a CM7777 and it should be as close to the antenna as possible. I'm about 70 miles west of DC and would not get many channels with amplification. It may be in your case that the signal strength is high enough without amplication to receive the channels you want. Do you get any additional channels with the 7777 that you do not without it?

My brother who is an EE explained the reason why the amp needs to be close to the antenna and in general you want to amplify the best signal possible. The farther you move from the source, the lower the signal.

Anybody else getting WUTB channel 24? I'm getting a fair signal here in Arlington. First time it has ever come in here.

Hi:
I'm in Silver Spring & have a Channel Master 4221 in my attic crawlspace. It's connected to coax (probably 70 feet or so) which ends up at a 2 way splitter in the basement. With just this setup, I get between 70-80% signal strength on most of the HD channels in the area, but they will drop out regularly. I bought the Channel Master 7777 preamp setup to try to boost the signal a bit, and I'm having some issues.
If I hook the power to the end of the coax in the basement, I get 0% signal on all the channels. When I move it up to the attic, connected to the preamp with just a short coax, I get about the same signal as without it. Can anyone explain why it wouldn't work at all down at the end of the coax, which is where it would ordinarily be, and why it wouldn't amplify the signal noticeably when run right next to the amp? Is the coax too long to supply the power? Is there a way to test that the power supply is working correctly? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bobby
The 7777 preamp has way too much gain for your area. Some of the analog UHF stations in Bethesda are pumping out around 4 million watts.(That preamp is designed for people that live "at least" 30 miles from the nearest full powered station.) You will make your weaker channels worse because the stronger stations are overwhelming your tuner. The only preamp that will might work is the Winegard 269. It is much more forgiving with strong input levels. I get a bit of overload here in Arlington with no amp at all. I can only imagine how much overload you are getting in Silver Spring

Anybody else getting WUTB channel 24? I'm getting a fair signal here in Arlington. First time it has ever come in here.

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u The signal is marginal here in Arlington. (Occasional breakups). All the other Baltimore stations are full strength except WJZ 13. I get a much better signal from PBS in Hagerstown.

13.1 is showing MASN HD, but the game is definately not in HD today. Oh well, too much to ask that the O's actually be in HD I guess.

I have emailed complaints to MASN and WJZ, but I doubt they will do any good.
More emails sent today. I never get any responces. I think they must all just get forwarded to /dev/null or something.

Has anyone ever got any response back from WJZ or MASN about their lack of HD. So far only the opener has been in HD this year. Pretty sad if you ask me.

-John

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.
To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.
I am getting a stable picture for WUTB-DT My 24 here in the north end of Sterling, VA. Entered channel 41 into the Samsung SIR-T451 tuner and it locked on, switched to displaying 24 with 6 out of 10 bars on the signal strength meter. The Sony HDD250 HD-DVR locked on to 41.1, but I'll have to do a rescan later with it to properly enter the station. WUTB-DT is 480i SD however.

Is this full power a permanent change for WUTB-DT? Checking the FCC application database, looks like they finally granted the CP on May 19 if I read it correctly. Will WUTB-DT upgrade to a 720p HD signal any time soon and provide the HD MyNetwork programming in HD for those who don't get WDCA-DT?

As for WJZ-DT 13, yep, they are showing the MASN-HD game in SD - again. Frustrating because Verizon Fios has not added MASN-HD and there is no word on if Verizon will do before this season is over. The few broadcast MASN-HD games on WDCA-DT 20 and WJZ-DT 13 are it. Oh well.

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u

I am getting a good signal from Reston, VA. Maps to 24.1 on my DirecTV receiver, but maps to 41.1 on my Sony TV.

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u

As of 10:12 PM, I see zero signal on channel 41. Did I miss my window of opportunity to check out WUTB-DT?

For the first time in awhile, I am able to receive 43/66.1-4 ION out of NOVA without dropouts/macroblocking. I see that I can no longer receive the MHz DT channels on channel 30 out of Goldvein.

Currently, I am watching WBOC-DT Fox 21 News from Salisbury/Dover. On another note, I'm looking forward to ABC 47 going to full power. Until that happens, I can't pick up their digital signal unless it's really foggy.

This is the first time that I've flipped the A/B switch to the antenna in awhile. I usually have my tuner set to QAM mode. I'm still not happy that Comcast removed the DC locals. I've been hoping that Fox 45 News goes HD soon. I used to watch WUSA-DT 9 News in HD, but most of the time it's too much trouble to flip the A/B switch.

As of 10:12 PM, I see zero signal on channel 41. Did I miss my window of opportunity to check out WUTB-DT?

For the first time in awhile, I am able to receive 43/66.1-4 ION out of NOVA without dropouts/macroblocking. I can no longer receive the MHz DT channels on channel 30 out of Goldvein.

Currently, I am watching WBOC-DT Fox 21 News from the DELMARVA peninsula right now. I'm looking forward to ABC 47 going to full power. Then I'll have access to 3 ABC affiliates over-the-air (not that ABC has much on to watch).WUTB must be sending out a directional digital signal. WUTB 24 analog is crystal clear here, but digital is about 50%. (WBOC is also recievable here tonight).

WUTB must be sending out a directional digital signal. WUTB 24 analog is crystal clear here, but digital is about 50%. (WBOC is also recievable here tonight).

I fine-tuned the position of my antenna and I am able to receive WUTB-DT. It only has 1 bar on my Samsung DTB-H260F tuner and it only comes in within a 2 degree swath! I'm experiencing lots of macroblocking and dropouts. This is the first time that any of my tuners have decoded the WUTB-DT signal (I have been trying for years!) Analog 24 has always been very strong & clear here.

What direction is the WUTB-DT transmitting antenna facing? Obviously the signal is making it to Arlington better than it's making it to Southern AA County. Usually, I can receive all of the DC and Baltimore channels at 80% signal strength or better. I'm seeing Seinfeld in SD. I think I'll go back to Fox 21. There is a really good episode of Two and a Half Men on right now!

I fine-tuned the position of my antenna and I am able to receive WUTB-DT. It only has 1 bar on my Samsung DTB-H260F tuner and it only comes in within a 2 degree swath! I'm experiencing lots of macroblocking and dropouts. This is the first time that any of my tuners have decoded the WUTB-DT signal (I have been trying for years!) Analog 24 has always been very strong & clear here.

What direction is the WUTB-DT transmitting antenna facing? Obviously the signal is making it to Arlington better than it's making it to Southern AA County. Usually, I can receive all of the DC and Baltimore channels at 80% signal strength or better. I'm seeing Seinfeld in SD. I think I'll go back to Fox 21. There is a really good episode of Two and a Half Men on right now! The FCC website shows the digital signal steered away from the south, while the analog signal looks omnidirectional.

I'm getting WUTB-DT in just fine here in Germantown. Still SD though.

I know that WUTB is run out of Syracuse NY, so I'm guessing that you are an engineer for the station.

Any1 having scrolling white transparent bars on their analog channels on Cox Cable in western Fairfax County?

It's on most about 50% of the non- HD stations.
Oddly issue not on the TNT Lakers game currently or Comcast Sports or MASN1 or ESPN or CNBC or CNN to name a few but yet MASN2 (Orioles game vs/ Yanks) has the scrolling transparent bars, MTV.

It only started over the last week. Just wondering if I should call Cox or is this a weather issue or what?

The FCC website shows the digital signal steered away from the south, while the analog signal looks omnidirectional.
Yes, WUTB-DT 24's 200 kW full power signal is directional with full power to the north and reduced power to the south. This is their post-transition assignment, so there may a post-trans DT station on UHF 41 (or 40 or WMPT-DT on 42) to the south that forces them to run at reduced power in that direction. However, much of Northern VA is inside the nominal coverage B area. See http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1233410.html.

WUTB-DT may be in the process of fine-tuning their antenna pattern, so that is why what I guess was a station engineer asking here for feedback on who is getting the station. There were also thunderstorms rolling through Baltimore later this evening which may have affected reception.

If WUTB-DT 24 (41) remains at full power, this will leave 2 full power stations in the Washington & Baltimore DMAs which will be at reduced coverage until next February 18: WHAG-DT NBC 25 in Hagerstown will stay at 900 Watts on UHF 55 until then and WNVC-DT MHz 56 in Fairfax which will have to go dark in September to put up a new digital antenna for broadcasting on UHF 24 (Yep, WUTB's analog channel).

Yes, WUTB-DT 24's 200 kW full power signal is directional with full power to the north and reduced power to the south. This is their post-transition assignment, so there may a post-trans DT station on UHF 41 (or 40 or WMPT-DT on 42) to the south that forces them to run at reduced power in that direction. However, much of Northern VA is inside the nominal coverage B area. See http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1233410.html.)

It's funny to me that I'm "supposed" to be in the Baltimore DMA, but I get the DC channels over-the-air so much better and easier than the Baltimore channels. If WUTB-DT keeps it's antenna orientation the same, there will be one Baltimore channel that is right at the digital cliff. One of my tuners can't decode the signal at all.

It's funny to me that I'm "supposed" to be in the Baltimore DMA, but I get the DC channels over-the-air so much better and easier than the Baltimore channels. If WUTB-DT keeps it's antenna orientation the same, there will be one Baltimore channel that is right at the digital cliff. One of my tuners can't decode the signal at all.This link shows you that are in a definte null area for the WUTB 24 digital signal.(Hope this works)http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/polarplot?temp=84647&rotate=0.00&p0=0.899&p10=0.900&p20=0.905&p30=0.917&p40=0.936&p50=0.963&p60=0.988&p70=1.000&p80=0.987&p90=0.940&p100=0.854&p110=0.733&p120=0.588&p130=0.437&p140=0.302&p150=0.218&p160=0.207&p170=0.232&p180=0.245&p190=0.232&p200=0.207&p210=0.218&p220=0.302&p230=0.437&p240=0.588&p250=0.733&p260=0.854&p270=0.940&p280=0.987&p290=1.000&p300=0.988&p310=0.963&p320=0.936&p330=0.917&p340=0.905&p350=0.900&p360=0.899&

I'm getting a steady 96-97/100 signal for WUTB-DT here in Olney, which is in central Montgomery Co. I'm using an rotorized outdoor antenna aimed at Baltimore. WNUV comes in at 100/100. WBFF also comes in at 100/100.

Still no WUTB-DT here. It's the only Baltimore station I don't get. Very disappointing, especially since 24 analog is one of my strongest stations.

Still no WUTB-DT here. It's the only Baltimore station I don't get. Very disappointing, especially since 24 analog is one of my strongest stations.

Have you tried rescanning or a limited rescan which should allow you to add a single digital channel without rewriting/rescanning everything else that presently exists?

Another tidbit from www.dcrtv.com

11 To Launch HD News - 5/28 - DCRTV hears that Channel 11/WBAL news anchor Donna Hamilton will be doing a story on tonight's 5 PMer about the Baltimore NBC affiliate's new news set and studio currently under construction. Word is that the Hearst station will soon launch high-def local newscasts....

Of course dctrv also had a source that told them that Fox45 was going to launch their HD news about three weeks ago, but all that happened was a change to a new splicer that gave us a 16:9 news ticker. :D

Still, doesn't WBAL-DT still not have DD5.1 audio yet? Suprised to hear them going HD for news. Heck, even their EPG info on my digital converted boxes just says "dtv program".

Any1 having scrolling white transparent bars on their analog channels on Cox Cable in western Fairfax County?

It's on most about 50% of the non- HD stations.
Oddly issue not on the TNT Lakers game currently or Comcast Sports or MASN1 or ESPN or CNBC or CNN to name a few but yet MASN2 (Orioles game vs/ Yanks) has the scrolling transparent bars, MTV.

It only started over the last week. Just wondering if I should call Cox or is this a weather issue or what?

im in fairfax city and have not noticed them... do you have a stb or card or basic?

Another tidbit from www.dcrtv.com



Of course dctrv also had a source that told them that Fox45 was going to launch their HD news about three weeks ago, but all that happened was a change to a new splicer that gave us a 16:9 news ticker. :D

Still, doesn't WBAL-DT still not have DD5.1 audio yet? Suprised to hear them going HD for news. Heck, even their EPG info on my digital converted boxes just says "dtv program".

At this rate WBFF may not be first as they claim. Still no 5.1 on WBAL.

Still no WUTB-DT here. It's the only Baltimore station I don't get. Very disappointing, especially since 24 analog is one of my strongest stations.
You should be able to get WUTB-DT 24 in Laurel. The digital broadcast uses a directional antenna, but the polar chart that Digital Rules linked to is a linear power level. Even at the 0.207 lowest point, WUTB-DT is still putting out ~ 41.4 kW along that direction. Check to see if you can get anything on UHF 41 or 41.1 with the ATSC tuner if a rescan does not pick it up.

WUTB-DT's digital signal to the north at 200 kW & 308 meters HAAT is stronger than the analog signal at 1170 kW & 313 meters HAAT. 200 kW digital >> 1170 kW analog. Those who live east of Hagerstown or across the PA border may find that they can get WUTB-DT where they could not get a good signal for analog WUTB 24.

I am getting a stable picture for WUTB-DT My 24 here in the north end of Sterling, VA. Entered channel 41 into the Samsung SIR-T451 tuner and it locked on, switched to displaying 24 with 6 out of 10 bars on the signal strength meter. The Sony HDD250 HD-DVR locked on to 41.1, but I'll have to do a rescan later with it to properly enter the station. WUTB-DT is 480i SD however.

Is this full power a permanent change for WUTB-DT? Checking the FCC application database, looks like they finally granted the CP on May 19 if I read it correctly. Will WUTB-DT upgrade to a 720p HD signal any time soon and provide the HD MyNetwork programming in HD for those who don't get WDCA-DT?

As for WJZ-DT 13, yep, they are showing the MASN-HD game in SD - again. Frustrating because Verizon Fios has not added MASN-HD and there is no word on if Verizon will do before this season is over. The few broadcast MASN-HD games on WDCA-DT 20 and WJZ-DT 13 are it. Oh well.


RE: WUTB-DT, yes and yes!

dtv4u

im in fairfax city and have not noticed them... do you have a stb or card or basic?

Basic straight out of the wall.

I'm getting WUTB-DT in just fine here in Germantown. Still SD though.

I know that WUTB is run out of Syracuse NY, so I'm guessing that you are an engineer for the station.


Thanks for the report, CycloneGT.

WUTB's master control is in Secaucus, NJ. I'm affiliated with the station's owner.

dtv4u

Basic straight out of the wall.

assuming i wake up before 12 (summer break in college is better than summer break in high school), i will unplug my stb and try doing a scan

WBAL showed the studio under construction. They didn't mention HD but said the studio would be ready "in a few months".

Best attic antenna(s) for Columbia house?

I have a 2 story house in Columbia. Antennaweb.org says I'm 12 miles and 62 degrees from Balt. stations, and 23 miles and 227 degrees from Wash. Right now, I use a Silver Surfer, inside my 2nd story bedroom, aimed in the general direction of Washington, and get good reception on both Baltimore and Washington stations (unless I'm standing in front of the antenna.)

I'm looking to install an attic antenna, or antennas, to provide distribution to the whole house. I had thought about a 4221, but now see that there is a new smaller 4220, as well as a 2016 which is also optimized for upper VHF.
What is the consensus for the best antenna to install given my location? And should I install one antenna to get both cities, or would these be too directional and require separate antennas for Balt. and Wash?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

No luck with WUTB-DT in Columbia. Used to be able to get it, now there's no trace of a signal after trying multiple tuners and multiple antennas.

Cannot receive WUTB digital signal in Bowie, MD. My antenna is aimed toward Washington.

Getting WUTB-DT at 73% in Laurel, MD on my DirecTV HR20 with the outdoor antenna. No sign of it on my Samsung with the indoor antenna. I guess this is an improvement since I wasn't getting it at all before. But, it is still the weakest of the Baltimore stations.

I'm getting WUTB-DT at 50% signal strength in Hanover , Pennsylvania.
The other Baltimore stations come in at 85%.

Best attic antenna(s) for Columbia house?

I have a 2 story house in Columbia. Antennaweb.org says I'm 12 miles and 62 degrees from Balt. stations, and 23 miles and 227 degrees from Wash. Right now, I use a Silver Surfer, inside my 2nd story bedroom, aimed in the general direction of Washington, and get good reception on both Baltimore and Washington stations (unless I'm standing in front of the antenna.)

I'm looking to install an attic antenna, or antennas, to provide distribution to the whole house. I had thought about a 4221, but now see that there is a new smaller 4220, as well as a 2016 which is also optimized for upper VHF...
Silver Surfer? Did you mean the Silver Sensor? :p Anyway, you have a 165 degree difference between the 2 cities. The CM 2016 has a directional UHF yagi antenna which is not going to have much gain for picking up UHF stations in the opposite direction.

In your situation, I would recommend you look at the CM flat bowties. If you are going to mount the antenna in the attic and have the room, you should go with the CM 4221 4 Bay or the CM 4228 8 Bay rather than the CM 4220. The problem is that the CM 4221 won't have much gain for the lower upper VHF channels and may not get WJLA-DT 7 and WUSA-DT 9 at 23 miles when they switch to VHF 7 & 9 next February. Hard to say. You could add a upper VHF antenna to the CM 4221 next February if it proves necessary.

You could get the CM 4228, but that is more directional to the front. Winegard has recently introduced the HD-1080 which combines a 2 bay bowtie and longer dipoles for VHF (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=HD-1080). But it is new and I don't see specs for it.

I am getting a stable picture for WUTB-DT My 24 here in the north end of Sterling, VA. Entered channel 41 into the Samsung SIR-T451 tuner and it locked on, switched to displaying 24 with 6 out of 10 bars on the signal strength meter. The Sony HDD250 HD-DVR locked on to 41.1, but I'll have to do a rescan later with it to properly enter the station. WUTB-DT is 480i SD however.

Is this full power a permanent change for WUTB-DT? Checking the FCC application database, looks like they finally granted the CP on May 19 if I read it correctly. Will WUTB-DT upgrade to a 720p HD signal any time soon and provide the HD MyNetwork programming in HD for those who don't get WDCA-DT?

As for WJZ-DT 13, yep, they are showing the MASN-HD game in SD - again. Frustrating because Verizon Fios has not added MASN-HD and there is no word on if Verizon will do before this season is over. The few broadcast MASN-HD games on WDCA-DT 20 and WJZ-DT 13 are it. Oh well.

I'm getting it in Loganville, PA, about 10 miles north of the MD line. Its at almost full strength.

I tried to get WUTB-DT last night here in Washington and had zero signal on DT-41. Channel 24 analog is the strongest B-more station here so I'm guessing it's the directional pattern on the transmitting antenna plus my less-than-ideal indoor antenna.

24 was pounding in for me (high 80s on indoor loop) in Ellicott City.

One thing I noticed was that it was no longer stretched. Hope that bodes well for their new setup.

PQ was very clean on Seinfeld.

no luck here in forestville with WUTB either on the third floor of a townhouse. I tried moving the antenna (terk hdtva) in every direction I could think of, even tilting it up. I did manage to get WBOC 16 at 70% this morning, will probably go out by noon.

assuming i wake up before 12 (summer break in college is better than summer break in high school), i will unplug my stb and try doing a scan

well the scrolling transparent bars are gone.
They must've have cleared it up on the Cox source side.

Is anyone else with Comcast of DC experiencing problems with the three newest HD channels (217 SCIHD, 244 DISNHD, and 245 FAMHD)? Since I use CableCARDs instead of cable boxes, I always wonder if it's just me or system-wide.

Drew

no luck here in forestville with WUTB either on the third floor of a townhouse. I tried moving the antenna (terk hdtva) in every direction I could think of, even tilting it up. I did manage to get WBOC 16 at 70% this morning, will probably go out by noon.

WBOC still in at between 70 and 80%

"45 To Debut HD News & New Set Monday - 5/29 -

DCRTV told you it would happen this spring. And now we get confirmation that Sinclair's Channel 45/WBFF will be the first station in Baltimore to air local news in high-definition. Come Monday, 6/2, Fox45 will debut HD via its 5:30 PM newcast, with the 10 PM and 11 PM newscasts that day to follow. And on Tuesday, 6/3, WBFF will premiere its HD morning newscast. Also, the station's unveiling a new news set (right) that will "showcase the crisp and clean imagery inherent in high-definition television." It'll feature a rotating desk with two different back drops, 35 HD televisions, new HD studio cameras, HD graphics, a traffic monitoring system, and the "highly-advanced" HD "SkyWatch" Weather Center. That's in addition to a new remote satellite and microwave truck and a new HD master control. Soon, Fox45 news photographers will transition to the new 16:9 HD video format. Regionally, only DC's Channel 9/WUSA currently airs local news in high-def....."

Still waiting to hear from Mark on this.

"DCRTV told you it would happen this spring."

They also told us it would happen a few weeks ago.

Still waiting to hear from Mark on this.

DCRTV has the official scoop today.

Cheers

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u
Checked last night and this morning. WUTB-DT registers 25-30% on both Insignia and Zenith boxes here in northwest Washington Tenleytown area. Signal is not strong enough to lock. All other Baltimore stations register at least 60% and lock easily. I'm using an antennas direct db2 as an indoor antenna on the second floor looking out a window.

Cox in Fairfax now has five more HD stations:

737 - USA
738 - Bravo
739 - Sci Fi
740 - CNBC
741 - Lifetime

Is that Lifetime or LifeTime Movies on COX in Va?

The 7777 preamp has way too much gain for your area. Some of the analog UHF stations in Bethesda are pumping out around 4 million watts.(That preamp is designed for people that live "at least" 30 miles from the nearest full powered station.) You will make your weaker channels worse because the stronger stations are overwhelming your tuner. The only preamp that will might work is the Winegard 269. It is much more forgiving with strong input levels. I get a bit of overload here in Arlington with no amp at all. I can only imagine how much overload you are getting in Silver Spring

Well, that's partly my concern - I'm either seeing no improvement (when the power supply is right next to the amp in the attic) or I'm getting no signal at all (when the power supply is at the end of the cable run down from the attic). I know I'm close to the towers, but the placement of my antenna is less than ideal, so I'd think I'd get at least a little boost on some of the weaker ones. Do you think that when I get no signals at all it's due to overload? I'm not sure what the receiver would indicate in that situation.

Thanks for the input!

Bobby

Is that Lifetime or LifeTime Movies on COX in Va?

Looks like plain ol' Lifetime.

WUTB24DT coming in loud and clear in Boyds, MD with an attic antenna.

WUTB24DT coming in loud and clear in Boyds, MD with an attic antenna.

still 0% here in Forestville

Looks like Saturday night will be fun for DX:

Maybe those who live south of the WUTB-DT 24 tower in Catonsville can get WUTB-DT Saturday night with a bounced tropo signal (joke). Seriously though, from the reports here, people who are south of the WUTB-DT antenna in Laurel, Columbia, Forestville MD, and DC are having problems getting it OTA. WUTB-DT does have a directional antenna pattern which is weaker to the south, but Laurel, Columbia, and DC are within the 48 dBu city grade coverage area (see http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=615708). The antenna and transmitters may need some adjustments to put out the proper signal levels to the south. Hopefully dtv4u can tell us if that is in the works.

WUTB-DT was coming in fine last night here in Sterling, VA. Played with the CM 4221 antenna aim and location a bit and got 8 out of 10 bars on the Samsung T451 tuner for WUTB-DT. But I am around the azimuth of 240 degrees from WUTB-DT's antenna which puts me around the 0.588 signal level on the directional antenna pattern.

Well, that's partly my concern - I'm either seeing no improvement (when the power supply is right next to the amp in the attic) or I'm getting no signal at all (when the power supply is at the end of the cable run down from the attic). I know I'm close to the towers, but the placement of my antenna is less than ideal, so I'd think I'd get at least a little boost on some of the weaker ones. Do you think that when I get no signals at all it's due to overload? I'm not sure what the receiver would indicate in that situation.

Thanks for the input!

BobbyYes, this does sound like an overload situation.(I'm assuming you have checked all of your connections) Out of curiosity, I tried a pre-amp at my house that I had bought to install at a friends house in the boonies.(CM7777) It completely wiped out all the Baltimore stations that I normally got at 90-95%. The same amp produced excellent results in the boonies; in combination with a CM4228 antenna. You may want to try a UVSJ Spitter/Combiner from Solid Signal(Around $5.00). It is a very inexpensive way to filter out all the strong unnecessary signals from your system. You only need UHF till Feb 09. Once the transition occurs in 09, you can replace it with an FM trap since all the powerful VHF stations will be gone. This will allow you to receive the new digital signals from 7, 9, 11, & 13. If this doesn't work; I would try the Winegard HDP 269 Pre-amp; but it will set you back $60-$70.

WUTB 24 DT is coming in at 75% strength after dark, 70% during daylight, in the Elkton area. This with a CM4228 antenna, CM7777 pre-amp to a Vip622. It also comes in near full strength with the OTA input on my Sony SXRD.:D

I'm getting zero reception of WUTB here in Northwest D.C., but I'm on a lower floor of a tall building in the middle of a bunch of taller buildings, using $10 Radio Shack rabbit ears.

Odd coincidence in Western Fx/Loudoun Cty: the local HD channels on my parent's Comcast system are not coming through. Everything else is coming through loud & clear but not 4.1,5.1,7.1, & 9.1.

I get home & my Cox system's locals are acting up. 9.1 is gone & 5.1 is sometimes caught & other times not.
20.1 HD is not showing HD only SD.

Anything going on with the locals?

Why can't comcast figure out how to keep other channels on the air when they have an overrun on MASN-HD? GAH! I am missing SCIFI-HD and USA-HD starting at 10. This is really irking me since BSG got cut off and I want to record it again, and now I can't!!! Well, I can in SD, but ewwww...

Why can't comcast figure out how to keep other channels on the air when they have an overrun on MASN-HD? GAH! I am missing SCIFI-HD and USA-HD starting at 10. This is really irking me since BSG got cut off and I want to record it again, and now I can't!!! Well, I can in SD, but ewwww...

The HD feed is basically SD but in 16x9 so its really a wash ;)

Odd coincidence in Western Fx/Loudoun Cty: the local HD channels on my parent's Comcast system are not coming through. Everything else is coming through loud & clear but not 4.1,5.1,7.1, & 9.1.

I get home & my Cox system's locals are acting up. 9.1 is gone & 5.1 is sometimes caught & other times not.
20.1 HD is not showing HD only SD.

Anything going on with the locals?
I noticed that 7-5 was not working when I wanted to watch the LOST season finale. Since then, I've lost 4-1,5-2 and 9-1. The ONLY reason I'm still with Comcast is because of the $33 a month for basic digital & these channels in HD. IF they don't come back soon, I'm going to go FIOS and never look back.

I hope you're read Comcast, get these back QUICK!! Or you've lost yet another customer.

The HD feed is basically SD but in 16x9 so its really a wash ;)

Of what, BSG? That is HD. You are confusing artistically designed grain for SD, maybe?

I noticed that 7-5 was not working when I wanted to watch the LOST season finale. Since then, I've lost 4-1,5-2 and 9-1. The ONLY reason I'm still with Comcast is because of the $33 a month for basic digital & these channels in HD. IF they don't come back soon, I'm going to go FIOS and never look back.

I hope you're read Comcast, get these back QUICK!! Or you've lost yet another customer.

I rather pay more & get good service than this crap from Comcast & Cox.
It's like they are effin with us basic cable ppl who can get the local HD for free so that we HAVE to upgrade to digital.

If I pay more I'd rather get more.

I had the green macroblocking problem during Thursdays Lost broadcast and so did several posters on dbsTalk. Why can't WJLA get this working. They are the only area station having this issue.

:mad:

Why can't comcast figure out how to keep other channels on the air when they have an overrun on MASN-HD? GAH! I am missing SCIFI-HD and USA-HD starting at 10. This is really irking me since BSG got cut off and I want to record it again, and now I can't!!! Well, I can in SD, but ewwww...

Joe,

Could you please provide some more details about this problem? I was able to watch BSG at 10 PM on 236, but at start of the trailer for next week I lost the signal ("Channel not available" message on my TV), so I switched to 51 for that. I never bothered to check 236 after that to see if the signal had returned. I don't know if I lost any other HD channels above 215 during that time. How do you figure the culprit is overruns on MASN-HD (I didn't even know we get MASN-HD)?

I'm asking because on occasion I lose a slew of digital channels or get severe video and audio breakup, but I've been assuming that's due to occasional low signal strength.

BTW, I use a cable card, not an STB.

Thanks.

Could you please provide some more details about this problem? I was able to watch BSG at 10 PM on 236, but at start of the trailer for next week I lost the signal ("Channel not available" message on my TV), so I switched to 51 for that. I never bothered to check 236 after that to see if the signal had returned. I don't know if I lost any other HD channels above 215 during that time. How do you figure the culprit is overruns on MASN-HD (I didn't even know we get MASN-HD)?
Yes, the post blaming the Os game running long on MASN-HD for losing Sci-Fi HD and USA HD doesn't make sense. MASN-HD is a part-time HD feed which is only provided for the HD Os and Nats games. Comcast puts the MASN-HD games on Mojo, bumping the Mojo programming. Since Comcast is part-owner of Mojo, they can use Mojo for this. Sounds like Comcast in one franchise area had technical problems with Sci-Fi and USA HD last night; no reason for that to be related to the MASN-HD game.

I caught part of the end of the Os game on WJZ-DT 13 last night and noticed that WJZ-DT again did not have the game in HD. Has anyone gotten a reply from WJZ as to why they had the opening day game in HD, but none of the MASN-HD games that matched up to the WJZ schedule have been in HD since then? The bottom line is that the Os and the Nats are still bringing up the rear of all the MLB teams in the number and availability of games in HD.

Why can't WJLA get this working.
Because they are WJLA, an Allbritton station. Same thing was happening earlier that evening during Jeopardy! and Wheel. Today, they are showing the WNBA game with the Mystics in SD (because of the weather inserts, perhaps) despite the D* guide saying otherwise.

Because they are WJLA, an Allbritton station. Same thing was happening earlier that evening during Jeopardy! and Wheel. Today, they are showing the WNBA game with the Mystics in SD (because of the weather inserts, perhaps) despite the D* guide saying otherwise.

It's in SD on WMAR too. Last weeks WNBA game was in SD. IMO all sports should be HD.

Why can't comcast figure out how to keep other channels on the air when they have an overrun on MASN-HD? GAH! I am missing SCIFI-HD and USA-HD starting at 10. This is really irking me since BSG got cut off and I want to record it again, and now I can't!!! Well, I can in SD, but ewwww...

There was no problem here in Woodbridge. BSG was one of the reasons I got Comcast re-connected to one of my TiVoHD boxes since FIOS doesn't offer SciFiHD. So for $30 a month I can supplement my FIOS with several HD channels from Comcast and hoepfully by the time my 6 months is up FIOS will have those HD channels too. Since there is no way I would pay $85 for Comast and FIOS. but for $30 month it's not too bad. Both combined is still less than I used to pay DirecTV every month.

is anyone else having problems with masn-hd audio? the audio comes way before the video, usually with my setup its the other way around with my system..

Is anyone else having a problem with comcast in montgomery county?

I am getting breakup of the video (pixelization?) and frequent changes in the volume. currently watching channel 211 DWRC but had these problems on other channels as well.

It's enough to drive me to direct tv.

Thanks.

Bob

is anyone else having problems with masn-hd audio? the audio comes way before the video, usually with my setup its the other way around with my system..
Yep. Had to switch to the pens game - as much as I hate all PA teams - couldn't take the bad 70's Japanese-like dubbing.

Btw, Cox or Comcast? Mine's is Cox.

ps: WJLA -where's the weather channel??! Jeesh.

Yes, the post blaming the Os game running long on MASN-HD for losing Sci-Fi HD and USA HD doesn't make sense. MASN-HD is a part-time HD feed which is only provided for the HD Os and Nats games. Comcast puts the MASN-HD games on Mojo, bumping the Mojo programming. Since Comcast is part-owner of Mojo, they can use Mojo for this. Sounds like Comcast in one franchise area had technical problems with Sci-Fi and USA HD last night; no reason for that to be related to the MASN-HD game.

I caught part of the end of the Os game on WJZ-DT 13 last night and noticed that WJZ-DT again did not have the game in HD. Has anyone gotten a reply from WJZ as to why they had the opening day game in HD, but none of the MASN-HD games that matched up to the WJZ schedule have been in HD since then? The bottom line is that the Os and the Nats are still bringing up the rear of all the MLB teams in the number and availability of games in HD.

You are right, I don't know, it just seems funny that when MASN HD was supposed to go off the air, we lost 2 channels. Maybe these channels are all on the same QAM Channel? Mojo/SCIFI/USA? But Mojo did come back way before SciFi and USA did as I still did not have them by 6AM the next day.

cox. it happens a lot with the hd broadcasts on mojo, not so much with my20.

new problem the past couple of days with WBFF. the signal is steady between 80 and 90% and for a split second the screen would go blank and say it is currently off air. Also, is anyone monitoring Good TV 45-2 late at night. Commercials often interrupt the program because they are timed to air at a certain time even though the program is not ready for a commercial. Living Single or Bernie Mac is always interrupted at around 12:50am and if you tune to 54-1 the show is still airing. Malcolm in the Middle is always interrupted by a Comcast commercial at 1:07 even though the show is still running on 45-1

I rather pay more & get good service than this crap from Comcast & Cox.
It's like they are effin with us basic cable ppl who can get the local HD for free so that we HAVE to upgrade to digital.

If I pay more I'd rather get more.

They remapped the broadcast HD channels in with a whole bunch of other junk on channels 112-1 on up. Really convenient. Oh well, as you point out, you get what you pay for ;)

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u


In Severn, MD, I see WUTB-DT at 70-80% strength on various tuners via an Antennas Direct DB4 antenna mounted in an attic. (Other Baltimore stations come in at 95-100% strength with this set up.) Echoing others' tuning problems (PSIP related?) a Sharp TV and Panasonic DVD recorder lock onto WUTB as 41.1 and with no program information. A Panasonic TV sees the signal as 24.1 with program information, but curiously loses video and audio five seconds after the first attempt to tune in the channel -- while still seeing updated program information and 75% signal strength after it goes dark. Resetting to factory defaults and re-tuning haven't helped with the above issues. A Hauppauge HVR-950 USB tuner for PC works properly, locking on as 24.1 and sees all program data.

They remapped the broadcast HD channels in with a whole bunch of other junk on channels 112-1 on up. Really convenient. Oh well, as you point out, you get what you pay for ;)


Ha. Yep. I just found it while flipping around the dial tonite.
Yep. the HD locals are 112,113,114 subchannels. Never ceases to amaze me with these cable guys.

As of June 1, 2008 Millennium cable in Anne Arundel County is called Broadstripe. The Comcast acquisition that was supposed to happen last year, fell through. No change in service or pricing noted yet. Clear QAM channels seen with an Expanded Basic analog subscription: WMAR 2.1, 2.2, 2.3; WBAL 11.1, 11.2; WUSA 9.1, 9.2; WMPT 22.1, 22.2, 22.3; WBFF 45.1, 45.2; WNUV 54.1; and a bunch of music channels.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/today/bal-to.hdnews02jun02,0,7332367.story

Both WBAL and WJZ foresee similar phase-ins for their high-definition broadcasts. WJZ plans to have its studio broadcasts in HD by the end of the year, says Vice President and General Manager Jay Newman, with the rest of the newscast following suit in March or April next year. WBAL plans to broadcast the studio portion of its newscasts in HD by February, says President and General Manager Jordan Wertlieb.

WMAR (Channel 2) has no plans to broadcast local news in HD, but is "investigating our options," says Vice President General Manager Bill Hooper. "We're more focused on making sure that we're up to speed on the digital conversion, which we have no choice on," he says..

As of June 1, 2008 Millennium cable in Anne Arundel County is called Broadstripe. The Comcast acquisition that was supposed to happen last year, fell through. No change in service or pricing noted yet. Clear QAM channels seen with an Expanded Basic analog subscription: WMAR 2.1, 2.2, 2.3; WBAL 11.1, 11.2; WUSA 9.1, 9.2; WMPT 22.1, 22.2, 22.3; WBFF 45.1, 45.2; WNUV 54.1; and a bunch of music channels.

I would think, no Comcast is a good thing unless the incumbent is worse.

Ha. Yep. I just found it while flipping around the dial tonite.
Yep. the HD locals are 112,113,114 subchannels. Never ceases to amaze me with these cable guys.

I noticed this remapping too. I'll post here my own scan results once I've located WRC-1 in HD. I've found WRC-1 in digital SD, but that's kinda useless.

Anyone using Comcast in the baltimore/annapolis area found WRC-1 on clear qam?

Previously WRC-1 was on channel 122.2...

WRC-1:783000000:QAM_256:2112:2113:2 # nbc, comcast chan 4

(Frequency to channel mapping: http://www.linuxtv.org/pipermail/linux-dvb/2005-July/003273.html )

So, hopefully all of us AVSForum folks will turn off WJZ, WBAL, and WMAR to watch WBFF News in massive numbers so that their ratings skyrocket and increase the pressure on the also-rans. -:)

Well, I must admit that WUSA is the first local news that I flip on because of HD. But I then tend to click away once the commercial breaks start. I then seem to bounce from local newscast to local newscast for the rest of the half hour.

As of 6:06PM this evening, WUTB-DT has commenced program test at its full pre-transition power. Thanks for the report from Arlington.

To all, please do a re-scan to see if WUTB-DT is now coming in for you. We'd like to get reception reports whether you can now see WUTB-DT or not.

Thanks for your patience!

dtv4u

Westminster, MD. Indoor antenna (DIY DB4 clone) getting 85-88% (still some dropouts though) with Hisense receiver. Outdoor antenna (DIY DB4 clone) getting 95+% with Samsung H240 receiver.

Well, I must admit that WUSA is the first local news that I flip on because of HD. But I then tend to click away once the commercial breaks start. I then seem to bounce from local newscast to local newscast for the rest of the half hour.

Exact same routine here.

Well, I must admit that WUSA is the first local news that I flip on because of HD. But I then tend to click away once the commercial breaks start. I then seem to bounce from local newscast to local newscast for the rest of the half hour.

I'm still shocked that so many tech people still watch the local news, and live no less... There's really nothing useful there (IMO), that you can't get in like 30 seconds with your browser, and you can avoid all the commercials and the BS information. And making it HD has zero impact on the actual content.

My time is just way too important to me... Heck, I'd rather stare at the wall than watch any local news, HD or not.

After watching some shows during primetime either live or DVR'd, I will check out the news if its on. Local news is especially useful during storms or local incidents. Sometimes the web pages just don't cover the local stuff that well, and I'm on WTOP's site all the time.

I watch local to stare @ Lindsay.

Local news is especially useful during storms or local incidents. Sometimes the web pages just don't cover the local stuff that well, and I'm on WTOP's site all the time.

Really? I find the local news is often the worst during local incidents, as that's the only time I might tune in. The Internet (as a whole) is usually way more up to date.

Sort of like the useless traffic reports on the radio - usually, by the time it's on the radio, it's over.

I've lost count of the number of times WTOP's traffic reporting has saved me from sitting in a lengthy backup.

Drew

DCRTV has the official scoop today.

Cheers
Looks good!

Audio sounds off, it's very, very low. Have to crank it up to hear.

But, the picture looks great!

Edit to add: Just did a very nice "behind the scenes" on the new set, that's a lot of freaking monitors! I'll certainly move from WUSA-only news watching to WUSA/WBFF. Also, the audio seems to be better (but still not great). Sounds like the male anchor's mic wasn't on for most of the first set.

Really? I find the local news is often the worst during local incidents, as that's the only time I might tune in. The Internet (as a whole) is usually way more up to date.

Sort of like the useless traffic reports on the radio - usually, by the time it's on the radio, it's over.
I never get on any of the interstates or parkways without WTOP. It's just as good as XM satellite radio; sometimes better.

Hey - that looked pretty nice!

Cheers!

I'll have to check it out at a later broadcast.

I've lost count of the number of times WTOP's traffic reporting has saved me from sitting in a lengthy backup.

Drew

Wow... I can count the number of times - it would be zero.

I never get on any of the interstates or parkways without WTOP. It's just as good as XM satellite radio; sometimes better.

I agree, and that's also useless (I finally dropped the XM traffic service as it was so useless).

Quote:
Both WBAL and WJZ foresee similar phase-ins for their high-definition broadcasts. WJZ plans to have its studio broadcasts in HD by the end of the year, says Vice President and General Manager Jay Newman, with the rest of the newscast following suit in March or April next year. WBAL plans to broadcast the studio portion of its newscasts in HD by February, says President and General Manager Jordan Wertlieb.

WMAR (Channel 2) has no plans to broadcast local news in HD, but is "investigating our options," says Vice President General Manager Bill Hooper. "We're more focused on making sure that we're up to speed on the digital conversion, which we have no choice on," he says.
Good to get some specific info on when other stations are planning to go HD for local news. DCRTV's track record on this has not been very good. I suspect he hears that a station brought some piece of HD capable equipment for the local news operation or upgraded the studio and read that as meaning the station was going local news in HD real soon. Appears we can say that no other Baltimore station will go HD local news in the next few months.

The quote from WMAR, however, contradicts a detailed industry trade article on the HD local news plans for a number of media companies. Several months ago, the quote from the VP of engineering for Scripts TV station group was: "Doback expects to have all of Scripps’ stations—WXYZ Detroit; KNXV Phoenix; WFTS Tampa; WEWS Cleveland; WMAR Baltimore; KMCI/KSHB Kansas City, Mo.; WCPO Cincinnati; WPTV West Palm Beach, Fla.; and KJRH Tulsa, Okla.—broadcasting their local newscasts in high-definition by the end of this year. Seven of the stations are already up and running in HD." My take is that the station general manager didn't want to provide a specific time frame for upgrading to the local paper as they may not have set a upgrade date yet and schedules can slip.

Wow... I can count the number of times - it would be zero.

Then our driving patterns must differ greatly.

Drew

I tuned in for the 10 pm newscast. Good job and congratulations to Mark and everyone else involved. The set looks very good. This is the first time I have watched the entire newscast so I don't yet know the personalities. Thanks, Carlton, for posting the link to the Sun article for some background. Just a couple of criticisms: the sound was a tad soft and one of the locations suffered from too low lighting. Overall, however, I thought it was quite good. I wasn't distracted by the 720p. I thought the sidebars looked very good in their presentation. I personally much prefer that to, say, Channel 9's horrendous SD widescreen field reports. I thought the anchors looked good in their regular positions. The weatherman might have been a bit soft due to lighting issues but I thought the weather graphics looked good. The "cover story" feature they did with the high def field report featuring sights around DC was excellent and in my opinion was the highlight of the show. They should really try for at least one of those a night. I really look forward to the day that they transition to the "new 16:9 HD video format" as reported in dcrtv.com. Until that happens, the news will not really be in HD. Still, it has to start somewhere and this is a good start. Thanks, Sinclair, for stepping up.

WBFF's news does look good, although not as sharp as WUSA. Glad to have an HD newscast closer to home.

The Weather Channel now has some HD studio shows.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2547335322_045bf8774e.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2166/2546510425_561e7f6e10.jpg?v=0


Comcast has a carriage agreement but hasn't added it yet.

Channel 45 news is "way" too dark on an SD set.

Channel 45 news is "way" too dark on an SD set.

OTA, I assume?

Generally, the set is kind of dark, however the anchors and graphics are a good level...

We are still fine-tuning the lighting and audio.

Cheers -

Wow... I can count the number of times - it would be zero.

If I listen to TOP for Traffic, they usually give it where I am not...It seems they always miss one spot in the area that is having bad traffic and it's usually where I am.

If I listen to TOP for Traffic, they usually give it where I am not...It seems they always miss one spot in the area that is having bad traffic and it's usually where I am.

Bad traffic follows you. Please let us know where you're driving so we can avoid it. :D

If I listen to TOP for Traffic, they usually give it where I am not...It seems they always miss one spot in the area that is having bad traffic and it's usually where I am.


There is so much bad traffic around the DC area (2nd worse in the nation by all media accounts) that they have to cycle the areas reported else it would be a all-traffic station & not a news station.:eek:

finally got some kind of signal for WUTB last night, 7% for a split second, then zero, then 11% for a split second this morning then zero.

There is so much bad traffic around the DC area (2nd worse in the nation by all media accounts) that they have to cycle the areas reported else it would be a all-traffic station & not a news station.:eek:

Ergo, not so useful unless you happen to hit it just right.

At least the semi-useless traffic-in-GPS products have everything, all the time. Sadly, they are incorrect about 70% of the time (either marking something as traffic that isn't, or missing heavy traffic).

In either case, unless you're only travelling the beltway, they're all pretty useless.

There is so much bad traffic around the DC area (2nd worse in the nation by all media accounts) that they have to cycle the areas reported else it would be a all-traffic station & not a news station.:eek:

What news? They play a 10 second news byte that is horrendously edited.

I watch local to stare @ Lindsay.

Yeah, did you notice her brand new 8-inch hair extensions? I mean, come on, what is she thinking?

MASN seems to be having some issues with the HD feed from the ballpark tonight. Picture is pillarboxed; audio is off by a few seconds and sounds like 16kbps bitrate.

HD has kicked in on MASN now. Weather related issues, perhaps? Not that our lousy team is worth watching tonight :p

OTA, I assume?

Generally, the set is kind of dark, however the anchors and graphics are a good level...

We are still fine-tuning the lighting and audio.

Cheers -45.1 news looks much better OTA today. Nice job!!

Ergo, not so useful unless you happen to hit it just right.

At least the semi-useless traffic-in-GPS products have everything, all the time. Sadly, they are incorrect about 70% of the time (either marking something as traffic that isn't, or missing heavy traffic).

In either case, unless you're only travelling the beltway, they're all pretty useless.

Business opportunity...?!

Bad traffic follows you. Please let us know where you're driving so we can avoid it. :DIf you have Verizon or AT&T wireless phone, there's a WTOP traffic hotline to dial in reports of traffic disturbances (probably #1035, but it could be *1035). There's a number for other carriers, but I don't remember what it is...

And don't forget the handsfree while calling in.

I've lost count of the number of times WTOP's traffic reporting has saved me from sitting in a lengthy backup.Just yesterday morning I heard of an accident on Rt 50 that would be right in my way and so went another way to work to avoid that.

Neil

No power = no net nor TV. TOP in your car saves your bacon ftw.

WTOP is getting their money's worth with these storms this afternoon.

No power = no net nor TV. TOP in your car saves your bacon ftw.

PocketPC in my car is a lot better. Do people still not have mobile web-access readily available to them?

I tend not to drive & play with my mobile PDA's.
TOP ftw again.
esp. for those ppl who caught them last nite before 66W.

Stupid thunderstorm warning crawl on WRC-DT is leaving us with game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in SD. Channel 4 SUCKS!!! :mad: I really hope that station gets sold to someone who gives a damn about quality. NBC sure as hell doesn't!

Stupid thunderstorm warning crawl on WRC-DT is leaving us with game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in SD. Channel 4 SUCKS!!! :mad: I really hope that station gets sold to someone who gives a damn about quality. NBC sure as hell doesn't!

Yeah, and now they are cutting away in the middle of the game?!?? It was inevitable that someone would score while they did. Glad it was the Wings.

PocketPC in my car is a lot better. Do people still not have mobile web-access readily available to them?

Odd that you think that the folks who update the internet do it faster than the folks who read the reports live on the air.

They don't. The source is the same.

Plus, once again, you over assume the penetration of new technology. I guess you will now claim no one listens to radio since they have iPods.

Why is NBC4 SD? can't they add the weather crawl to the HD feed? common and now they are breaking in...ok there is really a tornado so i'll cut them a break on the break in.

WBAL is the same way SD but only a Tornado logo and no crawl...

Stupid thunderstorm warning crawl on WRC-DT is leaving us with game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in SD. Channel 4 SUCKS!!! :mad: I really hope that station gets sold to someone who gives a damn about quality. NBC sure as hell doesn't!
If you look at the broadcasts for all the major network stations in DC and Baltimore, they are all flipping to SD for the severe thunderstorm and tornado alerts. None of them have spent the money yet for a HD capable character generator and weather graphics insert equipment. They will eventually get one, but it is not an inexpensive piece of gear. If you were in the tornado alert areas, you might appreciate the warnings if you had not been listening to the radio.

Odd that you think that the folks who update the internet do it faster than the folks who read the reports live on the air.

They don't. The source is the same.

Plus, once again, you over assume the penetration of new technology. I guess you will now claim no one listens to radio since they have iPods.

The source is the same, but on TV and Radio you have to wait, and wait, and wait for them to perhaps update you, and when they do, it will be on a very small subset of the information.

Come on, you know this, it's simple:
TV/Radio - wait for an update, hope it includes what you care about
Internet - Get an update when you want it, for the specific area you want

I agree though, the data is the same, and it all mostly stinks, but it is what it is.

And it's not just iPods, it's also satellite radio, movies for the kids, etc. It's well known that broadcast radio listening is way way down.

At least NBC4 went to the small crawl now, removing the really big weather logo.

If you look at the broadcasts for all the major network stations in DC and Baltimore, they are all flipping to SD for the severe thunderstorm and tornado alerts. None of them have spent the money yet for a HD capable character generator and weather graphics insert equipment. They will eventually get one, but it is not an inexpensive piece of gear. If you were in the tornado alert areas, you might appreciate the warnings if you had not been listening to the radio.

Well, on the Fox stations, if it's not impossible to do, it's at least beyond me how to do it...

The Fox splicer is the last thing before the signal is sent to the transmitter, so we have to go out of HD to put up the warnings and crawls - the splicer replaces our master control feed with the HD network feed (without the crawls/bugs/etc.). Fox also doesn't supply any other HD feed for us to put stuff over, otherwise we (WBFF) have the capability to do that.

Hope everyone made it through the storm OK!

If you look at the broadcasts for all the major network stations in DC and Baltimore, they are all flipping to SD for the severe thunderstorm and tornado alerts. None of them have spent the money yet for a HD capable character generator and weather graphics insert equipment. They will eventually get one, but it is not an inexpensive piece of gear. If you were in the tornado alert areas, you might appreciate the warnings if you had not been listening to the radio.

Oh, believe me, I can appreciate the importance of displaying such important weather-related notifications, but you'd think that an O&O in a top 10 market would have the technical wherewithal to display such alerts without interrupting a major live sporting event that the network must certainly consider important in and of itself.

But then again, considering the horrible picture quality of all NBC live sporting events, and local news in HD that apparently isn't even on the horizon, I am not surprised :(

Ted Leonsis is worried about old age media like TV & newspaper becoming extinct.
Ask the 200K NoVa ppl who were in the dark tonite where they were getting their news from.
It's usually old tech that usually withstand mother nature better.
& Little Danny boy keeps buying up radio stations to add to his booming radio empire.
I wonder why? Hmmm.
What's that old saying: they don't built them like they used to.

Ted Leonsis is worried about old age media like TV & newspaper becoming extinct.
Ask the 200K NoVa ppl who were in the dark tonite where they were getting their news from.
It's usually old tech that usually withstand mother nature better.
& Little Danny boy keeps buying up radio stations to add to his booming radio empire.
I wonder why? Hmmm.
What's that old saying: they don't built them like they used to.

Because the ones he bought earlier are inferior to the ones he just bought.

Ted Leonsis is worried about old age media like TV & newspaper becoming extinct.
Ask the 200K NoVa ppl who were in the dark tonite where they were getting their news from.
It's usually old tech that usually withstand mother nature better.
& Little Danny boy keeps buying up radio stations to add to his booming radio empire.
I wonder why? Hmmm.
What's that old saying: they don't built them like they used to.

I had better, quicker, and more immediate access from my mobile device using the web browser. If radio towers are working, odds are the cell towers are, too.

People who hold on to dead technology are doomed to die with it.

(And whoever he is, is buying up radio stations because they are being sold for a fraction of what they used to be worth - because the radio industry is in a death spiral.)

If you look at the broadcasts for all the major network stations in DC and Baltimore, they are all flipping to SD for the severe thunderstorm and tornado alerts. None of them have spent the money yet for a HD capable character generator and weather graphics insert equipment. They will eventually get one, but it is not an inexpensive piece of gear. If you were in the tornado alert areas, you might appreciate the warnings if you had not been listening to the radio.

It's more than just the graphics device, which can always be upconverted. It's the entire master control and studio to transmitter link that needs to be upgraded, which is VERY costly. While I agree you would think these markets would support an upgrade to the networks facility, everyone has to understand that in order to maintain their license, broadcasters need to serve the public. So Tornado Warnings would always supersede ANY programming.

Though I would think WBFF & WUSA would be able to handle the situation in HD.

And don't think it will be resolved by 2/2009; Broadcasters just need to be /transmitting/ in digital by then, not producing. If you "rip" a cassette tape to your iTunes folder, it's digital all right, but that doesn't necessarily make it better... These issues with crawls and T-storm warning bugs will continue until the facilities are upgraded; whenever that is.

Come on, you know this, it's simple:
TV/Radio - wait for an update, hope it includes what you care about
Internet - Get an update when you want it, for the specific area you want


That is a sweeping statement that is just not true. Forget traffic for a minute. I have been on ESPN.com on my phone and my blackberry and not seen stories updated while ESPN Radio has been giving up to date information.

Just because it "seems" immediate doesn't mean it is. Not everything is plugged right into the internet. Stories have to be written, data has to be updated.

Just Tuesday evening, MLB.com was reporting that the Cardinals/Nationals game was playing yet MASN had a big sign on it that said "Rain Delay." Guess who was right? Not MLB.com.

There is no single best source.

Because the ones he bought earlier are inferior to the ones he just bought.

U don't like Riggo & Mike & Mike? :p
Seriously, I think it's a solid move by Red Zebra.
They've locked up the sports radio business for the next several decade around here.

U don't like Riggo & Mike & Mike? :p
Seriously, I think it's a solid move by Red Zebra.
They've locked up the sports radio business for the next several decade around here.

Nothing like having two of your properties clashing head to head. Honestly, I only see this ending badly for the listener. If they neuter Czaban like they did Riggo, then I will NOT be a happy man.

Nothing like having two of your properties clashing head to head. Honestly, I only see this ending badly for the listener. If they neuter Czaban like they did Riggo, then I will NOT be a happy man.
I think it's just about covers the national & local scenes 100%.

In other big cities, l think the sister sports station compliment each other pretty well & I don't see why that can;t happen here.
They are an excellent outlet for info in car & I can't imagine any mobile device can provide that depth of coverage on the move like the spoken word.

I'm not a Redskins fan ( :eek: ) but I have to give props to Danny for putting them on stereo radio & multiple outlets is a very good strategic move.

Now if he can bring the Caps onboard...he's really could sell ads galore for the next decade with Ovie.

That is a sweeping statement that is just not true. Forget traffic for a minute. I have been on ESPN.com on my phone and my blackberry and not seen stories updated while ESPN Radio has been giving up to date information.

Just because it "seems" immediate doesn't mean it is. Not everything is plugged right into the internet. Stories have to be written, data has to be updated.

Just Tuesday evening, MLB.com was reporting that the Cardinals/Nationals game was playing yet MASN had a big sign on it that said "Rain Delay." Guess who was right? Not MLB.com.

There is no single best source.

My experience with ESPN has been that news is almost always on ESPN radio before it is on the ESPN website. I regularly get emails from friends saying "so and so on ESPN Radio just reported that ____________" and find nothing about the subject for hours on ESPN.com.

On the other hand, separating radio and the internet may be a false dividing line. After all, you can listen to ESPN radio as easily on the net as you can via broadcast, actually more easily in most cases because it doesn't get pre-empted by locally-produced shows. Indeed, if I want to listen to Mike and Mike in the Morning, I have a choice of watching it in HD or SD on ESPN2, listening to it on broadcast radio, listening to it on XM Radio, or listening to it on the internet. If I miss it and want to listen to it later it I can download and listen to a podcast of the show. The only medium missing seems to be broadcast TV. So is it TV, radio, satellite radio or internet? "Old" technology or "new"?

Yet another example of blurred lines, last night during the storms we were watching a lot of channel 7-2, WJLA's weather radar digital sub-channel which had the radar feed and the WTOP radio audio. Best of both worlds. Before I left work I was listening to WTOP on the web and checking the WJLA and WUSA doppler radars online. Seems to me these are all just multiple distrubution channels, each of which has its place.

As an aside, as a Silver Spring to Tysons Corner commuter, I'd be lost without WTOP's traffic reports, which I find are much more current than XM's traffic reports. If you're not on the beltway, it may not be of much use (and it was mostly useless for all the years I commuted downtown) but for my current drive I find it to be terrific.

Totally agree. To blanket say 1 distribution channel doesn't matter vs. another is plain narrow minded.
They all serve a purpose in a media suite.

Thanks for the insightful post Zon74.

I think it's just about covers the national & local scenes 100%.

In other big cities, l think the sister sports station compliment each other pretty well & I don't see why that can;t happen here.
They are an excellent outlet for info in car & I can't imagine any mobile device can provide that depth of coverage on the move like the spoken word.

I'm not a Redskins fan ( :eek: ) but I have to give props to Danny for putting them on stereo radio & multiple outlets is a very good strategic move.

Now if he can bring the Caps onboard...he's really could sell ads galore for the next decade with Ovie.


Are there any plans announced to actually maintain these as separate properties? Danny tried to get some higher power stations when he first launched "XXX Radio" but had to settle for his patchwork of three lower power stations. When I heard he was buying 980, I just assumed he would simply shift the current programming to the new stations and either dump his current stations or convert them to a different format. It would surprise me if he maintained two separate competing sports talk stations.

Without knowing the details, my guess would be that he views this as both giving him a higher power outlet and eliminating the competition.

Fox45 press release:

FOX45 Launches First and Only HD News in Baltimore

Baltimore , MD May 29, 2008 – WBFF FOX45 will launch high definition newscasts, becoming the first and only local television station in Baltimore to broadcast local news in HD. FOX45 Morning News, FOX45 News at 5:30, FOX45 News at Ten and The FOX45 Late Edition (11 pm) will unveil inaugural newscasts in HD adding to its long lists of historic firsts.

On Monday, June 2, 2008 FOX45 will premiere its 5:30pm, 10pm and 11pm newscasts in HD ushering in a historic new era in Baltimore broadcasting and making WBFF the first local station to serve its viewers with the new technology. On Tuesday, June 3, 2008 it will launch FOX45 Morning News in HD.

As part of the multi-million dollar investment in HD news, FOX45 will broadcast from its new set designed to handle the dissemination of daily news, provide a working environment for its Emmy Award winning anchors and reporters, and showcase the crisp and clean imagery inherent in high definition television.

The new studio features a rotating desk with two different back drops, 35 HD televisions, new HD studio cameras, HD graphics, a traffic monitoring system and the highly advanced HD “SkyWatch” Weather Center . A new remote satellite and microwave truck has been dispatched to gather news in and around Maryland . To further increase quality, WBFF recently switched to a new HD master control at its West 41 st Street studios. Soon, FOX45 news photographers will transition to the new 16:9 video format giving viewers the added experience of watching video shot in the field at the new aspect ratio.

FOX45's new “SkyWatch” weather system enables street-level mapping and state-of-the-art 3D forecasting. Its advanced weather tracking technology provides some of the most accurate, detailed and reliable weather forecasting in Maryland .

FOX45 general manager Bill Fanshawe said, “FOX45 has always found new and better ways to serve our viewers. In 1991, we launched the first and only 10pm newscast in the market. Its popularity allowed us to expand and reinvest in our commitment to our viewers. In recent years, we added a 5:30am newscast, a 6am-9am newscast, a 5:30pm evening newscast and an 11pm newscast. Once again, FOX45 proves to be the leader in forward-thinking news broadcasting.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group owns WBFF and operates Cunningham-owned WNUV pursuant to a Local Marketing Agreement. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI), is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies, which owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 58 television stations in 35 markets. Sinclair's television group is affiliated with all major networks and reaches approximately 22% of all U.S. television households. For more information, please visit Sinclair's website at www.sbgi.net and www.FOXbaltimore.com.

http://foxbaltimore.com/sections/community/hd/index.shtml

Are there any plans announced to actually maintain these as separate properties? Danny tried to get some higher power stations when he first launched "XXX Radio" but had to settle for his patchwork of three lower power stations. When I heard he was buying 980, I just assumed he would simply shift the current programming to the new stations and either dump his current stations or convert them to a different format. It would surprise me if he maintained two separate competing sports talk stations.

Without knowing the details, my guess would be that he views this as both giving him a higher power outlet and eliminating the competition.

We won't know until July 1st. The only OFFICIAL change so far is that these three new stations will also carry the skins games.

If they do can all the 980 personnel, I hope they do what happened in Houston in a similar situation - Ban together and start their own station.

Hey - that looked pretty nice!

Cheers!
I have to agree. WBFF-DT with their HD news is looking pretty good.:D

Are there any plans announced to actually maintain these as separate properties? Danny tried to get some higher power stations when he first launched "XXX Radio" but had to settle for his patchwork of three lower power stations. When I heard he was buying 980, I just assumed he would simply shift the current programming to the new stations and either dump his current stations or convert them to a different format. It would surprise me if he maintained two separate competing sports talk stations.

Without knowing the details, my guess would be that he views this as both giving him a higher power outlet and eliminating the competition.
I actually find the wattage limitation works for me cause wherever I am, I can pretty much listen to his stations.

Now the night time on AM is horrendous for me with 980 though. Not listenable.
It would serve all demographics for those who like both the national stuff in Red & Blue variety (Fox/ESPN).

Seems many are singing the praises of WBFF HD news. Maybe it's just me, but I think the set design has way to much blue. Even graphics have a blue tint.
Never the less, it's a big improvement from the 'clay faces' everyone seemed to have before.
Compared to channel 9 in DC, no contest....... Channel 9 by a mile.
Don't get me wrong....
I am now a daily viewer of WBFF 5:30 news cast. Before , on occasion I watched the 10 PM news cast.
For now, ' you're the only game in town'.... GOOD LUCK .

WRC-DT 4 is having problems with the NBC HD feed for the 10 PM Fear Itself debut episode. Started off with a dark screen for the first 6-7 minutes. Fine on WBAL-DT 11 in Baltimore. Ok, WRC-DT just switched to the SD feed.

I've got quit blaming my TV on these things & start focusing my wrath on the source.

That is a sweeping statement that is just not true. Forget traffic for a minute. I have been on ESPN.com on my phone and my blackberry and not seen stories updated while ESPN Radio has been giving up to date information.

Just because it "seems" immediate doesn't mean it is. Not everything is plugged right into the internet. Stories have to be written, data has to be updated.

Just Tuesday evening, MLB.com was reporting that the Cardinals/Nationals game was playing yet MASN had a big sign on it that said "Rain Delay." Guess who was right? Not MLB.com.

There is no single best source.

The whole point is you don't have to limit yourself to the same source of information. To use ESPN and ESPN.com as an example is just silly - you'd use the Internet to go to something else, to validate or whatever. And frankly, ESPN.com is often late with updates, and isn't the best source if you want immediate sports updates (there are a bunch better out there, and that are way faster than ESPN TV). And MLB.com seems to still be figuring out how to use computers, again not a great source.

And yes, pretty much everyone is connected nowadays. If you aren't, you generally are a technophone, or over 60 (and yes, this is a sweeping generalization, but not too far from the truth - certainly everyone under about 30 is connected all the time).

There is no single best source, but the Internet is always a better source than other media - it's quicker, more up-to-date (not every place is universally more up-to-date, obviously), and more complete. To deny this is to stick your head in the sand.

Though I would think WBFF & WUSA would be able to handle the situation in HD.

We would love to but at the moment, the Weather Warn box we use isn't available to even buy in HD yet! Soon they say :)

Is anyone else with Comcast of DC experiencing problems with the three newest HD channels (217 SCIHD, 244 DISNHD, and 245 FAMHD)? Since I use CableCARDs instead of cable boxes, I always wonder if it's just me or system-wide.

Drew

I'm in Loudoun County and I haven't been able to pick up 217 SCIHD on my TiVoHD w/ CableCARD. All I get is a gray screen. The other new ones (AMCHD, DISNHD, FAMHD) come in just fine.

The whole point is you don't have to limit yourself to the same source of information. To use ESPN and ESPN.com as an example is just silly - you'd use the Internet to go to something else, to validate or whatever. And frankly, ESPN.com is often late with updates, and isn't the best source if you want immediate sports updates (there are a bunch better out there, and that are way faster than ESPN TV). And MLB.com seems to still be figuring out how to use computers, again not a great source.


Really, I give you a realistic example that contradicts your web-only posting and it is silly?

Gee, YOU were the one forcing new technology on people and saying the old stuff was dying. More than once, I may add.

As for MLB and computers, I wonder why the computer trade magazines have displayed them as a GREAT use of computers. MLB was the first to have all games available on line. First to have customizable game/player highlights. First to have fantasy alerts. Ah, never mind. I give you any example and you will claim they are a bad source. And they are very much in bed with the latest video information and distribution systems. Yup, they are just discovering computers. How about sticking to something you know about.

And yes, pretty much everyone is connected nowadays. If you aren't, you generally are a technophone, or over 60 (and yes, this is a sweeping generalization, but not too far from the truth - certainly everyone under about 30 is connected all the time).


Garbage. I run in a lot of circles of people of all ages. And, other than TEXTING, most young people I know do NOT use their cell phones and other devices for web browsing. In fact, I am so far ahead of the curve among all my friends but one (who is 40, BTW, and I am 50). Once again, you apply your choices and experience and push it onto everyone. It is called "projecting."

(And, BTW, it may have been a typo, but I think you meant "technophobe" not "technophone." As, techonphone would be a lover of technology and a technophobe would be afraid of technology.)

There is no single best source, but the Internet is always a better source than other media - it's quicker, more up-to-date (not every place is universally more up-to-date, obviously), and more complete. To deny this is to stick your head in the sand.

Ah, once again, the generalization that if I give you examples, you will just claim they are bad sources. The internet is always a better source? I think not. As for sticking your head in the sand, you are the one doing that ignoring multiple sources of data. As an omnivore, I reject no source of information because it appears antiquated as you do. To assume that the newest technology is always the best source is arrogance.

I noticed that 7-5 was not working when I wanted to watch the LOST season finale. Since then, I've lost 4-1,5-2 and 9-1. The ONLY reason I'm still with Comcast is because of the $33 a month for basic digital & these channels in HD. IF they don't come back soon, I'm going to go FIOS and never look back.

I hope you're read Comcast, get these back QUICK!! Or you've lost yet another customer.
Rescan your channels... Comcast has screwed up it's qam channel mapping. You can find them on their rf channels eg: 112.1 etc.

Can we stop feeding AbMagFab? Please? These discussions aren't going anywhere, and we're all quite clear what his view is.

-Mike

Can we stop feeding AbMagFab? Please? These discussions aren't going anywhere, and we're all quite clear what his view is.

-Mike


Okay. I'm done.

:)

Really, I give you a realistic example that contradicts your web-only posting and it is silly?

Gee, YOU were the one forcing new technology on people and saying the old stuff was dying. More than once, I may add.

As for MLB and computers, I wonder why the computer trade magazines have displayed them as a GREAT use of computers. MLB was the first to have all games available on line. First to have customizable game/player highlights. First to have fantasy alerts. Ah, never mind. I give you any example and you will claim they are a bad source. And they are very much in bed with the latest video information and distribution systems. Yup, they are just discovering computers. How about sticking to something you know about.



Garbage. I run in a lot of circles of people of all ages. And, other than TEXTING, most young people I know do NOT use their cell phones and other devices for web browsing. In fact, I am so far ahead of the curve among all my friends but one (who is 40, BTW, and I am 50). Once again, you apply your choices and experience and push it onto everyone. It is called "projecting."

(And, BTW, it may have been a typo, but I think you meant "technophobe" not "technophone." As, techonphone would be a lover of technology and a technophobe would be afraid of technology.)



Ah, once again, the generalization that if I give you examples, you will just claim they are bad sources. The internet is always a better source? I think not. As for sticking your head in the sand, you are the one doing that ignoring multiple sources of data. As an omnivore, I reject no source of information because it appears antiquated as you do. To assume that the newest technology is always the best source is arrogance.

Yes, you should stop feeding me...

You give one (bad, limited) example and then say "see, I told you!"? That's an odd way to debate, but whatever. The point is that the "ESPN TV vs. ESPN.com" is hardly the example that proves your point. Rather, the entire Internet is available to you to find information you need. If you treat the Internet like you do your legacy media (e.g. I watch ESPN, so let me check ESPN.com), then you're likely to end up in a pretty stale place. Instead, you need to look for better, more current information, which is always changing.

Or stick to the same-old-same-old and whither away with it.

As for MLB.com, it is a great site for all the things you mention here. But previously you talked about a rain delay or something - it's not a good site for that. Again, you seem to find one site for some (valid) reason, and then stick to it for everything (e.g. ESPN TV is good, so I'll stick to ESPN.com for the same info - DOH! ESPN TV was quicker, ergo this new fangled Internet thing must be slow!). While that's what they absolutely want you to do, it's not doing you much good. MLB.com is a great site for many things, but up to date info on game status is not one of them, and there are dozens of other sites that are much better, and way more current than TV (and Radio and MLB.com), and immediately accessible.

I've never claimed your examples were bad sources, I am saying they are just bad examples that don't do much to prove your point (and do more to highlight how you get information from the Internet than anything else, which is also why, perhaps, you have the opinions you do).

Anyway, often when people call out someone else as projecting, it's because they are actually projecting (that's called projecting).

Bottom line is, if you use the Internet adaptively, you'll have a great experience, and you'll find that the old-school TV and Radio are pretty much worthless for anything related to current information gathering.

Are people still receiving ch. 24.1? Or is it just that I am on the edge of reception area and the atmosphere is not cooperating? Seem to be getting 8.1, 49.1 and 15.1 from Pennsylvania tonight - so maybe it is strange atmospherics.

Bottom line is, if you use the Internet adaptively, you'll have a great experience, and you'll find that the old-school TV and Radio are pretty much worthless for anything related to current information gathering.

Bottom line is that you are a fool and made a LOT of assumptions from your reply. You have no idea how I use the internet or when I use the internet. But you have decided that I am a luddite because I recognize the flaws in your argument.

Gee, you decided that I ONLY use ESPN because I used it as an example. What I did was called a designed experiment. I eliminated other variables and got down to changing only the delivery mechanism and proved that one mechanism is NOT inherently better than the other as you claim over and over again. I am not the person claiming that you should use one delivery mechanism (the internet or TV or radio or XM or telefony or whatever). You are. I am only giving examples when you are incapable of doing that at all and just sit on tautologies.

But then again, I actually used the internet to get viewership totals on local news a while back while someone else just proclaimed local news on TV was dead.

Hmmm...

Now be a good boy and try to retreat to your new position that all media is good and can be useful. Oh, and try not to stumble back into generalizations that are unsupportable.

Oh, and tell me where the internet was going to tell you about a rain delay? You see, MLB is *the* internet source for that information. Going to the primary source is a bad thing? Tell me how better to use the internet in that example as you claim it shows how I use it wrongly. Maybe I could use my mobile device to watch my Slingbox connected to my DirecTV DVR which would have shown me the rain on the live broadcast of MASN. Or I could have just turned my head to the TV that was 12 feet away from me and seen the rain live on it.

Funny the Post story on Sat says the net need electricity (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/06/AR2008060604371.html?hpid=topnews)

ps: some ppl who didn't have power decided to waste gas & drive around with their 20 minute delayed PDA net.

does EVERYONE without power decide to just drive around??? It took me twice as long to go from washington golf/CC to the home depot in seven corners... and no i did not listen to wtop.


back on topic now:


it seems the only thing bravo hd is good for is reruns of law and order and alicia silverstone movies.... anyone else who already has it have anything to add to that?

My GF's mother lives in Grand Pre Manor on Bel Pre Rd. in Mont. Co. (Zip 20906). I'm trying to choose converter boxes for her.

I borrowed a Magnavox TB100MW9 and a Digital Stream DTX9900 from a friend to try out, and it was a disaster.

Neither one's autoscan would pick up the full complement of even the big 4 (4,5,7, and 9), which is all she watches. She lives in a ground floor condo on the north side of the building, and there is another building across from her, so multipath could be an issue as well. She is currently using rabbit ears on top of her set for analog reception, which is a bit snowy, but it's there.

AntennaWeb recommends a "red" medium directional antenna for that zip, but they don't know about the ground floor or multipath. Is it even worth trying a better antenna, or different CECB to find one a bit more sensitive? She can't use a roof antenna as she is in a condo.

I have to pick something soon, as her coupons expire on 6/30.

-Chris

There are antennas now that do a good job in that situation. In 2001 when i first got HD, I tried half a dozen antennas with no luck. I tried again in 2004 and I was able to pick up signals with those since they had improved multipath reception.(I'm in a basement condo too and can get reflections off the other buildings)
I was able to use an outdoor antenna, a square shooter since they had to let me install it like they have to do a satellite dish. Most people think it's a dish(I put up two) even though they are pointing north.
There are several indoor antennas that work well with multipath, I don't remember what they are but with some searching on the forum you should be able to find them. Just make sure you get them fom a store that will allow you to return it. That way if it doesn't work like you want you can get a refund.

I recorded last night's WETA repeat broadcasts of America's Ballroom Dancing (originally shown earlier in the year) and was stunned, stunned I tell you, to see that the picture was very clear and had zero macroblocking.

The show as broadcast last Winter was the poster-child for why I watch almost no WETA content anymore. I used as an example in a posting here my lovely bride who could not care less about HD programming (we joke that she doesn't care if TV is in color or black and white) that when watching last winter's broadcast she turned to me and actually said "what's wrong with the TV"?

Anyway, the current showing of the America's Ballroom Dancing series is a delight to watch.

I hope WETA keeps this up and I wonder if it is a fluke or did they at some point in the past change philosophies and up their bitrate?

Is anyone else in Alexandria (or on the Alex/Arlington headend) on Comcast having issues? I have some channels, many are badly pixelated to the point you can't watch, and some are just black screens. As the day has gone on, I've lost more and more. Comcast says they can send a truck on next Thursday (6/12), but they won't call the engineering department to let me know I'm having problems.

Is anyone else in Alexandria (or on the Alex/Arlington headend) on Comcast having issues? I have some channels, many are badly pixelated to the point you can't watch, and some are just black screens. As the day has gone on, I've lost more and more. Comcast says they can send a truck on next Thursday (6/12), but they won't call the engineering department to let me know I'm having problems.

WHat channels? I have not seen any problems since I got home from work at 3PM

Neither one's autoscan would pick up the full complement of even the big 4 (4,5,7, and 9), which is all she watches. She lives in a ground floor condo on the north side of the building, and there is another building across from her, so multipath could be an issue as well. She is currently using rabbit ears on top of her set for analog reception, which is a bit snowy, but it's there.
Just want to double check. Did the "rabbit ear" antenna include a ~7.5" circular loop UHF antenna? Did you experiment with the aim of the UHF loop to see if you could get a better picture for analog WDCA 20 or WETA 26? How did the analog UHF channels look? You probably know this, but a lot of people don't: the "big four" in DC - WRC 4, WTTG 5, WJLA 7, WUSA 9 - are all currently digitally broadcasting on UHF. Next February 17, WJLA-DT and WUSA-DT 9, of course will switch back to their upper VHF channels, but WRC-DT 4 will stay on UHF 48 and WTTG-DT 5 stays on UHF 36.

I think one of the most overlooked aspects of the digital transition in mainstream press articles on it is the fact that many VHF stations are digitally broadcasting on UHF. This is going to confuse a lot of people who have been satisfied to just get decent pictures for the four VHF stations and have not cared about UHF reception. People need to focus on both UHF and upper VHF reception performance for digital reception. But the news articles on the transition usually ignore the VHF on UHF info, probably because the writer doesn't understand it or due to a general inclination to skip over or dumb down any useful technical content.

I can get the big four from indoors here in Sterling at 16 miles with a Silver Sensor UHF antenna (Philips version) along with WDCA-DT 20 which is cranking at 500 kW on UHF 35. I wish someone else other than Terk would sell a unamplified version of the Silver Sensor antenna combined with rabbit ears for VHF, but as far I know, they don't. Your GF's mother may need to get a better indoor antenna if the analog VHFs come in with snow at 8-9 miles. If you can find one at a local store, try the Terk HDTVi non-amplified indoor antenna. The problem is that most chain stores (aka Best Buy and the like) push the overpriced indoor antennas with built-in crappy amplifiers which can make reception worse. The Terk HDTVa model has the built-in amplifier which BB has for $70 which is more than many rooftop antennas go for. Before returning the converter boxes, look at improving the antenna setup. If you get it working, she should be able to get the digital channels for 4,5,7,9,20,26,32,50 with stable picture quality.

WHat channels? I have not seen any problems since I got home from work at 3PM

There are the channels that are either highly pixelated or so pixelated that they are just black screens:

4, 7 and 9 on the non-HD (004, 007, 009); there are others, but who watches the non-HD versions?

And in HD: 210 - 213, 217, 218, 224, 226-228, 231-234, 238, 240, 244, 245, 249-264

It started happening around noon, and more and more channels are going down all the time.

Is anyone else in Alexandria (or on the Alex/Arlington headend) on Comcast having issues? I have some channels, many are badly pixelated to the point you can't watch, and some are just black screens. As the day has gone on, I've lost more and more. Comcast says they can send a truck on next Thursday (6/12), but they won't call the engineering department to let me know I'm having problems.
Could be a heat or moisture problem. Start with a cold reboot of the STB or DVR (turn if off and unplug for at least 30 seconds). Also consider checking the cable box in the service area on the outside of the house if you can open it. You might also want to open & re-connect the coaxial cable connections inside that you can get at. Moisture build-up in a cable connection can clobber signal strength levels. The problem could be at a local junction box for the neighborhood or your cluster of houses which is malfunctioning in the heat. Check with your neighbors on if they are having any problems with Comcast.

Could be a heat or moisture problem. Start with a cold reboot of the STB or DVR (turn if off and unplug for at least 30 seconds). Also consider checking the cable box in the service area on the outside of the house if you can open it. You might also want to open & re-connect the coaxial cable connections inside that you can get at. Moisture build-up in a cable connection can clobber signal strength levels. The problem could be at a local junction box for the neighborhood or your cluster of houses which is malfunctioning in the heat. Check with your neighbors on if they are having any problems with Comcast.

I checked with one of my neighbors (in a condo building) and he said that his low-def TV was not having any issues but his HDTV was hardly getting any stations at all, just like mine. So he's going to call Comcast and let them know.

Just want to double check. Did the "rabbit ear" antenna include a ~7.5" circular loop UHF antenna? Did you experiment with the aim of the UHF loop to see if you could get a better picture for analog WDCA 20 or WETA 26? How did the analog UHF channels look? You probably know this, but a lot of people don't: the "big four" in DC - WRC 4, WTTG 5, WJLA 7, WUSA 9 - are all currently digitally broadcasting on UHF. Next February 17, WJLA-DT and WUSA-DT 9, of course will switch back to their upper VHF channels, but WRC-DT 4 will stay on UHF 48 and WTTG-DT 5 stays on UHF 36.

I think one of the most overlooked aspects of the digital transition in mainstream press articles on it is the fact that many VHF stations are digitally broadcasting on UHF. This is going to confuse a lot of people who have been satisfied to just get decent pictures for the four VHF stations and have not cared about UHF reception. People need to focus on both UHF and upper VHF reception performance for digital reception. But the news articles on the transition usually ignore the VHF on UHF info, probably because the writer doesn't understand it or due to a general inclination to skip over or dumb down any useful technical content.

I can get the big four from indoors here in Sterling at 16 miles with a Silver Sensor UHF antenna (Philips version) along with WDCA-DT 20 which is cranking at 500 kW on UHF 35. I wish someone else other than Terk would sell a unamplified version of the Silver Sensor antenna combined with rabbit ears for VHF, but as far I know, they don't. Your GF's mother may need to get a better indoor antenna if the analog VHFs come in with snow at 8-9 miles. If you can find one at a local store, try the Terk HDTVi non-amplified indoor antenna. The problem is that most chain stores (aka Best Buy and the like) push the overpriced indoor antennas with built-in crappy amplifiers which can make reception worse. The Terk HDTVa model has the built-in amplifier which BB has for $70 which is more than many rooftop antennas go for. Before returning the converter boxes, look at improving the antenna setup. If you get it working, she should be able to get the digital channels for 4,5,7,9,20,26,32,50 with stable picture quality.

It does have a circular loop. I know all about the Big four broadcasting on UHF, although it wasn't easy explaining it, and I didn't have the mapping memorized, so we are going to have to try again, perhaps with a silver sensor.

-Chris

It does have a circular loop. I know all about the Big four broadcasting on UHF, although it wasn't easy explaining it, and I didn't have the mapping memorized, so we are going to have to try again, perhaps with a silver sensor.


Have you tried moving the antenna away from the TV? Putting right on top may be convenient, but it's also very close to a major noise source (the TV itself).

Have you tried moving the antenna away from the TV? Putting right on top may be convenient, but it's also very close to a major noise source (the TV itself).

I'm not going there. I had to move the TV to gain access to the elec. outlet to plug in the CECB, and she complained it would take her a week to get it re-aligned exactly the way she likes it.

-Chris

I hope WETA keeps this up and I wonder if it is a fluke or did they at some point in the past change philosophies and up their bitrate?I noticed the improvement in WETA HD picture quality about a month or two ago. The picture used to pulsate via both OTA and Cox QAM, but is nice and steady now.

I'm not going there. I had to move the TV to gain access to the elec. outlet to plug in the CECB, and she complained it would take her a week to get it re-aligned exactly the way she likes it.

-Chris

:eek: I forsee cable sub in her future. :(

Is anyone else in Alexandria (or on the Alex/Arlington headend) on Comcast having issues? I have some channels, many are badly pixelated to the point you can't watch, and some are just black screens. As the day has gone on, I've lost more and more. Comcast says they can send a truck on next Thursday (6/12), but they won't call the engineering department to let me know I'm having problems.

Yes, I am. I have been for about 4 weeks now. I'll skip the details, but basically it's an issue with my TAP outside. Randomly for a few hours it stabilizes, and I have a really nice picture, then it craps out again. It's totally bizarre - some channels (HD Theatre, USA) are pristine, other are either a blank screen or pixelated with broken sound. Even my SD channels are f-ed up. However, the bedroom TV (SD only no cable box) are fine.

I've been battling with Comcast over this issue for a month now. Comcast said 2-4 weeks before they can fix it. After two (yes, two!) no show service calls, I specifically told them they have until June 13 to fix the problem and give me a generous credit for all the BS they put me through. Otherwise, I'm cancelling both Internet and TV and moving to DSL and Direct TV.

For some reason I feel it's cheaper for them to lose me as a customer than it is to fix the issue.

I'm in an apartment complex on Duke Street, if that helps.

Why these cable monopolies are still allowed to operate poorly in local jurisdiction without any competition is beyond me. Even with FIOS & DTV & Dish around, they could care less about us consumers.