WRC NBC4 went completely blank with a black screen and no sound for a couple of minutes on the digital channel only.

I'm thinking NBC4 is having some issues. They have tried a couple of times to flip to HD, but the sound goes away, and we get 2 seconds of picture, then 1 second of black screen, and it goes back and forth until I guess someone gives up and flips it back to SD. I hope they work out all of the glitches between now and 8/8/08. I also noticed the nightly news was in SD.

I was wondering what was going on there. That would explain the screen going black, back and forth, so many times.

I was wondering what was going on there. That would explain the screen going black, back and forth, so many times.


same here

Has anyone noticed an improvement on WMPT-DT 22 lately? It seems the last few days it has consistently gone from 75% up to 90% here. It never came in before without re-aiming the antenna.

Three questions:
1.) Why did titantv.com and my program guide say ABC 2 News:The Latest at 11:00pm was running from 11:00pm - 12:20am? When I turned to it at 11:45 they were clearly airing "Ebert & Roper"

2.) Why does WBAL say DTV Program for its program information? 11-2 has the correct title and description

3.) Why is it that WDCA can air Everybody Loves Raymond in HD weeknights but when WTTG airs it on the weekend its in SD? Aren't they sharing the same equipment?

Absolutely embarassing the operation over at WRC, for an NBC O&O in the nation's capitial to have the problems they do, never mind the fact they still haven't switched their newscast to HD.


Has anyone else yet, other than WUSA?

CycloneGT,

The first post of this thread says WETA has DD5.1. Is this an error or does WETA have DD5.1 but they never use it?

It was likely a very long time ago, but if I have it listed as DD5.1, then I did indeed see it operating at one time. The same thing happened to me with WRC. They turned on DD5.1 for the Olympic feed in 2004, but then turned it off the next few years. So I felt dumb for having them listed as DD5.1, when their programming just never reflected that.

Has anyone else yet, other than WUSA?

No. Fox 5 was supposed to be next, but I believe the time frame in which their news was supposed to go HD has come and gone. WJLA has also been rumored to have HD news in the works, as well.

Can anyone tell me what is the latest HD DVR box Comcast is using in Arlington VA?
Thanks

2.) Why does WBAL say DTV Program for its program information?Because they don't care enough to do it right.

11-2 has the correct title and descriptionYeah, but the correct title and description for 11-2 is just "WeatherPlus" over and over.

3.) Why is it that WDCA can air Everybody Loves Raymond in HD weeknights but when WTTG airs it on the weekend its in SD? Aren't they sharing the same equipment?Probably the weekend shows are recorded. And if you believe certain station engineers who post here, HD recording devices are practically unobtainable, even though many of us have them in our homes at a cost of a few hundred dollars. :rolleyes:

Because they don't care enough to do it right.

Yeah, but the correct title and description for 11-2 is just "WeatherPlus" over and over.

Probably the weekend shows are recorded. And if you believe certain station engineers who post here, HD recording devices are practically unobtainable, even though many of us have them in our homes at a cost of a few hundred dollars. :rolleyes:

Wouldn't the ones we have in our homes be consumer grade? I wouldn't expect any TV stations to be using consumer grade equipment.

Wouldn't the ones we have in our homes be consumer grade? I wouldn't expect any TV stations to be using consumer grade equipment.

Would be better than no HD equipment, and would produce a way better picture than the crap SD they put out.

Probably the weekend shows are recorded. And if you believe certain station engineers who post here, HD recording devices are practically unobtainable, even though many of us have them in our homes at a cost of a few hundred dollars. :rolleyes:
No, it may be that the weekend showings of Everybody Loves Raymond are from a different syndication package. The weekday shows are a strip, shown 5 days a week. It might be that only the weekday strips are made available in HD at this time. We are still in the early days of HD syndication. There will be a number of syndicated shows going HD this fall - Oprah, Dr Phil, Ellen, Ent Tonight IIRC - although no clue if any of the local stations will be ready to show them in HD this September. We will see more and more syndicated shows in HD over the next several years. Although, if Jerry Springer ever goes HD, that may be a sign that this HD thing has gone too far. :eek:

The equipment at the broadcast station has a lot of different requirements and capabilities than your HD-DVR. The consumer does not have to insert commercials, deal with different audio feeds or caption data, in some cases handle a 45 Mbps input signal or switch between units in real-time. But the station engineers can answer the question in more detail if they want to.

The equipment at the broadcast station has a lot of different requirements and capabilities than your HD-DVR. The consumer does not have to insert commercials, deal with different audio feeds or caption data, in some cases handle a 45 Mbps input signal or switch between units in real-time. But the station engineers can answer the question in more detail if they want to.

A broadcast quality server must first of all be rock solid. It has to play instantly every time it is started, without ever skipping or stuttering. It needs to have multiple playout channels, and should be robust enough to record several incoming streams while simultaneously playing back. It needs to have fully mirrored hard drives for redundancy and protection, and compatibility with every manufacturer's automation systems.

The type of HD server I just described is going to cost well over $100K.

Comcast will add ABC Family HD, Disney HD, WGN HD, WUTB (My Network) HD and Science Channel HD in Carroll county.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/investing/bal-bz.ym.consuming08jul08,0,6393009.column

Has anyone else yet, other than WUSA?
And WUSA still doesn't do their field reports in HD (it's 16x9 SD widescreen) and I have only seen one set of highlights from a Nats or Orioles game in HD. For a market this size, it is embarassing.

Someone from WBAL must have been reading this because now the program info is up and correct.

Someone from WBAL must have been reading this because now the program info is up and correct.

I wish they would read the posts about upgrading to DD5.1.

...Probably the weekend shows are recorded. And if you believe certain station engineers who post here, HD recording devices are practically unobtainable, even though many of us have them in our homes at a cost of a few hundred dollars. :rolleyes:

Well now tonight's episode of Everybody Loves Raymond wasn't even in HD on WDCA my20. What happened?

New HD channels on Comcast in Baltimore:

WGN
Science
Disney
ABC Family

WUTB was added a couple of weeks ago.

New HD channels on Comcast in Baltimore:

WGN
Science
Disney
ABC Family

WUTB was added a couple of weeks ago.

Also in Howard. But, oddly, I am still getting 4, 5, 7 and 9 on 4, 75, 7 and 9. The letter I got said they were moving to 193 and up. Not sure if they are still on analog (I doubt it) as I don't have an analog tuner hooked up anywhere.

Also in Howard. But, oddly, I am still getting 4, 5, 7 and 9 on 4, 75, 7 and 9. The letter I got said they were moving to 193 and up. Not sure if they are still on analog (I doubt it) as I don't have an analog tuner hooked up anywhere.
Analog 4, 7, 9, 75 are gone. The Comcast STB and the TiVo with a cablecard have the digital feeds at 4, 7, 9. 75. The new HD channels are on both.

And WUSA still doesn't do their field reports in HD (it's 16x9 SD widescreen) and I have only seen one set of highlights from a Nats or Orioles game in HD. For a market this size, it is embarassing.

And whatever process they use to convert their SD to 1080i is horrible. TONS of vertical artifacts all over the place. Anything vertical, usually collars and button down areas of cloths will all have artifacts floating off to the right and left. It really looks bad, and makes them look bad.

To a viewer who doesn't know any better, it would appear that they bought a crappy HD camera to use in the field, and continue to use it even when they picture is obviously of VERY poor quality. Makes it look like they don't really care about the quality at all.

Well now tonight's episode of Everybody Loves Raymond wasn't even in HD on WDCA my20. What happened?
They are back in season 1 (1996-1997), if that matters at all.

Analog 4, 7, 9, 75 are gone. The Comcast STB and the TiVo with a cablecard have the digital feeds at 4, 7, 9. 75. The new HD channels are on both.

As I expected they are gone. Funny, though, that their mail said the DC locals were moving to 193 and up yet they are still on their "normal" numbers. I guess smarter heads prevailed.

It is only a matter of time before it all goes digital.

Now we need Tivo to update the guide data for the new channels.

They are back in season 1 (1996-1997), if that matters at all.

They remastered the entire series.

For what it's worth, based on comments in this thread, I'd be surprised if WTTG and WJLA did not go to HD news sometime this fall. Perhaps no later than November. WRC at this point is probably more likely to shutter than transition its news broadcasts to HD.

New HD channels on Comcast in Baltimore:

WGN
Science
Disney
ABC Family

WUTB was added a couple of weeks ago.

I'm getting a not authorized message for Science, Disney and ABC Family. Are these channels part of the Digital Classic/HD Tier? I thought if you get the basic digital/analog version of the channel, you get the HD channel as well.

As I expected they are gone. Funny, though, that their mail said the DC locals were moving to 193 and up yet they are still on their "normal" numbers. I guess smarter heads prevailed.

It is only a matter of time before it all goes digital.

Now we need Tivo to update the guide data for the new channels.
We're probably better off that TiVo/Times Mirror didn't make the lineup change thinking the DC channels were in the 190's. If they don't pick it up in the next few days, we can use the form on the TiVo web site and ask that they add the new HD channels.

I'm getting a not authorized message for Science, Disney and ABC Family. Are these channels part of the Digital Classic/HD Tier? I thought if you get the basic digital/analog version of the channel, you get the HD channel as well.

I'm also getting Not Authorized. This has happened before with new channels where it took a few days before I could view them.

We're probably better off that TiVo/Times Mirror didn't make the lineup change thinking the DC channels were in the 190's. If they don't pick it up in the next few days, we can use the form on the TiVo web site and ask that they add the new HD channels.

Probably right about that.

I know about the form. I notified Tivo that MASN HD was on Mojo and they MOJMASN. I may not have been the only one but it was within the timeframe they gave me for the fix after they emailed me back.

I think I will submit the change anyway. Can't hurt.

According to dcrtv.com (http://www.dcrtv.com/), Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will soon be getting a facelift, to match the new graphics and sets used by CSN Bay Area...

CSN Revamp Coming - 7/10 - DCRTV hears of changes coming to Comcast SportsNet: Yesterday, "Washington Post Live" and "SportsNite" moved to a temporary set inside the newsroom. Both of these shows will share the same set for at least the remainder of this week and all weekend long as their respective sets are being remodeled. Bethesda-based Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will be relaunching soon, along with a new network logo, which was first used by its sister San Francisco-based Bay Area network. More soon.....

It would be nice if they'd upgrade the studio cameras while they're at it. All of the studio shows are shot in either widescreen SD, or with some real garbage HD.

Here's a screenshot of the graphics used on CSN Bay Area...

Three questions:
1.) Why did titantv.com and my program guide say ABC 2 News:The Latest at 11:00pm was running from 11:00pm - 12:20am? When I turned to it at 11:45 they were clearly airing "Ebert & Roper"

2.) Why does WBAL say DTV Program for its program information? 11-2 has the correct title and description

3.) Why is it that WDCA can air Everybody Loves Raymond in HD weeknights but when WTTG airs it on the weekend its in SD? Aren't they sharing the same equipment?

No, they do not.

The only thing shared by the two stations other than ownership is tower space (WDCA remains across the DC/MD line on River Road in Bethesda, while WTTG remains at 5151 Wisconsin in the VNA Building, formerly the Barlow Building). While WDCA's transmission tower has not always been in the same place, their studios have remained in Bethesda since Nixon's second term. (They are one of two DC-area-based FPTV stations, with WJLA being the other, with studios in one jurisdiction and transmitter in another.)

This is the future for Comcast. Eventually, they will move all the analog to digital to make space.

And, no word on DC local HD. This move seems to me to be an indication of downplaying the DC locals. They specifically called them duplicate services in the letter, so that tells me that the priority for DC locals in HD is non-existant.

No mention of WTTG which is on 75 now analog and digital. Guess they don't want to anger Redskins fans.

HoCo is in the same awkward position that Prince George's County is in: different parts of the county have different preferences; you in HoCo are simply getting to do your screaming later. (Earlier this decade, we lost Baltimore's analogs due to an FCC ruling; this year, we also lost the ClearQAM carriage of most of Baltimore's OTAs, with the rather odd exception of WMAR-DT's WeatherNow.) Rather oddly, it's the primetime duplication that is causing the de-emphasis on out-of-DMA station carriage, not the weekends (because, simply put, due to a variety of issues, there simply isn't much duplication in weekend programming).

Also, WTTG is a FOX O&O, while WBFF is a FOX *affiliate* (owned by Sinclair); there is a good chance that the dispute between the two will be handled *internally*.

I'm getting a not authorized message for Science, Disney and ABC Family. Are these channels part of the Digital Classic/HD Tier? I thought if you get the basic digital/analog version of the channel, you get the HD channel as well.

All channels are now working in Baltimore.

I have an LG 50pb4d Plasma tv with built in DVR and is connected to OTA for local high definition channels in the Washington DC area. I have been TVGOS guide data with no problems for approximately 5 months when it all of a sudden gave me problems three weeks ago. Now... I can only get sporadic guide data on different days and even on different channels. I have tried reinitalizing the TV and setting it up from scratch again but still the same problem. My HD channels all come in very strong. I can tune to the HD channels just fine... but just my tv guide data giving me problems.

I have a Sony HDDVR in my family room that also uses the TVGOS for guide data and that has been working flawlessly still. Does anyone have an idea of what the problem may be? Anything I can test for or check out? Please advise. Thank you.

REgards,
Kiet
What zip code are you using for the TVGOS?

Four new channels showed up today on Comcast in DC: CNNHD, AMCHD, History Channel HD, and Animal Planet HD.

For those concerned that Larry King in HD might scare the family pets, his show remains in 4:3 with graphic pillar bars, which considerably diminishes the fright factor. :) Sadly however, Lou Dobbs is in HD, meaning that during each of his interminable rants you have an extra clear view of his neck wattles expanding in anger.

Four new channels showed up today on Comcast in DC: CNNHD, AMCHD, History Channel HD, and Animal Planet HD.

For those concerned that Larry King in HD might scare the family pets, his show remains in 4:3 with graphic pillar bars, which considerably diminishes the fright factor. :) Sadly however, Lou Dobbs is in HD, meaning that during each of his interminable rants you have an extra clear view of his neck wattles expanding in anger.

you should have those since Sunday where are you located? I'm just south of the capital and these were added last weekend.

Dish to add 17 channels on 8/1:

ActionMax HD (Ch. 313)
HBO Family HD (Ch. 305)
CBS College Sports HD (Ch. 152)
HBO Latino HD (Ch. 309)
Lifetime HD (Ch. 108)
HBO Signature HD (Ch. 302)
Lifetime Movie Network HD (Ch. 109)
HBO West HD (Ch. 303)
Planet Green HD (Ch. 194)
HBO Zone HD (Ch. 308)
Encore HD (Ch. 340)
Starz Comedy HD (Ch. 354)
HBO 2 HD (Ch. 301)
Starz Edge HD (Ch. 352)
HBO Comedy HD (Ch. 307)
Starz Kids & Family HD (Ch. 356)
Starz West HD (Ch. 351)

http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aaaa/industryPR-detail.jsp?id=7505B7C9-7532-489A-8EF7-6C00F8285F1A

Four new channels showed up today on Comcast in DC: CNNHD, AMCHD, History Channel HD, and Animal Planet HD.

For those concerned that Larry King in HD might scare the family pets, his show remains in 4:3 with graphic pillar bars, which considerably diminishes the fright factor. :) Sadly however, Lou Dobbs is in HD, meaning that during each of his interminable rants you have an extra clear view of his neck wattles expanding in anger.

They do use a filter, or post processing that smooths out the picture. It is never as clear as it should be. WUSA seems to do something similar although not as agressive.

Has anyone else been able to keep up with the clear QAM chs on Cox? They must have someone full time just messing with what's available - seems like the lineup changes everyday!

Someone from WBAL must have been reading this because now the program info is up and correct.Yep, I just checked it with my DTVPal and the info is finally correct.

Must be good DX'ing today. When I powered up the DTVPal, it did a EPG update (I guess it just scans all of the channels in range), I then picked up CBC 16 WBOC in Salisbury, Fox21 Delmarva, and WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond. There was also a ch 35-1 (not DCA) that was listed, but I could not tune it in. Interesting.

Yep, I just checked it with my DTVPal and the info is finally correct.

Must be good DX'ing today. When I powered up the DTVPal, it did a EPG update (I guess it just scans all of the channels in range), I then picked up CBC 16 WBOC in Salisbury, Fox21 Delmarva, and WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond. There was also a ch 35-1 (not DCA) that was listed, but I could not tune it in. Interesting.

Yeah, last night I was finally able to get WBOC after two nights of it being at only 5-10%. I also got a lock on WMDT 47 at 30%. I've never been able to tune in any Richmond digital signals. The 35-1 you saw had to be there FOX affiliate. Not sure what frequency its on but I usually only get the analog signal.

Yeah, last night I was finally able to get WBOC after two nights of it being at only 5-10%. I also got a lock on WMDT 47 at 30%. I've never been able to tune in any Richmond digital signals. The 35-1 you saw had to be there FOX affiliate. Not sure what frequency its on but I usually only get the analog signal.
The Fox affiliate in Richmond is WRLH-DT Fox 35 which broadcasts on UHF 26. This is on the same channel as the analog signal for WETA PBS 26 in DC. Could the tuner during the scan have momentarily picked up WRLH-DT, but did not display the station later because of interference from WETA 26? Could be some decent DX'ing weather the next day or two for picking up longer range stations.

I'm across the bay in Rock Hall. I just bought a 16 inch class wide screen TV for viewing aboard my sailboat. The channel scan located many DTV channels.

I never saw an over the air DTV signal before so this whole thing is new to me. I was expecting to see more wide screen format but everything, except for some cartoons was letterbox or stretched out of proportion. Nothing looked high-definition.

I am sure you can see HD on the 768 x 1366 pixel 16 inch screen because my HD DVD player looked quite nice through the HDMI input.

Then there is daytime network programming that I haven't watched for a very long time. I'm happy the 'World is still turning' but couldn't care less which celebrities are battling ugly divorces. I know that is a different TV issue.

Overall, not an overwhelming positive first impression.

--- CHAS

I never saw an over the air DTV signal before so this whole thing is new to me. I was expecting to see more wide screen format but everything, except for some cartoons was letterbox or stretched out of proportion. Nothing looked high-definition.
You will not find much true HD on broadcast TV in the middle of a weekday if that is when you tried it. Have to wait for prime time or get WETA-DT 26 OTA. Even in prime time, the commercial broadcast nets are filling their early summer schedule with numerous cheap reality shows, many of which are SD to save money. But if everything was stretched, you need to experiment with the aspect ratio/screen size button on the remote. The button is likely to toggle between 3-5 display modes from normal/standard to stretch to 16:9 (many small "widescreen" TVs have a 16:10 aspect ratio screen because they are getting the screens from computer monitor production lines). Yes, getting the aspect ratios right can be confusing.

I just read on www.dcrtv.com that WJLA-DT is going to carry that RetroTV network. I think that I read about that here before. They have a pic of Get Smart on the website. I've been looking to record that show ever since I got a DVR. I thought it would be on TVLand, but its not.

I just read on www.dcrtv.com that WJLA-DT is going to carry that RetroTV network.
Strange, they say the 28th, but RTV told me the 14th. I guess we will see when it actually goes live. :)

Looks like 7-3 is running a scroller saying 7/28 RTN7 will replace Local Point TV on subchannel 7-3. So I guess July 28th it is.

Has anyone noticed an improvement on WMPT-DT 22 lately? It seems the last few days it has consistently gone from 75% up to 90% here. It never came in before without re-aiming the antenna.

I can't get a lock on to WMPT-DT (42) in Alexandria, but a friend in Arlington confirmed your observation a few days ago.

But... it seems that right now (8 pm, Fri, Jun11), they seem to have returned to no-signal. I can't even get a hit on my signal meter. Go figure ;)

Can anyone receive WMPT-DT (42) at the moment?

I can't get a lock on to WMPT-DT (42) in Alexandria, but a friend in Arlington confirmed your observation a few days ago.

But... it seems that right now (8 pm, Fri, Jun11), they seem to have returned to no-signal. I can't even get a hit on my signal meter. Go figure ;)

Can anyone receive WMPT-DT (42) at the moment?

I lost them several times on Wednesday early evening on the rooftop of the Residences at the Ritz Carleton, which is at the corner of 23rd and M St., NW, and is about 20 feet taller than any buildings to its east. Even before I lost it, it measured much, much weaker on my spectrum analyzer than I remembered it having been when I balanced out that headend earlier this year.

By the way, has anyone ever called channel 33 WHUT to see if they are at their licensed power? I measure them weaker than they should be from rooftops in all directions.

The Fox affiliate in Richmond is WRLH-DT Fox 35 which broadcasts on UHF 26. This is on the same channel as the analog signal for WETA PBS 26 in DC. Could the tuner during the scan have momentarily picked up WRLH-DT, but did not display the station later because of interference from WETA 26? Could be some decent DX'ing weather the next day or two for picking up longer range stations.

The digital signals are supposed to be robust enough to withstand an on-channel analog visual carrier that is a couple of dB stronger than the desired digital signal. Your relative signal strengths in Sterling will depend on exactly where you are. Have you checked with TVfool to see if you have line-of-sight to the Richmond towers?

Hey guys...can someone offer a possible explanation for this? I've had countless CC techs and 2 or 3 maintenance folks come out and try and figure out why my channels break up. Finally, they did in fact replace the TAP outside my apartment (I know because a couple of days ago the cover was partially off with wires protruding, and on Friday evening the cover was on with a lock or some type of latch).

One tech had told me the signal was fine but I was experiencing bit rate errors (I suspected this after observing the diagnostics screen many times over the last two months; the "avg/err" number was in the orange and usually a high, in the thousands or ten thousands).

Last night, I got home and the picture was phenomenal. I use Food HD and either NatHD or HD Theater as my barometer. (When things are working fine, they have noticeable pop versus other times). After a few hours, the problem returned - certain QAMs would either break up or not come in at all. (The diag. screen would show "signal lock - no" for the ones that didn't come in.)

My theories are:
1) There's just not enough bandwidth available at peak times (channels work during off hours just fine)
2) Someone is poaching or otherwise interfering with my signal
3) It's a problem upstream and they don't know or care to fix it, or just aren't acknowledging it.

- It generally occurs around 7-7:30 pm but has happened any time on any day.
- My internet connection has been rock solid throughout.
- I'm using the SA8300HD in Alexandria.
- Changed cables, went directly to cable box, TV, etc. many times.

Does anyone know what the issue is?

Thanks in advance.

The digital signals are supposed to be robust enough to withstand an on-channel analog visual carrier that is a couple of dB stronger than the desired digital signal. Your relative signal strengths in Sterling will depend on exactly where you are. Have you checked with TVfool to see if you have line-of-sight to the Richmond towers?
I was not the one getting a 35-1 on their digital tuner. I was replying to a previous post where CycloneGT listed as located in Boyds, MD got a 35-1 on his tuner, but could not get a picture. Boyds, MD would put him even further north than I am with WETA-TV 26 much closer than WRLH-DT Fox 35 (26) in Richmond which will be tropo only from around here

Loss of video and sound on a P.G. County basic Comcast QAM channel
____________________________________________________________ _____________
I have an odd experience. I have been testing a new HDTV, Haier HL37E, for the past 2 weeks, and yesterday the TV locked on to channel 124-19 as it normally did but there was no video or audio and nothing but a black screen. I checked with 2 other TV's and the video and audio were there as usual on both, with a signal to noise value of 32db. This channel is at an RF of 793.25MHz, and is identified as "Golf Channel". It was moved by Comcast about a month ago from Channel 130-2, which is now a music only channel.
I assume the problem is within the HL37E, but it is difficult for me to understand how this could happen without affecting other channels. I don't expect a solution from this AVS Forum, but I decided others may wish to know about this problem. I have not talked with Haier support about this problem, but I don't expect any help other than return the set. I am planning to return the TV for another Haier model, because the TV provides excellnt HD image quality.

Just a note...Tivo now has guide data for the new HD channels in Howard County...all except WUTB.

Hey guys...can someone offer a possible explanation for this? I've had countless CC techs and 2 or 3 maintenance folks come out and try and figure out why my channels break up. Finally, they did in fact replace the TAP outside my apartment (I know because a couple of days ago the cover was partially off with wires protruding, and on Friday evening the cover was on with a lock or some type of latch).

One tech had told me the signal was fine but I was experiencing bit rate errors (I suspected this after observing the diagnostics screen many times over the last two months; the "avg/err" number was in the orange and usually a high, in the thousands or ten thousands).

Last night, I got home and the picture was phenomenal. I use Food HD and either NatHD or HD Theater as my barometer. (When things are working fine, they have noticeable pop versus other times). After a few hours, the problem returned - certain QAMs would either break up or not come in at all. (The diag. screen would show "signal lock - no" for the ones that didn't come in.)

My theories are:
1) There's just not enough bandwidth available at peak times (channels work during off hours just fine)
2) Someone is poaching or otherwise interfering with my signal
3) It's a problem upstream and they don't know or care to fix it, or just aren't acknowledging it.

And the winner is #3. I went away for work for a week. It was right before the US open. I was excited to get back at watch in over the weekend in HD. Only problem when I got home was that anything over channel 100 was unwatchable. error rates/interference pixelated everything. Recently Comcast moved all the locals to channel 112-115. So they were garbage. Tech came out that Tuesday and said my signal was very strong. And I asked him what the error rate was, and he had no clue what I was talking about. Typical useless guy they sent out, claims he never saw this problem before. Shocking that in that same week I saw at least 5 other comcost trucks parked at houses in my neighborhood. It eventually cleared up, once they decided to fix it upstream.

I believe I'll be switching to FIOS here very shortly.

Count Blah,

Sounds a lot like my story. Tons of pixelation on all the major networks HD channels around that time frame. Also saw many Comcast trucks in my neighborhood as well.(Countryside) Picture is fine now on all channels.

Sounds like I'm not alone. Well, back to b*tching to the Comcast corporate person I've been dealing with.

Unfortunately I'm the only person in my building (maybe even my complex) with an HDTV who uses Comcast. So I'm sure I'm the only one complaining. Lots of Direct TV dishes though.

Looks like I'll be discussing mounting options for a satellite dish with my landlord. If I'm limited to my balcony I'm screwed since there are two trees blocking my otherwise perfect southern exposure. God I can't wait to move.

Is anyone in Howard County (Columbia area), MD getting the CNN HD (channel 234)? My mother just got CC service a couple of weeks ago and while the channel is listed in the guide and shows on the channel list they provided, she gets a blank screen on this channel. There are several HD channels like that. When I chated with CC, they claimed there was a problem. Is there a problem or is the channel about to launch and not yet on the system in Howard County?

Is anyone in Howard County (Columbia area), MD getting the CNN HD (channel 234)? My mother just got CC service a couple of weeks ago and while the channel is listed in the guide and shows on the channel list they provided, she gets a blank screen on this channel. There are several HD channels like that. When I chated with CC, they claimed there was a problem. Is there a problem or is the channel about to launch and not yet on the system in Howard County?

Is she using a Comcast box or something with a cablecard (CC is a bad abbreviation as it means cablecard to many of us)?

I just checked CNN HD via my HD Tivo and it took longer than most channels to lock in but it came in. I am not having any issues with any HD channels currently.

If she is using a Tivo with a cablecard or something else with a cable card, sometimes I have seen trying to retune the channel (like go up and down with the channel buttons) often gets a channel to come in that did not at first. That may also be a problem with Comcast boxes.

Also, if she is seeing any "melting" of the screen on any channels as well as blank screens and has an splitters in the line, it is possible a splitter or a bad wire may be causing some of the higher frequencies to attenuate.

BTW, CNN HD has been on for a while now.

Is she using a Comcast box or something with a cablecard (CC is a bad abbreviation as it means cablecard to many of us)?

I just checked CNN HD via my HD Tivo and it took longer than most channels to lock in but it came in. I am not having any issues with any HD channels currently.

If she is using a Tivo with a cablecard or something else with a cable card, sometimes I have seen trying to retune the channel (like go up and down with the channel buttons) often gets a channel to come in that did not at first. That may also be a problem with Comcast boxes.

Also, if she is seeing any "melting" of the screen on any channels as well as blank screens and has an splitters in the line, it is possible a splitter or a bad wire may be causing some of the higher frequencies to attenuate.

BTW, CNN HD has been on for a while now.

She has the CC DVR box. It is made by Scientific Atlantic. According to the CC agent, they are having a technical problem in her area and expect the channel to be up soon, but I have my doubts that this will be easily resolved.

She has the CC DVR box. It is made by Scientific Atlantic. According to the CC agent, they are having a technical problem in her area and expect the channel to be up soon, but I have my doubts that this will be easily resolved.

May be just a local problem, then. Something in the distribution lines. Best to ask some neighbors.

Verizon Shuts Off Analog In Maryland, Northern Virginia

Move Continues Pledge to FCC to Eliminate Analog Service for FiOS TV

By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 7/14/2008 10:46:00 AM

Verizon, as part of its promise to federal regulators to eliminate analog TV service for FiOS TV, will stop distributing analog versions of broadcast signals in Maryland and Northern Virginia starting July 21.

The telco told the Federal Communications Commission last year it would stop sending analog television signals to customers, which it provided so that those channels could be viewed without a set-top box.

Verizon has already phased out analog service in other areas, including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6578296.html

:D:D:D:D
it's about time. Now when are they going to add the new HD channels so I can drop my Comcast feed?

Verizon Shuts Off Analog In Maryland, Northern Virginia

Move Continues Pledge to FCC to Eliminate Analog Service for FiOS TV

By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 7/14/2008 10:46:00 AM

Verizon, as part of its promise to federal regulators to eliminate analog TV service for FiOS TV, will stop distributing analog versions of broadcast signals in Maryland and Northern Virginia starting July 21.

The telco told the Federal Communications Commission last year it would stop sending analog television signals to customers, which it provided so that those channels could be viewed without a set-top box.

Verizon has already phased out analog service in other areas, including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6578296.html

:D:D:D:D
it's about time. Now when are they going to add the new HD channels so I can drop my Comcast feed?
Check the Verizon threads elsewhere and at dslpreports for the details, but the reported channel re-alignment & 1st HD expansion round date for the Washington Metro area is September 17. Hope it happens sooner than that, but almost certainly no sooner than September 3 based on the confirmed upgrade schedule posted so far at the Verizon channel line-up web page. The long wait continues.

The Verizon subscribers here should also keep in mind that the analog shutdown will BEGIN on July 21, but the process goes by CO (central Office). Some of us may not get the Red Screen Of Death To Analog for weeks after July 21 (after a warning message period, Verizon puts up a Red Screen on the analog channels saying call this number to get a SD box to maintain basic service). Of course, this is ONLY visible to those who hook up a NTSC tuner; the process does not affect any Verizon STB or DVR as those don't have analog tuners.

titantv.com and the program guides on all of my STB's say ABC2 News at Noon runs from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. It was cut to half an hour months ago. Extra airs at 12:30pm. I wish this was a temporary move and they could make it one hour again.

I got my Directv HR10 upgraded to the HR-21 last Friday via the free upgrade offer. Since they sent me the HR-21 I needed to call them to get the AM-21 off air tuner (which they also sent me for free). I am very pleased with the AM-21. I live in the Washington, D.C. area (near Dulles airport) and with the HR10 I could get the D.C. local but only rarely get the Baltimore channels. With the AM-21 i could get all the Baltimore channels with no changes to the antenna. The AM-21 must have better tuners than what was in the HR-10. I know that I don't have the dual-buffers anymore, but I am happy with the new HR-21 and AM-21.

They must be using better ATSC tuner chips. I have a DTVPal from Dish, and it pulls in stations stronger than my 2yr old 622 does.

Has there been any official announcement of FIOS now being offered in DC? There's now a sign on a fence on Half Street, SE, a few blocks north of the ballpark, saying "First Community in DC to Offer Verizon FIOS". If you go to verizonfios.com and enter the street addresses of the only three residential buildings in the area (70 and 100 I Street SE and 1000 New Jersey SE), they list the individual units as having FIOS available.

This is the neighborhood in question:
http://www.jdland.com

--jd

UPDATE: I clicked through after picking one of the addresses listed, and it went to a page saying that FIOS Internet is available, but not FIOS TV.

Has there been any official announcement of FIOS now being offered in DC?
Before Fios TV can be offered in DC, Verizon has to have a franchise agreement in place with the city government. They can run the fiber cables and provide internet & phone services - although that presumably requires regulatory approval as well. But the TV service requires approval from the city agency/board that oversees the cable TV franchises. Verizon just got final approval today to begin to offer TV services in New York City after a very prolonged negotiation process which involved the mayor's office. I don't recall reading any concrete reports of Verizon in actual negotiations with the DC government. Of course, Verizon also has to upgrade the Central Offices and the infrastructure above that to support TV services in DC, it is not just running fiber cable to homes or apartment buildings. DC residents could always email or call the mayor and councilman and ask where is Fios Internet & TV? Could nudge them to talk to Verizon if they are not doing so.

Of course, Verizon also has to upgrade the Central Offices and the infrastructure above that to support TV services in DC, it is not just running fiber cable to homes or apartment buildings.

I imagine the fact that this is a neighborhood being rebuilt from scratch--with the new ballpark close by--could make it likely that Verizon decided to just put in the necessary infrastructure when they were doing all the other work down there over the past few years. Perhaps the ballpark itself required/asked for some level of fiber service, and that drove the rest of upgrades nearby.

Well just got back from vacation. Two tv's with cable boxes are having pixelation issues. One tv is missing 212, 213, 214 which are WUSADT, WTTGDT and WDCWDT. I unplugged everything and powered it all up again but same problem. I had this issue once before with missing stations and it just magically cleared up. analog stations are fine.

Loss of video and sound on a P.G. County basic Comcast QAM channel
____________________________________________________________ _____________
I have an odd experience. I have been testing a new HDTV, Haier HL37E, for the past 2 weeks, and yesterday the TV locked on to channel 124-19 as it normally did but there was no video or audio and nothing but a black screen. I checked with 2 other TV's and the video and audio were there as usual on both, with a signal to noise value of 32db. .

I just checked with my Pinnacle PCTV HD usb stick tuner and I'm getting 124-19 picture and sound OK. My trusty old Samsung SIR-T451 has been showing the same channel as 124-1
for some reason. I suspect there's some PSIP glitch in Comcast's signal.

Comcast will add the Big Ten Network on 8/15 in Baltimore, in the Sports and Entertainment pack. It will be on channel 257, between VS/Golf HD and HDPPV. But the message doesn't say it will be in HD.

Before Fios TV can be offered in DC, Verizon has to have a franchise agreement in place with the city government.

Verizon has applied to the OCTT for a cable TV franchise and they were supposedly soliciting input from the public, but it doesn't look like any action has been taken yet. More info: http://www.oct.dc.gov/information/regulatory/verizon.shtm

Since we already have one overbuilder here (RCN), I can't see why they wouldn't approve Verizon eventually.

Count Blah,

Sounds a lot like my story. Tons of pixelation on all the major networks HD channels around that time frame. Also saw many Comcast trucks in my neighborhood as well.(Countryside) Picture is fine now on all channels.

It's back again. Anything over channel 100(clear QAM) is pixelated. Has been for two days now. Comcast seems to be incapable of any kind of quality control in Eastern Loudoun, as I am obviously not alone. So I pulled the Trigger, and FIOS is on it's way. Due to trips, inability to suffer any internet outages due to work, etc... I can't get it installed until mid august, but it feels liberating knowing that comcast isn't going to get any more of my money for giving me a substandard product.

Comcast will add the Big Ten Network on 8/15 in Baltimore, in the Sports and Entertainment pack. It will be on channel 257, between VS/Golf HD and HDPPV. But the message doesn't say it will be in HD.Considering that its in between two HD channels, I think its a safe bet that it will be in HD. Plus when I had that channel on Dish, they really did have a Lot of games in HD. Not just the high profile Football/Basketball games either, but stuff like Volleyball, etc ... Its a good channel if you are into sports at a collegiate level.

Comcast Corp. adds high-def channels to programming

Baltimore Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Staff

Comcast Corp. said Thursday it has beefed up its high-definition programming in Greater Baltimore with the addition of five new networks.

The cable giant, Baltimore's largest cable provider, has added ABC Family, the Disney Channel, the Science Channel, WUTB My24 and superstation WGN to its roster of HD networks.

In April, Philadelphia-based Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) added American Movie Classics, Animal Planet, CNN, History Channel and the Learning Channel to its lineup of HD programming.

An HD box costs Comcast subscribers in the Baltimore region $7.50 per month. The cable provider offers more than 40 networks in HD, not including its lineup of On-Demand programming.

Comcast is looking to provide viewers with more than 1,000 movie titles and TV shows in HD by the end of 2008.

Comcast's Eastern Division has six million residential and business customers across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Comcast has seen competition for digital cable increase throughout the region in the last year. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has launched its FiOS service in Maryland in parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties.

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/07/14/daily37.html


I don't know where they get more than 40 HD channels from. We have 37.

Comcast will add the Big Ten Network on 8/15 in Baltimore, in the Sports and Entertainment pack. It will be on channel 257, between VS/Golf HD and HDPPV. But the message doesn't say it will be in HD.

wonder if dc area will get it too?

Hopefully it is not overcompressed HD! I would hate to see them add channels if the picture quality suffers.

Comcast Corp. adds high-def channels to programming

Baltimore Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Staff

Comcast Corp. said Thursday it has beefed up its high-definition programming in Greater Baltimore with the addition of five new networks.

The cable giant, Baltimore's largest cable provider, has added ABC Family, the Disney Channel, the Science Channel, WUTB My24 and superstation WGN to its roster of HD networks.

In April, Philadelphia-based Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) added American Movie Classics, Animal Planet, CNN, History Channel and the Learning Channel to its lineup of HD programming.

An HD box costs Comcast subscribers in the Baltimore region $7.50 per month. The cable provider offers more than 40 networks in HD, not including its lineup of On-Demand programming.

Comcast is looking to provide viewers with more than 1,000 movie titles and TV shows in HD by the end of 2008.

Comcast's Eastern Division has six million residential and business customers across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Comcast has seen competition for digital cable increase throughout the region in the last year. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has launched its FiOS service in Maryland in parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties.

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/07/14/daily37.html


I don't know where they get more than 40 HD channels from. We have 37.

The cable giant, Baltimore's largest cable provider, has added ABC Family, the Disney Channel, the Science Channel, WUTB My24 and superstation WGN to its roster of HD networks.
WUTB-DT 24 was still a 480i SD broadcast as of a day or two ago. So unless WUTB-DT is providing a separate 720p feed to Comcast via a land line connection, there will be a 480i channel in the middle of HD locals line-up. Which will cause slower channel changing times moving past the SD channel. What resolution are people in Baltimore seeing for WUTB 24 in the HD block? Is WUTB-DT going to offer a proper HD signal any time soon?

I don't know where they get more than 40 HD channels from. We have 37.
All the service providers now do creative counting when it comes to the number of HD channels. We have 100 HD channels! No, we have 150! We have 500 HD "channels"!

WUTB-DT 24 was still a 480i SD broadcast as of a day or two ago. So unless WUTB-DT is providing a separate 720p feed to Comcast via a land line connection, there will be a 480i channel in the middle of HD locals line-up. Which will cause slower channel changing times moving past the SD channel. What resolution are people in Baltimore seeing for WUTB 24 in the HD block? Is WUTB-DT going to offer a proper HD signal any time soon?


Still 480i on Comcast.

Hopefully it is not overcompressed HD! I would hate to see them add channels if the picture quality suffers.

The new channels look good.

Well 212 is back on Comcast. I'm still missing 213 and 214. Any bets by the weekend they will be back too? I just hate that Comcrap doesn't admit errors or tell people what is going on when they drop the ball.

Comcast Corp. adds high-def channels to programming

Baltimore Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Staff

Comcast Corp. said Thursday it has beefed up its high-definition programming in Greater Baltimore with the addition of five new networks.

--snip--

I don't know where they get more than 40 HD channels from. We have 37.

Many carriers often count VOD/PPV channels. It's sad really.

Got a message this morning saying we would get the Big 10 network on Aug. 15. Tonight it was there on channel 257. :) Looks like it is in HD and they are giving a free preview.:D Hope they keep the free preview going until I am hooked. I assume that this means the whole Balt/Wash. area should be getting it soon (if you don't have it now).

Edit: My mistake. It does not yet appear to be HD.

Got a message this morning saying we would get the Big 10 network on Aug. 15. Tonight it was there on channel 257. :) Looks like it is in HD and they are giving a free preview.:D Hope they keep the free preview going until I am hooked. I assume that this means the whole Balt/Wash. area should be getting it soon (if you don't have it now).

Also added in Baltimore City. Says Not Authorized at the moment.

Anyone know if Comcast in Arlington will be getting Spike TV in HD?

EDIT: And what is this HD compression thing people mention? :confused: My HD looks fine.

Also, non-HD related, but anyone notice that the Spanish movies on Demand aren't free anymore, but part of a package?:mad: No, I don't speak Spanish, but love scenes with Spanish speaking hotties=:) :p

In Saturday's Washington Post, there is an article on the digital broadcast TV transition about how many of the local Spanish speaking population is not prepared for the switch. In the article, it says this about the TeleFutura station which is WMDO-CA 47: "TeleFutura is also a low-powered station in Washington, but it recently launched its own digital signal in an effort to keep over-the-air viewers -- but they will still need a converter box to receive the new signal."

Checking the FCC database, WMDO has a CP (Construction Permit) for a digital low power allotment as WMDO-LD on VHF 8 at 198 Watts. I am in the outer part of the calculated coverage area map for WMDO-LD and my upper VHF antenna is not aimed at DC, so I have not detected any digital signals on VHF 8. Has anyone in DC or closer in found a new digital station showing up on VHF 8? Just curious if WMDO has indeed started up a digital low power signal or the Post writer mis-understood what WMDO is up to.

In Saturday's Washington Post...it says ...WMDO-CA 47: "TeleFutura... recently launched its own digital signal in an effort to keep over-the-air viewers"

Checking the FCC database, WMDO has a CP (Construction Permit) for a digital low power allotment as WMDO-LD on VHF 8 at 198 Watts. ...

I haven't detected it yet. Where is its transmitter, and where can I pull up the coverage map you referred to?

I found the map and transmitter on the FCC site. It seems to be co-located with the adjacent, analog channel 7 and 9 transmitters.

On Monday, I'll be servicing the digital reception headend on a 16-story building one mile away, with tuned channel 7 and 9 antennas pointed that way, so I can scan for it using my el cheapo, 13" Durabrand test TV. If my mental arithmetic is right, the adjacent analog signals will be about 32 dB stronger than the digital chanel 8. Somewhere way back in the Hardware thread, someone published the maximum tolerable adjacent analog/digital signal ratio and I thought it was around 40 something dB, so if that is correct, it should be theoretically possible to dune a 198 watt digital channel 8 between a couple of 316,000 adjacent analog channels.

I haven't detected it yet. Where is its transmitter, and where can I pull up the coverage map you referred to?
Click on the Service Contour Map link at the FCC entry for WMDO-LD: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=167370. The antenna would be in NW DC. Coverage map strikes me as optimistic even with the lower power levels for digital for VHF 8 at 198 Watts and 150 meters HAAT. If WMDO-LD is really on the air, they are sandwiched between analog WJLA-TV 7 and WUSA-TV 9, both operating at the maximum allowed analog power of 316 kW. That would not help. The VHF 8 slot will work better when WJLA and WUSA go digital on 7 & 9 next February.

The digital coverage for WMDO-LD will be better than their current analog UHF 47 coverage. Check the directional service contour coverage map at http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WMDO-CA. Presumably suppressed to the SE so not to interfere with WMDT ABC 47 in Salisbury.

Is anyone else's FOX broadcast of F1 breaking up? This is on Comcast in Montgomery County...

Any news on new HD channels on RCN in DC or Montgomery County?

Hello,

My uncle lives in Baltimore near Johns Hopkins Homewood campus on the 9th floor of a high-rise building, surrounded by other high rise buildings. He currently receives analog TV from Washington and Baltimore with an indoor rabbit ears antenna. He does not have (or want) cable or satellite TV.

He wants to buy a new TV so he's ready in February to receive HDTV broacasts over the air. We are both pretty clueless about this, so any advice would be appreciated.

1. Does it matter which brand of TV he buys? That is, is one better than another for OTA HD digital reception?

2. Is he likely to have any luck with an indoor antenna?--he can't use any other kind. If so, is one better than another?

3. He really wants to receive not only Baltimore but also Washington channels, especially PBS stations (26 and 32). Is there any hope of this?

4. Would you recommend that he wait until February to buy his new TV (his current one is an old standard TV)? Or, if he bought one now, are enough channles available today so he would be able to test the reception today?

Sorry if some of these questions are basic but we appreciate the help.

--Bill

My uncle lives in Baltimore near Johns Hopkins Homewood campus on the 9th floor of a high-rise building, surrounded by other high rise buildings. He currently receives analog TV from Washington and Baltimore with an indoor rabbit ears antenna. He does not have (or want) cable or satellite TV.

He wants to buy a new TV so he's ready in February to receive HDTV broacasts over the air...

2. Is he likely to have any luck with an indoor antenna?--he can't use any other kind. If so, is one better than another?

3. He really wants to receive not only Baltimore but also Washington channels, especially PBS stations (26 and 32). Is there any hope of this?

He'll likely have a good shot at catching the digital signals from the digital equivalents of Batlimore local channels 2, 11, 13, 54 and 67 right now. His reception may change slightly when some of those channels change frequency assignments, particularly channels 11 and 13, which are presently on channels 59 and 38 respectively but will move down to 11 and 13. At those frequencies, they may be easier to receive but not necessarily with the same antenna.

He might consider one of those new, set top, 2-bay bowtie antennas with a single VHF dipole. Others here can furnish the manufacturers and model numbers.

The liklihood of him ever receiving channels 26 and 32, which are about 35 miles away, from inside a highrise using a set-top antenna are not good but not impossible. I know of several people in McLean and Vienna who get good reception of analog channel 62 from Frederick, which is almost as far away.

HAs he looked around thoroughly to see if the apartment has a separate master antenna system wallplate? If it has, their system can be upgraded to incorporate the new broadcast HDTV signals.

4. Would you recommend that he wait until February to buy his new TV (his current one is an old standard TV)? Or, if he bought one now, are enough channels available today so he would be able to test the reception today?
...

He can buy his TV today and enjoy it today, as he should be able to receive all of the Batlimore digital broadcast channels already. Channels 67 (D29) and 45 (D46) already "multicast" using set-top antennas in highrise buildings, so he can enjoy additional programming from those channels already.

He wants to buy a new TV so he's ready in February to receive HDTV broadcasts over the air. We are both pretty clueless about this, so any advice would be appreciated.

1. Does it matter which brand of TV he buys? That is, is one better than another for OTA HD digital reception?
He does not HAVE to do this. He can apply for a $40 coupon and use that to buy a $60 digital converter (tuner) box. I picked up a Zenith DTT901 at Circuit City for testing and have found it to be better digital tuner than any of the older albeit HD capable ATSC tuners I have. See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=186 for info. Just want to point out this option if the price of a HD TV is a problem.

But a HD TV will get HD programming for the 7 broadcast networks that provide HD at this time. And once you go HD, you don't want to go back. It is hard to say which TV brands have the better tuners. All of the brand name models (Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer, etc) should have 5th or 6th generation tuners that are likely to do the job.

2. Is he likely to have any luck with an indoor antenna?--he can't use any other kind. If so, is one better than another?
If his current indoor antenna gets good reception for the UHF stations, I would try it first for digital reception before spending money on a new one. If he needs a new one, since he wants to get stations in different directions, he needs a multi-directional antenna setup. If he has the space to hang it, the new Winegard HD-1080 antenna which combines a 2 bay UHF bowties and 2 34" long dipoles for upper VHF might do the trick. But there are other antenna choices. After the analog shutdown, all of the full power stations in Baltimore and DC will be broadcasting only on upper VHF 7-13 and UHF; none will have their physical channel on low VHF (WRC-DT 4 is and will stay on UHF 48 for example).

3. He really wants to receive not only Baltimore but also Washington channels, especially PBS stations (26 and 32). Is there any hope of this?
Yes. WETA-DT 26 is not that strong at 90 kW on UHF 27, but I can get easily with an indoor Sliver Sensor at 16 miles in Sterling, VA. WHUT-DT 32 is currently SD only (they have stated they will upgrade to HD but no date for that) and is at 100 kW on UHF 33, but WHUT-DT has applied to increase power to 1000 kW after the transition. If the FCC grants that (they may not), WHUT-DT will come booming in over a wide area.

4. Would you recommend that he wait until February to buy his new TV (his current one is an old standard TV)? Or, if he bought one now, are enough channles available today so he would be able to test the reception today?
All of the full power stations in DC and Baltimore (with the exception of WNVC-DT 56 in Fairfax, VA) have a full power digital signal right now. If he wants to upgrade to HD, he should go ahead. Look for a good sales price and shop around. Remember, that to maintain screen height for a current 4:3 TV, get a 16:9 TV which has a diagonal size of 1.22 times the 4:3 set. But the big advantage of HD that the picture quality holds up for much bigger screens, so if he has a 27" or 32" CRT, he should look at replacing it with a 40" or bigger HD TV. Check the display forum here for TV advice.

Sorry if some of these questions are basic but we appreciate the help.
We are glad to help. This is a lot of new technology and new terms (ATSC, QAM, SD, HD, 1080i, and so on) for people and is something for which I have yet to see a good single condensed comprehensive explanation of the whole thing. This forum is a very good place to ask questions and get info. Good luck.

Is anyone else's FOX broadcast of F1 breaking up? This is on Comcast in Montgomery County...


Mine played fine on Verizon.

All of the full power stations in DC and Baltimore (with the exception of WNVC-DT 56 in Fairfax, VA) have a full power digital signal right now.

Does this mean that the stations in this market are currently at their post-transition power level? Or, is there a different meaning for "full power"?

I'm asking because periodically I have been able to watch stations from this market and was hoping to have more consistent reception after the transition.

Thanks.

Does this mean that the stations in this market are currently at their post-transition power level? Or, is there a different meaning for "full power"?
I'm asking because periodically I have been able to watch stations from this market and was hoping to have more consistent reception after the transition.
"full" power in this case means the station is covering most of their market. There are stations changing their digital channel next February which will affect the long range reception pattern for those stations. But many stations filed for maximized power in June asking for increases in their post-transition power levels. The FCC has to review and grant those requests, but in general, there should be improved digital reception coverage after the transition. Back on June 23, I posted a summary of the maximize power filing requests for many of the DC stations and the Maryland Public TV stations. See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14139876#post14139876. You can see these requests & status at the FCC database at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html.

Is anyone else's FOX broadcast of F1 breaking up? This is on Comcast in Montgomery County...
Dish Network's WTTG presentation was fine. Just finished watching it from my DVR.

WGN started airing it's local news in HD over the weekend. So I now get Chicago's local news in HD on Comcast before most of Baltimore's stations.

They also show Cubs, White Sox, and Bulls games in HD. It's like having an out-of-market HD RSN.

WGN started airing it's local news in HD over the weekend. So I now get Chicago's local news in HD on Comcast before most of Baltimore's stations.

They also show Cubs, White Sox, and Bulls games in HD. It's like having an out-of-market HD RSN.
I wish D* would add this HD channel. You can probably see the iris in the WGN America "spy eyes" logo...

Did they just start the news in HD this weekend? I caught it, but figured that I had just not watched their news since Dish picked up the HD WGN ch.

Did they just start the news in HD this weekend? I caught it, but figured that I had just not watched their news since Dish picked up the HD WGN ch.

Yes.

Received the message this morning that BTN will be added tomorrow on channel 257 on the Sports Entertainment Package. Don't know if it will be in HD or not. Will update tom. after watching it.

Big Ten is actually a pretty good HD channel. We had it on Dish for a while last year before it went local/SportsPak. They carried a lot of sports in HD, not just the major Football/Basketball.

Plus their sports coverage shows where in HD too.

Verizon FiOS in Howard County...

Well well, surfing today I found the following (all NBCU channels... odd):
[All channels above the Digital sub channels but before the MPT+ channels]
879: CNBC HD (Coming soon)
884: USA HD (coming soon)
896: NBC Olympics coverage
879: NBC Olympics coverage

I'm going to guess CNBC HD & USA HD were added in anticipation of the Olympics, as in the past, NBC has used those (SD) channels for Olympic events that are not as popular.

At least it's more channels. I'm guess after the Olympics, the two"NBC Olympics" channels will become one HD channel.

Verizon FiOS in Howard County...

Well well, surfing today I found the following (all NBCU channels... odd):
[All channels above the Digital sub channels but before the MPT+ channels]
879: CNBC HD (Coming soon)
884: USA HD (coming soon)
896: NBC Olympics coverage
879: NBC Olympics coverage
I'm going to guess CNBC HD & USA HD were added in anticipation of the Olympics,
Yes, these channels have been in the guide here since Saturday morning, if not Friday night. I have not posted the news here because none of them are live in the Washington Metro market yet - as far as I know. Do you get anything for CNBC-HD and USA-HD? A frozen picture of the last channel tuned to does not count. Verizon is adding these channels to all markets for the Olympics. So far, only Portland OR, New York, and some subscribers in FL have reported being able to tune to USA-HD and CNBC-HD. Channels 896 & 897 are temporary channels set up by NBC for 24/7 Olympic coverage of basketball & soccer; reportedly will be HD (?); no reason to expect them to go live until close to the start of the games. Would expect most other service providers to add the temporary NBC channels as well.

COMCAST MOCO box message says 8/15 for us.

Big Ten is actually a pretty good HD channel. We had it on Dish for a while last year before it went local/SportsPak. They carried a lot of sports in HD, not just the major Football/Basketball.

Plus their sports coverage shows where in HD too.

We have had it here on comcast ch. 257 for about a week (we were promised it 8/15). From what I have seen, I could really enjoy this channel - it has a great variety of sports and I attended Big Ten schools. Unfortunately it has been in SD. I keep hoping this is just temporary and they will switch it to HD - it is located next to other HD channels.

Yes, these channels have been in the guide here since Saturday morning, if not Friday night. I have not posted the news here because none of them are live in the Washington Metro market yet - as far as I know. Do you get anything for CNBC-HD and USA-HD? A frozen picture of the last channel tuned to does not count. Verizon is adding these channels to all markets for the Olympics. So far, only Portland OR, New York, and some subscribers in FL have reported being able to tune to USA-HD and CNBC-HD. Channels 896 & 897 are temporary channels set up by NBC for 24/7 Olympic coverage of basketball & soccer; reportedly will be HD (?); no reason to expect them to go live until close to the start of the games. Would expect most other service providers to add the temporary NBC channels as well.


At least the FIOS Analog channels don't have programming any more here in Woodbridge. One step closer to the additional HD channels.

All of these NBC O&O stations have gone HD, leaving WRC and WCAU the only NBC O&O stations in a top 10 DMA that have yet to make the switch.

------News in High Definition------
#1 WNBC - NBC4 New York
#2 KNBC - NBC4 Los Angeles
#3 WMAQ - NBC5 Chicago
#5 KXAS - NBC5 Dallas/For Worth
#6 KNTV - NBC3 San Jose/San Francisco
#16 WTVJ - NBC 6 Miami - being sold to Post-Newsweek

------News still in SD------
#4 WCAU - NBC10 Philadelphia - HD debut by Sept 2008
#9 WRC - NBC4 Washington DC
#27 KNSD - NBC7/39 San Diego
#29 WVIT - NBC30 Hartford

CBS News goes HD on Monday. Hopefully they will soon upgrade WJZ news to match since it's a CBS O&O.

So will we really see any other local news in HD before the end of the year? While I remember hearing lots of rumors about 5 and 7 earlier in the year, all has been silent for a while now. And of course channel 4's local news is going to be SD for the foreseeable future :rolleyes:

Well, the Fox 5 News in HD rumours are well over a year old now. I think that last spring was the first time we expected them to go HD "soon".

ABC 7 as we know from info here, is getting their equipment and other ducks in a row, but aren't necessarily in a hurry. I wouldn't be shocked to see them in HD next. They have tended to pay more attention to their digital subchannels than the other stations by putting a home grown weather channel and local point. So unlike Fox5, their mgt actually acks their digital signal.

NBC 4 is on its own. No word or expectations here.

When I tuned-in WBAL-11 this past weekend, I noticed 11.1 is HD and 11.2 is the identical program but in SD.

What's the point of broadcasting the same program twice, albeit in different resolutions?

When I tuned-in WBAL-11 this past weekend, I noticed 11.1 is HD and 11.2 is the identical program but in SD.

What's the point of broadcasting the same program twice, albeit in different resolutions?

Don't you get the same on ABC 2.1 and 2.2?

My quess - probably only temporary. NBC's WeatherPlus or Local weather may be added to 11.2 soon. Washington DC's NBC has been broadcasting WeatherPlus on 4.2 for many years.

When I tuned-in WBAL-11 this past weekend, I noticed 11.1 is HD and 11.2 is the identical program but in SD.

What's the point of broadcasting the same program twice, albeit in different resolutions?

I just figured it out. They are probably testing. Look for NBC to simulcast broadcast different events on 11.1 and 11.2 for the Summer Olympics in August.

Might be used for NBC's temporary Olympic soccer and/or basketball channels.

I don't get channel 2 in Baltimore. I just figured it out. They are probably testing. Look for NBC to simulcast broadcast different events on 11.1 and 11.2 for the Summer Olympics in August. When I tuned-in Saturday, the WBAL-11.1 was HD. 11.2 was the same program in SD. 11.3 was the weather.

If NBC is planning to simulcast two Olympic subchannels, plus weather, why does WGAL-8 in Lancaster still only have 2 subchannels? Wouldn't they be using the same three-channel setup?

All of these NBC O&O stations have gone HD, leaving WRC and WCAU the only NBC O&O stations in a top 10 DMA that have yet to make the switch.Rumor's from DCRTV (http://www.dcrtv.com) that NBC is looking to sell off WRC. Don't look for an HD upgrade anytime soon.

As for WUSA, if you tune to OTA channel 9-2 right now (channel 861 on Verizon FiOS), the Doppler subchannel has been repurposed so Topper's discussing the line of severe T-storms moving through the area, complete with news graphics packages and seeing Topper on screen. Obviously not in HD, and there's some macroblocking, but not a bad picture overall. Nice job, WUSA! (I haven't been on this site in a while, so this might have been told: Any updates on when the new WUSA encoder's coming online? Is it online?)

Any updates on when the new WUSA encoder's coming online? Is it online?)

Not yet, we'll yell when it is!

Yeah, they must have Olympic plans.

WBAL has had Weather+ for a few years.

Received the message this morning that BTN will be added tomorrow on channel 257 on the Sports Entertainment Package. Don't know if it will be in HD or not. Will update tom. after watching it.

I read it wrong, the message said the BTN will be available on August 15, as previously stated by others. Sorry for the confusion on my part, just got a little too excited.:D

I don't get channel 2 in Baltimore.

Any reason you can't get ABC's WMAR channels 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3 from Baltimore?

If NBC is planning to simulcast two Olympic subchannels, plus weather, why does WGAL-8 in Lancaster still only have 2 subchannels? Wouldn't they be using the same three-channel setup?

Who knows? I guess we will have to wait and see.

Any reason you can't get ABC's WMAR channels 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3 from Baltimore? Because they are 50 miles away and too weak to reach my location in Pennsylvania. When I tuned-in Saturday:

11.1 was HD.
11.2 was the same program in SD.
11.3 was the weather.

If NBC-WBAL is planning to simulcast two Olympic subchannels, plus weather, why does WGAL-8 in Lancaster still only have 2 channels? Wouldn't they be using the same three-channel setup too? Who knows? I guess we will have to wait and see. I guess.

It seems a waste of precious bitstream space for WBAL to broadcast the same program twice (both HD and SD). They really only need to broadcast one version.

I have something weird going on with my TiVo. Channel 213(WTTG_DT) is showing the program from 214(WDCW-DT). Channel 214 is showing one of the MHZ news channnels. A quick run through the channels also shows BETJ and Bloomberg in the wrong channel slots. But WTTG is completely missing.

I'm using a Series 3 TiVo with two cablecards.

Is anybody else missing the channel?

I was talking to some people from the WBAL tent at the artscape festival in Baltimore last weekend. I was told that its news will go HD this fall.

Congrats to Hampton Roads area for WAVY going HD for their news. Now we have the same number of HD Newscasts as they do! Way to stay ahead of the curve DC!

Because they are 50 miles away and too weak to reach my location in Pennsylvania. When I tuned-in Saturday:

11.1 was HD.
11.2 was the same program in SD.
11.3 was the weather.

If NBC-WBAL is planning to simulcast two Olympic subchannels, plus weather, why does WGAL-8 in Lancaster still only have 2 channels? Wouldn't they be using the same three-channel setup too?
WMAR-DT ABC 2 has been broadcasting a 2.2 SD sub-channel that has the same program as the HD channel for years. They are the only remaining station in DC and Baltimore that does this. Waste of bandwidth no doubt. WBAL-DT 11 currently has 11.1 HD and 11.2 SD weather which they have had for a long time. If they add another SD sub-channel, hopefully it will only be temporary for the Olympics. It will however hurt the HD picture quality for the games. :rolleyes: It is presumably up to WGAL if they want to add a temporary SD sub-channel for the games.

It is somewhat odd that you were able to get WBAL-DT 11, but not WMAR-DT 2, although there are always variations for longer range reception. They are both broadcasting from the same big tower complex and the current digital antennas are at the same height of 312 meters HAAT. WBAL-DT is broadcasting on UHF 59 at 513 kW; WMAR-DT is on UHF 52 at 602 kW. WBAL-DT is the weakest of the 5 main Baltimore stations for me.

If you get WJZ-DT 13 now, you will be able to get to get WMAR-DT 2 after next February 17. WMAR-DT will take over WJZ-DT's UHF 38 transmitter cranking at 1000 kW while WJZ-DT moves to VHF 13 at a good power level for upper VHF of 28.8 kW. WBAL-DT will move to VHF 11 at a much weaker 5 kW and they have not filed an application for increased power. I expect a lot of people at the outer edges of the Baltimore coverage area will lose WBAL-DT reception after February 17 if WBAL-DT sticks with 5 kW.

WMAR-DT ABC 2 has been broadcasting a 2.2 SD sub-channel that has the same program as the HD channel for years. They are the only remaining station in DC and Baltimore that does this. Waste of bandwidth no doubt. Have you or anyone else called & asked why they do this? Seems silly. As if the engineer doesn't understand how digital works. (The HD can be downscaled to fit SD sets - maybe he does not realize that.) WBAL-DT 11 currently has 11.1 HD and 11.2 SD weather which they have had for a long time. If they add another SD sub-channel, hopefully it will only be temporary for the Olympics. It will however hurt the HD picture quality for the games. :rolleyes: It is presumably up to WGAL-DT 8 if they want to add a temporary SD sub-channel for the games. WBAL-11 may have been doing some fluke testing over the weekend if they went from 2 to 3 and back to 2 channels. WGAL-8 shows no inclination towards showing two Olympic broadcasts.

NBC will be using the Local station, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network, Telemundo, plus internet. No real need for a secondary channel on 11-2. It is somewhat odd that you were able to get WBAL-DT 11, but not WMAR-DT 2, although there are always variations for longer range reception. No idea. The other Baltimore station I got was 13, but I've always prefered to watch 11, either analog or digital.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like 11 will be too weak to receive after Feb 2009.

She has the CC DVR box. It is made by Scientific Atlantic. According to the CC agent, they are having a technical problem in her area and expect the channel to be up soon, but I have my doubts that this will be easily resolved.

Comcast finally fixed whatever the issue was and CNN HD channel is now available on my mother's DVR in Howard County, MD.

NBC will be using the Local station, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network, Telemundo, plus internet. No real need for a secondary channel on 11-2.

In New York, they recently began airing "Universal Sports" on NBC O&O WNBC-DT 4-4, and this station will be airing some Olympic-related material.

- Trip

NBC will be using the Local station, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network, Telemundo, plus internet. No real need for a secondary channel on 11-2.


NBC will have two temporary channels just for Olympic soccer and basketball.

Wheel and J! in SD tonight - "problems with the feed" I was told (sounds like I wasn't the first one to complain to the news line). Arrrgh

Check out analog channel 10 on the Annapolis Comcast system. There is a message stating that the entire analog lineup will change next month. More info can be obtained by visiting http://www.comcast.com/channelchangesmd. It looks like the analog service will soon end at channel 70 so they can put digitals on 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75. Presently, the digitals appear to start on channel 76. A while back, I noticed that they were testing on 73 and 74, but those channels were sandwiched between analogs and weren't strong enough to be decoded very reliably.

Congrats to Hampton Roads area for WAVY going HD for their news. Now we have the same number of HD Newscasts as they do! Way to stay ahead of the curve DC!

You can add Richmond to that list. WWBT, the local NBC affiliate, just joined the ranks.

Digital HD locals via Comcast Frederick have major problems this evening.

WUSA isn't coming in at all, WRC and WETA have numerous lockups and macroblocking. WTTG only has a little bit.

Interestingly, if I go to any of the other digital HD channels (UHD, ESPN, etc. and etc.) things are fine.

Switching to OTA improves the situation somewhat (i.e. I can pick up HD WUSA, WETA cleanly), but WRC still has some macroblocking.

Anyone else seeing this?

Well, today is the day RTN7 is supposed to go live. According to the Tivo guide data doesn't look like theres going to be any Greatest American Hero on there, but plenty of other good shows to watch! A-Team, Knight Rider and Magnum P.I. to name a few.

Hopefully they will populate the names of the movies shown on the weekends into the guide data.

-John

Checked WJLA-DT 7.3 and RTN7 has started up with Ironside. The OTA guide data even had the entire day's schedule up through 8 PM which is as far as I checked it. SD picture quality was very soft, but that is to be expected with 1 720P HD and 2 SD sub-channels. Still if we are going to have SD sub-channels, this is a good use for one.

Other news that people may have missed.

1. CBS Evening News is going HD tonight, so we will now have 2 evening news shows in HD. WUSA-DT 9 at 6:30 PM, WJZ-DT 13 at 7 PM. ABC Nightly News is scheduled to go HD the week of September 8. 60 Minutes, BTW, will be going HD in September as well.

2. WMDT ABC 47. This really only affects those on the eastern edge of the DC-Baltimore area or on the eastern shore, but WMDT in Salisbury will be shutting down it's analog signal early on September 20, 2008. WMDT will start up a 350 kW digital signal on UHF 47 several days after the analog is turned off. Their UHF 53 digital signal of 25.1 kW will stay on the air during the transition and then turned off once the new digital signal is up. If you view WMDT analog or know family members or friends who do but have not gotten a converter box, you should tell them that they need to hurry up and get one. Probably too late to apply for the $40 coupon to get one before Sept. 20. The major reasons given in FCC filings for the early shutdown are that was the only time the tower crew would be available and that the current digital signal is rather weak.

I have picked up a noisy WMDT 47 analog at night during tropo weather from time to time even with WMDO-LP 47 in DC between Sterling and Salisbury. Figure I might get WMDT-DT 47.1 sometimes in similar conditions when the station goes digital.

Oops, left out link for WMDT's web page on the early shutdown: http://www.wmdt.com/DTV/index.htm.

Checked WJLA-DT 7.3 and RTN7 has started up with Ironside. The OTA guide data even had the entire day's schedule up through 8 PM which is as far as I checked it. SD picture quality was very soft, but that is to be expected with 1 720P HD and 2 SD sub-channels. Still if we are going to have SD sub-channels, this is a good use for one.

Cool! Thanks for the confirmation. I've been looking forward to this one for a while now. :) I really miss The Tube subchannel. Hopefully this one catches on. It's a much better use than the stupid weather sub channels or SD re-broadcast channels like 2-2.

Checked WJLA-DT 7.3 and RTN7 has started up with Ironside. The OTA guide data even had the entire day's schedule up through 8 PM which is as far as I checked it. SD picture quality was very soft, but that is to be expected with 1 720P HD and 2 SD sub-channels. Still if we are going to have SD sub-channels, this is a good use for one.

Don't forget it's 8 hours of infomercials, daily!

It's a much better use than the stupid weather sub channels or SD re-broadcast channels like 2-2.It is, but in this case, it's displacing Local Point TV, which was original and interesting. :( (If a bit repetitious... but at least it didn't run infomercials.)

And they kept the weather subchannel.

I am really hoping that "Get Smart" will in the lineup. They have it listed on the RTV website, but not a time.

Don't forget it's 8 hours of infomercials, daily
Is the 8 hours a day built into this new network, or is good ol' WJLA adding extra hours of this paid crap to generate extra revenue?

It is, but in this case, it's displacing Local Point TV, which was original and interesting. :( (If a bit repetitious... but at least it didn't run infomercials.)
My biggest gripe with Local Point TV was no guide data. Pretty much made that channel useless with Tivo, as it would never record as a suggestion, and you could never tell when new stuff started/ended.

As for the paid programming, it looks like most [all of the few listings I looked up] of the RTN affliliates run paid programming late night.

The CBS Evening News started in HD with no sound on WUSA, switched to SD.

Reports of problems elsewhere so it's a national issue. Will have to check WJZ at 7.

Now back in HD.

The CBS Evening News started in HD with no sound on WUSA, switched to SD.

Reports of problems elsewhere so it's a national issue. Will have to check WJZ at 7.

Yes, was a problem in NY. Wouldn't want to be there this evening! Audio was restored at 6:44pm!

SD on WJZ.:rolleyes:

Is the 8 hours a day built into this new network, or is good ol' WJLA adding extra hours of this paid crap to generate extra revenue?
Oops. I was wrong, it's 9 hours a day.

From DCRTV.com

7/28 - Looks like Channel 7/ WJLA will launch its Retro TV Network schedule on its "RTN7" digital channel, in place of Local Point TV, at 10 this morning with "Ironside." Also on the sked: "Adam-12," "Dragnet," "Marcus Welby," "Emergency," "Simon And Simon," "Leave It To Beaver," "Quincy," and the "Rockford Files." Oh yeah, paid infomercials run from 1 AM to 10 AM daily.....

My local RTN affiliate does that too. I think they all do it, not just WJLA.

- Trip

WMAR-DT ABC 2 has been broadcasting a 2.2 SD sub-channel that has the same program as the HD channel for years. They are the only remaining station in DC and Baltimore that does this. Waste of bandwidth no doubt. Have you or anyone else called & asked why they do this? Seems silly. As if the engineer doesn't understand how digital works. (The HD can be downscaled to fit SD sets - maybe he does not realize that.)

As of this morning on Verizon Fios TV in the Sterling CO, USA-HD is now live on channel 884. The guide data still says coming soon with no programming specifics. We are supposed to get CNBC-HD on channel 879, but this morning, they have Sci-Fi HD on 879 instead. Running a Eureka marathon in HD no less! Don't know why, but I would vote to keep Sci-Fi HD over CNBC-HD. There are also now test patterns for the two temporary HD Olympic channels for soccer & basketball on channels 896 & 897. These channels are all being added ahead of the big HD expansion to all Fios TV markets across the US for the Olympic coverage.

The roll-out of these channels has been extremely patch quilt across the Washington Metro and Maryland markets. I've seen reports of them being added last week in Herndon and several places in MD. So they may not be live at other locations, but if not, they should be soon. I think follow-ups on this may be more suitable to the Washington DC Verizon thread - which has been inactive.

HBO has been unwatchable for a week now in my building...every other channel is fine...anybody else experience this problem?

Comcast Digital Cable - Montgomery County

Have you or anyone else called & asked why they do this? Seems silly. As if the engineer doesn't understand how digital works. (The HD can be downscaled to fit SD sets - maybe he does not realize that.)
The engineers at the station are fully aware that ATSC tuners and the converter boxes can handle and downconvert the 2.1 HD sub-channel. The 2.2 SD simulcast sub-channel is a decision made by the station manager and/or owners. A number of broadcast stations reportedly used to offer a SD simulcast sub-channel for the cable operators in their area so the cable operators could grab the digital SD signal for their digital tier. But the cable operators should be able to down convert & center cut the HD sub-channels by now for the post analog era. Perhaps the management at WMAR wants to keep 2.2 up & running as they have plans for the sub-channel (RTN?, infomercials 24/7?). Email the station and see if you can get a real answer.

The engineers at the station are fully aware that ATSC tuners and the converter boxes can handle and downconvert the 2.1 HD sub-channel. The 2.2 SD simulcast sub-channel is a decision made by the station manager and/or owners. A number of broadcast stations reportedly used to offer a SD simulcast sub-channel for the cable operators in their area so the cable operators could grab the digital SD signal for their digital tier. But the cable operators should be able to down convert & center cut the HD sub-channels by now for the post analog era. Perhaps the management at WMAR wants to keep 2.2 up & running as they have plans for the sub-channel (RTN?, infomercials 24/7?). Email the station and see if you can get a real answer.Yep... ABC, NBC and CBS have all moved their network bugs into the 4:3 safe zone. Not sure if FOX is doing this...

Yep... ABC, NBC and CBS have all moved their network bugs into the 4:3 safe zone. Not sure if FOX is doing this...

Yep - FOX does that, too. Also, the bug that we put on during non-primetime shows is within the 4:3 safe area. Having said that however, the station bug that is put on in the FOX splicer during prime-time is outside the 4:3 area. That's only on the HD feed.

A related issue that we've run across is during our morning news. We have an L-bar up on both out HD and analog morning news. The L-bar looks preety much the same between the two signals, but is different for each, due to the aspect ratio. After a week or so of doing HD news we got a call from a cable subsciber on the eastern shore who was complaining that the right side of the L-bar was being cut off. It turned out that the cable operator was taking our HD signal and doing a center cut instead of doing a letterbox or using our analog signal.... Not sure how that got resolved, but I haven't heard anything else about it recently.

Cheers -

No problems with CBS Evening News in HD tonight on WUSA.

Pre-empted on WJZ by SD MASN baseball (which is HD on MOJO).

Is anyone having problems with the HD channels for Dtv?? I have been having searching for signal problems on my HD channels for the last few days. It seems to happen in the evenings between 7 and 10, anyone else having the same issue?? I live in College Park and was on vacation over the last 2 weeks and didn't have any issues before I left but I know there were some bad thunderstorms while I was gone. I already talked to Dtv and they didn't know what was going on and plan to send a tech out on Sat.

josh

The engineers at the station are fully aware that ATSC tuners and the converter boxes can handle and downconvert the 2.1 HD sub-channel. The 2.2 SD simulcast sub-channel is a decision made by the station manager and/or owners. A number of broadcast stations reportedly used to offer a SD simulcast sub-channel for the cable operators in their area so the cable operators could grab the digital SD signal for their digital tier. But the cable operators should be able to down convert & center cut the HD sub-channels by now for the post analog era. Perhaps the management at WMAR wants to keep 2.2 up & running as they have plans for the sub-channel (RTN?, infomercials 24/7?). Email the station and see if you can get a real answer.

Heres what I got when I emailed WMAR a few weeks ago:

2.2 Explanation....
Since our analog broadcast is on channel 2 (54-60mhz) ...this range of frequencies have issues with impulse noise, co-channel interference etc...
We have provided the 2.2 for a number of cable and MSTV systems to receive a clean digital picture.....

So does this mean after the transition, 2.2 won't be eating up bandwith anymore? I emailed WMAR about this a while back because I was unhappy with their picture quality. Luckily I get WJLA too because their picture quality is better than WMAR although not by much because both have 2 subchannels.

I'm also glad I get WRC.
WBAL uses way too much bandwidth on their weather plus channel

WRC's SD programming from NBC looks a lot better, anyone know why?

No 5.1 on WBAL

I wonder how cable companies got the WMAR feed prior to DTV's launch?

I wonder how cable companies got the WMAR feed prior to DTV's launch?
For the analog tier, probably from the broadcast VHF 2 signal with the occasional impulse noise glitches or a land line feed for the closer in cable franchises. Checking the FCC database, WMAR-DT filed it's license to cover for UHF 52 at 602 kW in December, 1999 which means the digital signal was on the air before then.

Changing topics, Verizon is still playing around with the new HD channels, which may or may not be available for everyone in the Washington Metro and Baltimore markets by now. I along with others in the region now have: CNBC-HD on channel 879, USA-HD on 884, Sci-Fi HD on 896 and USA-HD (again) on 897. The guide data now states for 896 and 897 that these are temporary HD channels for the Olympics and will start up on August 8. Hope Verizon leaves Sci-Fi HD on 896 until then if they are not going to add it as a permanent HD channel (until the big HD expansion hits our area, possibly starting in mid-September). Anyway, Verizon HD subscribers in the area should check to see what they are getting on those 4 channels.

The CBS Evening News is still in SD on WJZ.

So, has WJZ shown CBS Evening News in HD yet? I saw it in HD on Tuesday night on WUSA, but noted that WJZ is still doing their SD thing. I thought maybe it was because they wanted to run their thunderstorm trailers and they can't do that in HD yet. BUt, maybe not.

I sent a nice little note to WJZ management through their website.

Problems with WMAR 2-1, 2-2, 2-3. Blocky picture, audio sync is off on 2-1.

I along with others in the region now have: CNBC-HD on channel 879, USA-HD on 884, Sci-Fi HD on 896 and USA-HD (again) on 897.
Posted too soon. Verizon is back to test patterns on the temp Olympics HD channels 896 & 897. No Sci-Fi HD anymore. Oh well.

I sent a nice little note to WJZ management through their website.
Good luck with that. They can't manage to get the HD O's games to broadcast in HD either. :rolleyes:

Good luck with that. They can't manage to get the HD O's games to broadcast in HD either. :rolleyes:

Already got a response:

Thank you for your e mail comments. We are currently installing the necessary equipment to broadcast the CBS News in HD. We expect to be up and running within the next 60 days or less.

Why they need extra equipment for a network show I have no idea.:confused:

Posted too soon. Verizon is back to test patterns on the temp Olympics HD channels 896 & 897. No Sci-Fi HD anymore. Oh well.

Nice to see Verizon add 4 new HD channels(temporaily or not). I can't check up on the new developments myself as I am out of town(and alas no Slingbox either), but does this mean Verizon added more QAM channel spots, and if so, how many spots are left? Does this mean there could be a mini-boost of more HD channels before the major realignment?

Has anyone besides myself noticed any spike or improvement with the WBAL-DT (11.1 and 11.2) OTA signal over the past two days? Approximately three days ago, my Dish VIP-722 receiver showed WBAL-DT with a steady 86-88 meter reading. For the past two days, it has been and is now a consistent 95-98.

WJZ-DT, on the same tower, has been a consistent 92-93 throughout. WMAR-DT, on the same tower, is always 100 for me. WBAL-DT has historically been the weakest of the three signals. I'm about 26 miles from the tower and my antenna has remained stationary in the exact same position during the past week or more.

FWIW, I have noticed other peaks and valleys with the WBAL-DT signal over the past year or more. Meanwhile, WJZ-DT and WMAR-DT are always rock-solid consistent with their signal levels. This is strange since all three channels transmit from the same tower, I assume for digital as well as analog.

Thank you for your e mail comments. We are currently installing the necessary equipment to broadcast the CBS News in HD. We expect to be up and running within the next 60 days or less.

Even though they knew about this for months and months... What is it about Baltimore and Washington stations and lack of HD news and/or airing things in HD (like J! and Wheel for awhile). Can't wait to see how many of the syndicated shows that will be available in HD will actually be aired here in HD (Do you think ABC-7 will show Oprah from Day 1?)

Even though they knew about this for months and months... What is it about Baltimore and Washington stations and lack of HD news and/or airing things in HD (like J! and Wheel for awhile). Can't wait to see how many of the syndicated shows that will be available in HD will actually be aired here in HD (Do you think ABC-7 will show Oprah from Day 1?)

I don't have hight hopes for Entertainment Tonight or Dr. Phil on WJZ.

We'll see about World News Tonight on WMAR which goes HD the week of 9/8. They don't show This Week with George S. in HD.

And then there's Fox News Sunday on WBFF.

<edit>

And then there's Fox News Sunday on WBFF.

I don't actually watch that program, but as far as I know (and I just checked with master control), we carry that in HD.

Fox is easy that way - anything that's available in HD is broadcast in HD, through the Fox Splicer.

I don't actually watch that program, but as far as I know (and I just checked with master control), we carry that in HD.

Fox is easy that way - anything that's available in HD is broadcast in HD, through the Fox Splicer.

Fox News Sunday is in widescreen SD. It's supposed to go HD in August, unless they switched early and nobody noticed. Since it's already in Fox Widescreen through the splicer, I guess it will be in HD when they make the switch.

More Fun With Baltimore Channels: Last Comic Standing is in HD on WRC but not WBAL!

I wasn't aware Last Comic Standing was even available in HD...

- Trip

I wasn't aware Last Comic Standing was even available in HD...

- Trip

Apparently it's the first HD episode.

Dish Network added a ton of HD today.

Including:

Planet Green
CBS College Sports
Lifetime
Lifetime Movie Channel

Premium Channels:
HBO West, HBO 2, HBO Comedy, HBO Latino, HBO Signature, HBO Zone
Action MAX
Starz West, Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, Starz Kids

and EncoreHD

Yep... ABC, NBC and CBS have all moved their network bugs into the 4:3 safe zone. Not sure if FOX is doing this...


I don't even notice those any more. The only time it grabs my attention is if there is movement in that area like they sometimes do to advertise a program where something runs across the bottom.
I usually don't even realize the station bug is there unless someone points it out to me.

a week without posts with the olympics on, unbelievable!!!

I think everyone is trying to learn if the Opening Ceremonies will ever be available on Blu-Ray. As far as I am concerned, it would be worth it.

Seriously, aside from the forums meltdown, I think all of the Olympics discussion has been over in the HDTV Programming area.

-SUO

Anyone else have the Big Ten Network added today? Just noticed it now in my channel lineup here in Montclair, VA. Its on channel 257 but can't view it because its "not authorized?"

a week without posts with the olympics on, unbelievable!!!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1054910

Anyone else in NoVA, specifically in manassas, notice that Comcast has had really bad macroblocking or complete channel outages recently. I've had there service here for like 3 years and just within the last like 2 weeks i have had all sorts of channels (HD & SD) stop working or become unwatchable. It all started around the time they added those 2 olympic channels. Anyone else that can shed some light on this would be appreciated. I have a tech coming out on wednesday night hopefully they can figure it out but i would love some input from all you forum dwellers.

Some of the channels with problems
Showtime HD - no picture at all
HBO HD - sporadic picture and sound problems
The N - I love my fresh prince of belair - sporadic problems
NBC HD - trying to watch olympics is impossible because of macroblocking and sound dropouts

Had a few others as well cant remember which though. Also, before you reply, yes, i did reset the box already with no effect. Thanks so much everyone.

Anyone else have the Big Ten Network added today? Just noticed it now in my channel lineup here in Montclair, VA. Its on channel 257 but can't view it because its "not authorized?"

Comcast?

I think that is in the sports tier. Do you have that?

Anyone else in NoVA, specifically in manassas, notice that Comcast has had really bad macroblocking or complete channel outages recently. I've had there service here for like 3 years and just within the last like 2 weeks i have had all sorts of channels (HD & SD) stop working or become unwatchable. It all started around the time they added those 2 olympic channels. Anyone else that can shed some light on this would be appreciated. I have a tech coming out on wednesday night hopefully they can figure it out but i would love some input from all you forum dwellers.

I had this happen twice to me over the past two months. Usually for a week at a time. I'm up in Sterling BTW. Tech came, said there wasn't a problem and my signal was VERY strong. I asked if his equipment could tell drop rate versus just signal strength, and he looked at me like I had two heads. He had no concept of signal strength, versus quality of the signal you do get. Anyway, he said he'd have to escalate the problem. IT was finally fixed a week later. Then a month later, the same thing happened again.

And comcast wonders why I am going FIOS.

Anyone else have the Big Ten Network added today? Just noticed it now in my channel lineup here in Montclair, VA. Its on channel 257 but can't view it because its "not authorized?"

Got Big Ten Network on Comcast. Looks SD though:mad: Could be wrong about the SD, it could just be crappy Comcast signal? I have the sports tier which you need to view it.

I'm beginning to think that Comcast's methodology for handling bandwidth problems is to drop HD channels for a day or two. During the past month, 1 or 2 HD channels have gone black only to return a day or two later - usually on the weekend. Calls are a waste of time - the response is "that network must be off the air". I usually call a friend with Cox and insure the channel is working, but the CSRs are hopeless. On one occasion, after getting a little testy, the channel begin working about 10 minutes after I hung up. Apparently no one works weekends at the headend.

Anyone else notice that the audio is not quite in sync during the Olympics on WRC DT? You can only tell when an announcer is on screen, but it's off enough to be annoying. The News and other programming is fine (except for the Nightly News). I have FIOS, but I've also hooked up an antennae and noticed the same problem OTA. The analog channel is fine on FIOS.

Anyone else notice that the audio is not quite in sync during the Olympics on WRC DT? You can only tell when an announcer is on screen, but it's off enough to be annoying. The News and other programming is fine (except for the Nightly News). I have FIOS, but I've also hooked up an antennae and noticed the same problem OTA. The analog channel is fine on FIOS.

Yup, really annoying. Was like this last time as well. I Tivo mostly OTA for my locals, so I can confirm this isn't a FIOS thing.

Plus, the HD isn't that great, frankly. It's better than SD, but it's like they are using really cheap HD cameras. Yeah, I get that it's expensive to buy the 1,000 HD cameras or whatever they need, but come on, it's 2008 already. Can I get some quality live HD feeds from the Olympics at some point?

The Olympics started in SD again on WBAL at 8:00 and went to HD at 8:15.

Anyone else notice that the audio is not quite in sync during the Olympics on WRC DT? You can only tell when an announcer is on screen, but it's off enough to be annoying. The News and other programming is fine (except for the Nightly News). I have FIOS, but I've also hooked up an antennae and noticed the same problem OTA. The analog channel is fine on FIOS.

I'm on Cox and the quality really is poor for what should be a flagship event. The sync issues are bad too and even some of the commercials have them!!!

Anyone else in NoVA, specifically in manassas, notice that Comcast has had really bad macroblocking or complete channel outages recently. I've had there service here for like 3 years and just within the last like 2 weeks i have had all sorts of channels (HD & SD) stop working or become unwatchable. It all started around the time they added those 2 olympic channels. Anyone else that can shed some light on this would be appreciated. I have a tech coming out on wednesday night hopefully they can figure it out but i would love some input from all you forum dwellers.

Some of the channels with problems
Showtime HD - no picture at all
HBO HD - sporadic picture and sound problems
The N - I love my fresh prince of belair - sporadic problems
NBC HD - trying to watch olympics is impossible because of macroblocking and sound dropouts

Had a few others as well cant remember which though. Also, before you reply, yes, i did reset the box already with no effect. Thanks so much everyone.


Here in Harford County MD I am having a hell of a time with my Comcast signal. According to my cable modem ROM, my signal strength (downstream) is -14db, when it should be between +8 and -8. My upstream signal is at 58db, when it should be under 55db. Had them out once to replace my crumbling line, and I got downstream up to -9db for a while, and upstream to 57db, but no better than that, and now its gone right back to hell again. Sometimes I am unable to receive some stations, and my sons XBOX 360 has only sporadic ability to connect to XBox Live. I guess I have to call them again and complain, but usually the folks I talk to have no idea what I mean by the modem ROM data.

Great industry.

Sesame Street is in HD starting this week. Not surprisingly, MPT is showing it in SD on the HD channel.

Thanks for the replys guys.

The tech will be out tommorrow night, I will post on what they do/say. I am really irked that I missed Weeds on Showtime last night because of the crappy signal. At least I should be able to catch it OnDemand tonight (fingers crossed).

I've pretty much given up on MPT's HD effort.

I've pretty much given up on MPT's HD effort.

It can't be as bad as the mess that parades as WETA's HDTV channel, which doesn't show a large number of PBS's HD offerings, such as the Live from the Met series which was in HD. WETA just showed it in SD on their SD channel. Same with most of the Great Performances shows. Instead, they just run the same awful programming ("America's Heartland," "The Desert Speaks," etc.) over and over again.

Another reason never to give WETA a red cent.

I've pretty much given up on MPT's HD effort.


Me, too. I keep hoping that the DirecTV solution will include a national PBS HD feed for all.

Another reason never to give WETA a red cent.

I've enjoyed new episodes of Nova Science NOW on WETA in HD.

Anyone else notice that the audio is not quite in sync during the Olympics on WRC DT? You can only tell when an announcer is on screen, but it's off enough to be annoying. The News and other programming is fine (except for the Nightly News). I have FIOS, but I've also hooked up an antennae and noticed the same problem OTA. The analog channel is fine on FIOS.It's an NBC issue; beyond WRC's control. You'll see the same problem on WBAL-11.

It can't be as bad as the mess that parades as WETA's HDTV channel, which doesn't show a large number of PBS's HD offerings, such as the Live from the Met series which was in HD. WETA just showed it in SD on their SD channel. Same with most of the Great Performances shows. Instead, they just run the same awful programming ("America's Heartland," "The Desert Speaks," etc.) over and over again.

Another reason never to give WETA a red cent.

I do get tired of seeing the same tired shows over and over on WETA HD, but I believe one reason why some PBS shows don't end up on WETA in HD is because MPT has the exclusive rights to those shows in our market.

I'm catching up on my digests and it seems 8/2-8/10 posts are missing! Anybody else notice or know why?

Regarding the Post about Ravens pre-season not being in HD; Most NFL PreSeason that are not National broadcasts are produced by the team, not by the station that is carrying them.

I'm catching up on my digests and it seems 8/2-8/10 posts are missing! Anybody else notice or know why?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14422215#post14422215

Looks like my Olympic post was lost too.

I've pretty much given up on MPT's HD effort.

I have a friend who is an engineer at MPT. He says they will be installing new hardware in October that will finally improve their HD effort.

Can some1 explain to me in laymen's term why my NBC-HD on basic Cox cable would all of sudden be remapped from 4-1 to like 114-3 - during primetime no less?

It started happening 2 nights ago, & now my TV doesn't even jump automatically to 114-3 when I select 4-1 anymore.

I haven't done a rescan yet because sometimes it will not pick up 4-1 until Cox flip something on their side...again.

Can some1 explain to me in laymen's term why my NBC-HD on basic Cox cable would all of sudden be remapped from 4-1 to like 114-3 - during primetime no less?


Because Cox modified the mapping info that is sent out with the signal that tells your TV what ch to display when it tunes to that signal.

I have a friend who is an engineer at MPT. He says they will be installing new hardware in October that will finally improve their HD effort.

I was under the impression that MPT's HD issues where more financial rather than engineering. I had read that PBS wanted $$$ for all of their HD (Even the SD Widescreen stuff). So MPT balked and instead of running material 24/7 on their HD channel, they only air "certain" programs in HD and just use SD the rest of the time to save money.

I've enjoyed new episodes of Nova Science NOW on WETA in HD.

Nova Science NOW has never been in HD.

Can some1 explain to me in laymen's term why my NBC-HD on basic Cox cable would all of sudden be remapped from 4-1 to like 114-3 - during primetime no less?

It started happening 2 nights ago, & now my TV doesn't even jump automatically to 114-3 when I select 4-1 anymore.

I haven't done a rescan yet because sometimes it will not pick up 4-1 until Cox flip something on their side...again.
I swear they do it to force non tech savvy people to upgrade their service. comcast did it in Eastern Loudoun a couple months ago. Now I have to go to 112-1*** to start the string of broadcast HD channels. Of course they mix in all the foreign channels to make it as difficult as possible to quickly scan.

I swear they do it to force non tech savvy people to upgrade their service. comcast did it in Easter Loudoun a couple months ago. Now I have to go to 112-1*** to start the string of broadcast HD channels. Of course they mix in all the foreign channels to make it as difficult as possible to quickly scan.

haha, exactly what i was thinking!
My parents live out that way & yes they have to goto 112 to get their locals mixed with the russian & french propaganda. ;)

Because Cox modified the mapping info that is sent out with the signal that tells your TV what ch to display when it tunes to that signal.

Would a rescan get me back to 4-1?
Cause I'd prefer not to rescan (15 minute job on my sammy) only to have it flip back to something else later on again.

I was under the impression that MPT's HD issues where more financial rather than engineering. I had read that PBS wanted $$$ for all of their HD (Even the SD Widescreen stuff). So MPT balked and instead of running material 24/7 on their HD channel, they only air "certain" programs in HD and just use SD the rest of the time to save money.

Do you know if they run Motorweek or any of their other productions in full widescreen on MPT-DT? My cable provider, RCN, doesn't carry MPT-DT, and I haven't been able to receive it reliably with rabbit ears at my location.

hey KurbKid - exactly same problems here in Washington DC. TNT-HD, Showtime and even FoodNetwork-HD are all either out or have serious macroblocking going on. GRRR!

anything your tech tells you will be appreciated. haven't bitched to Comcast (yet) but wanted to know what was going on!? don't know enough about how they work their system, but it seems that there's some truth to the theory that they're dealing with bandwidth issues by dropping certain channels.

FIOS can't get here quickly enough!

Do you know if they run Motorweek or any of their other productions in full widescreen on MPT-DT?I'm pretty sure Motorweek is full widescreen OTA-DT. The graphics are sometimes cropped on my SDTV; similar to when WBAL uses it's stretch-o-vision. The PQ is very good; with minimal compression artifacts.

Per an ad in yesterday's Gazette newspapers, Comcast in Montgomery will add HD versions of AMC, Animal Planet, CNN, History and TLC on September 12th. To make room, the SD version of AMC will move to digital.

Today DIRECTV added new HD channels:

286: Planet Green HD
311: ABC Family HD
541: Showtime Showcase HD
542: Showtime Extreme HD

And upgraded RSNs to 24/7 HD:
646: FSN South
647: FSN Midwest
649: Sport South
653: Sun Sports
659: FSN Pittsburgh
668: FSN North
683: FSN Rocky Mountain
686: FSN Arizona
687: FSN Northwest

A sign of things to come for NBC4?

And I stress the question mark: I have noticed recently that NBC4 is running HD commercials during their local (still SD) news. Could it have something to do with the Olympics or does it reflect an upcomic change to local HD news? We shall see...

1) Anyone in the DC area receive the firmware upgrade on their Comcast boxes yet? Other areas of the country have been receiving the new version update, which is supposed to FINALLY address the remote control command quueing issues. Comcast seems to know nothing about it though when I called their support line.

2) Is WBAL only broadcasting in Pro-Logic, not Dolby Digital? I've noticed that whenever I check WBAL-HD's Olympic coverage, the audio is never in DD, while any other Olympic Network (UHD, Bravo, etc) seem to be fine.

Thanks.

1) Anyone in the DC area receive the firmware upgrade on their Comcast boxes yet? Other areas of the country have been receiving the new version update, which is supposed to FINALLY address the remote control command quueing issues. Comcast seems to know nothing about it though when I called their support line.

That problem was still happening yesterday...drives people nuts.

That would be really nice if they would fix that

2) Is WBAL only broadcasting in Pro-Logic, not Dolby Digital? I've noticed that whenever I check WBAL-HD's Olympic coverage, the audio is never in DD, while any other Olympic Network (UHD, Bravo, etc) seem to be fine.I've never seen DD5.1 from WBAL-DT. Not even during the last Olympics when at lease WRC-DT went DD5.1.

1) Anyone in the DC area receive the firmware upgrade on their Comcast boxes yet? Other areas of the country have been receiving the new version update, which is supposed to FINALLY address the remote control command quueing issues. Comcast seems to know nothing about it though when I called their support line.

2) Is WBAL only broadcasting in Pro-Logic, not Dolby Digital? I've noticed that whenever I check WBAL-HD's Olympic coverage, the audio is never in DD, while any other Olympic Network (UHD, Bravo, etc) seem to be fine.

Thanks.

Aren't all the digital broadcasts in DD. I've seen DD 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1 over the last 7 years but always Dolby Digital.

As far as MPT goes, we stopped supporting them when they stopped the PBSHD channel and went to simulcast. They are just terrible right now, showing only a few shows in HD and others in SD letterbox. Even my wife, who always gave to one or both of MPT and WETA has stopped giving to MPT (we no longer get WETA on Comcast here) at all. Very poor HD performance. They do show McNeil/Lehrer (not sure the actual name) News Hour in HD, but by 10pm they are done. So it may be money, not equipment, as mentioned before.

Aren't all the digital broadcasts in DD. I've seen DD 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1 over the last 7 years but always Dolby Digital.

Apologies, what I meant was true 5.1. WBAL is definitely not broadcasting DD5.1. Seems to be stereo only from what I can tell. Very frustrating that I'm forced to get the Baltimore local's now.

Hello, I am new to the area and was wondering if anyone had RCN or had any information on the quality of RCN's HD channels. I have heard that Comcast is lowering the quality of their HD channels. Anyone have a preference or advice? Thank you.

The MASN telecast of the Mets - Nationals should be in HD, but isn't, does any one of the other 5,999 fans who watch the Nats on MASN have a good way to call WDCA.

The MASN telecast of the Mets - Nationals should be in HD, but isn't, does any one of the other 5,999 fans who watch the Nats on MASN have a good way to call WDCA.

It is available in HD in the DC area on Mojo/MASN-HD (assuming you have access to it).

Hey Josh,

What s/w version is it supposed to be that they are going to download? I sure hope MOCO COMCAST gets it out. What a pain!

It is available in HD in the DC area on Mojo/MASN-HD (assuming you have access to it).
It was blacked out on D* (626-1) the entire game unfortunately. WDCA has screwed up before on this.

Hey Josh,

What s/w version is it supposed to be that they are going to download? I sure hope MOCO COMCAST gets it out. What a pain!

If you're using a DCT 6412 Phase III (the majority of users I think), the new firmware should be:

75.59 a25p2-2.S1.r-8

Currently in Anne Arundel, we're still on:

74.53-3321

I'm in zip 22027 and have no clue as to when FIOS will appear. Can anyone help pointing me in the right direction?

I plan on getting an hdtv end of November and will need to get hd reception then. Currently, I have Cox and by all accounts, that's probably not the best way to go.

I'm guessing I'm going to have to sign up for at least 1 year on directv or dish if fios isn't around here by then. Just trying to make a wise decision here before that long of a commitment - thanks for your help.

I wouldn't automatically write off sticking with Cox simply based on what you've read... You never know how your experience may differ.

Drew

I live in Fios Turf (I even have FiOS internet in my house) but I am still a Dish Network subscriber because I really like the way their Set Top Boxes function and they have a lot of HD channels. Pricewise, I think they are all pretty much the same (too much).

I think that you will be happy with either Dish or DirectTV. Both also offer the DC locals in HD over the satellite, but you'd want to add an antenna to pick up the ones that they don't carry (see the very first post of this thread for a channel run down).

The MASN telecast of the Mets - Nationals should be in HD, but isn't, does any one of the other 5,999 fans who watch the Nats on MASN have a good way to call WDCA.

I wonder why WDCA decided not to show the game in HD. They have done HD before for Nationals' games.

I'm in zip 22027 and have no clue as to when FIOS will appear. Can anyone help pointing me in the right direction?

I plan on getting an hdtv end of November and will need to get hd reception then. Currently, I have Cox and by all accounts, that's probably not the best way to go.

I'm guessing I'm going to have to sign up for at least 1 year on directv or dish if fios isn't around here by then. Just trying to make a wise decision here before that long of a commitment - thanks for your help.

I think it is a 2 year commitment to DirecTV if you go HD or DVR or both. 18 months on Dish?

Anyway, what you want probably depends on what your viewing habits are. If you are a sports junkie and want the out of market NFL or baseball, then DirecTV is your choice. If you want only HD, the Dish probably is better for you as they have an HD only package. Dish is comparable for the NBA and NHL to DirecTV and both have a good choice of movie channels and national HD.

Not sure what Dish has in DC but DirecTV has all the nets (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, MyNetwork, CW) minus PBS in HD (that is supposedly coming but no firm dates). You would probably want OTA for subchannels, and PBS in HD.

I'm in zip 22027 and have no clue as to when FIOS will appear. Can anyone help pointing me in the right direction?

I plan on getting an hdtv end of November and will need to get hd reception then. Currently, I have Cox and by all accounts, that's probably not the best way to go.

I'm guessing I'm going to have to sign up for at least 1 year on directv or dish if fios isn't around here by then. Just trying to make a wise decision here before that long of a commitment - thanks for your help.


Cox isn't bad just like every other carrier here - they are a bunch of nitwits sometimes. I've had good service with them on both video & data.
Rarely ever drops out. They do tend to nickel & dime you on stuff.

Of course if bundling or broadband is not important to you then by all means shop around.

I'm in zip 22027 and have no clue as to when FIOS will appear. Can anyone help pointing me in the right direction?

You are in Dunn Loring, so Verizon Fios may be available. Check http://www22.verizon.com/content/FiosTV/ for availability using both your phone number and street address. If Fios is not yet available, can't help you when it would be. Check the Fios programming thread in the HD Programming forum, the equipment sticky threads in the HDTV Technical and Recorders forums for more detailed info. Verizon currently has 18 national HD and 5 premium HD channels, besides 8 HD locals, CSN-MA HD, and the 2 temp Olympic channels. We should be getting the 1st HD expansion round here in the last half of September, but that has not been confirmed (could see dates posted tonight at the Verizon channel line-up web page). The NY Verizon subscribers now have close to 100 HD channels and all markets are supposed to get 100 HD channels by the end of the year (but schedule slips with Fios are old news).

For the other providers: Cox, Dish, and DirecTV are all viable options for HD. You have to weigh costs, number of HD channels, HD picture quality (Fios, DirecTV very good, the others not so much due to compression), and internet access bundles. Verizon Fios internet service pretty much matches the speeds you pay for: 5 down / 2 up, 10/2, 20/20, etc,

Lastly, if you get a new HD TV, don't forget about the free OTA (Over The Air) option. Because we have 2 close major cities, many of us in the greater DC-Baltimore area get the major stations in both cities OTA with an antenna. All 7 of the broadcast networks that provide HD have full power digital stations in DC and 6 out of 7 in Baltimore (still waiting for WUTB-DT My 24 to switch to HD). It can be useful to get the Baltimore station when the DC network affiliate pre-empts or messes up the network HD programs and as a backup in case your service provider goes off-line.

hey KurbKid - exactly same problems here in Washington DC. TNT-HD, Showtime and even FoodNetwork-HD are all either out or have serious macroblocking going on. GRRR!

anything your tech tells you will be appreciated. haven't bitched to Comcast (yet) but wanted to know what was going on!? don't know enough about how they work their system, but it seems that there's some truth to the theory that they're dealing with bandwidth issues by dropping certain channels.

FIOS can't get here quickly enough!

Conrad,
Sorry to hear of your problems.

Comcast may have some bad CSRs but i must say that there technicians have been very helpful.

As it turns out it wasnt a network wide issue. The problem stems from my living in an apartment building. From what the tech told me, there is basically a main line running to each building which is then spliced off to all the units that subscribe. What happened to me was that someone new moved in and had got cable installed and the installer spliced me onto someone else splice, or something of that nature. This means out of all the people in my building I was getting the least bandwidth. The tech said he arranged things a little less haphazardly so that all residents would get an "equal strength" signal. All channels that were glitching are now working and my internet is around 4 times faster (was 2.5Mbps - now 10+Mbps).

So Conrad if you are in an apartment or condo building I would recommend you relate my story to the tech and see if they can help you. Best of luck!!!

On another note - Watched the Women's (err should be called "girl's", c'mon they are all like 15) gymnastics last night and wow that Nastia chic murdered the Chinese. It was awesome!

Got an email from MPT: Sesame Street will be in HD next week or the week after. (Hopefully more shows will be as well.)

tmeader,

I'm in MOCO with a 6412 and I have 74.53-3321 as you have.

Will watch for change. Hope it is soon.

Thanks

Mom says Comcast in AA County is moving a bunch of basic channels (TCM, etc.) to higher numbers on 8/23. Sounds like they are removing a lot of analog channels.

This has been brought up before, but has WBAL announced when they will finally give us DD5.1. God forbid we have it for the Olympics, but its almost football season and the new seasons of great NBC shows. The only savior is FIOS gives us WRC out of DC.

Mom says Comcast in AA County is moving a bunch of basic channels (TCM, etc.) to higher numbers on 8/23. Sounds like they are removing a lot of analog channels.

Howard County as well. Just about everything other than the Baltimore broadcast channels are moving to be "grouped for our convenience".:confused:

Thanks for all the input follks. Verizon does have a Directv bundle here so that's what I'm currently leaning towards (have their cell phone service too). Decisions, decisions...

Howard County as well. Just about everything other than the Baltimore broadcast channels are moving to be "grouped for our convenience".:confused:

Then the same thing should happen in Baltimore. Room for more HD.

Sesame Street is now in HD on MPT.

Verizon Fios update: At long last, we have some confirmed dates for the big channel re-alignment and first round of HD expansion for our area.

Effective dates added August 18 to the Verizon website at http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm:
9/18 Anne Arundel/Howard County MD
9/22 Washington Metro
10/1 Baltimore

If I count correctly, 14 additional national HD channels, 8 additional premium HD channels. Big expansion to 100+ HD channels, reportedly later in the year.

Verizon Fios update: At long last, we have some dates for the big channel re-alignment and first round of HD expansion for our area.

Effective dates added August 18 to the Verizon website at http://www22.verizon.com/content/fiostv/channel+lineup/channel+lineup.htm
9/18 Anne Arundel/Howard County MD
9/22 Washington Metro
10/1 Baltimore

If I count correctly, 14 additional national HD channels, 8 additional premium HD channels. Big expansion to 100+ HD channels, reportedly later in the year.

So it's the same date they've been saying for the last month or two. UNfortunately it's the week that many of the new shows start. Hopefully the channel re-alignment won't affect my recordings.