Tonight's Caps game on CSN HD is looking really good in widescreen SD. Hopefully they're planning on doing all of this season's non-HD games in 16:9.

I was thinking the same thing. The game against Atlanta was also widescreen. Except for that technical glitch on Saturday night, so far, it's all been HD or widescreen. With 70% of the games in HD, I would be very happy with 30% in widescreen. It just makes hockey so much more enjoyable on TV when you can see more ice.

Yesterday afternoon (10/21/2008) during WTTG FOX 5's five pm newscast around 5:28pm, they showed a live video feed of their new control room....

With the anchor saying "Here's a look at our brand new control room"

Might it be a hint that they're a step closer to HD news...?

I really was expecting to see another station or two go HD this fall. I guess it was not to be.

I really was expecting to see another station or two go HD this fall. I guess it was not to be.
About the same time last year, I would have thought 4, 5, and 7 would have made the move by now based on all I had read. Sad state of affairs.

About the same time last year, I would have thought 4, 5, and 7 would have made the move by now based on all I had read. Sad state of affairs.

The bare minimum to get by, it's the DC way.

I noticed on Comcast's cable listing on their website for Alexandria that they have listed FX-HD (221), Fox News HD (222) and Speed HD (242). I'm guessing those are our next stations? They listed the last batch of additions on the website a few weeks before they actually started carrying the stations.

shows that for Manassas as well, looks like good news to me. November 1st is what the letter says I got from Comcast stating that Digital Classic customers will recieve 20 additional channels. Looks like these are three of them

Looks like the new WUSA HD encoder is now installed. Harris NetVX, I assume? (Should have gone Harmonic...)

I still have no sound on my Toshiba HDTV for CBS DC or CBS Baltimore. CBS DC sent this email on 10/22/08:

Dear Kev, We made a (very) minor adjustment to our encoder in the last couple of days. Try another re-scan and let me know if anything changes.

Regards,
Victor
Director of Technology & Operations

I also got an email from Harris Broadcast:

Gents,
Thinking about this further I developed a theory with one of my cohorts here in the office.
The difference between the Flexicoder feed and a NetVX feed is simple really when you break it down to a stream generation method.

The Flexicoder continues to generate it's own PAT / PMT and PSI tables and simply adds the PSIP info (descriptors etc) into that stream.

The NetVX is usually set to NOT generate the tables and let PSIP do it for us. This is a standard setting suggested by the PSIP manufacturers.

This may explain why multiple NetVX streams letting the PSIP generate the tables are not decoding audio on these receivers/ TV's.

So I set the WUSA NetVX to generate the PSI tables and turned that feature off in the PSIP.
This change occurred at 5:25PM Eastern time.

Richard- thank you for granting me access to your machine.
Let me know if the primary channel audio is now able to be decoded on the "suspect" sets.
We can reverse engineer this same scenario on the Flexicoder to prove it out once we get some info back.

Bruce
HARRIS BCD Support / Field Services
DTV / Intraplex / Networking

Well Cox of Fairfax added a handful of HD channels and all I can say is "underwhelmed." Most of them don't seem to broadcast in HD all that often, which is sort of okay because their programming isn't worth watching, anyway.

Sorry to sound like a broken record but how does Cox intend to compete with FIOS and DirecTV (I can't get the latter because I lack the requisite southern exposure) with these kind of meager offerings? What a joke!

Is anybody else experiencing audio stuttering on WBFF FOX HD programming received OTA?

Lately the nationwide programming has been stuttering very badly. Making the programming almost unwatchable on my Toshiba television.

I don't have any problem with the commercials. And when the program returns from commercials it takes about 30-45 seconds for the stuttering to start up again. Then it's persistent until the commercials come back.

I know it must not be a problem for everyone. I have one of those coupon DTV converter boxes and it gets plays the audio just fine. Both tuners display a very strong signal level.

My set didn't have these problems when receiving WTTG (Fox DC) back in August, and all other broadcast channels (ABC,CBS,NBC,MPT,CW) come in fine.

Is anybody else experiencing audio stuttering on WBFF FOX HD programming received OTA?

Lately the nationwide programming has been stuttering very badly. Making the programming almost unwatchable on my Toshiba television.

I don't have any problem with the commercials. And when the program returns from commercials it takes about 30-45 seconds for the stuttering to start up again. Then it's persistent until the commercials come back.

I know it must not be a problem for everyone. I have one of those coupon DTV converter boxes and it gets plays the audio just fine. Both tuners display a very strong signal level.

My set didn't have these problems when receiving WTTG (Fox DC) back in August, and all other broadcast channels (ABC,CBS,NBC,MPT,CW) come in fine.

I tuned in at the beginning of the baseball game, and it was fine OTA at the office. DirecTV has been having a lot of problems with audio stuttering, and they get the signal OTA. Maybe it's related. This is the first time that I've heard of an OTA problem, though.

I've been unable to find what would be causing a problem, though... I'm still looking.

I noticed that Two and a Half Men is now in HD on WUTB.

Well Cox of Fairfax added a handful of HD channels and all I can say is "underwhelmed." Most of them don't seem to broadcast in HD all that often, which is sort of okay because their programming isn't worth watching, anyway.

Sorry to sound like a broken record but how does Cox intend to compete with FIOS and DirecTV (I can't get the latter because I lack the requisite southern exposure) with these kind of meager offerings? What a joke!
...and to go along with that, I found the following at multichannel news:

The Federal Communications Commission proposed to fine Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications for moving some channels from their broadcast lineups to switched digital video groups — rendering that programming inaccessible to non-operator-supplied devices like TiVo recorders.

In notices issued last Wednesday, the agency's Enforcement Bureau said Time Warner Cable Oceanic's Oahu and Kauai systems and Cox's Fairfax County, Va., system last fall “apparently willfully violated” federal rules requiring providers to make all video programming available to third-party consumer electronics that use CableCards.

The bureau proposed to fine Time Warner Cable $40,000 and Cox $20,000 for the violations and to require both MSOs to issue refunds to any affected customers.

“Time Warner Cable does not agree with the [notices] and will be responding accordingly to the Enforcement Bureau,” the company said in a statement.

Cox issued its own statement, saying it “disagrees with the FCC's ruling, and will defend our use of switched-digital technology in responding to the Notice of Apparent Liability. Our deployment of switched digital to maximize the power of our broadband network has greatly benefited our Northern Virginia customers, where we've introduced more than 50 new channels — including 24 high-definition offerings — enabled by this technology.”

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6606618.html

I noticed on Comcast's cable listing on their website for Alexandria that they have listed FX-HD (221), Fox News HD (222) and Speed HD (242). I'm guessing those are our next stations? They listed the last batch of additions on the website a few weeks before they actually started carrying the stations.

According to a customer service rep, Baltimore is getting these channels on 11/20.

Any word on when Comcast-DC will be adding some more HD channels? FX HD would be nice, for starters.

Verizon Fios has added new channels for NHL Center Ice at channels 1475 to 1488. The channels are now listed as NHL 1 to NHL 14 and if the scrolling notice on channel 49 is correct, will have programming available for subscription by tonight. Verizon has signed a contract to carry the NHL network SD and HD channels which will reportedly be added nationwide to all Fios markets in November. So the hockey fans on Fios should be happy.

I noticed that Two and a Half Men is now in HD on WUTB.

I really wish I could get that signal at my location. Too bad they couldn't separate WMPT and WUTB. Is WMPT staying at 42 or is it moving back to 22?

I really wish I could get that signal at my location. Too bad they couldn't separate WMPT and WUTB. Is WMPT staying at 42 or is it moving back to 22?
According to http://www.rabbitears.info/dtr.php (which is a fantastic resource, BTW)...
WMPT is staying at 42.

I live in Annapolis. WMPT pretty much squashes any adjacent signals with my little amplified indoor antenna. Once in a blue moon I can get WBOC-DT (on 21 out of Delaware), but usually 22 analog is so strong at my house that it bleeds onto the adjacent channels. I'll have to check on WUTB when I get home, I don't remember if I get that OTA or not...

Anybody having problems with NBC4? I tend to have no or in and out signal in the early morning around 6:30amEDT. Had no issue with any channel for the past 3 years and all of the sudden NBC4 is having issues. Do i do another search for the OTA Scan with my HR10-250 Direct TV receiver?

NBC4 has been no help.. not surprised since they still have not gone to HD news and WUSA re did the HD look and is even better.

Thanks,

I really wish I could get that signal at my location. Too bad they couldn't separate WMPT and WUTB. Is WMPT staying at 42 or is it moving back to 22?
Both WUTB-DT 24 on UHF 41 and WMPT-DT 22 on UHF 42 are staying at those channels after the analog shutdown. In June WUTB-DT submitted a maximize power application to increase to 290 kW from the current 200 kW after the transition, but with no change in the antenna pattern. The FCC has not granted nor rejected the WUTB filing yet. But since you are at a low power azimuth axis in the WUTB-DT antenna pattern, an increase to 290 kW is not likely to help much. For the My Network programming, you will have to go to WDCA-DT 20.

WMPT-DT 22 filed for increased power of 516 kW from the current 150 kW, but the FCC has not acted on that yet either. The interaction of the signal strengths of the 2 stations is likely a complicating factor in both of their maximize power applications.

Anybody having problems with NBC4? I tend to have no or in and out signal in the early morning around 6:30amEDT. Had no issue with any channel for the past 3 years and all of the sudden NBC4 is having issues. Do i do another search for the OTA Scan with my HR10-250 Direct TV receiver?
You posted several days ago about a problem with WRC-DT OTA, but I guess no one replied. I just checked and WRC-DT is the normal full 10/10 bars from here in Sterling. Since it is October, my first guess is that it could be due to the seasonal changes with the leaves falling off of the trees, changing the propagation path. If you have not done a scan, check the antenna and do one.

But we can't help much if you don't tell us where you are. Out near Winchester, there is a low power religious station, WAZW-CA 48 which interferes with the digital signal for WRC-DT on UHF 48 for those who live out there. In DC, low power analog WMDO-CA 47 is on a adjacent channel. It is possible that those are causing some interference, depending on where you are.

Well Cox of Fairfax added a handful of HD channels
I think "handful of 1080i channels" would be more accurate. Except for SPIKE, I have yet to see a single frame of HD on any of them.

The channels are: SPIKE-HD, MTV-1080i, VH1-1080i, CMT-1080i, NIK-1080i.

This strikes me as a waste of bandwidth, but I really can't compare, because I don't subscribe to Expanded Basic, and thus cannot see the 480i versions.

I'm in Chantilly, VA off of Route 50 at the Fairfax/Loudoun County line. I have heard of leaves being a problem in the fall. The interruption tends to be in the early morning. I will do another scan and if no improvment will have Fairfax antenna check the antenna.

Thanks

I have content I recorded from 2001 to 2004 from OTA with my HiPix cards. It was a higher bitrate back then and it looks better than it does now.Come to think about it, I wonder how low WUSA's HD bitrate has gone with their new encoder. I know that at some point, they were doing ~15.5 Mbps (http://www.rabbitears.info/screencaps/dc-dca/65593-0_0.htm), but I don't know if it's from the old Flexicoder or the new NetVX.

Hopefully someone here will post a TSReader screencap/parsing of this Sunday's football game (4 PM), to see what the NetVX gives 9-1 under heavy demand. I don't think Trip in VA would mind getting the data file, either.

I still have no sound on my Toshiba HDTV for CBS DC or CBS Baltimore. CBS DC sent this email on 10/22/08:Maybe it's unrelated, but I found this guy (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14929274#post14929274) with a Toshiba HDTV where all his OTA HD channels lost video (but not audio). Are 9-1 and 13-1 the only channels where you lose audio?

Anybody having problems with NBC4? I tend to have no or in and out signal in the early morning around 6:30amEDT. Had no issue with any channel for the past 3 years and all of the sudden NBC4 is having issues. Do i do another search for the OTA Scan with my HR10-250 Direct TV receiver?

NBC4 has been no help.. not surprised since they still have not gone to HD news and WUSA re did the HD look and is even better.

Thanks,Your antenna probably needs to be moved a few inches up or down to optimize WRC-DT. I just helped someone in Manassas with WRC-DT issues. Even with a brand new antenna, the signal would not decode. I "lowered" the antenna just 6 inches on the mast and the signal became decodable. Anoher 3 inches down; and it became full strength.
UHF signals can sometimes be tough to get at only 20 miles even with a good outdoor antenna and sufficient signal strengths. Occasional tweaking is somtimes necessary as nearby trees mature and create new signal reflections.

"HIGHER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER"

I think "handful of 1080i channels" would be more accurate. Except for SPIKE, I have yet to see a single frame of HD on any of them.

The channels are: SPIKE-HD, MTV-1080i, VH1-1080i, CMT-1080i, NIK-1080i.

This strikes me as a waste of bandwidth, but I really can't compare, because I don't subscribe to Expanded Basic, and thus cannot see the 480i versions.

I agree on all counts. You made my point more articulately than I did -- it's an attempt to look like they are adding HD channels without actually adding much HD programming.

OMG, the new Cox Fairfax HD channels are a joke! I think they think no one will notice that they aren't broadcasting real HD...

Where is HDNET!? It's guaranteed HD programming....

I tuned in at the beginning of the baseball game, and it was fine OTA at the office. DirecTV has been having a lot of problems with audio stuttering, and they get the signal OTA. Maybe it's related. This is the first time that I've heard of an OTA problem, though.

I've been unable to find what would be causing a problem, though... I'm still looking.

Last night, same problem with audio stuttering. There seemed to be no issue with Deal or No Deal (which was on replacing Friends?), but later when I tuned into "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" the audio started fine but within 10s of seconds it started stuttering.

Well, tonight for the World Series, WBFF is in glorious SD.

I've noticed that whenever WNUV 54 shows syndicated HD content whether its the Comcast HD commercial or tonights episode of House of Payne, my picture will blink every couple of minutes saying it is "off the air". What kind of problem is that? Also, I didn't know that House of Payne was shown in HD at least not on WDCA.

The preview show for the upcoming syndicated fantasy series "The Legend of the Seeker" was in HD tonight on WDCW-DT 50 at 8 PM. Watched a little of it; pure PR fluff. So the two hour debut should be in HD next Saturday night when it airs at 8 PM. Looking at the TV schedule, the Baltimore station for the series will be WNUV-DT 54 which will be airing the series on Sunday nights. The preview show will be on WNUV-DT at 10:30 PM Sunday night. Maybe markbulla can confirm that WNUV-DT will be airing the series in HD.

Don't know if the series will be any good, but it should be in HD at least in our markets.

The preview show for the upcoming syndicated fantasy series "The Legend of the Seeker" was in HD tonight on WDCW-DT 50 at 8 PM. Watched a little of it; pure PR fluff. So the two hour debut should be in HD next Saturday night when it airs at 8 PM. Looking at the TV schedule, the Baltimore station for the series will be WNUV-DT 54 which will be airing the series on Sunday nights. The preview show will be on WNUV-DT at 10:30 PM Sunday night. Maybe markbulla can confirm that WNUV-DT will be airing the series in HD.

Don't know if the series will be any good, but it should be in HD at least in our markets.

Will also air on WGN America. Don't know if it will be in HD.

The preview show for the upcoming syndicated fantasy series "The Legend of the Seeker" was in HD tonight on WDCW-DT 50 at 8 PM. Watched a little of it; pure PR fluff. So the two hour debut should be in HD next Saturday night when it airs at 8 PM. Looking at the TV schedule, the Baltimore station for the series will be WNUV-DT 54 which will be airing the series on Sunday nights. The preview show will be on WNUV-DT at 10:30 PM Sunday night. Maybe markbulla can confirm that WNUV-DT will be airing the series in HD.

Don't know if the series will be any good, but it should be in HD at least in our markets.

Sorry, I was out in the rain, camping with the boy scouts. Was it in HD? I'm not familiar with the program.

I've noticed that whenever WNUV 54 shows syndicated HD content whether its the Comcast HD commercial or tonights episode of House of Payne, my picture will blink every couple of minutes saying it is "off the air". What kind of problem is that? Also, I didn't know that House of Payne was shown in HD at least not on WDCA.

That's kind of odd. Everything we broadcast is exactly the same data rate whether it starts out in HD or SD - it all comes out the same... Something else for me to look at, I guess.

House of Payne is in HD, although this last Monday is the first time we showed it that way. I've been trying to get as much HD programming on the air as we can. We all like HD!

House of Payne is in HD, although this last Monday is the first time we showed it that way. I've been trying to get as much HD programming on the air as we can. We all like HD!
The Legend of the Seeker preview program was in HD on WDCW-DT 50. It is in SD on WNUV-DT 54 tonight. Might want to make sure it is in HD for the 2 hour premiere next Sunday. We do appreciate the local stations that spend the money and take the time to provide syndicated programs in HD now that HD syndication is finally becoming more available.

I recall in the HD syndication thread in the HDTV programming forum that Stargate: Atlantis has shown up in HD in syndication. I see that the show is on WNUV but way late at night. Is WNUV showing it in HD? I'll have to set the DVR to check.

Soooo, I'm new here. I live in Manassas and get all my TV OTA w/ an outdoor antenna, which runs to my computer. Anyways.

I don't know when it happened, but I guess WRC (NBC4) added another subchannel since last TV season? The reason I noticed was SNF and PGA were looking even more craptacular than usual, and Heroes was coming it at ~13 Mbps, down from ~18 Mbps last season. Has anyone tried contacting the station about this? I just can't understand why they'd degrade their main product for some stupid subchannel that probably nobody watches.

Also, anyone else having problems with WETA today? I usually get signal strength around 60%, and it was fine this morning, then dropped to the 40's this afternoon and has been there since as far as I know.

I can't tell any difference between WRC or WBAL(only 1 subchannel) PQ. I think it is more of a network issue. The live sports on NBC don't look near as good as Fox, or CBS.

Not sure where you live in Manassas; but the only weak station I experienced near the fairground area was CW-50. WETA-DT came in at full strength even before replacing a 30 year old rooftop antenna. You may need to tweak the height a few inches up or down to find the best sweet spot.

I don't know when it happened, but I guess WRC (NBC4) added another subchannel since last TV season? The reason I noticed was SNF and PGA were looking even more craptacular than usual, and Heroes was coming it at ~13 Mbps, down from ~18 Mbps last season. Has anyone tried contacting the station about this? I just can't understand why they'd degrade their main product for some stupid subchannel that probably nobody watches.
WRC-DT added the 4.3 Universal Sports sub-channel back in early September. Created some problems back then because they somehow incorrectly set the 4.1 HD sub-channel header data to list 4.1 as 1280x1080 resolution which caused some ATSC tuners to go wobbly. But adding the 4.3 sub-channel is a NBC decision; they added or are adding Universal Sports as a sub-channel to all the NBC owned and operated stations. NBC owns WRC 4. You won't get anywhere complaining to the station except maybe for someone to note a complaint about degraded picture quality.

NBC did announce that they would be shutting Weather Plus service so we may see 4.2 go away. But NBC-Universal brought the Weather Channel so figure Weather Plus will be replaced by some Weather Channel service. The bottom line is that the curent NBC management does not care much about HD picture quality.

Stargate: Atlantis was in HD on WNUV.

Not sure where you live in Manassas; but the only weak station I experienced near the fairground area was CW-50. WETA-DT came in at full strength even before replacing a 30 year old rooftop antenna. You may need to tweak the height a few inches up or down to find the best sweet spot.

Well, WETA is back today. I don't think it was an antenna location issue . . . I've never had a problem with reception of the station, and the signal strength dropped by around 20% for me yesterday. Anyways - CW-50 is hit-and-miss for me as well.

Also, anyone else having problems with WETA today? I use a USB tuner stick, as well as 3 converter boxes and 1 HDTV. I have never observed a problem with WETA on any tuner except for my KWorld 340U. The latter went all screwy since Labor Day weekend; I can still use the tuner stick on WETA (all subchannels) in the wee hours of the morning. But during the rest of the day, the SS varies from 0 to 6 bars (the max), but usually below 4 bars, and I see no picture and hear no sound. Nobody, including a nice lady with WETA, can give me any explanation for this.

The Legend of the Seeker preview program was in HD on WDCW-DT 50. It is in SD on WNUV-DT 54 tonight. Might want to make sure it is in HD for the 2 hour premiere next Sunday. We do appreciate the local stations that spend the money and take the time to provide syndicated programs in HD now that HD syndication is finally becoming more available.

I recall in the HD syndication thread in the HDTV programming forum that Stargate: Atlantis has shown up in HD in syndication. I see that the show is on WNUV but way late at night. Is WNUV showing it in HD? I'll have to set the DVR to check.

Yes, it's in HD. I'm sorry it's shown in the middle of the night.

I've become a fan of Stargate: Atlantis in the last few weeks. We downlink it on Wednesday evening, so our IT guy and I watch it on Thursday at lunch, without commercials, in HD, on the 52" monitors in the news control room! The stories remind me a lot of Star Trek TNG.

I'll look into how we receive The Legend of the Seeker. If I can get it in HD, I'll make sure it goes on the air that way.

Well, tonight for the World Series, WBFF is in glorious SD.

Fortunate for Baltimore area viewers that Comcast has WTTG as well, and it was in HD (thanks to Sinclair for being a pain and Comcast here adding the Washington affiliate instead - now we get both, very handy for NFL games).

Rich N.

Fortunate for Baltimore area viewers that Comcast has WTTG as well, and it was in HD (thanks to Sinclair for being a pain and Comcast here adding the Washington affiliate instead - now we get both, very handy for NFL games).

Rich N.

Where is WTTG in HD on Comcast? Not in Howard County. We get 4, 5, 7, 9, 26 and 32 all in glorious SD. Only Baltimore is in HD.

Fortunate for Baltimore area viewers that Comcast has WTTG as well, and it was in HD (thanks to Sinclair for being a pain and Comcast here adding the Washington affiliate instead - now we get both, very handy for NFL games).

Rich N.


Do you get WTTG on Comcast in Harford County in HD? In Howard County, we barely get the DC stations in SD recently moved only to the digital tier.

WTTG is not available in SD or HD on Comcast in Baltimore City. It's in HD and SD in AA County.

Where is WTTG in HD on Comcast? Not in Howard County. We get 4, 5, 7, 9, 26 and 32 all in glorious SD. Only Baltimore is in HD.
I just left Comcast (Anne Arundel County) but WBFF-DT was at 213 and WTTG-DT was at 255. Obviously you're not in AA County, but I thought I'd chime in.

Also, to anyone who pushed me in the direction of FiOS, thank you. Finally got it installed yesterday morning, and I'm very pleased so far. (And yes, FiOS has both the Baltimore and DC locals in SD and HD in AA/HoCo, to the best of my knowledge.)

Does anyone know if the CM4221 antenna will be able to pick up WUSA and WJLA after they switch back to VHF in February? I live in Burke (near the top of a hill) and TVFool says I am 17 miles from the towers. I flipped over to the current analog channels 7 and 9 tonight and they were coming in quite clearly over the CM4221. Does that mean that I shouldn't have a problem when they switch their HD channels there in February?

Thanks!

still having issues.. will call to have it re position.

Thanks Digtal Rules.

Does anyone know if the CM4221 antenna will be able to pick up WUSA and WJLA after they switch back to VHF in February? I live in Burke (near the top of a hill) and TVFool says I am 17 miles from the towers. I flipped over to the current analog channels 7 and 9 tonight and they were coming in quite clearly over the CM4221. Does that mean that I shouldn't have a problem when they switch their HD channels there in February?
If you are getting good quality pictures for analog 7 & 9, you probably will be ok in February. But can't be sure until they go digital. Do you get WBAL-DT 11 (59) and WJZ-DT 13 (38) in Baltimore? For the range from Burke, VA to Baltimore, you probably would have to add a upper VHF antenna or put in a upper VHF-UHF antenna. I added a Winegard YA-6713 upper VHF antenna earlier this year to my CM 4221 antenna to be ready for the analog shutdown. Unfortunately, Winegard has discontinued the shorter YA-6713 while keeping the more directional & 100" long YA-1713.

If you are getting good quality pictures for analog 7 & 9, you probably will be ok in February. But can't be sure until they go digital. Do you get WBAL-DT 11 (59) and WJZ-DT 13 (38) in Baltimore? For the range from Burke, VA to Baltimore, you probably would have to add a upper VHF antenna or put in a upper VHF-UHF antenna. I added a Winegard YA-6713 upper VHF antenna earlier this year to my CM 4221 antenna to be ready for the analog shutdown. Unfortunately, Winegard has discontinued the shorter YA-6713 while keeping the more directional & 100" long YA-1713.

Unfortunately I'm not picking up WBAL-DT or WJZ-DT (but I can pick up their analog stations with some static). But I'm not that interested in the Baltimore stations, so if I can keep getting 7 & 9 in February, I'll be happy.

Does anyone know if the CM4221 antenna will be able to pick up WUSA and WJLA after they switch back to VHF in February? I live in Burke (near the top of a hill) and TVFool says I am 17 miles from the towers. I flipped over to the current analog channels 7 and 9 tonight and they were coming in quite clearly over the CM4221. Does that mean that I shouldn't have a problem when they switch their HD channels there in February?

Thanks!At 17 miles away on channels 7 and 9, I just can't imagine problems. BUT!!!... we have a station on digital UHF4 that's 25 miles away and is difficult to pick up for me (CM4228 in an attic in a two-story home). Pointing the antenna needs to be pretty precise for me... I'm not an engineer so there could be a big difference (relatively speaking) between UHF 4 and UHF7 and/or UHF9...

At 17 miles away on channels 7 and 9, I just can't imagine problems. BUT!!!... we have a station on digital UHF4 that's 25 miles away and is difficult to pick up for me (CM4228 in an attic in a two-story home). Pointing the antenna needs to be pretty precise for me... I'm not an engineer so there could be a big difference (relatively speaking) between UHF 4 and UHF7 and/or UHF9...

VHF 2-6 are generally very hard to receive digitally, whereas VHF 7-13 are on a higher part of the band (closer to UHF) and seem to do pretty well. I can't speak for the 4221, but I heard several reports from San Francisco about the 4228 receiving KGO-DT 7 during a signal test.

- Trip

At 17 miles away on channels 7 and 9, I just can't imagine problems. BUT!!!... we have a station on digital UHF4 that's 25 miles away and is difficult to pick up for me (CM4228 in an attic in a two-story home). Pointing the antenna needs to be pretty precise for me... I'm not an engineer so there could be a big difference (relatively speaking) between UHF 4 and UHF7 and/or UHF9...

Thanks, I'm going to keep the 4221 and see what happens in February. I've definitely heard that it gets much more difficult to pick up channels under VHF 7 with a UHF antenna.

Thanks, I'm going to keep the 4221 and see what happens in February. I've definitely heard that it gets much more difficult to pick up channels under VHF 7 with a UHF antenna.

i have been wondering the same thing, I think this is what fairfax antenna installed last year at my house. I didn't know any better at the time to ask what they were installing.

If it doesn't work after the switch, would I have to replace the whole antenna?

i have been wondering the same thing, I think this is what fairfax antenna installed last year at my house. I didn't know any better at the time to ask what they were installing.

If it doesn't work after the switch, would I have to replace the whole antenna?

Fairfax Antenna also installed my 4221. I contacted them yesterday and they said everyone was taken by surprise when channel 7 and 9 said that they were going back to VHF. But he said if you can pick up the analog channels pretty well right now, you probably won't have a problem when they switch in February.

Great.

Came home from work, and it looks like I lost power during the day. Not normally a problem, except now every channel on both my Comcast boxes are intermittently pixelating, and losing picture clarity, and sometimes sound too.

Basically unwatchable. Yay!

i have been wondering the same thing, I think this is what fairfax antenna installed last year at my house. I didn't know any better at the time to ask what they were installing.

If it doesn't work after the switch, would I have to replace the whole antenna?
Not neccesarily. The CM 4221 is a very good UHF antenna which is useful in this area for picking up stations over a wide spread in azimuth. Besides the stations in DC and Baltimore, we have the MPT, WNVC, WNVT, Hagerstown stations at different locations. If needed, you could add a upper VHF antenna or try a shortened rabbit ears/dipole VHF antenna to the CM 4221 with a VHF/UHF combiner (or a CM 7777 pre-amp).

Answering the comment on being easier to pick up upper VHF with a UHF antenna: channels low VHF 2 to 6 cover 54 to 88 MHz with wavelengths of 3 to 5 meters while VHF 7 to 13 cover 174 MHz to 216 MHz with shorter wavelengths of 1.4 to 1.7 meters. UHF 14 starts at 470 MHz. So some larger UHF antennas can pick up upper VHF channels to some extent. But low VHF is much longer in wavelength which needs a much wider antenna. Channel 2 is the reason that the conventional VHF antenna is 110" wide. But we won't have any full power stations in the DC & Baltimore DMAs on low VHF.

Great.

Came home from work, and it looks like I lost power during the day. Not normally a problem, except now every channel on both my Comcast boxes are intermittently pixelating, and losing picture clarity, and sometimes sound too.

Basically unwatchable. Yay!

Digital cable at my gf's house in Anne Arundel Co is unwatchable as well. I'm a couple miles southwest of BWI and most/all of the digital channels are breaking up every 10-15seconds. I switched over to pure analog and even some of those channels are breaking up every now and then, which tells me Comcast's headend dishs are getting blown around or are not peaked correctly. Or something is wrong in the distro system. Either way, it sucks.

Does anyone know if the CM4221 antenna will be able to pick up WUSA and WJLA after they switch back to VHF in February? I live in Burke (near the top of a hill) and TVFool says I am 17 miles from the towers. I flipped over to the current analog channels 7 and 9 tonight and they were coming in quite clearly over the CM4221. Does that mean that I shouldn't have a problem when they switch their HD channels there in February?

Thanks!Have you done a re-scan in the last 2 months? There is a very low power digital channel 8 broadcasting from NW DC right now. It will show up as channel 47 or 1.(WMDO) Their weak signal actually makes it all the way out to Manassas; but it isn't strong enough to decode. Just curious if you see anything from them in Burke with your 4221.

Digital cable at my gf's house in Anne Arundel Co is unwatchable as well. I'm a couple miles southwest of BWI and most/all of the digital channels are breaking up every 10-15seconds. I switched over to pure analog and even some of those channels are breaking up every now and then, which tells me Comcast's headend dishs are getting blown around or are not peaked correctly. Or something is wrong in the distro system. Either way, it sucks.

Glad it is not just me, as the problem will get fixed a lot quicker that way. Luckily I caught it early and was able to watch OTA instead. First commercials I have seen since the Superbowl. (I timeshift everything)

The Annapolis Comcast system added Fox News HD-221, FX-HD-242, and Speed Channel HD-222 this morning.

Thanks,

Steve in Shady Side, MD

The Annapolis Comcast system added Fox News HD-221, FX-HD-242, and Speed Channel HD-222 this morning.

Thanks,

Steve in Shady Side, MD

Here in Calvert County as well. Very happy about FX-HD:)

<edit>
I'll look into how we receive The Legend of the Seeker. If I can get it in HD, I'll make sure it goes on the air that way.

I got the info for the Legend of the Seeker HD satellite feed, and I've put it in the schedule to record, so the season premier should be shown in HD this weekend.

Cheers -

I have the 4228 antenna in my attic, and my house is surrounded with large oak trees. Untill this weekend the antenna was in a fixed position giving the best compromise for D.C. and Baltimore channels. The signal levels varied from 40 to 90 % on the 14 digital channels. Now I have a CM rotor which allows me to set a different angle for each channel. My signal strength is now 100 % for each digital channel 2,4,5,7,9,11,13,14,20,22,26,32,45,50, and 54.
Iam hoping that this will do just as well nnext year.

Comcast Frederick MD -- My Motorla HD DVR box was updated overnight.

A few minor visual changes noted so far:

The various selection boxes seem smaller

Watching a recording to the very end finishes differently (it stops on PAUSE, waiting for a command, rather than going directly to "Delete/Don't Delete")

When starting a recording of a live program, I get an option to "extend this recording time past the end time shown in the guide".

Under "DVR Setup", there is now a "Clipping" option whereby if there are overlapping programs (and, I assume, you are already using both tuners) with one show going from, say, 8:00 PM to 9:01 PM and a second show scheduled to record starting at 9:00 PM, the second show will have the first minute of the recording clipped so as to fully record the first program.

Might be more changes, but that's all I've seen as yet.

More analog shut-off tests announced

Oct 27, 2008 2:44 PM

ION Media Networks, along with NBC Universal, Telemundo and members of the Association of Public Television Stations, will schedule analog shut-off tests in multiple major markets, including Hartford, CT; Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

These tests are in preparation for the Feb. 17, 2009, government mandated analog shut-off and transition to digital television. Nearly all broadcasters, cable operators and satellite providers have joined in the effort.

The tests will begin in New York City, with a two-minute shutdown between 5:59 and 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Thirteen New York metropolitan area stations will participate.

Subsequent one-minute tests will take place in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and two 30-minute tests in Hartford on Wednesday, Dec. 3. In addition, the broadcast partners will participate in existing tests being conducted across the country, like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and other areas with varied population densities and terrains.

http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/more-analog-shut-off-tests-announced-1027/

Have you done a re-scan in the last 2 months? There is a very low power digital channel 8 broadcasting from NW DC right now. It will show up as channel 47 or 1.(WMDO) Their weak signal actually makes it all the way out to Manassas; but it isn't strong enough to decode. Just curious if you see anything from them in Burke with your 4221.

I did a channel scan tonight and it did pick up digital channel 8, but like you, the signal wasn't strong enough to decode. I just get a "Poor signal quality" message.

I did a channel scan tonight and it did pick up digital channel 8, but like you, the signal wasn't strong enough to decode. I just get a "Poor signal quality" message.That's good news!! You may be OK with channel 7 & 9; as they will be much stronger than channel 8.

Channel 8-----Only 198 watts
Channel 7 & 9-At least 12,000 watts

That's good news!! You may be OK with channel 7 & 9; as they will be much stronger than channel 8.

Channel 8-----Only 198 watts
Channel 7 & 9-At least 12,000 watts

Thanks, I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of still getting 7 and 9 when they move to VHF. Now my concern has shifted to channel 5. I know they aren't moving, but for some reason I've been having a problem with getting frequent pixelation on that channel for many months now. At first I thought it was a tree that is between my antenna and D.C, but all the leaves have fallen off that tree now, so I'm not sure what to chalk the problem up to. The signal strength is usually over 80% but occasionally drops way down.

Thanks, I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of still getting 7 and 9 when they move to VHF. Now my concern has shifted to channel 5. I know they aren't moving, but for some reason I've been having a problem with getting frequent pixelation on that channel for many months now. At first I thought it was a tree that is between my antenna and D.C, but all the leaves have fallen off that tree now, so I'm not sure what to chalk the problem up to. The signal strength is usually over 80% but occasionally drops way down.Does this happen mostly on windy days???

How close do you live to the intersection of Route 123 & the Fairfax County Parkway? WPXW-66 analog and digital are broadcasting from there.

Is there any kind of amplifier on your system?

New Fios Channel Line up....
I was checking the message center on my STB tonight(10/29) and saw the Verizon message about a "host os new channels", including new HD and premiums.
Sure enough I checked the Verizon.com/fiostv web site, punched in my zip code, and yes, it showed a whole bunch of new HD's.. supposed to be effective today..10/30.
BTW I'm in Baltimore County.

New Fios Channel Line up....
I was checking the message center on my STB tonight(10/29) and saw the Verizon message about a "host os new channels", including new HD and premiums.
Sure enough I checked the Verizon.com/fiostv web site, punched in my zip code, and yes, it showed a whole bunch of new HD's.. supposed to be effective today..10/30.
BTW I'm in Baltimore County.
Ditto, AA County.

Does this happen mostly on windy days???

How close do you live to the intersection of Route 123 & the Fairfax County Parkway? WPXW-66 analog and digital are broadcasting from there.

Is there any kind of amplifier on your system?

I'm VERY close to 123 and Fairfax County parkway! Hmmm, could WPXW-66 be the problem? Did they just start broadcasting this summer, or change their signal dramatically? I don't recall having problems with 5-1 until about 4 or 5 months ago. In case it matters, I am on the D.C. side from the WPXW tower, so my 4221 antenna is pointed away from that tower.

I don't have any kind of amp in my system to answer your other question.

Nothing has changed with WPXW to my knowledge. The analog & digital signals are very potent within the first 2-3 miles, so it has the potential to cause problems for you. When you are that close, it really doesn't matter which way your antenna is pointed. It comes in almost full strength here in Arlington no matter which way my antenna is facing. The good news for you is that they will abandon that tower in Burke on FEB 17, and move to NW DC.

Do you notice the problem with channel 5 mainly on windy days?

Many new HD channels this morning on FiOS.

Please list them off so I can make a post about them and update the charts

Thanks

Many new HD channels this morning on FiOS.

Anyone know when Tivo will update the guide to include these new channels? Hopefully by tomorrow... it took them way too long with the initial rollout.

i got the message on my box re new HD channels in fairfax but all the starz and showtime ones were still "coming soon" and nothing new like fox news hd or fx..

i also don't see the nhl network listed...

Nothing has changed with WPXW to my knowledge. The analog & digital signals are very potent within the first 2-3 miles, so it has the potential to cause problems for you. When you are that close, it really doesn't matter which way your antenna is pointed. It comes in almost full strength here in Arlington no matter which way my antenna is facing. The good news for you is that they will abandon that tower in Burke on FEB 17, and move to NW DC.

Do you notice the problem with channel 5 mainly on windy days?

Thanks for the good news about the tower shutting down in Feb. Hopefully that will solve my problems with 5.1. As for the windy day question, I haven't noticed a direct correlation. Fortunately Fox is the one network that I can get in HD over DirecTV, so I just switch over to that station when 5.1 starts giving me problems.

But I'm curious - is wind a common problem? Is that only when you have trees in the way (which I do)? I have gotten up on my roof and checked my 4221 antenna - it's solid as a rock and I can't imagine it moving, even in high wind, since it's such a thin wire mesh.

Please list them off so I can make a post about them and update the charts

Thanks

In Montgomery County the new HD channels on are as follows.

FX HD 553
WGN HD 568
ESPNews HD 572
Speed HD 583
Tennis Channel HD 592
World Fishing HD 597
MAV TV HD 598
Fox Business HD 617
Fox News HD 618
Bio HD 629
QVC HD 650
Planet Green HD 668
Travel Channel HD 670
ABC Family HD 699
Hallmark Movie HD 740
MGM HD 744
Disney HD 780
Toon Disney HD 781

I don't have a subscription to Starz, Showtime, or The Movie Channel, so I can't confirm those ones.

All of the listed HBOs and Cinemax channels are live for me though

HBO HD 899
HBOwest HD, HBO 2, HBO2 west, Signature, Signature west, Family, Family west, Comedy, Comedy west, Zone, Zone west, Latino, Latino west: 901-913

Cinemax, Cinemax west, More Max, More Max west, Action, Action west, Thriller, Thriller west, WMAX, AtMax, Five Star Max, Outer Max: 920-931

In Montgomery County the new HD channels on are as follows.
<edit>
I don't have a subscription to Starz, Showtime, or The Movie Channel, so I can't confirm those ones.

All of the listed HBOs and Cinemax channels are live for me though


Sounds like you've upgrade to Extreme HD. You may already know this but, FiOS has an Entertainment Package that includes Starz, Showtime, Movie Channel, (Encore), HBO, & Cinemax for $30.

Not sure what you're paying for HBO/Max, but it might be worth $8 more.

Sounds like you've upgrade to Extreme HD. You may already know this but, FiOS has an Entertainment Package that includes Starz, Showtime, Movie Channel, (Encore), HBO, & Cinemax for $30.

Not sure what you're paying for HBO/Max, but it might be worth $8 more.

Ya, I switched over to the Extreme HD. I only have the HBO/Cinemax package because it's free at the moment. Though with all these new channels and my love of movies, it's going to be hard to let it go. I'll have a difficult decision to make in a week or so.

Comcast Frederick MD -- My Motorla HD DVR box was updated overnight.

A few minor visual changes noted so far:

The various selection boxes seem smaller

Watching a recording to the very end finishes differently (it stops on PAUSE, waiting for a command, rather than going directly to "Delete/Don't Delete")



I've noticed that recently but didn't realize I'd received an update.

Just forced a connection with Tivo and no guide data yet for the new FiOS HD channels. Probably have to use the guide data available on the SD channels for a few days.

My 3 Tivos were already updated this morning. Had to go into Settings/Channel Listings and add all of the new HD channels for the guide to work on them.

What zip code are you in? I don't get any guide data for any of the new channels.

If you getno guide data either, then Tivo wasn't updated, just the CC was updated. Checking them in the channel list does nothing except show them as channels.

I've forced a couple of connections to Tivo, and I have nothing.

It's amazing to me that Tivo can't get their act together with this.

My mistake. Thought it was there this morning. I'm 22151

This Comcast DC customer just got an e-mail saying that the Digital Classic Tier folks will get 15 new channels on Nov. 1, but didn't say which ones. Oh, and the prices are going up.

There is a NHL Center Ice Preview starting tonight on FiOS. Not sure how long it's going for, but I'm watching the Lightning @ Sabres right now. PQ is on par with most other SD stuff I've watched, perhaps a little worse. But it's certainly watchable.

FYI:

FCC orders Time Warner to carry MASN

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/sportsmedia/fcc-orders-time-warner-to-carry-masn

FYI:

FCC orders Time Warner to carry MASN

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/sportsmedia/fcc-orders-time-warner-to-carry-masnI've heard that TWC is already appealing this...

This Comcast DC customer just got an e-mail saying that the Digital Classic Tier folks will get 15 new channels on Nov. 1, but didn't say which ones. Oh, and the prices are going up.

NOTICE OF PRICE ADJUSTMENT COMCAST OF THE DISTRICT, LLC CUID DC0002

The following channels will move from Digital Preferred to Digital Classic: AFRICA CHANNEL (678), BBC AMERICA (114), BIO (115), DO-IT-YOURSELF (121), FINE LIVING (122), GAC (147), HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (116), INDIEPLEX (167), INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY (111), LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK (119), LOGO (163), MILITARY CHANNEL (112), NICK 2 (132), PLANET GREEN (113), CMT PURE Country (145), RETROPLEX (168), SUNDANCE (165) While we continue to make these investments, Comcast, like many other companies, is experiencing increased business and operational costs in today’s challenging economic environment. As a result, beginning November 1, 2008 we are adjusting some of our prices as noted below. If you are currently enjoying a promotion, your current pricing will remain in effect until the scheduled expansion.

http://publicnoticeads.com/MD/search/view.asp?T=PN&id=3009\10022008_8215356.HTM

But I'm curious - is wind a common problem? Is that only when you have trees in the way (which I do)? I have gotten up on my roof and checked my 4221 antenna - it's solid as a rock and I can't imagine it moving, even in high wind, since it's such a thin wire mesh.Yes, the wind can create reception issues if you have enough trees closeby. When the trees move in the wind, the leaves create multipath issues.(Especially UHF)Your digital tuner becomes confused with the unstable signal environment and may freeze or pixelate as a result. When all the leaves fall your reception may improve.

Yes, the wind can create reception issues if you have enough trees closeby. When the trees move in the wind, the leaves create multipath issues.(Especially UHF)Your digital tuner becomes confused with the unstable signal environment and may freeze or pixelate as a result. When all the leaves fall your reception may improve.

Thanks, I'll try to pay attention to the weather the next time 5.1 starts to crap out on me. FWIW, my other OTA HD channels (4.1, 7.1, 9.1 and 26.1) NEVER have a problem.

While Digital Rules is correct about the wind phenomenon, you would need to be fairly close to the stations for that to affect VC5/RF36 without also affecting VC7/RF39 or VC9/RF34.

What you’re describing could be a result of overload-generated interference. There are non-broadcast services that operate intermittently in the UHF band. These can beat with broadcast signals and thus generate intermittent interference on particular channels only.

If your picture degrades at regularly timed intervals, I would suggest looking at channels 17 and 18 on an analog set for any intermittent signals or noise patterns that match that timing. If so, you can probably solve the problem with attenuators and/or filters.

While Digital Rules is correct about the wind phenomenon, you would need to be fairly close to the stations for that to affect VC5/RF36 without also affecting VC7/RF39 or VC9/RF34.

What you’re describing could be a result of overload-generated interference. There are non-broadcast services that operate intermittently in the UHF band. These can beat with broadcast signals and thus generate intermittent interference on particular channels only.

If your picture degrades at regularly timed intervals, I would suggest looking at channels 17 and 18 on an analog set for any intermittent signals or noise patterns that match that timing. If so, you can probably solve the problem with attenuators and/or filters.

Hmmm, very interesting - although you started to lose me with talk like "attenuators and/or filters" :). I don't watch VC5/RF36 very often, mostly only for House or Skins games. But I did notice the other night that it was rock-solid until 8:30 when the World Series started. Then it started crapping out big time -- and the weather didn't change.

Does anyone know when WRC 4 and WJLA 7 are planning on switching over to HD for their nightly news broadcasts? It must be embarrassing to them that WUSA has been in HD so long, or is it just that the anchors are afraid to be in HD? :eek: :)

American Chopper is in HD on WBFF.

Does anyone know when WRC 4 and WJLA 7 are planning on switching over to HD for their nightly news broadcasts? It must be embarrassing to them that WUSA has been in HD so long, or is it just that the anchors are afraid to be in HD? :eek: :)

The answer is no one knows. With recent budget cuts however, it doesn't look like this is going to happen anytime soon. Believe me, neither station is "embarassed" when WRC4 is first in news ratings and WJLA7 is second. What's emabarassing is that WUSA9's early adoption of HD for news has not helped their ratings one bit.

The answer is no one knows. With recent budget cuts however, it doesn't look like this is going to happen anytime soon. Believe me, neither station is "embarassed" when WRC4 is first in news ratings and WJLA7 is second. What's emabarassing is that WUSA9's early adoption of HD for news has not helped their ratings one bit.

Something I pointed out many pages ago. Yet people here are convinced just changing to HD makes all the difference. Apparently not.

Something I pointed out many pages ago. Yet people here are convinced just changing to HD makes all the difference. Apparently not.

I just meant from a technology standpoint. It seems odd that the other stations are so late to the party. But, it hasn't stopped me from watching channel 4 news exclusively.

I remember WRC mentioning MANY months ago that they were working on a new studio for the HD broadcast, but I haven't heard anything since.

The answer is no one knows. With recent budget cuts however, it doesn't look like this is going to happen anytime soon. Believe me, neither station is "embarassed" when WRC4 is first in news ratings and WJLA7 is second. What's emabarassing is that WUSA9's early adoption of HD for news has not helped their ratings one bit.

Without a doubt, NBC4 puts out the highest quality news product. Too bad it's indistinguishable technology-wise from something that might have been produced 15 years ago.

Without a doubt, NBC4 puts out the highest quality news product. Too bad it's indistinguishable technology-wise from something that might have been produced 15 years ago.

It's always (ultimately) about the content. Period. (Not just regarding news programs.)

I got the info for the Legend of the Seeker HD satellite feed, and I've put it in the schedule to record, so the season premier should be shown in HD this weekend.

Cheers -

Success!

More analog shut-off tests announced

Oct 27, 2008 2:44 PM

ION Media Networks, along with NBC Universal, Telemundo and members of the Association of Public Television Stations, will schedule analog shut-off tests in multiple major markets, including Hartford, CT; Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

These tests are in preparation for the Feb. 17, 2009, government mandated analog shut-off and transition to digital television. Nearly all broadcasters, cable operators and satellite providers have joined in the effort.

The tests will begin in New York City, with a two-minute shutdown between 5:59 and 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Thirteen New York metropolitan area stations will participate.

Subsequent one-minute tests will take place in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and two 30-minute tests in Hartford on Wednesday, Dec. 3. In addition, the broadcast partners will participate in existing tests being conducted across the country, like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and other areas with varied population densities and terrains.

http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/more-analog-shut-off-tests-announced-1027/

Why would they need to test shutting off the analog signal? What does shutting it off for a minute or two or thirty accomplish?

Why would they need to test shutting off the analog signal? What does shutting it off for a minute or two or thirty accomplish?
To get the attention of viewers who still watch the analog broadcasts. The short shutoff also flags any local cable systems that are still using the analog broadcast source signal. And a mass shutoff of the analog broadcasts by most stations in a market at the same time gets a lot of publicity. The shutoff should longer than just 1 minute, but we may see longer interruptions by stations as the analog shutdown date approaches. If any lessons came out of the early shutdown in the Wilmington, NC market, it was the need to be aggressive in getting the attention of the analog OTA viewers that they need to take action to continue to get OTA stations.

It's always (ultimately) about the content. Period. (Not just regarding news programs.)

Eh, I think most people select their news channel based on familiarity with the on-air personalities. As WJLA and WRC have shown these last few years, the easiest way to shake up the ratings is to bring in/let go high-profile personalities that viewers are comfortable with. Big acquisitions by WJLA have brought big gains in ratings. Sloppy cuts at WRC have driven away some key personalities and, with them, what was once a dominant position in the ratings.

I got the info for the Legend of the Seeker HD satellite feed, and I've put it in the schedule to record, so the season premier should be shown in HD this weekend.

Cheers -

On what channel? Everythiing I saw was 4x3, even on HD channels. It looks like just WGN and DCA are carrying it?

Eh, I think most people select their news channel based on familiarity with the on-air personalities. As WJLA and WRC have shown these last few years, the easiest way to shake up the ratings is to bring in/let go high-profile personalities that viewers are comfortable with. Big acquisitions by WJLA have brought big gains in ratings. Sloppy cuts at WRC have driven away some key personalities and, with them, what was once a dominant position in the ratings.

Yeah, sure... That's why Katy Couric has huge ratings...

The personalities matter, but they are secondary to content.

I've grown to appreciate the importance of writers for all TV content, over just about everything else.

On what channel? Everythiing I saw was 4x3, even on HD channels. It looks like just WGN and DCA are carrying it?

WNUV. I expect that it was on CW 50 in HD also.

Success!

Looked nice, didn't it? I watched the downlink to make sure it was coming in OK. I didn't watch the show...

Anybody having problems with NBC4? I tend to have no or in and out signal in the early morning around 6:30amEDT. Had no issue with any channel for the past 3 years and all of the sudden NBC4 is having issues. Do i do another search for the OTA Scan with my HR10-250 Direct TV receiver?

NBC4 has been no help.. not surprised since they still have not gone to HD news and WUSA re did the HD look and is even better.

Thanks,

I am having problems with both WRC and WBAL. I tried to set a timer on my E* 622 to record the SNL presidential Bash OTA tonight, but both channels displayed a "signal lost" message. No other networks are affected, and the satellite feed for WRC is live as well. Could my tuner go bad only for selected channels? It would seem to be ahuge coincidence that both are NBC stations. The towers are in opposite directions from me (I live in Laurel) and they aren't broadcasting on adjacent frequencies either, so I'm at a loss. I have another 622 that picks it up just fine.

-Chris

As a member of the Vast right wing conspiracy, we disabled the local NBC stations to keep their SNL "skits" from influencing the public (I know, a little late now isn't it?).

Oh, and don't forget, Those who want to vote for McCain are to do so on Tuesday, those who wish to Cast their votes for Obama are to do so on Wednesday. ... now back to my am radio. ;)

The redskins should be in HD on WDCA-DT tonight, since its a MNF game.

Eh, I think most people select their news channel based on familiarity with the on-air personalities. As WJLA and WRC have shown these last few years, the easiest way to shake up the ratings is to bring in/let go high-profile personalities that viewers are comfortable with. Big acquisitions by WJLA have brought big gains in ratings. Sloppy cuts at WRC have driven away some key personalities and, with them, what was once a dominant position in the ratings.

If NBC4 would get rid of Pat Collins their ratings would go WAY up.

Just spoke to Comcast and they confirmed that Howard County will get FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD on Nov. 20. Just in time for the Shield finale.

I was trying to help someone out on another forum. He has installed a Zenith Digital Converter Box and now gets WRC-DT on channel 48-1, but his guide data (for TiVo) is expecting it to be on channel 4-1.

It sounds like either the PSIP data is incorrect or his Zenith box is not properly interpretting it.

Any known problems here like that?

Just spoke to Comcast and they confirmed that Howard County will get FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD on Nov. 20. Just in time for the Shield finale.

Same in Baltimore City.

Just spoke to Comcast and they confirmed that Howard County will get FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD on Nov. 20. Just in time for the Shield finale.

The Shield is not in HD...

The CBS Evening News is in HD on WJZ. It's a special one hour edition. We'll see if it continues to be in HD after tomorrow.

Dr. Phil is still in SD. They said they were working on syndicated HD but that's looking like B.S at this point. WJZ and WBAL are the only Baltimore stations without any of their syndicated shows in HD.

Ugh. Terminator was in HD on WBFF for ten minutes, then was in SD for the rest of the show.

Prison Break is in SD.

If NBC4 would get rid of Pat Collins their ratings would go WAY up.
They would get.... more.... stories.... in if they.... did.

Fox News Channel HD, FX HD and Speed HD -- have been added to Comcast's high-def lineups in Annapolis and Calvert, Charles and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcast110408.htm

Ugh. Terminator was in HD on WBFF for ten minutes, then was in SD for the rest of the show.

Prison Break is in SD.

Sorry... We were having some splicer problems last night...

Actually, according to Fox, it was a splicer problem (actually, they said it was a "local" problem - meaning me, first), according to the splicer guys, it was a Fox problem. With having both ends pointing fingers at the other, it took me a while to find the problem. It turned out that the problem was with a cable -between- the Fox equipment and the splicer (still Fox's equipment), and I had to have the splicer guy prove it to the Fox guys by reading out the fault log on the splicer.

The Fox guys are supposed to call me this morning (oops, it's 2:44 PM... Still waiting) to make sure it's fixed for tonight. I've bypassed their suspect cables with one of my own, and the signal seems stable, but I'm keeping an eye on it.

Thanks for watching!

They would get.... more.... stories.... in if they.... did.

ROFL. I had no idea who it was until you typed that. Thanks for the help!

The CBS Evening News is in HD on WJZ. It's a special one hour edition. We'll see if it continues to be in HD after tomorrow.


Waiting with baited breath to see if WJZ might have used last night's CBS Evening News to start continued HD broadcasts of the program.

On 12/1, Comcast in Baltimore wil replace MOJO with Versus HD at 226. Golf HD will go full time at 254.

WRC in SD during 11pm hour showing the speeches. Did they forget to flip the switch thinking local news was on?

I noticed that WBAL was in SD during part of the national coverage.

On 12/1, Comcast in Baltimore wil replace MOJO with Versus HD at 226. Golf HD will go full time at 254.

Same for Harford County.

Waiting with baited breath to see if WJZ might have used last night's CBS Evening News to start continued HD broadcasts of the program.

It's in HD again tonight at least.

WRC in SD during 11pm hour showing the speeches. Did they forget to flip the switch thinking local news was on?

they started with the 11 NEWS then flipped back to national with the call that Obama won and never switched back over to HD.

The Shield is not in HD...

That is what I've heard, but FX does show a lot of decent movies, hopefully many of those are shown in HD....

Waiting with baited breath to see if WJZ might have used last night's CBS Evening News to start continued HD broadcasts of the program.

Back in SD tonight.:rolleyes:

Back in SD tonight.:rolleyes:

Bummer!

The Shield is not in HD...

As I understood it, "The Shield" was shot in various formats varying from film, to handheld SD, to HD depending on the scenes, because the producers wanted grainy realism (like you'd get on "Cops", I guess). How FX chooses to transmit it is another story of course, and I have E* which isn't onboard with FXHD anyway...

Any one else have really poor reception of the NFL HD network last night for the Broncos-Browns game? I was bouncing back and fourth between that and the Maryland-Virginia Tech game on ESPN HD, and the Hokie game was coming in just fine, so I assume the problem wasn't on my end. The NFL HD network was really unwatchable.

Any one else have really poor reception of the NFL HD network last night for the Broncos-Browns game? I was bouncing back and fourth between that and the Maryland-Virginia Tech game on ESPN HD, and the Hokie game was coming in just fine, so I assume the problem wasn't on my end. The NFL HD network was really unwatchable.

Was it constantly unwatchable or was it on and off. It looked great on DirecTV (was loud) when it was on. Why I ask if it was on and off was because a few times during the night, the HD channel went off with a purchase error message and I was wondering if something in the signal triggered it to drop. But when it was on, it was absolutely gorgeous.

Any one else have really poor reception of the NFL HD network last night for the Broncos-Browns game? I was bouncing back and fourth between that and the Maryland-Virginia Tech game on ESPN HD, and the Hokie game was coming in just fine, so I assume the problem wasn't on my end. The NFL HD network was really unwatchable.

FiOS NFL HD was horrible during the game for me.

I also have Fios, and not only was the NFL Network unwatchable, but there was problems on Fox News Channel too

Wait....content? On local news? It's the same on all channels. Shootings in the district, panic about some impending storm (buy bread! buy bread!), cat stuck in a tree in Woodbridge, and maybe a "did you know that if you give your car keys to a stranger they might drive away with your car" on-your-side story.

DopplerViperVR-XLR-HD-DoubleHeckaSuperRadar notwithstanding, what's different besides the personalities?

-Mike

WMAR is a rolling mistake machine.

Right now, they have SD of one game and sound of another on their HD channel. Same on 2-2 (SD channel).

WJLA has the right game and sound.

I was just about to post. Same thing on Directv -- both HD and SD channels.

Audio is to Penn State game. Video is to Oklahoma-Texas A & M. It is very strange.

Scott

WMAR HD is back again. I think SD is still messed up.

Well, at least they are putting a ticker up and acknowledging the problem. But they should be good at that these days. For the last month or so, WMAR has been a disaster.

Oh, great. They had the HD channel right now they have SD of the Penn State game and the audio of what must be the Oklahoma game.

Gawd. HD is back to normal but SD is still Oklahoma picture, Penn State audio. That means they will mess up the HD again, probably.

Can we get their license revoked?

Certainly agree that WMAR is experiencing major technical problems. The last six months things seem to be falling apart down there. They always had a great product, but it seems like they cant get much right. Really disappointing.:mad:

Can we get their license revoked?
I'd like to apply the same comment to WJLA.

Anybody watching last night? It was like watching a foreign film without the subtitles. Audio was so out of sync with video that it was difficult to watch the programming. Is anyone in their management watching or listening to their on air product?

Anybody watching last night? It was like watching a foreign film without the subtitles. Audio was so out of sync with video that it was difficult to watch the programming. Is anyone in their management watching or listening to their on air product?

what product?

In the broadcast TV world, the viewer is the product. Its always funny when people complain about a TV station as if they were the customers. In reality the viewers don't pay a cent to the TV station. Its the advertisers that do, and they aren't paying for TV programs, they are paying out to get your eyeballs and ears for 30 seconds at a time.

Viewers complaining is a nuisance, advertisers complaining is a crisis.

In the broadcast TV world, the viewer is the product. Its always funny when people complain about a TV station as if they were the customers. In reality the viewers don't pay a cent to the TV station. Its the advertisers that do, and they aren't paying for TV programs, they are paying out to get your eyeballs and ears for 30 seconds at a time.

Viewers complaining is a nuisance, advertisers complaining is a crisis.

Nice quote! Having said that, I like to keep the viewers happy, too. I am one, and although the viewers aren't paying the bills, they are the reason the advertisers are doing so.

Cheers -

BTW, we had a failure of our HD ingest server Monday morning, and it failed to catch the two House of Payne HD feeds for tonight, so the program will be seen in SD.

Sorry -

As a perceived nuisance to television broadcast professionals, I wonder how many advertisers will stay when the nuisances all watch another option? Just my opinion and apparently Mark's.

Everytime I have flipped thru My 20 in DC, "House of Payne" is in SD. They have the ability to show syndicated shows in HD such as "Raymond" and "Desperate Housewives"

Everytime I have flipped thru My 20 in DC, "House of Payne" is in SD. They have the ability to show syndicated shows in HD such as "Raymond" and "Desperate Housewives"

It's available in HD, we've been showing it in HD for a few weeks now. The satellite feed is from 4-5 AM (two half-hour shows) on Galaxy 28, transponder 19 every weeknight. It could be that they can't record HD satellite feeds, and the other syndicated HD shows come in by other means.

Anyone having issues with receiving the TV Guide info from MPT channel 22? I'm not getting any of the VBI data for the TVGOS on that channel the past two days.

I don't know if it is just me, but on Comcast I just lost the 117-x and 118-x QAM channels. I watched NBC last night, but ABC just now wasn't coming in even though I got FOX on 132-1. I tried NBC and CBS and they don't appear to be coming in. I'm doing a new scan right now.

It appears that the stuff on 117-x and 118-x just went to 122-x and 123-x. Thank you Comcast.

Anyone having issues with receiving the TV Guide info from MPT channel 22? I'm not getting any of the VBI data for the TVGOS on that channel the past two days.Are there any other channels in the area that send out TVGOS? I thought that CBS stations did?

MPT and WETA send out the analog TVGOS and WJZ and WUSA send out the digital version now. My Sony DVR can receive both, however it has a preference for the analog TVGOS. I could get it from WETA too, but they turn their transmitter off in the early morning hours when my DVR is likely to receive the TVGOS data. I may have to try to force my unit to get the digital feed from WUSA like some other people have been doing for my DVR. I emailed engineering at MPT but haven't heard back yet.

Are there any other channels in the area that send out TVGOS? I thought that CBS stations did?

I don't know if it is just me, but on Comcast I just lost the 117-x and 118-x QAM channels. I watched NBC last night, but ABC just now wasn't coming in even though I got FOX on 132-1. I tried NBC and CBS and they don't appear to be coming in. I'm doing a new scan right now.


Yep. I have the same problem. I can get Fox and 50 on 132 but 4 7 9 on 117- 118 are gone. Comcast probably moved them again. I will re scan. Hopefully they will be back to less than 4 digit sub channels so the guide data is useful again.

It appears that the stuff on 117-x and 118-x just went to 122-x and 123-x. Thank you Comcast.

Thanks for the update. Still Comcast has kept the subchannels as 4 digit and that makes my DVR a VCR as far as functionally goes.

I don't know if it is just me, but on Comcast I just lost the 117-x and 118-x QAM channels. I watched NBC last night, but ABC just now wasn't coming in even though I got FOX on 132-1. I tried NBC and CBS and they don't appear to be coming in. I'm doing a new scan right now.

Same with me in College Park. I put a signal meter on the coax and there was no signal strength on 117 and 118. I missed RetroTV.

Same with me in College Park. I put a signal meter on the coax and there was no signal strength on 117 and 118. I missed RetroTV.
Put up a cheap antenna and you can have it without Comcast. :)

Put up a cheap antenna and you can have it without Comcast. :)

OTA is a crapshoot where I live. Ive tried several Antennas. Its always hit and miss.

MPT and WETA send out the analog TVGOS and WJZ and WUSA send out the digital version now. My Sony DVR can receive both, however it has a preference for the analog TVGOS. I could get it from WETA too, but they turn their transmitter off in the early morning hours when my DVR is likely to receive the TVGOS data. I may have to try to force my unit to get the digital feed from WUSA like some other people have been doing for my DVR. I emailed engineering at MPT but haven't heard back yet.

I thought that digital TVGOS was going to only be on CBS O&O, like WJZ and not WUSA? Of course, I can't recieve WJZ with my tabletop antenna, so WJZ is inconvenient.

So thats why my guide data has blanks all the time, darn WETA...

It appears that the stuff on 117-x and 118-x just went to 122-x and 123-x. Thank you Comcast.

Might be a trend, as with Cox. I think the cable cos have wised up to folks finding out about clear QAM and are putting them in a range outside of the Internet RF range. There are many people that have cable Internet only and have been getting a bunch of clear QAM ch "free" (because the clear QAM chs were in the vicinity of the Internet RF range and can't be filtered out with the analog filter at the nearest junction/pole).

I thought that digital TVGOS was going to only be on CBS O&O, like WJZ and not WUSA? Of course, I can't recieve WJZ with my tabletop antenna, so WJZ is inconvenient.

So thats why my guide data has blanks all the time, darn WETA...

I think the deal between TVGOS and CBS is to eventually have it at all stations, regardless of ownership. Analog TVGOS has only 3 months left so that's a lost cause at this point.

A quick note for future readers searching for information about Comcast in Frederick, MD and CableCards.

I just had a Multi-Stream CableCard (Mcard) installed in my new TiVoHD and the entire process took less than 10 minutes.

Note that my visit two days earlier to the local Comcast office to inquire about a possible card pickup and self-install ("no - we don't do that because there are too many problems") elicited the comment "We don't have Multi-Stream cards -- we only have one-way cards".

I mentioned that one-way and two way protocols are different than single stream cards and multi-stream cards, but no matter. I asked the counter person to type into the Info field of the work order "Customer requests Multi-Stream CableCard for installation into TiVo HD" and hoped the install people would know more than the customer service folks.

Lucky for me, this time I was right.

Might be a trend, as with Cox. I think the cable cos have wised up to folks finding out about clear QAM and are putting them in a range outside of the Internet RF range. There are many people that have cable Internet only and have been getting a bunch of clear QAM ch "free" (because the clear QAM chs were in the vicinity of the Internet RF range and can't be filtered out with the analog filter at the nearest junction/pole).

I thought that was why there is a $10 difference between a bare cable modem and cable modem with tv service, to the basic cable that is unfiltered.

Just switched from Comcast to Fios (Howard County) and I love it. My only dissapointment was that Fios didnt have NBA TV. Boy was I happy to wake up this morning, scroll through the guide and see that Fios is adding NBA TV HD to channel 589. Right now it says coming soon but hopefully it will be up soon.

verizon added HSN HD immedeately and has put coming soon for NHL HD (587) NBA HD (589) and that pack of HD channels like recepies, pets, comedy, cars hd etc....

While watching Smallville on WNUV tonight, I did a little research on my reception. My CECB says it was a 720P program and that I had a 71-72% "Signal Strength" during the complete show. What I find interesting is that the "Signal Quality" ranged from non-existant to 91% and that I would get periods of start and stop motion. Has anyone else experienced this from WNUV?

I'm located ~71 miles from the transmitter, have a CM3020 with a new Channel Master pre-amp for Extreme Deep Fringe, and have to deal with double-edge diffraction reception. Currently, the antenna is 26' off the ground, but, hopefully, I'll be moving it to the 40' tower tomorrow.

I thought that was why there is a $10 difference between a bare cable modem and cable modem with tv service, to the basic cable that is unfiltered.

It depends on the location but in some markets on the QAM side you'd get the same chs whether you paid for basic cable or not. The $10 extra might get you some analg chs - but those are going away anyway. A lot of it also depends on the dedication of the technicians/cable co - when one cancels the TV portion of an Internet/TV package will they send a tech out to install the filter?;)

Maybe I've found a reason. Time to see who is implementing ATSC-E.

From WIKI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATSC_tuner)
Error Correction
Error correction is a technology that is used by the ATSC tuner to make sure that any data that is missing can be corrected. For instance, sometimes interference or a poor-quality signal will cause the loss of data information that the ATSC tuner receives. With error correction, the tuner has the ability to perform a number of checks and repair data so that a signal can be viewed on a TV set.


There is a subsection in the ATSC standard (ATSC-E) that allows broadcasters to add extra (and variable types) of error correction to their broadcast streams.
This error correction service is not mandatory in the US, nor is it mandatory in Canada.
It is not known how many HDTV receivers support this error correction standard.
For the transmission of HDTV at 720 or 1080, an extra 1% to 3% added error correction codes will help reduce some of ATSC's poorer performance with weak signals under adverse multipath conditions.

While watching Smallville on WNUV tonight, I did a little research on my reception. My CECB says it was a 720P program and that I had a 71-72% "Signal Strength" during the complete show. What I find interesting is that the "Signal Quality" ranged from non-existant to 91% and that I would get periods of start and stop motion. Has anyone else experienced this from WNUV?

I'm located ~71 miles from the transmitter, have a CM3020 with a new Channel Master pre-amp for Extreme Deep Fringe, and have to deal with double-edge diffraction reception. Currently, the antenna is 26' off the ground, but, hopefully, I'll be moving it to the 40' tower tomorrow.

I watched Smallville on WNUV last night, and had no breakups or signal problems. Because I wasn't having any problems, I didn't check the signal level. I'm about 25 miles from the transmitter.

I didn't get any calls about any problems from last night, either.

We did a test with ATSC-E about 1.5 years ago, with a 54.2 subchannel. It helped with trying to pick up a signal in a bad multipath area. It used a lot of bits for error correction that would otherwise go toward getting a nice HD picture. I'm pretty sure that no one in the US is using this.

.... I would get periods of start and stop motion.?.....I'm located ~71 miles from the transmitterAt 71 miles from the transmitter; occasional hiccups are inevitable unless you are lucky enough to have some type of elevation advantage. A state of the art UHF only antenna like a CM 4228 or AD 91-XG is your best bet for those hard to recieve UHF signals. Even the best combo antenna can't match the performance of a UHF separate.

No elevation advantage here. My next door neighbor can tee off a golf ball right over I-81 from his front yard.

Where is WTTG in HD on Comcast? Not in Howard County. We get 4, 5, 7, 9, 26 and 32 all in glorious SD. Only Baltimore is in HD.

I'm in Prince George's (Comcast). Most games have been in HD (when available that way) for two years now. WTTG's larger problem (in fact, it's true of all the competition) is that WUSA-TV/DT is kicking their tails outside of sports (especially in news); worse, it's headed into college hoops season (and WTTG shows no local hoops at all).

Hi,
I am within 15 miles NW of the towers in DC. CW's digital transmission is at 125KW, rest of the big 4 are at 1MW. I am using DTV Pal (from echostar). The antenna is a DIY coat hanger antenna. I tried the Phillips MANT 940, but even then, CW is breaking up (60% signal). On this device anything less than 60% has issues, so I want to be at least at 70% on average.

I am unable to get CW unless I have the antenna high above (which is not possible on a permanent basis, as I live in a rented property).

Also, for someone who knows some technical details about antennas, CW has a frequency of 692 - 698 MHz, so a wavelength of 0.431m.

I cannot hoist a large antenna to a height, but possibly a single loop which might be less ugly.

My questions
1. Does anyone know if CW is going to switch to 1MW transmission any sooner? Right now they transmit analog at 1MW and digital at 125KW.

2. Can I make a loop antenna with a circumference of 0.431/2=0.216m and get this channel reliably?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

I need to know the name of a good antenna installer in the Salisbury, MD area. Any ideas?

Changes on Comcast in Baltimore City on 12/18:

Shop NBC moves from 280 to 283.
Home Preview Channel no longer available.
MLB Network added at 280.
Daystar added at 287.
CBS College Sports moves from Sports & Entertainment to Digital Classic.

I just noticed that this Saturday's Raycom ACC game of the week, Clemson at Virginia, is going to be on Fox 5 instead of WDCA. Does anyone know if this move is permanent? Hopefully it's going to be in HD, as the games have been on WDCA this season.

I need to know the name of a good antenna installer in the Salisbury, MD area. Any ideas?
try action antenna out of baltimore/ washington area , phone no is 4102420440.

I just noticed that this Saturday's Raycom ACC game of the week, Clemson at Virginia, is going to be on Fox 5 instead of WDCA. Does anyone know if this move is permanent? Hopefully it's going to be in HD, as the games have been on WDCA this season.

I believe they've been doing that most of this season. Remember, Fox owns both WTTG and WDCA.

Cox is excited to add five new HD channels to our digital lineup effective December 16, 2008:

Hallmark Movie HD on channel 743
Planet Green HD on channel 749
The Weather Channel HD on channel 752
AMC HD on channel 753
WGN HD on channel 754

Several additional HD channels and two standard digital channels will launch between mid-December 2008 and February 2009, including:

Fox Business standard digital channel 260
Fox Business HD on channel 755
Fox News HD on channel 756
Speed HD on channel 757
FX HD on channel 758
Cartoon HD on channel 759
WE HD on channel 760
IFC HD on channel 761
Comedy HD on channel 762
BET HD on channel 763
Fuel standard digital channel on 259


http://www.cox.com/fairfax/bulletins/hd_channel_launches.asp

Hi All,

I recently subscribed to Comcast Limited Basic for $17.99 and Cable modem service. Comcast's web site advertises that I should be able to receive the digital/HD channels for the OTA channels that I am eligible to receive.

When I do a channel scan on my TV's QAM (Sharp LC-37GD6U) tuner I only get a few of the stations I expect. The scan remembers many different channels, but there is not picture on most of the channels. Only a few channels actually had a picture. For example, WTTG (15.1), WJLA and subs (17.1-3), WETA and subs (17.4-8).

I am looking for WRC and WUSA so that I can watch sports in HD.

Any ideas about what channels I should be looking on? Am I lucky to be getting what I get or should I complain about not getting some channels?

Thanks for any ideas.

Kevin

I am looking for WRC and WUSA so that I can watch sports in HD.

Any ideas about what channels I should be looking on? Am I lucky to be getting what I get or should I complain about not getting some channels?


You should get all the locals but complaining to a CSR who doesn't even know what clear QAM is won't get you very far. Till they completely fix all their chs you may be stuck with watching the analogs. :(

I recently subscribed to Comcast Limited Basic for $17.99 and Cable modem service. Comcast's web site advertises that I should be able to receive the digital/HD channels for the OTA channels that I am eligible to receive.

When I do a channel scan on my TV's QAM (Sharp LC-37GD6U) tuner I only get a few of the stations I expect. The scan remembers many different channels, but there is not picture on most of the channels. Only a few channels actually had a picture. For example, WTTG (15.1), WJLA and subs (17.1-3), WETA and subs (17.4-8).

I am looking for WRC and WUSA so that I can watch sports in HD.I'm surprised that Comcast's web site advertises this. In any case, sometimes the channels are not where you expect them and they also change. Recently in my area most of the local channels just moved to 122-x and 123-x. That included ABC, CBS, and NBC, while FOX and the CW stayed at around 132-x (if I remember correctly). You really need to patiently try out the stations and build yourself a map. One note is that in one area (I think it is around 86 in our area) the On Demand signals from people in your neighborhood appear. That can make things a bit confusing. I'm sure someone here in your area probably has a channel map you can work from.

Cox Fairfax channel 742 now reflects the new additions mentioned in joblo's post above.

-SUO

OTA'ers out there any thought of the type/model antenna you are going to buy for use after February 9 ?

OTA'ers out there any thought of the type/model antenna you are going to buy for use after February 9 ?

I've been using my big old antenna with the rotor that's been on my chimney for years. It's got both VHF and UHF, so I won't have problems with stations that go back to VHF.

I'm sorry that I don't have the model number. It's been up there for about 20 years...

try action antenna out of baltimore/ washington area , phone no is 4102420440.
Thanks I will give them a call

The Annapolis Comcast system added Fox News HD-221, FX-HD-242, and Speed Channel HD-222 this morning.

Thanks,

Steve in Shady Side, MD

any word on Nova or in my case Manassas getting those channels? they are listed on the Manassas/Prince William channel lineup on their website but are not in the cable box yet.

I'm gonna stick with my OTA UHF antenna at first and see how I do with VHF reception. Luckily both 7 & 9 are available on Dish, so even if I can't get them via OTA, I won't really lose them. I will miss their sub channels since those are two stations who's subchannels I actually use.

I'm gonna stick with my OTA UHF antenna at first and see how I do with VHF reception. Luckily both 7 & 9 are available on Dish, so even if I can't get them via OTA, I won't really lose them. I will miss their sub channels since those are two stations who's subchannels I actually use.


What UHF antenna do you have?

A CM4228. In Analog I can get VHF 7 and 9 with pretty clear PQ. 5, 4, and 2 are horrible. But 7 and up look ok to me.

A CM4228. In Analog I can get VHF 7 and 9 with pretty clear PQ. 5, 4, and 2 are horrible. But 7 and up look ok to me.

That's a lot of antenna for Boyds MD. I have a CM4221 and can't get any VHF analog channels clear but it's a killer digital UHF antenna way out here in Hamilton. I was looking at the new CM4228HD the upgraded version of your antenna. The specs show it receives high VHF signals from Ch 7 on up into the full UHF range which is perfect for this area. Problem is the 4228HD is quite a bit bigger than my current antenna and also bigger than the discontinued CM4228 so I will have to relocate the new antenna when/if I get it.

Comcast has just added FX HD, Fox News HD, and Speed HD in Baltimore City.

Comcast has just added FX HD, Fox News HD, and Speed HD in Baltimore City.

Same in Howard County.

Same in Howard County.

any word on MoCo? I've been waiting for Speed and FX for FOREVER

Nice of Comcast to finally give us those 3 new HD channels but then require the Digital Classic package to get them despite the SD versions all being included in the Digital Starter package. I really want Speed HD, but I'm not about to pay the $15 extra a month to get it.

Naturally Comcast's site hasn't been updated to show the new channel listings. Of course, that wouldn't help anyways given how many errors are in the channel list, like how they show Mojo as included in Digital Starter when it actually required Digital Classic.

Update: Eventually the new channels were authorized. No more black screens. Yay.

any news on these channels coming to comcast in DC?

Same in Howard County.
So any idea what channel numbers they are? I'm in Maple Lawn (HoCo, I think) at work, and I don't see the new channels.

I'll try to reboot the box and see if they come up...

-John

UPDATE: Reboot worked, they are there, but no guide data.

That's a lot of antenna for Boyds MD. I have a CM4221 and can't get any VHF analog channels clear but it's a killer digital UHF antenna way out here in Hamilton. I was looking at the new CM4228HD the upgraded version of your antenna. The specs show it receives high VHF signals from Ch 7 on up into the full UHF range which is perfect for this area. Problem is the 4228HD is quite a bit bigger than my current antenna and also bigger than the discontinued CM4228 so I will have to relocate the new antenna when/if I get it.Since you are having such good luck with the 4221, why not just augment it with a "real" VHF antenna?

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=Y5-7-13
or
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=YA1713

Combine the 2 antennas with a UVSJ

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=UVSJ

IMO, it's too much of a gamble at your distance to spend all that money on a new 4228 and hope it works.(No matter what CM says; it is a UHF antenna with "some" VHF capabilites)

This is much cheaper too.:)

It is a lot of Antenna. There was a guy here on the Forum named Tahoerob who used to post daily like many of us. Well he offered it up one day and at the time my Attic antenna wasn't cutting it. So I had Dave from Fairfax antenna install it along with a rotator. Is it to much antenna? Well, I get every channel that I list on the first post, so I have nothing to complain about, and maybe that's why it was worth it.

Since you are having such good luck with the 4221, why not just augment it with a "real" VHF antenna?

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=Y5-7-13
or
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=YA1713

Combine the 2 antennas with a UVSJ

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=UVSJ

IMO, it's too much of a gamble at your distance to spend all that money on a new 4228 and hope it works.(No matter what CM says; it is a UHF antenna with "some" VHF capabilites)

This is much cheaper too.:)


I thought of that but I don't want 3 antenna's on my house (UHF, VHF, D*)

The 4228 and 4228HD are 2 different antenna's. http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228HD.htm

Also I like to deal with Warren Electronics. They are great and are usually much cheaper than Solid Signal, for the 4228HD Warren is $15.00 cheaper.

It is a lot of Antenna. There was a guy here on the Forum named Tahoerob who used to post daily like many of us. Well he offered it up one day and at the time my Attic antenna wasn't cutting it. So I had Dave from Fairfax antenna install it along with a rotator. Is it to much antenna? Well, I get every channel that I list on the first post, so I have nothing to complain about, and maybe that's why it was worth it.


I wasn't being critical and you can't beat a free antenna!

OTA'ers out there any thought of the type/model antenna you are going to buy for use after February 9 ?

Currently, I'm using a Channel Master VHF/UHF/FM CM-3020 (on a rotor) with a CM-0264DSB pre-amp mounted at 26'. I'm trying to get it moved to my 40' tower and make some evaluations about where I go next from there.

I'd like to test both Extreme Deep Fringe UHF and VHF antennas. I may need to move to a twin ganged UHF yagi before it's all said and done.

My questions
1. Does anyone know if CW is going to switch to 1MW transmission any sooner? Right now they transmit analog at 1MW and digital at 125KW.

2. Can I make a loop antenna with a circumference of 0.431/2=0.216m and get this channel reliably?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

1) I don't think they will be going to 1MW until Feb.
2) Try a Di-Pole instead. It would be easy to make, small, and outputs 300 Ohms.

I use a couple of Square shooter antennas which have worked very well with UHF the last 4.5 years. Hopefully there won't be any problems with VHF. Although it is a backup to FIOS.

At my girlfriends who has OTA only in FOrt Washington. I got her a couple of RCA table top antennas(ANT1251) that has separately built in variable amps for UHF and VHF. They work exteremly well and pick up all the stations in Baltimore and DC. And they are small and barely take up any space. Although once VHF is used I guess I need to extend the VHF antennas. Right now they are hidden.

Hi,
I am within 15 miles NW of the towers in DC. CW's digital transmission is at 125KW, rest of the big 4 are at 1MW. I am using DTV Pal (from echostar). The antenna is a DIY coat hanger antenna. I tried the Phillips MANT 940, but even then, CW is breaking up (60% signal). On this device anything less than 60% has issues, so I want to be at least at 70% on average.

I am unable to get CW unless I have the antenna high above (which is not possible on a permanent basis, as I live in a rented property).
...
1. Does anyone know if CW is going to switch to 1MW transmission any sooner? Right now they transmit analog at 1MW and digital at 125KW.

I missed seeing your post, so a belated reply. I have no problems getting WDCW-DT 50 at 16 miles from Sterling even with an indoor Silver Sensor antenna. WDCW-DT is operating at 125 kW on UHF 51, but that is still a decent digital power level for UHF. You might get better results with 2 or 4 bay bowtie antenna for the UHF stations and there are plans for a DIY 4 bay bowtie.

WDCW-DT will flash cut to 50 on February 18, currently authorized to operate at 122 kW. WDCW-DT filed a maximized power application to increase the power post-transition to 1000 kW, but the FCC has not granted their application yet. The FCC has seemingly been slow to process the maximize power applications. Only a few have been granted so far for our area. BTW, WJLA-DT 7 is at 646 kW on UHF 39 and WRC-DT is at 813 kW on UHF 48; only 2 of big 4 in DC are at 1000 kW.

On the subject of antennas, the CM4228 8 bay has more gain than the CM4221 4 Bay. But the CM4228 (or the new CM4228H made-in-China version) is much more directional than the CM4221. So for locations where the stations are scattered far apart in different directions, the CM 4221 is the more useful. I have a CM 4221 in the attic and added a Winegard YA-6713 upper VHF antenna (since discontinued) to be ready for February 18 (89 days to go).

I missed seeing your post, so a belated reply. I have no problems getting WDCW-DT 50 at 16 miles from Sterling even with an indoor Silver Sensor antenna. WDCW-DT is operating at 125 kW on UHF 51, but that is still a decent digital power level for UHF. You might get better results with 2 or 4 bay bowtie antenna for the UHF stations and there are plans for a DIY 4 bay bowtie.

WDCW-DT will flash cut to 50 on February 18, currently authorized to operate at 122 kW. WDCW-DT filed a maximized power application to increase the power post-transition to 1000 kW, but the FCC has not granted their application yet. The FCC has seemingly been slow to process the maximize power applications. Only a few have been granted so far for our area. BTW, WJLA-DT 7 is at 646 kW on UHF 39 and WRC-DT is at 813 kW on UHF 48; only 2 of big 4 in DC are at 1000 kW.

On the subject of antennas, the CM4228 8 bay has more gain than the CM4221 4 Bay. But the CM4228 (or the new CM4228H made-in-China version) is much more directional than the CM4221. So for locations where the stations are scattered far apart in different directions, the CM 4221 is the more useful. I have a CM 4221 in the attic and added a Winegard YA-6713 upper VHF antenna (since discontinued) to be ready for February 18 (89 days to go).

How do you know the CM4228HD is much more directional than the CM4221? The antenna isn't even on the market yet and there are no product reviews.

How do you know the CM4228HD is much more directional than the CM4221? The antenna isn't even on the market yet and there are no product reviews.
The CM 4228HD is still two stacks of 4 bowties side-by-side. The only major change in the design are two continuous horizontal screens (with horizontal bars only) across the width of the antenna which is obviously aimed at improving upper VHF reception (and fix the notch for VHF 8 reception in the current CM4228). Probably some changes to the feed line. But those mods are not going to change the beam pattern for UHF reception much.

Beam pattern for CM 4221: http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/cm4221.html
Beam pattern for CM 4228: http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/cm4228.html

I have a CM4228 on my rrof with a rotor right now and my plan is just to wait until the change in February and see whether I can still pick up channels 7, 9, 11, and 13 when they revert. I get them with my indoor antennae here in Laurel, so I'm hopeful that even thought the CM4228 is UHF only, it will get enough of a signal to keep me from having to replace it.

Thanks all for their suggestions. I'll try this. I have a few more questions.

1. The antenna on top our building was fixed by the housing people and I get all channels except WRC/NBC . I get it barely, and I see a lot of signal dropping. All the towers of NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX are at the same location. So, why am I getting it so bad?

2. For the antenna, what gage of wire is suggested. Someone was using coat hanger, someone else used #8 copper wire. How does the gauge of the wire affect the reception.

3. For a DB4 DIY antenna made out of coat hangers, can I use a closed triangle instead of open ended Vs, for the elements. I just want to eliminate any sharp ends and also, I have seen someone using a bow-tie design. However, this bow tie design was just a single one. Any ideas?

Thanks.

1) I don't think they will be going to 1MW until Feb.
2) Try a Di-Pole instead. It would be easy to make, small, and outputs 300 Ohms.

How well do you receive CW50? WRC is on 48 at full power (813 KW) and 50 is at partial power of 125 KW. Maybe you have a dip in your antenna that affects 48.

The bigger the wire (copper is best), the better the gain.

I can't receive CW50 at all. With MANT940 antenna, I was barely able to receive CW50.

Thanks.

How well do you receive CW50? WRC is on 48 at full power (813 KW) and 50 is at partial power of 125 KW. Maybe you have a dip in your antenna that affects 48.

The bigger the wire (copper is best), the better the gain.

I can't receive CW50 at all. With MANT940 antenna, I was barely able to receive CW50.

Thanks.

Where are you located?

CW50 is my weakest station as well. I can get it with the roof antenna aimed just right, but it's still not that stable. Can't get it at all with the indoor antenna. My24 is about on that same level from Baltimore.

CW50 is my weakest station as well. I can get it with the roof antenna aimed just right, but it's still not that stable. Can't get it at all with the indoor antenna. My24 is about on that same level from Baltimore.

I get CW50 just fine out here in Steeler country :)

CW50 is my weakest station as well. I can get it with the roof antenna aimed just right, but it's still not that stable. Can't get it at all with the indoor antenna. My24 is about on that same level from Baltimore.
For digital broadcast, WDCW-DT's 125 kW on UHF 51 is not that weak a signal. There is approximately a 16:1 ratio between equivalent analog and digital power (ERP to be specific). The coverage maps for WDCW-TV's 4168 kW analog broadcast and the digital 125 kW are not that different.

There is a possible source of interference, WMAR-DT ABC 2 broadcasting on UHF 52 at 602 kW in Baltimore. But it should only be a issue for those closer to the WMAR-DT's broadcast tower in NW Baltimore or north of it where the signal from WMAR-DT is much stronger than the WDCW-DT's signal. Directional antennas in some spots can help. The adjacent channel issue for those 2 stations will go away after February 17 when WDCW-DT 50 flash cuts to UHF 50 and WMAR-DT moves to UHF 38 at 1000 kW.

But WDCW-DT should not be that difficult to get withing the outer edges of this coverage map area except up close to Baltimore: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT623485.html. Since WDCW-DT is in the upper UHF channel range, it will have higher loss for long cable runs. If the cable is RG-59 for a medium to long length run, switching to shielded RG-6 might help with getting WRC-DT on UHF 48 or WDCW-DT on UHF 51.

There is a possible source of interference, WMAR-DT ABC 2 broadcasting on UHF 52 at 602 kW in Baltimore. But it should only be a issue for those closer to the WMAR-DT's broadcast tower in NW Baltimore or north of it where the signal from WMAR-DT is much stronger than the WDCW-DT's signal. Directional antennas in some spots can help. The adjacent channel issue for those 2 stations will go away after February 17 when WDCW-DT 50 flash cuts to UHF 50 and WMAR-DT moves to UHF 38 at 1000 kW.

That is what I hope will happen in February. When the stations stop playing musical chairs, then we'll have to see where we're at and what's still lacking. Where I live, although I'm on 6 miles outside the DC beltway and 25 miles outside the Baltimore beltway, the stations from TV Hill in Baltimore are all strong with the closer DC transmitters not so much. It is probable that the Baltimore frequencies could be causing some interference in my case. WMAR-DT is the strongest of my signals.

It is probable that the Baltimore frequencies could be causing some interference in my case. WMAR-DT is the strongest of my signals.Yes, with Baltimore & DC being about 180 degrees opposite of each other, that is very likely.

Been away from this thread for ages, and finally came back to see what was the story for February OTA. Glad to see we only need to worry about 7 and 9.

I tested my CM4221, running a spare splitter output into the "antenna in" on my old Sammie DLP (from 2003: no ATSC!), and 7 and 9 are good enough (I forgot how analog looked... :( ) that it should be fine come February.

So, for anyone in the South Riding/SE Loudoun/Western Fairfax area in a similar situation who hasn't tested, you may be good to go.

(Unless I've misdigested what's in the last twenty pages of this thread and the 'what's changing in Feb nationally' thread... :) )

Been away from this thread for ages, and finally came back to see what was the story for February OTA. Glad to see we only need to worry about 7 and 9.

I tested my CM4221, running a spare splitter output into the "antenna in" on my old Sammie DLP (from 2003: no ATSC!), and 7 and 9 are good enough (I forgot how analog looked... :( ) that it should be fine come February.

So, for anyone in the South Riding/SE Loudoun/Western Fairfax area in a similar situation who hasn't tested, you may be good to go.

(Unless I've misdigested what's in the last twenty pages of this thread and the 'what's changing in Feb nationally' thread... :) )

Hmmmm, you think you can get high VHF with your 4221 UHF only antenna. That's interesting. You are about the same distance from the towers as me. Hopefully my 4221 will produce the same results and I won't have to buy a UHF/VHF antenna. Can you pull in any B'more stations at your location?

Actually its funny how you put a sad face :) about how analog looks. I did a scan with my TV's analog tuner the other day. This analog TV had either had Dish Network SD connected to it, or a digital converter box. Well after the analog scan there were a few channels that looked really good. Much better than they look (and what I've gotten acclimated too) on Dish Network due to compression.

For the first time, I could barely get my Echostar TR-40 to scan CW50. However, it is at 54% and all I get is a blank screen. I get the PSIP EPG, since it is scanned, but no video. This is at 15miles northwest of DC.

Hope it improves after Feb 09.

Does anyone know if they are increasing their transmission power any sooner? I have seen some discussions about their application for doing the same, but unaware of any developments.

Thanks.

For digital broadcast, WDCW-DT's 125 kW on UHF 51 is not that weak a signal. There is approximately a 16:1 ratio between equivalent analog and digital power (ERP to be specific). The coverage maps for WDCW-TV's 4168 kW analog broadcast and the digital 125 kW are not that different.

There is a possible source of interference, WMAR-DT ABC 2 broadcasting on UHF 52 at 602 kW in Baltimore. But it should only be a issue for those closer to the WMAR-DT's broadcast tower in NW Baltimore or north of it where the signal from WMAR-DT is much stronger than the WDCW-DT's signal. Directional antennas in some spots can help. The adjacent channel issue for those 2 stations will go away after February 17 when WDCW-DT 50 flash cuts to UHF 50 and WMAR-DT moves to UHF 38 at 1000 kW.

But WDCW-DT should not be that difficult to get withing the outer edges of this coverage map area except up close to Baltimore: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT623485.html. Since WDCW-DT is in the upper UHF channel range, it will have higher loss for long cable runs. If the cable is RG-59 for a medium to long length run, switching to shielded RG-6 might help with getting WRC-DT on UHF 48 or WDCW-DT on UHF 51.

I've got a request of people in the viewing area of WTTG (channel 5) and WDCA (channel 20) who have OTA digital TV equipment, particularly if the DTV equipment was manufactured before 2008. Could you check one evening to see if you have problems getting captions on 5.1 and/or 20.1 for reruns, i.e., *syndicated* programs like "The Simpsons," "Seinfield" and "King of the Hill", which are not broadcast live by satellite? (The digital captions for reruns are created on the fly by different technology (owned by the station) compared to the digital captions from (live) programs broadcast by satellite; the former is a problem while the latter is not an issue right now.)

I've been trying to get these captioning problems addressed FOR OVER A YEAR. I'm finally in communication with the engineering department about these problems, but more help is needed from people who have different kinds of digital TV equipment.

(The captions seem to be fine for prime-time shows broadcast by satellite. Digital captions from syndicated programs on WTTG and WDCA are received intact by two 2008 DTV devices that I have, but not by my 2006 HDTV---the digital captions disappear altogether after a few minutes.)

Whether or not you see digital captions throughout the program, it would be useful to know what brand of HDTV or DTV equipment you have and approximately when it was manufactured.

My guess is that the delay in the captions that are upconverted from analog to digital by WTTG and WDCA is causing older DTV equipment to be unable to decode the captions at all once the lack on synchronization occurs, but for some unknown reason, newer DTVs can still keep decoding the delayed captions.

There are two problems: the unacceptable delay in the captions and the inability of some TVs to show any of those delayed captions at all. No one knows what changed in the manufacturing process to allow some (newer? different brands of?) TVs to decode those delayed captions and at what point that change occurred.

So if different people in this viewing area could check out the status of captions from different digital TV equipment and let me know the particulars, that could go a long way towards trying to solve these problems before thousands of people are stuck with unworkable captions on February 18th, 2009.

If you'd like to help out, please email me at dmulvany@usa.net with "Report on captioning for digital programs from WTTG or WDCA" in the subject line and the following information in the body of your email:

1. Manufacturer of your DTV equipment:

2. Model number (if available)

3. Date of manufacture (on back of TV) or date purchased:

4. What rerun (syndicated TV program) you watched with digital captions turned on your DTV equipment:

5. How long did you watch with the captions turned on? (Please watch at least ten minutes):

6. Did all of the captions show up, even if there was a delay? If possible, please record the time of any problems that occurred:

7. Any other observations you think might be useful or relevant:

BTW, no one is getting paid anything extra to do this troubleshooting. I'm a person with severe hearing loss who depends on captioning and who would like to get these problems figured out before people with older HDTVs are stuck not being able to watch some digital programming next February 18th.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dana Mulvany

Hi everyone -

We have been using an old exciter on WBFF-DT for a few weeks to see if doing so would fix the audio problems that we were having on DirecTV. I haven't seen any postings of problems for a while, so that may have helped the problem.

Yesterday, I updated the software on the newer exciter, and put it back on the air. Please let me know if you start experiencing the popping audio problem again, especially on DirecTV.

Thanks -

Anyone have audio problems on WUSA last night (Monday, the 24th)? My mother said she has audio problems, and I did, too... was it a problem with WUSA, or with RCN (my cable provider)? The dialog was so low volume, you could barely hear it - it seems to have started a few minutes into The Big Bang Theory, and continued through How I Met Your Mother. It seems to have been fixed by the time Two and a Half Men started.

Lenonn,

Had the same problem via FIOS.

Same problem OTA

not exactly HD related but Comcast of Prince George's County is showing WDCW on analog channels 3 and 20. WDCA 20 has disappeared.

Same problem OTA

Thank you, everyone. It's good to know it's not just me. I've fired off an e-mail to WUSA about this incident.

I had the same problem in MoCo. It was fixed half-way through HIMYM.

I had the same problem in MoCo. It was fixed half-way through HIMYM.

I received a response e-mail from WUSA (I cut out the names for privacy purposes):

You are absolutely correct. We had an issue on our HD feed for almost 20 minutes last night. This was our problem and not CBS's. Without going into too much detail, this was essentially human error. We have the issue corrected and we should not be having this problem again.

Thank you for contact me about this (I'll take all the help I can get!). Please feel free to contact me again if you experience any issues.

not exactly HD related but Comcast of Prince George's County is showing WDCW on analog channels 3 and 20. WDCA 20 has disappeared.
I don't try to understand Comcast programming, but I now find that my basic cable in P.G county provides the same program on 3-0 in analog, on 84-18 in SD digital, and on 133-601 in 720p digital. These are all identified as My-20.

Our Comcast tv (all channels, not just HD) was barely watchable around 7:30pm Monday night. The weather wasn't that bad out, so I don't know if it can be blamed.

I received a response e-mail from WUSA (I cut out the names for privacy purposes):

Good for WUSA for: (1) actually responding to you, and; (2) being honest in their response instead of giving you some corporate BS.

Our Comcast tv (all channels, not just HD) was barely watchable around 7:30pm Monday night. The weather wasn't that bad out, so I don't know if it can be blamed.
A friend of mine that lives near you reported the same thing. Said his internet was fine, but TV was screwed. That's Comcast for ya! :)

Just wanted to confirm that it wasn't just you.

A friend of mine that lives near you reported the same thing. Said his internet was fine, but TV was screwed. That's Comcast for ya! :)

Just wanted to confirm that it wasn't just you.

A board member at a recent HOA meeting (I'm in the Lakelands) said it'll be six years until FiOS comes here. :(

http://www.cox.com/fairfax/bulletins/hd_channel_launches.asp
Thanks- but, HDNET please..........

I received a response e-mail from WUSA (I cut out the names for privacy purposes):

Interesting, I record it both HD and standard-def and it had the same audio problem on std-def as well.

-Mike

I just saw that weta is running a digital test on tuesday at 5:28pm. It doesn't look that exciting, from www.weta.org/digital

Washington-area DTV broadcast test is on December 2

All television stations in the Washington area will broadcast a special DTV alert at the same time for two minutes on December 2, 2008 starting at 5:28 pm.

If your television set is still receiving an analog broadcast signal, you will see this alert. This means that that television set is not ready for the digital transition occurring nationwide on February 17, 2009.

If you do not see this alert then that means your television set is receiving a digital signal and you are ready for February 17.


It will be interesting to see if comcast/verizon/cox have switched to digital feeds.

Why is Kentucky v. Tennessee blacked out on ESPN2 on D* in NoVA?

What other network is it on? I can't find it anywhere. Should someone call D* and let them know?

-Mike

Why is Kentucky v. Tennessee blacked out on ESPN2 on D* in NoVA?

It wasn't really blacked out. The MD/BC game ran long, and that is what was being blacked out. Once that game was over the blackout was lifted.

I just saw that weta is running a digital test on tuesday at 5:28pm. It doesn't look that exciting, from www.weta.org/digital



It will be interesting to see if comcast/verizon/cox have switched to digital feeds.

If I am not mistaken, WJLA7 is running a test at that time as well.

-SUO

Last night was a mess. CWHD - WDCAHD and WETAHD were off the air on Comcast. I assume this is a Comcast problem. The SD feeds were fine. And I can't see all these HD feeds being down at the same time.