Tom,
Thanks for the prompt reply. I see you are springfield. Are you sure we are on the same system and that i would get the channel? I dont wanna switch if they dont carry that channel. Again, thanks!

Think we are in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area, but I get my info from here:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzfiostv

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD is #576

Tom,
I just checked all springfield zip codes and they do indeed show the channel on the lineup, but my zip says it isnt available. Also, you are in a different county than I am, so I could see the lineup being different.

AVS Forum Readers,
Any others out there, maybe in my locale, with any further info?

Thanks Tom/Everybody

WBAL really angered their viewers yesterday during the Super Bowl, shrinking down the screen during Springsteen's concert for the Maryland Lottery numbers, and constantly displaying a "Ravens Broadcast Team" logo in lower right during the entire game.

Apparantly, the Lottery draw is required to be on at 8:10pm. Couldn't they have made an exception for one night. I am not going to get into the whole discussion (like over on dcrtv.net) about if you were missing anything with the Boss' performance last night.

Tom,
I just checked all springfield zip codes and they do indeed show the channel on the lineup, but my zip says it isnt available. Also, you are in a different county than I am, so I could see the lineup being different.

AVS Forum Readers,
Any others out there, maybe in my locale, with any further info?
On Verizon Fios, the entire Washington Metro area gets the same channel line-up, except for the public/educational/government channels. To get the channel line-up for Verizon Fios, go to http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSTV/ChannelLineup/ChannelLineup.htm. The PDF files were last updated in November, but with the exception of HSN (not) HD and Encore HD which were added several months ago, the HD line-up is accurate as of today. 593 Golf HD has been added in other markets and should show up here soon (here being VHO 4 in Verizon parlance). The other two Fios line-ups in the VHO 4 region are for Anne Arundel/Howard County in MD which gets both DC and Baltimore broadcast locals and Baltimore which gets just the Baltimore stations.

On Verizon Fios, the entire Washington Metro area gets the same channel line-up, except for the public/educational/government channels. To get the channel line-up for Verizon Fios, go to http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSTV/ChannelLineup/ChannelLineup.htm. The PDF files were last updated in November, but with the exception of HSN (not) HD and Encore HD which were added several months ago, the HD line-up is accurate as of today. 593 Golf HD has been added in other markets and should show up here soon (here being VHO 4 in Verizon parlance). The other two Fios line-ups in the VHO 4 region are for Anne Arundel/Howard County in MD which gets both DC and Baltimore broadcast locals and Baltimore which gets just the Baltimore stations.

afiggatt,
That was some good info there! Thank you so much for that. :) I guess there is an error on Verizons listing for my zip. Damn you internets! (shakes fist at sky) Glad to hear I will be able to see my Caps in HD. Again, thank you and have a great one.

I was stunned that WBAL did this in the middle of the Springsteen half-time. I was at a Superbowl party and watching on an analog set, so it occurred both on the analog and digital broadcasts. And if this is contractually required, it makes one wonder why a network affil would sign up to interrupt their 8 pm programming for something that anyone can read in a newspaper or get online. Had I been recording the Springsteen concert, I'd have been perturbed, but I guess that's what the broadcast/entertainment industry has come to now. Perhaps the half time entertainment should have it in their contract that no local affil can interfere with the broadcast performance.

WBAL really angered their viewers yesterday during the Super Bowl, shrinking down the screen during Springsteen's concert for the Maryland Lottery numbers, and constantly displaying a "Ravens Broadcast Team" logo in lower right during the entire game.

Apparantly, the Lottery draw is required to be on at 8:10pm. Couldn't they have made an exception for one night. I am not going to get into the whole discussion (like over on dcrtv.net) about if you were missing anything with the Boss' performance last night.

"How close is the distribution amp to the antenna? You want the distribution as close as possible to the antenna.

I personally would go with a Channel Master 7777 pre-amp instead of a distribution amp at your near fringe location.

I have the distribution next to the antenna (6 ft) mainly because cables take different paths in the house. All cable is RG-6 Quad Shield.

The odd thing is that the signals from 5-1, 7-1 and 9-1 all remain strong while 4-1 completely dissapears.

WTTG-DT Fox 5 had Seinfeld in HD tonight at 7:30 PM.

BTW, for those who get the Salisbury stations OTA, both WBOC CBS 16 and WDPB PBS 64 have filed notices with the FCC that they plan to shut their analog broadcast down on Feb. 17, even if Congress enacts a delay.

"

I have the distribution next to the antenna (6 ft) mainly because cables take different paths in the house. All cable is RG-6 Quad Shield.

The odd thing is that the signals from 5-1, 7-1 and 9-1 all remain strong while 4-1 completely dissapears.Others here have mentioned issues with channel 4.1. I would suggest trying moving the antenna to a different spot in the attic to find a better sweet spot. It must be a bear to manuever that monster in the attic though.

I ran into a similar issue also when helping a friend with receiving channel 4.1 in Manassas. We moved the roof mouted antenna only 6 inches and it solved the problem.

Maryland Public Television still can't decide how the hell it wants to present its in-house produced widescreen SD Motorweek on its flagship station. This week: back to windowboxed. This is getting ridiculous.

I noticed for the first time tonight that WRC wasn't able to show any real-time (live) captions of either type (analog or digital) for their digital channel, 4.1, at least at 7:30 pm or 11 pm Monday night (and at those times, real-time captioning had to be provided). Thankfully it did show pre-recorded captions for "Chuck," "Heroes," and "Medium," but I had to switch to the analog channel to see any live captions for the news at 11 pm.

(Note: I *was* able to see real-time captioning for the Tonight Show. It'll be interesting to see whether locally-transmitted realtime-captioning for local news will show up tomorrow.)

I know that WTTG and WDCA just switched to an HD caption encoder on late on January 30th and are still working out problems, and captions had been missing on those channels for a while this weekend.

[Pre-recorded captions of both kinds are inconsistent for 20.1. They didn't show up at all at 11:30 pm tonight for "Seinfeld" for either the digital or analog channel even though they showed up earlier for "King of the Hill" via my Insignia converter box--but not for my 2006 Sharp HDTV.]

Accumulating captions are still showing up from 7.1 on my Samsung HDTV for programs like "The Bachelor."

Part of the problem may be that a lot of station engineers don't realize they need to work with their DTV MPEG encoder to extract the caption data and re-insert it, and if they don't do that properly, the caption data gets corrupted.

Dana

Tom,
Thanks for the prompt reply. I see you are springfield. Are you sure we are on the same system and that i would get the channel? I dont wanna switch if they dont carry that channel. Again, thanks!


It's 576 here in Woodbridge.

I am moving out to Vienna VA and would like to get opinion on what provider I should go with Cox, FIOS or Direct TV? I would like HD DVR, just need that for one room. In my other rooms I was just planning on using basic cable so do not need a box but would like the ability to tune in QAM channels, I know I will not get that with Direct TV so QAM is not too important. Will be looking to get Internet service as well.

All input is appreciated.

Thanks

WWPX-DT has been off the air since before 09:00. Anyone know what's happening there? I'm getting "Signal Strength," but no "Signal Quality." Even the Sub-Channels.

It's 576 here in Woodbridge.

Thanks aaronwt!

I have made my decision and will be switching to FIOS. I'm looking forward to all the new (to me anyways) HD channels they have.

E* has added Fox News HD.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/163578-fox-news-hd-up-running.html

Supposedly there is more expected on Wednesday. Considering that FOX and Viacom and two biggest hold outs, this could really shore up Dish's HD lineup.

I am moving out to Vienna VA and would like to get opinion on what provider I should go with Cox, FIOS or Direct TV?
No experience with DirecTV, but I currently have both Cox and FiOS.

FiOS definitely has more HD, including most, but not all, of the HD channels Cox has. The difference in value for the premium services is striking: Cox has 4 premium HDs, one per service, while FiOS has over 40 (FORTY) HD premiums at a comparable price.

OTOH, for everything non-HD, Cox PQ is clearly superior. FiOS really doesn’t have any SD at all, they have HD and LD. FiOS non-HD material, including all the non-HD on-Demand stuff, is comparable to VHS EP or a 6-hour DVD recording in quality.

I like the FiOS DVR a little better, but YMMV. The Cox DVR occasionally fails to record programs or deletes programs prematurely for no apparent reason. But the FiOS DVR will not start a recording unless it has a generous amount of space available to complete it, and sometimes does not add space back to the free pool after a program is deleted until you reboot it. This behavior is more predictable than the Cox DVR, but still annoying, especially when you want to start a long live recording while still watching something else you then plan to delete.

FiOS is all digital; no analog, but the basic tier is all clear-QAM. Cox has a full digital simulcast, but also continues to provide basic and expanded basic tiers in analog. Most broadcast digitals, including all broadcast HD, are available in clear QAM on both services, but MHz channels and Weatherscan are clear on FiOS, scrambled on Cox. PEG channels are clear on FiOS, but the digital simulcasts of these are scrambled on Cox, as is all of expanded basic, which will probably go digital anyway later this year. Finally, Cox is using Switched Digital for many channels, and seems to be moving towards an all Switched Digital system. No Switched Digital so far on FiOS.

OTOH, for everything non-HD, Cox PQ is clearly superior. FiOS really doesn’t have any SD at all, they have HD and LD. FiOS non-HD material, including all the non-HD on-Demand stuff, is comparable to VHS EP or a 6-hour DVD recording in quality.Anybody else experience this with Verizon?

IMO, Verizon FIOS SD is as about good as it gets for cable/satellite. It's light years better than any VHS player. Some channels are compressed(especially premium movie channels), but I don't think Verizon is doing the compressing.

I do feel the local SD channels look slightly better with my CECB; but still excellent overall.

Supposedly there is more expected on Wednesday. Considering that FOX and Viacom and two biggest hold outs, this could really shore up Dish's HD lineup.

Fox Business SD has been added. HD is coming soon. (Maybe tomorrow?)


http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/173549-Fox_Business_Network_Launches_On_Dish_Network.php

Yep. On the last Charlie Chat Dish put up a bunch of Viacom channels and a few fox channels as their "coming soon in HD" list. I think that there was also a press release about Dish and Viacom signing a deal. Dish has likely been holding off on adding these new HD channels until Feb since there will be a price increase at the same time.

Its easier for people to stomach a price increase when there is actually new channels in the lineup.

I do wonder what Dish is going to do with the SD local channels once Analog goes off the air? I know that they will carry a SD version of the digital channels, but will it be letterboxed or cropped?

I do wonder what Dish is going to do with the SD local channels once Analog goes off the air? I know that they will carry a SD version of the digital channels, but will it be letterboxed or cropped?One weird thing is that some SD NBC shows which used to be letterboxed (as recently as December) are just cropped now. I don't know if it is DishNetwork or NBC doing it.

I noticed for the first time tonight that WRC wasn't able to show any real-time (live) captions of either type (analog or digital) for their digital channel, 4.1, at least at 7:30 pm or 11 pm Monday night (and at those times, real-time captioning had to be provided).

I've learned that these captioning problems were due to some kind of problematic interaction with the text crawl announcing school closures and were fixed by 11 a.m. this morning.

Dana

<edit>
I do wonder what Dish is going to do with the SD local channels once Analog goes off the air? I know that they will carry a SD version of the digital channels, but will it be letterboxed or cropped?

We all filled out forms with that question, to let Dish, Direct, Comcast, Fios, etc. know what we preferred. I can't speak for the other stations, but WNUV and WBFF put down letterbox, unless they have AFD (active format description) working. The WBFF morning news has an L-bar that a lot ov viewers like, and if they were to crop the sides, the info in the vertical part of the L-bar would be lost.

Currently we are sending out a letterbox AFD, but I'm working on a way to change it per program so that those still with analog TVs won't have to change the zoom on their digital converter box to get rid of the black bars,

.

I just saw this on WJLA and had to take a pic. They must be cutting the copy editors in this "ecomony."

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3251038939_f46a8b7803.jpg

IMO, Verizon FIOS SD is as about good as it gets for cable/satellite.
Then you either have better Verizon FiOS quality than I do, or you haven't seen really good SD, such as that provided by Cox digital cable or Bell ExpressVu. Dish Network SD is a notch below that, but still better than Verizon, IMO.

I should note that in making these comparisons, I am focusing primarily on resolution/ detail/sharpness rather than other aspects of PQ. Verizon SD does not have the instability of tape, for instance, or the digital compression artifacts of 6-hour DVD recordings. But it is definitely a softer picture than what is available from other providers. The difference might not be all that noticeable on a smaller screen CRT, but on an HD-capable large screen, the difference between comparable channels on Cox and Verizon is glaringly obvious. It’s not a close call at all.

And despite Verizon's all-digital claim, there are actually analog video artifacts -- specifically the type of color moire that S-video luminance/chrominance separation eliminates -- visible in the crawls on Verizon's Weatherscan channel 49. The Cox version of this same channel, in addition to being sharper, has no such defects.

One weird thing is that some SD NBC shows which used to be letterboxed (as recently as December) are just cropped now. I don't know if it is DishNetwork or NBC doing it.I just watched last night's Heroes and that was definitely letterboxed last year. WRC last night showed it as 4:3. I sent WRC a feedback question on their website to ask them about it.

Um, I beg to differ, while Cox may "look" sharper, it looks washed out, whereas Verizon's PQ is quite clear with little artifacts at all.

And Verizon does not modify the compression and picture quality(except for the current IMG bug) on its channels, therefor, The Weather Channel is/was providing a worse feed for Weatherscan.

Channels like Nickelodeon, CNN, Disney, ESPN, and Discovery have looked sharper compared to Cox(I did a side by side comparison before dumping Cox). In fact, because of the 6(or so) SD channels per QAM slot on Verizon, I thought that all customers would not see picture quality tumble. Guess I was wrong. In addition, the bit rate on Cox's SD channels floats near 3 mbps, and Verizon runs whatever the provider supplies them with. But I suppose YMMV, maybe bad RG-6 running to the FiOS you saw?

EDIT: Haha, I didn't even notice the WJLA picture. Albritton must have some serious cash flow issues to remove spell check.

We all filled out forms with that question, to let Dish, Direct, Comcast, Fios, etc. know what we preferred. I can't speak for the other stations, but WNUV and WBFF put down letterbox, unless they have AFD (active format description) working.
Oh gosh, I hope they don’t do that, because that will mean all 4:3 content, such as what was on 45 and 54 just a few minutes ago, will be windowboxed. And I think cable/sat companies will get complaints about that.

But if you think that’s the “right” thing to do, then why aren’t you letterboxing your HD signal on analog 45 and 54 right now, just as WJLA is doing with its analog simulcast on LP channel 49? Why should cable/sat companies letterbox American Idol and ACC Basketball for their analog/SD customers when you are not doing that for your OTA analog viewers?

Fortunately, in the cable and satellite signals I’m seeing, the trend seems to be toward zooming/cropping, which best preserves what analog cable and satellite viewers are accustomed to.

Note, btw, that AFD has to be processed either at the cable/satellite headend, or in the feed provided by the station itself. Most analog TVs and STBs do not have zoom functionality, either manual or automatic.

Here we go again, another ACC RAYCOM game available in HD, and My 20 is having problems. For a brief moment at the start, the game was in HD (with choppy sound), but has been in SD since. The station tells me "engineering is aware and working on the problem"

Why doesn't WDCA work to fix this issue once and for all?

Um, I beg to differ, while Cox may "look" sharper, it looks washed out, whereas Verizon's PQ is quite clear with little artifacts at all.
I see no difference in contrast between Verizon and Cox's digital channels. Cox analog channels do have noise and other analog defects, but that is not a fair comparison.

And Verizon does not modify the compression and picture quality(except for the current IMG bug) on its channels, therefor, The Weather Channel is/was providing a worse feed for Weatherscan.
Well, then I would suggest Verizon should demand that The Weather Channel fix that. It’s not like the end user has any control over it. Any way you slice it, it’s Verizon’s responsibility.

But I suppose YMMV, maybe bad RG-6 running to the FiOS you saw?
Dude, seriously... you cannot possibly believe that, can you?

I have maybe 15 feet of brand new Verizon-supplied RG-6 plus one splitter between the fiber drop and the STB, after which it’s HDMI to the screen.

But that’s irrelevant, because bad RG-6 cannot downrez digital video. If the RG-6 were bad, the picture would pixelate or macroblock or display other digital defects.

The resolution is what it is, period. And it ain’t as good as Cox. Maybe it was as good as Cox at your house, when you dropped Cox, but right here, right now, it ain’t.

Edit: And if the notion of RG-6 downrezzing isn’t absurd enough, consider how “smart” that RG-6 must be to so perfectly distinguish the “SD” and HD signals it’s carrying. Because Cox and Verizon HD look identical, it’s only the “SD” that looks different.

Then you either have better Verizon FiOS quality than I do, or you haven't seen really good SD, such as that provided by Cox digital cable or Bell ExpressVu. Dish Network SD is a notch below that, but still better than Verizon, IMO.

I should note that in making these comparisons, I am focusing primarily on resolution/ detail/sharpness rather than other aspects of PQ. Verizon SD does not have the instability of tape, for instance, or the digital compression artifacts of 6-hour DVD recordings. But it is definitely a softer picture than what is available from other providers.
You do know that the reason for the soft SD on the Fios STBs is because of the SD channel image processing software in the last several IMG releases? This is supposed to be fixed in the next IMG release, 1.6.1, which is in beta testing. The SD channels on a clear QAM tuner look fine. Most of the SD channels look ok to me, but then with a 100+ HD channels, the SD channels become less important. Also, my setup is component cables to the TV with 480i output for the SD channels which might be better than other approaches. But, I have not followed the details. But this is a Fios issue, which is better discussed in the Fios specific threads.

The Maryland-UNC game on WDCA is in SD yet again, even though this one is definitely being produced in HD. Apparently WDCA is suddenly incapable of syndicated HD :mad:

I think their engineers gave up... again. Well played, MY 20.
Will this be fixed by next week's UNC-Duke game? Doubtful.

You do know that the reason for the soft SD on the Fios STBs is because of the SD channel image processing software in the last several IMG releases? This is supposed to be fixed in the next IMG release, 1.6.1, which is in beta testing.
No, I didn't. I haven't been reading Verizon or STB threads. Thanks for letting me know.

The SD channels on a clear QAM tuner look fine.
Edit: Ok, this bothered me a bit, because although I thought I recalled checking the broadcast SD signals via Verizon clearQAM when it was first installed, and thinking they weren’t as good as they should be, I couldn’t figure out why that should be the case, so I decided to look again. And it seems you are right. Through a TiVoHD without a cable card, the Verizon and OTA versions seem to be the same.

However, the color moire on Verizon channel 49 is present on every tuner, including TiVoHD without a cable card.

But this is a Fios issue, which is better discussed in the Fios specific threads.
But I’m not discussing that. Note that I’ve edited the subject line of the previous posts and this one to indicate clearly that I am comparing Cox with Verizon, as they exist locally, which is what the o.p. asked about.

While the software issue you mentioned is interesting and perhaps explanatory, it doesn’t change the fact that, because I'm currently relying on provider-supplied STBs, SD currently looks better to me on Cox than Verizon, which again, is in answer to the original question.

"

I have the distribution next to the antenna (6 ft) mainly because cables take different paths in the house. All cable is RG-6 Quad Shield.

The odd thing is that the signals from 5-1, 7-1 and 9-1 all remain strong while 4-1 completely dissapears.

WRC-DT is on channel 48, which is also used by a few low-power stations and relays not too far from where you are. I think the closest is WAZW 48 from Winchester. Fluctuations in propagation of said station could explain why WRC goes away while the others don't. I'm not aware of nearby stations using the DT frequencies of the others.

Unfortunately, since they are a low-power station they are under no obligation to shut their analog off anytime soon, and WRC is staying on that same channel post-transition. If this is indeed the source of your problem, which I suppose you could check by viewing channel 48 analog while experiencing problems with WRC-DT, your best course of action would be repositioning or using a different UHF antenna.

WRC-DT is on channel 48, which is also used by a few low-power stations and relays not too far from where you are. I think the closest is WAZW 48 from Winchester. Fluctuations in propagation of said station could explain why WRC goes away while the others don't. I'm not aware of nearby stations using the DT frequencies of the others.
WAZW 48 should only interfere with WRC-DT 4 reception at the western edge of Loudoun county are and is clearly a problem on the western side of the Blue Ridge. msmckay didn't say where he was, so I overlooked his post (thread has been busy lately also). WAZW-LD does have a construction permit for a digital broadcast on UHF 46, but don't know when they plan to switch to that. Of course, operating on UHF 46 will likely interfere with those who get WBFF-DT 45 (46) from out near Winchester and western Loudoun.

msmckay, do you get WDCW-DT 50, WETA-DT 26, WHUT-DT 32? Those might give us a better understanding of your reception issues. Your location in terms of the town would help too.

While the software issue you mentioned is interesting and perhaps explanatory, it doesn’t change the fact that, because I'm currently relying on provider-supplied STBs, SD currently looks better to me on Cox than Verizon, which again, is in answer to the original question.Well, that's not entirely accurate, since the IMG bug affects only the HD-capable STBs. Standard STBs are unaffected.

Why all this discussion of SD picture quality and cropping in the HDTV forum? People with HDTVs don't care whether Heroes is cropped to 4:3 on the local NBC affiliate's SD channel, since it isn't cropped on their, er, HD channel.

What next? Will we have a discussion of what cellphone provides the best video?

Why all this discussion of SD picture quality and cropping in the HDTV forum? People with HDTVs don't care whether Heroes is cropped to 4:3 on the local NBC affiliate's SD channel, since it isn't cropped on their, er, HD channel.

What next? Will we have a discussion of what cellphone provides the best video?


Which one?:D

Well, that's not entirely accurate, since the IMG bug affects only the HD-capable STBs. Standard STBs are unaffected.
More useful information. Thank you.

(<sigh> Too bad I couldn't get any of this info from Verizon. But I know that's a vain hope....)

Still, I don't have any standard STBs, and the o.p. specified that s/he wanted one HD DVR and the ability to see clear QAM on other TVs. So while we have now established that the limited number of clear QAM SD channels will look fine on those other TVs, for the rest of the SD channels, my assessment stands. They look really bad to me (compared to Cox, Dish, etc.), and apparently, they will for hir too, unless s/he happens to like very soft pictures.

And btw, the fact that this “bug” has been out there for “the last several IMG releases” is inexcusable, imo. I’m sorry if Verizon FiOS is a sacred cow for some people, but I call ‘em as I see ‘em. Verizon has a lot of great HD that nobody else has right now, which is why I have it, but bad is bad, and on a Verizon HD box, the SD looks bad – as in awful.

Why all this discussion of SD picture quality and cropping in the HDTV forum? People with HDTVs don't care
Speak for yourself. Until every channel is HD, I care very much what SD looks like on my HDTV.

whether Heroes is cropped to 4:3 on the local NBC affiliate's SD channel, since it isn't cropped on their, er, HD channel.
And occasionally I do glance at the analog TVs in the kitchen and other rooms, so I care about that, too, thank you very much. And the picture on those TVs is small enough as it is, thank you, without having it windowboxed by the cable/satco, as Mark Bulla's suggestion would have it.

WTTG-DT Fox 5 had Seinfeld in HD tonight at 7:30 PM.

Seinfeld was once again in HD last night, however, both nights the sound has been off drastically. Has anyone else noticed this?

I'm watching thought FIOS QAM, haven't check with the STB or OTR.

On the DCRTV mailbag (http://www.dcrtv.com/mailbag.html), there is some discussion of what happened with the audio and video of the UNC/MD game on RaycomI added a thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15732743#post15732743) on the HDTV Programming forum.

Why all this discussion of SD picture quality and cropping in the HDTV forum? People with HDTVs don't care whether Heroes is cropped to 4:3 on the local NBC affiliate's SD channel, since it isn't cropped on their, er, HD channel.

What next? Will we have a discussion of what cellphone provides the best video?

It has long been the practice of the HDTV forums to also discuss the impact of the transition from NTSC to ATSC broadcasting. Therefore Digital SD broadcasting has always been a part of the HDTV forums. Why do we care?

Well, the MSOs that carry the 4:3 analog channels today will have to substitute them with their digital equivalents when the analog signal stops. For the most part that means a 16:9 720p or 1080i signal will have to be down converted to 4:3 480i. Converting is no problem, those Coupon Eligible converter boxes do that for $40. But we wonder what Comcast, DirectTV, Dish, and COX are going to do since they have to make a choice on the aspect that will be presented. Will they letterbox the 16:9 signal which will preserve the full programming screen, or will they crop in to give a larger full screen view?

While I enjoy HD on my Plasma, there are still two 27" NTSC CRT TVs that work just find in my house and I will likely continue to use them for a long time. So it is of interest to see how this is going to play out.

afiggatt, cpldc

Thanks for helping. I am out in western Loudoun County, about 5 miles south of Purcellville. I didn't know about WAZW 48 from Winchester. I have never seen it when I scan the channels.

WDCW 50-1 and WNUV 54-1 also have very low signal strength although they have been viewable in the past. 54-1 is usually stronger than 50-1
26-1 - 26-1 Always come in strong. 32-1 is Good but I don't check it regularly.

Just to make things more convoluted, my HD TIVO recorded Heroes Monday night with no breaking up or pixilation! Tuesday night there was no signal at WRC 4-1.

I think I will move the attic monster antenna a few feet and see what happens

No experience with DirecTV, but I currently have both Cox and FiOS.

I like the FiOS DVR a little better, but YMMV. The Cox DVR occasionally fails to record programs or deletes programs prematurely for no apparent reason. But the FiOS DVR will not start a recording unless it has a generous amount of space available to complete it, and sometimes does not add space back to the free pool after a program is deleted until you reboot it. This behavior is more predictable than the Cox DVR, but still annoying, especially when you want to start a long live recording while still watching something else you then plan to delete.

FiOS is all digital; no analog, but the basic tier is all clear-QAM. Cox has a full digital simulcast, but also continues to provide basic and expanded basic tiers in analog. Most broadcast digitals, including all broadcast HD, are available in clear QAM on both services, but MHz channels and Weatherscan are clear on FiOS, scrambled on Cox. PEG channels are clear on FiOS, but the digital simulcasts of these are scrambled on Cox, as is all of expanded basic, which will probably go digital anyway later this year. Finally, Cox is using Switched Digital for many channels, and seems to be moving towards an all Switched Digital system. No Switched Digital so far on FiOS.

Thank you everyone for your input. While there was some great info provided I did not get a definitive answer. Maybe I will order Cox test it for a few months then test FIOS for a few months then make a determination on my own.

Thank you

480i doesn't mean 4:3.

I get nothing but 480i with my CECB's and still receive 16:9 programming. I believe the jist of what markbulla is trying to do is configure his equipment to let the receiving equipment automatically determine the "Aspect Ratio" (ie. my CECB or your television or VCR/DVR/DVD-R/DVD-RW).

Why all this discussion of SD picture quality and cropping in the HDTV forum? People with HDTVs don't care whether Heroes is cropped to 4:3 on the local NBC affiliate's SD channel, since it isn't cropped on their, er, HD channel.I do have an HDTV but I was watching 24 in HD at the time and recording Heroes, which on my recorder was coming in as an SD signal. Before, when it was letterboxed, I could use zoom to get a full picture on my HDTV, now I can get a slightly distorted picture or watch it as 4:3 and miss part of the image.

DTV Transition Date Delay - Senate & House approve, headed to President

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1113369

DTV Transition Date Delay - Senate & House approve, headed to President

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1113369

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

DTV Transition Date Delay - Senate & House approve, headed to President

So what does this mean to us in Baltimore/DC land? When are the frequency changes going to happen now?

-John

I saw a segment, on the 17:00 WBAL-TV News, reporting the vote on this Bill. At the end of the segment, they started to inform the viewer how to get information on the transition, while throwing up a graphic showing "14 Days" to Feb. 17th/18th cutoff. :D

So what does this mean to us in Baltimore/DC land? When are the frequency changes going to happen now?
In the Baltimore & DC markets, only Sinclair owned WBFF 45 and WNUV 54 have so far filed to shut off on February 17 even if Congress enacted a delay. Other stations may join them. I suspect many of the station owners and managers are still deciding what to do. The FCC is scheduled to have a major public meeting tomorrow where there may be new rules issued. As I posted a few days ago, my bet would be that NBC owned WRC 4, Fox owned WTTG 5 and WDCA 20 will keep their analog on the air until the end. We will see about the rest. The stations in DC may feel extra pressure to keep analog on the air than stations elsewhere.

The stations that are dependent on other stations turning off their analog or current digital - WNVC MHz 56, WHAG NBC 25, and WJAL 68 - to get full digital coverage may be stuck for four more months.

I'm betting WJLA, WUSA, WBAL, WJZ, WHAG ,& WDCW will definitely go to post transition configurations.

I believe WRC, WBFF, WWPX, WUTB, WNUV, WTTG, WDCA, WETA, & WVPY are already where they should be.

I don't know what WWPB, WMAR, WPXW, WHUT, & WFDC will do.

Anybody noticing white horizontal lines on the left edge of the picture on ABC-HD (Scrubs and now Lost) via MoCo Comcast?

Very annoying...

Watching Fox45 at 10 pm and the first story had the interesting side effect of giving us surround sound wind while filming on location :)

Anybody noticing white horizontal lines on the left edge of the picture on ABC-HD (Scrubs and now Lost) via MoCo Comcast?

Very annoying...

Just watched Lost via D* DVR, and I saw the lines too. So it must have been the network feed.

WDCW 50-1 and WNUV 54-1 also have very low signal strength although they have been viewable in the past. 54-1 is usually stronger than 50-1
26-1 - 26-1 Always come in strong. 32-1 is Good but I don't check it regularly.
...
I think I will move the attic monster antenna a few feet and see what happens
Yes, move the antenna in the attic to see if that helps. Attics can have dead spots.

Analog WAZW-LP 48 shouldn't be that much of a problem south of Purcellville, but you could be in a location that is picking enough of a signal coming over the Blue Ridge off of the backlobe of the antenna to interfere with WRC-DT's UHF 48 signal. (Nominal coverage for WAZW-LP http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=CA279607.html). That you have low signal strength for WDCW-DT 50 which is currently on UHF 51 suggests that the greater dB signal per foot loss for the higher UHF channels for the cable run might be an issue.

The VU-190XR is a good VHF antenna, ok for UHF. If you still have problems with reception of the physical UHF stations after adjusting the antenna, you might want to look into getting a Channel Master pre-amp in place of the Radio Shack distribution amp. The Radio Shack distribution amps are not that highly regarded. Lots of useful info at http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html if you have not seen the web site.

Just watched Lost via D* DVR, and I saw the lines too. So it must have been the network feed.

Weird...must be something wrong with the ABC source...audio was garbage as well...

I saw the white line on Lost from our Dish Network feed.

Anybody noticing white horizontal lines on the left edge of the picture on ABC-HD (Scrubs and now Lost) via MoCo Comcast?

Huh? There is no Scrubs tonight. On ABC it is last week's Lost (enhanced), this week's Lost and then Life on Mars.

It was not a network feed problem (and yes, I have proof).

You do know that the reason for the soft SD on the Fios STBs is because of the SD channel image processing software in the last several IMG releases? This is supposed to be fixed in the next IMG release, 1.6.1, which is in beta testing. The SD channels on a clear QAM tuner look fine. Most of the SD channels look ok to me, but then with a 100+ HD channels, the SD channels become less important. Also, my setup is component cables to the TV with 480i output for the SD channels which might be better than other approaches. But, I have not followed the details. But this is a Fios issue, which is better discussed in the Fios specific threads.

One Verizon FiOS respondent in VHO13 in the Seattle area on one of the discussion forums said that he had received the very first download of IMG 1.6.1 on 14 Jan and said that his SD PQ was now "HD quality" as a result of the new IMG update. However, because of the brand new audio problems caused by 1.6.1, the roll out to the other VHOs will be delayed. We here in VHO4 were supposed to get 1.6.1 on 18 Feb but I'm sure that date will certainly slip. Have you heard about or read about any updates as to when 1.6.1 will be rescheduled for VHO4?

brand new audio problems caused by 1.6.1
oh gawd....

One Verizon FiOS respondent in VHO13 in the Seattle area on one of the discussion forums
AVS thread? Verizon forum? Could you provide a source please, because now it looks like I may have to start paying attention...

Poor SD PQ I can live with, but bad audio will definitely displease me...

I'm betting WJLA, WUSA, WBAL, WJZ, WHAG ,& WDCW will definitely go to post transition configurations.
I’ll take that bet, at least as far as the DC stations are concerned. Fox 5 applied for nightlight service, and NBC 4 is O&O and sticking with its UHF digital. No way those guys will turn off analog, and that means ABC and CBS won’t either, because DC is a top 10 market, and so they’ll take heat from the networks if they try that.

Even in Baltimore, I have my doubts about Sinclair turning off Fox 45 analog unless the other majors do, also. Fox owns My24 in Baltimore, so putting Fox at a competitive disadvantage there might not be the smartest move if Sinclair wants to keep the Fox affiliation long term. (Especially in Baltimore, where they seem to like a game of musical affiliates every few years. ;))

I know Sinclair has filed with the FCC to turn off 45 and 54, but I’m not sure I’ll believe it until I see it on Feb. 18.

Anybody noticing white horizontal lines on the left edge of the picture on ABC-HD (Scrubs and now Lost) via MoCo Comcast?

Very annoying...I saw it on Lost and Life on Mars via PGCo Comcast last night. I am glad to know it wasn't my set.

Anybody noticing white horizontal lines on the left edge of the picture on ABC-HD (Scrubs and now Lost) via MoCo Comcast?

Very annoying...

I saw these on both shows on DirecTV's WJLA. Don't know whether they were there OTA as I watched recordings of them.

Weird...must be something wrong with the ABC source...audio was garbage as well...

Yeah, my receiver said the audio was Dolby Digital, but it sounded flat and had no sense of "space" (surround).

105 HD telecasts for each team:
Orioles http://www.masnsports.com/pdfs/2009_orioles_schedule.pdf
Nationals http://www.masnsports.com/pdfs/2009_nationals_schedule.pdf

Yeah, it looks like MASN-HD will be 24/7 starting April 1st (no joke). Looks like it won't be on Dish again this year.

www.dcrtv.com

I'm going to put together a table for the first post that will cover the analog cut off. I figured I'd put it here for critical comments before I paste it over to there. Plus I think that these tables are cool and I intend to update the grids on the first post with these tables eventually.

Station|Network|NTSC Analog|ATSC Digital|Proposed Date|Actual Date|Comment
WMAR|ABC|2|38|6/12/09||
WRC|NBC|4|48|6/12/09||
WTTG|FOX|5|36|6/12/09||
WJLA|ABC|7|7|6/12/09||
WUSA|CBS|9|9|6/12/09||
WBAL|NBC|11|11|6/12/09||
WPXW|ION|60|38|6/12/09||
WJZ|CBS|13|13|6/12/09||
WFDC|UNI|14|15|6/12/09||
WDCA|MyNet|20|35|6/12/09||
WMPT|PBS|22|42|6/12/09||
WUTB|MyNet|24|41|6/12/09||
WETA|PBS|26|27|6/12/09||
WNVT|Mhz|53|30|6/12/09||
WHUT|PBS|32|33|6/12/09||
WBFF|FOX|45|46|2/17/09||Intends to shutdown NTSC on 2/17
WDCW|CW|50|50|6/12/09||
WNUV|CW|54|40|2/17/09||Intends to shutdown NTSC on 2/17
WNVC|Mhz||24|6/12/09||
WFPT|PBS|62|28|6/12/09||
WPAX|ION|66|43|6/12/09||
WMPB|PBS|67|29|6/12/09||

Will you include the Hagerstown area? It's in the DC DMA...

Also, WNVT's analog was on 53 rather than 30.

- Trip

Even though Hagerstown is in the DC DMA, its really too far out for anyone in the DC area to receive. I've never been able to receive a signal from there and I'm on Mont county which is NW of DC, so I'm closer than most.

I'll correct the WNVT data.

Thanks

PS. I'll give $100 imaginary dollars to whoever can figure out how I can insert a Carriage Return inside of a cell in these vBulletin tables.

New rules posted: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-6A1.pdf

All stations intending to terminate on or before Feb. 17 must notify FCC again NLT 23:59, Monday, February 9, and update their 387s. So let's wait and see what Sinclair does now before making assumptions about 45 and 54.

How can the FCC issue new rules, when it's not even LAW yet, and not supposed to be signed by President Barack Hussein Obama, until tomorrow afternoon.

oh gawd....

AVS thread? Verizon forum? Could you provide a source please, because now it looks like I may have to start paying attention...

Poor SD PQ I can live with, but bad audio will definitely displease me...

I don't remember exactly where and what forum that I saw the specific quote but it did stick out in my mind. Every single comment that I have read concerning IMG 1.6.1 as it relates to SD PQ has been very positive. That is to say that not once did I read a comment in which the respondent was not happy with the way that his SD PQ now looked as a result of 1.6.1 as compared to 1.6.0. The only question that I have now is how does the SD PQ under IMG 1.6.1 compare with IMG 1.5 which was before all of the SD PQ trouble started? The SD PQ with IMG 1.5 was absolutely drop-dead stunning in my opinion. Verizon is proposing an adjustable lever or sliding scale with five or so settings that the viewer will be able to adjust and set sharpness to his or her taste. My guess is that this new feature will arrive with the introduction of IMG 1.7.

BTW, the original audio issues involved the QIP7200 and QIP7216 STBs. The SD PQ problems were associated with only the QIP6200 and the QIP6416 STBs. If you have the 7XXX STB then your SD PQ should have remained excellent after the introduction of IMG 1.6.0 this past October. 7XXX STBs just encountered the audio, recording, and channel unavailable problems with 1.6.0.

If you want to keep up on all of the cutting edge issues and discussions concerning Verizon FiOS TV then try this web site. It is excellent and a must:

http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board?board.id=FiOS_TV

I'm going to put together a table for the first post that will cover the analog cut off. I figured I'd put it here for critical comments before I paste it over to there. Plus I think that these tables are cool and I intend to update the grids on the first post with these tables eventually.
I think you should list the pre-trans/current digital channel and the post-transition digital channel in that table. As I read the FCC notice, stations will not be allowed to change their current digital channel on February 17/18, even if they are flash cutting to their analog channel without filing a new STA and getting permission to do so. The stations on their final digital channel and allotment have the freedom to shut down analog, but any station changing their digital channel is likely stuck until June 12.

You have errors for the 2 Ion stations. WWPX-DT Ion 60 is on VHF 12 and will stay there, WPXW-DT Ion 66 (DT 43) is moving to UHF 34 in NW DC. In Sterling, I get WWPX-DT 60 over the air just fine and can get WWPB-DT 41 on UHF 44 out in Hagerstown if I re-aim the antenna. I expect I will be able to get WHAG-DT NBC 25 once it fires up it's DT 26 broadcast as the digital signal will be more powerful than the analog, although that almost certainly won't happen until June now. I can repost the list of what all stations in the 2 markets are doing minus the new delay I posted here 2 months ago, if that will help.

I have two questions

Will WJZ still be off air for two months starting in Feb to build another antenna?
Is WMAR just taking over WJZs current tower when they switch to 38?
Thanks

New rules posted: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-09-6A1.pdf

All stations intending to terminate on or before Feb. 17 must notify FCC again NLT 23:59, Monday, February 9, and update their 387s. So let's wait and see what Sinclair does now before making assumptions about 45 and 54.

I was just watching FOX45 News at 5:30 PM and they DID NOT mention that the time for analog-to-digital had been extended to June 12th. Instead, they re-iterated that they "would be turning off their analog signal FOR GOOD on February 17th." It was like they were deliberatively not wanting the public to know that they have an option to leave it up until June 12th. It was very emphatic the way the newscaster indicated that "there are 12 days to go."

Just curious-

Why does this thread merge two separate DMAs? By mergin them, you've created one huge region that covers from the West Virginia border all the way to the Eastern Shore. Wouldn't it make more sense to separate them?

Also I like the idea of the chart. I wish someone would create that chart for the Harrisburg area.

Just curious-

Why does this thread merge two separate DMAs? By mergin them, you've created one huge region that covers from the West Virginia border all the way to the Eastern Shore. Wouldn't it make more sense to separate them?

Also I like the idea of the chart. I wish someone would create that chart for the Harrisburg area.

DC and Baltimore are something like 30 miles apart, and people in one city view the stations in the other over-the-air.

Besides, even without Baltimore, it would still stretch almost to the Eastern Shore. Just look at where the eastern edge of the DC DMA is.

- Trip

Will WJZ still be off air for two months starting in Feb to build another antenna?
Is WMAR just taking over WJZs current tower when they switch to 38?
WJZ 13 was not going to go off the air for 2 months after Feb. 17. They were to operate from their current omni-directional VHF 13 antenna at 9.8 kW after Feb. 17 under a STA (Special Temporary Authority). WMAR will take over WJZ's current UHF 38 antenna at 1000 kW. After February 17, a new directional VHF 13 antenna and a new UHF 38 antenna was to put in place of the current WMAR VHF 2 and UHF 52 antennas. All of these antennas are on the same candelabra tower. Then WJZ-DT will switch to the new VHF 13 antenna at an increased 28.8 kW, but with a directional pattern. I think one of the UHF 38 antennas becomes the auxiliary backup antenna for WMAR-DT. Simple! :D

Since WJZ 13 is CBS Owned & Operated and the big 4 broadcast networks are all stating they plan to keep their O&O stations on the air until June 12, my guess is that WMAR 2 and WJZ 13 will keep their analog signals on the air and postpone their transition plans and antenna work until after June 12. :mad:

WJZ 13 was not going to go off the air for 2 months after Feb. 17. They were to operate from their current omni-directional VHF 13 antenna at 9.8 kW after Feb. 17 under a STA (Special Temporary Authority). WMAR will take over WJZ's current UHF 38 antenna at 1000 kW. After February 17, a new directional VHF 13 antenna and a new UHF 38 antenna was to put in place of the current WMAR VHF 2 and UHF 52 antennas. All of these antennas are on the same candelabra tower. Then WJZ-DT will switch to the new VHF 13 antenna at an increased 28.8 kW, but with a directional pattern. I think one of the UHF 38 antennas becomes the auxiliary backup antenna for WMAR-DT. Simple! :D

Since WJZ 13 is CBS Owned & Operated and the big 4 broadcast networks are all stating they plan to keep their O&O stations on the air until June 12, my guess is that WMAR 2 and WJZ 13 will keep their analog signals on the air and postpone their transition plans and antenna work until after June 12. :mad:

On last night's Eyewitness News@11, WJZ ran a crawl saying they will stop analog broadcasting on 6/12. Not only did they make a decision, but they updated their crawl! Of course, nothing in this situation is definite!:p

Even though Hagerstown is in the DC DMA, its really too far out for anyone in the DC area to receive. I've never been able to receive a signal from there and I'm on Mont county which is NW of DC, so I'm closer than most.Some Hagerstown area stations come in quite well here in Arlington with an antenna just 10 feet above the roofline. If possible, it would be nice to see those stations listed in your chart also.:)

Is there any word on WDCN-LD? They are still listed as being on UHF 38. I haven't noticed any crews working on their tower in the last few months.

Quick question to Verizon FiOS users, did the PEGs move? I can't find them in the 60s or 70s. Do I need to do a rescan?(I usually don't bother, it takes a while)

I saw the white line on Lost from our Dish Network feed.
I just looked at the TiVo and Cox recording from last night. The lines were presnet on WJLA OTA and cable, but not on WMAR.

Is there any word on WDCN-LD? They are still listed as being on UHF 38. I haven't noticed any crews working on their tower in the last few months.
The WDCN-LD on 38 is an application filed in 2006 which has not been granted and no longer applies as UHF 38 will be used by WMAR-DT 2 in Baltimore after June 12. Looking up the filing, WDCN-LP 6 is still silent on VHF 6 because of interference issues with WTTG-TV Fox 5. In their January 22, 2009 request to extend their silent STA filing, they wrote "IN AN EFFORT TO RESOLVE PREVIOUS INTERFERENCE, WDCN-LP INSTALLED AN EXPENSIVE CUSTOM MANUFACTURED FILTER. WDCN-LP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE INTERFERENCE ISSUES AND REQUESTS AUTHORITY FOR ITS VISUAL SIGNAL TO REMAIN DARK. ON FEBRUARY 17, FOX CHANNEL 5 WILL CEASE BROADCASTING ON ANALOG CHANNEL 5, AND THERE SHOULD NO LONGER BE ANY INTERFERENCE ISSUES."

Oops. I guess they will stay dark on a visual broadcast for 4 more months. Do they still have a audio only broadcast? Should check sometime on the FM radio when I am in their coverage area.

Oops. I guess they will stay dark on a visual broadcast for 4 more months. Do they still have a audio only broadcast? Should check sometime on the FM radio when I am in their coverage area.Thanks!!

Yes, there is an audio only station broadcasting on 87.7. I was trying to get some info on the station to see how much power they are running. Not quite sure where to find this info.

It was so nice to lose most of our interference issues when the WAVA/WBIG tower was dismantled a while back. Some of the interference seems to have come back.:(

What does WDCN broadcast in audio only?

What does WDCN broadcast in audio only?It's a Spanish music station. They seem to be a commercial station also.

BTW, the original audio issues involved the QIP7200 and QIP7216 STBs. The SD PQ problems were associated with only the QIP6200 and the QIP6416 STBs. If you have the 7XXX STB then your SD PQ should have remained excellent after the introduction of IMG 1.6.0 this past October. 7XXX STBs just encountered the audio, recording, and channel unavailable problems with 1.6.0.
Thanks for the info. I have 6xxx boxes I believe. Can I just ask for the others or is there an associated service difference that costs money?

Here is a link to a table I created for the Hagerstown area (in this thread) back in the middle of December.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15322466#post15322466

Creating a table isn't that hard. use the word "table" between []'s and do the same with a "/table" at the end. A "hard return" = rows, while a "|" creates a column divider.

HARRISBURG - YORK - LANCASTER
Station|NTSC|Current ATSC|Post ATSC|Network
WGAL-DT|8|58|8|NBC
WHTM-DT|27|10|10|ABC
WHP-DT|21|4|21|CBS
WLYH-DT|15|23|23|CW
WGCB-DT|49|30|30|Independent
WITF-DT|33|36|36|PBS
WPMT-DT|43|47|47|FOX

I just wish that I could put a "soft return" inside of a cell.

105 HD telecasts for each team:
Orioles http://www.masnsports.com/pdfs/2009_orioles_schedule.pdf
Nationals http://www.masnsports.com/pdfs/2009_nationals_schedule.pdf

So does this mean WJZ will carry the O's opener in HD and all other games in SD just like last year? :rolleyes:

Quick question to Verizon FiOS users, did the PEGs move? I can't find them in the 60s or 70s. Do I need to do a rescan?(I usually don't bother, it takes a while)
The PEGs were moved here in Sterling to QAM 127 and 128 over a month ago. Verizon moved the PEGs to those QAM channels in a number of markets. My guess is that they are revising how the PEGs are distributed to free up QAM channels. People have been reporting the SD locals being moved around in other markets and the PSIP channel mapping turned off for a few days. Apparently as part of preparation for what was to be the Feb. 17 shutdown. I have been rescanning periodically looking for new QAM channels, but the only recent change to the locals was the adding of WPXW-DT main Ion 66.1 channel to the PSIP line-up. Ion is supposed go HD in the DC market on Feb. 16 so the HD sub-channel should be available to the clear QAM tuners.

Voice your opinion about the "Delay Bill" to the White House now!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/dtv_delay_act/

I saw the white line on Lost from our Dish Network feed.

I saw them on my Dish feed as well. I was afraid it was a symptom that my DLP was getting ready to fail. Glad I was wrong. We've had enough repairs recently.

Baltimore is gaping hole in Verizon's FiOS grid

Jay Hancock

January 24, 2009

Mark Phillips of Ednor Gardens in Baltimore sees ads everywhere for Verizon's high-speed Internet and cable service.

He reads about "FiOS" in the paper. He wants to be your customer, Verizon. His family keep jamming their slower DSL line with entertainment downloads. When he streams video from Hulu.com, his daughter might not be able to do schoolwork online.

He doesn't really want Comcast's broadband product. FiOS lays fiber-optic cable right to your door, which he says is faster and more secure.

When will Verizon bring FiOS to Baltimore? he wants to know. He signed up for the "Want to know when FiOS Internet Service will be in your neighborhood?" e-mail notification. Silence. He bugs people in the Verizon Wireless stores. They don't know.

Jay Hancock Jay Hancock Recent columns

"I see ads everywhere, but I'm in limbo," says Phillips, a family physician. "I can't get a straight answer."

I couldn't get a straight answer either, but there seems to be creeping progress. The pressure is rising on Verizon to start serving Maryland's biggest city.

This is an educated guess: The company will start stringing cable and digging trenches in Baltimore in 2010, four years after it began bringing FiOS to Howard County and other, wealthier suburbs.

Marilyn Harris-Davis, executive director of Baltimore's Office of Cable and Communications, held what she described as "informal" contacts with Verizon this week. She wouldn't give details, and neither would Verizon.

"I anticipate they'll submit an application soon," she said. "My gut says within the next quarter or two."

That would launch negotiations probably lasting the balance of the year, with the first lines being laid next year.

"There's really nothing new to report on Verizon's plans to offer FiOS in Baltimore City," says Verizon spokeswoman Sandra Arnette. "We have not entered into franchise discussions with the city. We've only had some informal conversation. And I have no idea when formal discussions might begin."

The Phillips family's pent-up FiOS demand is typical. Baltimoreans inquire about FiOS "all the time," Harris-Davis says. "They write to the mayor. They write to this office. They call this office."

Comcast's Baltimore broadband products, the legacy of a 1980s cable franchise, don't have all the business to themselves. For household customers, Comcast competes with satellite TV, DSL Internet providers, including Verizon, and others.

But people want two cable competitors, a situation that has demonstrably lowered broadband prices in neighborhoods where Comcast and Verizon compete.

The masses are crying, yearning for broadband utopia. It's great public relations for Verizon.

Except when it's not. Verizon's strategy of connecting suburbs before it gets to older cities has prompted repeated charges of redlining - tapping the upscale gravy while depriving poorer folks of the best telecom products.

Wilmington, Del., "will not tolerate redlining of cable television service," said that city's News Journal. A New Jersey minister accused Verizon of proposing "a plan that leaves behind residents of apartment buildings and rural areas," according to the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill.

A Citigroup study a couple of years ago found that families served by FiOS in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York made 67 percent more than the average U.S. household income, reported the National Journal.

Verizon has said it makes sense to wire suburbs first because there are fewer regulatory and physical obstacles.

"As for redlining, it's against the law," Arnette said via e-mail. "And it runs counter to our 100-year legacy of providing great customer service. We do not discriminate in providing our voice, broadband or FiOS TV service."

Baltimore "is very much part of the discussion" about where to go next, she said.

You can get FiOS in parts of Annapolis as well as certain neighborhoods in Anne Arundel, Howard, Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Verizon just signed deals with Bel Air and La Plata. It's negotiating with Harford and Charles counties.

As if to prove it's not allergic to big cities, it's negotiating with Philadelphia and has reached agreements with New York, Tampa and Washington.

But even within cities the redlining issue crops up.

The Philadelphia negotiations, which began in June, bogged down partly over which neighborhoods would be connected first, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

It's no surprise Verizon wants to wire houses that are likely to generate a return on its investment. It's spending an estimated $23 billion to run cable past 18 million homes by the end of 2010. This economy can use that kind of capital expenditure.

But it's past time to hook up the Phillipses and the rest of Charm City. With deals struck or under negotiation in other big East Coast cities, Baltimore is a gaping urban hole in the FiOS grid.

The Philly talks are almost wrapped up. The Washington contract was signed last week. Verizon lawyers are about to have time on their hands. There's business to do in Baltimore.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.hancock24jan24,0,4197769.column

Thanks for the info. I have 6xxx boxes I believe. Can I just ask for the others or is there an associated service difference that costs money?

I have been told that the QIP7216 STBs are not available in the VHO4 region. I already tried to exchange my two QIP6416s without success. Even if the QIP7216 STBs were available, the Tech Support people will not approve any exchange. Their reasoning is that the 7XXX series STBs already have enough of their own specific issues so they say that you are only jumping from the frying pan into the fire and that they (Verizon) do nor want to be held responsible after you start bitching about the many problems associated with the 7XXX STBs. They have a point, I'll admit. Except for the SD PQ issue with the 6XXX STBs, I cannot think of another problem with these boxes. BTW, the QIP7216 STB costs the same rental fee.

Look, I'm like you. I am very frustrated with the SD PQ on my two QIP6416s. It drives me crazy but there is little that I can do about it short of buying a Tivo or installing M cards directly into my television. With Tivo, I still need an M card as well as a Tivo subscription. If I install an M card directly into my TV then I lose the IMG.

Be patient. Eventually, we will get IMG 1.6.1 and finally IMG 1.7.0. Then, our SD PQ problems will be a bad memory. Of course, I don't even want to think about all of the brand new issues that will probably surface with 1.7! LOL!

I have been told that the QIP7216 STBs are not available in the VHO4 region. I already tried to exchange my two QIP6416s without success. Even if the QIP7216 STBs were available, the Tech Support people will not approve any exchange. Their reasoning is that the 7XXX series STBs already have enough of their own specific issues so they say that you are only jumping from the frying pan into the fire and that they (Verizon) do nor want to be held responsible after you start bitching about the many problems associated with the 7XXX STBs. They have a point, I'll admit. Except for the SD PQ issue with the 6XXX STBs, I cannot think of another problem with these boxes. BTW, the QIP7216 STB costs the same rental fee.
Actually, I was asking more out of curiosity about their policy. And I think you gave me a better answer than I would have gotten from Verizon's first level customer support. (Not real impressed with that so far.)

As I said, bad audio, especially if it affects HD channels, would bother me a lot more than bad SD PQ, so it doesn't sound like a swap I'd be eager to make.

Look, I'm like you. I am very frustrated with the SD PQ on my two QIP6416s. It drives me crazy but there is little that I can do about it short of buying a Tivo or installing M cards directly into my television. With Tivo, I still need an M card as well as a Tivo subscription. If I install an M card directly into my TV then I lose the IMG.
What I do about it (for now) is watch Cox, Bell, or Dish. And I have a TiVoHD XL on the 30-day trial, but it has other problems, so I may not keep it.

Be patient. Eventually, we will get IMG 1.6.1 and finally IMG 1.7.0. Then, our SD PQ problems will be a bad memory. Of course, I don't even want to think about all of the brand new issues that will probably surface with 1.7! LOL!
Heh.

Seriously, though, if 1.6.1 has audio problems, I hope they skip it and go directly to 1.7! (Preferably after testing someplace else... see, I'm very patient. ;))

A few questions:
-Once the transition takes place, will the picture be NOTICEABLY better?
-When will Comcast get Spike HD? :mad:
-Is it true FIOS is coming to Arlington in March?

a few questions:
-once the transition takes place, will the picture be noticeably better? it will be if you are getting it ota analog.
-when will comcast get spike hd? :mad: 2011 (guesstimate)
-is it true fios is coming to arlington in march? arlington already has fios, it's just not available in all areas of arlington yet.
1

-once the transition takes place, will the picture be noticeably better?

No. About half of the stations you used to watch on analog will disappear completely (I went from 20 downto just 10), and a blank digital screen is obviously inferior to an analog image. Mark Phillips reads about "FiOS" in the paper. He wants to be your customer, Verizon. His family keep jamming their slower DSL line with entertainment downloads. When he streams video from Hulu.com, his daughter might not be able to do schoolwork online. My DSL is currently 0.7 megabit, but I have the option to go to 12 megabit. That should be plenty of room for dad to watch his videos AND for daughter to access text-only homework sites. Just upgrade. DC and Baltimore are something like 30 miles apart, and people in one city view the stations in the other over-the-air. That's true, but I still think they should be separated. I'm sitting here in PA, trying to find information about Baltimore stations, but having to weed-through a lot of DC-related crap.

Vice-versa, someone living in West Virginia doesn't give a wit about Baltimore stations. All they care about is D.C.

Two separate markets (as defined by both rabbitears and Nielsen) - two separate threads. That would make it easier for readers to find the info they need. (IMHO)

Two separate markets (as defined by both rabbitears and Nielsen) - two separate threads. That would make it easier for readers to find the info they need. (IMHO)
We have two regional sport nets - CSN MA and MASN - that cover both cities. We have a dominant cable provider, Comcast, which provides service to Baltimore, MD suburbs & exurbs, DC, and many of the Northern VA suburbs and exurbs. Verizon Fios provides service to Baltimore, Washington Metro, and Anne Arundel/Howard County all from the same VHO #4 (Video Head Office). When Verizon adds a new national HD channel, they add it to the entire VHO at once (with the recent exception of the one time only channel re-alignment).

Most of the OTA viewers in this thread get the stations in both Baltimore and DC because of the overlap in their coverage zones. You just happen to be on the outer northern fringe of the Baltimore market and can't get the DC stations (although some of them might show up after the analog shutdown, you never know). We have dedicated threads for Washington DC Comcast and Verizon, but they don't get much activity. Given the high amount of overlap and what is essentially a dual city market, it is best to leave this as a unique thread that combines 2 DMA markets.

PS. I expect Verizon will add Golf HD this week as a new QAM sub-channel has shown up at QAM 25 which is where Golf HD is in other markets.

Going to sign up for FIOS and noticed that MSNBC was omitted from online channel lineup for zip 20817. My neighbors with FIOS get MSNBC on channels 103 and 1545, yet these channels are omitted from online channel line-up.

FIOS seems to change packages etc. so I want to be sure they didn't blackout MSNBC to new customers without an upgrade or something crazy like that!! So my question is whether anyone in the area who has recently signed up for FIOS saw MSNBC omitted from the channel line-up yet actually gets MSNBC and whether they signed-up for the Essentials or the Extreme HD package??

Going to sign up for FIOS and noticed that MSNBC was omitted from online channel lineup for zip 20817. My neighbors with FIOS get MSNBC on channels 103 and 1545, yet these channels are omitted from online channel line-up.
MSNBC (SD) is part of the standard Essentials channel line-up. When the MSNBC HD channel starts up (last word was months ago for 2nd qtr of 09) and whenever after that Verizon gets around to adding it, you will need to subscribe to the HD Extreme package to get it. All the "new" national HD channels require the HD Extreme package.

What you may be seeing is that MSNBC is NOT available to Verizon subscribers in much of the NYC area because CableVision has an long standing exclusive arrangement with MSNBC which blocks Verizon from carrying MSNBC in markets where they overlap with Cablevision. The online channel line-up generation code may have some glitches with respect to MSNBC. Check the PDF file.

Actually I did read about the problems with MSNBC in parts of NY and NJ. That caused me to double check my zip online although I live in MD - so I put in my zip and the Verizon online lineup for both Essentials and Extreme HD totally skipped the MSNBC channels - both when I searched by channel number and then alphabetically. The National pdf lists MSNBC but not when I search my zip specifically. That is what prompted me to ask my neighbors with FIOS who all said they get MSNBC. So I wanted to be sure it actually is an error with the online channel listing and not something about the packages for new users. Plan to call Verizon Monday to check.

Most of the OTA viewers in this thread get the stations in both Baltimore and DC because of the overlap in their coverage zones. You just happen to be on the outer northern fringe of the Baltimore market and can't get the DC stations I see your point, but I disagree with it. Even when I lived inside the Baltimore DMA I had no interest in the D.C. stations, because D.C. does not reach all the way to Bel Air Maryland. Or Aberdeen. Or Havre de Grace. Or any of the other towns across the bay.

BACK TO TOPIC:

Which Baltimore stations are turning-off their analog on February 17?

BACK TO TOPIC:

Which Baltimore stations are turning-off their analog on February 17?

Sinclair has pretty much announced they are switching over on Feb 17th, that includes:
WBFF-45 (FOX) <-- staying on 46
WNUV-54 (CW) <-- staying on 40

Hearst-Argle and the major Network O&O's have stated they will wait until June 12th, that includes:
WBAL-11 (NBC) <-- going back to 11
WJZ-13 (CBS) <-- going back to 13
WUTB-24 (MNT) <-- staying on 41

Not sure what Scrips Howard is doing with WMAR-2 (ABC), which has a complicated change to 38.

<edit>

Not sure what Scrips Howard is doing with WMAR-2 (ABC), which has a complicated change to 38.

Since WJZ is currently on 38, and they will have to wait until that frequency is clear, they will have to change at the same time, or later than WJZ - June 12th.
.

What is the digital status of Wash DC Channel 50? My antenna/DTV lost this channel and can't locate it. I can still see it on analog. Previously, it was a fairly strong digital channel. I am in Fredericksburg, VA.

What is the digital status of Wash DC Channel 50? My antenna/DTV lost this channel and can't locate it. I can still see it on analog. Previously, it was a fairly strong digital channel. I am in Fredericksburg, VA.
WDCW-DT 50 is coming in fine here in Sterling, VA. The digital broadcast is currently on UHF 51, can you manually tune to 51 and read the signal meter?

On the Feb. 17 postponement to June 12, has anyone seen any announcements from MPT or WHUT on whether they are planning to keep their analog broadcasts on the air until June 12? With CBS (WJZ 13), NBC (WRC 4), Fox (WTTG 5, WDCA 20, WUTB 24), Gannett (WUSA 9), Hearst-Argyle (WBAL 11) all announcing they plan to keep the analog stations they own on the air until June 12 (except for specific circumstances), we won't see many analog stations in the DC and Baltimore markets going dark on Feb. 17. WJZ-TV 13, WUTB-TV 24, WUSA-TV 9 all block moves by other stations. In the Post article late last week, it was indicated that WETA-TV 26 will keep going (and blocking WHAG NBC 25 in the process). Sinclair owned WBFF 45 and WNUV 54 may be it for our area for Feb. 17.

We will know in another day or two for sure as all stations have to file a Feb. 17 shutdown notice with the FCC by the end of today or else keep their analog going to at least March 13. I was just wondering if MPT or WHUT has said anything publicly.

<snip>

We will know in another day or two for sure as all stations have to file a Feb. 17 shutdown notice with the FCC by the end of today or else keep their analog going to at least March 13. I was just wondering if MPT or WHUT has said anything publicly.

Another way to tell is that starting tomorrow, the FCC is requiring the stations that are shutting down to run 5 minutes of informational crawl per hour. WBFF and WNUV are going to run a 2.5 minute crawl at 2 minutes after the hour and at 2 minutes after the half hour.

A couple of days prior to the shut-off, they are requiring 10 minutes of crawl per hour...

:

wdcw-dt 50 is coming in fine here in sterling, va. The digital broadcast is currently on uhf 51, can you manually tune to 51 and read the signal meter?

thanks!!

WHAG-TV has informed me that they are staying on the air until June.

Another way to tell is that starting tomorrow, the FCC is requiring the stations that are shutting down to run 5 minutes of informational crawl per hour. WBFF and WNUV are going to run a 2.5 minute crawl at 2 minutes after the hour and at 2 minutes after the half hour.

A couple of days prior to the shut-off, they are requiring 10 minutes of crawl per hour...

:

Will these crawls be run on both analog and digital stations or only on the analog channel? Seems a bit much to run these crawls over all the programming.

By the way, did anyone watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice get a lot of audio dropouts on WMAR-DT last Thursday? When I watched these on my DVR on Saturday, it seemed like a lot of dropout considering I usually get excellent signal strength on WMAR-DT.

A couple of days prior to the shut-off, they are requiring 10 minutes of crawl per hour...
When exactly are WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV planning to turn off the analog transmission? Right at midnight on February 17? Any special programming plan for just before the shutoff? Dig up the national anthem late night sign-off tape or cut to an old test pattern before cutting the transmitters? I'll have to switch to the analog tuner and watch the last few minutes of WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV.

I see your point, but I disagree with it. Even when I lived inside the Baltimore DMA I had no interest in the D.C. stations, because D.C. does not reach all the way to Bel Air Maryland. Or Aberdeen. Or Havre de Grace. Or any of the other towns across the bay.


But you are in the minority. The vast majority has a shared interest in the two cities.

Anyone have an idea if WJZ is still going through with their tower work or will they wait for June?

If WBFF is going 100% digital, hopefully they'll boost their power so I can see the Orioles games without stutter. But you are in the minority. The vast majority has a shared interest in the two cities. By that reasoning we should just merge D.C. and Baltimore and York/Harrisburg into one giant market, since a "vast majority" live in a place to receive all three.

By that reasoning we should just merge D.C. and Baltimore and Lancaster and Philadelphia into one giant market, since a "vast majority" live in a place to receive all three, or even all four.

I think you'll find there's not a "vast majority" who can receive all four. All residents of DC can see Baltimore OTA, and all residents of Baltimore can see DC OTA.

- Trip

I think you'll find there's not a "vast majority" who can receive all four. All residents of DC can see Baltimore OTA, and all residents of Baltimore can see DC OTA.

- Trip

But the majority of people in the "DC area" do not live in the District of Columbia.

But the majority of people in the "DC area" do not live in the District of Columbia.

I still doubt they see Philly or Lancaster, and plenty of folks in Northern VA or parts of Maryland surrounding can probably see Baltimore.

- Trip

I think you'll find there's not a "vast majority" who can receive all four. All residents of DC can see Baltimore OTA, and all residents of Baltimore can see DC OTA.

- Trip

While that might technically be true:

1) Most providers (FIOS, DirecTV, etc.) only give you one set, so you're only watching DC or Baltimore, not both.

2) OTA folks tend to point their single antenna in one direction, getting only one set, again so you're watching DC or Baltimore, not both

3) Other than a few sports games, the content is identical, so there's no driving factor to get both

Bottom line, while there may be some exceptions, the vast majority of people in this area only receive and watch one set of the locals. It would make sense to split this thread, but it's also not a huge burden to sift through the irrelevant posts.

But the majority of people in the "DC area" do not live in the District of Columbia.

You'd be surprised what you can get with a decent antenna and pre-amp. I'm in Fauquier County, and when its a clear night, I can usually get 2 of the Baltimore stations. Granted, I have a CM 7777 pre amp and CM 3016 antenna mounted on my chimney. I wish now I had bought the CM 3020 as it might have gotten me all 4.

You'd be surprised what you can get with a decent antenna and pre-amp. I'm in Fauquier County, and when its a clear night, I can usually get 2 of the Baltimore stations. Granted, I have a CM 7777 pre amp and CM 3016 antenna mounted on my chimney. I wish now I had bought the CM 3020 as it might have gotten me all 4.

I don't think anyone is debating what's possible. But I think you'd agree that the vast majority of people aren't doing this.

When exactly are WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV planning to turn off the analog transmission? Right at midnight on February 17? Any special programming plan for just before the shutoff? Dig up the national anthem late night sign-off tape or cut to an old test pattern before cutting the transmitters? I'll have to switch to the analog tuner and watch the last few minutes of WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV.

My plan is to turn them off according to the original plan: 11:59:59 PM on February 17, 2009.

I like the national anthem idea! I can probably do that.

I'll see what I can do about the test pattern, too.

BTW, the latest that I've heard is that we're supposed to have a "night-light" signal up for a couple of weeks so, at this point, the transmitters aren't actually going off, just the analog programming is going to stop.

.

You'd be surprised what you can get with a decent antenna and pre-amp. I'm in Fauquier County, and when its a clear night, I can usually get 2 of the Baltimore stations. Granted, I have a CM 7777 pre amp and CM 3016 antenna mounted on my chimney. I wish now I had bought the CM 3020 as it might have gotten me all 4.

I have to agree with Deezul. I am out in western Loudoun. I just install a CM7777 on a new 91XG antenna. I can receive with beautiful digital clarity: 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32, 45, 54, 60, 62, and 66. Of course not all at the same time. And for some reason I cant pull in 4 or 50. But I am working on that.

I like the national anthem idea! I can probably do that.

I'll see what I can do about the test pattern, too.

BTW, the latest that I've heard is that we're supposed to have a "night-light" signal up for a couple of weeks so, at this point, the transmitters aren't actually going off, just the analog programming is going to stop.
Would it be legal to keep the analog transmitters on after Feb. 17 if the station filed for a shutdown on 2/17, but did not file for the night-light program? But there is so much confusion over the rules and process, I'll leave that to those trying to make sense of the FCC rulings.

I vote for the national anthem followed by one of the old test patterns with a crawl that says that this analog station is about to go off the air at midnight and we mean it! None of that June 12 crap for us! (or something more acceptable to management. :D)

I know this question has been asked several times, but has anyone in PWC (Woodbridge area) started receiving the 3 channels from Comcast that were supposed to come online back in Nov? That is, FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD. With Nascar just around the corner, it would be nice to get Speed.

Anyone have an idea if WJZ is still going through with their tower work or will they wait for June?
The primary tower works consists to replacing the WMAR-TV analog VHF 2 and DT UHF 52 antennas with a new directional VHF 13 for WJZ-DT and UHF 38 antenna for WMAR-DT. Can't do that until they shut off analog and do the channel switches. But with the transition for those 2 stations in June, they will have more hours of daylight to do tower work, better weather except for thunderstorms, and might be able to do advance prep work to reduce the time it takes to put up the new WJZ-DT VHF 13 antenna and bump up the power. However the power increase will be offset to the NW by the move from the current omni-directional antenna to a directional one.

electrictroy, WBFF-DT Fox 45 will not be increasing it's power on UHF 46 after the analog shutdown. The shutdown of just the WBFF-TV 45 analog signal (along with a few other analog stations in the region) could provide the opportunity to see if the adjacent channel analog signal on UHF 45 is a major factor in the problem in getting WBFF-DT to the NW up in PA. But I suspect that interference from other directions is a bigger factor.

Only those who live north of Baltimore have a good chance to get the Harrisburg/York stations. The main DC and Baltimore tower groupings are only a little more than 30 miles apart while the Baltimore and Harrisburg stations are over 60 miles apart.

I know this question has been asked several times, but has anyone in PWC (Woodbridge area) started receiving the 3 channels from Comcast that were supposed to come online back in Nov? That is, FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD. With F1 just around the corner, it would be nice to get Speed.

Fixed it for you ;)

I'm wondering the same thing about MoCo...I really want FXHD and SpeedHD

I have to agree with Deezul. I am out in western Loudoun. I just install a CM7777 on a new 91XG antenna. I can receive with beautiful digital clarity: 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32, 45, 54, 60, 62, and 66. Of course not all at the same time. And for some reason I cant pull in 4 or 50. But I am working on that. I can understand having difficulty with 50, but I am seeing a trend with areas to the west having problems with WRC-4-DT. (I was surprised how much tweaking was needed to get it with a good antenna as close in as Manassas) I'm wondering if this is happening because the transmit antenna is mounted on the side of the tower instead of the top? It would hope WRC will move the digital antenna to the top of the tower after the transition. Though I guess with the tight economy, this may not be the case.

Is anyone else experiencing signal glitches on WUSA-DT (9/34)? I have a friend in Arlington (close) with a new DishPal DVR, and WUSA-DT is driving her nuts with regular audio/video interruptions.

Is anyone else experiencing signal glitches on WUSA-DT (9/34)? I have a friend in Arlington (close) with a new DishPal DVR, and WUSA-DT is driving her nuts with regular audio/video interruptions.It sounds like multipath. I have the same issue with both WUSA & WBAL when using the Channel Master 7000 CECB. My other CECB's don't have this problem. What kind of antenna is she using?

Are WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV planning on reducing power during the "Night-Light" period?

I get serious audio/video interference on WBFF-TV and barely get WNUV-TV due to some sort of secondary audio interference. Any interference elimination that can happen in that frequency range may help me get WBFF-DT at 550KW. I get WUTB-DT at 310KW, so I'm looking forward to the elimination of excessive interference.

WNUV-DT is one of my stronger stations, in the Baltimore direction.

I have to agree with Deezul. I am out in western Loudoun. I just install a CM7777 on a new 91XG antenna. I can receive with beautiful digital clarity: 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32, 45, 54, 60, 62, and 66. Of course not all at the same time. And for some reason I cant pull in 4 or 50. But I am working on that.
Odd that you can't get WDCW-DT 50 (51) which is broadcasting at 125 kW, more power than WETA-DT 26 (DT 27, 90 kW) or WHUT-DT 32 (DT 33, 100 kW) which are around the same height & location and also get many of the Baltimore stations. Can't be because of greater cable run dB loss for higher UHF channels since WBAL-DT 11 is on UHF 59. OTOH, you are not getting WMAR-DT 2 on UHF 52 which is stronger for me than WBAL-DT. Which suggests you may have a problem with digital reception in the UHF 48 to 52 band??

Analog low power WAZW-CA 48 broadcasts on UHF 48 in Winchester on a highly directional pattern, but I would not expect interference from it to be much of a problem on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge. WRC-DT 4 is on UHF 48. If you are stuck, willing to try and can do it without breaking your neck, you could put up a chicken wire or other metal mesh screen behind the 91-XG. The screen should not be in contact with the antenna so it is electrically isolated from the antenna. The screen might block possible interfering signals from WAZW or other stations in the other direction. However, it is easier to do this if the antenna is in the attic than if it is on a mast on the roof. :eek: Or just wait for June 13 and see what happens. You very likely will need a upper VHF antenna then to go with the 91-XG if you don't have a VHF antenna.

If you are stuck, willing to try and can do it without breaking your neck, you could put up a chicken wire or other metal mesh screen behind the 91-XG. The screen should not be in contact with the antenna so it is electrically isolated from the antenna. The screen might block possible interfering signals from WAZW or other stations in the other direction. However, it is easier to do this if the antenna is in the attic than if it is on a mast on the roof.

That is a very interesting idea. How large (Area) should the screen be? I think some left over hardware cloth (0.5 "square grid) would work very well.

Ocean Pines Independent
February 10, 2009


WBOC decides to stick to original digital date

Station says conversion delay would cause confusion

By Deborah Gates
Staff Writer

SALISBURY -- Tuesday, Feb. 17, 11:59 p.m.: a date and time that will live in infamy for television viewers stuck with an analog TV and no cable television service or digital converter box.

That's when WBOC dismantles outdated analog transmitters and by law, steps into the future of all-digital broadcasting. Lower Shore ABC affiliate WMDT-47 and Maryland Public Television Channel 28 went all-digital months ago, and viewers without a digital television set, known as DTV, or a converter box attached to their analog TV set lost the stations months ago.

Viewers who stay in the technological past after next week lose access to WBOC, too.

Congress last week approved a four-month extension of the FCC's Feb. 17 deadline to drop analog transmission, to June 12. The CBS affiliate, the last local station on the Lower Shore of Delmarva to go all-digital, is sticking to the original deadline, saying that months of transmitting in both analog and digital modes to allow viewers time to prepare have been costly and energy-wasteful.

"The old (analog) transmitters are huge room-sized pieces of equipment that take massive amounts of electricity to operate," said Craig Jahelka, WBOC vice president and general manager. "Aside from the horrendous cost of operation, we're pumping huge amounts of electricity into a transmitter that virtually no one is watching any more. That's not only a huge cost to our bottom line, but it's a waste of electricity."

Viewers affected for certain would be those with an analog TV and no cable. Subscribers to satellite TV service, such as DirecTV or Dish Network, would also need a DTV or a converter box to view local stations after next week because the satellite companies don't carry signals for WBOC, WMDT, MPT or their partner stations. Satellite subscribers with an analog TV and a converter box would also need an antenna to improve reception for local stations.

Converter boxes can be purchased at most technology retailers that sell digital televisions. Households also can contact DirecTV, the Federal Trade Commission, WBOC or other local stations about where to purchase a converter box or how to get a discount.

"The overwhelming majority of people no longer rely on this analog signal. Besides, we've been pounding the Feb. 17 date into the ground for a year now," Jahelka said. "To change that date would serve no useful purpose and would only cause confusion."

dgates@dmg.gannett.com

410-749-7171

BRAVO!

Too bad more stations don't come right to the point like WBOC did.

Which brings me to the point I've wondered all along; Where are the green & ecology psychos (Al Gore anyone?), when it really makes a difference?

Agreed, the last minute date change is a bad misstep. Those who aren't ready in Feb, but will be ready in June are likely very few in number. Chances are if you are not going to be ready next week, you also won't be ready in June.

In fairness to WBOC, two of the four full-service analog stations on the Delmarva peninsula have already gone digital-only (WCPB and WMDT) so it's not like they're the only station going digital. Plus WRDE-LD 31 signed on recently as a digital-only RTN/MyNet.

- Trip

Granted, but my original post still has merit.

HI,

For those who use Version 7 (analog) TVGOS for Guide data for VCR/DVR equipment, the data is now being transmitted on WUSA-DT (34). I have been waiting because I need to use it for getting the Guide for my LG LST-3410A DVR. The DTVPal converter box has a special mode that translates the data from the DTV signal to the format that is used by the 3410A (and other like equipment). There is a much more detailed discussion of this topic in the LG LST-3410A Review and Discussion area of the forum, for those of you who are interested.

Well, I've got some pretty lousy reception tonight. I've lost WABC-DT & WBAL-DT. WUTB-DT & WNUV-DT are coming and going so much, they're almost unwatchable. I'm even getting breakup on WJZ-DT. Analog is heavier with snow, then usual too.

Could it be the rain fog?

I've lost WABC-DTI wasn't aware that you had WABC-DT... that would be some catch.... ;)

WWTD-LP 49, which was simulcasting WJLA-DT in letterbox mode, seems to be dark here tonight.

Anybody else?

Well, I've got some pretty lousy reception tonight. I've lost WABC-DT & WBAL-DT. WUTB-DT & WNUV-DT are coming and going so much, they're almost unwatchable. I'm even getting breakup on WJZ-DT. Analog is heavier with snow, then usual too.

Could it be the rain fog?

I'm getting the same thing up here in PA. WJZ has a range of 20-52, WNUV 28-60, WMPT 18-32... all on a CM-7000 converter box to my computer TV card. My 32LG60 seems to be holding onto the signals better -- fewer dropouts.
All stations are 40-50 miles away and are stable in "normal" weather. It was raining up here pretty heavily. On a normal day the difference between the top and bottom of the range hangs around 5.

Craig

WWTD-LP 49, which was simulcasting WJLA-DT in letterbox mode, seems to be dark here tonight.

Anybody else?
I noticed that it was dark yesterday but I thought it might have been reception issues. I guess there is no reason for the simulcast with the delay in the transition. Maybe they will start it up again in May or maybe they have decided that it is no longer necessary.

Another way to tell is that starting tomorrow, the FCC is requiring the stations that are shutting down to run 5 minutes of informational crawl per hour. WBFF and WNUV are going to run a 2.5 minute crawl at 2 minutes after the hour and at 2 minutes after the half hour.

A couple of days prior to the shut-off, they are requiring 10 minutes of crawl per hour...
Caught the crawl on analog 45 tonight... no crawl on digital 45... is that intentional?

If so, THANK YOU very much for the noise-free digital service!

(My reading of the FCC notice was that the crawl is only required on analog...)

In fairness to WBOC, two of the four full-service analog stations on the Delmarva peninsula have already gone digital-only (WCPB and WMDT) so it's not like they're the only station going digital. Plus WRDE-LD 31 signed on recently as a digital-only RTN/MyNet.

- Trip

In addition, the only way to get Fox and CW out there are as sub channels on WBOC and WMDT. So there has been a long standing incentive for OTA viewers to go digital. In fact, WBOC was selling subsidized converter boxes (fixed to their signal) about four years ago. There are probably many fewer analog viewers on the shore than in most markets. There really was no upside for them to continue analog with their main OTA competition, WMDT having switched months ago.

An interesting aside is the way WBOC has been running promos touting cable over satellite since as WBOC puts it, they refuse to carry our signal. Watching TV on the other shore is a totally different experience from what we're used to here in the Baltimore/Washington market.

OOOPS! I meant WMAR-DT. :)

That is a very interesting idea. How large (Area) should the screen be? I think some left over hardware cloth (0.5 "square grid) would work very well.
Hard to say how big the screen should be. You want to block off the backlobe of the antenna and cut down on signal spilling around the edges. Maybe start with something 3 to 5 ft across, located a foot or more behind the reflection screen of the 91-XG. The screen does not have to be a fine mesh. UHF 48 to 50 has a wavelength of around 0.44 meters or ~17". Chicken wire screen or screen with a 4" x 4" spacing size (< 1/4 wavelength) will block the UHF signals.

My plan is to turn them off according to the original plan: 11:59:59 PM on February 17, 2009.

I like the national anthem idea! I can probably do that.

I'll see what I can do about the test pattern, too.

BTW, the latest that I've heard is that we're supposed to have a "night-light" signal up for a couple of weeks so, at this point, the transmitters aren't actually going off, just the analog programming is going to stop.

.

So why the last second of February 17th and not the first second of February 17th?

Why at the end of the 17th and not at the beginning? Or was this the plan all along with the stations?

Another way to tell is that starting tomorrow, the FCC is requiring the stations that are shutting down to run 5 minutes of informational crawl per hour. WBFF and WNUV are going to run a 2.5 minute crawl at 2 minutes after the hour and at 2 minutes after the half hour.

A couple of days prior to the shut-off, they are requiring 10 minutes of crawl per hour...

Another illegal item being done by the FCC. Doing things in anticipation of the law being signed. Where is the Justice Dept when we need them?

BTW, my local ABC affiliate just did their crawl, because they are shutting down. But the idiots also did the crawl over the HD channel. Dumb.

By that reasoning we should just merge D.C. and Baltimore and York/Harrisburg into one giant market, since a "vast majority" live in a place to receive all three. P.S.

Someone living in Owings Mills, Timonium, Towson, or the surrounding suburbs can indeed view all three markets. So why don't we merge D.C., Baltimore, and York/Harrisburg into one giant thread?

Because it would be wrong. Each market should be kept separated. D.C. and Baltimore should be split, just as Nielsen does with their designated markets areas.

Every couple years, we have this discussion. And every couple years, the result is the same. Washington DC and Baltimore remain merged. I think we've tried splitting them in the past, and it's been a failed experiment. Any "old-timers" want to chime in?

Obviously I'm going to be opposed to a split, because I live in Annapolis and I receive DC and Baltimore pretty much equally. For much of my childhood, I didn't even realize that it was anything unusual to receive two sets of local channels. Anyone who lives between DC and Baltimore pretty much receives both. Heck, lots of people *IN* DC and Baltimore can receive both. There are always going to be people on the fringe of one who cannot receive the others. However, it does not make sense in my mind to inconvenience the many people who actually live in the area in order to benefit those who live on the outside edges. (Please do not take this to mean that those on the fringe are any less valuable to the community here.) In my eyes, the DC and Baltimore markets are very much linked, even if Nielson counts them as separate.

Originally Posted by Gerald C
Is anyone else experiencing signal glitches on WUSA-DT (9/34)? I have a friend in Arlington (close) with a new DishPal DVR, and WUSA-DT is driving her nuts with regular audio/video interruptions.

It sounds like multipath. I have the same issue with both WUSA & WBAL when using the Channel Master 7000 CECB. My other CECB's don't have this problem. What kind of antenna is she using?

I agree the symptoms could be explained by multipath, but I don't think that's what is happening. The antenna is a large, attic mounted yagi, and she gets strong, stable signal on all DC (analog) stations (VHF and UHF), without any hint of multipath. Of course, you can't 'see' the effects of multipath as readily on digital, but it would surprise me if that was the case. At my location (a few miles away), I occasionally get very, very brief dropouts on WUSA-DT as well, with the observed effect usually just affecting audio, but the TV does display a message (lost signal) also.

P.S.

Someone living in Owings Mills, Timonium, Towson, or the surrounding suburbs can indeed view all three markets. So why don't we merge D.C., Baltimore, and York/Harrisburg into one giant thread?

Because it would be wrong. Each market should be kept separated. D.C. and Baltimore should be split, just as Nielsen does with their designated markets areas.

Nielsen may do that but economically, geographically and even in many cases, legally, Baltimore and Washington are ONE market.

We have BWI airport. We have common sports team coverage in all the major media. We have common regional cable channels. The major newspapers are available in each other's town. The baseball and football teams have the same exact market footprint. And more.

While Baltimore and Washington may have their own network stations, they are actually too close for that to make any real sense other than historic.

Give it up. There will always be someone on the fringe of a market area that will have the same issue you do.

Caught the crawl on analog 45 tonight... no crawl on digital 45... is that intentional?

If so, THANK YOU very much for the noise-free digital service!

(My reading of the FCC notice was that the crawl is only required on analog...)

Yes, that was intentional, and you're welcome.

I actually wanted to do this starting last November, but I was voted down...

In the Baltimore area, we only did 2 "soft tests" at a time that a good portion of the population was driving home from work. I thought that it would be nice to have the info up at least once in every show, so that everyone that watched anything on our station would get the info, even if they were watching after midnight.
.

I always figured it was fine to put the notification on the digital signal, because some customers may watch the digital signal on the primary TV, but may still be effected on their secondary analog TVs. So keeping them informed of the analog cut off is still important, even if they do have digital to some extent.

As for splitting this thread. That call comes up about once a year. The end result is always the same, the thread is strongest with both DC and Baltimore combined. There have been sub threads in the past for Comcast or Verizon, or RCN, and each dies a lonely death. After six years, this thread remains one of the strongest here at AVS because of the group frequent posters who like to discuss and help each other out.

I always figured it was fine to put the notification on the digital signal, because some customers may watch the digital signal on the primary TV, but may still be effected on their secondary analog TVs. So keeping them informed of the analog cut off is still important, even if they do have digital to some extent.
Some notification, yes, I agree. That's what PSAs are for.

But 5-10 min./hr. of crawl on the digital channel? No, only the analog channel needs that.

When a station puts that stuff on their digital channel, I switch to another affiliate/network/etc., even if it means choosing SD over HD, or watching a different program altogether.


As for splitting this thread. That call comes up about once a year. The end result is always the same, the thread is strongest with both DC and Baltimore combined.
I agree. I live in northern VA, but I watch Baltimore as well as DC stations, and have done ever since I was a kid and first discovered I could.

Obama Makes It Official: DTV Deadline Extended To June 12

President Signs DTV Transition Bill Into Law

John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 2/11/2009 3:00:03 PM MT

President Barack Obama has signed the bill extending the DTV date from Feb. 17 to June 12.

His transition team had called for the date to be moved, and the bill was passed a week ago. But the president had pledged to put bills out for a five-day public comment period, which he did with the DTV bill.

"During these challenging economic times, the needs of American consumers are a top priority of my administration," the president said Wednesday.
"This law, which was crafted in a bipartisan way and passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate, ensures that our citizens will have more time to prepare for the conversion.

"Millions of Americans, including those in our most vulnerable communities, would have been left in the dark if the conversion had gone on as planned, and this solution is an important step forward as we work to get the nation ready for digital TV. My administration will continue to work with leaders in Congress, broadcasters, consumer groups and the telecommunications industry to improve the information and assistance available to our citizens in advance of June 12."

http://www.multichannel.com/article/174042-Obama_Makes_It_Official_DTV_Deadline_Extended_To_June_12.php

Looks like an awful lot of markets have at least one station that wants to kill analog by February 17th.

http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/Media/Image/Stations_Switching_to_Digital.jpg

http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=6832

As for splitting this thread. That call comes up about once a year. The end result is always the same, the thread is strongest with both DC and Baltimore combined. There have been sub threads in the past for Comcast or Verizon, or RCN, and each dies a lonely death. After six years, this thread remains one of the strongest here at AVS because of the group frequent posters who like to discuss and help each other out.

I agree. I've learned so much off this thread in 3 months. Keep it up!

And thank you all.

WBAL ran a DTV spot in Spanish late this afternoon. Anyone else see it?

I spent today doing some tower work. :D

I'm now able to get WNUV-DT, without the video stopping and starting. :)

I'm still not able to get WBFF-DT. :(

For our northern Maryland viewers....

WITF-TV TO OBSERVE ORIGINAL DTV TRANSITION DATE OF FEBRUARY 17, 2009
http://netcommunity.witf.org/digitaltv


FYI: This was just posted by Dewd in the Harrisburg post. I just saw a commercial earlier this hour emphatically stating that they (WITF) would make the transition to DT only at 10am on February 17th.

Yea team!

I say we split the forum into a "Washington/Baltimore HDTV" forum, and a "Let's split the Washington / Baltimore Forum" forum. :)

Actually it is good to see info from other markets, sometimes just to see what we might be missing here, or how good we have some things. For example, 5.1 vs. 2.0, other differences.

I am assuming WBOC-DT 16 will increase their power to the post transition level on 2-18. Does anyone know if this is true?

Thanks

I just saw a weather-watch crawl on analog 45 that didn't appear on digital... or at least not on FiOS. And now there's a T-storm warning graphic on analog but not on 45-1 or FiOS 510.
Is that a side-effect of splitting the DTV crawl between analog & digital?

I am assuming WBOC-DT 16 will increase their power to the post transition level on 2-18. Does anyone know if this is true?

Thanks

They have a permit to increase power, but it's not going to be a huge help. Whenever they boost it, it'll go from 635 to 740 kW, a boost of only 0.66 dB.

- Trip

I am assuming WBOC-DT 16 will increase their power to the post transition level on 2-18. Does anyone know if this is true?
Don't think they can. I think the granted permit for WBOC-DT 16 (DT 21) to go from the current 635 kW to 740 kW is a post-transition maximization CP. The post-transition power maximization allotments are one of the many items that are throw in confusion by this last minute delay, but they are all probably postponed until after June 12 unless the station can file a new application and get it granted before then. However going from 635 kW to 740 kW is a small increase in power in dB terms.

PS. Trip beats me to it! Again!

PS. Trip beats me to it! Again!

Not having a life can have its benefits. :D

But your post provided some more relevant info than mine did anyway.

- Trip

They have a permit to increase power, but it's not going to be a huge help. Whenever they boost it, it'll go from 635 to 740 kW, a boost of only 0.66 dB.

- TripI guess I won't see much of a difference here until WDCA-20 analog goes dark. I thought at one time there was going to be someone right here in DC with a channel 21 assignment; but now I can't find it????

I guess I won't see much of a difference here until WDCA-20 analog goes dark. I thought at one time there was going to be someone right here in DC with a channel 21 assignment; but now I can't find it????

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=wddn

- Trip

Wow Trip, you don't miss a beat!!

While you are at it, how about WDCN-LD? They are still listed as being on UHF 38 post transition, but I hope they will use VHF-6 since there is already a channel 6 antenna on the tower in use (Audio only @ 88.7 MHZ) I hope they stay off UHF!!

Thanks!!

I thought at one time there was going to be someone right here in DC with a channel 21 assignment; but now I can't find it????
WVPY-DT out of Front Royal at 50KW.

They don't have an application in to use channel 6 digitally, but that channel 38 won't be granted with WMAR-DT right there in Baltimore, which can easily be seen in DC. :D

Okay, no, stop, I shouldn't reopen that can of worms.

- Trip

WBAL HD on Comcast just froze for a minute. Must of been an error in the downlink feed - the HD bug was still in the picture. Then the picture downsized with a 16:9 scroll and had single channel audio.

WVPY-DT out of Front Royal at 50KW.Thanks systems2000,

I get a very low reading from WVPY-DT now; but never enough to decode. The only watchable Virginia Public Television here is W58DK from Ruckersville, VA (very snowy):(

Thanks systems2000,

I get a very low reading from WVPY-DT now; but never enough to decode. The only watchable Virginia Public Television here is W58DK from Ruckersville, VA (very snowy):(

There's actually a DT-21 transmitter at the W58DK site, I'm told. 1 kW ERP.

- Trip

There's actually a DT-21 transmitter at the W58DK site, I'm told. 1 kW ERP.

- Trip Interesting, that is the same exact direction I am seeing activity on 21. Maybe that is what I am seeing?????? Front Royal is furthur north.

Interesting, that is the same exact direction I am seeing activity on 21. Maybe that is what I am seeing?????? Front Royal is furthur north.

Quite possibly. Where I am, W58DK is a very, very faint analog, no sign of DT-21.

WVPT and WVPY are operating a DTS under an experimental license and has been doing so for a number of years. In addition to the main transmitters, they have on-channel repeaters at each of their analog translator sites. There are two additional channel 11 transmitters, and three additional channel 21 transmitters.

- Trip

I guess that's why it's not listed on TV FOOL. It's hard to believe that 1 kw can be detected so far away, even with WBOC coming in a bit stronger from the east & adjacent channel 20 pounding in only 4 miles away. Digital TV is amazing!!

I was told 1 kW ERP, but I'm not sure. I was also told 0.4 kW ERP on the channel 11 transmitter here in Charlottesville, but a more recent call to an engineer said it's only 0.1 kW. No wonder I can't see it.

- Trip

I guess that's why it's not listed on TV FOOL. It's hard to believe that 1 kw can be detected so far away, even with WBOC coming in a bit stronger from the east & adjacent channel 20 pounding in only 4 miles away. Digital TV is amazing!!
I would stll suspect the 50 kW UHF 21 signal from WVPY-DT. I get signal hits for DT 21 and have gotten - or got what I thought was - WVPY-DT by turning my CM 4221 around in the direction of the station and messing with the antenna location. I was looking forward to seeing if the reception of WVPY-DT on UHF 21 would improve when the WDCA-TV 20 3980 kW analog broadcast 16+ miles in the other direction went away. But that experiment will have to wait until June 13 for an answer now.

WVPY-DT has applied for an increase to 100 kW, but the FCC has not acted on the application.

I would stll suspect the 50 kW UHF 21 signal from WVPY-DT. I get signal hits for DT 21 and have gotten - or got what I thought was - WVPY-DT by turning my CM 4221 around in the direction of the station and messing with the antenna location. I was looking forward to seeing if the reception of WVPY-DT on UHF 21 would improve when the WDCA-TV 20 3980 kW analog broadcast 16+ miles in the other direction went away. But that experiment will have to wait until June 13 for an answer now.

The easy way to find out is what does TV-58 look like versus TV-42? Analog, of course.

WVPY-DT has applied for an increase to 100 kW, but the FCC has not acted on the application.

Wow, I had completely missed that application. Thanks for the heads-up.

- Trip

Thanks Alan,

It's hard to say which one it is. The view to the south-southwest is the only completely unobstucted view from here. I discovered last week that Richmond WRLH-DT 35 (26) is decodable some nights when WETA analog goes off the air @ 2 AM. The flashing strobe light on top of WNVC's tower is easily visible from the 2nd floor. It's about 6 miles from here.

The easy way to find out is what does TV-58 look like versus TV-42? Analog, of course.
TV-58 is usually very noisy. When I first came across it, it took me a while to figure out what station it was. I'll check after the winds die down. But you should be off cursing the FCC for the 123 stations who have now to meet the FCC conditions for turning off analog next week, including WBOC, WCAV and WVIR.

But you should be off cursing the FCC for the 123 stations who have now to meet the FCC conditions for turning off analog next week, including WBOC, WCAV and WVIR.

Already done. Now I'm sitting here watching filings come in, and thinking about how many 387s have backed up on me...

- Trip

TV-58 is usually very noisy. When I first came across it, it took me a while to figure out what station it was. I'll check after the winds die down. But you should be off cursing the FCC for the 123 stations who have now to meet the FCC conditions for turning off analog next week, including WBOC, WCAV and WVIR.
Probably easier to continue analog for now than meet those conditions, especially when you're the only analog station left in the market like WBOC.

I mean, 60 days of "enhanced" nightlight, including local news, plus call centers, community outreach and such?

Why not just continue your analog simulcast for now and file for early termination in March or April under the flex procedures?

Did anyone notice if the basketball game on WDCA was in HD last night? I didn't get a chance to watch.

UNC @ Duke was in HD on WDCA20 last night. I don't follow the ACC that closely (Go GMU, and ... err, Syracuse ... I guess :)), but ESPN had the game as well. However, I guess some coverage finagling required that ESPN show us another game instead.

-SUO

I just saw a weather-watch crawl on analog 45 that didn't appear on digital... or at least not on FiOS. And now there's a T-storm warning graphic on analog but not on 45-1 or FiOS 510.
Is that a side-effect of splitting the DTV crawl between analog & digital?

That's actually a "feature" of the Fox splicer.

The splicer is literally the last piece of equipment in the chain prior to the signal going out to the transmitter, and it replaces the signal that comes from our master control with a signal that is coming via satellite from Fox. Currently, there is no way to have our weather warning on the air during prime-time network programming, other than taking Fox's HD signal off the air and replacing it with an upconverted SD signal for as long as the weather bug is up.

Fox is currently working on an upgraded system that will allow us to do this, but it's not available yet.

One interesting thing that you may not ever see - if we have an EAS (emergency alert system) announcement during prime-time, I have it so the Fox plicer will switch back to our master control signal so that you will be able to see and hear it. Otherwise, the splicer would not allow the EAS through. It will stay on the upconverted SD signal until the next commercial break. That's also being addressed in the new system.
.

That's actually a "feature" of the Fox splicer.

The splicer is literally the last piece of equipment in the chain prior to the signal going out to the transmitter, and it replaces the signal that comes from our master control with a signal that is coming via satellite from Fox. Currently, there is no way to have our weather warning on the air during prime-time network programming, other than taking Fox's HD signal off the air and replacing it with an upconverted SD signal for as long as the weather bug is up.

Fox is currently working on an upgraded system that will allow us to do this, but it's not available yet.

One interesting thing that you may not ever see - if we have an EAS (emergency alert system) announcement during prime-time, I have it so the Fox plicer will switch back to our master control signal so that you will be able to see and hear it. Otherwise, the splicer would not allow the EAS through. It will stay on the upconverted SD signal until the next commercial break. That's also being addressed in the new system.
.Interesting... No issue like that on our FOX station. They can run HD crawls (including EAS) and graphics. Actually, the Big 5 around here can do it...

While I understand the Balt-Wash combined thread, I have always wanted a Balt-Was Comcast thread like most other areas, and tried, but that never went anywhere. Certainly the antenna folks dominate the discussion so a Comcast thread would be pretty small, but for those of us who don't use antennas (there must be many like me with just Comcast) it would have made keeping up easier.

Rich N.

I'm going to put together a table for the first post that will cover the analog cut off. I figured I'd put it here for critical comments before I paste it over to there. Plus I think that these tables are cool and I intend to update the grids on the first post with these tables eventually.

Station|Network|NTSC Analog|ATSC Digital|Proposed Date|Actual Date|Comment
WMAR|ABC|2|38|6/12/09||
WRC|NBC|4|48|6/12/09||
WTTG|FOX|5|36|6/12/09||
WJLA|ABC|7|7|6/12/09||
WUSA|CBS|9|9|6/12/09||
WBAL|NBC|11|11|6/12/09||
WPXW|ION|60|38|6/12/09||
WJZ|CBS|13|13|6/12/09||
WFDC|UNI|14|15|6/12/09||
WDCA|MyNet|20|35|6/12/09||
WMPT|PBS|22|42|6/12/09||
WUTB|MyNet|24|41|6/12/09||
WETA|PBS|26|27|6/12/09||
WNVT|Mhz|53|30|6/12/09||
WHUT|PBS|32|33|6/12/09||
WBFF|FOX|45|46|2/17/09||Intends to shutdown NTSC on 2/17
WDCW|CW|50|50|6/12/09||
WNUV|CW|54|40|2/17/09||Intends to shutdown NTSC on 2/17
WNVC|Mhz||24|6/12/09||
WFPT|PBS|62|28|6/12/09||
WPAX|ION|66|43|6/12/09||
WMPB|PBS|67|29|6/12/09||


Did this ever get filled in and posted anywhere? I just called WHUT and they say they are maintaing their analog until June 12th, but then I called WMPT and they said their analog would be shut off sometime in APRIL, but they didn't give me an exact date. Neither stations website has been updated to reflect any extensions beyond February 17th.

No I never did post it. I'll do that now.

Did this ever get filled in and posted anywhere? I just called WHUT and they say they are maintaing their analog until June 12th, but then I called WMPT and they said their analog would be shut off sometime in APRIL, but they didn't give me an exact date. Neither stations website has been updated to reflect any extensions beyond February 17th.
Both WBFF-TV 45 and WNUV-TV 54 are shown on the FCC appendix list as indicated they may opt to run as a nightlight station after Feb. 17, but I have not seen the applications for that. The list of stations that filed to shut down on Feb. 17 and the 123 stations that the FCC issued new rules for them to meet or not be allowed to shut down on Feb. 17 can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. The lists of stations are under the Appendixes.

There are stations in other markets that have stated they plan to shut analog down in April, but I don't think any of them have filed for that yet. They may be waiting for the dust to settle (or for the storm to pass) from the Feb. 17 filings and events and then file a 30 day shutdown notice. Interesting that MPT might shut down some or all their remaining stations in April. I hope they do so we can make some progress to finally turning off the analog broadcasts and clear the logjam of interference issues.

Interesting... No issue like that on our FOX station. They can run HD crawls (including EAS) and graphics. Actually, the Big 5 around here can do it...

Perhaps I gave you the wrong impression, or maybe they are doing something that I don't understand - we can (and do) put up HD crawls and graphics. The only time that you can't see them is during prime-time when the splicer substitutes the Fox HD feed for ours.

Since Fox only gives us an SD feed (they use the ASI stream in the splicer), we can't just splice back and put our graphics and crawls over anything but the SD feed that they do supply. I don't understand where your local Fox station would be getting the network HD feed, since Fox uses addressable receivers that they can change the channels around on remotely. Even if I had an extra HD satellite receiver (which I don't), I would have to be lucky (which I'm not) to have it on the correct channel when I needed it to do put a bug/crawl/EAS over.

Again, we only run into this problem when we are in HD network programming.

:

Perhaps I gave you the wrong impression, or maybe they are doing something that I don't understand - we can (and do) put up HD crawls and graphics. The only time that you can't see them is during prime-time when the splicer substitutes the Fox HD feed for ours.

Since Fox only gives us an SD feed (they use the ASI stream in the splicer), we can't just splice back and put our graphics and crawls over anything but the SD feed that they do supply. I don't understand where your local Fox station would be getting the network HD feed, since Fox uses addressable receivers that they can change the channels around on remotely. Even if I had an extra HD satellite receiver (which I don't), I would have to be lucky (which I'm not) to have it on the correct channel when I needed it to do put a bug/crawl/EAS over.

Again, we only run into this problem when we are in HD network programming.

:These crawls, on WVBT/43 FOX, have run many times during primetime; weather closings, election results, etc.

I know this question has been asked several times, but has anyone in PWC (Woodbridge area) started receiving the 3 channels from Comcast that were supposed to come online back in Nov? That is, FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD. With Nascar just around the corner, it would be nice to get Speed.

they took those channels off the comcast.com listings for PWC and Manassas so who knows at this point.

Interesting that MPT might shut down some or all their remaining stations in April.
Following up on my own post, 2 of the 6 MPT stations are already digital only: WCPB 28 in Salisbury, MD moved from UHF 56 to 28 around December 18, 2008 and WGPT 36, way out at the western end of MD in Oakland, MD, moved from UHF 54 to 36 on December 8, 2008. In both cases, MPT stated in their filings that they had to do the conversion in December or wait until after March because the contractor would not be available until then. Of course, this was done in December when we all thought the Feb. 17 deadline was a deadline. Wonder how many complaints from the remaining analog viewers they got?. Anyway MPT is already 1/3rd of the way done to shutting down their analog broadcasts. Maybe they will indeed pull the plug on the other four analog signals in April.

So apparently my zipcode (22203) gets FIOS, but not according to the Fios webpage :confused:

Any word on when/if Comedy Central HD's coming to Comcast?

Simpsons in HD Sunday! Yay :)

For our northern Maryland viewers.... WITF-TV TO OBSERVE FEBRUARY 17 Yes. Since I live in the (apparently) unusual situation of receiving three markets, I've been keeping track of which stations are switching off:

Baltimore: 45, 54
York-Harrisburg: 33, 15
Philadelphia: None within range of me.

I know this question has been asked several times, but has anyone in PWC (Woodbridge area) started receiving the 3 channels from Comcast that were supposed to come online back in Nov? That is, FX HD, Fox News HD and Speed HD. With Nascar just around the corner, it would be nice to get Speed.

No FIOS in your area yet? We've had FIOS in my area of Woodbridge(Rippon Landing) for 1.5 years now.

These crawls, on WVBT/43 FOX, have run many times during primetime; weather closings, election results, etc.

I'll try and get in touch with someone there and find out what they are doing.

Thanks for the info!

.

(Link to live document in signature)

I've taken CycloneGT's transition date data and merged it with system2000's transition power chart from December. At the moment, it seems appropriate in putting those datasets together. Let's see how it looks (obviously looks better in the real Google Docs version):

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=133437&d=1234540477

-SUO

I was wondering if CycloneGT would update his table for MHz Networks. I claim WNVT (transmitter in Goldvein, VA) went digital-only on ATSC channel 30 a long time ago. Wikipedia claims 2003.

WNVC has got to be hurting right now. They were transmitting from a highly-visible tower in Merrifield, VA (I495 and RT50 interchange) until Sept 1, 2008. They shut down both analog and digital transmissions early in order to swap antennas in preparation for the digital transition to their new channel 24. That tower work was completed Oct 26, 2008. But now they can't turn on again until Baltimore station WUBT vacates channel 24 on June 12! What a mess.

I claim WNVT (transmitter in Goldvein, VA) went digital-only on ATSC channel 30 a long time ago. Wikipedia claims 2003.FWIW, WNVT-DT 30 is licensed in Goldvien, but the transmitter is located high atop Independent Hill, just 6 miles south of Manassas (Rts.234 & 619) Their signal gets out quite well considering their modest power level.:)

MASN READY TO LAUNCH FULL TIME HD CHANNEL

POSTED February 13, 2009 | 11:09 AM

MASN to launch full time HD channel

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

The Mid Atlantic Sports Network will be launching a full time high definition channel in time for this season’s coverage of the Nationals and Orioles. There will be 210 regular season games broadcast in HD this season by MASN giving area baseball fans one game every night in the highest broadcast form.

That means both the Nationals and Orioles will have 105 games broadcast this season in HD.

Some of the highlights of the 2009 schedule will be the marquee teams featured in HD the Yankees (21 games), Phillies (19 games), Red Sox (21 games) and Mets (12 games).

The network is making other changes to further enhance their broadcasts including new cameras that will bring fans closer to the action. The network will utilize an X-Mo camera, a new high-speed HD camera, that shoots more than 300 frames per second for crystal clear replays of the biggest moments on the field. The same camera was used during NBC's Super Bowl telecast last month, which captured Santonio Holmes' winning TD catch. In addition, MASN will debut a new broadcast look and graphics package for game broadcasts and for O's Xtra and Nats Xtra in 2009.

Having a dedicated channel will help improve the quality the broadcasts because when Comcast put the games on MOJO the channel was not adjusted for sports. According Richard Holl a broadcast engineer: “For sports to be seen at their best in high definition they should be aired on a channel that has been calibrated for sports telecasts. That is what has been done for CSN-HD, they have set that channel up for sports coverage. Once a cable company sets the channel to adapt to the speed of movement that you get in sports then other traditional HD broadcasts like movies, or sit-coms, etc will be fine. I think that having a dedicated channel will really serve the viewers of MASN well as long as the cable company sets it up properly from the start and there no reason that they shouldn’t.”

As for the rest of the tradional games on MASN in 2009 the breakdown will be the Orioles with 95 games on MASN and 66 games on MASN2. Viewers in the Baltimore area will be able to watch 20 MASN-produced Orioles games simulcast on the network's over-the-air partner, WJZ-TV Channel 13.

The Nationals will have 95 live games on MASN and an additional 67 on MASN2. Washington DC-area viewers will also be able to watch 20 selected Sunday afternoon games on DC50 which is the new over the air partner for the Nationals and MASN. They will replace MY20 and will air both the Nats Xtra pre and postgame shows which will be something new for the fans in the Washington area.

As far as spring training goes there will be six games on MASN starting on March 6th when the Orioles host the Nationals in Fort Lauderdale. The other live televised spring training games will feature the Red Sox, Marlins and Braves.

Kudos for MASN to have live coverage of the Adam Dunn presser on Thursday. Good job done by Byron Kerr and Phil Wood.

More to come on the channel next week.

http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/WatchThis/MASN-READY-TO-LAUNCH-FULL-TIME-HD-CHANNEL-39556932.html

I was wondering if CycloneGT would update his table for MHz Networks. I claim WNVT (transmitter in Goldvein, VA) went digital-only on ATSC channel 30 a long time ago. Wikipedia claims 2003.

WNVC has got to be hurting right now.
The table is incomplete and is missing WNVC-DT 56 and WNVT-DT 30 from what I can see. Looks to be north end of the DC-Baltimore focused with all the PA stations that you have to be north of Baltimore to get. Maybe I should update/revise the table I generated for the DC & Baltimore market stations including the LPs & maximization status and repost it.

Earlier this week, while assembling info for Trip's web page, I looked up the WNVT filing to see when exactly they shut down the analog 53 broadcast. It was either late 2003 or early 2004. WNVT-DT was one of the first existing stations to go digital only. According to the filings, the reason was that the tower could not accommodate 2 full power TV antennas and a combined antenna would have been expensive. So they opted to save money and go digital only which they have made use of with 4, now 5, SD sub-channels. WNVT-DT 30 has a 160 kW ERP which is not a weak signal for digital UHF.

Yes, WNVC 56 was sandbagged by the delay. Their problem is made worse because WUTB-TV 24 is owned by Fox and Fox has stated they intend to keep all their O&O stations analog on the air until June 12. Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation which operates WNVC & WNVT is not likely to have any leverage to persuade Fox to shut down a commercial station.

So what happened to RTN7? Right in the middle of the Incredible Hulk at a about 6:30pm it goes black? 7-1 and 7-2 still going strong, but 7-3 black screen.

Any ideas?

-John

As for the rest of the tradional games on MASN in 2009 the breakdown will be the Orioles with 95 games on MASN and 66 games on MASN2. Viewers in the Baltimore area will be able to watch 20 MASN-produced Orioles games simulcast on the network's over-the-air partner, WJZ-TV Channel 13.
But will they be in HD?

WVPY-DT has applied for an increase to 100 kW, but the FCC has not acted on the application.
Nice to know! I get WVPY-DT fairly well, but that extra 50 KW will make it rock solid and I'll have to see what happens to my system when it comes to trying to get WHP-DT at 450KW

So what happened to RTN7? Right in the middle of the Incredible Hulk at a about 6:30pm it goes black? It's back on as of 10:20PM Friday Feb 13.

For sports to be seen at their best in high definition they should be aired on a channel that has been calibrated for sports telecasts.:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

hehe, no kidding.

“For sports to be seen at their best in high definition they should be aired on a channel that has been calibrated for sports telecasts.”

What the Frak was that person smoking when s/he said that?

What hype will they think of next?

For the first time, I saw captions (analog only) on programming from the "This" network on 45.2 today (late afternoon/early evening). I hadn't seen any captions when I checked on 1/12/2009. Mark, do you know when they started transmitting caption data again?

For the first time, I saw captions (analog only) on programming from the "This" network on 45.2 today (late afternoon/early evening). I hadn't seen any captions when I checked on 1/12/2009. Mark, do you know when they started transmitting caption data again?

It's been a while, actually. They don't have captioning on everything, though. I haven't been able to discern a pattern of what movies have captioning, and what movies don't. Hopefully the program guide is correct...?

.

It's back on as of 10:20PM Friday Feb 13.
Strange, my TivoHD happened to record that episode, and on the TivoHD it wasn't a black screen, it was a black screen with green lines. This went on for about 10-20 minutes, then the picture came back. I guess they just lost the satellite feed or something? Oh well. Digital blip I guess. :)

I've seen the crawls on WNUV-TV lately and everytime, I'll switch to WUTB-TV to see if it's running one at the same time, but I've still not seen a crawl on WUTB-TV.

Why does the crawl tell viewers that a converter box can be purchased at electronics stores, when there are just as many retail stores that carry them (Shoppers, CVS, Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc.)? Why not just point them to the DTV website locator?

Mark, question on WBFF-TV 45 and WNUV-TV 54 - will both stations act as night-light stations after Tuesday night? I see both stations on the FCC list as Y(es) for night-light status. If so, how long will they keep broadcasting in night-light mode? With all the other major stations in the market staying on the air, the only benefit of a night-light PSA broadcast is to notify people that WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV have really truly ended their analog broadcast (for normal programming) for those who somehow missed or ignored the constant messages in place of a blank screen. After a few days, one would think almost every of the more regular remaining analog OTA viewers would get the message.

As it stands, it appears that over 700 stations, maybe as high as ~780, in the US will have no analog broadcast (with some of these in night-light status for a time) after February 17. With 1809 full power stations, that is about 40% of all full power stations. Unfortunately few of those are in the DC and Baltimore markets.

I've seen the crawls on WNUV-TV lately and everytime, I'll switch to WUTB-TV to see if it's running one at the same time, but I've still not seen a crawl on WUTB-TV.
Fox owned WUTB-TV My 24 is not shutting down on February 17. All of the broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) are keeping their owned & operated stations on the air until June 12, except in specific circumstances. WBFF-TV 45 and WNUV-TV 54 are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting which is shutting down many of their stations on the original Feb. 17 date.

I keep mixing WBFF and WUTB up. Sorry.

How much intereference would I be getting from WKBS-DT at 200KW (63 miles single-edge -23dB) or WAZW-LD at 12KW (53 miles 2-edge) to prevent WBFF-DT at 550KW (66 miles 2-edge -22dB) from being received? I've also got WBFF-TV (45) at 1290KW (66 miles 2-edge -28.5), WKBS-TV (47) at 1510KW (63 miles single-edge), and WMPT-DT at 933KW (59 miles 2-edge -17dB) for adjacent channels.

I also have a major power distribution line about 100 yards to the North of my place. It comes directly from a Switching Facility and Generation plant that are about ½-1 mile from my house.

Mark, question on WBFF-TV 45 and WNUV-TV 54 - will both stations act as night-light stations after Tuesday night? I see both stations on the FCC list as Y(es) for night-light status. If so, how long will they keep broadcasting in night-light mode? With all the other major stations in the market staying on the air, the only benefit of a night-light PSA broadcast is to notify people that WBFF-TV and WNUV-TV have really truly ended their analog broadcast (for normal programming) for those who somehow missed or ignored the constant messages in place of a blank screen. After a few days, one would think almost every of the more regular remaining analog OTA viewers would get the message.

As it stands, it appears that over 700 stations, maybe as high as ~780, in the US will have no analog broadcast (with some of these in night-light status for a time) after February 17. With 1809 full power stations, that is about 40% of all full power stations. Unfortunately few of those are in the DC and Baltimore markets.

Both WNUV and WBFF are going to have night-lite messages. I haven't yet been told how long the messages are supposed to be kept up...

.

WAZW-LD at 12KW (53 miles 2-edge)
I don't think WAZW-LD (-CA analog 48) in Winchester, VA is on the air yet with a digital broadcast on DT 46. When it does goes on the air, it will make reception of WBFF-DT 45 (DT 46) a challenge for western Loudoun, western Fauquier (if anyone gets WBFF-DT from that far away), and Jefferson (WV) counties. Don't think if would be much of a problem as far north as you are, but I could be wrong. Meanwhile their analog UHF 48 broadcast interferes with WRC-DT 4 (48) reception out in western Loudoun and west of the Blue Ridge, so when the LP station does convert to digital, people may gain a major DC station, but lose a Baltimore station.

Your digital and analog interference possibilities at UHF 45 and 46 make my head swim. When WBFF-TV 45 goes dark, it will give you the opportunity to see if it is the sole cause is the cause of your WBFF-DT reception problems. WKBS-TV 47 is apparently staying on the air until June.

My head has been swimming for awhile.

They're probably not my only stations on the spectrum. Such is life when your centered on Altoona, Harrisburg/York/Lancaster, Baltimore, and D.C., with a bunch of locals and LP's thrown in. :)

I've discovered a few additional issues being on the fringe. One biggy is 300 Ohm lead placement. It's a major issue. I've got about 10' of it between the antenna posts and the pre-amp. Depending upon how I route it, I can either receive a station or it will completely disappear. What Fun!

I don't think WAZW-LD (-CA analog 48) in Winchester, VA is on the air yet with a digital broadcast on DT 46.
That might explain why http://www.tvfool.com/ didn't list it, although it also could be because there were too many other stations of higher power that pushed it off the list.

It's been a while, actually. They don't have captioning on everything, though. I haven't been able to discern a pattern of what movies have captioning, and what movies don't. Hopefully the program guide is correct...?

.

The This network is actually showing some high-rated movies! Last night, it showed an R-rated, three-star movie, Jack and Sarah, made in 1995, with captions. I ended up recording it on TiVo.

Unfortunately, "The Black Stallion" isn't showing with closed captions right now even though the televised program guide said it had CCs. I had never seen this movie, and it's rated with 3 1/2 stars, so I was really looking forward to it. It was made in 1979. As a movie for children, foul language shouldn't have been an issue.

I was going to publicize this new channel high and wide among people who watch captioning until I saw "the Black Stallion" wasn't captioned even though it was supposed to be. The program guide really needs to be accurate to avoid disappointing people. :-(


Dana

Unfortunately, "The Black Stallion" isn't showing with closed captions right now even though the televised program guide said it had CCs.


Correction: The program guide from TiVo shows that "The Black Stallion" was closed captioned. The guide from the station, 45.2, does not.

Anyone know why TiVo's guide would be incorrect?


Dana

Anyone have the contact info for the fox 5 controll room. they don't have the race in HD and my 4 year old is blowing a gasket?

So what's going to happen after the analog switchoff? Would channel 5 just have a blank screen now, since there won't be any SD analog feed anymore when someone forgets to flip the switch?

So what's going to happen after the analog switchoff? Would channel 5 just have a blank screen now, since there won't be any SD analog feed anymore when someone forgets to flip the switch?

There wont be a problem. This is probably a problem with the splicer or something else.

Its on HD over on 45.1 WBFF. I have watched Ch5 jump in and out of HD. 45 is solid HD.

I'm in a high-rise in Friendship Heights, MD, facing north with line-of-site to the old 20 and 26 towers on River Road. I can get all the digital D.C. and Balto stations (and Hagerstown 24) OTA, but I can't get any of the WETA digital stations. From several maps I've seen, it looks like 26 is broadcasting in digital from the same tower as WRC (about a mile from me, but on the opposite side of my building), so I'm curious why I can't pick them up when I get the digitals on the same tower (or in the same direction).

Also, any gossip about Comcast MoCo adding more HD news? We haven't had any new HD channels in a while, and I'd think news would be a priority in this market.

Thanks,
kal

So apparently my zipcode (22203) gets FIOS, but not according to the Fios webpage :confused:

Any word on when/if Comedy Central HD's coming to Comcast?

Simpsons in HD Sunday! Yay :)Anybody?

I'm in a high-rise in Friendship Heights, MD, facing north with line-of-site to the old 20 and 26 towers on River Road. I can get all the digital D.C. and Balto stations (and Hagerstown 24) OTA, but I can't get any of the WETA digital stations. From several maps I've seen, it looks like 26 is broadcasting in digital from the same tower as WRC (about a mile from me, but on the opposite side of my building), so I'm curious why I can't pick them up when I get the digitals on the same tower (or in the same direction).
WETA-DT PBS 26 is broadcasting on UHF 27. Have you tried manually tuning to 27 to see what the signal meter shows? Also, what antenna are you using? Have you tried different antenna locations? Your antenna might be in a dead spot for WETA-DT reception.

…(and Hagerstown 24)…
Are you sure you don't mean WHAG 25 (they will be on RF26 after the analog shutdown)?

Are you sure you don't mean WHAG 25 (they will be on RF26 after the analog shutdown)?

D'oh -- yes, that's exactly what I mean. Thanks for catching that.

As far as antennae, nothing special, but I've tried several -- a Radio Shack triangle ($19.99), an old UHF/FM loop, rabbit ears, and nothing. Using "nothing" or the rabbit ears, I can pick up all the D.C. digitals (except 26) and WMAR-2. With the other two, I get "everything," except for WETA.

(Yes, I realize that rabbit ears aren't designed for digital, but they seem to work well enough for me...)

I've moved them around a lot in different rooms in my apartment and pointing them in different directions, but I get nothing for WETA -- 0% signal when I try 27 manually or when I let my TV receivers or the converter box search.

I have a feeling it must be because I'm so close to the towers and on the wrong side of the building. (If I lived across the hall, I'd have line of site with their digital tower.)

It's not a big deal, since I'm mainly interested in pulling in the Baltimore stations (which I don't get on Comcast), but I'm curious about it. I was surprised to see that the Balto digital stations all seem to lock in easier OTA than any of the Washington digitals, despite (or because of?) my proximity to the D.C. towers. Conversely, I get great pictures on all of the D.C. analogs, but very bad reception on the Baltimore analogs.

(I have some similar problems with radio signals where I am. Even though I can see several towers from my windows -- and could darn near string cables to them -- I can only receive about four stations on AM or FM.)

kal

Simpsons and KOTH looked great in HD tonight! Glad to see 5 did flip the HD switch for both shows (unlike NASCAR). :)

(I have some similar problems with radio signals where I am. Even though I can see several towers from my windows -- and could darn near string cables to them -- I can only receive about four stations on AM or FM.)kalAll that FM is detrimental to your TV reception. My situation is similar here in North Arlington with 4 FM stations 1/2 mile away. I recommend ordering a UVSJ, & HLSJ to help reduce most of the uneeded strong signals from entering your TV.

Connect the UVSJ between the antenna & TV to reduce everything "except" UHF. After the transition, switch out the UVSJ with the HLSJ to allow "both" VHF-HI & UHF to go to your TV.

UVSJ- http://yhst-18278607509093.stores.yahoo.net/pico-0389.html

HLSJ- http://yhst-18278607509093.stores.yahoo.net/pico-0144.html

(Yes, I realize that rabbit ears aren't designed for digital, but they seem to work well enough for me...)


...and exactly where did you get this realization? :rolleyes: The amount bogus info bandied about during this transition is incredible.

...and exactly where did you get this realization? :rolleyes: The amount bogus info bandied about during this transition is incredible.

You see, since rabbits are biological creatures that does not work in the world of 1s and 0s as digital does, they do not work properly with digital signals. If you were to purchase a jackalope ear antenna it would work. The jackalope is a animal of SCIENCE, which is what makes digital work. :D;)

These crawls, on WVBT/43 FOX, have run many times during primetime; weather closings, election results, etc.

OK, it turns out that I actually do know what I'm doing!

The answer is that WVTB doesn't have a splicer. Since they are an O and O (owned and operated by Fox), they get all of their programming from the Fox headend in New Jersey via optical fiber. They don't have a master control at their facility, and they don't put their local programming in there, as is the case with WUTB here in Baltimore. Since they don't have a splicer, anything that they put over the source from New Jersey locally, goes out on the air.

Since I do have a splicer, anything that I put ovet the video locally gets removed by the splicer when the Fox HD programming is going out. I still have to switch back to an SD program (i.e., splice to local), to put out an EAS or weather crawl/bug.

.

... The list of stations that filed to shut down on Feb. 17 ... can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/. The lists of stations are under the Appendixes. ...

Here's the official PDF of all stations (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-221A5.pdf) (as of 10 Feb).

-SUO