Lansing, MI - HDTV [Text View] - Page 8

jefbal99

02-27-09, 10:56 AM

I'm still getting ABC 3 but at a lower power reading and I lost CW about the same time. 10.1 & 10.2 also dropped. 6.1/59.x are tolally gone. I don't think I'm gonna be able ot operate with an indoor amplified antannae and I'm NOT going to put up another outdoor antennae, Local stations are gonna have to come to me thru my dish at no cost or I won't be watching them.

Al in Brooklyn

The only channels that changed around the 2/17 date were WILX, WHTV, and WKAR.

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong here, but...

WILX moved digital from UHF 57 to VHF 10 @ 14.8 kW and turned off their analog transmitter.
WHTV stayed digital on UHF 34 but increased power to 134kW.
WKAR turned off their analog transmitter and are awaiting a movefor their digital broadcast from UHF 55 to UHF 40 on 6/12.

If your OTA reception for any other channels in the DMA have changed, then you might want to look at your setup and see if you are having issues with any of your equipment. Also, with the weather starting to change, different conditions can cause reception to vary.

Yankees368

02-27-09, 11:16 AM

The only channels that changed around the 2/17 date were WILX, WHTV, and WKAR.

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong here, but...

WILX moved digital from UHF 57 to VHF 10 @ 14.8 kW and turned off their analog transmitter.
WHTV stayed digital on UHF 34 but increased power to 134kW.
WKAR turned off their analog transmitter and are awaiting a movefor their digital broadcast from UHF 55 to UHF 40 on 6/12.

If your OTA reception for any other channels in the DMA have changed, then you might want to look at your setup and see if you are having issues with any of your equipment. Also, with the weather starting to change, different conditions can cause reception to vary.

WILX has been coming in decently for me recently, I guess I got the right antenna placement.
WHTV is a total no-show for me, in any antenna position that I can recieve WILX. I get one or the other. HD would be nice on WHTV as well.

jefbal99

02-27-09, 11:21 AM

HD would be nice on WHTV as well.

I think they are too cheap to invest in the equipment, especially with the economy in the crapper.

I have sent them many messages over the past few years and never gotten a reply.

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 11:25 AM

WHTV stayed digital on UHF 34 but increased power to 134kW.

If they did, they haven't told the FCC anything about it. They have a permit for 13.4 kW.

But then, they didn't tell the FCC they were turning off the analog either, did they?

- Trip

Yankees368

02-27-09, 11:25 AM

I think they are too cheap to invest in the equipment, especially with the economy in the crapper.

I have sent them many messages over the past few years and never gotten a reply.

At least back home in NYC (and even in Buffalo, NY), the local MYtv affiliates show quite a big in HD. A lot of the movies they show are presented in HD, and they broadcast WWE I believe. But all of this does not matter, as I cannot pick up their SD signal at all.

garybliev

02-27-09, 11:43 AM

Now we need WHTV to go HD and Lansing's CW to get a separate transmitter so it isn't a digital sub..

I don't think there are any more frequencies available. Maybe after the re-pack of channels the FCC -might- open the window to apply for frequencies, probably an auction, but they may decide that the "white space" devices are more in the public interest than Gossip Girl in HD.

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 11:50 AM

I don't think there are any more frequencies available. Maybe after the re-pack of channels the FCC -might- open the window to apply for frequencies, probably an auction, but they may decide that the "white space" devices are more in the public interest than Gossip Girl in HD.

I've looked into this; there actually are some allocations available. There aren't many, and it's a tight squeeze, but it can be done. (I think channel 50 works if co-located with WLAJ-DT)

That said, you might be right about the WSDs. Too bad. :(

- Trip

jefbal99

02-27-09, 12:01 PM

If they did, they haven't told the FCC anything about it. They have a permit for 13.4 kW.

But then, they didn't tell the FCC they were turning off the analog either, did they?

- Trip

Nix that, its at 130kW according to the FCC (http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_report1/Lansing_MI.pdf)

However, WHTV no longer shows up in the TV Query (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WHTV). Very Weird, it also still has WILX DT on UHF 57 (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WILX).

Trip, what queries are you using?

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 12:05 PM

Nix that, its at 130kW according to the FCC (http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_report1/Lansing_MI.pdf)

That's what their Appendix B allotment gives them, it's NOT what they're authorized for.

However, WHTV no longer shows up in the TV Query (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WHTV). Very Weird, it also still has WILX DT on UHF 57 (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WILX).

Something is very wrong with the TV Query today. I think the update process got interrupted.

Trip, what queries are you using?

I'm using my own website, which in turn gets its data directly from the FCC's raw CDBS files which are updated every weeknight around 4AM.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=whtv

Expand the "Technical Data" section.

- Trip

jefbal99

02-27-09, 12:09 PM

That's what their Appendix B allotment gives them, it's NOT what they're authorized for.

Well damn, I'll update my first post.

Something is very wrong with the TV Query today. I think the update process got interrupted.

Something is funky there

I'm using my own website, which in turn gets its data directly from the FCC's raw CDBS files which are updated every weeknight around 4AM.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=whtv

Expand the "Technical Data" section.

- Trip

in theory, if the FCC db got screwed up last night, then would your data be skewed as well?

Oh and you need to update WLNS, they went live with 5.1 audio this week :)
Also, the Call sign for 10.2 is WILX-WX

garybliev

02-27-09, 12:11 PM

GaryBliev,

I recorded the Stevie Wonder show on WKAR last night, and noticed the bit rate was less than 10Mbit/sec. I have not had a chance to watch the show yet, so I can't comment on how good it looks, but just thought I would let you know. I just start to wonder when a ~ 54 min. show takes less than 4Gb of space.

In addition to other special sauce, we use statistical multiplexing to combine the three standard definition and one high definition signals into one transport stream. Our control system allows us to assign minimum and maximum bit rates for each service, and a priority. In our case the HD bit rates are between 7,000 and 14,300 the HD stream is the highest priority.

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 12:13 PM

in theory, if the FCC db got screwed up last night, then would your data be skewed as well?

The CDBS is fine. That's the raw data. It's the TV Query, which runs shortly after the CDBS update, that is incorrect.

Here:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_list.pl?Facility_id=29706

Look at the filing with this file number: 20070125ACI

It was the last one the FCC granted for them. Note the 13.6 kW power level in it.

Actually, they may not even be operating that one yet; the BLCDT (Licence to Cover a Digital Television construction permit) they have is for a 4 kW signal in Jackson.

And, corrections made, thanks. =)

- Trip

jefbal99

02-27-09, 12:15 PM

The CDBS is fine. That's the raw data. It's the TV Query, which runs shortly after the CDBS update, that is incorrect.

Here:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_list.pl?Facility_id=29706

Look at the filing with this file number: 20070125ACI

It was the last one the FCC granted for them. Note the 13.6 kW power level in it.

Actually, they may not even be operating that one yet; the BLCDT (Licence to Cover a Digital Television construction permit) they have is for a 4 kW signal in Jackson.

And, corrections made, thanks. =)

- Trip

Not sure if you saw my edits in my previous post...

Oh and you need to update WLNS, they went live with 5.1 audio this week :)
Also, the Call sign for 10.2 is WILX-WX

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 12:16 PM

Okay, my mistake, they should be operating the 13.6 kW facility, I missed a later BLCDT filing in that list.

- Trip

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 12:17 PM

Not sure if you saw my edits in my previous post...

Oh and you need to update WLNS, they went live with 5.1 audio this week :)
Also, the Call sign for 10.2 is WILX-WX

That I did, go check my listings and you'll see the corrections have been made. :)

- Trip

jefbal99

02-27-09, 12:18 PM

That I did, go check my listings and you'll see the corrections have been made. :)

- Trip

Damn, that was a live change, refresh a page and BAM, its there :)

Trip in VA

02-27-09, 12:19 PM

Damn, that was a live change, refresh a page and BAM, its there :)

Yep. I love how quick and easy my site is to update. The guy who programmed it did a stellar job. He lives in Michigan, too. =)

Oh, and don't expect CW to be in HD any time soon. As a sub-100 market, 53-2 is using the CW+ programming service, which is pre-packaged from the network. It is not available to its affiliates in HD.

- Trip

jefbal99

02-27-09, 01:19 PM

twaller

02-27-09, 02:08 PM

Unless I am way off base, Ch 47 should be available in Lansing after June 12th, and what about 23? This should also be available.

wb8tgy

02-27-09, 04:29 PM

jefbal99

02-28-09, 12:41 AM

Gary, thanks for the reply.

As for WHTV-DT, I know a lot of people that can't get them, even in the city of Lansing. My guess is they will not be in HD for a long time if they have to buy new equipment to do it. If they can recycle older equipment from some other station they may be able to switch sooner. Seems like a waste to run a DTV station with one SD feed, but at least we have it.

As for unused channels I would think channels 2, 3, 4, and 6 could be used, at least for a low power operation (and yes I know of the problems with low VHF, like WWMT-DT in Kzoo).

I'm on the west side of Lansing and I get WHTV OTA with my Winegard MS-2000. Its an Omni-directional that is mounted on my house. I don't watch the channel at all, but last fall I seem to remember having some reception issues, but its solid now.

jefbal99

02-28-09, 01:12 AM

Quick update on the home theatre I am working on with my basement remodel project. Due to my son's premature birth and other family issues, it has been a very slow process...

Currently, all the walls are framed in, pumbing is done for the new bathroom, i've run coax, cat5 and cat6 everywhere, and all the electrical wiring has been run.

Tomorrow (Sunday) my circuit panel is being replaced with a larger panel to accommodate the additional circuits. When the upstairs was previously remodeled, a subpanel was added and I didn't want to replace that with a larger subpanel so both are being replaced. I believe a 30 circuit panel is being installed. Once that is done and the new circuits are in, the lights/plugs/switches will get wired in next week. After that, insulation can be run and as soon as my carpenter heals (my dad had emergency surgery last week), we'll get the drywall up.

Well thats the remodel, on to the home theatre...

I picked up a 100" diagonal Focupix (https://www.htdepot.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=FXO169A-100-BK) projector screen last fall. In the past week, I've selected a surround sound system and projector.

I went with the Yamaha YHT-690 (http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=567700&CTID=5000800) HTiB for the surround sound system. Its a 5.1 system, but it has active HDMI ports so there is no need for an additional optical audio cable. I'll be wiring for 7.1 for future expansion, but for now 5.1 will suffice. Only 7.1 audio would come from blu-ray or ps3 games and I don't have either of those yet. Also, I couldn't justify spending a chunk of cash on speakers and these are rated pretty good. In the future, I'll prolly replace them, but for now they will work great.

I also picked up my projector this week. The Sanyo PLV-Z60 (http://us.sanyo.com/Home-Theaters/PLV-Z60) will be ceiling mounted and project a beautiful 100" 720p image. I was debating between this and a couple others, but found a great price at www.visualapex.com. Plus, it currently has a $100 MiR from Sanyo. That was enough of a kicker to place the order.

I've got almost all of my conduit run to my AV area and have been ordering cables like crazy to get everything hooked together and ready to go. We ran into an issue with some floor joists and have to "jog" one of the conduits. During our practice runs, there is some binding occurring at the "jog." We are going to try to smooth out the jog by extending it and making the transition very smooth.

My budget for this is $2000 and based on the numbers I've been crunching, I am gonna be very close to that, within $100 either way.

I've got a design figured out for my IR repeater system so that I can put up a single IR Receiver above the projector screen and have that feed all my devices in the AV Closet.

Can't wait to the the screen mounted and raise and lower it the first few times.

This is really exciting and its getting close. I'll post some pics when stuff is mounted.

SRussell

02-28-09, 06:23 AM

Well I tried a different antenna and have gotten a somewhat stable signal from WILX. I had been using a C4 Clearstream4 and it would not reliably pick up WILX in Lansing near frandor. It was mounted approx 10ft. off the ground facing SSE(where I got the best signal). I ordered a winegard SS3000 indoor antenna for my girlfriend and that picks up a much better signal from WILX. I decided to "test" her antenna on my tv and it seems to work better than the C4 and is not nearly as directional. I still don't get a great signal, around 72-73 on the OTA tuner on my ViP722, but it is enough for a stable picture.

TTRider

02-28-09, 09:56 AM

Anybody have any experience with IR Repeaters?

I need to put one in for my home theatre to control all the devices in my AV closet. Unfortunately, the primary run for the IR Receiver to get back to the IR Repeater needs to be in the 40ft range and then one of the IR emitters need to run about 20ft to my projector.

Most systems I see tend to have ~10ft cables pre attached. Can these be successfully extended without causing signal issues? Does anybody sell IR Repeater sets with longer cable runs attached?

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

Edit in, Looking at the HT forums here, i have found that I can use CAT5 to extend the runs to 200ft. Just need to solder a jack and plug on either end of the twisted pair used in the cat5

Understand you found you can use CAT5 to extend the runs. I've also successfully used 24 gauge speaker wire to extend IR runs to around 50 feet from our lower level home theater to our upper level study for a Comcast DVR and a HTPC.

I just cut the original wire and spliced in the speaker wire. No need for special connectors.

maggiefan

02-28-09, 12:19 PM

garybliev

02-28-09, 02:19 PM

Gary, thanks for the reply.

As for unused channels I would think channels 2, 3, 4, and 6 could be used, at least for a low power operation (and yes I know of the problems with low VHF, like WWMT-DT in Kzoo).

With all of the problems people are experiencing receiving a high "V" like channel 10, the lower frequency channels are even worse.

Yankees368

02-28-09, 02:32 PM

I don't understand what is going on with WILX. Some days I have no reception issues, other days I have zero signal. And and can I NEVER pick up WHTV and WILX at the same time? Downtown Lansing here.

jefbal99

02-28-09, 07:43 PM

Hey Jeff, sounds like you got a great home theater room coming together. I will be watching for those pics. Can't wait to see them. I hope you're using Monoprice for all the cables you'll be needing. Still not getting WILX, wish they would get that power kicked up. Good luck with your project.

I was planning on using monoprice, but thier shipping was outrageous and I was able to beat their prices elsewhere.

Anybody lost WILX this morning? My D* HR20 is searching for signal on 10-1, but gets 10-2 fine. My H20 is getting a little bit of both channels, but with significant break up and picture loss.

cornell_lingus

03-01-09, 11:56 AM

I'm getting 10.1 and 10.2 with no problems right now.

And spill, where did you find a place with prices that beat Monoprice?

jefbal99

03-01-09, 08:48 PM

I'm getting 10.1 and 10.2 with no problems right now.

And spill, where did you find a place with prices that beat Monoprice?

Funky, still getting 10.2 fine on my HR20-100 and 10.1 in Searching for signal. On the H20-600, both are nothing but blocky break up...

eBay beat Monoprice on higher rated cables (i know its ebay, but its never done me wrong) and eBay whooped the pants off Monoprice on shipping. I think I've saved over $100 on shipping and handling alone and I still need to order my speakerwire.

aight on to new fun things :)

While my power was out today, I tore apart my D* wiring rack and added a SWM8. I used Skywalker power passing splitters to wire in parallel my Zinwell WB68 and the SWM8. The SWM hooks to a SWS4 Splitter. I know that I currently have complete over kill, but I will be expanding the system very soon. At the same time I replaced the splitter that my OTA was on and added a splitter for my cable line.

With the SWM, I only need one coax run to my DVR for both tuners. With the 2nd coax run that was for the DVR, I hooked it into the OTA splitter and now my DLP has a dedicated run to its ATSC tuner. The Samsung has a much more reliable tuner than the HR20-100 (however, it isn't getting 10-1 either). Also, I have 2 extra Diplexers for future use as the SWM8 has an OTA input and mixes the D* signals with the ATSC.

I added the splitter on the cable line because I subscribe to the very basic Comcast cable package with my HSI. I used to make money on the deal, but now its a wash because of price increases. When my guest bedroom is back together, I'm going to hook my old CRT into cable to get local channels.

My HR20 booted up fine on the SWM, but the H20 gave me all kinds of problems. After researching on DBSTalk and having a few peeps over there recommend replacing the IRD, I found the run of cable that had been fine on the Zinwell was bad somewhere. It would no longer work on the Zinwell or SWM. I had a 2nd run there for a future DVR, so I stuck that on the SWM and everything worked great :)

Pic of the new wiring job

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=135272&stc=1&d=1235957810

What I foresee in the near future is 4 HD DVRs on the SWM and any single tuner receivers on the Zinwell.

I will have a HD DVR in the home theatre, possibly two. The 2nd just for recording purposes. I also want to replace the H20 in the bedroom with an H21 for the MRV that is in testing. I may need AM21s for the new equipment if the HD LiL for Lansing is still in limbo.

My son is only 5 months old, but he may need a small LCD soon for rocking him to sleep when we move him into his crib (he is still in a bassinet/papasian in our room). Plus, educational programming will a very important and he needs to watch in HD if possible ;)

Plus a guest room, maybe a flipdown in the kitchen (now I'm just out of control)...

jefbal99

03-01-09, 10:22 PM

on the HR20, I did a "reset off-air settings" and then reran the antenna setup from scratch. I'm receiving 10-1 again. Maybe I need to do the same on the H20-600 in the bedroom.

the_tick444

03-02-09, 10:55 AM

Uverse HD not listed in the first post:
1102* HD Theater*
1124* USA High Definition
1134* E! Entertainment HD*
1149* G4 HD*
1178* ABC Family Channel HD*
1202* CNN HD*
1302* Disney Channel HD*
1304* Disney XD HD*
1380* Style Network HD*
1604* ESPNews HD*
1605* ESPNU HD*
1638* NHL Network HD*
1701* Sports HD Alternate*
1805* HBO2 HD - West*
1855* Showtime Too HD - West*
1857* Showtime Showcase HD - West*
1859* Showtime Extreme HD*- West
1883* The Movie Channel (TMC) HD - West*

jefbal99

03-02-09, 10:57 AM

maggiefan

03-02-09, 03:08 PM

jefbal99

03-02-09, 03:58 PM

Wow Jeff, I'm sure impressed! Very nice setup, can't wait to see more pics of your system. Anyway, I sent WILX an e mail today, we'll see what comes of that, still not getting a signal from them. Of course the fact that I'm in an apartment building surrounded by metal doesn't help much, that's for sure. But got the digital signal before they did their switch. Hope they raise the transmitter power soon.

Thanks, I'll get more pics up as it progresses.

As for WILX raising its power, that is up to the FCC.

So, last night I started looking at DirecTV HD Spotbeams for LiL. I'm trying to figure out which beams are pointed near Lansing and where they belong to. Over at DBSTalk, some great investigation has been done into decoding the stream data. They now have lists of everything hosted on each bird (live and in testing). My goal is to find out if there is an empty Spotbeam TP pointed at us that might soon host our locals. Only problem is that the data is a month old.

To be continued...

jefbal99

03-02-09, 08:14 PM

Ok, so to continue, I made a little chart and found that on my H20-600 on the SWM8, I can see 15 Spot Beams between the 4 Satellites at 99 and 103. I recheck the numbers on my HR20-100 this evening after recording were done to see if the numbers matched up and they were similar.

At 99 there is D11 and SW2. We have no spot beams pointed at us from SW2 (however, if you read DBSTalk, there is a lot of speculation that the bird is going to be repurposed and D12 is going into its slot in the stack). D11 has a spot beam on every TP pointed at us from TP 15-24. Seven of them were 90s-100, two in the 70s and one at 18 (which is an odd ball I'm still tracking down because on the HR20-100, its a 0 on Tuner 1 and a 52 on Tuner 2).

At 103 there is D10 and SW1. We have 1 spot beam pointed at us that is a 90. D10 has 4 spot beams pointed at us, two 90s, a 76, and a 48.

I used the charts over at DBSTalk to see what was on each of the TPs and what was close to us. I was really hoping to find a high powered TP pointed at us that might have our HD LiL in testing.

While I didn't find a blank 100 pointed at us, I found one oddity and that is TP18 on D11 at 99. That TP for our area is assigned to Menominee, MI & Green Bay-Appleton, WI. Now I know that SB TPs can have odd shapes, but I find it very odd that a DMA that far from Lansing is getting that High of a reading. I checked all other know DMA on that TP and Youngstown, OH & Greenville, PA is the only other close DMA there. If I had to make a guess, I would say its the Green Bay Spot Beam, but that seems a bit fishy to me.

Attached is a small excel file with the TP readings I had. Each cell has a comment on which "close" DMA it is assigned.

Edit in: I'm working on updating my spreadsheet's notes so that not only is the closest DMA shown in the notes, but all DMAs served by that TPs reused spotbeam. Also, trying to figure out how many channels are uplinked on each TP. Trying to see if I missed something and compile more data.

Edit in duex: I've completed editing the spreadsheet. I've listed all DMAs and total uplinked channels on all the Spot Beam TPs that I can see. Seeing as this data is a month old, there is no empty space pointed at us. Hopefully, we will have some new data soon and we might get a nice surprise.

maggiefan

03-07-09, 05:34 PM

Yankees368

03-08-09, 02:45 PM

Well guys, as far as the channel 10 problems go, here is the reply I got from my e mail to them.

Hello Larry

When WILX turned the analog signal off we also changed the channel the digital is on. You do need to perform a channel scan for the digital TV or converter box to find WILX on the new channel. If after a rescan you still do not receive 10.1 and 10.2 you need to adjust your antenna for better reception. You do need to have an antenna that receives the VHF television band. If you still can not receive 10.1 and 10.2 try a manual delete of the 10.1 and 10.2 channels then rescan again.

We are not operating at reduced power.

Mike Winsky
Chief Engineer
WILX-TV/DT
500 American Road
Lansing, MI 48911
Phone 517-393-0110 ext. 315

Mike- Im not sure what the deal is, but there is no way that everything is normal with the WILX signal right now. Before the DTV switch, I could pick up the signal without any issues, no matter what my antenna was positioned at. Now, with the antenna not moved an inch, one day the signal will be 100%, the next will be 0%. The position of my antenna has to be moved around constantly to pick up the station.

Also, is it the FCC forcing you to run the crawl saying you have converted to digital? Anyone watching that already knows, as clearly, they are not watching on analog. Stop taking my HD away!

SMWinnie

03-08-09, 04:35 PM

Mike- Im not sure what the deal is, but there is no way that everything is normal with the WILX signal right now. Before the DTV switch, I could pick up the signal without any issues, no matter what my antenna was positioned at. Now, with the antenna not moved an inch, one day the signal will be 100%, the next will be 0%. The position of my antenna has to be moved around constantly to pick up the station.
You're aware that the WILX digital signal moved from UHF to VHF-Hi, right? Do you have a VHF antenna?

Also, is it the FCC forcing you to run the crawl saying you have converted to digital? Anyone watching that already knows, as clearly, they are not watching on analog. Stop taking my HD away!Yes, WILX is being forced to run those *&#@$^ crawls. When Congress and the President moved the cutover date, any station (like WILX) that wanted to cut over on the original date had to run a bunch of those crawls. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether those congresscritters fully appreciate the silliness of requiring those crawls on stations that one can only get by cable or ATSC tuner. (I guess they expect a lot of folks to be watching Heroes at their friends' houses and suddenly have "Oh! That's why my TV doesn't work any more" moments.)

Yankees368

03-08-09, 05:40 PM

You're aware that the WILX digital signal moved from UHF to VHF-Hi, right? Do you have a VHF antenna?

Yes, WILX is being forced to run those *&#@$^ crawls. When Congress and the President moved the cutover date, any station (like WILX) that wanted to cut over on the original date had to run a bunch of those crawls. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether those congresscritters fully appreciate the silliness of requiring those crawls on stations that one can only get by cable or ATSC tuner. (I guess they expect a lot of folks to be watching Heroes at their friends' houses and suddenly have "Oh! That's why my TV doesn't work any more" moments.)

Yeah, its a UHF/VHF antenna, I believe.

HillsdaleBob

03-08-09, 10:37 PM

Yankees368

03-08-09, 11:04 PM

mathwhiz

03-08-09, 11:59 PM

WILX is currently broadcasting at 14.8 kW and have a request in to the FCC (since June) to broadcast at 30 kW. If the FCC would approve that (don't know what takes so long) I'm sure it would help lots of people.

wb8tgy

03-09-09, 09:10 AM

Sounds like some of you need bigger VHF antennas and maybe even a VHF preamp to pick up WILX-DT. Them going from 14.8Kw to 30Kw will make about as much difference as you getting a antenna that about twice the size of what ever your using now.

It can take a long time for the FCC to do something.

If WILX-DT is having a lot of trouble with people getting there signal they could apply to move back up to some UHF channel, but they can't go back to channel 57.

HD74

03-09-09, 01:29 PM

My antenna is VHF/UHF. I'm in Hillsdale. Prior to Feb 17 I got a great digital signal from WILX (both 10.1 and 10.2), but I can get nothing now.

With respect to "We are not operating at reduced power." -> I wonder what power they are CURRENTLY broadcasting at??
I have had no trouble with WILX since they made the change, clear in Osseo, clear in Moscow, using a quad bowtie UHF in Osseo, Radio Shack pizza pie antenna in Moscow. Can pick them up on my portable in beautiful downtown Hillsdale, have you closely inspected your antenna system for damage?

HillsdaleBob

03-10-09, 12:09 AM

I have had no trouble with WILX since they made the change, clear in Osseo, clear in Moscow, using a quad bowtie UHF in Osseo, Radio Shack pizza pie antenna in Moscow. Can pick them up on my portable in beautiful downtown Hillsdale, have you closely inspected your antenna system for damage?

I checked the antenna and it looks OK to me. But, it could be that it really is only a UHF antenna (although as I recall it said VHF/UHF on the box). The stations broadcasting their digital signals on UHF (like Channels 6, 47, 53) come in great. I actually did get WILX's digital signal at 3 am this morning. But later in the day - nothing. I'm going to try a different antenna. Unfortunately, our house is at the bottom of a "dale" as opposed to being on the top of a "Hill".

allgold

03-10-09, 08:19 PM

Just a note in case anyone is using a Windows Media Center PC. The Media Center atschannels file still has not been updated with WILX's change from "physical" 57 to 10. You can make the update yourself but since no one has mentioned Media Center, I won't get into the instructions.

If you're having problems receiving WILX but have a signal sometimes then your problem isn't the Media Center config. If it were, you would never, ever get WILX (until it's updated) because it's still looking on the wrong frequency.

cornell_lingus

03-11-09, 09:50 AM

I might need those instructions soon. I don't have my antenna hooked up to my computer yet but will be getting to it in the next two or three weeks.

Yankees368

03-18-09, 08:08 PM

AGH!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stand that the locals have to take off the HD feed to run MORE DTV scrolls! Hey, ABC 3, if you are going to put these scrolls up, how about putting HD back on AFTER YOU FINISH THE SCROLL!!!

HD74

03-19-09, 04:00 PM

It'll all be over in June, in the meantime, the scrolls are going to happen.

pierceive

03-20-09, 01:26 PM

Anyone know what happened to WLNS? The HD feed was down on Comcast for quite a while (must have been at least 10-15 minutes). It wasn't a cable box issue, since the QAM channel died, too.

Yankees368

03-20-09, 03:18 PM

Feed is working for me right now OTA

HD74

03-20-09, 03:24 PM

They were fixing their PSIP, time and program are now correct, must have caused some tuners to freak out.

Yankees368

03-20-09, 03:26 PM

I am just in shock right now. WLNS-HD just ran an amber alert scroll WITHOUT disruption the HD OTA feed!!!

Thank you, WLNS. Thank you.

jefbal99

03-21-09, 11:22 AM

I am just in shock right now. WLNS-HD just ran an amber alert scroll WITHOUT disruption the HD OTA feed!!!

Thank you, WLNS. Thank you.

Much praise to WLNS for their dedication and hardwork. Its nice to see a local station making the upgrades :)

I haven't watched WLNS for the last two days because D* MMM didn't black out an feeds so I just watched their 4 HD channels for BBall

jefbal99

03-21-09, 11:25 AM

Holy crap, i've been going through withdrawal from AVS. I had a laptop crash and it took a week for decryption and new hardware, then reloads...

Just a quick update on the home theatre project, got the screen mount built and hung, along with the screen. I can now finish my wiring and move on to insulation.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=137418&stc=1&d=1237649098

maggiefan

03-21-09, 01:36 PM

Looking good Jeff.........:)

andy_j

03-22-09, 11:56 AM

cornell_lingus

03-22-09, 06:31 PM

Are there any substantive rumblings about one of our locals getting the Retro network to put on a sub? I was just down south and spent some time in a market with a Retro sub affiliate. Now there are some reruns I can watch over and over.

jefbal99

03-22-09, 09:32 PM

Regarding WILX, I too have had sudden reception problems. It was coming in great March 5th or 6th, but since has essentially disappeared. I have the same antenna position, so I have to imagine it's something on their end.

About the same for me, my reception has gone to pot. Both my HR20 and H20 get spotty reception on NBC, lots of macroblocking.

Are there any substantive rumblings about one of our locals getting the Retro network to put on a sub? I was just down south and spent some time in a market with a Retro sub affiliate. Now there are some reruns I can watch over and over.

Nope, Motortrend TV has been rumored for 47.2, 53.2 is happy with The CW, 10.2 has Weather Source. Maybe WHTV will add a sub, that would be your best bet.

Looking good Jeff.........:)

Thanks Larry, got all my speakerwire run today, along with all my AV cables from the wiring rack to under the screen. Gonna start insulating this week, then on to drywalling.

Trip in VA

03-22-09, 09:49 PM

Young, owner of WLNS, has RTN in some markets (Albany, Green Bay), but I've heard no rumors of Young picking up RTN in any more markets.

- Trip

jefbal99

03-23-09, 10:43 AM

Young, owner of WLNS, has RTN in some markets (Albany, Green Bay), but I've heard no rumors of Young picking up RTN in any more markets.

- Trip

Are any of those with RTN a CBS affiliate?

Trip in VA

03-23-09, 11:14 AM

Both were ABC stations. There are CBS stations owned by other groups that have RTN, but none by Young as far as I know.

- Trip

Yankees368

03-23-09, 01:19 PM

I used to have an RTN affiliate in Buffalo, NY, and it was ok. They actually showed some comedy central program, so that was nice. I would not want WLNS broadcasting a sub-channel though, I like all the bandwidth for HD quality!

jefbal99

03-23-09, 02:22 PM

I would not want WLNS broadcasting a sub-channel though, I like all the bandwidth for HD quality!

Agreed, only thing I would find acceptable would be if they did a 24x7 radar feed, would only take a tiny bit of bandwidth. And with WILX going flaky in the last two weeks, it would be nice to have a 2ndary radar source.

Maybe WSYM should run WILXs radar 24x7 on their sub channel would be better than the SD feed of their same content and WILX does their news anyways.

Yankees368

03-23-09, 02:54 PM

Agreed, only thing I would find acceptable would be if they did a 24x7 radar feed, would only take a tiny bit of bandwidth. And with WILX going flaky in the last two weeks, it would be nice to have a 2ndary radar source.

Maybe WSYM should run WILXs radar 24x7 on their sub channel would be better than the SD feed of their same content and WILX does their news anyways.

I kind of like the SD DTV feed that WSYM puts out. An annoyance for people who are now forced to use DTV on an SDTV is that on almost all DTV channels, it is formatted for HD. This means people will almost never have use of the full screen again, and everything will be 16x9.

jefbal99

03-23-09, 03:45 PM

I kind of like the SD DTV feed that WSYM puts out. An annoyance for people who are now forced to use DTV on an SDTV is that on almost all DTV channels, it is formatted for HD. This means people will almost never have use of the full screen again, and everything will be 16x9.

If AFD ever gets rolled out, that won't be an issue.

I'm on the other side, I like the 16x9 formatting even on a 4x3 set. I always bought Widescreen DVDs even though I had a FS TV set. I like being able to see everything the directors intended me to see. Plus I can't stand the digital slide that takes place on a Full Screen movie when the action moves to the outer edges of the frame.

Yankees368

03-23-09, 03:47 PM

If AFD ever gets rolled out, that won't be an issue.

I'm on the other side, I like the 16x9 formatting even on a 4x3 set. I always bought Widescreen DVDs even though I had a FS TV set. I like being able to see everything the directors intended me to see. Plus I can't stand the digital slide that takes place on a Full Screen movie when the action moves to the outer edges of the frame.

Oh yeah man, I cannot stand when a movie on like TBS is shifted like that. And what exactly is AFD?

jefbal99

03-23-09, 03:54 PM

Oh yeah man, I cannot stand when a movie on like TBS is shifted like that. And what exactly is AFD?

AFD is Active Format Description. If I understand the technology correctly, a single digital feed can be sent from a broadcaster. AFD enables your tuner to display it in whatever format you want.

4x3 center cut
16x9 pillarboxed
16x9 letterboxed

There are like 16 different codes depending on how the source video was shot.

Check out the AFD Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Format_Description)

Yankees368

03-23-09, 07:15 PM

Just seems to me like more stuff that wont work properly

Yankees368

03-23-09, 08:42 PM

I know this is probably an incredibly long shot, but do any of the local news stations plan to do an HD news broadcast in the near future?

jefbal99

03-23-09, 09:22 PM

I know this is probably an incredibly long shot, but do any of the local news stations plan to do an HD news broadcast in the near future?

With WLNS' infrastructure upgrades, I would guess that they would be the first. WILX would be my 2nd guess (closely followed by WSYM cause WILX produces their news). WLAJ would be last as the are the red headed step child of WWMT.

Yankees368

03-23-09, 09:48 PM

With WLNS' infrastructure upgrades, I would guess that they would be the first. WILX would be my 2nd guess (closely followed by WSYM cause WILX produces their news). WLAJ would be last as the are the red headed step child of WWMT.

So what exactly has been going on down at WLNS? What has been upgraded (other than this fantastic new HD crawl)

HillsdaleBob

03-24-09, 07:36 AM

I'm going to try a different antenna.

Well, I got my new antenna - a Monoprice HDA 5700. Supposedly it will pick up both VHF and UHF. STILL NO WILX!! Good thing Monoprice has a good return policy as it is going back. UHF stations from Lansing and Grand Rapids come in great, but not WILX. I may have to go to a bigger, mast mounted antenna. I think I'll wait a while on that though as perhaps one day WILX will increase their power and that will take care of my reception problem.

garybliev

03-24-09, 08:17 AM

Well, I got my new antenna - a Monoprice HDA 5700. Supposedly it will pick up both VHF and UHF. STILL NO WILX!! .

I have no idea what these people that are making and selling antennas are thinking. VHF is longer wavelength than UHF. It just is. You just have to have some physical gain. The Terk HDTVa with rabbit ears will work far better than that Monoprice.

I do generally recommend an outdoor antenna for best reception reliability, but if you have to go with an indoor, I'd suggest a HDTVa or a Winegard 3000..... At least give VHF a fighting chance. The 1/2 wavelength of channel 10 is about 29 inches, 1/4 wavelength about 14 inches.

SMWinnie

03-24-09, 01:46 PM

Right now on 23-1 OTA, SeeMore's Playhouse is windowboxed. Out of curiosity, how does that happen? (Letterboxed in the national feed and then pillarboxed by the affiliate?)

SMWinnie

03-24-09, 01:59 PM

Unless my CECB is very, very confused WPXD is now broadcasting their ATSC signal on 31.

I'm getting 31-1, -2, -3 and -4 on frequency 31 and nothing on 33. I thought they were on 33 until June 12th.

Can anyone confirm? (I don't really care about WPXD, but I'm wondering if my brain is handling the real-to-virtual mapping correctly.)

HD74

03-24-09, 02:18 PM

ION shut off their analog 31, and moved their digital over about the same time that WILX did.

SMWinnie

03-24-09, 02:32 PM

ION shut off their analog 31, and moved their digital over about the same time that WILX did.Gotcha. TiVo hasn't picked up the change yet, and there's no manual tuning option.

garybliev

03-24-09, 03:00 PM

Right now on 23-1 OTA, SeeMore's Playhouse is windowboxed. Out of curiosity, how does that happen? (Letterboxed in the national feed and then pillarboxed by the affiliate?)

SeeMore came to us on standard definition video tape, not satellite. I suppose it was 16x9 inside of a 4x3 then we upconvert to 16x9. Sorry, but the format stuff and -lack- of an operating AFD in the PBS system, are driving us (and our viewers) just bonkers.

SMWinnie

03-24-09, 03:18 PM

SeeMore came to us on standard definition video tape, not satellite. I suppose it was 16x9 inside of a 4x3 then we upconvert to 16x9. Sorry, but the format stuff and -lack- of an operating AFD in the PBS system, are driving us (and our viewers) just bonkers.It was kind of fun. I have a TiVo with a slaved CECB in our guest room hooked up to a 13" TV. For fun, I went in to take a look.

Thirteen inch TV, showing a picture that was letterboxed on videotape, then pillarboxed for the broadcast on 23-1, then letterboxed again by the CECB so that I could see the whole 16:9 picture on my 4:3 set. The result looked like a banner ad, but the sound was fine.

lathos42

03-25-09, 08:21 AM

I finally gave up on the spotty reception for WILX at my house and signed up for Limited Basic from Comcast. I had gotten a flier in the mail that offered it for $10/mo for a year, so I took advantage of it. Maybe I'll revisit OTA in a year when my promotion is up, but for now, I'm enjoying having the Locals in HD through clear QAM with no dropouts.

Adrian D

03-26-09, 09:27 AM

I must be fortunate that my Channel Master 4221 picks up WILX. It is described as a UHF antenna, but has been doing a good job with WILX.

mathwhiz

03-26-09, 05:24 PM

Gotcha. TiVo hasn't picked up the change yet, and there's no manual tuning option.

I've report the change to TiVo several times - need to call back yet again. Very frustrating that they can't get these changes in easier.

sandman989

03-27-09, 12:30 AM

I'm thinking of switching to DirecTV and getting a rooftop antenna when I come back to school in the fall and I have a few questions. I hope they all fit within this thread.

1) Other than the Lansing locals, what are some of the channels from Grand Rapids and Flint that are fairly easily accessible with a rooftop antenna? I'm thinking of getting the DB8 Multidirectional HDTV Antenna from antennasdirect.com. If anyone knows anything about this model that would be great.

2) I would like to get my hands on an H20-100 receiver because, last I knew, this was the only MPEG-4 one that could scan for channels and used PSIP data to populate the guide. Is this still true and is it still possible to get these? If I can pick up channels from Lansing, Flint, and Grand Rapids, I'd like to be able to fully populate the guide.

3) If the H20 is a no go, then I'll likely go with an HD-DVR receiver and the AM-21 add-on. These only let you select two zip codes to populate channels in the guide, right?

4) After I get all set up, I would like to "move" to my home address up north in hopes of getting the Traverse City locals. I figure I could get them through DirecTV then the Lansing and any others OTA. Has anyone ever tried to get the channels from this DMA, or is there anybody with DirecTV that would be willing to try and see if the spot beam for them reaches down here. Last I heard, the second dish was no longer required to pick up this DMA, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for your help. I want to make sure I've got everything straight before next fall.

FOXGuy72

03-27-09, 09:10 AM

I know this is probably an incredibly long shot, but do any of the local news stations plan to do an HD news broadcast in the near future?

Having been a former emplyee of both WWMT & WLAJ, I still talk with those who work in K'zoo. It is my understanding that HD cameras have already been ordered for WWMT and WLAJ. So beleive it or not, LAJ might be the first. But we'll see.

jefbal99

03-27-09, 10:00 AM

jefbal99

03-27-09, 10:14 AM

I'm thinking of switching to DirecTV and getting a rooftop antenna when I come back to school in the fall and I have a few questions. I hope they all fit within this thread.

I've never been happier since I switched. Comcast was a constant source of frustration for me

1) Other than the Lansing locals, what are some of the channels from Grand Rapids and Flint that are fairly easily accessible with a rooftop antenna? I'm thinking of getting the DB8 Multidirectional HDTV Antenna from antennasdirect.com. If anyone knows anything about this model that would be great.

I'm on the west side of Lansing with an Omni directional antenna. I get a few from GR (WOTV, WMXI, one other i can't remember) and a couple from Flint (can't remember the list). I don't know anything about that antenna, mine is a Winegard MS-2000. I know others have reported great success with rotars and directional antennas.

2) I would like to get my hands on an H20-100 receiver because, last I knew, this was the only MPEG-4 one that could scan for channels and used PSIP data to populate the guide. Is this still true and is it still possible to get these? If I can pick up channels from Lansing, Flint, and Grand Rapids, I'd like to be able to fully populate the guide.

The H20-100 and -600 have ATSC tuners that scan for channels and uses PSIP data for the channel label, but not guide data. That still comes down from DirecTV. It only comes in for your DMA locals, the channels I pull from Flint and GR with my -600 just say "Regular Programming." I don't believe H20s are made any longer and they are not installed with a new config, you'd get a H21. If you really want an H20, look to ebay or craigslist. Just get the serial number off the IRD and the card number from the seller in advance. Call DirecTV and find out if the receiver can be added to an existing account and if its in good standing.

3) If the H20 is a no go, then I'll likely go with an HD-DVR receiver and the AM-21 add-on. These only let you select two zip codes to populate channels in the guide, right?

The AM-21 will be supporting the H21 series with the next national firmware release very soon, its been in testing for quite sometime. I believe all the HD DVRs allow a Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary source. Then you can deselect the channels that your antenna doesn't pull in. I haven't worked with an AM21 at all, but I believe when it is on the H21 that it is configured like the HR2X series.

4) After I get all set up, I would like to "move" to my home address up north in hopes of getting the Traverse City locals. I figure I could get them through DirecTV then the Lansing and any others OTA. Has anyone ever tried to get the channels from this DMA, or is there anybody with DirecTV that would be willing to try and see if the spot beam for them reaches down here. Last I heard, the second dish was no longer required to pick up this DMA, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Their locals were moved off from 72.5 recently, however, moving is highly frowned upon. DirecTV is seriously cracking down on it and will cancel your services because it is a contract violation. you would then be stuck with a nasty ETF. I know that the Detroit SB reaches up there, however, there are no maps available of the Spot Beam configs for D10/D11.

Thanks for your help. I want to make sure I've got everything straight before next fall.

Hope this helps. DBSTalk.com is a sister site to AVSForum and does great work with DirecTV, I highly recommend it as a source for information.

Yankees368

03-27-09, 11:08 AM

Having been a former emplyee of both WWMT & WLAJ, I still talk with those who work in K'zoo. It is my understanding that HD cameras have already been ordered for WWMT and WLAJ. So beleive it or not, LAJ might be the first. But we'll see.

That is a very nice step. However, the is so much more work to do on top of the cameras. Switches, servers, new sets (new sets are a must, as the current sets on all the locals look bad enough in SD)

Taking all bets
WLAJ, WILX, WLNS, WSYM? Who will be first?

jefbal99

03-27-09, 11:45 AM

That is a very nice step. However, the is so much more work to do on top of the cameras. Switches, servers, new sets (new sets are a must, as the current sets on all the locals look bad enough in SD)

Taking all bets
WLAJ, WILX, WLNS, WSYM? Who will be first?

I still say WLNS, they seem to be to local leader. They had the first local radar, first with being able to insert a crawl in the national HD feed.

I know that WILX and WLAJ have been doing their bug in the national HD feed for awhile, but they never moved into crawl generators.

It would be nice if we could get an engineer from each of the stations on the board to give us quarterly check points on what they are doing internally for the Digital Switch, HD upgrades, etc.

If I'm right and its WLNS, I'm not sure I want to see Sheri Jones in HD...

Yankees368

03-27-09, 12:19 PM

jefbal99

03-27-09, 12:24 PM

Haha, that last thing is a different issue altogether. On another HD point, when are the locals going to start showing some syndicated programming in HD. A lot of daytime stuff, like Opera, rachel ray, even wheel of fortuine and jeopardy are in HD, but not here.
Do the locals not have any HD playback capabilities at all?

Takes major infrastructure for that, HD Recording facilities, servers to save, switches to transport, etc.

Nobody knows what the locals have individually

Yankees368

03-27-09, 01:27 PM

Yeah, all that stinks. I wish it was easier for them to serve up some shiny HD.

sandman989

03-27-09, 10:08 PM

Hope this helps. DBSTalk.com is a sister site to AVSForum and does great work with DirecTV, I highly recommend it as a source for information.

Thanks for your help and suggestions, I need all that I can get.

jefbal99

03-28-09, 01:30 PM

Turned on the NCAA Div II Final on WLNS and the left and right rear channel audio is louder than previous. I've been watching the NCAA Tourney on the DirecTV Mega March Madness channels, so I'm not sure if this new or has been going on for a few weeks. Sounds great, keep up the good work.

DonInJackson

03-29-09, 08:14 AM

Haha, that last thing is a different issue altogether. On another HD point, when are the locals going to start showing some syndicated programming in HD. A lot of daytime stuff, like Opera, rachel ray, even wheel of fortuine and jeopardy are in HD, but not here.
Do the locals not have any HD playback capabilities at all?

I was in the Tampa, FL area a few weeks ago and all the stations down there show the syndicated shows in HD!!!!

jefbal99

03-29-09, 08:18 PM

I was in the Tampa, FL area a few weeks ago and all the stations down there show the syndicated shows in HD!!!!

Tampa is also the 19th DMA, while Lansing is 128th. Lots more advertising dollars with that many eyeballs on the screens. Much easier to invest thousands of dollars into hardware upgrades when there is extra revenue coming in.

FOXGuy72

03-30-09, 03:02 PM

Tampa is also the 19th DMA, while Lansing is 128th. Lots more advertising dollars with that many eyeballs on the screens. Much easier to invest thousands of dollars into hardware upgrades when there is extra revenue coming in.

Hey Jeff, I'm pretty sure Lansing is now market 114. Just a couple of years ago they were 113. Dropping all the way to 128 seems a little steep. Now I see Wikipedia has us at 128 but I found this link stating were 114:
http://www.tvb.org/rcentral/markettrack/US_HH_by_DMA.asp

Take it for what its worth. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Lansing a medium market in the mid 90's (around #94). I swear that was the case when I moved here in '95. has the area lost that many people?

jefbal99

03-30-09, 03:06 PM

Hey Jeff, I'm pretty sure Lansing is now market 114. Just a couple of years ago they were 113. Dropping all the way to 128 seems a little steep. Now I see Wikipedia has us at 128 but I found this link stating were 114:
http://www.tvb.org/rcentral/markettrack/US_HH_by_DMA.asp

Take it for what its worth. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Lansing a medium market in the mid 90's (around #94). I swear that was the case when I moved here in '95. has the area lost that many people?

Yeah I used the Wiki number. 114 sounds much more realistic as I know we've dropped in the last two years, but it shouldn't have been that far. Yes, I remember reading about how Lansing was in the 90s and prolly even higher than that when the population peaked in the late 70s.

Trip in VA

03-30-09, 05:06 PM

Wikipedia cannot list DMAs due to a Nielsen legal threat. They've defaulted to using the rankings I had implemented on RabbitEars to preemptively avoid legal action myself, but those rankings are currently in flux since I just changed the algorithm and have been tweaking it over the past two weeks; probably another 2-3 weeks of tweaks (would be less if not for school) are required.

I think my new algorithm will score Lansing higher.

- Trip

heed316

03-31-09, 12:58 PM

Anyone know if/when MLB Network HD will be showing up? I thought I heard it would be added before or around the start of the season...

homcom

03-31-09, 01:54 PM

Anyone know if/when MLB Network HD will be showing up? I thought I heard it would be added before or around the start of the season...

Comcast will have the channel on April 1st in the state of Michigan.

heed316

04-01-09, 02:57 AM

Comcast will have the channel on April 1st in the state of Michigan.

My tivo tells me it has been added and it's on channel 258 for those wondering. As of 3am, it's not live(for me at least) but I'm assuming it will be sometime later in the morning/afternoon.

SRussell

04-01-09, 08:53 AM

pierceive

04-01-09, 09:43 AM

My tivo tells me it has been added and it's on channel 258 for those wondering. As of 3am, it's not live(for me at least) but I'm assuming it will be sometime later in the morning/afternoon.

MLB HD is live in Meridian (Comcast channel 258 for those who didn't read heed316's post).

Update: Travel HD is live on 183.

jefbal99

04-01-09, 10:04 AM

MLB HD is live in Meridian (Comcast channel 258 for those who didn't read heed316's post).

Update: Travel HD is live on 183.

My god, Comcast has Travel HD before DirecTV (hangs head in shame)

heed316

04-01-09, 10:29 AM

My god, Comcast has Travel HD before DirecTV (hangs head in shame)

We've had TravelHD here for quite some time...I think sometime back in January

pierceive

04-01-09, 11:33 AM

We've had TravelHD here for quite some time...I think sometime back in January

It's new in Meridian.

HD74

04-01-09, 11:38 AM

Is something going on with WLNS? I have dish, subscribe to locals to get guide info for local OTA through vip722 dvr. I am getting NO guide info for WLNS, it just says digital service. All other channels show up in the guide with correct information except WLNS. Very strange.

Looks fine OTA, I see program info, have you asked Dish?

nystyletaco

04-03-09, 03:26 PM

Is something going on with WLNS? I have dish, subscribe to locals to get guide info for local OTA through vip722 dvr. I am getting NO guide info for WLNS, it just says digital service. All other channels show up in the guide with correct information except WLNS. Very strange.

For what its worth, I'm seeing the same thing with a 622. Just hooked the OTA up this morning, so maybe it'll populate later. Ever contact Dish about this?

jefbal99

04-03-09, 03:43 PM

Where does E* get their guide data from? Might want to contact them.

DanMacMan

04-04-09, 02:57 PM

Comcast will have the channel on April 1st in the state of Michigan.

And yet, it is not available for Sports Pack subscribers. WTF Comcast?!

homcom

04-04-09, 03:40 PM

And yet, it is not available for Sports Pack subscribers. WTF Comcast?!

The channel is not part of the Sports pack, it is part of digital classic.

cornell_lingus

04-04-09, 08:42 PM

Is it just me or is CBS's audio and video out of sync at the UConn-MSU game?

HD74

04-04-09, 08:56 PM

you

jefbal99

04-04-09, 10:12 PM

Great job by CBS for the HD production. I was lucky enough to go down to Ford Field on Thursday and tour the CBS production facilities. It's simply amazing how they get all this done. I learned a lot about Audio and Video production and it was a great experience.

This is the pregame production truck. The Game truck is exactly the same.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=138839&stc=1&d=1238897224

This is Bruce you see and he was working on the Harris HD Encoders. They are the 4 1U black units in the rack. They were having some issues with them on Friday
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=138840&stc=1&d=1238897224

This is inside Ford Field. We couldn't go any further than the concourse because practices were closed on Thursday, so we didn't get to tour the set in the left end of the picture. I'm pretty sure this was UConn practicing, but we were so far away, it could have been Villanova.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=138841&stc=1&d=1238897224

I can tell you from talking to the CBS people down there, that they deeply care about their production and do read the boards here. CBS is top of the line when it comes to HD Sports production and 95% of the issues are in a persons setup or a local affiliate issue.

jefbal99

04-04-09, 10:22 PM

Oh and one tid bit that we picked up there, no HD studio highlights for another year. Studio highlights will remain SD.

homcom

04-04-09, 10:25 PM

The first picture is a picture of the game truck not the pregame truck.

jefbal99

04-04-09, 10:27 PM

The first picture is a picture of the game truck not the pregame truck.

Crap, thanks homcom...

I couldn't remember which one i got the pic in.

homcom

04-04-09, 10:51 PM

For the detail minded the first picture is inside F&F Productions GTX-15. http://www.fandfproductions.com/

The second picture is inside of of NCP Video B8 which travels with NCP VIII, http://www.ncpvideo.com/truck8.html

DanMacMan

04-06-09, 09:38 AM

The channel is not part of the Sports pack, it is part of digital classic.

I am well aware... still doesn't make any sense. And in some markets Comcast offers it only in the sports pack. It is just entirely stupid that I pay for sports channels, yet I don't get MLB but I do get BET Jazz. What a joke.

jefbal99

04-06-09, 09:39 AM

SRussell

04-06-09, 02:47 PM

homcom

04-06-09, 04:19 PM

I am well aware... still doesn't make any sense. And in some markets Comcast offers it only in the sports pack. It is just entirely stupid that I pay for sports channels, yet I don't get MLB but I do get BET Jazz. What a joke.
MLB Network is not part of a sports tier on any Comcast system. Part of the national contract and part ownership rules for Comcast and MLB Network is that MLB Network cannot be on a sports tier.

jefbal99

04-06-09, 09:21 PM

So i jeri-rigged the projector this evening, watching the NCAA Championship on the 100" screen.

I'll post some pictures later

heed316

04-06-09, 10:19 PM

Anyone else having issues with WLNS? The score for the mich st game looks like they are losing by 20...but that can't be right can it?:rolleyes:

jefbal99

04-06-09, 10:21 PM

Anyone else having issues with WLNS? The score for the mich st game looks like they are losing by 20...but that can't be right can it?:rolleyes:

Sadly, we are all having that issue

jefbal99

04-06-09, 10:35 PM

So i jeri-rigged the projector this evening, watching the NCAA Championship on the 100" screen.

I'll post some pictures later

Here is the temporary setup. Had the 3 rear lights on when the pic was taken.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=139043&stc=1&d=1239071706

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=139044&stc=1&d=1239071706

Yankees368

04-06-09, 10:48 PM

Looks good to me :-)

DanMacMan

04-07-09, 11:34 AM

Just ordered U-verse for my apartment in Delta Township. Install this Friday. I'm pretty excited.

jefbal99

04-07-09, 12:23 PM

Just ordered U-verse for my apartment in Delta Township. Install this Friday. I'm pretty excited.

Really want ATT to come a few blocks East of Waverly Rd. I want to finally rid myself of Comcast.

johns560

04-08-09, 06:39 PM

cornell_lingus

04-08-09, 07:36 PM

^^^ I've had that happen often recently. I have an HR-22 receiver.

jefbal99

04-08-09, 10:07 PM

I have an HR20-100, HR22-100, and H21-200 and have not experienced any buzzing/freezing on any channel.

What are your signal levels?

Is your system properly grounded?

Any multiswitches inline?

jefbal99

04-09-09, 07:26 PM

Flipped over to 23.1 to test out my new AM-21s on some HD OTA content during "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and the audio was very out of sync for me. Anybody else seeing this?

cornell_lingus

04-09-09, 08:07 PM

Flipped over to 23.1 to test out my new AM-21s on some HD OTA content during "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and the audio was very out of sync for me. Anybody else seeing this?

I was having the same problem last week during the Connecticut-Michigan State basketball game. When I turned to a different channel then back, no more sync problem.

idjit_rabbit

04-09-09, 11:36 PM

jefbal99

04-10-09, 09:00 AM

Has anyone been experiencing intermittent sound "freezing" or "buzzing" with their D*? It seems to come and go and happens on any channel. Tried resetting the receiver and it is still happening. The picture doesn't really freeze just a sound loss. I am thinking that maybe it is just a crappy HR20 receiver. I am thinking about upgrading it to a newer model. It has among the worst customer satisfaction I have ever seen for a piece of electronic equipment.

I take back what I said, I have heard them and it has nothing to do with your DirecTV IRDs. What you are hearing is the MPEG4 encoders resetting. There is a big thread over at DBSTalk regarding this. I only hear it occasionally, but people with HD LiL that watch their locals a lot, complain the most. It is an issue for Dish Network subs with MPEG4 equipment too.

Apparently DirecTV knows about it and is working on it...slowly

garybliev

04-10-09, 09:21 AM

Flipped over to 23.1 to test out my new AM-21s on some HD OTA content during "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and the audio was very out of sync for me. Anybody else seeing this?

Could you watch and let me know if it is the entire program including the host (which last night was Woodruff) or the remote segments.

Thanks.

jefbal99

04-10-09, 09:23 AM

Could you watch and let me know if it is the entire program including the host (which last night was Woodruff) or the remote segments.

Thanks.

I only watched for about 5 minutes, but it was both the remote interview and the studio interviews.

I flipped back to Michigan Out Doors later and the audio sync was fine on that program.

I can do a recording tonight and monday if that would help.

Yankees368

04-10-09, 10:07 AM

If it helps, the audio sync was WAY off on WLNS news last night. And i mean WAY off, like a full second.

HD74

04-10-09, 10:35 AM

I did not notice an audio synch problem with WLNS' news last night, I'm watching OTA.

johns560

04-10-09, 06:21 PM

jefbal99

04-11-09, 12:23 AM

Signal levels are good, system is grounded outside, and no multiswitches inline. I think it is a lousy HR20. Probably need a new one. Direct TV has such a scam going where you buy the receiver and then you have to rent it!

Naw, its the MPEG4 encoder resets. It happens to all models, I see it occasionally on my HR22, H21, HR20, and previously on the H20.

I wouldn't get rid of that HR20 as, the replacement won't have an ATSC tuner and you'll need to put out $50 for the AM21 add on

lied

04-11-09, 07:27 AM

I only watched for about 5 minutes, but it was both the remote interview and the studio interviews.

I flipped back to Michigan Out Doors later and the audio sync was fine on that program.

I can do a recording tonight and monday if that would help.
The audio sync problem existed for both the entire segments of the newshour and washington week in review on Friday (Comcast). The sync problem was even worse on the newshour on Thursday.

DanMacMan

04-13-09, 04:27 PM

I had U-verse installed on 4/10, it took all of the 3-4 hours at&t said it would in my order confirmation email. The installers were very friendly and knowledgeable and went out of their way to make sure I was getting the best connection possible in my apartment. They were initially concerned that the rather old wiring would prevent an acceptable connection, but because of my close proximity to the VRAD, it ended up being ok. He said the measured throughput I was getting to the Gateway was higher than he had seen on any U-verse install he has done. Not surprisingly, the PQ I am getting is considerably better than what I was getting with Comcast and, to my eyes, is even better than the PQ my parents get via D*. Couple this with the total home DVR and more channels at a cheaper rate (not to mention $250 worth of rebates) I couldn't be happier with U-verse thus far.

johns560

04-13-09, 06:36 PM

I take back what I said, I have heard them and it has nothing to do with your DirecTV IRDs. What you are hearing is the MPEG4 encoders resetting. There is a big thread over at DBSTalk regarding this. I only hear it occasionally, but people with HD LiL that watch their locals a lot, complain the most. It is an issue for Dish Network subs with MPEG4 equipment too.

Apparently DirecTV knows about it and is working on it...slowly

Thanks for the info. Could you post a link to that thread? I'd like to monitor it. This is a most annoying problem.

yzfoot

04-14-09, 08:56 PM

I have seen the light and believe that I need an outdoor antenna
to complete my video enjoyment. I have Dish Network but believe
I could gain alot by getting all there is over the air. Comparing
what's available to what I'm paying big bucks for I'm pretty i
impressed by what I've seen.
This past weekend I put up a temporary antenna with a temporary
preamp to see what I could see. I'm a little Northeast of Brooklyn.
The antenna is a new 1980s vintage Radio Shack (15-1709 UHF/VHF/FM
6 ft beam 300 ohm). The preamp is a Magnivox 61112 and its all
about 23 ft up. I have about 100 ft of coax between the amp and
the TV. I was able to get good signal on about 40 channels total
by roataing the antenna by hand. Half a dozen show signal strength
of 90-100 and most of the rest are 60-75.
In the near future I plan to mount an antenna on an existing telephone
pole that is about 15 ft high with rotator and aux mast for a total height
of about 25 ft.
Now I need to choose a good preamp and rotator. I may stick with the
antenna for now cause it seems to be performing well. The preamp seems
ok too but I'm concerned about its long term outdoor survival. I'm getting
good FM with this setup and that's important to me.
I've been looking at Channelmaster and Winegard. They come up a lot in
searches. Is it good stuff ? Are there otheres I should be looking into ?
I looked at the Rotr100 rotator with single wire cause it's simple but I'm
concerned about signal loss.
I've done some research but it can take alot of legwork and its real hard
to tell about some things until you try them for a while or see them in
person (this preamp for instance). I'd appreciate whatever insight you can
give, especially about preamps and rotators.

al

edit : After looking some I'm thinking about a ChannelMaster CM 7777 preamp and a Channel Master
CM 9521A rotor which sadly doesn't seem to be available and may not be for some weeks/months. also the ROTR 100 rotor seems to be discontinued too. I see CM 9521's available on e-bay new, anyone know the difference between 9521 & 9521A ?

Edit 2 : From ChannelMaster tech support : CM 9521's available late May maybe. 9521 vs 9521A is ' a paint color change on the outdoor unit.'

JWeavis

04-16-09, 03:29 PM

Found out that my dishnetwork guide issue with WLNS is a problem on dish's end. I contacted them and they said they are aware of the issue and working on a solution. Looks like it might have started when I received the latest software update(L618) on my 722 receiver.
I'm not receiving my Guide Data for 6 OTA. They say the problem is on my end. Hasn't worked, and is the only OTA that doesn't work, since I updated to my 722.

Adrian D

04-17-09, 08:46 AM

nystyletaco

04-17-09, 10:52 AM

I'm not receiving my Guide Data for 6 OTA. They say the problem is on my end. Hasn't worked, and is the only OTA that doesn't work, since I updated to my 722.

I saw another report of this on the satelliteguys forum (though might be unrelated as it sounds like that guy was in the Detroit DMA) but for what its worth I'm seeing the same thing with my 622. I have a ticket open and supposedly my information has been forwarded to the engineering dept.

the_tick444

04-17-09, 01:32 PM

Uverse Channels still need updating. Additional channels have been added again:
1006* WLNS-HD-6 (CBS)*
1008* WHTV-HD-18 (MY NETWORK TV)*
1009* QVC HD*
1010* WILX-HD-10 (NBC)*
1023* WKAR-HD-23 (PBS)*
1047* WSYM-HD-47 (FOX)*
1053* WLAJ-HD-53 (ABC)*
1102* HD Theater*
1104* Universal HD*
1105* HDNet*
1106* HDNet Movies*
1108* TNT HD*
1112* TBS HD*
1116* MGM HD*
1118* Smithsonian Channel HD*
1120* Discovery Channel HD*
1124* USA Network HD*
1128* FX Network HD*
1134* E! Entertainment HD*
1149* G4 HD*
1151* Sci Fi Channel HD*
1166* A&E HD*
1178* ABC Family Channel HD*
1180* WGN America HD*
1181* Bravo HD*
1202* CNN HD*
1210* Fox News Channel HD*
1211* Fox Business Network HD*
1216* CNBC HD*
1225* The Weather Channel HD*
1250* The Learning Channel HD*
1252* Animal Planet HD*
1254* Travel Channel HD*
1258* Science Channel HD*
1265* National Geographic Channel HD*
1270* History HD*
1302* Disney Channel HD*
1304* Disney XD HD*
1360* Lifetime Television HD*
1362* Lifetime Movie Network HD*
1380* Style Network HD*
1420* QVC HD*
1450* HGTV HD*
1452* Food Network HD*
1465* Planet Green HD*
1470* Wealth TV HD*
1505* Palladia*
1602* ESPN HD*
1604* ESPNews HD*
1605* ESPNU HD*
1606* ESPN2 HD*
1630* NFL Network HD*
1638* NHL Network HD*
1640* VERSUS HD*
1641* Golf HD*
1650* Big Ten Network HD*
1652* Speed HD*
1680* Outdoor Channel HD*
1701* Sports HD Alternate*
1702* YES HD*
1735* SportsTime Ohio HD*
1737* FSN Detroit HD*
1794* Hallmark Movie Channel HD*
1802* HBO HD*
1803* HBO HD - West*
1804* HBO2 HD*
1805* HBO2 HD - West*
1806* HBO Family HD*
1807* HBO Family HD - West*
1808* HBO Signature HD*
1809* HBO Signature HD - West*
1810* HBO Comedy HD*
1811* HBO Comedy HD - West*
1812* HBO Zone HD*
1813* HBO Zone HD - West*
1814* HBO Latino HD*
1815* HBO Latino HD - West*
1832* Cinemax HD*
1833* Cinemax HD - West*
1834* MoreMax HD*
1835* MoreMAX HD - West*
1836* ActionMax HD*
1837* ActionMAX HD - West*
1838* ThrillerMax HD*
1839* ThrillerMAX HD - West*
1840* 5StarMax HD*
1842* WMAX HD*
1844* OuterMax HD*
1846* ATMax HD*
1852* Showtime HD*
1853* Showtime HD - West*
1854* Showtime Too HD*
1855* Showtime Too HD - West*
1856* Showtime Showcase HD*
1857* Showtime Showcase HD - West*
1858* Showtime Extreme HD*
1859* Showtime Extreme HD - West*
1882* The Movie Channel HD*
1883* The Movie Channel (TMC) HD - West*
1884* TMC Xtra HD*
1902* Starz HD*
1903* Starz HD - West*
1904* Starz Edge HD*
1910* Starz Comedy HD*
1912* Starz Kids & Family HD*
1932* Encore HD*

DonInJackson

04-18-09, 09:38 AM

yzfoot

04-19-09, 08:05 AM

yzfoot,
Channel Master and Winegard seem to be good makers of antennas. I do not claim to have any significant experience, but I have a Channel Master 4221.
I also have a Channel Master rotator, but I do not know which model. It has been outside for over 4 years with no issues. I purchased it at Purchase Radio supply in Ann Arbor, but it closed in 2007. I also saw some Channel Master rotators for sale at Lowe's.
Good luck with whatever route you go.

Thanks for that input. I went to Lowe's and had a look around but didn't find any rotators or amplifiers, just 1 RCA antenna and a hundred sales people hovering. I hate that. I remember Purchase Radio and I knew they where gone. Years ago I was a frequent customer. I think that type of store is leaving the landscape.

Al

jefbal99

04-20-09, 12:50 PM

Thanks for that input. I went to Lowe's and had a look around but didn't find any rotators or amplifiers, just 1 RCA antenna and a hundred sales people hovering. I hate that. I remember Purchase Radio and I knew they where gone. Years ago I was a frequent customer. I think that type of store is leaving the landscape.

Al

Check out Fulton Radio supply on South Penn. You'll pay a bit more, but good people there.

jefbal99

04-20-09, 12:51 PM

Uverse Channels still need updating. Additional channels have been added again:

Removed Channel list

Sorry, been busy, will try to get to it this week

spotdog14

04-20-09, 02:52 PM

Check out Fulton Radio supply on South Penn. You'll pay a bit more, but good people there.

Or Monoprice. I purchased all my cables for mounting my tv on the wall and they came to less than one HDMI cabled would have been at a box store.

yzfoot

04-20-09, 09:37 PM

Check out Fulton Radio supply on South Penn. You'll pay a bit more, but good people there.

An interesting looking place, judging by their website. It's on my 'must visit list' next time I'm in the area. Thanks for the tip, I'm kinda new to this area.

SRussell

04-20-09, 10:15 PM

My loss of WLNS guide data for OTA channel 6 on my ViP722 roughly coincides with L6.18 software update on my reciever. I say roughly because I only noticed it had been updated when I had lost the guide data and was checking things out. They happened around the same time, it had software L6.17 before that the last I checked.

When I emailed Dish, they asked for all information identifying my reciever and then responded that they were aware of the problem and working on a solution. Since they told me they are "working on a solution" I assume that the problem is on their end.

spotdog14

04-21-09, 01:11 PM

Hello, I am getting Comcast cable again, and was told that the Digital Starter package was all I needed to get ESPN/ESPN2 in HD (obviously besides an HD box and HD TV). But when I look up the channel lineup on Comcast's website it is not listed in the Digital Starter tier, but does state this at the bottom:

"A subscription to Digital Starter is required to receive the following HD channels: A&E, Animal Planet, CNN, Discovery, ESPN, ESPN2, Food Network, FSN Detroit, HD Theater, HGTV, History Channel, MHD, MOJO, TBS, TLC, TNT, Universal, USA, Versus/Golf Channel."

Can someone shed some light on this please?

pierceive

04-21-09, 02:21 PM

spotdog14: If you get the HD box (~$9/month), you will get the HD equivalent of any channel you get the SD version of.

spotdog14

04-21-09, 02:27 PM

spotdog14: If you get the HD box (~$9/month), you will get the HD equivalent of any channel you get the SD version of.

Thank you, just wanted to make sure. I remember back when I actually had cable I would say about 3 years ago when they decided to take away all but the local HD's for anyone that had the basic cable but decided not to tell anyone.

spotdog14

04-25-09, 09:06 PM

Whats up with all the "this channel will be available shortly" crap for most of the HD channels in Haslett, such as CNNHD, Discovery HD, History HD, etc.

pierceive

04-26-09, 09:09 AM

Whats up with all the "this channel will be available shortly" crap for most of the HD channels in Haslett, such as CNNHD, Discovery HD, History HD, etc.

I'm not having any problems.

idjit_rabbit

04-26-09, 11:15 AM

Does anyone in the Lansing/Jackson area own a Sony dvr DHG-HDD250 or DHG-HDD500? Are you still getting daily guide data updates from digital WLNS? My dvr has not been updating for the last several days and I'm wondering if the problem is with my dvr or if WLNS is having issues with the TVGOS inserter equipment at their station?

I am getting the guide data. Although I am leaving my 250 tuned to the off air 6.1. The host channel is not set on the 250.

I think until channel WJRT 12 in Flint gives up the frequencies that are suppose to go to channel 6 WLNS, WLNS is going to be unreliable and especially for TVGOS. When my 250 does find the guide data on its own it says it is coming from 0:59:0 which is the actually frequency WLNS is using right now at a reduced signal -- it should show 6.1. So something is flaky. Hopefully everything will work after June 12 like it used to without any special attention.

Have you done the 1.2.21 firmware update to your Sony DHG yet?

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=DHGHDD500&upd_id=4542&os_id=25

spotdog14

04-26-09, 11:32 AM

I'm not having any problems.

What are are you in?

Trip in VA

04-26-09, 11:40 AM

When my 250 does find the guide data on its own it says it is coming from 0:59:0 which is the actually frequency WLNS is using right now at a reduced signal -- it should show 6.1.

Are you sure about that? I've gotten many reports from people successfully receiving TVGOS data from other stations pointing to the physical channel number. I don't think it respects mapped channels. (Example, Charlotte NC gets 0:11-0, 42-1 is physical channel 11.)

- Trip

pierceive

04-26-09, 12:16 PM

What are are you in?

It's listed in the "Location" field under my name: Meridian Township. Since I'm on the same system as you, the problem is likely localized to your node or just your particular cable box.

spotdog14

04-26-09, 06:00 PM

It's listed in the "Location" field under my name: Meridian Township. Since I'm on the same system as you, the problem is likely localized to your node or just your particular cable box.

Sorry, I was on my phone. Ill give it a week before I call I guess.

idjit_rabbit

04-26-09, 06:54 PM

Are you sure about that? I've gotten many reports from people successfully receiving TVGOS data from other stations pointing to the physical channel number. I don't think it respects mapped channels. (Example, Charlotte NC gets 0:11-0, 42-1 is physical channel 11.)

- Trip

Yes. OTA channel 6.1 is in my channel guide and no where to be found is 59 or any subchannel of it. I cannot tune to channel 59 at all in any way but the Sony DHG finds it somehow, although it doesn't always stick, and it is really fussy about finding it again. Part of the weirdness cold be that OTA WLNS is borderline weak here in St. Johns. When I first saw the host channel 0:59:0 I thought it to be strange. The ads were from WNLS and the guide was filling in. Then I saw your rabbitears.info and it listed physical channel 59 for WNLS, then at least it made some kind of sense. As I mention before I am guessing WLNS has something not quite right yet and I am hoping it will get fixed when they finally get 36 from WJRT.

BTW, I think WJRT is going to be the TVGOS for their market. At one time I used to get the TVGOS from WFUM 28 (PBS) in Flint until they stopped and then about the same time I started seeing VBI packets from WJRT analog. I have kept looking for packets on WJRT digital and still don't see them, but I am thinking they will appear once they get where they are suppose to be on channel 12.

On another subject. I thought one of the big reasons for going to digital was to free up the VHF frequencies for homeland security. If that is true how come some of the stations are still going to be using VHF frequencies?

pierceive

04-26-09, 07:53 PM

Sorry, I was on my phone. Ill give it a week before I call I guess.

I wouldn't wait. If it's just your box, you're just sitting with a broken box for a week, and not getting the channels you're paying for. If it's your node, Comcast may not know about it yet, and if memory serves, it takes three complaints about an issue for them to do anything about it (corporate policy). If they've only gotten two calls, the problem won't be going away. Either way, you may be able to get the problem fixed sooner by calling customer service.

Also, if it's your node, you should also get a few bucks off your bill (they'll tell you to call back when service is restored, then prorate you the days that you didn't have full services).

Trip in VA

04-26-09, 07:58 PM

spotdog14

04-26-09, 08:31 PM

I wouldn't wait. If it's just your box, you're just sitting with a broken box for a week, and not getting the channels you're paying for. If it's your node, Comcast may not know about it yet, and if memory serves, it takes three complaints about an issue for them to do anything about it (corporate policy). If they've only gotten two calls, the problem won't be going away. Either way, you may be able to get the problem fixed sooner by calling customer service.

Also, if it's your node, you should also get a few bucks off your bill (they'll tell you to call back when service is restored, then prorate you the days that you didn't have full services).

Humm, interesting. Maybe ill give them a call tonight. Its kind of annoying I was really excited about watching CNNHD.

idjit_rabbit

04-26-09, 09:00 PM

The analog is unrelated to the digital. Analogs were mostly PBS but sometimes had other stations involved too.

For digital, Macrovision is going first to the CBS station in a given market (so WWJ and WLNS are affiliates), but if a CBS turns them down, as WNEM did, then they go to the local PBS. I don't have a source in the area, so I don't know if WDCQ has it or not. If WDCQ turns it down, then it's anyone's ballgame. I've seen it on a Fox and on a CW in markets where the PBS also said no.

- Trip
I wouldn't like it if Macrovision gave TVGOS to WDCQ. I have never ever got even a trace of their signal from where I am at in zip 48879.

Well I suppose it could be a coincidence that TVGOS started on ABC WJRT when it went down on PBS WFUM. But what I think is noteworthy is that WJRT started carrying the TVGOS when they didn't before. So we will wait and see if they are the ones that Macrovision ultimately ends up with. It would be nice if WJRT should get it. I suppose you know that years ago WJRT was supposedly suppose to be a super TV broadcast station sister to WJR in Detroit; hence the similar call letters. Although looking at the way it is going they don't seem to be ending up with any especial high power after the transition.

DonInJackson

04-27-09, 03:07 PM

I've done the .21 update on my 500. I emailed WLNS and they basically told me that all they do is pass on the TVGOS data. If my Sony is not updating the guide, then I should contact Macrovision (TVGUIDE) not WLNS to report the problem.... since Macrovision has the ability to "dial-in" to their equipment and do diagnostics.

I'm am getting guide updates now!!!! Hope it continues!

Trip in VA

04-27-09, 04:56 PM

Don:

That's correct. All WLNS can do is reboot the gear or take it out of the line if it's causing them problems. Outside of those two things, Macrovision retains all control of the gear.

- Trip

idjit_rabbit

04-27-09, 10:55 PM

Don:

That's correct. All WLNS can do is reboot the gear or take it out of the line if it's causing them problems. Outside of those two things, Macrovision retains all control of the gear.

- Trip

Now my host channel says 0:6:1 instead of the 0:59:0.

heed316

04-28-09, 12:10 PM

Is anybody else getting GolfHD on 206, Comcast, instead of VersusHD...missed out on HD hockey last night because for some reason both 206 and 207 are showing GolfHD. Also, 209 which should be Paladia is showing AMCHD, as well as the normal AMCHD channel. So essentially, two VersusHD and Paladia are showing the wrong programming. No channel lineup changes have occurred either.

twaller

04-28-09, 12:16 PM

I wouldn't like it if Macrovision gave TVGOS to WDCQ. I have never ever got even a trace of their signal from where I am at in zip 48879.

Well I suppose it could be a coincidence that TVGOS started on ABC WJRT when it went down on PBS WFUM. But what I think is noteworthy is that WJRT started carrying the TVGOS when they didn't before. So we will wait and see if they are the ones that Macrovision ultimately ends up with. It would be nice if WJRT should get it. I suppose you know that years ago WJRT was supposedly suppose to be a super TV broadcast station sister to WJR in Detroit; hence the similar call letters. Although looking at the way it is going they don't seem to be ending up with any especial high power after the transition.

No they won't be getting any "superpower" , but it is interesting that they are the only network o&o (Ownership is Disney/ABC) station in the mid Michigan area. They do have an interesting history also, having been started by the owners of WJR Radio in 1958. Originally they wanted to have the transmitter in Clarkston, but WXYZ objected, and it was placed in Chesaning.

spotdog14

04-28-09, 03:03 PM

Humm, interesting. Maybe ill give them a call tonight. Its kind of annoying I was really excited about watching CNNHD.

Alright well I was never able to get through to them on the phone so I tried the email route and the tech was not able to resolve the issue so they are sending a person out tomorrow to see what the problem is. I hope that will fix it, but with how me and technology are going this week I would not be surprised if my tv blew up in stead (my cell phone totally died while on hold with Comcast on Sunday, the back totally melted somehow...).

Yankees368

05-10-09, 12:41 AM

Did anyone else notice that ION on channel 31-1 went HD?

pierceive

05-10-09, 05:11 PM

Did anyone else notice that ION on channel 31-1 went HD?

Not seeing it on my Comcast box, nor QAM through cable.

HD74

05-11-09, 12:34 PM

31-1 is now HD during at least part of the day OTA, looks like the other ION affiliate in Marshall is still SD.

JWeavis

05-20-09, 12:10 PM

Still having issues with DishNetwork 722 - Channel 6 OTA with no guide data. Anyone had this fixed yet?

Also, OTA WILX I'm not picking up on my DB4 anymore. Anyone picking this up since they moved to the new channel on the VHF band?

garybliev

05-20-09, 12:21 PM

Also, OTA WILX I'm not picking up on my DB4 anymore. Anyone picking this up since they moved to the new channel on the VHF band?

The DB4 is a UHF antenna, you need an antenna with VHF elements as well.

stewa

05-20-09, 02:00 PM

The DB4 is a UHF antenna, you need an antenna with VHF elements as well.

I agree in general. However, I have a DB2 and after having worked with it (aligning it literally 1 inch at a time) I have found a spot where I can get WILX in with no breakups. Antenna is on an upper shelf in garage. Only downside is now your signal (WKAR) is touch and go, sometimes OK, sometimes breaks up a little.

garybliev

05-21-09, 05:07 PM

I agree in general. However, I have a DB2 and after having worked with it (aligning it literally 1 inch at a time) I have found a spot where I can get WILX in with no breakups. Antenna is on an upper shelf in garage. Only downside is now your signal (WKAR) is touch and go, sometimes OK, sometimes breaks up a little.

I'd suspect that your antenna is aimed almost due south and it about 90 degree off axis toward the WKAR tower in Okemos, so you have minimized the reception of that signal.

The DB2 and DB4 both being UHF antenna have very little, VHF receive capability. Sure, it will/can happen but it is not optimum.

garybliev

05-21-09, 05:11 PM

JmC65

05-22-09, 11:17 AM

I do not get the guide data for OTA WLNS. Although I can not convince Dish Network that it is an issue. They say either
The guide data for OTA is sent by the broadcaster so it's not their problem.
(This is not true. The guide data for OTA channels is just remapped data from the
off satellite guide data)
This channel is not in my subscribed DMA so I will not get guide data for WLNS.
(I have guide data for the other Lansing and Flint OTA channels (10, 12, 5, 53, 28).
WLNS is the only one with missing guide data.)

I do receive WILX at frequency 10. It is one of my stonger signals.

cornell_lingus

05-26-09, 03:25 PM

WKAR and WLNS are currently scheduled to change digital channels Friday June 12, 2009 between 9AM and 10AM.

WKAR is moving from 55 to 40. WLNS is moving from 59 to 36.

All ya all will need to rescan (but you knew that already)

Between 9 am and 10 am? Is that so you get all the phone calls out of the way that day? Or are you hoping you can catch people watching and tell them what to do in the next few minutes after you flip the switch?

garybliev

05-26-09, 05:35 PM

Between 9 am and 10 am? Is that so you get all the phone calls out of the way that day? Or are you hoping you can catch people watching and tell them what to do in the next few minutes after you flip the switch?

Actually, yes, both of us are expecting tons o'calls, and it will be far easier dealing with them on a business day starting at about 10A than it will be if the calls start at 12M between Friday and Saturday.

We were lucky in that some ducks fell down in the right order. WJRT will discontinue analog and move from 36 to 12 at 12:06AM, which will allow WLNS to move to 36 at 10A. WWTV will sign off channel 40 DT at about 7A, and WOTV will discontinue analog on 41 at 10A, nearly simultaneous with WKAR lighting up on 40.

.

cornell_lingus

05-27-09, 01:27 AM

Gary, you might want to make double sure DirecTV and Dish programming have your subchannel frequency changes ready to go on June 12. Remember when WILX changed, Direct's engineering had the switch right but their program division didn't put the 10.2 frequency change through their program guides for a few days.

garybliev

05-27-09, 09:06 AM

Gary, you might want to make double sure DirecTV and Dish programming have your subchannel frequency changes ready to go on June 12....

Emails and letters have been sent to cable and satellite providers. I'll send out another round of emails next week.

We do have direct feed to Comcast and AT&T U-Verse, so they should be unaffected.

wb8tgy

05-27-09, 03:26 PM

Thanks Gary for the updates. Should be fun watching the switch over.

pierceive

05-29-09, 04:53 PM

Just received a mailing from Comcast. They will be "moving some digital channels beginning May 27, 2009." No indication of how long it will take, and I haven't seen any changes yet, but hopefully it won't take all summer.

The following HD additions are listed in the updated Channel Lineup for Alaiedon, East Lansing, Meridian, and Wheatfield:

"New" (12):
189 QVC HD
220 Encore HD
241 Hallmark Movie Channel HD
242 Bravo HD
243 Fox Business HD
244 CNBC HD
262 TV One HD
263 Style HD
264 G4 HD
282 Starz Edge HD
283 Starz Kids HD
284 Starz Comedy HD

"Coming Soon" (8):
187 WGN HD
245 TWC HD
248 Comedy HD
251 CMT HD
252 MTV HD
253 VH1 HD
254 NBA TV HD
259 NFL HD

"Reserved for future HD" (30):
182
184-185
188
190
235-237
246-247
249
255
266-281
285-286

homcom

05-29-09, 07:25 PM

Just received a mailing from Comcast. They will be "moving some digital channels beginning May 27, 2009." No indication of how long it will take, and I haven't seen any changes yet, but hopefully it won't take all summer.

The moves will be done by early next week. The Coming Soon channels should by in place over the next month or so. The Reserved for future HD will be a while, late this year or next year from what I am hearing.

mathwhiz

05-30-09, 08:41 AM

It would be nice if they gave us exact dates/times for the changes, for those of us with DVRs (non-Comcast) it's hard to schedule recordings when our channel lineup changed already but the channels haven't been moved.

heed316

06-02-09, 12:49 PM

New HD is up for me!!

pierceive

06-02-09, 06:17 PM

Confirmed in Meridian. All channels marked as "New" in my previous post have been added:

189 QVC HD
220 Encore HD
241 Hallmark Movie Channel HD
242 Bravo HD
243 Fox Business HD
244 CNBC HD
262 TV One HD
263 Style HD
264 G4 HD
282 Starz Edge HD
283 Starz Kids HD
284 Starz Comedy HD

Ken H

06-04-09, 01:03 AM

Attention Comcast subs:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16582603&postcount=7495

wb8tgy

06-04-09, 04:32 PM

Yankees368

06-04-09, 11:37 PM

garybliev

06-06-09, 07:16 PM

Garybliev,

I was just checking the WKAR web site, and see that Soundstage with Jackson Browne is to be on 23.1 at 2:00AM on Friday June 19. So does that mean that you guys are now going to be on the air 24 hours a day? I didn't see another time for that show, so I hope it's true.

Sorry, no. Web guide and PSIP data overflows the broadcast day because Comcast and AT&T U-Verse pick up a direct feed from us.....the program will be there on Comcast and AT&T though.

You can change the "view" on our schedule page (tiny print, just above the schedule box) you can select "provider" then go down to "preferences" and select which provider, or you can select "over-the-air-lineup"

WingsFanHD

06-08-09, 02:25 PM

After a lot of reading I think this is the best spot for this question. I live just north of Jackson and I am using Directv HR21 with the AM21 to receive OTA HD signal. Most of the time everything works fine....channel 10 for me is still week. The problem is that whenever another Directv receiver is turned on elsewhere in the house I can't get any OTA signal with the HR21/AM21...results in error 771 searching for off air signal. Any ideas?

ZeroCorpse

06-08-09, 07:47 PM

ZeroCorpse

06-08-09, 07:52 PM

Is anyone else having sporadic reception issues with WILX? 99% of the time, the signal will be crystal clear HD, and then all of a sudden, complete lockup for 10-15 seconds.
Incredibly annoying. My antenna does not move or is touched at all, yet the signal still goes to crap suddenly. Help!

When WILX switched over, I lost their signal entirely. The HD signal on their old channel was fine, but the new one is cruddy and bounces around like crazy.

I had to get cable to deal with it, and now cable's deserting me, too.

Ken H

06-08-09, 10:11 PM

OK, so this sucks.

I use standard basic cable with my QAM tuner. So far, I've been able to get HD locals this way, and it's been great.

I got home today to discover that Comcast has eliminated the QAM locals in HD. They're just gone. No 6.1, no 10.1 or 10.2, no 23.1, 23.3, 23.4, no 47.1, no 53.1 -- ALL THE HD LOCALS ARE GONE FROM QAM.

This sucks. What the hell, Comcast? Anything to get me to spend $10 a month extra on the HD box? Even after I spent the extra cash on a QAM-capable HDTV?

I'm rescanning, hoping that maybe it's just an error, but it looks like those of us going the inexpensive way have just been shut out by Comcast. They really don't want people who aren't willing to spend $50 a month to be able to get WILX in HD in Meridian township, do they? I can't tune it in OTA, and now Comcast has screwed me on the cable access to HD.

More to follow, I'm sure.

Yes, and some of it you will not like to hear.

First, although it is disconcerting to have service issues, your reaction is nothing less than childish.

Here is a fact for you to consider: It's Comcast corporate policy to pass all the local HD they carry in clear QAM.

If you have lost channels, there is a service issue, which is not that unusual. All cableco's do maintenance that moves QAM channels on a somewhat regular basis.

If a rescan doesn't work, you'll need to call for service. When you call it will be imperative to keep escalating your request until you find someone (probably a technical supervisor) who understands what QAM is. Most front line Comcast CSR's will not understand your problem and tell you you need an HD cable box for HD from them. Be polite, but persistent.

Also, it may be possible the local HD channels have been stripped of the ID info, so you may find them temporarily on completely different channel numbers, even numbers over 100 or 200. After the rescan, check all the channels the set acquires.

ZeroCorpse

06-09-09, 12:25 AM

Plenty of time on the phone, with no luck. I ended up switching to digital cable.

The CSRs knew nothing about it, and the tech I spoke with said it was a "fluke" that I got HD channels as long as I did, but that they were rearranging the channel lineup and that the HD channels no longer fell within the range of the Limited Basic package, QAM or not.

It's fine, though. The upgrade to digital was a good deal, and I get a year of HBO out of it. Sorry to be childish on your time. After a day of being yelled at by patients, I kind of wanted to relax at home and watch some TV without extra stress. The last thing I wanted was to do re-scans all night (my TV takes up to 30 minutes to do an Auto-Scan on cable) and spend my evening talking to Comcast reps.

I was ready to cancel, but I know I can't tune in WILX here, and I kind of wanted the HD cable channels anyway. They made a good offer and I accepted.

I'll keep trying to get the QAM HD locals on my bedroom television (no cable box in there) and maybe it will eventually work, but from everything Comcast is telling me, and from the info given by people in other towns, it's an uphill battle that will eventually end in Comcast doing their best to get rid of Limited Basic altogether.

Ken H

06-09-09, 01:31 AM

Goadfish

06-09-09, 01:45 AM

I can verify the HD QAM channels are dead, all the SD QAM's are there. I'm in East Lansing. And to think I just returned my HD box because I'm moving out in a few weeks back to GR...
Switching to antenna a few times a day to watch HD locals will be pretty annoying.

I'd call them up, but I know it's going to be hell and a half trying to get my point across.

ncik

06-09-09, 09:22 AM

I'm in Lansing city, which is a different system and channel lineup from EL. As of last night we still had the clear QAM local hd channels.

Every so often (1x a month) at 10:00 or 11:00pm the cable modem service dies for about 15 minutes. CSRs/tech support never has any information about service alerts or maintenance. When this happens, everything is fine for customers in EL. Weird stuff happens, I'm not convinced this isn't just a normal outage.

Keep us posted, I'm interested to see what develops.

Ken H

06-09-09, 10:24 AM

I'm in Lansing city, which is a different system and channel lineup from EL. As of last night we still had the clear QAM local hd channels.

Every so often (1x a month) at 10:00 or 11:00pm the cable modem service dies for about 15 minutes. CSRs/tech support never has any information about service alerts or maintenance. When this happens, everything is fine for customers in EL. Weird stuff happens, I'm not convinced this isn't just a normal outage.

There is no such thing as a 'normal outage'. The system was being maintained, and in the process a mistake was made. It's being looked into as we speak.

limiter

06-09-09, 11:11 AM

I live in East Lansing and the all the local (NBC, ABC, CBS, etc) HD clear QAMs are gone for me also. I noticed this morning but it may have happened earlier. I have basic cable (not extended basic). Other digital clear QAMs work like C-Span, public access, etc. I hope this really is a mistake as Ken H indicates.

ncik

06-09-09, 11:23 AM

There is no such thing as a 'normal outage'. The system was being maintained, and in the process a mistake was made. It's being looked into as we speak.

I meant normal outage as opposed to an evil corporate scheme to force customers to order a digital set top box. (Never mind that yesterday we saw some severe weather, it must be tyranny!) ... It's nice to know someone is working on it.

Also I used the word normal because from my perspective they all look the same. Service goes away and eventually comes back. It could be because of a downed line or scheduled maintenance, but the only solution support has is to schedule a truck.

Trust me, I'm very patient and understanding with them. A technicians job is hard enough even without the added complexities of customer service. I just wish they had more information at their disposal.

mathwhiz

06-09-09, 04:38 PM

The reason it is Comcast's policy to not scramble the local HD channels is because it is against FCC regulations. By FCC regulation, any channel in the basic tier (which all local broadcast channels are in, SD and HD) cannot be scrambled unless the cable company has a waiver and has given that waiver to their customers. Check out http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2003/octqtr/pdf/47cfr76.630.pdf 76.630. Also, info is in the Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAM_tuner and http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/pdf/47cfr76.901.pdf section 76.901(a).

If they are not broadcasting the local HD channels in the clear on QAM they are in violation of the FCC regulations.

Rich

ZeroCorpse

06-09-09, 06:00 PM

OK. So they're back, and my order for digital is canceled.

I might have overreacted, but can you blame me? It's COMCAST, and they aren't exactly known for being the most customer-friendly company out there. In Meridian they had to be sued to keep the public access channels in the Limited Basic cable lineup because they wanted people to upgrade to Expanded Basic to get them... I wouldn't put it past them to cut off QAM access to HD channels. I assumed the worst of them because they have a history of making the decision that makes them more money and inconveniences their customers.

But yes. You were right, I was wrong, and I'm glad they fixed it.

Now I just need to re-scan the living room TV, which will take a while, and then re-program the tuner to ignore the SD channels and all the duplicate channels in Limited Basic.

Yankees368

06-09-09, 10:44 PM

ABC3HD usually looks sub-par on a normal day, but why the heck does does HD feed keep vanishing all together tonight? In 3 minutes, it has gone SD-HD-and back to SD. Agh!

Oh, as i type, back to HD. Make it stop!

And back to SD, and then HD again.

Oh look, SD again. Now HD again. I see a pattern here, lol.

Hey there, SD again. Annoying? I'll stop now, as I think we all get the point.

Trip in VA

06-10-09, 01:05 AM

ABC very recently changed their satellite distribution system, and a number of stations across the country have been having audio problems. Many of them dropped to SD just to make sure they had audio over the air while these problems are sorted.

- Trip

WingsFanHD

06-10-09, 10:57 AM

Any ideas why the WILX HD OTA signal is week? I'm about 12 miles from the tower and not getting anything. WLNS, WSYM, WLAJ all seem fine with some weekness(expected I guess) on occasion but WILX nothing???

HD74

06-10-09, 12:17 PM

Clear as a bell here in Lansing, are you using a VHF/UHF antenna? They are a VHF station.

Ken H

06-10-09, 12:21 PM

The reason it is Comcast's policy to not scramble the local HD channels is because it is against FCC regulations.Not necessarily. Although the FCC regs seem clear, a number of cableco's have publicly said they dispute the ability of the FCC to make them carry local HD in the clear under the regs you quoted.

The real issue is that the FCC has never actually enforced anything related to this. Not that long ago, there were at least a few of the top 20 cableco's that still were encrypting local HD, and nothing was ever done about it. Nothing.

WingsFanHD

06-10-09, 01:46 PM

Using a radio shack 15-1634 round antenna. It's the best reception ever on all the other locals but wilx I get nothing. It's tough with NBC carrying the Stanley Cup Final.

garybliev

06-10-09, 04:44 PM

Using a radio shack 15-1634 round antenna. It's the best reception ever on all the other locals but wilx I get nothing. It's tough with NBC carrying the Stanley Cup Final.

The RS site claims that this antenna is UHF/VHF capable, but I'd have to wonder about it having any reasonable physical gain on the VHF end of the spectrum. As I recall the omnidirectional design has several small elements inside of it. The small elements MIGHT have some gain at UHF, but probably negative gain at VHF. Additionally, the omnidirectional design means that there is no front-back rejection, which means that the multipath (ghosts) can come in just as strong as the primary signal.

ZeroCorpse

06-10-09, 05:27 PM

pierceive

06-10-09, 06:10 PM

Clear QAM isn't affected by the presence of cable boxes. If you've got a piece of copper that's connected to Comcast, you can tune clear QAM channels. Having a box just allows you to decrypt the rest of the digital signals on the line.

the3dolla

06-10-09, 07:57 PM

Sooo, anyone know what's up with Directv and them not having HD Locals in Lansing/East Lansing. How could they STILL not have local's in HD. Lansing is the "Capitol" city! Not that that is saying much.

Ken H

06-10-09, 10:30 PM

So, I talked to Comcast again because I was thinking about Expanded Basic, and they told me they no longer offer Expanded Basic.

Sigh.

The next level up is Digital Starter, and that requires their box (another lease charge). However, they have a good deal, and include the DVR for $1 more per month for a year, and so I opted to try it. It's a contract, but it's a pretty good package price.

So here's my question for the more QAM-knowledgable out there:

Will the tuner alone in my QAM-capable HDTV in the bedroom be able to pull anything in-- particularly the HD locals-- once they switch me to the new package? Or am I doomed to require a separate Comcast box for every TV in the apartment to get anything in at all? I would assume I'd get at least the limited basic lineup, still.

But I've been known to be wrong. :rolleyes:

I guess I'll know soon enough, but I just wondered if anyone else had any experience with this and could enlighten me before the cable guy's scheduled visit later this week.

Thanks.

I'll try to explain what's happening.

First, Comcast no longer offers Expanded Basic because that was an analog tier of programming, and Comcast is essentially doing away with analog channels. Exception: A very limited slate of local and community / public service channels; probably about 15-20 Limited Basic in any given area. In your area, this will probably take place in August for East Lansing and in December for Lansing proper.

As they reduce analog to the Limited Basic channels, lots of bandwidth will be freed up for digital channels, both SD & HD. Due to a number of reasons I won't go into here, the SD channels now in Expanded Basic will be digital & unencrypted, aka clear QAM. For current Expanded Basic customers, Comcast will provide (up to 2 free per account) devices that are called a DTA. It will tune the clear QAM channels, but will not do PPV or VOD, for which you'll need one of the regular digital cable boxes. Your QAM tuners will do the same, but also expect that at some point Limited Basic subs will have traps upstream of the home, so only HD locals are passed in the clear.

Comcast would vastly prefer subs to have the digital cable box as opposed to the DTA, for access to PPV & VOD; thus the deal you were offered on a digital tier and box.

As noted, all Comcast feeds should have HD locals in the clear.