Keeping my fingers crossed that Cards-SanDiego game will not be on ESPN2 and thus we are shut out seeing game in HD.
First choice would be Saturday night at 7pm in Fox in HD and 6.1 sound.
Second Choice 3pm on Fox.
Third choice ESPN at noon.
ESPN2 and I will drive to San Diego to watch the game.

MLB now posting Saturday game at 10pm Saturday night. No station info yet.
10 pm ..Thank you MLB

You just need to find a friend with HD from DirecTV. They have ESPN2-HD. No need to drive all the way the San Diego.

Was it an older guy named John? He was probably the same one at my house last week to install the MOXI boxes before swapping one out yesterday for the MOXI+Mate... He b!tched the entire time because "Charter is this and that... They don't pay me enough... blah blah..." Other than that, he was nice enough, but yes, very fast... he did tidy some things up though, and mentioned the first guy who did my install when I moved in was sloppy.

No this was a younger guy.
This guy didnt talk at all. he was well 'versed' in giving one word answers. It was unreal.
Fastman

No this was a younger guy.
This guy didnt talk at all. he was well 'versed' in giving one word answers. It was unreal.
Fastman

The installer this past Friday told me they only get $15.50 per install! That would explain the crummy attitudes and why they rush around so much... :rolleyes:

No this was a younger guy.
This guy didnt talk at all. he was well 'versed' in giving one word answers. It was unreal.
Fastman
I put a call into Charter to have someone check out the wiring for my MoxiMate... the HD channels come an guy (especially the locals) and I end up Moxi'ing an entire show of drops and pixelation. Hopefully it will be a Charter technician... I do know the cable used for the better part of the run is from when I installed my D*. So far, most of the channels look great. But man, those local HDs!

By the way, I requested a Charter installer the last time, and he wasn't... yet he had on his paperwork that I had requested one and asked me why. The guy was nice enough, and let me do most of the hooking up. And when the Mate didn't work, he took off the filter (he did leave it, though).

So far, I like Charter's actual product, but that company is eye-high in disorganization.

I have noticed that in the last week or so that the sound on KMOV is breaking up. I need to know if anyone else has noticed this as well. I have had so much trouble with my Moxi since I got it two months ago. I have had Charter service to my home four times because of numerous problems. Channels saying "you don't have this service" and bad pixelation. I think I deserve a new one after all this time. And, why don't they make one with a larger hard drive?

I have noticed that in the last week or so that the sound on KMOV is breaking up. I need to know if anyone else has noticed this as well. I have had so much trouble with my Moxi since I got it two months ago. I have had Charter service to my home four times because of numerous problems. Channels saying "you don't have this service" and bad pixelation. I think I deserve a new one after all this time. And, why don't they make one with a larger hard drive?

I have noticed something really wierd with KMOV sound. If I play it in Dolby PLIIx I lose the center channel. If I switch to DD 5.1 or even DD EX processing it's seems OK.

This has not happened to me on any other HD channel, OTA nor D*.

Dean

CBS Planning for Multicast Programming

Quantity trumps quality...again.

The following story except is from Mediaweek:

____________________________________________________

CBS is "pretty far along" in plans for a second, general-entertainment digital programming stream, and should be able to launch the new service within a year, a top network official said Wednesday in Washington.



Um, I thought CBS already had a second stream... isn't it called UPN? :rolleyes:

CBS dot two.... sheesh!

Anyone notice the blues game isn't blacked out on HDNet? I realize they aren't that great this year, but it's hd hockey.
Dug

It's not on HDNet for me...some news show about New Orleans instead

Anyone notice the blues game isn't blacked out on HDNet? I realize they aren't that great this year, but it's hd hockey.
Dug

Shhh! Too bad the Blues stink. Its hard to watch hockey on SD now.

HDNet was blacked out for the Blues game on Dish Network, but not on Directv. Hopefully D* keeps it up. :)

Has anyone else been able to get a regular HD box with DVI from charter? I signed up two or three months ago, they told me it would take a month to get the boxes in, and nothing. I called there and they still don't have them. Has anyone else on here been able to get one recently from them?

I ordered Charter's standard HD box in March. At that time I was placed at the end of a 900 person waiting list.

I called last week for status and they told me someone was just beginning to call back people on the list this week.

Anyone notice the blues game isn't blacked out on HDNet? I realize they aren't that great this year, but it's hd hockey.
Dug

It was blacked out on Charter.

Who else (besides me) is still waiting for the final stage of the Charter digital upgrade?

Who else (besides me) is still waiting for the final stage of the Charter digital upgrade?

I don't have it yet. I'm in South County.

Who else (besides me) is still waiting for the final stage of the Charter digital upgrade?

We (Collinsville) just had ours come through yesterday. Of course now ALL of my channels are tiling to the point of unwatchable, much worse than before. Got the nicest CSR on the phone though, and told me to call when it was fixed so they knew how far out to pro-rate my account, without me even having to ask. That made me pretty happy, but in the meantime, I'm pretty much stuck with basic and no DVR until the 15th. :mad:

It was blacked out on Charter.

Personally, I think the Blackout Guidelines need to be redefined. I understand the reasons for blackouts, but HD adds a new twist to this issue. Take for example, last night's Blues game. I think that if HDNet is the only channel offering the game in HD that it should NOT be blacked out. The SD broadcast would still be available on FSMW.

Besides being able to see the game in HD, it would provide a way to encourage SD-only channels to get their act together and get us their HD channel.

The installer this past Friday told me they only get $15.50 per install! That would explain the crummy attitudes and why they rush around so much... :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure it depends on what is involved with the install--even "free" options make them more money. At least that is the way it is with DirecTV.

Personally, I think the Blackout Guidelines need to be redefined. I understand the reasons for blackouts, but HD adds a new twist to this issue. Take for example, last night's Blues game. I think that if HDNet is the only channel offering the game in HD that it should NOT be blacked out. The SD broadcast would still be available on FSMW.

Besides being able to see the game in HD, it would provide a way to encourage SD-only channels to get their act together and get us their HD channel.

As much as I agree with you Bruce, put yourself in FSMW's shoes. They are paying a bunch of money to have the rights. They would be really hacked if we were allowed to watch it on another channel.

As much as I agree with you Bruce, put yourself in FSMW's shoes. They are paying a bunch of money to have the rights. They would be really hacked if we were allowed to watch it on another channel.

I agree with both of you. But it stinks!!! With out an alternative (being able to watch elsewhere in HD) I dont think FSNMW will be in any hurry to get to HD. Why should they? If its the only place to watch, people will still come to FSNMW.

I agree with both of you. But it stinks!!! With out an alternative (being able to watch elsewhere in HD) I dont think FSNMW will be in any hurry to get to HD. Why should they? If its the only place to watch, people will still come to FSNMW.

Not me, after watching parts of Wed nights game on FSM and watching last nights game on HDNet I decided HD is the only way to go. If the Blues were in a critical game or the playoffs I would probably watch in sd but I don't see that happening this year.

Not me, after watching parts of Wed nights game on FSM and watching last nights game on HDNet I decided HD is the only way to go.

I agree with that 100%. In fact I don't really plan on watching any of the Blues until they ARE in HD. I think I'm an HD snob now as I almost refuse to watch anything unless it's in HD...except for Lost.

I agree with that 100%. In fact I don't really plan on watching any of the Blues until they ARE in HD. I think I'm an HD snob now as I almost refuse to watch anything unless it's in HD...except for Lost.

Somehow I dont think if all of us would boycott FSN, it would make much difference on this.
ABCWARDs grassroots effort may help us though :) (God I hope so) :)

Fastman

As much as I agree with you Bruce, put yourself in FSMW's shoes. They are paying a bunch of money to have the rights. They would be really hacked if we were allowed to watch it on another channel.

Nothing against you TCfilia, but...

Put myself in FSMW shoes? How about someone who can control this stuff put themself in my shoes. I spent a lot of money on an HDTV. Now I pay monthly for the programming, the STB, the and the DVR fee. Not to mention the headache of having this stuff installed/delivered.

After all that the HD event is blacked out and I end up being forced to watch the game the same way I did before spending all that money and time. It's like a slap in the face.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't FSMW want to roll out an HD channel and couldn't find any takers? Sounds to me like it's more of an E*, D* & Charter issue. Of course, they may have been wanting to charge Sin-clair-like fees to do it and that would put the onus back on them.

I get irritated about this stuff also, but can you imagine what the true early adopters have gone through? Sheesh!

Nothing against you TCfilia, but...

Put myself in FSMW shoes? How about someone who can control this stuff put themself in my shoes. I spent a lot of money on an HDTV. Now I pay monthly for the programming, the STB, the and the DVR fee. Not to mention the headache of having this stuff installed/delivered.

After all that the HD event is blacked out and I end up being forced to watch the game the same way I did before spending all that money and time. It's like a slap in the face.

Listen, I agree with you 100%.......but FSMW didn't force you to buy an HDTV. They couldn't care less if you have a DVR fee.

My point is that the blackout rule probably won't change because of this issue. I don't like it, but accept it as it is out of my control.

Somehow I dont think if all of us would boycott FSN, it would make much difference on this.
ABCWARDs grassroots effort may help us though :) (God I hope so) :)

Fastman

I didn't realize I had started something that was going to grow so fast. I feel like Rev. Jim Jones...oh the power.

Anyone want some koolaid? ;)

Listen, I agree with you 100%.......but FSMW didn't force you to buy an HDTV. They couldn't care less if you have a DVR fee.

My point is that the blackout rule probably won't change because of this issue. I don't like it, but accept it as it is out of my control.

Right on. I wasn't trying to point anything at you, just making my point. :)

...
My point is that the blackout rule probably won't change because of this issue. I don't like it, but accept it as it is out of my control.

No, prolly not. But they (all execs in a position to do something about it) need to know this is what we want. I think HD is the driving force behind the industry at this time.

Here is a thought for all of you. From what has been discussed, it sounds like Sinclair wants roughly $0.50 per subscriber for HD. Would everyone here be willing to pay an extra $0.50 per month to have ABC-HD on one of the providers besides the free OTA? Also, how about another $0.50 for FSMW-HD?

Here is a thought for all of you. From what has been discussed, it sounds like Sinclair wants roughly $0.50 per subscriber for HD. Would everyone here be willing to pay an extra $0.50 per month to have ABC-HD on one of the providers besides the free OTA? Also, how about another $0.50 for FSMW-HD?

Im different in this department....
Frankly im not a huge sports fan. I only watch the St. Louis teams.
So... for the once or twice a year the Rams are on MNF I can deal with it OTA. FSN is totally different for me though. The Cards and Blues are on it M-F almost year round. I would gladly pay a reasonable amount for it in HD. I do realize my opinion will not be that of many others.
Fastman

I recently installed an OTA antenna. I live in Farmington, 3 miles S of town.
Here's the results:
W* HD9500P > CM AP4800 > 75' RG6 > D*921 > splitter > 35' RG6 > D*811.
Both TV's are S* KP-51HW-40 R/Proj
Antenna pointed to 43°, 25' from ground.
Signal strength:
KTVI/DT - 95-100
KMOV/DT - 110-115
KSDK/DT - 110-115
KPLR/DT - 90-95
KDNL/DT - 95-100
---------
KNLC/DT - 45-50 / no picture
KETC/DT - 45-50 / no picture

Thank you to everyone here for all your knowledge and information.

---------
kd

Here is a thought for all of you. From what has been discussed, it sounds like Sinclair wants roughly $0.50 per subscriber for HD. Would everyone here be willing to pay an extra $0.50 per month to have ABC-HD on one of the providers besides the free OTA? Also, how about another $0.50 for FSMW-HD?

Keep in mind that Sinclair doesn't want 50 cents for every HD subscriber...they want 50 cents for EVERY cable subscriber period. So every subscriber with a 20 yr old 19-inch tv would be paying it too. Tell me how you would convince them to raise the bill for HD.

I got my Moxi and mate installed on Thursday afternoon. The guy did a great job, except for a couple of settings. He forgot to update the settings in the moxi menu to check off the 1080i and the Dolby Digital. Other than that, everything was in working order. He was here for maybe 35 minutes, very friendly, and seemed to know what he was doing. I have been recording, pausing, etc...ever since. It all works great. Picture quality is great, menu response time is great. I couldn't be happier. Awesome product.

I'm having my Moxi replaced tomorrow. It's been resetting like crazy. Twice this week it deleted all of my settings. Today I tried to watch something recorded and it reset 4 times in a 30 min program. I wonder if I can get the bigger moxi without having to have the mate.

I recently installed an OTA antenna. I live in Farmington, 3 miles S of town.
Here's the results:
W* HD9500P > CM AP4800 > 75' RG6 > D*921 > splitter > 35' RG6 > D*811.
Both TV's are S* KP-51HW-40 R/Proj
Antenna pointed to 43°, 25' from ground.
Signal strength:
KTVI/DT - 95-100
KMOV/DT - 110-115
KSDK/DT - 110-115
KPLR/DT - 90-95
KDNL/DT - 95-100
---------
KNLC/DT - 45-50 / no picture
KETC/DT - 45-50 / no picture

Thank you to everyone here for all your knowledge and information.

---------
kd


What about WRBU? =]

What about WRBU? =]
WRBU/DT 47: 40-45 / no picture

I read a rumor on a STLToday forum that the Blues game tonight on KPLR may be broadcast in HD. Again, this is only a rumor.

I have emailed KPLR's programming dept in hopes of getting confirmation.

WRBU/DT 47: 40-45 / no picture

I was just giving you a hard time. I can't get it either.

Well, I can get it, it just means that I have to sacrifice NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and WB11.

I was just giving you a hard time. I can't get it either.Ah... :) that's not hard to do...it took me 6 months of reading and research to get this far.

Well, I can get it, it just means that I have to sacrifice NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and WB11.When I was doing the probing, I also was able to get weak, but viewable signals from WRBU, KETC, and KNLC, but as you said, I would lose the other five. Prolly with a rotor I could get them all, but I never watch any of them.

As you can see, I'm fairly new here (although I have been lurking for a few weeks). I subscribed to digital cable from Charter last year and watched it on my 27" tube TV and had no complaints. I canceled my subscription in May but I have since re-subscribed, and as of yesterday I subscribe to the Biggest Package. I also changed TVs and now use a 42" Panasonic plasma TV.

Now for the couple of weeks that I had my plasma TV prior to getting digital cable, I was receiving regular analog cable. The picture quality was never fantastic, but everything was pretty much watchable. Now that I have digital cable, a lot of the channels look like poorly encoded DiVx movies. This problem is particularly noticeable during football games. Sometimes it get so bad that I just can't stand to watch. I've noticed, though, that the digital channels (that's what you call the channels above 100, right?) are all crystal clear, save for the occasional pixel-y dropout (another problem I may have to contact Charter about). So some questions I have:

1. Is it common to have this kind of picture problems for the lower (analog?) channels when watching on a large screen?

2. Is this something Charter could fix?

3. Are any of the lower channels supposed to be digital? Or are they already digital and my understanding of the analog/digital distinction is just flawed?

Thanks much for all of your help. Great forum, great thread.

goodrev-

Welcome to the 'hood.

All of your Charter channels should be all-digital soon. Some areas have been fully upgraded, the others are in progress. You should have some additional digital channels now below 100 such as ESPN, etc.

Just sounds like that your new HD monitor is showing all of the visible flaws in the analog lineup due to the display's larger size & better resolution.

Anyone watching the Blues game on KPLR-DT tonight? This by far has to be the worst picture quality I have ever seen on a digital channel. There seems to be a "snow" like effect happening. I give KPLR an F.

I never watch hockey but I flipped over to 11.001 during the baseball game just to check it out and I couldn't believe how bad it was - horrible!! The baseball game on Fox looked awsome.

Yep, pretty rancid picture quality. And goaltending.

Yea, the picture quality for the SD Blues broadcast was horrific. I took the opportunity to flip thru a bunch of different SD channels just to make sure there wasn't a larger issue, but the only channel that looked that bad was KPLR. I hope this is a one time thing and not a new trend for them.

But of course, the game on HDNet was simply gorgeous. It is getting to the point that I can't watch sports in SD anymore.


Bruce
HD Sports Snob :)

Bruce
HD Sports Snob :)

I said it first, now Bruce....We admitted we had a problem....Do we need weekly meetings? Anyone want to join us?

Tim

I thought most of the sports on Charter's digital channels look horrible. In fact I have only seen minimual if any improvement since they went all digital.

I said it first, now Bruce....We admitted we had a problem....Do we need weekly meetings? Anyone want to join us?

Tim

I once watched women's tennis solely because it was in HD.

[and not a match with attractive ladies either]

Uh...anyone know why KTVI is forcing standard def on the rams game, 12:53p?

The game started out in HD, then all of a sudden they went to SD.

When will the networks actually get HD broadcasting right? Constant issues with almost every network.....utterly ridiculous...

The game started out in HD, then all of a sudden they went to SD.

When will the networks actually get HD broadcasting right? Constant issues with almost every network.....utterly ridiculous...


I just called KTVI and they said there was an issue with sun spots. Never heard that one before.

I know that Satellite has an issue with sun spots but I tried this through the HD tuner on my television and on my E* 811 box. Both are showing the game in HD now.

Huh??? I just spoke with KTVI too. They said they didn't know there was a problem, and that was speaking with the technical dept. He said he was going to make some phone calls to see what was up.

idiots...

Well, to be fair, if the national broadcast is being disrupted by sunspots (satellite being the method by which they get the national broadcast), I can understand that, however how difficult is it to put a small message up on the screen rather than just making it look like someone has fallent asleep at the switchboard again?

Because there are so few hardcore HD viewers and even fewer who will actually complain.

Sad, but I believe true.

Well, to be fair, if the national broadcast is being disrupted by sunspots (satellite being the method by which they get the national broadcast), I can understand that, however how difficult is it to put a small message up on the screen rather than just making it look like someone has fallent asleep at the switchboard again?

BigDaddy up a few posts said his E* HD broadcast is working, so this must not be a national broadcast issue...

There we go...

I know that Satellite has an issue with sun spots but I tried this through the HD tuner on my television and on my E* 811 box. Both are showing the game in HD now.

Last night there were problems with Fuji TV's feed of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix from Suzuka. The SPEED commentators said it was due to sunspots. OTOH: just about every F1 GP has issues with the feed at some point of the race from the host television service.

Unfortunately I had nothing to compare it to, since the national broadcast on *D Fox East is the Buccaneers and Jets. HD on that was fine, BTW. No SD there.

They posted in the NFL threads in the HD Programming forum that there are solar issues today. It has affected many of the games at least temporarily.

Ken believes that main network feeds on satellite were not disrupted because of a direct fiber run.

Ok guys here's the story on the sun outages. Fox sent out an email to their stations that they would have to manually switch between the main and back up satellite feeds to work around the outage which lasts about 10 minutes at each station as it moves across the U.S. from West to East. Our ABC network does the switching between satellites by computer, so our operators don't have to be on top of it. The problem with the HD feed is that the networks don't have a back up HD feed...yet. Remember there's no direct revenue tied to the HD channel, so until analog goes away it takes a back seat. Fox instructed the stations to switch to the SD feed during the outage...hopefully my stations did it. Another problem is most stations don't have the equipment to super a message on the HD feed only. Hang in there it'll get better.
Jim

Guys I just had my TV calibrated yesterday by Doug, aka DropTheRemote. Truly worth every penny. I will post a review this week.

Moxi Media Center Tops 100,000 units at Charter

The following is from PR Newswire, via Yahoo:
_____________________________________

KIRKLAND, Wash., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Digeo, Inc. today announced Charter Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHTR - News) has reached the 100,000 unit milestone in the deployment of Moxi(TM) Media Centers in Charter markets.

"The Charter DVR with Moxi is a true value-add to our customers, especially in view of today's highly competitive marketplace," said Barbara Hedges, Corporate Vice President of Video Product Management for Charter. "We've recently deployed multi-room DVR, which extends full Media Center functionality to multiple televisions, including the ability to pause and record live TV and view DVDs in the second room.

"The multi-room solution networks the Charter DVR with Moxi to an extension box using existing coaxial cable wiring within the home. Known as the Moxi Mate(TM), the multi-room solution enables Charter customers to easily share digital content, such as recorded programs, DVD content and photos, between two televisions within the same household," Ms. Hedges continued.
_____________________________________

The full story can be found here. (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051010/sfm055.html?.v=25)

Just found this handy calculator which can compute when/if sun-fade will be a problem. Might be handy for some (or maybe not :p ).

Sun-Fade Calculator (http://www.spacecom.com/customer_tools/html/body_sunoutage_calc.htm)

Signia,

Thanks for the initial feedback on your calibration -- I'll look forward to reading the review.

Also, I just wanted to thank everyone for the positive response over the past week to my Playoff calibration offer. I still have a Tuesday opening as far as "non-gameday" appointments go this week, though it's also possible that some other slots will open up if any of the Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday games are played at night.

I think Bud Selig is actually trying to figure out a way for the Cards to play at midnight CDT, so at this point, anything's possible... ;)

The lights started blinking on my main moxi box this afternoon. I turned on the TV and nothing was working. I unplugged and replugged the moxi unit and after it rebooted everything was fine. Any idea on what caused this? or is there an easier way to fix since the rebooting took several minutes?

Is is just me, or does ABC's LOST still have some noticable lip sync issues? It's not as bad as the obvious ones during the season premiere, but it still seems off.

Is is just me, or does ABC's LOST still have some noticable lip sync issues? It's not as bad as the obvious ones during the season premiere, but it still seems off.

No sync issues for me during last week's episode "Orientation" on the HD Tivo. I had a sync problem only during the season premiere.

I reside in the Wildwood area of St. Louis. Recently installed a DirecTV HD/w. over the air antenna. Was able to pick up all the HD signals broadcasting in St. Louis - only channel giving me problem is ABC. The audio is out of sync. to the video about a 2 sec. delayed. Any advice to remedy this problem is appreciated.

Yep, I checked out a little bit of Lost on my Dish 942 after watching over at Bob's, and didn't see any big sync issues either(other than my kichen sink).

jdurbin,

On the calibration appointment, I'll send you a PM later today with more details. On the second display, I'd knock $100 off the list price cost there, too. For both phosphor-based (CRT and plasma) and lamp-based displays (DLP, LCD, LCoS), I recommend that the display have logged 75+ hours before undergoing calibration.

Of course, I'm all-too familiar with the the economic and the emotional issues relating to the incremental cost of havng a display calibrated. But another way of looking at that is the fact that calibration produces tangible results (measurable improvement in imaging accuracy), whereas extras like top-drawer interconnect cables or power conditioners produce marginal additional value.

On the Oppo DVD player, I've seen this player very recently at a couple of clients, and it is very nice and tough to beat for the price. However, be aware that there are some limitations to this player, and one of these is particularly relevant for you -- the player's component video outputs are limited to 480-line interlaced video (no progressive output, no upscaling). Your TV would scale the 480i input to 720p and that should work OK, but the benefits of the Oppo scaling performance would be negated when you use analog output.

Less relevant for you is the fact that the Oppo player is also not capable of outputting 480i DVI, which would be very useful for systems where an external video processor/scaler, such as a Lumagen or DVDO, is already in place.

Valid points. I have seen similar comments in one of the OPPO threads. I amusing the DVI-HDMI cable so there are no problems. NOW, once I get around to hooking up my HTPC I may have to revisit the issue. One possibility is a switchbox or I can run component out of the HTPC. We'll see. My weekends are so busy I never get 1/2 of my projects done.

Saw the sunspot posts and wondering if it has anything to do with my not being able to get Fox OTA since yesterday afternoon. I've got a Dish 811 and no problems on other locals.

The installer this past Friday told me they only get $15.50 per install! That would explain the crummy attitudes and why they rush around so much... :rolleyes:

You can't make a living on $15.50 per install even if you could do 3 of them an hour. He's full of crap.

Because there are so few hardcore HD viewers and even fewer who will actually complain.

Sad, but I believe true.

Can you guys post the contact numbers for the right departments? If we all have the numbers programmed into our speed dials or cell phones we can collectively barrage them with calls and amplify the sound of our discontent.

I reside in the Wildwood area of St. Louis. Recently installed a DirecTV HD/w. over the air antenna. Was able to pick up all the HD signals broadcasting in St. Louis - only channel giving me problem is ABC. The audio is out of sync. to the video about a 2 sec. delayed. Any advice to remedy this problem is appreciated.

What part of Wildwood are you in? I am right off Clayton Road near Thunderhead Canyon. I have determined that my roofline barely reaches over a ridgeline but I still have other homes on top of the ridge to contend with. I am concerned I will go to the expense and hassle of an OTA anetenna and still not get reception.

Actually, my house is located in the valley of St. Albans which is next to Wildwood - HWY T and St. Albans Rd.

Is is just me, or does ABC's LOST still have some noticable lip sync issues? It's not as bad as the obvious ones during the season premiere, but it still seems off.
Purchased an LCD TV w/internal ATSC tuner less than a month ago. Have watched 3 ABC network Monday Night Football games with NO out of sync sound problems. However, EVERY broadcast from ABC in HD in that time period has had noticeable lip sync problems, including LOST, Invasion, Commander In Chief, Desperate Housewives--all of the HD that I've attempted to watch. Switch to the analog (with a poor picture on LCD TV) and it's fine; also, DT w/o HD is okay. Is the problem with the local station feed from ABC??? Would like to hear from others who are using OTA signals if they are having sound sync problems!

The lights started blinking on my main moxi box this afternoon. I turned on the TV and nothing was working. I unplugged and replugged the moxi unit and after it rebooted everything was fine. Any idea on what caused this? or is there an easier way to fix since the rebooting took several minutes?

I saw something similiar this weekend. There was a real quick power flicker at my house and it knocked the Moxi out. The LCD display was flickering like mad. I also had to unplug it because it didn't respond to any button presses. I've had a Moxi since pretty much right when they came out (upgraded to the Mate) and this was new to me.

I think Bud Selig is actually trying to figure out a way for the Cards to play at midnight CDT, so at this point, anything's possible...

Does this mean no sun spots?

I reside in the Wildwood area of St. Louis. Recently installed a DirecTV HD/w. over the air antenna. Was able to pick up all the HD signals broadcasting in St. Louis - only channel giving me problem is ABC. The audio is out of sync. to the video about a 2 sec. delayed. Any advice to remedy this problem is appreciated.

Two whole seconds on just one channel???? No way. A few hundred milliseconds, maybe. Audio does travel at the speed of light until it's decoded by your set. Channel 30 has a known sync issue, but I've never sen it that bad. Your receiving location has no effect on the sync issue. It's being transmitted that way and you either get the signal or you don't.

Two whole seconds on just one channel???? No way. A few hundred milliseconds, maybe. Audio does travel at the speed of light until it's decoded by your set. Channel 30 has a known sync issue, but I've never sen it that bad. Your receiving location has no effect on the sync issue. It's being transmitted that way and you either get the signal or you don't.

I've seen pretty bad sync from local HD broadcasts and enough that I couldn't correct them using my AV processor (which adjusts to 220 ms.). Maybe not 2 seconds but definitely between .5 and 1 sec. I also get bad audio sync from ESPN HD from DirecTV. This has happened with 3 different STBs, so it's not my equipment.

No sync issues for me during last week's episode "Orientation" on the HD Tivo. I had a sync problem only during the season premiere.The problem I am seeing isn't near as bad as the one during the premiere, but if I watch "too" closely it seems the audio is ever so slightly ahead (IIRC).

Speaking of OTA audio, why is our local NBC only sending out 3-channel Dolby Digital audio? At least that is what I am seeing during Nextel Cup races and ER shows. I don't think it's a national feed thing because the NASCAR race actually advertises that the broadcast is in "Sony HD Audio" surround sound. :confused:

I saw something similiar this weekend. There was a real quick power flicker at my house and it knocked the Moxi out. The LCD display was flickering like mad. I also had to unplug it because it didn't respond to any button presses. I've had a Moxi since pretty much right when they came out (upgraded to the Mate) and this was new to me.

So would an uninterruptible power supply be a thought? Not to record during extended power outages but when there are "burps" like this?

I've been on a regular Moxi waiting list for 3 months now. Maybe I should get a UPS, if the Moxi ever comes? :rolleyes:

I saw something similiar this weekend. There was a real quick power flicker at my house and it knocked the Moxi out. The LCD display was flickering like mad. I also had to unplug it because it didn't respond to any button presses. I've had a Moxi since pretty much right when they came out (upgraded to the Mate) and this was new to me.

Sounds like what happened to mine. Glad to hear that this does not occur often.

I just wanted to say WOOOOHOOO.... Appears like the all digital transformation is finally complete in my hood. Picture looks much better now. Now my only on going complaint with charter is lack of decent hard drive space in the moxi.


-Phatty

I just wanted to say WOOOOHOOO.... Appears like the all digital transformation is finally complete in my hood. Picture looks much better now. Now my only on going complaint with charter is lack of decent hard drive space in the moxi.


That is exactly why I won't consider Charter.

I am the proud recipient of a (birthday) Moxi with Mate. I've never had DVR before--seems pretty sweet so far.

My install experience:
Install was originally scheduled for 1-5pm, my wife got a call from Charter about 4pm that the window had moved to 4:45-7:30 pm. He arrived at 6pm, pulled in the driveway the same time as the pizza man.

Ding-dong..... Pizza and DVR!
What more could a man ask for on his birthday?

Install went very well, but the whole time I had to listen to the guy rant and rave about how horrible Charter has been lately to their installers. "Worst I've seen it in my 21 years installing cable."

He says that 75% or more of DVR installs either fail or go horribly long because of either improperly initiated hardware or long, long wait times on dial-in support (they have to call at least 2 separate times to get the hardware running properly, even in best-case scenarios). He said that yesterday he waited on hold 35 minutes before hanging up. Mine was his second Moxi with Mate install, but he said that every time the installers see an install job for a DVR, they cringe.

And to support what someone else mentioned on these boards, he said that yes, they get paid by the install, not by the hour. He said "If an install goes 2 hours, which is normal for these blasted DVRs, that's only $7.50/hour". This supports what someone else mentioned about only getting paid $15 per install.

I already had quality cable and splitters, so just waiting on hold is what took the longest for my install. He was out the door by 7:15.

As for picture quality, its on par with my prior digital cable box. (I don't have an HDTV yet.... its still my birthday for another 20 minutes, though. I can always hope :))

I also finally got the full digital conversion. Great picture quality with no degradation on the previously digital-SD and HD channels.

Is there anyone now who hasn't received the full digital conversion?

I recently moved to Ballwin and had DTV install a OTA antenna. Problem is I am not picking up CBS consistently. All the other Channels are rock solid the Antenna seems to be pointed correctly. I am just curious if anyone else has problems in the same area? I am off Sorrento Dr and Sulphur Springs. Any Ideas or recommendations for a Antenna? I was thinking about picking up a silver sensor and messing around with that. I did notice DTV isntalled a differant antenna.
I have to have CBS for SEC and NFL Football


Pat

Legislation Expected Soon on Analog Shutdown Deadline

From today's SkyREPORT newsletter:

______________________________________________

Oct. 19 figures to be a big day for TV and communications interests on Capitol Hill.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) scheduled a full committee mark-up a week from today for his much-anticipated digital TV transition bill. Also slated for mark-up is the "Truth in Broadcasting Act" and "IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act," which targets emergency capabilities for VoIP services.

Last week, Stevens said a DTV bill from his committee would address a hard date for a switch from analog to digital TV and would explore a subsidy program that would pay for analog/digital TV converter boxes for consumers without a DTV set.
______________________________________________

I noticed the INHD logo coming up on Channel 791 again out in St. Peters. So, I e-mailed some contacts and it seems that Charter is leaving channel 791 as a "special events" HD outlet. Major Events that are simulcast in HD would be available on a PPV basis.

I recently moved to Ballwin and had DTV install a OTA antenna. Problem is I am not picking up CBS consistently. All the other Channels are rock solid the Antenna seems to be pointed correctly. I am just curious if anyone else has problems in the same area? I am off Sorrento Dr and Sulphur Springs. Any Ideas or recommendations for a Antenna? I was thinking about picking up a silver sensor and messing around with that. I did notice DTV isntalled a differant antenna.
I have to have CBS for SEC and NFL Football


Pat
I'm in Kirkwood and using the Terk HDTVi indoor antenna (similar to Silver Sensor); receive all OTA channels except UPN though occasionally CBS does break up. Only once did CBS digital signal go out for about 30 minutes in the evening a week ago and then it came back on and has been fine since.

DISH Gains FCC OK On Use of "VOOM" Satellite Slots

The story below is a "breaking news" story from SkyREPORT newsletter.

FWIW, DISH had previously indicated interest in adding the other VOOM channels not currently offered, and this approval probably paves the way for that to happen. DISH previously talked about further VOOM additions happening sometime in 2006.

I suspect that bulk of the "VOOM" satellite capacity will be used for other purposes, possibly including HD locals.
____________________________________________

This morning, the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission reported that EchoStar's proposed acquisition of satellite assets once controlled by Rainbow DBS won regulatory approval. The Rainbow DBS assets were used by Rainbow to deliver services for the now-defunct VOOM satellite TV service.

EchoStar had agreed to purchase Rainbow 1, a satellite located at 61.5 degrees, together with the rights to 11 DBS frequencies at that location. The satellite includes 13 frequencies, up to 12 of which can be operated in spot beam mode.

EchoStar also operates from the 61.5-degree location.
____________________________________________

For more satellite news, go to www.skyreport.com.

Actually, my house is located in the valley of St. Albans which is next to Wildwood - HWY T and St. Albans Rd.

Wow! And you were able to get OTA reception?!? I guess my next weekend project is to try to install an OTA antenna and see what happens. Thanks!

Legislation Expected Soon on Analog Shutdown Deadline

Last week, Stevens said a DTV bill from his committee would address a hard date for a switch from analog to digital TV and would explore a subsidy program that would pay for analog/digital TV converter boxes for consumers without a DTV set.
______________________________________________

Why should I pay taxes to subsidize some poor schmo's purchase of a converter? I just dropped over $2k on my HDTV. They can pay a couple hundred for a converter or drop the boob tube entirely!

I am the proud recipient of a (birthday) Moxi with Mate. I've never had DVR before--seems pretty sweet so far.

My install experience:
Install was originally scheduled for 1-5pm, my wife got a call from Charter about 4pm that the window had moved to 4:45-7:30 pm. He arrived at 6pm, pulled in the driveway the same time as the pizza man.

Ding-dong..... Pizza and DVR!
What more could a man ask for on his birthday?

Install went very well, but the whole time I had to listen to the guy rant and rave about how horrible Charter has been lately to their installers. "Worst I've seen it in my 21 years installing cable."

He says that 75% or more of DVR installs either fail or go horribly long because of either improperly initiated hardware or long, long wait times on dial-in support (they have to call at least 2 separate times to get the hardware running properly, even in best-case scenarios). He said that yesterday he waited on hold 35 minutes before hanging up. Mine was his second Moxi with Mate install, but he said that every time the installers see an install job for a DVR, they cringe.

And to support what someone else mentioned on these boards, he said that yes, they get paid by the install, not by the hour. He said "If an install goes 2 hours, which is normal for these blasted DVRs, that's only $7.50/hour". This supports what someone else mentioned about only getting paid $15 per install.

I already had quality cable and splitters, so just waiting on hold is what took the longest for my install. He was out the door by 7:15.

As for picture quality, its on par with my prior digital cable box. (I don't have an HDTV yet.... its still my birthday for another 20 minutes, though. I can always hope :))


HAH! Happy Birthday ... seems like you got the SAME installer I had! He couldn't stop whining about everything. He loved HDTV, so setting it up was a pleasure for him, but Charter was not his friend! :D

Why should I pay taxes to subsidize some poor schmo's purchase of a converter? I just dropped over $2k on my HDTV. They can pay a couple hundred for a converter or drop the boob tube entirely!

I second that!

I am the proud recipient of a (birthday) Moxi with Mate. I've never had DVR before--seems pretty sweet so far.

My install experience:
Install was originally scheduled for 1-5pm, my wife got a call from Charter about 4pm that the window had moved to 4:45-7:30 pm. He arrived at 6pm, pulled in the driveway the same time as the pizza man.

Ding-dong..... Pizza and DVR!
What more could a man ask for on his birthday?

Install went very well, but the whole time I had to listen to the guy rant and rave about how horrible Charter has been lately to their installers. "Worst I've seen it in my 21 years installing cable."

He says that 75% or more of DVR installs either fail or go horribly long because of either improperly initiated hardware or long, long wait times on dial-in support (they have to call at least 2 separate times to get the hardware running properly, even in best-case scenarios). He said that yesterday he waited on hold 35 minutes before hanging up. Mine was his second Moxi with Mate install, but he said that every time the installers see an install job for a DVR, they cringe.

And to support what someone else mentioned on these boards, he said that yes, they get paid by the install, not by the hour. He said "If an install goes 2 hours, which is normal for these blasted DVRs, that's only $7.50/hour". This supports what someone else mentioned about only getting paid $15 per install.

I already had quality cable and splitters, so just waiting on hold is what took the longest for my install. He was out the door by 7:15.

As for picture quality, its on par with my prior digital cable box. (I don't have an HDTV yet.... its still my birthday for another 20 minutes, though. I can always hope :))

Sounds like the installer dude needs some cheese with his whine.

Most STL Digital Broadcasters Decide to Stay Put in UHF Band

FYI -- the FCC recently has revealed the nominations made by local TV stations around the country for their permanent digital channel assignment. Basically this requires broadcasters to decide to return to their longtime analog channel or remain at their current digital channel once the analog shutdown occurs.

Stations were required to decide in February 2005 which channel it would be, and the FCC has recently compiled those nominations and published that information here. (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-1743A2.xls)

It appears that of those St. Louis stations making their nomination, all have decided to remain at their current digital (UHF) slot.

However, KETC and KMOV are absent from the FCC's published list.

I'm not sure why KETC hasn't decided yet -- maybe there's a different deadline for public broadcasters. On KMOV, this is probably related to the fact that they do not have the option to remain at channel 56, as all broadcasters are being herded to channels 50 and below, so that more contiguous spectrum can be auctioned off.

It would seem that the easy thing for KMOV would be to return to channel 4 once analog broadcasting is ended, but it appears that they haven't done that -- at least not yet. It's possible that KMOV is still working with the FCC to arrange for a new UHF channel assignment.

I also finally got the full digital conversion. Great picture quality with no degradation on the previously digital-SD and HD channels.

Is there anyone now who hasn't received the full digital conversion?

I haven't received it in Chesterfield, and everytime I see one of these messages I think "Is everyone on crack?". Since The Cartoon Network is a nightly hit for me, I check everyday. The display still comes up NTSC while digital channels come up 480i...

I haven't received it in Chesterfield, and everytime I see one of these messages I think "Is everyone on crack?".

Someone finally figured out our secret around here...

For those that might be interested, it looks like my review samples of DSP5200s are going to arrive on Friday, and if that's the case I'll have a full Meridian Digital Theatre running Friday night or Saturday.

If anyone wants to pop by and hear a Meridian Digital Theatre before it's fully tweaked out (ie I haven't gotten everything placed just right) let me know :)

Cheers,

Stupid question... What does this mean for my Silver Sensor antenna?

Most STL Digital Broadcasters Decide to Stay Put in UHF Band

FYI -- the FCC recently has revealed the nominations made by local TV stations around the country for their permanent digital channel assignment. Basically this requires broadcasters to decide to return to their longtime analog channel or remain at their current digital channel once the analog shutdown occurs.

Stations were required to decide in February 2005 which channel it would be, and the FCC has recently compiled those nominations and published that information here. (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-05-1743A2.xls)

It appears that of those St. Louis stations making their nomination, all have decided to remain at their current digital (UHF) slot.

However, KETC and KMOV are absent from the FCC's published list.

I'm not sure why KETC hasn't decided yet -- maybe there's a different deadline for public broadcasters. On KMOV, this is probably related to the fact that they do not have the option to remain at channel 56, as all broadcasters are being herded to channels 50 and below, so that more contiguous spectrum can be auctioned off.

It would seem that the easy thing for KMOV would be to return to channel 4 once analog broadcasting is ended, but it appears that they haven't done that -- at least not yet. It's possible that KMOV is still working with the FCC to arrange for a new UHF channel assignment.

I haven't received it in Chesterfield, and everytime I see one of these messages I think "Is everyone on crack?". Since The Cartoon Network is a nightly hit for me, I check everyday. The display still comes up NTSC while digital channels come up 480i...

I am in Chesterfield and have not received it either. Although I don't really know how to tell other than the non-HD/Digital channcels look like crap. Is there an easier way? Where are you seeing NTSC or 480i?

WinstonSmith asks (in regards to local stations selecting to stay at their UHF frequencies):

Stupid question... What does this mean for my Silver Sensor antenna?

It means you don't have to change a thing.

For me, I think I'll probably change over to a 4 or 8-bay bowtie. There's little reason to keep the current antenna up and running.

Cheers,

Most STL Digital Broadcasters Decide to Stay Put in UHF Band

It would seem that the easy thing for KMOV would be to return to channel 4 once analog broadcasting is ended, but it appears that they haven't done that -- at least not yet. It's possible that KMOV is still working with the FCC to arrange for a new UHF channel assignment.

I sure hope they stay with UHF. It would stink to have to add a single VHF antenna to my UHF. Unless of course I could get better reception on VHF from reflections....

Check out Channel 5 DT. Their HD Time shifter is a disaster. Constant breakups, dropouts, flashes and long frame freezes during Leno tonight. Why can't these guys get it right? A thousand-dollar (now $500) HD-TiVo would perform far better. HD shouldn't be this experimental in 2005.

Whatever happenned to "Broadcast Quality"? Jeez!

Legislation Expected Soon on Analog Shutdown Deadline

From today's SkyREPORT newsletter:

______________________________________________

Oct. 19 figures to be a big day for TV and communications interests on Capitol Hill.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) scheduled a full committee mark-up a week from today for his much-anticipated digital TV transition bill. Also slated for mark-up is the "Truth in Broadcasting Act" and "IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act," which targets emergency capabilities for VoIP services.

Last week, Stevens said a DTV bill from his committee would address a hard date for a switch from analog to digital TV and would explore a subsidy program that would pay for analog/digital TV converter boxes for consumers without a DTV set.
______________________________________________

I sure hope we don't have to subsidize set top boxes, but I've been worried about the consumer backlash when analog goes away. I predict the clueless masses who don't have cable or satellite will totally blow a fuse despite the fact that there's been news out for many years. I know my 76 year old mother in law, even though she is of sound mind, will not understand why the analog broadcast will be going away. Heck, she still listens to KMOX. Its been so long since I've listened to AM radio I can't remember how bad it is.

If the TV stations have any ethics, they should make periodic short countdown announcements starting the day the transition date is set, but they probably won't. They'll wait until the last minute to tell the clueless, then the blame game will begin. I can't wait!

Broadcast quality? When did you ever see channel 5 handle HD with any kind of skill or good quality?

Is it my imagination, or does CBS and the CBS affiliates seem to handle HD much better than the competition?

Cheers,

"Cable Guy" Evolves

The following story is from today's Boston Globe and was provided via a link in today's tvpredictions.com newsletter.

______________________________________________

Mandel Fernandes spent 45 minutes installing cable TV and high-speed Internet service in Amanda Mendonza's Charlestown apartment, running wires and connecting converter boxes to televisions.

These days, Fernandes, a veteran installer for Comcast Corp., spends much of his time explaining the dizzying capabilities of modern cable to clients. It's a sign of how the job -- not long ago one so pedestrian it inspired popular comedian ''Larry the Cable Guy's" blue-collar schtick -- has morphed into a highly skilled trade as cable companies have plunged into the Internet, phone, and media businesses. That shift in the industry has also made the installer one of the most critical, if unheralded, positions in the cable industry, analysts said.

With cable companies counting on low service costs, high margins on premium services like high-speed Internet, and low customer turnover to stay profitable, the cable guy is perhaps their most important weapon.

''How long he takes and how good a job he does determines the profitability of his company," said Josh Bernoff, an analyst who covers the cable industry for Forrester Research. ''I have three years of graduate study in mathematics at MIT, and I couldn't do that job."
______________________________________________

For the complete story, click here. (http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2005/10/12/cable_guy_the_next_generation/)

John,

CBS is better, but still has problem with the surround sound from time to time. I think the primetime HD/SD switching is handled from CBS network control, rather than locally.

I think FOX (KTVI) probably does the best overall job in terms of reliability, followed by the WB (KPLR) and then KMOV and KDNL (ABC) running side by side. KETC (PBS) racks up major demerits for extreme multi-casting.

KSDK (NBC) brings up the rear in the style we've become accustomed to. WRBU (UPN) gets an incomplete.

BTW, anyone interested in the topic of HD picture quality should try to check out the latest "Industry Insiders" program cuirrently running in the HDNet rotation. This is basically just "point and shoot" coverage of speakers and panels at the DisplaySearch meeting of TV programmers and distributors.

There's been several programs extracted from this conference, including Mark Cuban's keynote address where he warns program makers that distributors applying excessive compression are undermining their investiments in quality programming and making them look bad.

The latest HDNet coverage from this conference includes a very interesting discussion of the issues surrounding HDTV as a business opportunity, with a particular focus on multicasting. In addition, one of the speakers gives an excellent tutorial on how to spot video artifacts caused by excess compression.

In discussing different approaches to multicasting, one of the speakers notes that the PBS station in his market multicasts five different non-HD program streams during the daytime hours, but then shuts everything down for a single HD channel during prime time.

IMO, this is the perfect model for multicasting (and the only one that I'll find acceptable, as a viewer).

Speaking of OTA audio, why is our local NBC only sending out 3-channel Dolby Digital audio? At least that is what I am seeing during Nextel Cup races and ER shows. I don't think it's a national feed thing because the NASCAR race actually advertises that the broadcast is in "Sony HD Audio" surround sound. :confused:So no one here watches ER or Nextel Cup racing? :(

STL,

There's actually been quite a lot of discussion here of NBC's poor handling of Dolby Digital.

If you scroll back a few weeks back here, I recall that someone reported that at one point KSDK had actually fixed the 5.1 sound, but then received complaints from another group of (supposedly non-surround) customers who were getting strange sound. As a result of those complaints, KSDK returned to screwed-up surround sound.

This probably indicates that either KSDK doesn't have a way of routinely monitoring sound, or if does it simply doesn't care about getting it right.

IMO, not caring seems to be the dominant theme at KSDK when it comes to HD.

So no one here watches ER or Nextel Cup racing? :(

No, I watch real auto racing. :D

I've had an interesting problem with audio on primetime HD broadcasts, and have only noticed it with channels 4 and 5.

I have a DD PLIIx pre/pro. Sometimes I get no sound from the center channel. But if I switch processing to anything but PL IIx (DD 5.1 or DD EX for example) the center channel sound comes back. Wierd huh? Anyone else experience this?

Dean

I've had an interesting problem with audio on primetime HD broadcasts, and have only noticed it with channels 4 and 5.

I have a DD PLIIx pre/pro. Sometimes I get no sound from the center channel. But if I switch processing to anything but PL IIx (DD 5.1 or DD EX for example) the center channel sound comes back. Wierd huh? Anyone else experience this?

Dean

You are not alone. This has been an ongoing issue.

You are not alone. This has been an ongoing issue.

Great. Now I have to teach my wife how to switch processing modes, and what that means. She won't be happy (she just wants to push one power button, and change channel/volume).

Dean

No, I watch real auto racing. :DAnd that would be? I used to watch other open wheel racing, but NASCAR really is the most entertaining auto racing out there these days. Now if they would just get out of the stone ages technology-wise and transition to DOHC, fuel injection, etc! Hopefully Toyota entering the series will help push them that direction. BTW, I watch SPEED's World Challenge Touring Car Championship too. :p

Now I have to teach my wife how to switch processing modes, and what that means. She won't be happy (she just wants to push one power button, and change channel/volume).Sounds like you need a remote with macros!!!

STL,

There's actually been quite a lot of discussion here of NBC's poor handling of Dolby Digital.

If you scroll back a few weeks back here, I recall that someone reported that at one point KSDK had actually fixed the 5.1 sound, but then received complaints from another group of (supposedly non-surround) customers who were getting strange sound. As a result of those complaints, KSDK returned to screwed-up surround sound.

This probably indicates that either KSDK doesn't have a way of routinely monitoring sound, or if does it simply doesn't care about getting it right.

IMO, not caring seems to be the dominant theme at KSDK when it comes to HD.Thanks for the recap. I don't get to follow this thread as closely as I would like. I guess we all need to call/email to complain about the bogus 3-channel crap they are going now! :mad:

Why should I pay taxes to subsidize some poor schmo's purchase of a converter? I just dropped over $2k on my HDTV. They can pay a couple hundred for a converter or drop the boob tube entirely!

I understand the sentiment, and might agree if not for the terrible job done educating the public to the transition to digital TV. Some people have bought analog TV's in the last few years without understanding that they soon will be useless. I don't think you can just say to them, that's tough. A lot of people are going to make a lot of money on this transition, including Uncle Sam, when he auctions off the analog channels. I think using some of that money to help those who will have difficulty with the transition is more than fair, and it doesn't have to take much money out of the average taxpayer's pocket.

And that would be? I used to watch other open wheel racing, but NASCAR really is the most entertaining auto racing out there these days. Now if they would just get out of the stone ages technology-wise and transition to DOHC, fuel injection, etc! Hopefully Toyota entering the series will help push them that direction. BTW, I watch SPEED's World Challenge Touring Car Championship too. :p

I've tried to get into NASCAR, and have been aware of it for 35 years or so. I just can't stomach it. The only thing I ever get from it is the impression it's a contest to see who can be the most colorful personality and it's another excuse to drink beer. Even the media doesn't seem to take it seriously as a motorsport on its own, treating it more like a circus. Sorry, that's my take on it.

Otherwise, I don't care much for oval track racing period, preferring grand prix style instead. My favorite is Formula 1: my wife and I have subscription Stand A Penthouse tickets to the USGP each year, and we're taking 2 family members with us in 06. Next I like World Rally Championship racing, Rolex Series DP and GT racing, LeMans (ALMS and LMES). Basically, if it has left & right turns and chicanes, then I'm interested.


Sounds like you need a remote with macros!!!
I do have one, Home Theater Master MX-700 (see my sig). But I still have to explain to the wife what Mode is and why/when she should use it. Normally, I just keep the pre/pro on PLIIx Mov and everything is peachy. Well, I do switch it to Sport FX mode for the starting grid in F1. :)

Dean

I've tried to get into NASCAR, and have been aware of it for 35 years or so. I just can't stomach it. The only thing I ever get from it is the impression it's a contest to see who can be the most colorful personality and it's another excuse to drink beer. Even the media doesn't seem to take it seriously as a motorsport on its own, treating it more like a circus. Sorry, that's my take on it.Sounds like you really haven't watched it in at least 10 years. I know I've seen it really grow a lot in the last seven years alone. Maybe 35 years ago a "colorful personality" got you points but not since I've been watching. BTW, I don't drink beer (or anything alcoholic) while watching NASCAR racing, and I'm really not sure how it influences you to drink anymore than MLB or the NFL would?

Otherwise, I don't care much for oval track racing period, preferring grand prix style instead.I do enjoy it when the NASCAR visits the road tracks -- too bad it's only four times a season.

My favorite is Formula 1: my wife and I have subscription Stand A Penthouse tickets to the USGP each year, and we're taking 2 family members with us in 06. The last few times I tried to watch F1, I saw maybe 3 passes the entire race. While I like the courses, I don't like seeing all the cars finish almost exactly as they start.

Next I like World Rally Championship racing, Rolex Series DP and GT racing, LeMans (ALMS and LMES). Basically, if it has left & right turns and chicanes, then I'm interested.Oh yes, World Rally Championship racing -- I need to start watching that again. Now those guys can drive!!

I do have one, Home Theater Master MX-700 (see my sig). But I still have to explain to the wife what Mode is and why/when she should use it. Normally, I just keep the pre/pro on PLIIx Mov and everything is peachy. Well, I do switch it to Sport FX mode for the starting grid in F1. :)Maybe she needs here own remote -- something simple like a Sony VL900. I use the three main macros like this:
1) Turn on and setup everything for watching satellite
2) Turn on and setup everything for watching a DVD
3) Turn everything off
My wife seems to be fine with it.

Sounds like you really haven't watched it in at least 10 years. I know I've seen it really grow a lot in the last seven years alone. Maybe 35 years ago a "colorful personality" got you points but not since I've been watching. BTW, I don't drink beer (or anything alcoholic) while watching NASCAR racing, and I'm really not sure how it influences you to drink anymore than MLB or the NFL would?


I was actually thinking of how NASCAR is now. It just doesn't appeal to me. A friend of mine went to a NASCAR race and came back saying it was more like a keg party than a motorsport event. I find the whole super commercialization of NASCAR a complete turnoff. I don't expect I'll like it, and I don't see any reason to try further. It's not for me. Honestly, I get tired of evrytime I turn on the TV it's NASCAR this or NASCAR that, all with a circus atmosphere.

I agree F1 needs to promote more passing, and there is with some races (like the recent Japanese GP), but there's more to it than that. I could just as easily point out that NASCAR seems nothing more than a bunch of boring looking cars going wide open throttle around in circles with varying changes in position.


Maybe she needs here own remote -- something simple like a Sony VL900. I use the three main macros like this:
1) Turn on and setup everything for watching satellite
2) Turn on and setup everything for watching a DVD
3) Turn everything off
My wife seems to be fine with it.

What I have does those 3 steps just fine. But that's not the point. If CBS/NBC screw up the audio stream, I still have to show her something to change processor mode from PLIIx to something else to get the center channel sound back. I don't see how having a simpler remote (i.e. the Sony) helps. I still have to explain the audio problem and show the mode switch solution.

I understand the sentiment, and might agree if not for the terrible job done educating the public to the transition to digital TV. Some people have bought analog TV's in the last few years without understanding that they soon will be useless. I don't think you can just say to them, that's tough. A lot of people are going to make a lot of money on this transition, including Uncle Sam, when he auctions off the analog channels. I think using some of that money to help those who will have difficulty with the transition is more than fair, and it doesn't have to take much money out of the average taxpayer's pocket.

1) The broadcasters got the analog spectrum decades ago for free and they got the digital spectrum for free. But telecom firms have to pay for spectrum. Is that fair? Uncle Sam isn't some 3rd party - Uncle Sam is you and me. Why should I reach in my pocket and pay a subsidy to my neighbor because he/she didn't bother to get informed?

2) My sister (2 masters degrees - one of them an MBA from University of Chicago, the best business school in the world) and a buddy of mine BOTH purchased analog sets within the past few months even though they KNEW analog was going away. Analog sets have plunged in price because manufacturers know they are going away and they are pricing close to marginal cost rather than average cost. (I also have an MBA.) They made a conscious decision to get 'cheapie' analog TVs as stopgaps until they are forced to purchase digital. The drop in digital TVs between now and then will easily pay for the money they sank in standard def analog today.

3) It's not the government's or the broadcasters' or the manufacturers' responsibility to inform consumers. Consumers have an obligation to keep themselves informed. I remember getting a parking ticket when I was in college because I parked my car on the right side of the street but pointing in the 'wrong' direction. When I complained to city hall, they correctly stated "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!"

4) No one EVER wants to be responsible. It's always someone else's fault and responsibility.

I was actually thinking of how NASCAR is now. It just doesn't appeal to me. A friend of mine went to a NASCAR race and came back saying it was more like a keg party than a motorsport event. I find the whole super commercialization of NASCAR a complete turnoff. I don't expect I'll like it, and I don't see any reason to try further. It's not for me. Honestly, I get tired of evrytime I turn on the TV it's NASCAR this or NASCAR that, all with a circus atmosphere.

I agree F1 needs to promote more passing, and there is with some races (like the recent Japanese GP), but there's more to it than that. I could just as easily point out that NASCAR seems nothing more than a bunch of boring looking cars going wide open throttle around in circles with varying changes in position. I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one!! That said, maybe you're friend just sat in too cheap of seats (or was he just in the infield). I've been to several races myself -- all several years ago -- and the atmosphere does change a lot depending on the price of the seats. I can see where he'd get the kegger idea though. There are out two restrictor plate tracks (and maybe one other without the plates) where they run full throttle, but even there you have to know how to use the draft -- which is damn near a science itself.

What I have does those 3 steps just fine. But that's not the point. If CBS/NBC screw up the audio stream, I still have to show her something to change processor mode from PLIIx to something else to get the center channel sound back. I don't see how having a simpler remote (i.e. the Sony) helps. I still have to explain the audio problem and show the mode switch solution.I see now. I guess coming in towards the end of your conversation, I missed some things. Just have her macros default to plain old stereo mode -- no matter the source, the audio should dumb-down into stereo okay.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one!!

Agreed. I just don't like NASCAR. I don't get the allure of it. Never have. Never will. I accept that. :cool:

Just have her macros default to plain old stereo mode -- no matter the source, the audio should dumb-down into stereo okay.

I do not consider that a solution. I have an expensive, high quality 7.1 system. I did not buy it to dumb things down into stereo. The wife will learn to change processor mode when the broadcast stations screw up their audio bitstream. :eek:

Dean

Thanks! That's what I thought, but wasn't sure.


WinstonSmith asks (in regards to local stations selecting to stay at their UHF frequencies):



It means you don't have to change a thing.

For me, I think I'll probably change over to a 4 or 8-bay bowtie. There's little reason to keep the current antenna up and running.

Cheers,

I understand the sentiment, and might agree if not for the terrible job done educating the public to the transition to digital TV. Some people have bought analog TV's in the last few years without understanding that they soon will be useless. I don't think you can just say to them, that's tough. A lot of people are going to make a lot of money on this transition, including Uncle Sam, when he auctions off the analog channels. I think using some of that money to help those who will have difficulty with the transition is more than fair, and it doesn't have to take much money out of the average taxpayer's pocket.

And it should not. The money that the federal goverment makes from selling the analog stations should go directly into some sort of lame subsidy for converter boxes.

I haven't received it in Chesterfield, and everytime I see one of these messages I think "Is everyone on crack?". Since The Cartoon Network is a nightly hit for me, I check everyday. The display still comes up NTSC while digital channels come up 480i...

Well I finally joined the ranks of the rest of you crack heads.... I'm 100% digital out here in Chesterfield

What's most disturbing about this STB subsidy is the same thing that should be a major concern for all taxpayers -- how our legislators fail basic accounting at every single turn.

More than a decade ago, estimated proceeds from the auctioning of the returned broadcast TV spectrum was built into the long-term budget plan as a major element in reduction of the budget deficit. A decade is a long time, so now legislators are saying that they'll simply take the STB subsidy out of the sprectrum auction proceeds. I have little doubt that there won't be any reconciliation between the original auction funds/budget plug and the subsidy.

For that matter, by the time 2009 rolls around, it's quite likely that the original intended purpose for the auction funds will completely fade from the collective Beltway memory bank and all of that auction money (and then some) will be spent on some new, bright, shiny and frivolous entitlement program.

[QUOTE=DroptheRemote]John,

CBS is better, but still has problem with the surround sound from time to time. I think the primetime HD/SD switching is handled from CBS network control, rather than locally.
QUOTE]

Actually I think it's handled locally. there are plenty of times that KMOV doesn't flip the switch, so I'll watch the feed from NY in beautiful HD.

Scott

Hey Scott,

How do you manage to get a distant CBS feed in O'Fallon? Only distant feed I can get (from *D) is Fox, which would be least necessary of the big 4 nets for me since KTVI has so few problems.

I finally got Charter to come out and replace my moxi box that has been resetting like crazy. The installer noticed that my new moxi has firewire ports on the back that my other one did not. Does everyone have 2 usb ports on front and 2 firewire ports on back? I don't have the moxi box with the dvd player either. Are they active? Is there anything I can do with them like maybe increase my hard drive capacity by adding an additional hard drive? Ya I know, I'm dreaming on that one haha.

Hey Scott,

How do you manage to get a distant CBS feed in O'Fallon? Only distant feed I can get (from *D) is Fox, which would be least necessary of the big 4 nets for me since KTVI has so few problems.

Excellent question :)

Anyone thinking about putting an HTPC together will be interested in the FusionHDTV3 card at digitalconnection.com. Now that the HDTV5 card is out, they're clearancing the HDTV3 card for $109.99. I'm buying a second one to put into the big server I'm building (for when there are two HDTV shows I want to record on at the same time).

Here's the link:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/fusion3qt.asp

I hear that there will soon be a USB version of the Fusion. Have you heard the same?

Yup, it's mentioned on digitalconnection.com's main page. I don't recall the price or release date though...

I think I am going to have to contact Sony regarding my recent Vaio purchase for the hTPC. I am getting pretty much constant random reboots on that machine. Fresh out of the box and random reboots.

I know its off-topic, but any ideas? Also, anyone know of an authorized Sony PC repair outlet here in the STL area? Obviously, this PC is still under warranty.

Hey Scott,

How do you manage to get a distant CBS feed in O'Fallon? Only distant feed I can get (from *D) is Fox, which would be least necessary of the big 4 nets for me since KTVI has so few problems.

Correction. They recently turned off my CBS East/West feed. Sorry for the tease. I did notice during the football games last week that KMOV forgot to flip the switch because when I watche on the Sunday ticket channel 7** it was full HD. So, it is not the network controlling anything, it is the local affiliate.

Scott

Anyone thinking about putting an HTPC together will be interested in the FusionHDTV3 card at digitalconnection.com. Now that the HDTV5 card is out, they're clearancing the HDTV3 card for $109.99.

Can you tell me why you chose this card over the ATI HDTV Wonder card? I have no experience with either, but have been watching for an ATI card w/out the broadcast flag on ebay to go cheap-ish. (There was one that just went last week for about $100 including shipping, but I missed it. Maybe you'll tell me that's a good thing.) Does the HDTV3 card have a chip that recognizes the broadcast flag?

Just info gathering still. I'm slowly but surely getting my DVD server rolling. I've got my ATI Radeon 9600 card and an M-Audio Revolution 7.1 card. Now I need a remote to work the thing from the couch. I have a Phillips Pronto, I just need something on the PC side that will accept the remote signals. Any advice?

As an aside, we need to get Edmonds or Walker rolling in Houston or we're in deep trouble. We can't count on Albert and Reggie all the time, especially with the spill Reggie took tonight. Jimmy had the chance to be the hero tonight. Hopefully he can capitalize over the weekend. As Mike Shannon would say, "C'mon you Redbirds! Let's get some tallies!"

FusionHDTV3 does NOT recognize the broadcast flag (hooray!). No real reason I picked it over the ATI other than it was cheaper. And no regrets about buying it, though I still can't quite get it to work with the Media Portal front end. My workaround for that is to use Fusion's own software for recording OTA HDTV and Media Portal for playing it back.

Oh, and if anyone's looking for BIG hard drives CHEAP, newegg has Seagate 400gb SATA drives for $236 right now. That's $100 less than I paid for mine last Spring. Think I might get two of 'em for the big new server.

1) The broadcasters got the analog spectrum decades ago for free and they got the digital spectrum for free. But telecom firms have to pay for spectrum. Is that fair? Uncle Sam isn't some 3rd party - Uncle Sam is you and me. Why should I reach in my pocket and pay a subsidy to my neighbor because he/she didn't bother to get informed?

2) My sister (2 masters degrees - one of them an MBA from University of Chicago, the best business school in the world) and a buddy of mine BOTH purchased analog sets within the past few months even though they KNEW analog was going away. Analog sets have plunged in price because manufacturers know they are going away and they are pricing close to marginal cost rather than average cost. (I also have an MBA.) They made a conscious decision to get 'cheapie' analog TVs as stopgaps until they are forced to purchase digital. The drop in digital TVs between now and then will easily pay for the money they sank in standard def analog today.

3) It's not the government's or the broadcasters' or the manufacturers' responsibility to inform consumers. Consumers have an obligation to keep themselves informed. I remember getting a parking ticket when I was in college because I parked my car on the right side of the street but pointing in the 'wrong' direction. When I complained to city hall, they correctly stated "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!"

4) No one EVER wants to be responsible. It's always someone else's fault and responsibility. We saw that in New Orleans. I was going to send a check to the Red Cross until I became offended by Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco. Instead, I sent the check to the Red Cross of Mississippi so those ingrates in Louisiana wouldn't get my money. (There's nothing I can do about the theft of my tax dollars to rebuild for those no-gooders).

I have little doubt that our legislators will botch the details of a STB subsidy. Nor do I believe that my opinion (or a list of the number and kind of my post graduate degrees) will sway people from their strongly held beliefs. What I do believe is that, come cutoff day, there will be many people who, through no fault of their own, simply won't be able to receive OTA television without a subsidy. Knowing that such people got STB's, I won't lose a minute of rest over those who might not deserve them as much.

Just my opinion.

Thanks for the tips, Bob. It's getting really crazy over here, trying to keep up with all the OTA HD that I want to record and watch. I'm really tempted to run out with my paycheck and start buying my htpc parts, but I must wait a little longer. Right now, the 250gb drive in my 942 is completely full( I know you've dealt with this), and I'm running out of tapes for my dvhs deck as well. These days I don't get home from work until around 11pm or later, and I'm getting too old to stay up til 4am trying to catch up on shows, not to mention the dvds I've bought. FYI, I moved my couch about 8" closer to the new larger screen(at 4am this morning), and it did wonders for that "being overwhelmed by the picture" feeling that movie theaters can give you. I think you'll like it. Folks, this screen has a diagonal size of over 8 feet. Cool...

hall316,
So you have firewire outputs on the back of your new Moxi 9012? Are you sure that you don't have the 9022? That's interesting. I didn't think that any of the Moxi models had firewire. I'm guessing that Charter hasn't activated these yet, though they are active on the hd digital boxes(for recording to PCs and dvhs decks, not external hard drives).

Thanks for the tips, Bob. It's getting really crazy over here, trying to keep up with all the OTA HD that I want to record and watch. I'm really tempted to run out with my paycheck and start buying my htpc parts, but I must wait a little longer. Right now, the 250gb drive in my 942 is completely full( I know you've dealt with this), and I'm running out of tapes for my dvhs deck as well. These days I don't get home from work until around 11pm or later, and I'm getting too old to stay up til 4am trying to catch up on shows, not to mention the dvds I've bought. FYI, I moved my couch about 8" closer to the new larger screen(at 4am this morning), and it did wonders for that "being overwhelmed by the picture" feeling that movie theaters can give you. I think you'll like it. Folks, this screen has a diagonal size of over 8 feet. Cool...

hall316,
So you have firewire outputs on the back of your new Moxi 9012? Are you sure that you don't have the 9022? That's interesting. I didn't think that any of the Moxi models had firewire. I'm guessing that Charter hasn't activated these yet, though they are active on the hd digital boxes(for recording to PCs and dvhs decks, not external hard drives).

Hey, Jedi, I have a few cases of T120 and 160 S-VHS tapes that I stocked up on before I decided to go the DVD archival route for my HD material. Drop me a PM if you're interested.

Agreed. I just don't like NASCAR. I don't get the allure of it. Never have. Never will. I accept that. :cool: Just like I don't get the allure of watching a "race" that is 90% over before the green flag ever drops. :cool:

I do not consider that a solution. I have an expensive, high quality 7.1 system. I did not buy it to dumb things down into stereo. The wife will learn to change processor mode when the broadcast stations screw up their audio bitstream. :eek: I did not mean to imply you would have to watch the broadcasts in stereo. If you're watching too you can make the needed change to get all the surround sound. Do you think you wife will really notice the difference? If she does then all the better; if she wants the surround sound rather than just stereo she will want to learn how to make those changes and thus be more likely to accept them. ;)

Just like I don't get the allure of watching a "race" that is 90% over before the green flag ever drops. :cool:

I think F1 left that impression with many people in the period when Schumacher/Ferrari had total dominance of the sport. That has ended and has not been true all year, leaving races that are more unpredictable and exciting. You should have seen the Japanese GP. Two of the podium drivers came from the back of the starting grid. Otherwise, I don't think GP and Rally racing is at all like you describe.

BTW: Tony Stewart (who I think is a very gifted driver) races DP cars in the Rolex series. That's a chance to see a NASCAR driver make right hand turns for a change. :D


I did not mean to imply you would have to watch the broadcasts in stereo. If you're watching too you can make the needed change to get all the surround sound.
Hopefully, the stations will fix things. The wife will learn. I didn't buy the multichannel system for just me to enjoy. I want her to benefit equally, and she does notice. When I replaced my subwoofer this year, she noticed the difference right away and said it was a great improvement.

Just info gathering still. I'm slowly but surely getting my DVD server rolling. I've got my ATI Radeon 9600 card and an M-Audio Revolution 7.1 card. Now I need a remote to work the thing from the couch. I have a Phillips Pronto, I just need something on the PC side that will accept the remote signals. Any advice?

I'll throw four names out for you to look into - Streamzap, iMon, IRMan and Girder. They are software and hardware solutions for IR control of a HTPC. It depends on exactly what you want to do as to whether some combination of these pieces will work for your setup.

What's most disturbing about this STB subsidy is the same thing that should be a major concern for all taxpayers -- how our legislators fail basic accounting at every single turn.

More than a decade ago, estimated proceeds from the auctioning of the returned broadcast TV spectrum was built into the long-term budget plan as a major element in reduction of the budget deficit. A decade is a long time, so now legislators are saying that they'll simply take the STB subsidy out of the sprectrum auction proceeds. I have little doubt that there won't be any reconciliation between the original auction funds/budget plug and the subsidy.

For that matter, by the time 2009 rolls around, it's quite likely that the original intended purpose for the auction funds will completely fade from the collective Beltway memory bank and all of that auction money (and then some) will be spent on some new, bright, shiny and frivolous entitlement program.

Like $300 million bridges to islands in Alaska with 50 residents on them! Politicians (of both parties) suck.

FusionHDTV3 does NOT recognize the broadcast flag (hooray!). No real reason I picked it over the ATI other than it was cheaper. And no regrets about buying it, though I still can't quite get it to work with the Media Portal front end. My workaround for that is to use Fusion's own software for recording OTA HDTV and Media Portal for playing it back.

Oh, and if anyone's looking for BIG hard drives CHEAP, newegg has Seagate 400gb SATA drives for $236 right now. That's $100 less than I paid for mine last Spring. Think I might get two of 'em for the big new server.

What is "broadcast flag"?

I have an older ATI All-In-Wonder (8500 or 8500DV I think). Do I need to get an HDTV card to DVR HD? What if I am willing to DVR SD but still want HD capability on my real-time broadcasts?

What is "broadcast flag"?

I have an older ATI All-In-Wonder (8500 or 8500DV I think). Do I need to get an HDTV card to DVR HD? What if I am willing to DVR SD but still want HD capability on my real-time broadcasts?

The broadcast flag is a hardware measure designed, supposedly, to help curtail pirating. It was supposed to go into effect in July of 2005. It allows copying of digital content on the broadcaster's terms, at the expense, many feel, of consumers' fair use rights. The courts struck it down, but it has attempted to raise its head again in bills since then. The content providers are not finished with this yet.

You can get an ATI card that will timeshift both SD and HD, or you could get a MyHD or Fusion card for recording OTA digital broadcasts to the computer. The HTPC threads have lots of information on these cards, and several local AVSers have such cards if you want specifics from someone close.

What is "broadcast flag"?

I have an older ATI All-In-Wonder (8500 or 8500DV I think). Do I need to get an HDTV card to DVR HD? What if I am willing to DVR SD but still want HD capability on my real-time broadcasts?

You do need an HDTV card to be able to DVR HD or tune any HD content OTA. (Enough acronyms?)

Direct definition from Wikipedia:
A broadcast flag is a set of status bits (or "flags") sent in the data stream of a digital television program that indicates whether or not it can be recorded, or if there are any restrictions on recorded content. Possible restrictions include inability to save a digital program to a hard disk or other non-volatile storage, inability to make secondary copies of recorded content (in order to share or archive), forceful reduction of quality when recording (such as reducing high-definition video to the resolution of standard TVs), and inability to skip over commercials. In the United States, new television receivers using the ATSC standard were supposed to incorporate this functionality by July 1, 2005, but a federal court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's rule to this effect on May 6. The stated intention of the broadcast flag was to prevent copyright infringement, but many have asserted that broadcast flags interfere with the fair use rights of the viewing public

I'll throw four names out for you to look into - Streamzap, iMon, IRMan and Girder. They are software and hardware solutions for IR control of a HTPC. It depends on exactly what you want to do as to whether some combination of these pieces will work for your setup.

I've seen Girder mentioned in conjunction with the USB-UIRT. I'm still trying to get my brain around the HTPC a bit. Especially the remote control part of it. Thanks for the names. I'll look into them.

FusionHDTV3 does NOT recognize the broadcast flag (hooray!). No real reason I picked it over the ATI other than it was cheaper. And no regrets about buying it, though I still can't quite get it to work with the Media Portal front end. My workaround for that is to use Fusion's own software for recording OTA HDTV and Media Portal for playing it back.

I suppose the HDTV5 card WILL recognize the flag. I'll keep my eye out for one as the price hopefully continues to drop.

I'm probably going to build this DVD server with Meedio because my system already has Win2k on it and Media Portal requires WinXP. Meedio Essentials is much cheaper than buying XP, so that pretty much makes my decision for me. Perhaps when I'm ready to build the HD box, I'll get a machine with a faster processor (faster than 1.6ghz) and XP. Right now, that's not in the budget.

Jedi,

What is the difference between the 9012 and the 9022? Is the 9022 the one with the dvd player as mine does not have that. Like I said, even the installer said he had never saw one with firewire ports in back.

hall316,

the 9012 is the older version: 80gb harddrive, no dvd player and can only be used on 1 tv.

the 9022 is the new version: 160gb harddrive, dvd player, and comes with the MoxiMate so you can have Moxi functions on 2 tv's.

it must be the 9012 then because it doesn't have a dvd player in it. I'll take a look at it when I get home. How would I go about checking to see if the firewire ports are active?

It’s amazing what a $3 Wal-Mart compass will do when aiming an OTA antenna! Dollar for Dollar, best investment I’ve made!

hall,
Wow, I'm so jealous. When I had Charter and the Moxi 9012, my box did not have firewire ports. However, if they weren't active then there was no point. I think that the only way that users can tell if the ports are active is to connect the Moxi to another firewire device, and see if they make nice with each other. If the ports are active, then the devices will most likely identify each other by name, and HD viewing/recording should take place without any problems. You would need a device like a JVC 30K dvhs deck(I think Mitsubishi makes one as well), the Sammy T165 OTA tuner, a digital display with firewire ports, or a firewire enabled pc running XP with a large enoiugh hard drive for HD recording. There are also links to a Moxi FAQ somewhere on the board(try a search) that might be helpful.

Shouldn't HDTV-quality picture come with decent announcers?

I occasionally disconnect the center channel speaker.
All the sounds of the game with NO commentary.

I occasionally disconnect the center channel speaker.
All the sounds of the game with NO commentary.
Brilliant!
I need to remember that
:cool:

I've been experimenting with setting up a HTPC from my 6200 via firewire. So far I really like the results I'm getting. I looked at buying the HDTV PCI cards (ATI, Fusion, etc..) but I think I got by as cheap as possible for the time being (~$30 for a 33' firewire cable). If someone is already subscribing to Charter, and they have a fairly decent computer, I can't really see a reason to invest in an HDTV card. In fact, I'm finally happy I have Charter HD service (whoa.. did I just say that?).

Shouldn't HDTV-quality picture come with decent announcers?If the answer to this question is "yes," then I think that means that Cardinal broadcasts on FOX Sports Midwest won't be available in HD for a long, long time...

If the answer to this question is "yes," then I think that means that Cardinal broadcasts on FOX Sports Midwest won't be available in HD for a long, long time...
You don't enjoy listening to broadcasters whine about how much more ballplayers earn now, than when they played? :rolleyes:
Perhaps they could add sub-channels to the center channel, separate the broadcasters, and provide the user a selective mute button on the remote :D

Was at the Blues game the other night. Was waiting for the elevator and the guy with a Fox Sports badge saying "Engineering/Production" was standing there. I asked him will they be doing any Blues in HD this season. He said no way in hell. He'd heard the suits up high (at Charter, Fox Sports, Blues, all of the above? He didn't say and I forgot to ask) are dead set againts it. He claimed to have been told to stop pushing for HD or it could be viewed as a negative againts his record.

mjohnson,

Interesting info and thanks for passing it on. But I suspect that your source is misinformed or talking through his ass, as FOX Sports Midwest had definitely made plans to broadcast 22 Cardinal games in HD this past season. This information was available via the FSMW web site and there were one or two early season on-air promotions about HD baseball coming on FOX Sports Midwest.

The problem was that FSMW wasn't able to get carriage of these games from Charter, DirecTV or DISH. I really don't understand why Charter wouldn't have gone for this, since it would have likely been a default exclusive to them during the entire 2005 season (capacity constraints at DISH and DirecTV). Charter could have used that as the centerpiece of a "dump the dish" sales campaign.

Duh.

I suppose that it's possible that there's an anti-HD backlash at FSMW, because someone there "jumped the gun" before they had distribution lined up. But I don't think that means FSMW-HD is a dead issue, particularly as FSMW is owned by FOX and FOX is clearly committed to producing HD locally in its other regional sports network markets.

With both DISH and DirecTV expanding capacity for HD channels, it's unlikely that this lack of carriage situation will continue much longer. If FSMW is still interested in producing Blues or Cards games in HD 6 months from now, it's highly likely that they'll find either DISH and/or DirecTV ready to carry those broadcasts.

Since DirecTV is owned by the same company as FOX, that's only a matter of time. And if that happens, Charter might finally carry HD from Fox Sports Midwest, as they're clearly more attuned to following than leading.

Was at the Blues game the other night. Was waiting for the elevator and the guy with a Fox Sports badge saying "Engineering/Production" was standing there. I asked him will they be doing any Blues in HD this season. He said no way in hell. He'd heard the suits up high (at Charter, Fox Sports, Blues, all of the above? He didn't say and I forgot to ask) are dead set againts it. He claimed to have been told to stop pushing for HD or it could be viewed as a negative againts his record.

If those Pukes were running the show back in the sixties, we'd still be watching black & white TV.

I occasionally disconnect the center channel speaker.
All the sounds of the game with NO commentary.

Holy crap.

Do you do that simply by literally pulling out the speaker wires from the center channel speaker?

Yup (you only need to disconnect one wire).
Tempted to put a switch on it but I don't disconnect it that often.

The Blues game was horrible again Sat night and I'm just not talking about the play on the ice. How is it the picture quality look that bad even on the digital channel. That's embarrassing.

Yup (you only need to disconnect one wire).
Tempted to put a switch on it but I don't disconnect it that often.

Oh, my. This may have cured every single baseball announcing problem that I have.

Does this only work in DD5.1 programs, or, when I watch FSMW w/ only Pro Logic?

You are my hero =]

Why not just turn the center channel volume level down to zero?

:confused: How many systems do you know of with a center channel volume control? Many multi-channel systems have a trim control, but probably for not more than about 12 db up/down.

It’s amazing what a $3 Wal-Mart compass will do when aiming an OTA antenna! Dollar for Dollar, best investment I’ve made!
:o LOL. Now there's a brilliant idea for me to consider. I have been delaying getting on the roof to see if I can get OTA broadcasts and this is one more reason to do it. I was not thrilled with moving my antenna back and forth to get a signal like I once did with my DISH antenna down in Dallas. Thanks!

If the answer to this question is "yes," then I think that means that Cardinal broadcasts on FOX Sports Midwest won't be available in HD for a long, long time...
Considering the 'choking' the Cards' offense have done in the past week, I am not sure if there is a reason for getting it. :(

I asked him will they be doing any Blues in HD this season. He said no way in hell. He claimed to have been told to stop pushing for HD or it could be viewed as a negative againts his record.

Actually I work with a freelancer who operates camera at Blues games. He was told not to do any sudden moves, as it doesn't translate well in HD. We deduced that they are shooting the games in 720p vs 1080i.

-Hanjke

mjohnson,

With both DISH and DirecTV expanding capacity for HD channels, it's unlikely that this lack of carriage situation will continue much longer. If FSMW is still interested in producing Blues or Cards games in HD 6 months from now, it's highly likely that they'll find either DISH and/or DirecTV ready to carry those broadcasts.

Since DirecTV is owned by the same company as FOX, that's only a matter of time. And if that happens, Charter might finally carry HD from Fox Sports Midwest, as they're clearly more attuned to following than leading.
Speaking of this, do you think FOX will favor sister company DirecTV in terms of HD rollout or just throw it out to all distribution channels? I know Murdoch strongly believes in sister companies helping each other out.

Guys, it appears that my family and I will be moving to Charlotte, NC at the beginning of 2006. I have already been doing some research on what providers they have. Basically its Time Warner or DirecTV for me.

Bottom line: I want to be able to watch any/all Cardinals, Rams, and Blues games. I realize that I will need to purchase the MLB, NHL and NFL packages. But I am confused on FSMW and blackouts. I can get FSMW via DirecTV, but what can I watch on that channel from Charlotte? Will all games be blacked out? If they are, they should be available in those sports premium packages, right? Can I at least watch the news shows that FSMW has?

I'm happy that I will have the option to get most of the STL sports from Charlotte, but it will suck that I won't be able to see much in HD.


Thanks,
Bruce

I think if you can somehow keep the billing address in MO and your phone disconnected, you should be able to view FSMW as you view it today. I've been thinking about trading one of my receivers with a friend's in VA so when the HDNet Blues games are blacked out here in MO, I'll still be able to watch it :)

Bruce,

First of all, sorry to hear that you'll be moving on. You'll be missed here...

If my recollection is correct from my previous stints in NYC, KC, SF, I think you'll find that a subscription to the regional sports packages won't get you the games you expect, as these will be blacked out (otherwise they'd undermine the pay packages). Instead, you would need to subscribe the relevant pay package for baseball or hockey.

Even then, I don't believe that you'll get every game the Cards or Blues play, because at least in the case of the MLB package, not all games are available each day. In my recent experience with the MLBEI package 4 years ago, I was able to see the Cards, on average, two to three times a week.

Of course, you'll get the benefit of a handful of weeknight ESPN games (ESPN will be doing Monday and Wednesday night baseball from 2006) involving the Cards, as well as two or three Sunday night ESPN games each year.

Not sure how it works for hockey.

jdurbin,

I think DirecTV and the other FOX properties will cooperate wherever they can, but I don't think we need to worry about DirecTV getting preferential treatment.

I read recently that this was something that was examined and ultimately prohibited during the course of the FCC and SEC's review of News Corp.'s purchase of DirecTV from GM/Hughes.

Still do not have the final Charter digital upgrade in Clayton.

I just called Charter on the off chance that the CSR might actually know something. She indicated that the delay is due to the Metrolink work going on. Great, now I am at the mercy of Charter & Metro...

A couple of nearly off-topic items:

* First, I assume that I'm not the only one that has noticed the "Comcastic" commercials during the baseball playoffs. It appears that this was a national ad buy, but that seems like it would be inefficient, even when you consider the large number of potential Comcast households in the US.

But maybe it was cheaper than buying the ads on a market-by-market basis. Or maybe these commercials are a form of PR during the FCC review of plans for Comcast and Time-Warner to buy Adelphia cable.

Still, it seems strange to see Comcast promoting its services right under Charter's nose....

* Second, here's a thinking-out-loud perspective on IPTV.

It seems to me that it would make a lot more business sense for companies like SBC or Verizon to throw open its new fiber-optic capacity to other cable companies, rather than starting their own subscription television services.

With the increased capacity that the telecos are going to have on these new networks, it seems like it would be much more logical to provide carriage to Comcast, or Time Warner, or Cablevision (or all three, or more) if those cable companies wanted to enter markets where they currently lack their own wired network.

This approach would mean the telecos stick to the business they know best (charging for bandwidth), and they would avoid the costly investment in cable television infrastructure that will take years and years to pay off.

If this happened and was encouraged, it would basically open up the subscription television market to the sort of unrestricted competition we have in most other markets for products/services -- with the added benefit of getting federal, state and local government out of the "business" of regulating this industry.

I suspect that the cable companies would probably resist upsetting another cable company's protected market for fear of reprisal in their own markets. But it would only take one opportunist to start a subscription television free-for-all that would yield lots of interesting opportunities/consequences for everyone involved.

Maybe someone with better understanding of the telco capacity constraints and various legal obstacles can explain why this isn't happening or isn't feasible.

Another idea that has been presented to me is subscribing to MLB.com - they offer a ton of games via the internet at about half the cost of D*'s MLB package. With all the HTPC talk around here lately I may build one of those. If I do, I assume I could watch Cardinal games via mlb's internet service....on my plasma. I wonder how good the quality would be for something like that?

A couple of nearly off-topic items:

* First, I assume that I'm not the only one that has noticed the "Comcastic" commercials during the baseball playoffs. It appears that this was a national ad buy, but that seems like it would be inefficient, even when you consider the large number of potential Comcast households in the US.

We've noticed them around here, too. I have been curious as to the intentions. As a former Comcast employee and a current Charter one, I'm torn...

-Hanjke

Another idea that has been presented to me is subscribing to MLB.com - they offer a ton of games via the internet at about half the cost of D*'s MLB package. With all the HTPC talk around here lately I may build one of those. If I do, I assume I could watch Cardinal games via mlb's internet service....on my plasma. I wonder how good the quality would be for something like that?

Hey Bruce

The video package on MLB.com is pretty good, I've used it a few times to watch Red Sox games. The quality is only as good as your connection (I've got DSL). At least on my computer, full-screen is not an option, the PQ is much too pixelated.
Keep in mind too that even MLB.com has to honor blackout rules; therefore, if you wanted to watch the Cards on day in which the national Fox broadcast was, say, Blue Jays vs. Devil Rays (ha! like that would happen), the Cards would be blacked out.
I don't recall what the MLB.com season subscription is, but it was too high for the limited use I would get out of it; your situation might be different.
And you can order MLB.com video on a game by game basis; last time I did, it was three bucks for a game.
Good luck in N.C.!

barry

The Blues game was horrible again Sat night and I'm just not talking about the play on the ice. How is it the picture quality look that bad even on the digital channel. That's embarrassing.

It may be digital, but it's compressed so much that it's simply unwatchable on anything larger than a 12" screen. There ought to be a law. The cable and Satellite providers tout the merits of going "all digital" and then kill PQ for the sake of stuffing more channels into the pipe.

Actually I work with a freelancer who operates camera at Blues games. He was told not to do any sudden moves, as it doesn't translate well in HD. We deduced that they are shooting the games in 720p vs 1080i.

-Hanjke

Sudden moves are never tolerated well on video, but HD should tolerate it better with it's higher resolutiion. Although 720p vs. 1080i is the topic of much debate, 720p probably tolerates camera movement better as there is no interleaving.

I've seen some HD hockey action on HDNET (1080i) where there has been some pretty fast camera pans. IMHO, The PQ always looks stunning. So I have no clue what the freelancer is concerned about.

There's actually been quite a lot of discussion here of NBC's poor handling of Dolby Digital.

If you scroll back a few weeks back here, I recall that someone reported that at one point KSDK had actually fixed the 5.1 sound, but then received complaints from another group of (supposedly non-surround) customers who were getting strange sound. As a result of those complaints, KSDK returned to screwed-up surround sound.

This probably indicates that either KSDK doesn't have a way of routinely monitoring sound, or if does it simply doesn't care about getting it right.

IMO, not caring seems to be the dominant theme at KSDK when it comes to HD.So has anyone here had any success emailing KSDK about HD issues? I am trying to decide if I should email their programming (programming@ksdk.com) or engineering (dhummert@ksdk.gannett.com) to complain. Or maybe I should call everytime I'm watching a show that is suppose to be in 5.1 surround sound.

All three.

:confused: How many systems do you know of with a center channel volume control? Many multi-channel systems have a trim control, but probably for not more than about 12 db up/down.

Thanks for pointing that out. I knew the individual channels were adjustable and assumed that they could be set where there would be nothing coming from the channel. I never attempted to go that far when setting it up. I don't have high end equipment and you are correct in that my Yamaha only has a 20 db range.

So has anyone here had any success emailing KSDK about HD issues? I am trying to decide if I should email their programming (programming@ksdk.com) or engineering (dhummert@ksdk.gannett.com) to complain. Or maybe I should call everytime I'm watching a show that is suppose to be in 5.1 surround sound.

Be careful to complain only when there is a problem. Otherwise, they won't understand and will write you off. Sometimes DD 5.1 actually comes out correct on KSDK.

It's when an HD program DOES NOT contain DD 5.1 audio that the problem is most obvious. just check out Leno. Great video, but the mute CC is amazingly destracting. Leno is in stereo, NOT in DD 5.1. However, your decoder pilot will be ON so only L and R channels wil contain any info...except, of course, for commercials, when your pilot should go out during local cut-ins.

So, Leno is only 2.0?

Is it DD5.1 in NY, LA, etc?

Correct. NBC doesn't broadcast Leno in 5.1. The 5.1 indicator on your surround receiver lights up only because KSDK screws up and leaves the 5.1 flag on when they pass along the network's 2.0 channel transmission... and that's why you only hear Leno through your left and right fronts, with no center and no rears.

In those types of situations, what do you guys do?

Do you use some sort of artificial sound mode w/ your receiver or do you listen to it in 2.0?

I signed up for Charter HD today. They put me on the waiting list for Moxi with no ETA... The CSR said it holds 12 hours of HD programming. Is that what everyone else with Moxi is getting or could the boxes they are getting in have bigger disks? She said it did not have a DVD player.

In those types of situations, what do you guys do?

Do you use some sort of artificial sound mode w/ your receiver or do you listen to it in 2.0?

I just plain refuse to watch Leno until or unless KSDK gets its act together. :mad:

Top of the 9th, 2 outs. 2 men on base.

One word:
Pujols

Three words:
back, back, back....

Unbelievable.

Unreal.

Unbelievable.

Unreal.

I said to my godfather when the Astros had two out with no one on that the only Astro who wasn't celebrating was Craig Biggio. He had his arm on the rail, his head down and his eyes said it all, "Don't celebrate yet, guys. This isn't over." Of course, I said "That's the game" when Berkman hit the three run homer, so you can't pay much attention to what I say.

Comin' home to Busch!!!

That was one monstrous homer - I have never seen one hit that high at Minute Maid.

Positives: Cardinals coming back to Busch and we've finally figured out Lidge...

Positives: Cardinals coming back to Busch and we've finally figured out Lidge...
The key to beating Lidge is keeping him in left field!

In those types of situations, what do you guys do?

Do you use some sort of artificial sound mode w/ your receiver or do you listen to it in 2.0?

Easy fix: My Dishnetwork receiver has optical as well as conventional analog audio outputs. I switch the inputs on my sound system to the analog source whenever the digital audio is hosed up and I enjoy decent Dolby Prologic II sound. It may not be perfect from a spacial perspective, but there is good surround sound (audience sounds in the rear) and most importantly---voice actually comes from the CC.

Go Cardinals! That was freakin amazing last night!

From the Post Dispatch online...
"If not for those girders, there's a good chance that Pujols' majestic shot would have crashed right through the glass. They officially are calling it a 412-foot shot, but that is a lie.

That sucker traveled more than 800 miles. Carrying the NLCS with it on a glorious ride all the way back to St. Louis for a momentum-shifting Game 6 on Wednesday night."

Bring on Oswalt...we're ready for anything right now.

412 feet is waaaaay off. That moonshot hit over the concrete, where that goofy Orange Train is located.

I signed up for Charter HD today. They put me on the waiting list for Moxi with no ETA... The CSR said it holds 12 hours of HD programming. Is that what everyone else with Moxi is getting or could the boxes they are getting in have bigger disks? She said it did not have a DVD player.

AFAIK, the only drives still being offered are teh 80GB in the 9012 (what you're getting), and the 160GB in the 9022 (with the DVD drive).

In other charter news, I'm coming up on 2 weeks of crap-tastical crap crap :mad:

Had a Charter tech come out Saturday, said my inbound signals all looked great, and that he had to have another tech come out and replace a downstream amp for some reason or another (upstream issue?). Anyway, that was supposed to happen "saturday or monday". Monday I called up again, spoke with a CSR, who scheduled yet ANOTHER service call (soonest they would do is November freaking 7th), and told me to just run the coax straight to the TV so I at least have something to watch. I'm going to get a hold of a supervisor and attempt to get out of my contract this week I think, this is freaking rediculous, and I remember why I hated Charter.

I am in Chesterfield and have not received it either. Although I don't really know how to tell other than the non-HD/Digital channcels look like crap. Is there an easier way? Where are you seeing NTSC or 480i?
Sorry for the newbie-ish question, but was this question answered? Because I've been wondering the same thing myself. How can I tell if my channels have gone all-digital?

Sorry for the newbie-ish question, but was this question answered? Because I've been wondering the same thing myself. How can I tell if my channels have gone all-digital?

If you can't tell by your receiver or the crappy picture quality, another clue is the volume level. The audio on the analog channels is WAY higher than the digital ones (at least in my house).

If you can't tell by your receiver or the crappy picture quality, another clue is the volume level. The audio on the analog channels is WAY higher than the digital ones (at least in my house).
On my newest TV (42" EDTV), so many of the basic and expanded basic channels look terrible, whereas on my old TV (27" SDTV), they look just fine. And I haven't noticed any big differences in volume.

I was curious, though, about the the previous poster's comment about 480i. Again, sorry for the newbie question, but once the all-digital conversion takes place, should the channels be coming in as 480p/720p/1080i? Right now, everything except for my HD channels come in as 480i, but I thought that was to be expected. My digital tier channels (family, HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Encore) look and sound great although they are also coming in at 480i.

On my newest TV (42" EDTV), so many of the basic and expanded basic channels look terrible, whereas on my old TV (27" SDTV), they look just fine. And I haven't noticed any big differences in volume.

I was curious, though, about the the previous poster's comment about 480i. Again, sorry for the newbie question, but once the all-digital conversion takes place, should the channels be coming in as 480p/720p/1080i? Right now, everything except for my HD channels come in as 480i, but I thought that was to be expected. My digital tier channels (family, HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Encore) look and sound great although they are also coming in at 480i.

No, the digital stuff will still be 480i, except for that which is explicitly HD. Same for satellite (E*, D*): they have always been all digital, but 480i resolution (except for what's in the HD package).

Dean

On my newest TV (42" EDTV), so many of the basic and expanded basic channels look terrible, whereas on my old TV (27" SDTV), they look just fine. And I haven't noticed any big differences in volume.

I was curious, though, about the the previous poster's comment about 480i. Again, sorry for the newbie question, but once the all-digital conversion takes place, should the channels be coming in as 480p/720p/1080i? Right now, everything except for my HD channels come in as 480i, but I thought that was to be expected. My digital tier channels (family, HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Encore) look and sound great although they are also coming in at 480i.

Once your conversion is done, the crappy channels will look about the same as your digital movie tier (non HD) channels. It was really obvious on my 42" DLP.

As a displaced Ohio State fan living in St. Louis, I'd like to be able to pull in an ABC affiliate from Big 10 country. According to antennweb.org, I should be able to pick up WICS in Springfield, IL as it is about 100 miles away. I currently have a big multi-element antenna (with pre-amp) in my attic that can easily get all the St. Louis stations. I was considering trying to point that big guy at Springfield for the Buckeye games, but didn't want to go through the hassle (it's a tight fit between the roof trusses) if I wasn't likely to succeed. I'm in O'Fallon, MO and sit pretty high.

Any thoughts??

Mike

Hey guys - need some advice.

I am moving from Wentzville to Olivette in three weeks and I need to decide what I am doing about my TV service. Currently I have DirectTv and have HD from them plus a roof mounted antenna... everything works as well as I could expect.

I already have Charter service for high speed internet and phone and I know I could save a bunch of money by just switching my tv service to Charter... but SHOULD I? I would love to have the HD PVR, but I love Tivo... What about ABC on Charter? Is it live?

Sorry if I am asking questions I could answer by doing a search, but I am lazy today :)

Please send me any comments you might have. Saving money isn't really THAT big of a deal... what I would really like is to be able to Tivo HD and do it without spending an arm and a leg.

Thanks, Chris

As a displaced Ohio State fan living in St. Louis, I'd like to be able to pull in an ABC affiliate from Big 10 country. According to antennweb.org, I should be able to pick up WICS in Springfield, IL as it is about 100 miles away. I currently have a big multi-element antenna (with pre-amp) in my attic that can easily get all the St. Louis stations. I was considering trying to point that big guy at Springfield for the Buckeye games, but didn't want to go through the hassle (it's a tight fit between the roof trusses) if I wasn't likely to succeed. I'm in O'Fallon, MO and sit pretty high.

Any thoughts??

Mike

Yeah Mike, I'm an OSU fan that usually starts my thursday's with an obscenity laced tirade about how no one in St. Louis cares about the Big 12 anyway, so why do they show it locally. IMHO you should do what I do and forget the antenna and just head to a bar to watch the game.

what I would really like is to be able to Tivo HD and do it without spending an arm and a leg.

Why not get the HR10-250 HD Tivo? I've read that you can get one for around $200 now.

Yeah Mike, I'm an OSU fan that usually starts my thursday's with an obscenity laced tirade about how no one in St. Louis cares about the Big 12 anyway, so why do they show it locally. IMHO you should do what I do and forget the antenna and just head to a bar to watch the game.

LOL, I totally agree. Mizzou isn't even broadcast locally!! /boggle!

Anyway, I'm actually subscribing to the ESPN Gameplan which is decent, but if I could pull off-air that would save me the $100/season.

Once your conversion is done, the crappy channels will look about the same as your digital movie tier (non HD) channels. It was really obvious on my 42" DLP.
Thank you, this is pretty much what I was looking for. I wasn't sure whether the crappy channels had started looking better or not in the past couple of weeks (I think I just fooled myself into thinking some of them had), but they DEFINITELY look far, far worse than my digital movie tier channels. Thanks for your help!

Why not get the HR10-250 HD Tivo? I've read that you can get one for around $200 now.

Where?????? Last time I looked it was like $500. I hope you're right 'cause $200 is a deal!. It might be all I need to dump my Dish Network 811.

I got mine for $299 with a $100 rebate- you have to call customer retention to get the deal and I think it's only for existing customers.

Check out the tivo community threads for more info on current deals for new customers.

Thank you, this is pretty much what I was looking for. I wasn't sure whether the crappy channels had started looking better or not in the past couple of weeks (I think I just fooled myself into thinking some of them had), but they DEFINITELY look far, far worse than my digital movie tier channels. Thanks for your help!

Actually, the only difference between analog and digital is that the crappiness with the former is snow and with the latter pixelation. Which flavor do you like your crap? :D

In those types of situations, what do you guys do?

Do you use some sort of artificial sound mode w/ your receiver or do you listen to it in 2.0?

What's the attraction of listening to Leno in 5.1?

I said to my godfather when the Astros had two out with no one on that the only Astro who wasn't celebrating was Craig Biggio. He had his arm on the rail, his head down and his eyes said it all, "Don't celebrate yet, guys. This isn't over." Of course, I said "That's the game" when Berkman hit the three run homer, so you can't pay much attention to what I say.

Comin' home to Busch!!!

I turned off the game at the end of the 8th and switched to the Rams and then turned them off when they lost the lead. Went to sleep 'early'.

I was in Chicago over the weekend and had a chance to go see the USC-Notre Dame football game and not only passed it up but missed the game on TV. I'm sure my former-roommate USC grad TIVOed it and will save it forever so I can always wait until my next trip to L.A.

jdurbin,

The attraction to Leno in 5.1 (or Letterman, Conan or any other variety show) is the musical acts.

moman,

You can probably still get the $200 HD TiVo deal, even if you aren't an existing customer. You'll need to sign up as a new customer, and THEN seek the HD TiVo retention deal.

Of course, there are no guarantees that DirecTV will continue to offer that deal to "very new" existing subscribers working that angle, but two of my own customers have had success in doing it in two stages.

Can anyone tell me if ABC is available in HD through Charter in St. Charles? I got a channel list with my bill and it isn't on the list. If it is available, what channel is it on?

Bubba, its not available.

The Moxi menu had a ballgame scheduled tonight from 7-10pm. I'm wondering why the schedule wasn't updated when there was no ballgame. Is this typical for Moxi? I guess it's not possible to copy only an hour show during this timeslot.

StockInv,

The program listings probably aren't created by either Charter or Moxi -- most of these program guides are provided by one of the third-party companies that specialize in these listings.

I'm not that familiar with Moxi, but I assume that there would be a way of creating a manual recording instead of directly interfacing with the program guide. Most DVRs, such as TiVo and ReplayTV, have this ability. I'd be surprised if this wasn't the case for Moxi, and this is how you would work around errant program guide info.

AFAIK there is no way to record without using the program guide. I know this sounds like it cant be true. But, it is always a topic of the discussion over at the Moxi thread.
The only thing you can tweak is a couple of minutes at the start or end of a SCHEDULED program.
Fastman

Fastmans,

Thanks for passing along that info about Moxi. While this is probably a minor issue for most users, I would see it as a major drawback.

I'm a big fan of pop music, so I have manual recordings set up to record the last 10 minutes of Leno, Conan and Letterman every night, so that when they have "live" music on I can watch it at a more convenient time. Because the HD TiVo has 30 hours storage and these clips are relatively small, I can keep my favorites around until I get tired of them.

LG Electronics First to Offer MPEG-4 DirecTV Receivers

The following story appeared today on the PRNewswire:
___________________________________________

DIRECTV, Inc., the USA's leading digital television service provider, has selected LG Electronics as the first supplier of digital high-definition television (HDTV) set-top boxes based on powerful new video compression technology, the companies announced today.

LG Electronics, Inc. (CEO: S. S. Kim / 06657.KS) has begun production of
set-top boxes for use in DIRECTV's MPEG-4 (moving picture experts group) HD
satellite broadcasts, further expanding LG's leadership in the North American
digital television market. Terms were not disclosed.

DIRECTV will launch the most dramatic expansion of programming in its
history when it begins offering local broadcast channels in HD this fall in
major markets throughout the United States. By 2007, DIRECTV plans to offer
more than 1,500 local broadcast channels and more than 150 national channels
in HD.
___________________________________________

For the full story, go to the PRNewswire web site here. (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-19-2005/0004172663&EDATE=)

Still do not have the final Charter digital upgrade in Clayton.

I just called Charter on the off chance that the CSR might actually know something. She indicated that the delay is due to the Metrolink work going on. Great, now I am at the mercy of Charter & Metro...

For those of you scoring at home (and, if so, congratulations to you!), as of yesterday I have full digital service. I was afraid that the Metro angle would delay things for quite a while.

I wonder if everyone locally is now fully digital with Charter?

LOL, I totally agree. Mizzou isn't even broadcast locally!!

Charter customers can watch the Mizzou Replay Show on Wednesday nights at 10PM on CCIN (Channel 3.)

Guys, it appears that my family and I will be moving to Charlotte, NC at the beginning of 2006. I have already been doing some research on what providers they have. Basically its Time Warner or DirecTV for me.

Bottom line: I want to be able to watch any/all Cardinals, Rams, and Blues games. I realize that I will need to purchase the MLB, NHL and NFL packages. But I am confused on FSMW and blackouts. I can get FSMW via DirecTV, but what can I watch on that channel from Charlotte? Will all games be blacked out? If they are, they should be available in those sports premium packages, right? Can I at least watch the news shows that FSMW has?

I'm happy that I will have the option to get most of the STL sports from Charlotte, but it will suck that I won't be able to see much in HD.


Thanks,
Bruce

Just don't tell Directv you moved and all your programming stays the same.

Scott

Fastmans,

Thanks for passing along that info about Moxi. While this is probably a minor issue for most users, I would see it as a major drawback.

I'm a big fan of pop music, so I have manual recordings set up to record the last 10 minutes of Leno, Conan and Letterman every night, so that when they have "live" music on I can watch it at a more convenient time. Because the HD TiVo has 30 hours storage and these clips are relatively small, I can keep my favorites around until I get tired of them.

Thats a good idea. Especially that I am a huge music fan also. I cant think of any way to acomplish this, but I will go home this evening and try your idea to see if I can finger out something.
I too, have thought of this and others as a drawback. But again Charter gave me what I wanted for free. Dish wouldnt, and money talks.
Fastman

Just don't tell Directv you moved and all your programming stays the same.

Scott

Will locals work? Don't they spot beam those?

For those of you scoring at home (and, if so, congratulations to you!), as of yesterday I have full digital service. I was afraid that the Metro angle would delay things for quite a while.

I wonder if everyone locally is now fully digital with Charter?

The remaining analog channels went all digital about a week ago.

But again Charter gave me what I wanted for free. Dish wouldnt, and money talks.
FastmanHow do you get this for "free"? This is the sort of secret that MUST be shared... :)

yes, they do spot beam locals, they won't work.

I just wanted to let everyone here know that I'm offering a Baseball Playoffs Calibration Special during October, with a $100 reduction in fees for any type of display.

Prices are based on my published rate card and this information is available at my web site.

There are a limited number of days where the Cardinals won't be playing (assuming they make it to the World Series), and this offer is only good for appointments scheduled on off days before the last game of the Series. Daytime appointments are possible where games are played at night.

If you've thought about having your display calibrated in the past, but weren't able to bear the normal cost, here's your opportunity. This offer is open to anyone who calls me by phone and mentions "AVS St. Louis" during our conversation.I just wanted to post a reminder here on the Playoff Calibration Special, which is available through the end of this month.

With most of the postseason games taking place at night from here on out, I'm able to book more daytime appointments than originally envisioned.

Although I'm not fully booked at the moment, the response has been real positive and scheduling has gotten a bit more challenging over the past few days. If someone has a legitimate problem in scheduling during October, I'm prepared to push appointments into the first week of November -- though arrangements would need to be made before the end of this month.

Contact via phone or eMail is best, as I'm nearing capacity on private messages and haven't gotten around to clearing old stuff out...

Anybody heading to the Cardinals Pep rally downtown today? Even HD can't compete with actually being there. (Although it is getting closer.)

- My parent's dumped charter today. Every night from about 6:45 - 9:45 they would lose local channels all together. ("This channel will be available shortly.") They had called charter, and had two visits from reps. Charter couldn't fix it. Said they would have a supervisor call my parents. Guess what...no call.

They got tired of it and called Dish Network. Gonna get the DVR 625 and a Dish 811. 3 months HBO, Cinnemax, and Showtime for free, plus 6 months of the HD package for free...with no commitment. Quoted a price of $57.96 after all equiptment and programming (America's top 120) charges. Someone will call them at the end of the movie channel preview to see what they want to keep. Sounded like a good deal to me, but I'm partial.

I experience audio and video interference issues with my Moxi Mate. With a composite video connection on the Moxi Mate, I see faint horizontal lines, especially during scenes with a dark background. The overall picture is good, but just looks unstable with these lines. You have to look closely to see these lines, but it's definitely added interference, not visible with a good composite connection. Also, I hear an interrmitent humming noise on the Mate, especially on DVD playback. Are these problems all Moxi Mate users observe, or is my Mate defective. If these are known problems, does anyone know when or if a fix expected.

Thanks,
Andrew

djearl,

This is why St. Louis is one of the more heavily targeted markets by DirecTV and DISH.

Technical outages and problems are to a certain extent unavoidable. But for me, the cardinal sin for any service business is to say you're going to do something (have a supervisor call) and then not followthrough.

Technology is hard. Courtesy and integrity are easy.

Easy fix: My Dishnetwork receiver has optical as well as conventional analog audio outputs. I switch the inputs on my sound system to the analog source whenever the digital audio is hosed up and I enjoy decent Dolby Prologic II sound. It may not be perfect from a spacial perspective, but there is good surround sound (audience sounds in the rear) and most importantly---voice actually comes from the CC.

I do something similiar. It also solved the 5.1/2.0 issue for me.
I connect the fibre optic straight to the receiver, then plug the analog into the TV. I have my 'TV out' analog outputs feeding back into the receiver on the AUX inputs. I had all the old analog wires laying around collecting dust...might as well use them. As a bonus, I get to compare Digital to Analog sound very easily.

If I'm having people over, I put on the AUX mode and hide my receiver's remote. This way whatever is displayed on the TV comes through the stereo. It's a little over the top, but it saves me the "I think I broke your stereo" conversations. It's a complex way to get a simple result. If people are coming over to watch a movie/game...then it's a different story.

Quick question. - Has anyone found a single remote that can control all of your A/V components? (TV, DVR, DVD, VCR, CD player, receiver, and dare I say ceiling fan?)

Technology is hard. Courtesy and integrity are easy.

Bingo!

Anybody heading to the Cardinals Pep rally downtown today? Even HD can't compete with actually being there. (Although it is getting closer.)
Headed there in about an hour...then to the game afterwards. Hope we don't have to park in the Savvis garage like last year.

For those of you scoring at home (and, if so, congratulations to you!), as of yesterday I have full digital service. I was afraid that the Metro angle would delay things for quite a while.

I wonder if everyone locally is now fully digital with Charter?

I also got the digital upgrade yesterday. Yay!!!! (I'm right on the Clayton/St. Louis City border.)

Headed there in about an hour...then to the game afterwards. Hope we don't have to park in the Savvis garage like last year.

There's also a Blues game tonight. I'm guessing there will be about 5000 people at Savvis tonight.

I purchased a Harmony 659 remote about a month ago and could not be happier. Controls my HDTV, Moxi Box, DVD and Receiver. Has a web based setup wizard, and programming less common buttons was pretty easy.

My wife can now turn on the home theater without having to call me for help. That is worth the price I paid.

Brad