van, I don't have HDTV yet (just purchased an HDTV set yesterday!), but I do have Direct TV with locals...I have noticed that I have picture freeze and audio dropout for a few seconds 2-3 times an hour on both Fox and ABC. It was pretty bad during the Super Bowl...good thing the game was a bore. I have a totally different setup from you, I guess, but it sounds like a similar problem.

Well, it is official. Analog TV will come to its official end on February 17, 2009, as President Bush signed the bill into law today.

The legislation provides for 1.5b for consumers to purchase set-top conversion boxes.

The part I found most interesting is the exclusion of a provision which would have permitted cable companies to degrade a broadcaster's HD signal to SD, saying the consumer has the right to receive the full benefit of the HD signal.

Full story from HDTV magazine HERE (http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/02/ceas_shapiro_sa.php)

I would certainly hope that they do not allow dish and cable companies to degrade the signal quality. That would totally defeat the purpose of HDTV and would be a slap in the face to all networks, consumers and providers who spent to money without govt. help to be able to transmit/receive true HDTV.

Now if only we can get stations like KSDK to stop using bandwidth meant for HDTV for crap like their weather channel.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I think it's basically irrelevant.

Do we really need to have FIVE local TV news broadcasts (KTVI, KMOV, KSDK, KPLR AND KDNL?) Should KDNL be expected to slavishly follow the leader(s), when there's little chance of becoming the leader itself, in what would end up as an even more fragmented market for local TV news?

It seems to me that Sinclair is making not just a smart business decision -- but the only logical business decision -- in opting out of what is most likely a no-win situation. "Millionaire" and "The Simpsons" probably don't draw as big an audience as the leading local news show, but I wouldn't be surprised if they finish somewhere in the middle of the ratings pack during those time slots. From a business standpoint, their game show and cartoon approach probably adds more to the bottom line than cost-intensive local news programming.

I might feel differently about this if ALL stations opted out of local news, but I think that's highly unlikely to happen, as vacuums like that tend to get filled quite quickly because they translate to opportunity.

In general, I agree with your other points (though any DVR worthy of the name should allow you to pad the beginning or the end of a program). But as far as local news goes, I just don't follow the logic that every local station should do local news, just because that's the way it's always been.

Doug....you're right on. You're going to see more and more stations doing whatever they can to maximize revenue. Free tv no longer enjoys the huge audiences they had years ago. However, you may not realize it, but Sinclair has sent a lot more than other groups on the conversion to DTV. We are trying hard to have the best equipment for a good signal with correct PSIP etc. We're now bring the rest of our stations up to full power.
I,m now on the road checking some of our others stations....same problem with lip sync! ABC does not use metadata to switch encoding modes and uses a different distribution method on audio than the other networks. Works continues...
Jim

Doug....you're right on. You're going to see more and more stations doing whatever they can to maximize revenue. Free tv no longer enjoys the huge audiences they had years ago. However, you may not realize it, but Sinclair has sent a lot more than other groups on the conversion to DTV. We are trying hard to have the best equipment for a good signal with correct PSIP etc. We're now bring the rest of our stations up to full power.
I,m now on the road checking some of our others stations....same problem with lip sync! ABC does not use metadata to switch encoding modes and uses a different distribution method on audio than the other networks. Works continues...
Jim

Jim,
I would like to add my thanks to your effort on the Super Bowl. The only lip sync issues I saw involved Mick Jagger! :) I also noticed the varying volume level I reported some months ago went away about 3 or so weeks ago. Good work there too. Unfortunately, ABC appears to be focusing on making your life difficult as I tried to watch Boston Legal last night and couldn't take it after a couple of minutes due to real bad audio sync. I'm no expert in this area, but it seems to me it shouldn't be that hard to sync things up. I would expect there would be hordes of people working this problem as without quality in broadcasting you really don't have anything. Hang in there!

I'm curious to get a first-hand look at a Sony Ruby SXRD projector (model VPL-VW100).

I don't believe any dealers have these in stock or on display in the area, though maybe that has changed in recent weeks. If someone here owns a Ruby and wouldn't mind me coming by for a look, drop me a private message.

Thanks.

Just curious if anybody else saw some signal blips during 'Bones' on Fox tonight? Same thing that was happening on 'House' last night.

Just curious if anybody else saw some signal blips during 'Bones' on Fox tonight? Same thing that was happening on 'House' last night.

Same thing as House last night but much worse. They're definitely having issues.

I know others have answered you already, but let me get some info
1. What are you trying to achieve by hooking your computer up to your TV?
The answer to this could result in you deciding not to go this route.

2. What is the exact model of your TV, cuz I looked at Sony's website and the
TV I looked up didn't have a 15pin VGA input.

3. What type of video card is in your computer?

From this information we should be able to help you in the type of connection
and the settings you will need.
I just wanted to hook it up to see what it looked like, ya know just to see. The model is KDS-R50XBR1. Video card is what ever came with the computer. Not sure how to find out what video card is installed. Sorry I'm not much help there. Thanks for putting up with my ignorance.

Happened to find this this morning some D* MPEG 4 info. http://finanzen.net/news/news_detail.asp?NewsNr=343417. Sorry haven't figured out how to post a link yet. Also quick question. I have a Dell Dimension 8200 and a Sony SXRD what do I need to hook the two together?
Did a quick lookup, and not knowing your exact model I noted the 50" Grand WEGA™ SXRD™ Rear Projection HDTVKDS-R50XBR1 (first one on the search) has a PC input in the rear. Look back there for a connector with a D shaped shell with 15 holes in it and two screw terminals on either side. Its called a 15 pin D-sub and should look the same as the connector your computer monitor connects to at the back of your computer. On looking up your computer it appears you may only have one D-sub video connector. Unless you upgrade your video card to one with two outputs, you will be limited to replacing your computer monitor with your TV. If you upgrade, the new video card will probably come with a 15 pin D-sub and a DVI connector. You may need to purchase a DVI to D-sub adapter, although most of the video cards I've bought in a retail package have come with the adapter. Anyway, all you should need is a computer VGA cable of the length you need to reach and you'll be in business. I do the Home Theater PC thing and I've found that DVDs played through my computer have far superior quality than through off the rack DVD players. Would also be great if you want to play games on a big screen. PC also makes a good juke box. Moving much beyond that will require, as I've found out, a fairly substantial input of time to tweak settings and research issues.

I just wanted to hook it up to see what it looked like, ya know just to see. The model is KDS-R50XBR1. Video card is what ever came with the computer. Not sure how to find out what video card is installed. Sorry I'm not much help there. Thanks for putting up with my ignorance.

Be careful. That's how it starts - "Ya know, I just wanted to know what it was like." Then you're hooked. Before you know it, you want a little more - maybe some DVD ripping software, then a Media Center PC, then, gasp, an HD capture card. Just put down that VGA cable and walk away from the Sony, right now.

DirecTV to Add TNT-HD on Feb 17

It seems strange that after a couple of years of doing without, DirecTV now decides to add TNT-HD. No doubt this will make pro hoops fans happy...

The following is from TVPredictions.com
_________________________________________________

DIRECTV just announced that it will add TNT's high-def channel this Friday. TNT, which airs NBA games and seemingly endless repeats of Law & Order, will be added to the satcaster's HD programming package for no extra charge.

Good news for those DIRECTV subscribers who were beginning to think they would never get a new HD channel.
_________________________________________________

Same thing as House last night but much worse. They're definitely having issues.

I tried emailing ktvitech@fox2ktvi.com to at least make them aware of the problem, but my message was returned as undeliverable because the mailbox was full. I wonder if that's the latest way to deal with complaints....let the mailboxes fill so they can't get any feedback (good or bad). :rolleyes:

I talked to Don Rockwell (644-7425) yesterday and he had been unaware of the problem but would investigate. They had made a software change last friday and possibly that was part of the problem.

Who do we email, or how do we get information on charters direction for HD. They should be looking to bring on new HD channels???? I have given up on ABC over charter and put up an antenna, which workes fine for ABC. Personally, I would be willing to pay alot more for the Charter HD-PAC for more channels.

Monday night's 24 also had dropout/pixelation issues.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to look to see if there is anythng worth watching.


DirecTV to Add TNT-HD on Friday

It seems strange that after a couple of years of doing without, DirecTV now decides to add TNT-HD. No doubt this will make pro hoops fans happy...

The following is from TVPredictions.com
_________________________________________________

DIRECTV just announced that it will add TNT's high-def channel this Friday. TNT, which airs NBA games and seemingly endless repeats of Law & Order, will be added to the satcaster's HD programming package for no extra charge.

Good news for those DIRECTV subscribers who were beginning to think they would never get a new HD channel.
_________________________________________________

Right click on My Computer, choose Properties, click on Hardware tab, choose Device Manager and click on the + sign next to Display Adapter.

I just wanted to hook it up to see what it looked like, ya know just to see. The model is KDS-R50XBR1. Video card is what ever came with the computer. Not sure how to find out what video card is installed. Sorry I'm not much help there. Thanks for putting up with my ignorance.

I just wanted to hook it up to see what it looked like, ya know just to see. The model is KDS-R50XBR1. Video card is what ever came with the computer. Not sure how to find out what video card is installed. Sorry I'm not much help there. Thanks for putting up with my ignorance.

Sorry to be so frivolous before, but that's sort of the way I started, just wanting to know what it would look like to see the Windows desktop on a projection TV. From there, it has snowballed into a real passion for me. If I can help in any way in the future, let me know.

FWIW, DVI looks better to me than VGA, but VGA looks awfully good, if you have a good VGA cable. The good thing about modern video cards is that you can get some with two DVI connectors, but they are usually DVI-I, which means they carry both the DVI digital connection and the VGA analog connection in a single cable. Since my LCD computer monitors are analog only, but I run DVI to my home theater projector, I use a card with VGA to my computer LCD screen and DVI to my projector (with the Windows desktop mirrored on both).

sheerce,

Traditionally, Charter has not provided any indication of where they're headed in terms of adding new channels, HD or otherwise. To be fair, DirecTV follows a largely similar policy, though DISH seems to be more interactive with customers.

I've never found a useful mechanism for giving Charter feedback on desired additions, enhancements or features. Maybe someone else here knows how to get those messages across, but I think this ultimately boils down to:

"You'll get what we give you, when we decide to give it to you. Don't call us, we'll call you."

DISH is probably the role model in communicating with customers, as subscribers have the ability to hear from the company CEO during his monthly "Charlie Chat" appearances on one of the DISH channels.

As far as paying more for more HD, I'd be prepared to pay DirecTV more for more HD channels, too -- so long as I don't have to continue to pay through the nose for poor video quality SD channels I rarely watch.

Did anyone catch the Grammies in HD last night? I had other plans, and only caught the SD version on my DVR. It didn't look like I missed much of a show...Although it would have been cool to hear the performances in 5.1 sound.

Who do we email, or how do we get information on charters direction for HD. They should be looking to bring on new HD channels???? I have given up on ABC over charter and put up an antenna, which workes fine for ABC. Personally, I would be willing to pay alot more for the Charter HD-PAC for more channels.
There is a link on Charters web-site to send them messages. I e-mailed them before Christmas about their plans to add more channels, and got the standard reply written by their marketing department, "We continue to investigate oportunities to add progamming ..." In other words no real answer.

Charter has been adding Universal HD and TNT HD to many of their markets lately---but of course, not St. Louis. Thats how it was with Discovery HD--it was available in many Charter markets, but not St. Louis, for the longest time. It looks like either Dish or Direct Tv is the way to go for HD.

Sorry to be so frivolous before, but that's sort of the way I started, just wanting to know what it would look like to see the Windows desktop on a projection TV. From there, it has snowballed into a real passion for me. If I can help in any way in the future, let me know.

FWIW, DVI looks better to me than VGA, but VGA looks awfully good, if you have a good VGA cable. The good thing about modern video cards is that you can get some with two DVI connectors, but they are usually DVI-I, which means they carry both the DVI digital connection and the VGA analog connection in a single cable. Since my LCD computer monitors are analog only, but I run DVI to my home theater projector, I use a card with VGA to my computer LCD screen and DVI to my projector (with the Windows desktop mirrored on both).

Yep, that's how I was. That is why I was asking. I first hooked mine up via
component cables so I could watch DVD's. So when I finally had all the resolution
the way I wanted it via the computer on the TV, I put in a DVD only to find out
that it would either "crash" the PC or only get audio because of the resolution
restraints built in via the Macrovision crap on the DVD. So, then I had to find
an application that would break the macrovision so I could watch upconverted
DVD's.

Then off for a HD Tuner card cuz an HD Tivo wasn't availble yet.

So now, I am the nascar geek of geeks cuz I will watch the OTA signal via
my DTV card in my computer while I have the NASCAR Pit Pass thing in my
browswer window and listen to the driver's talking on the scanner. I display
all of this on my 65 inch Mits.

I am currently in the process of building my DVD collection on my PC so I no longer
have to de-ass myself from the chair to put in a DVD but rather just browse
to the folder and watch it.

So careful with experimenting. It could REALLY cost you.

Sorry to be so frivolous before, but that's sort of the way I started, just wanting to know what it would look like to see the Windows desktop on a projection TV. From there, it has snowballed into a real passion for me. If I can help in any way in the future, let me know.

FWIW, DVI looks better to me than VGA, but VGA looks awfully good, if you have a good VGA cable. The good thing about modern video cards is that you can get some with two DVI connectors, but they are usually DVI-I, which means they carry both the DVI digital connection and the VGA analog connection in a single cable. Since my LCD computer monitors are analog only, but I run DVI to my home theater projector, I use a card with VGA to my computer LCD screen and DVI to my projector (with the Windows desktop mirrored on both).
Hey no problem, any help frivolous or other wise is always appreciated. Found the video card-NVIDA GeFORCE4 Mx20- (thanks MoInSTL). What video card would you recommend? It looks to me the only computer connection I can use is the 15 pin. I don't have a DVI on the TV just two HDMI and they are being used.

would have been nice to have Universal HD before the Olympics.

Did anyone catch the Grammies in HD last night? I had other plans, and only caught the SD version on my DVR. It didn't look like I missed much of a show...Although it would have been cool to hear the performances in 5.1 sound.
I thought the audio was excellent. I watched/recorded it off of the CBSHD SAT feed. I briefly switched to KMOV's DT broadcast, and though the PQ appeared a bit better than the SAT feed, the audio was far better on the CBS feed.

Since the PQ was good enough on the HD SAT feed, I was more interested in the audio, which was one of the best 5.1's I've heard in the past year.

Monday night's 24 also had dropout/pixelation issues. I dont remember seeing any of that on Charters connection. I'll fire it up again this afternoon (Moxi) for another look so I can verify PQ ;)

I dont remember seeing any of that on Charters connection. I'll fire it up again this afternoon (Moxi) for another look so I can verify PQ ;)

I can verify this as well out in Lake St Louis. Not alot, but enough to be aggravated with.

As far as a video card goes it depends on your budget. I'm assuming it's an AGP video card. If it is, they are pretty cheap as PCI-E is used on the newer motherboards instead of AGP so they are less $ now. (Different slot sizes and difference in how it transmits the video signal is the least jargon laden way to explain AGP vs PCI-E). Since you have an Nvidia card now I would choose another Nvidia since you won't have to jump through hoops removing the drivers completly as you would with an ATI based card. Having old Nvidia drivers and adding an ATI card or visa versa can be a real pain. You would still need to remove the older drivers but the drivers deep down in your registry are more forgiving when the new drivers are added.

I just looked and it is AGP. It's the Mx200. There as no 20s as far as Google is concerned. The newer cards have both the D-sub and DVI or dual DVI.

Someone else with more experience can probably recommend what do since both HDMI inputs are used.

Hey no problem, any help frivolous or other wise is always appreciated. Found the video card-NVIDA GeFORCE4 Mx20- (thanks MoInSTL). What video card would you recommend? It looks to me the only computer connection I can use is the 15 pin. I don't have a DVI on the TV just two HDMI and they are being used.

DirecTV to Add TNT-HD on Friday

It seems strange that after a couple of years of doing without, DirecTV now decides to add TNT-HD. No doubt this will make pro hoops fans happy...

The following is from TVPredictions.com
_________________________________________________

DIRECTV just announced that it will add TNT's high-def channel this Friday. TNT, which airs NBA games and seemingly endless repeats of Law & Order, will be added to the satcaster's HD programming package for no extra charge.

Good news for those DIRECTV subscribers who were beginning to think they would never get a new HD channel.
_________________________________________________ Is that tomorrow 2-10 or do they mean 2-17 next Friday? As far as KSDKs HD news I'm not sure I think it's bulb worthy (Seinfeld reference) as is the rest of the local news.

Hey no problem, any help frivolous or other wise is always appreciated. Found the video card-NVIDA GeFORCE4 Mx20- (thanks MoInSTL). What video card would you recommend? It looks to me the only computer connection I can use is the 15 pin. I don't have a DVI on the TV just two HDMI and they are being used.

Hey Duv. I have an ATI Radeon 9600 (128mb) that I bought on ebay for $36. It has a DVI out that I have hooked up to my display. Works great. (Someone mentioned earlier that you can get a DVI > HDMI cable as opposed to using a DVI cable with an HDMI adaptor and I would second that. you can see one here: http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/cab_hdmi_about.html )

I don't use it for OTA. I'm just using it as a DVD server for now. I have a Turtle Beach Catalina sound card that has Optical out so I can get the appropriate sound (DD or DTS). Don't forget that part also.

Like WmSchultz, my goal is a lazy one in that I can call up my DVD's without having to move, but it also saves me from having to read off the DVD's to my wife when we're trying to figure out what to watch. Now she can just pick from the list :)

I'm also trying to set up xlobby as a front end so there will be jacket pictures and movie info. It's actually set up, but I'm having a Zoomplayer issue that won't pass the native SPDIF signal through to my receiver. (It comes out as ProLogic for some reason that I haven't been able to diagnose yet.) When I just open the file with PowerDVD 6, it passes everything through properly and works great.

Joseph is right though. If you don't want it to become an obsession, run away now. You'll just end up spending more money :) (I've managed to stay away from the HD tuner cards so far, but they do call out to me in my sleep..... :eek: )

I was up at UE last night and I checked out the new MPEG 4 receiver they have. They don't have the dish yet, but they have the box. Pretty spiffy looking. Their salesperson said even though they have it for free (199 -199 rebate) it is better to get through direct TV.

duvy56,

I checked over in the Programming Forum, and they are reporting 2/17 for TNT-HD...

I'll change the headline to clear this up.

Since you have an Nvidia card now I would choose another Nvidia since you won't have to jump through hoops removing the drivers completly as you would with an ATI based card. Having old Nvidia drivers and adding an ATI card or visa versa can be a real pain. You would still need to remove the older drivers but the drivers deep down in your registry are more forgiving when the new drivers are added.

I think Mo and I were typing at the same time. I have heard the same thing about Nvidia and ATI cards, but I tried it anyway because I got what I thought was a good deal. I haven't had any problems with it, but that doesn't mean you won't.

If you have two HDMI connections and they're both in use, you can get a switch. You can spend upwards of $200 for one that you can control with a remote, or you can get one for less than $40 that you have to get up and switch yourself. (This is the one that I have.) It all depends on your tolerance. Below is a link to the cheaper one. The beauty of it is that it has HDMI *AND* DVI connections along with audio (stereo and coax digital). (Unfortunately, my sound card is optical, but I had an extra inpup on my receiver.) Mine is mostly set up on the HTPC and occasionally get's switched over to the DVD player.

http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?cat=VIDEOEQUIP&subcat=&prodClass=VASWCH&search=0&off=0&baseItem=DVIAB%2D1

Joseph is right though. If you don't want it to become an obsession, run away now. You'll just end up spending more money :) (I've managed to stay away from the HD tuner cards so far, but they do call out to me in my sleep..... :eek: )[/QUOTE]
OK, I think you guys have talked me out of it. I don't need another expensive hobby especially since my x just pilfered my tax return. Oh how I don't miss her!

Need to know a good place to compare a 42" plasma preferably panasonic, but mitsubishi ok, to a 37" Sharp LCD. I would like a place where I know the sets would be set up the same and have the same input signal. Any suggestions.

Maybe Ultimate Electronics or American TV.

even if they have both sets, they won't be calibrated and won't look like that in your house.

You could try a search in the whole AVS for those model numbers to get peoples feedback. I never believe a sales person, or trust what I see in the store.

fstevenj,

If you're main concern is picture quality (and it sounds like it is), then you need look no further than the Panasonic plasma, which is the leader among all flat panels. If you do go for the Panasonic, I suggest that you look around for the commercial/industrial models, particularly if you're considering having the panel calibrated (more controls than in the consumer models). Otherwise, the consumer model should be fine.

I haven't seen the latest Mitsubishi panels, but frankly the last ones I've seen have a LONG way to go to match Panasonic. In general, I'm not a fan of LCD panels (direct view), due to screen door, so-so black levels and viewing angle.

Mind you, these are just my opinions and may not be completely relevant for your environment and/or application.

Also be aware that in-store video distribution systems can definitely vary from one point to another, even when they are side by side (I've learned this the hard way). As others here have pointed out, there are a lot of obstacles to getting a true A/B comparison.

Thanks for the info all. I was also curious after reading the latest posts, my HD fox from an OTA antenna and d* Samsung has had some problems with audio getting out of sync with the video. It sounds like it is a Fox problem, is that correct? If I switched channels and then back again it would seem to fix itself so I thought I might be a receiver problem.

Doug,
Picture quality isn't my only concern. This is our main viewing TV. I have two small children that will someday in the not so distant future want to hook up an xbox or ps2 to this tv. I also have grand visions of my next computer being in the audio cabinet and hooked up to this TV also. So my thoughts are that if the LCD is close enough to the PC of the plasma I would go with the LCD for the resolution and PC capability. Any thoughts? agree/disagree with my logic?

I just sent Charter an email about future growth in their HD offerings. If you are interested, it is listed below. Funny, all I received was an automated responce with a price listing of their current packages.



I am at a point in time where I have to evaluate staying with charter, or
switching to DTV. DirectTV/DISH are announcing a lot of future growth in the HD
offerings on their service. DTV just announced they are adding TNT-HD to their
lineup next week. Dish has many HD channels and they keep their customers
informed of new channels that are coming.
>
> What is Charter's future growth in this area. I don't want to hear the
standard BS responce of "We continue to investigate oportunities to add
progamming ..." What are we looking at and what is the timeframe? I know I am
just one customer and my switching does not effect Charter in any way. But,
speaking with people in the STL market, sales people, current cable subs, etc, I
hear a constant negative attitude toward Charter. As people share experiences
with each other, or join these internet forums, they pass along negative
experiences from Charter's Customer Service Reps's, abilities, Quality of
service, etc. That is bound to take a toll on the bottom line. Especially when
these forums are listed in the Sunday's Post Dispatch as a place to go for
information on HDTV.
> Believe me, all responces I get from Charter, and interaction I have with
their CSR's gets posted on the forums.

Need to know a good place to compare a 42" plasma preferably panasonic, but mitsubishi ok, to a 37" Sharp LCD. I would like a place where I know the sets would be set up the same and have the same input signal. Any suggestions.
I happen to have the 37" Sharp set up directly above the Panasonic 42" PX50u in my store. (Ultimate Electronics/Mid-Rivers Mall) Stop by and have a looksie. I'll get you the remotes and a chair and you can play all day if you wish. If you want to see an LCD flat panel that does black (well, almost) come see the New Sony LED backlit display we have set-up. And don't forgot to check out the MONSTER 65" Sharp. "Its a Sexy Beast" ;)

If playing games and using the monitor as a PC display is important, LCD wins significant points for lack of burn-in risk. But LCD's "PC heritage" doesn't necessarily mean it's more PC-compatible than plasma, though due to the lack of burn-in risk, LCD is more "PC friendly."

Most of the current 37-, 42- and 50-inch plasmas on the market have a native resolution that's based on one of the common PC resolutions. Many of the larger HD plasma sizes that are in the pipeline are adopting standard ATSC (1080p or 720p) resolutions.

I happen to have the 37" Sharp set up directly above the Panasonic 42" PX50u in my store. (Ultimate Electronics/Mid-Rivers Mall) Stop by and have a looksie. I'll get you the remotes and a chair and you can play all day if you wish. If you want to see an LCD flat panel that does black (well, almost) come see the New Sony LED backlit display we have set-up. And don't forgot to check out the MONSTER 65" Sharp. "Its a Sexy Beast" ;)

Hey, Tom,

The big buzz on some other threads is about the possibility of LED for front projectors and the benefits that will bring: instant on projectors, more accurate colors, possible elimination of the DLP rainbow effect when used with that technology. The big question seems to be brightness for a front projector. What is the brightness like on your Sony? I may get over to see you someday, but that's the other side of the world for me (from south city).

Cable Body Attacks FCC Report on "a la carte" Pricing

The following is from today's Evening Bridge market close newsletter:
_______________________________________________

Today, the Federal Communications Commission released a report that found a la carte programming options could provide substantial consumer benefits.

Some in the cable industry disagreed, including Kyle McSlarrow of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. McSlarrow said most studies conclude that mandated a la carte would be more expensive for consumers and result in less diversity in programming.

"It is disappointing that the updated Media Bureau report relies on assumptions that are not in line with the reality of the marketplace," he said.
_______________________________________________

While I don't especially like being in agreement with the NCTA, I have to agree that the logic of "a la carte" advocates runs completely counter to market realities.

Virtually all cable and satellite companies are publicly traded companies where shareholders expect consistent, quarter-on-quarter revenue and earnings growth. Companies that don't deliver get punished with a lower stock price and potentially a lower credit rating.

If "a la carte" pricing is forced on the cable industry, cable will have no choice but price individual channels in a way that ensures that more people end up paying more dollars than the those who will actually end up paying less. Providing fewer channels in return for reduced revenue won't cut it with Wall Street for one minute.

If the FCC is really interested in reducing what consumers pay for cable and satellite, they should focus on measures that increase competition, not introduce additional "too clever by half" regulation that stands a greater chance of backfiring.

Another vote for UE. They are set up with lower lighting and as luck would have it, the two I was considering were in a smaller viewing room off to the side. Unfortunately they were out of stock at Mid-Rivers and weren't sure when the next shipment was coming in so I purchased my Sammy DLP at a competitor. I wasn't thrilled about getting an expensive set delivered from CC but it worked out. I bought my 46" inch Mits from UE in PHX and it was a good experience. I found the staff at UE here to be knowledgable and helpful. Can't compare to the kid at CC or the poor viewing environment.


Need to know a good place to compare a 42" plasma preferably panasonic, but mitsubishi ok, to a 37" Sharp LCD. I would like a place where I know the sets would be set up the same and have the same input signal. Any suggestions.

hey why did the UE at Brentwood Promenade close anyhow? Its the only one I ever knew about, and just figured the whole chain closed, heeh. Strange that it closed not long after that Best Buy went in. I know it happened awhile ago, just wondering.

Cable Body Attacks FCC Report on "a la carte" Pricing

...
While I don't especially like being in agreement with the NCTA, I have to agree that the logic of "a la carte" advocates runs completely counter to market realities.

...
If the FCC is really interested in reducing what consumers pay for cable and satellite, they should focus on measures that increase competition, not introduce additional "too clever by half" regulation that stands a greater chance of backfiring.

"a la carte" will only happen when video is integrated with the internet. The market realities are forced to change and I say "bring it on" and hook up my fiber.

hey why did the UE at Brentwood Promenade close anyhow? Its the only one I ever knew about, and just figured the whole chain closed, heeh. Strange that it closed not long after that Best Buy went in. I know it happened awhile ago, just wondering.
The rent was too high (over $70K per month). We tried to renegotiate the lease terms but the property manager wouldn't have it so we shut her down under reorganization.

The rent was too high (over $70K per month). We tried to renegotiate the lease terms but the property manager wouldn't have it so we shut her down under reorganization.


WOW! Well, I know little about lease prices for retail box stores, but that's a lot of plasmas and surround receivers to move :) I used to love going in there, very nice living room setups for demos. And there were some lamps that were really rear surround speakers .......

"a la carte" will only happen when video is integrated with the internet. The market realities are forced to change and I say "bring it on" and hook up my fiber.I agree with you, redwine.

The FCC should do everything in its power to remove the state and local barriers to telecos entering local cable markets.

The FCC should encourage Congress to pass a law that "green lights" teleco entry into local markets on the same terms as existing local cable companies. No special deals, no backroom hand-holding -- just agree (or not) to pay the same franchise fee and current taxes and fees, and let the bits flow.

Of course, that's unlikely to happen, because the NCTA will lobby to the death against it.

Kinda short notice, but for those interested who may have missed it, ABC is re-airing last Sunday night's part 1 episode tonight at 8:30PM/CST.
I would think KDNL will carry the HD feed.

The FCC should do everything in its power to remove the state and local barriers to telecos entering local cable markets.
...

Of course, that's unlikely to happen, because the NCTA will lobby to the death against it.

I comes down to lobby against lobby..

What is shameful is that the cable companies could have a huge headstart in the "let the bits fly" future but management does not have the vision and only care about quarterly results. It makes me wonder what happened to Paul Allen's enthusiasm.....woman? drugs? ;)

I comes down to lobby against lobby..

What is shameful is that the cable companies could have a huge headstart in the "let the bits fly" future but management does not have the vision and only care about quarterly results. It makes me wonder what happened to Paul Allen's enthusiasm.....woman? drugs? ;)


Seahawks

WOW! Well, I know little about lease prices for retail box stores, but that's a lot of plasmas and surround receivers to move :) I used to love going in there, very nice living room setups for demos. And there were some lamps that were really rear surround speakers .......

I don't think they moved anything. There were Bankruptcy Specialist on site
selling everything. I bought a 3LNB D* Dish for $10. I had to take it off the
wall myself.

I also picked up a 23" LCD HDTV.

They were selling everything! The $10,000 plasmas were like under $4000 when
I was there. The only problem was it was no returns or exchanges so if your
item broke, tough noogies. You couldn't return it to a different store.

I think it closed around June of last year.

Not to be picky, but I think black_macleod was using move in place of sell. Lots of Plasmas and Surround Receivers to sell every month just to make the $70,000 rent. Also picked up several things from the UE liquidation. Full Klipsch set-up, Denon receiver, and a kickin’ Bello TV stand.

I have to agree all the employees were fantastic in a very difficult situation. They did a bunch of calling and coordinating between the Brentwood and Bridgeton stores. I guess with the confusion, our stand was sold twice and the second guy was on the delivery route earlier than I was, so when they arrived, no stand. The manager was great and hooked us up with a better stand for less money!!

Great chain, hope they can continue to make a run with the remaining stores.

Not to be picky, but I think black_macleod was using move in place of sell. Lots of Plasmas and Surround Receivers to sell every month just to make the $70,000 rent. Also picked up several things from the UE liquidation. Full Klipsch set-up, Denon receiver, and a kickin’ Bello TV stand.

I have to agree all the employees were fantastic in a very difficult situation. They did a bunch of calling and coordinating between the Brentwood and Bridgeton stores. I guess with the confusion, our stand was sold twice and the second guy was on the delivery route earlier than I was, so when they arrived, no stand. The manager was great and hooked us up with a better stand for less money!!

Great chain, hope they can continue to make a run with the remaining stores.


Yea I meant a lot of merchandise to sell to make rent :)

Ok folks, can we brainstorm?
I have Charter with all the Moxi, HD, etc.
Over the last two week I have been unable to get HD channels 784 (CBS) and 773 (ESPN). Everything else including all the HD channels are perfect.

How can just two channels be messed up and I hear no other complaints from you guys. I have made several calls to them, after wire checks, reboots, magic bullets sent down the line etc....all to no avail. Today a tech is coming at 1PM. Anything I can try before he gets here or questions to ask or things to suggest?

(Way way off topic) As if I don't have enough problems......I discovered last night that we have a dead racoon in my fireplace chimney :eek: ...I can see the fur. poke it but it feels like it is stuck to the base of the fireplace shelf, behind the damper :( ...Anyone eating breakfast? Sorry. Wifey is really freaking out and is calling a chimney sweep since I could not pull anything out but fur :mad: .........

Any suggestion on either matters :confused: ????

It makes me wonder what happened to Paul Allen's enthusiasm.....woman? drugs? ;)Paul Allen is the business world equivalent of Milli Vanilli -- a one-hit wonder who, based on all available evidence, probably didn't contribute anything vital to that "hit."

The only way Allen could be any luckier is winning the Powerball and the Mega Millions jackpots without buying a ticket for either one.

I have an older Harmon Kardon receiver I finally set back up since moving. TV is hooked up to D*'s HD-DVR via HDMI. Ran toslink from DVR to revceiver. Now, whenever I switch between OTA, SD or to a Sat carried HD channel I get two different volume levels. I have to either turn it up in the case of OTA or turn it down when I switch to SD. The Harmon Kardon manual leaves a lot to be desired and I can't figure out how to keep the sound level the same. If I am watching OTA and change to an SD channel it is much louder and have to lower the volume quickly.

What is the workaround? It's driving me crazy!

Thanks in advance.

Ok folks, can we brainstorm?
I have Charter with all the Moxi, HD, etc.
Over the last two week I have been unable to get HD channels 784 (CBS) and 773 (ESPN). Everything else including all the HD channels are perfect.

How can just two channels be messed up and I hear no other complaints from you guys. I have made several calls to them, after wire checks, reboots, magic bullets sent down the line etc....all to no avail. Today a tech is coming at 1PM. Anything I can try before he gets here or questions to ask or things to suggest?
.........

Any suggestion on either matters :confused: ????

Thats funny, Im having nearly the same problem:
I have the 2 tuner MOXI. I agree that 784 and 773 are the worst. But I see it from time to time on other stations. It is only with one of the two tuners. The other one is perfectly fine. I think I noticed the problem on monay or tuesday.
What area are you in?
Charter is expected to be here 8-12 this morning.

I see your in St Charles... Through that idea out the window.
I am seeing macro-blocking. It is worse when there is fast motion.
The ticker on ESPN is bad, and the Grammys on CBS with rapid camera changes were unwatchable.

Mo,

The problem isn't with your receiver -- it's the sound levels sent out by the stations. Like everything else, there are standards for how to transmit an audio signal or a video signal over the airwaves.

Why these standards aren't being followed varies widely with each situation. Sometimes its a matter of one guy/station thinking he/it is smarter than the standard, sometimes it's equipment limitations, and sometimes its an inability to actually monitor what's being sent out.

And I dare say, sometimes it's a combination of all of the above...and probably more.

Maybe Jim can shed some light on this? I know he's out of town (I recently saw him pop up on the Champaign, IL thread, so he's obviously working on a station up there).

It's gotta be trying/tiring to answer the same old lip sync questions from each local market, so at least this might provide a momentary diversion from the routine... :)

(Way way off topic) As if I don't have enough problems......I discovered last night that we have a dead racoon in my fireplace chimney :eek: ...I can see the fur. poke it but it feels like it is stuck to the base of the fireplace shelf, behind the damper :( ...Anyone eating breakfast? Sorry. Wifey is really freaking out and is calling a chimney sweep since I could not pull anything out but fur :mad: .........

Any suggestion on either matters :confused: ????

That reminds me of when we were looking at our first house. The house had a fireplace with one of the buck stove inserts. We had a home inspector come out and give it the once over. When he opened the fireplace, he opened the flu....and wham, a petrified squirell falls and and scares the life out of us.

Doug, thanks for the reply but *every* SD channel or OTA change? If so, this sucks as I don't want to live with a remote in my hand while watching TV. It is especially bad watching say OTA on one tuner and flipping to the second one in SD. The sound level isn't a little diffferent, it's a lot louder whether or not it's a local channel.

In other words, anything HD OTA or HD Sat is one level and anything SD like SciFi or locals are another.



Mo,

The problem isn't with your receiver -- it's the sound levels sent out by the stations. Like everything else, there are standards for how to transmit an audio signal or a video signal over the airwaves.

Why these standards aren't being followed varies widely with each situation. Sometimes its a matter of one guy/station thinking he/it is smarter than the standard, sometimes it's equipment limitations, and sometimes its an inability to actually monitor what's being sent out.

And I dare say, sometimes it's a combination of all of the above...and probably more.

Maybe Jim can shed some light on this? I know he's out of town (I recently saw him pop up on the Champaign, IL thread, so he's obviously working on a station up there).

It's gotta be trying/tiring to answer the same old lip sync questions from each local market, so at least this might provide a momentary diversion from the routine... :)

Mo,

Do you have your AV Receiver programmed into your TiVo remote? If so, then muting or lower the sound requires only a few centimeters of movement from the channel up/down button for the remote you're already using.

Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but that at least is a pretty simple fix.

If you haven't done so already, there's a TiVo menu-driven setup for finding the correct IR code for your AV receiver. There are likely multiple choices, so there's a bit of trial-and-error involved.

FWIW, there's also sometimes a volume issue when a station switches between SD and HD. Again, this can be a PITA and needn't be.

You read my mind. I just came back to my PC from programming it. The third code worked. Guess I have to live with the remote in my hand. Oh well, at least it occured to me to program the remote so it's better.

Btw, it's pretty easy to figure out if the code works as it will start blinking. if not then try another one withought having to go all the way out to test and all the way back in to try another code.



Mo,

Do you have your AV Receiver programmed into your TiVo remote? If so, then muting or lower the sound requires only a few centimeters of movement from the channel up/down button for the remote you're already using.

Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but that at least is a pretty simple fix.

If you haven't done so already, there's a TiVo menu-driven setup for finding the correct IR code for your AV receiver. There are likely multiple choices, so there's a bit of trial-and-error involved.

FWIW, there's also sometimes a volume issue when a station switches between SD and HD. Again, this can be a PITA and needn't be.

Ok folks, can we brainstorm?
I have Charter with all the Moxi, HD, etc.
Over the last two week I have been unable to get HD channels 784 (CBS) and 773 (ESPN). Everything else including all the HD channels are perfect.

I had a similar problem just a few posts back. It was channel 773 and 784 but not on the Moxi, it was on the Motorola box upstairs. The problem went away and I canceled the service call after they did some "upgrades" in my area.

Good luck with the charter guy.....

Mo,

Do you have your AV Receiver programmed into your TiVo remote? If so, then muting or lower the sound requires only a few centimeters of movement from the channel up/down button for the remote you're already using.

Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but that at least is a pretty simple fix.

If you haven't done so already, there's a TiVo menu-driven setup for finding the correct IR code for your AV receiver. There are likely multiple choices, so there's a bit of trial-and-error involved.

FWIW, there's also sometimes a volume issue when a station switches between SD and HD. Again, this can be a PITA and needn't be.

Doug,
Your right I'm running around to other stations and finding the same issues with lip sync when on 5.1. Also, as far as level...with digital there's a wide range of where the level can be set with out distortion...and it's difficult to monitor because of the delay from the analog audio. I try to get them to set the level so it "sounds" the same level as the analog. A good thing with digital is that the level stays the same through the system...just need to set it right to begin with. Once there is a revenue stream from digital, stations will begin to pay more attention to it.
Jim

The rent was too high (over $70K per month). We tried to renegotiate the lease terms but the property manager wouldn't have it so we shut her down under reorganization.

I heard the same thing. The store was amoung the tops in the company in sales, but the rent was killer and the landlord had no interest in renegotiating the lease.

NY Times today has interesting article on the FCC "a la carte" issue. Link is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/business/media/10cable.html

You'll probably have to create a free account, but you could also get a login at bugmenot.com that won't require that.

Squirrel

http://heh.pl/&2GU
"HBO continues their quest to specify what you can and cannot record to your DVR. They’ve been at the forefront of limiting our recording rights and are at it again, this time petitioning that subscription video-on-demand should be off-limits. It’s interesting that they attempt to segregate content… why should one show or network be treated differently than any other? If your piping media into my house that I’ve paid for I intend to retain the right to copy whatever I want, whenever I want for my personal use — broadcast flag and similar legislation be damned"

I heard the same thing. The store was amoung the tops in the company in sales, but the rent was killer and the landlord had no interest in renegotiating the lease.

I don't understand alot of that either, but it sounds like people are blaming the landlord for not renegotiating the lease. Whos fault is it that they signed the lease? They had to know what the rent was prior to moving in....after all, they did sign the lease.

I don't understand alot of that either, but it sounds like people are blaming the landlord for not renegotiating the lease. Whos fault is it that they signed the lease? They had to know what the rent was prior to moving in....after all, they did sign the lease.

I don't know the details of course, but its my guess the rent was high at first because that was the first block of construction done up there. Then when Target, the Promenade, then the Best Buy / Sports Authority part were finished, I'm sure rents went down a bit, or at least the market stabilized. I don't think that space has had a permanent tenant since UE left, so the landlord sure aint making 70k / month now. Better to have a steady tenant and not gouge them, then have no tenants at all. Wait til the Rt. 40 construction begins, those businesses over there are gonna be screwed.

http://heh.pl/&2GU
"HBO continues their quest to specify what you can and cannot record to your DVR. They’ve been at the forefront of limiting our recording rights and are at it again, this time petitioning that subscription video-on-demand should be off-limits. It’s interesting that they attempt to segregate content… why should one show or network be treated differently than any other? If your piping media into my house that I’ve paid for I intend to retain the right to copy whatever I want, whenever I want for my personal use — broadcast flag and similar legislation be damned"

That's why I have the MyHD for OTA broadcasts and the R5000 mod for my Dish Network gear, to allow me to record in the clear. Hollywood tried to slide in the broadcast flag provision already, after the courts told the FCC it had no authority to mandate it. They won't stop.

I don't know the details of course, but its my guess the rent was high at first because that was the first block of construction done up there. Then when Target, the Promenade, then the Best Buy / Sports Authority part were finished, I'm sure rents went down a bit, or at least the market stabilized. I don't think that space has had a permanent tenant since UE left, so the landlord sure aint making 70k / month now. Better to have a steady tenant and not gouge them, then have no tenants at all. Wait til the Rt. 40 construction begins, those businesses over there are gonna be screwed.

UE was closing about 1/2 of their stores across the country. I think around 37 stores, so it made "cents" to close that store as it was not one of the more profitable stores in part due to the high lease. They still have 3 stores in the St. Louis area. Good to see they are still around.

Scott

Thats funny, Im having nearly the same problem:
I have the 2 tuner MOXI. I agree that 784 and 773 are the worst. But I see it from time to time on other stations. It is only with one of the two tuners. The other one is perfectly fine. I think I noticed the problem on monay or tuesday.
What area are you in?
Charter is expected to be here 8-12 this morning.
Fastmans,
Did the charter guy help you?

My guy isn't here yet but the Madhatter chimney guy just left $150 richer but he earned his money. He got the racoon out all in one piece but it was one of the hardest ones he ever did. Now we just have candles and air freshener everwhere. Hope the cable guy likes the aroma :)

EDIT:

Ok the cable guy just left. Wow a tech that actually knew his stuff. He's has been with them for 20 years. He found that I just wasn't getting enough signal. He found some squirrel (animals are really making my life difficult!!!)damage on my drop from the pole and replaced it. Everything is fine now but he still called in for another crew to come in the next few days and increase the signal to my neighborhood. He just hopes they don't increase it too much which can also cause problems.

Bottom line: animals chewing on your lines can cause a short and decrease signal. This could also be intermittent because it may only short when it rains, etc.

Kinda short notice, but for those interested who may have missed it, ABC is re-airing last Sunday night's part 1 episode tonight at 8:30PM/CST.
I would think KDNL will carry the HD feed.

Nice that they re-aired it, but no it was not in HD via KDNL. It was HD on D* 86 however.

Scott

NY Times today has interesting article on the FCC "a la carte" issue. Link is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/business/media/10cable.html
You'll probably have to create a free account, but you could also get a login at bugmenot.com that won't require that.
Squirrel
Interesting....in the 2004 study/report done by the FCC, they said a la carte would cost consumers more. Now, in 2006, they say less.
Makes me wonder what the next study will conclude, and how much outside "influence" may sway these studies.

So, the mpeg 4 receivers are available? Do you have to have the 5 LNB dish to get programming with them? Is there an mpeg 4 HD DVR available yet?

When I was at UE last night, they only had the receiver, not the dish yet...

How about the opening ceremonies...

So, the mpeg 4 receivers are available? Do you have to have the 5 LNB dish to get programming with them? Is there an mpeg 4 HD DVR available yet?

Yes - see the H20 thread in the HD hardware forum
No - although you need the 5 LNB to get mpeg4 channels, but it would work like a mpeg2 receiver with a normal 3 LNB dish
No - the HR20 is not yet available

Dish has added channel 9426, Universal HD in MPEG2, making it available to all Dish HD subs for the duration of the Olympics.

I recently took advantage of a tip that long-time DirecTV customers can get a free standard-definition DVR just by calling the retention desk and asking for one (thanks, Mo). I decided to follow through on this and had a standard-def DVR installed on one of my non-HDTVs yesterday.

FWIW, this was provided to me COMPLETELY free -- no hardware charge, no activation fee, no installation fee and no change in my monthly billing (it replaces one of my old DirecTV receivers, so the number of "mirrors" remains unchanged). I tried to get one of the standard-def TiVos, but the local installer didn't have any in stock, so instead I got the new DirecTV-branded DVR with 100 hours storage.

I'm still getting up to speed with this new unit, so there may be things that I haven't figured out yet, but here's some initial impressions that may be relevant for others here when it comes time to let go of the HD TiVo in order to get MPEG-4 HD recording. Of course, I'm assuming here that the new HD DVR, when it becomes available, will have the same feature and functionality set as this new first-generation DirecTV DVR:

* As has been widely reported, there's no 30-second skip, and by all accounts no back door for setting one up. There are several speeds for rewinding and fast forward, but it does take significantly more time and effort to bypass commercial breaks.

* It seems the overriding goal of the new DVR's user interface is to be as simple as possible. Ease of use has taken precedence over flexibility and power.

* While the new DVR has two tuners, there doesn't appear to be an obvious way of switching between them. This eliminates the possibility of one of my favorite TiVo tricks.

When I'm watching a live event with TiVo and a commercial break comes along, I like to pause the live program, and then switch to the other tuner for a couple of minutes of channel surfing, such as checking in on a basketball or baseball game that's playing on another channel. When I think the commercial break on my live event is finished (or until I exhaust my surfing jones), I can switch back to the original tuner, hit pause, skip over the commercials and resume watching the live program.

While the lack of a 30-second skip would make this maneuver more challenging on the new DVR, without the ability to toggle between the two tuners, it's not even possible. I'm thinking there must be a way to accomplish this and hopefully it's just something that I've overlooked.

Has anyone here with the new DVR figured this out yet?

* The new DVR has the equivalent of a To Do List, showing what/when the DVR is going to be recording specific events. It also has something similar to the Season Pass Manager ("Prioritizer"), but it only allows for reordering of relative priorities among "season pass" recordings.

And unlike TiVo, when a new "season pass" recording is created, it goes to the TOP of the priority list, instead of the BOTTOM. I haven't completely thought this through, but it seems this approach is actually likely to cause conflicts and require active, regular use of the Prioritizer. This seems at odds with the otherwise "keep it simple" approach.

* One other improvement over TiVo is that the new DVR maintains a 90-minute buffer of the live event. This means you can jump back as far as 90 minutes from the current point in a live event. More interesting, you can decide to start recording something you're watching live up to 90 minutes after you started watching. Of course, like TiVo, the 90-minute buffer is dumped and restarted any time you change channels.

But because you can toggle between the two tuners on TiVo, you effectively have two separate 30-minute buffers, versus just the single 90-minute buffer on the new DVR. Although the new DVR's expanded buffer does have some minor advantages, the TiVo approach seems ultimately more useful overall.

* Like TiVo, you can "pad" the beginning and end of any recording so that an event can start before or continue after its scheduled program guide time.

* The Program Guide is the traditional grid-type. There doesn't appear to be an equivalent of the TiVo list presentation that allows you to easily scroll forward hours or days at a time through a single channel's schedule.

* The new DVR provides relatively simple access to local weather (current conditions and 5-day forecast), lottery and horoscope information. The DirecTV Mix channels are also interactive on the new DVR, so that you can check out the mix view, toggle to a specific pane and immediately switch to that channel. You get six channels shown simulataneously on the mix views.

Not bad, but as it's limited to the channels DirecTV has pre-selected, it's not as useful as it could be. Another example of ease-of-use winning out over flexibility.

FCC Chief Favors Minimizing Pay TV Barriers for Telcos

Now that's more like it...as I've stated previously, I think this has 10 times the potential for lower consumer prices and enhanced choice as mandated "a la carte."

The following excerpt is from Bloomberg News.

______________________________________________________

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said yesterday that the agency should help telephone companies such as Verizon Communications Inc. offer television service in competition with cable TV.

The FCC will "seek to eliminate any unreasonable barriers to entry and to address other issues that we find impede such progress," Martin said at a commission meeting in Keller, Texas, where Verizon first began offering TV services in September.

Martin's comments indicate that the FCC may override state and local rules that Verizon and AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. phone companies, say hamper their ability to roll out TV service. Phone companies right now must seek approval from local communities before offering TV to compete with cable providers such as Time Warner Inc., Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications Inc.

"It would be very good news" for Verizon and AT&T as well as consumers, said Daniela Spassova, who helps manage $153 billion at Des Moines, Iowa-based Principal Global Investors, including Verizon and AT&T debt. "People will have a lot of options and prices of the packages will go down. It will validate all the spending."
______________________________________________________

For the complete story, click here. (http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.fcc11feb11,0,7722794.story?coll=bal-business-headlines)

Was anyone disappointed with the opening ceremonies? I watched about 10 minutes last night and it was very grainy.

One other thing that I noticed on the new DVR -- when I tried to set up a "season pass" for the "Midwest Sports Report" on Fox Sports Midwest, it would only allow a single recording.

I tried several different approaches for this. Whenever I set it to record and then tried to toggle to the "season pass" status, it turned off the record instruction, rather than setting the "season pass" indicator.

Maybe this is a bug, but I wonder if this is a purposely imposed limitation. Of course, I'm a bit suspicious of this, since DirecTV and FOX Sports share the same ownership.

Was anyone disappointed with the opening ceremonies? I watched about 10 minutes last night and it was very grainy.

I watched it in its entirety and I was almost completely impressed. But you have to understand I'm new to HD, less than two weeks with this Sony SXDR 50" set, so it all looks good to me.

One thing I'm noticing (last night and during Grammys) is occassional screen door effect. Not sure if I can say the conditions when it appears, but seems to be quick scene changes under bright lighting conditions. I'd call it "screen door", maybe that's not what it really is, but it seems to sharpen up after about a second or so. Any thoughts? Is it my set or is it the network?

I've got this 50" set, now I need something good looking and functional to put it on.

I've been to the big box retailers and the furniture stores, but haven't found the right thing.

Who in the area carries decent entertainment center pieces?

The picture quality is sure not what it is on the VOOM channels or the HD Net channels. Too much compression, at least one my set.

Dish has added channel 9426, Universal HD in MPEG2, making it available to all Dish HD subs for the duration of the Olympics.

This means Battlestar Galactica in HD on Sundays at 7:00 for the next couple of weeks for Dish subscribers. It's already set up for recording on my R5000 modded Dish 6000.

BTW, I've already ordered the Dish 211 MPEG4 unit. Nextcom (the makers of the R5000) have announced support for it (and the Dish 411). It can be modified to record to computer via USB2, just as I've been doing for the last year and a half with the Dish 6000. (For those of you who don't know about this, it is a "hack," but a very legal one, that adds a USB2 port to a satellite set top box that allows you to send the HD signal to a computer as a standard transport stream file, where you can then burn it to DVD. About a half hour of HD can be recorded to a single layer DVD, or a full broadcast hour to double layer DVD if you edit out the commercials. I have hundreds of hours of shows and movies recorded from satellite.)

A lot of Dish subs are upset with the way Dish is going ahead with the upgrades to current 921s, 942s, 6000s and 811s. Some things simply seem unfair, especially for those who bought those units recently. I agree, but I'm just too excited that Nextcom has come up with a way to record the MPEG4 streams with the R5000.

For those of you who are DirecTV subs, I believe it is the case that D* has gone to a lease only model for all future receivers, isn't it? This strikes me as something that Dish may do eventually, but it hasn't done it yet. (It would certainly make it more justifiable for them to do some of the things they've done with older receivers - such as not allowing any new activations of the HD channels for soomeone who buys a used 6000.) If this is the case, it probably means that Nextcom may not be able to mod leased boxes from D* legally, since D* subs don't own the boxes and D* could, legally, demand the boxes back when they decide to upgrade their technology.

It just seems to me that all the legal holes for recording are being systematically closed. I believe the 622 has a 30 second skip feature, just like the 942. At least Dish has yet to make that concession to the Powers That Be. It is my single favorite convenience feature on the Dish PVRs.

Good Morning Everyone,
I posted the following in the Samsung owners thread here, but thought I'd get a better response here...

Best Buy has the Bush TV Stand - Black Oak Model: VS42936-02 on sale. The only thing that makes me a tad nervous is this: Black oak veneer on fiberboard. However, it says it can support flat-panel TVs up to 60", weighing up to 154 lbs. My Sammy HL-R5067W manual says it weighs 72 pounds so am I overreacting to the veneer over fiberboard?

Does anyone have this stand?

http://heh.pl/&2Hj

I bought a glass shelf from CC and much prefer the one at BB for wire manangement (not seeing the mess ) and the glass doors. CC will pick it up the other one for free.

Edit: There were reports that the Ameriwood stands bowed and Ameriwood sent out a fix to current owners. Don't want the same kind of thing happen to me. Tried using the search function by entering Bush Stand any everything with stand as in STANDard defintion turned up. Googled it and even called Bush. Would rather get an opinion form someone who has this. :)

I have one of the new Dish 211 MPEG4 receivers. With Dish currently airing UniversalHD on two channels, one in MPEG2 and the other in MPEG4, I've been able to compare the two compressions.

Now, mind you, I have nothing close to any sort of trained eye, so I'm just speaking from what I see. To me, the MPEG4 has a bit better PQ, though not by much, and not anywhere close to the difference between a MPEG2 SAT HD and an OTA HD.

I'm not able to compare using pause/record yet, because Dish cannot seem to figure out where their MPEG4 HD DVR receivers are. I expect to have one by EOM, but then the Olympics will have ended, and Dish will have turned off the MPEG2 UniversalHD feed.

If KSDK carries an HD feed at the same time as UniversalHD, I'll be able to compare all 3. OTA, MPEG2 & MPEG4. From what I've seen so far, and has Doug has preached again and again, I'm fairly certain OTA will win-out, hands down.

Just thought some may be interested.

I have one of the new Dish 211 MPEG4 receivers. With Dish currently airing UniversalHD on two channels, one in MPEG2 and the other in MPEG4, I've been able to compare the two compressions.

Now, mind you, I have nothing close to any sort of trained eye, so I'm just speaking from what I see. To me, the MPEG4 has a bit better PQ, though not by much, and not anywhere close to the difference between a MPEG2 SAT HD and an OTA HD.

I'm not able to compare using pause/record yet, because Dish cannot seem to figure out where their MPEG4 HD DVR receivers are. I expect to have one by EOM, but then the Olympics will have ended, and Dish will have turned off the MPEG2 UniversalHD feed.

If KSDK carries an HD feed at the same time as UniversalHD, I'll be able to compare all 3. OTA, MPEG2 & MPEG4. From what I've seen so far, and has Doug has preached again and again, I'm fairly certain OTA will win-out, hands down.

Just thought some may be interested.

You probably aren't receiving MPEG4 yet, even though you have an MPEG4 receiver from Dish. Apparently, the MPEG4 implementation by Dish is still a work in progress and they won't start actual MPEG4 sat casting until later this year. What you are seeing now is an MPEG2 stream with an MPEG4 header on it.

I read about a problem with the 211s and the HDMI port malfunctioning. Are using that port in your setup? That's one of the first things I intend to check.

I agree that local OTA HD in general is better, but I've noticed what seems to be a worsening of the picture on most of the local broadcasts, as well. KPLR broadcasts are exhibiting more macroblocking on fast motion. KSDKs problems are well documented since they started multicasting. Fox seems noticeably worse at shot changes (greater pixelization). I thought at first it was my projector, since I've had some issues with it. But I checked some older recordings I made on it, and they seemed pretty much as I remembered them. KMOV seems OK so far, but I don't watch much on the eye, so I don't know for sure. It's a disturbing trend.

Joe,

Maybe you already know this, but the BSG episodes currently appearing on UHD are from the second season. My understanding is that the third season is currently being shown on an SD (Sci-Fi?) channel.

I like BSG, but fortunately for me I'm not quite avid enough that I have to see the third season and endure SD viewing. I'm happy enough to wait for it to eventually roll around in HD in 9 or 10 months...

Joe,

I'm using component. I did connect the HDMI cable when I first installed it, compared the two, and didn't notice any difference. I only have a 4' HDMI cable, and the 6' components suited the placement better, so I just left them on.
At least on mine, the HDMI port did work, but I'm not using it, nor did I for any length of time.
I can connect it, and run it for a couple of days, if you're interested in the results, be glad to.

You probably already know this, the 211 does not come with either component or HDMI cables. Funny thing is, my 811 did come with component, which I had to replace because they didn't work, right out of the box.

I have seen the problems with FOX, but I think this is a technical issue, rather than some mysterious draining of bandwidth. I don't watch KPLR, so have no idea what's up there.

I wonder if any local stations are going to be partitioning their bandwidth for re-sale or other corporate purposes. For example, there's USDTV, a new business that takes excess bandwidth of local stations to deliver pay channels using the aggregated bandwidth it secures in a local market. Fortunately USDTV isn't doing well, and I've seen reports of their set-top boxes being sold off at a discount as OTA-only tuners.

There's also the Disney product ("Moviebeam"), which is also supposed to provide on-demand movies via the bandwidth of local ABC digital stations. This service isn't a ripping success so either, but I read a week or so ago that Disney has spun it off as a separate company. Along with Disney, it has some major money/partners behind it, so this could be one to keep an eye out for.

God the Olympics on NBC - the ski jumpers orange is like NEON, just horrible!

All I have to say is: :p

And you know why!


Joe,

Maybe you already know this, but the BSG episodes currently appearing on UHD are from the second season. My understanding is that the third season is currently being shown on an SD (Sci-Fi?) channel.

I like BSG, but fortunately for me I'm not quite avid enough that I have to see the third season and endure SD viewing. I'm happy enough to wait for it to eventually roll around in HD in 9 or 10 months...

Does anyone know where to buy good looking cable raceway in the STL area?

I've seen some online that comes in quarter-round and various moulding looks, but I kind of want to see it in person before ordering a bunch. I'm looking strictly for low voltage signal wiring - basically need to hide some RG6 that I can't put in the wall.

Thanks,
Squirrel

Joe,

Maybe you already know this, but the BSG episodes currently appearing on UHD are from the second season. My understanding is that the third season is currently being shown on an SD (Sci-Fi?) channel.

I like BSG, but fortunately for me I'm not quite avid enough that I have to see the third season and endure SD viewing. I'm happy enough to wait for it to eventually roll around in HD in 9 or 10 months...

No, I didn't know that. I haven't had UHD since the Voom days. I read somewhere that the broadcast aired Friday on Sci Fi and then Sunday in HD on UHD, and I thought it was the same broadcast. Does Universal HD do reruns from the first season of BG? If so, I'll look forward to collecting the whole series.

The Sci Fi broadcast of BG is truly horrendous - like watching through a glass smeared with dirty mayonnaise. But the show is so good, I watch it anyway. I did record a couple of eps from last summer when NBC aired them OTA, and the difference was amazing.

Just a follow-up to my notes on the new DirecTV-brand DVR:

I discovered there is a way to limit the number of episodes that the DVR records for season passes. It's buried pretty far down in the List section, and is found on a separate tab, but it can be done. I've since gone through and reworked the episode numbers and specifically limited SportsCenter to a single stored recording.

This should make a significant difference, as the 100 hours storage won't be wasted on duplicate recordings...

Now, if I can just find a way to toggle between the two tuners when watching live TV...

Joe,

I'm using component. I did connect the HDMI cable when I first installed it, compared the two, and didn't notice any difference. I only have a 4' HDMI cable, and the 6' components suited the placement better, so I just left them on.
At least on mine, the HDMI port did work, but I'm not using it, nor did I for any length of time.
I can connect it, and run it for a couple of days, if you're interested in the results, be glad to.

You probably already know this, the 211 does not come with either component or HDMI cables. Funny thing is, my 811 did come with component, which I had to replace because they didn't work, right out of the box.

I read that the problems with the HDMI port developed after some hours to a day. Haven't read about people having the problem for a few days, so maybe it was a limited batch of 211s that had the problem. HDMI is the only way I plan to run mine, so I should know pretty quickly if the port is going to fail. It might be a good idea for you to run it that way for a couple of days, just to be sure. My 211 is due to arrive on Tuesday. I'll run it for a week, then, if all is well, it goes in for the R5000 mod.

Radio Shack had a sale on DVI and HDMI cables recently ($12.50 each), so I think I'm set for a while. They've worked well.

I have seen the problems with FOX, but I think this is a technical issue, rather than some mysterious draining of bandwidth.

I've noted the problems with Fox dropouts, too, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm seeing a lot more of is a marked pixelization as shots change. This isn't due to dropouts. It just looks as though the I-frame rate is too slow to catch shot changes, so the image pixelates as the image cuts from some shots to others. I checked the premiere episode of Bones that I still had on my 921, and the problem was there in September, too, but it was much less pronounced. I didn't notice it then. It's easy to see now.

I've already ordered the Dish 211 MPEG4 unit. Nextcom (the makers of the R5000) have announced support for it (and the Dish 411). It can be modified to record to computer via USB2...

Hey Joe. Since all of the new Dish receivers are leased, what does this mod do to your ability to return the unit without getting hammered with some kind of cost?

Hey Joe. Since all of the new Dish receivers are leased, what does this mod do to your ability to return the unit without getting hammered with some kind of cost?

It's my understanding that all the new D* receivers are leased, but the Dish Network receivers can be leased or bought outright. I'm buying the 211 and leasing the 622 in April. I know my warranty will not be good after the mod on the 211, but, as I said, I plan to give it a good workout for a week or so. I'll take my chances after that. Recording is something I've gotten used to, and I just don't want to be without it.

Forgive me, but im kind of a Newbie to the whole HDTV thing. Right now all i have is a small indoor OTA TERK tuner similar to the silver sensor i think.

Im watching some Olympics coverage and when it comes to action shots or a far away shot that has something moving close to the camera there is alot of ...im not sure what the correct term would be....possibly macroblocking..or pixelation kind of. It resembles when you zoom in WAY too much on a digital photo...way past the allowed size. Everything is square and this is what the edges of the fast moving objects look like. They are not a clean line, but a bunch of jagged edges. During opening scenes from commercials and all, the landscape and mountains look superclear and have lots of depth and all. So...whats wrong? and what is this called? Is it the Olympic feed, local NBC feed, my set... I have a Sony 34XBR960 with the OTA tuner. All i have is crappy SD analog Charter Cable so I cant compare to much else in HD. Thanks for all the help, this forum is great!

So I must say that so far this coverage for something as big as the Olympics is horrible. The picture keeps dropping out, going black...and not the signal on my end. Also whenever they flash the 'NBC' or 'Olympics' logos across the screen you get alot of the grainy, square-blocks, on the screen. This seems to happen every time there is scene or shot change from camera to camera or whatnot. For a couple seconds the screen picture is all blockish and really bad...kind of like a camera that takes a second to focus. Then it gets real nice and clear....until something on the screen moves....ITS THE OLYMPICS...thats what youre watching is movement. Skiing, skating, the luge, hockey, etc... Seriously though, why is an apparently incapabable entity like NBC allowed to have a monopoly on coverage when they cant even do it right. Shouldnt that be a requirement during the bidding for coverage?!?!

Anyone else having frequent dropouts watching the olympics in HD?

Word from within NBC (over in HDTV programming, NBC Olympics Day 1 thread) is that the blizzard in NYC is causing the video dropouts and audio pops nationwide. The macroblocking and pixelation is less excusable. Anyone know how much bitrate Weather+ is currently eating?

Anyone know how much bitrate Weather+ is currently eating?


TOO MUCH! St. Louis doesn't need a 24hr weatherchannel, especially not an HD one. put that on a crappy SD channel. To me thats kind of lame blaming a 'blizzard'. Its not like its 'the worst blizzard in 20yrs'. Can you even call whats happening in NYC a blizzard???! The excuses multi-million dollar companies come up with amaze me, but what amazes me more is the crap that the american public will accept and put up with from these companies!

2 topics about NBC:

1st: Olympics

I'm also experiencing a lot of dropouts on the HD broadcast of the Olympics this evening. The broadcasts earlier today were fine, the problems started at the 7:00 PM airing.

2nd: 5 & 6 PM News tonight

OK, I'm back to seeing red tint on the broadcasters faces, but I've got more details. It looks like it's only from one of their cameras. I really noticed it with the weather. When Mike Roberts was sitting at the desk, his face was definitely redder than when he was standing in front of the screen. Regardless of my calibration, there is a noticable difference in the amount of red depending on which camera is used.

Anyone else having frequent dropouts watching the olympics in HD?
Wife keeps asking why I turned the TV off.

Dropouts are happening here in Indianapolis too. If its not the weather in NY its a giant cover-up. Our local affiliate has gone to an all SD (looks like shiat) feed.

My two cents...

NBC uses the KU-band side of AMC 1 to deliverer their HD feed. KU-band is more sensitive to weathers conditions than C-band. ABC and CBS use the C-band of different satellites 3700 to 4100 freq.. Currently NBC is using a freq. of 11760 while directv is around 12647 freq. We all know what happens when a big thunder cloud gets in front of our small dish, then why not the same for NBC but to a lesser extent due to the fact that their dish is probably 30 feet across. I seen it before when the weather in NY ix extremely bad that viewing NBC is impossible. So I can see how the weather in NYC where NBC delivers their HD feed can effect us.

Again, just my two cents

I can understand that, im just saying that a company with virtually unlimited resources..(i mean afterall..the entire company is based on viewers actually being able to view their broadcast), should have decent equipment...and heaven forbid, a backup plan. :rolleyes:

Besides...we all know that if there wasnt a storm in NYC right now ...there would be some other excuse. There always is. :confused:

You would think that their backup plan would be to transmit from LA where the weather is mostly good.

Has the NBC issue(s) just started tonight?
I watched two women's hockey games this morning, and about another 1/2 hour of skiing, about 4+ hours total, on UniversalHD off the SAT feed. Both audio and video were perfect.
Are the UniversalHD and NBC the same feed?
I haven't watched any Olympics on KSDKDT yet.

I thought I'd read that they were using mostly fiber to get the signal to the US, that satellite was just a backup. Anyone else read that, or am I making it up?

Whatever the case, the dropouts are driving me crazy.

The problem is from the satellite uplink from New York City to your local NBC affiliate. I'm sure they are getting the signal from Torino fine. Read in another forum that they were able to move the SD broadcast to Burbank, CA but they were not able to move the HD feed to Burbank for distribution.

Now that I have SBC as my phone provider. I am able to get DSL. Plus I got a great deal via the internet. I am paying $12.99 a month for one year for the express package. I am one happy camper. :) :)

Fastmans,
Did the charter guy help you?

EDIT:

Ok the cable guy just left. Wow a tech that actually knew his stuff. He's has been with them for 20 years. He found that I just wasn't getting enough signal. He found some squirrel (animals are really making my life difficult!!!)damage on my drop from the pole and replaced it. Everything is fine now but he still called in for another crew to come in the next few days and increase the signal to my neighborhood. He just hopes they don't increase it too much which can also cause problems.

Bottom line: animals chewing on your lines can cause a short and decrease signal. This could also be intermittent because it may only short when it rains, etc.

Sorry for the delay. He was here. And just to be different, I have too much signal. They are rolling another truck to turn the signal strength down. The guy was pretty knowledgable. He installed 2 splitters and used the -7DB leg of them in series to knock some of the signal down. This is a band-aid till the other truck rolls my way.

Anyone know here if the new season of Prison Break is in HD?

I watched the last season, but I didn't have my HD set yet.

Thanks,

wolverine5767

Anyone know here if the new season of Prison Break is in HD?

I think you can be relatively certain that it will be in HD. Most of the network primetime shows are broadcast in HD now.

The SD signal was also breaking up.

Anyone know here if the new season of Prison Break is in HD?

I watched the last season, but I didn't have my HD set yet.

Thanks,

wolverine5767

Last season was in HD, so this season should be as well.

Just a follow-up to my notes on the new DirecTV-brand DVR:

I discovered there is a way to limit the number of episodes that the DVR records for season passes. It's buried pretty far down in the List section, and is found on a separate tab, but it can be done. I've since gone through and reworked the episode numbers and specifically limited SportsCenter to a single stored recording.

This should make a significant difference, as the 100 hours storage won't be wasted on duplicate recordings...

Now, if I can just find a way to toggle between the two tuners when watching live TV...

Doug,
I use the PIP button on my Dish 721 and 921. Does the DTV box have PIP?


Dave

* While the new DVR has two tuners, there doesn't appear to be an obvious way of switching between them. This eliminates the possibility of one of my favorite TiVo tricks.

When I'm watching a live event with TiVo and a commercial break comes along, I like to pause the live program, and then switch to the other tuner for a couple of minutes of channel surfing, such as checking in on a basketball or baseball game that's playing on another channel. When I think the commercial break on my live event is finished (or until I exhaust my surfing jones), I can switch back to the original tuner, hit pause, skip over the commercials and resume watching the live program.

Doug, Thanks for the rundown on the new DVR as I'm sure the new HD DVR will have the same features. I too use that switching between tuners trick quite a bit. Apparently, there is no way to switch between tuners with the new DVR's because they only have one live buffer. Presuming you can watch a program that is being recorded while it's being recorded by going to the "now playing" list (or whatever the new DVR equivilent is), you could try this. Record the program you are watching and use the live buffer for your channel surfing.

Anyone know here if the new season of Prison Break is in HD?

I watched the last season, but I didn't have my HD set yet.

Thanks,

wolverine5767

Technically, we're still in the first season, they just took a mid-season hiatus. They left us with that cliffhanger in November and will be coming back March 20th for a few final episodes of season 1. It should still be in HD though, since the first 13 episodes were all in HD.

Dave and Sand,

I checked for a PIP button, but there's nothing like that on the DirecTV DVR remote. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

At this point I think Sand is correct that the limitation seems to be tied to the 90-minute buffer and the fact that there's only one. If the buffer really has potential for differentiation, two 45-minute buffers would have been a much better design than one 90-minute cache. And considering the 100 hours of storage available, there shouldn't be any practical limitation to doing two 90-minute buffers.

Going into the List would be an option for switching tuners, but only when there's a recording taking place; in addition, the key sequence for that isn't particularly convenient.

One other thing that I noticed about the new DVR this morning is that the largest button on the remote control is the PLAY button, which is in direct contrast to the largest button on the TiVo, which is PAUSE. I might be reading too much into it, but I think that reflects the underlying philosophy of each product.

Don't know what happened after the Miami/Detroit game, but instead of World News Tonight Sunday we got 15 minutes of test 720p footage...

A Shuttle Atlantis launch; A Monsters, Inc. HD movie promo; outtake footage of GMA in HD, several test screens (some quite odd looking; only one was color bars); and audio testing...one sounded like 5.1 processing tests. It was nice. If you had a DVR or a VCR handy it would have been great to test your TV with.

One of life's merry mishaps. :D Hope ABC does it again sometime.

ESPN shows every game in HD this year, and when it comes to the Pro Bowl they forget about it? What gives?
Last nights Olympics coverage was the first time I ever heard my Wife get pissed off at the TV. I finally put it on the D* SD feed and it was tolerable.

Scott

Good Morning Everyone,
I posted the following in the Samsung owners thread here, but thought I'd get a better response here...

Best Buy has the Bush TV Stand - Black Oak Model: VS42936-02 on sale. The only thing that makes me a tad nervous is this: Black oak veneer on fiberboard. However, it says it can support flat-panel TVs up to 60", weighing up to 154 lbs. My Sammy HL-R5067W manual says it weighs 72 pounds so am I overreacting to the veneer over fiberboard?

Does anyone have this stand?

http://heh.pl/&2Hj

I bought a glass shelf from CC and much prefer the one at BB for wire manangement (not seeing the mess ) and the glass doors. CC will pick it up the other one for free.

Edit: There were reports that the Ameriwood stands bowed and Ameriwood sent out a fix to current owners. Don't want the same kind of thing happen to me. Tried using the search function by entering Bush Stand any everything with stand as in STANDard defintion turned up. Googled it and even called Bush. Would rather get an opinion form someone who has this. :)

That stand should be just fine for your TV. Bush makes some of the best RTA furniture out there. Sorry, Ready To Assemble furniture. I would go for it if you like it.

Scott

Jim, if you see this, just for info, Desperate Housewifes has a subtle, but noticable audio lag. Not a major issue, however. Thanks in advance. :)


Scott, what I want know is why ABC didn't air the Pro Bowl. I hope NBC does. About the olympics; is it the green snow? I've hadn't seen any problems myself visually since KSDK started HD newscasts. Perhaps they have adjusted WeatherPlus+'s bandwidth usage?

I've got a Media Center PC Laptop (Toshiba Qosmio G15-AV501), and I was wondering about HDTV upgrades for it.

Will this suit? VBOX Cat's Eye USB-A-3560 ATSC Terrestrial HDTV Receiver (http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/vbox-cats-eye-usba3560-atsc-terrestrial-hdtv-receiver/cName/hdtv-tuner-cards)

I want a solution to exploit the computer's native 720p capable screen, and DVR hi-def programming.

Joe,

Maybe you already know this, but the BSG episodes currently appearing on UHD are from the second season. My understanding is that the third season is currently being shown on an SD (Sci-Fi?) channel.

I like BSG, but fortunately for me I'm not quite avid enough that I have to see the third season and endure SD viewing. I'm happy enough to wait for it to eventually roll around in HD in 9 or 10 months...


I've watched this show on SCI FI from the beginning, before it became popular. Right now Sci fi is showing the 2nd half of season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. I'd love to be able to watch this show in HD, but i dont get UHD.

Looks like the first Sony Blu-Ray Disc player is right around the corner, although its not available yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZS0G8/sr=8-10/qid=1139810522/ref=sr_1_10/102-4154928-8147318?%5Fencoding=UTF8

I cant wait, Blu-Ray and HDTV were made for one another. :)

Thanks Scott, your reassurence helps. Especially after reading the Ameriwood stand for the Samsung was causing problems. It has a one year warranty so I went ahead and picked it up. The sale price of $199 was hard to beat. IMO the prices for stands are so overly inflated at CC, BB and UE. I was surprised CC agreed to pick up my other one for free to return it.

My brother-in-law's brother is coming over to help assemble it this morning.

It's supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow so I'm going to give the square shooter a try. I talked to Winegard and it will fit on D*'s mast. I hope it does the trick with my multipath issues. Thanks DOUG for suggesting Skywalker Communications.

QUOTE=Scott Tucker]That stand should be just fine for your TV. Bush makes some of the best RTA furniture out there. Sorry, Ready To Assemble furniture. I would go for it if you like it.

It's my favorite show so I can't wait and watch it a year later. It looks awful in SD but OTOH it's shot in weird light outdoors and mostly has darker scenes so I'm not going to wait a year to see it in HD. It looks better of course on UHD but being a fan I have to try hard to not watch it live so I can skip the commercials. :)

I've watched this show on SCI FI from the beginning, before it became popular. Right now Sci fi is showing the 2nd half of season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. I'd love to be able to watch this show in HD, but i dont get UHD.

ESPN shows every game in HD this year, and when it comes to the Pro Bowl they forget about it? What gives?
Scott

Because there's no HD production truck in Hawaii. Getting a trailer that size there for just one event would be far too expensive.

Last nights Olympics coverage was the first time I ever heard my Wife get pissed off at the TV. I finally put it on the D* SD feed and it was tolerable.

Are you talking about the signal losses? Apparently that monster snowstorm that's hitting NYC has been playing havoc with the HD signal. There's a thread or two over at the HDTV Programming thread explaining this.

In short: The satellite dish equipment and band that NBC uses in New York is not snow friendly. As a backup NBC could switch to it's backup distribution from L.A.: but they're not HD capable yet.

As far as the snowstorm, if that was true wouldn't it effect the charter HD picture as well? For the record the Charter HD(785) KSDK picture for the olympics has been excellent!!! Beautiful.

It's my favorite show so I can't wait and watch it a year later. It looks awful in SD but OTOH it's shot in weird light outdoors and mostly has darker scenes so I'm not going to wait a year to see it in HD. It looks better of course on UHD but being a fan I have to try hard to not watch it live so I can skip the commercials. :)

I try to watch things delayed, to be able to skip the commercials. Start the show 15 or 30 minutes late and skip them all. BG is shot with HD video cameras, which can resolve dark scenes as well as or better than film cameras. I'm sure it looks great when they're editing, but the SD, compressed signal from Dish (and most providers, I'd bet) looks really bad. (Dark scenes are harder to compress with low data rates.) I recorded the episode from UHD last night and it is SO much better. Actually, the fact that I want to watch BG even though the signal is so lousy is a measure of how good I think it is.

Because there's no HD production truck in Hawaii. Getting a trailer that size there for just one event would be far too expensive.



Are you talking about the signal losses? Apparently that monster snowstorm that's hitting NYC has been playing havoc with the HD signal. There's a thread or two over at the HDTV Programming thread explaining this.

In short: The satellite dish equipment and band that NBC uses in New York is not snow friendly. As a backup NBC could switch to it's backup distribution from L.A.: but they're not HD capable yet.

Yeah, I'm referring to the drop outs, black screens, and ear popping audio screeching. I didn't see any problems on the SD feed.

Scott

I watched Grey's Anatomy last night in HD :-)
The first half seemed to be way off on lip-sync. The second half seemed better.

Anybody else notice that? Is this something that is going to be an ongoing battle? Shouldn't this process be automated yet? I would hate to be the manager that has to have staff sitting by the controlls at all times to fix these issues.

Damn! I missed Grey's Anatomy. That was part 2 that aired last night wasn't it? Oh well. Did anyone blow up?

Scott

Thanks Scott, your reassurence helps. Especially after reading the Ameriwood stand for the Samsung was causing problems. It has a one year warranty so I went ahead and picked it up. The sale price of $199 was hard to beat. IMO the prices for stands are so overly inflated at CC, BB and UE. I was surprised CC agreed to pick up my other one for free to return it.

My brother-in-law's brother is coming over to help assemble it this morning.

It's supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow so I'm going to give the square shooter a try. I talked to Winegard and it will fit on D*'s mast. I hope it does the trick with my multipath issues. Thanks DOUG for suggesting Skywalker Communications.

QUOTE=Scott Tucker]That stand should be just fine for your TV. Bush makes some of the best RTA furniture out there. Sorry, Ready To Assemble furniture. I would go for it if you like it.

I remember Bush having a much better warranty than 1 year, but I have not been in the furniture business since '98. If you ever have any problems with part of your stand simply call bush and they will ups the part to you free of charge. Good luck with it.

Scott

Honestly, House of Denmark has some great stuff... and competitively priced.

My Directv Tivo receiver has been locking up and playing in slow motion mainly on local network channels. The same thing has happened to my inlaws. D* told my inlaws it was because their tivo had not made a succesful call to them in over 700 days, and it was clogging up the hard drive or something like that. My Tivo hasn't made a call in over 400 days. Has anyone else had this issue? D* sent my inlaws a new dvr that does not require calling over a phone line and that is supposed to correct things. Hope I don't have to give up my Tivo for a new DVR. Does anyone know if there is a way to reset these things or wipe the memory clean or something? Help?

Scott

Scott

ya, huge explosion. Ray Liotta blew to bits.... By then they got the lip-sync fixed.

No way, can't believe I missed it.

On the furniture discussion, I purchased a unit from American TV. I hate the place, but they had a nice stand. It was about $500, solid oak. It is not on their web page. It is a really cool unit in that it can "stretch" to accomidate any size TV. Hard to describe, but you can pull the two outside cabinets apart. The downside is that the shelf in either side can not be adjusted. The middle "shelf" is actuall really long and underneith the shelves inside the outter cabinets. The bottom shelf is the same. This allows the unit to stretch. Very nice looking piece. It also has matching towers and a top bridge.

I think I saw the stretching stand... definitely offered some flexibility. And I know what you're saying about American - that place just kind of makes me uncomfortable. It feels so dated, like a circa-80's retail joint. Blech.

Plus, everything I have purchased from them has either been replace (several times) or we had repair folks at the house(several times) .

But, the stand is great. I love it except for the shelves not being adjustable.

Anybody here use monoprice cables? They've got a pretty decent following in other parts of the forum.

I thought my DVD player Cr@pped out the other day after giving me an error on two different DVDs. So I went to BB and UE in search of a new one. Neither place had anything in my price range that had the feature I wanted. So I took the WTF approach and took my old DVD player apart. Didn't see anything that would affect it, so I cleaned it inside and out and it worked just fine.

While I had my A/V cabinet pulled out, I decided to re-route the DVD player through the receiver (I didn't do this before because the S-video out was fried ala lightning...I never thought to test the component because I'd never used it.)

Long story short...it worked and now I need another component cable....
Never finished with this Home theatre stuff...

Can't I just pay a monthly fee to have all the latest equiptment to play with?

What the non-sports fan rarely seems to realize is that downtown businesses practically DEPEND on the sports franchises for their very life. (I'm speaking primarily of service oriented businesses. Bars, restaurants, etc.) What was downtown like in the wintertime before the Rams moved here. Dead. What was Union Station like last year (and this year because the owners have run the team into the ground.) Dead. Don't underestimate what sports franchises do for a downtown economy.

Let's also not forget that there was a whole lot of private money put into the new stadium. Yes, there is public money as well, but it's predominantly privately financed. Yes, there were also tax breaks given and that's because the people giving those tax breaks understand the downside of what it's like not to have the team downtown.

Sorry for the rant, but I've heard that twice in the last couple of days and had to get it off of my chest.

As an aside, and I'm keeping this post 100% off topic, but I think there should be a grassroots effort not put another dime in Bill Laurie's pockets. If you do have tickets, don't spend any money once you're inside the building. The poor attendance obviously isn't enough to get him to sell the team. Maybe if the concession money went away too, he'd have to start thinking about it.

The problem is, it was voted down, yet they still managed to use our tax money to build it so the owners could charge higher ticket prices and line their pockets with more money. So much for democracy...

Just curious if everyone else saw the signal blips during '24' tonight. There were at least three of them. I don't remember the exact times, but I think the first one was before the 2nd commercial break and then the 2nd one I noticed was after the 7:30 commercial break.

Anyone?

I haven't seen much in the way of negative posts about the image quality of the Olympics thus far. Maybe I do have a problem with my projector. I'm seeing a huge amount of pixelization on fast motion action and graphics. To me, this Olympics is only marginally better than the picture quality during the last Olympics coverage. I see macro blocking on shot transitions. I'm going to check out some of the UHD coverage tonight, but it's hard to imagine it's going to be worse.

Any thoughts?

Go back last page, There were several of us experiencing the same thing. I think the coverage is not very good considering all the technology out there and the money spent on the olympics it should much better than it is.

Just curious if everyone else saw the signal blips during '24' tonight. There were at least three of them. I don't remember the exact times, but I think the first one was before the 2nd commercial break and then the 2nd one I noticed was after the 7:30 commercial break.

Anyone?

I got those also; using Charter.

Dave

I've had DT drops all evening long. Mostly on KTVI and KMOV. The signals for both were much lower than normal on all 3 receivers.
Probably that blizzard in NY....hey, it worked for NBC :D

I try to watch things delayed, to be able to skip the commercials. Start the show 15 or 30 minutes late and skip them all. BG is shot with HD video cameras, which can resolve dark scenes as well as or better than film cameras. I'm sure it looks great when they're editing, but the SD, compressed signal from Dish (and most providers, I'd bet) looks really bad. (Dark scenes are harder to compress with low data rates.) I recorded the episode from UHD last night and it is SO much better. Actually, the fact that I want to watch BG even though the signal is so lousy is a measure of how good I think it is.
I'm a big fan of BSG, but I don't know if I'm ready for Edward James Olmos' gritty complexion in HD.

I'm a big fan of BSG, but I don't know if I'm ready for Edward James Olmos' gritty complexion in HD.

HD improves his complexion. I firmly believe that HD enhances storytelling, and BG is a well told story. Seeing it in HD makes the experience that much better. Tonight I finished watching Sunday night's episode from UHD in its entirety. It was like watching it for the first time. Can't wait for the Dish 211 mod. The new receiver is due tomorrow.

Joe,

I haven't been watching the Olympics regularly, apart from a peek here and there, but every time I have checked I have been completely underwhelmed by the picture quality. I'm seeing exactly what you're seeing, and I don't believe this can be explained away by the Northeast snowstorms. To me, this is typical of every live NBC sporting event I've seen. I've also received a handful of private messages and eMails from customers and would-be prospects asking me what's wrong with their TV when watching the Olympics and whether calibration is needed to fix it.

Philip Swann wrote about the technical problems in yesterday's TVPredictions.com, but gave NBC a pass on picture quality. A week ago he also wrote a pretty damning piece about ABC's Super Bowl broadcast, specifically citing the poor picture quality. I wrote to him yesterday to make the point that NBC's Olympics coverage has so far been vastly inferior to the Super Bowl, but he indicated that the feedback he's received from viewers confirms that the Super Bowl was the loser in terms of PQ.

Maybe Swann is in a market where the Weather Plus channel is not operating. No doubt the W+ is part of the problem here in St. Louis, but again I've seen very poor picture quality on other NBC network sporting events prior to the launch of W+.

Joe,

I agree 100 percent that HD enhances storytelling -- the whole point of having a large, accurate TV picture is to assist in the suspension of reality, ideally to the point where you're an observer "inside" the story. I'm not saying that can't happen with a 27-inch NTSC image, but it's much harder to accomplish and it's much easier to be distracted and brought back to the reality of your living room sofa.

I don't know that HD makes EJO's complexion better, but it does show it for what it is. For me, it's part and parcel of the character. Certainly not a distraction.

I got those also; using Charter.

Dave

I forgot to mention the signal blips I saw during '24' were on the OTA signal.

I guess I'll try to check the time more accurately tonight during 'House' and tomorrow night during 'Bones'.

There's been technical problems with KTVI for roughly a week now and there's been some discussion about them here, including second-hand feedback from the station that they had recently swapped out some of their systems and that that might be the source of the problems.

It's probably best to contact the station again and see if they're still actively trying to fix the problems.

FWIW, I believe that Charter receives the local digital stations in the same way you do -- via antenna. I've seen reports of several stations around the country feeding local HD feeds to cable via high-speed land lines, but I don't think Charter is doing that yet.

I picked up a used (but tested) Winegard Square Shooter yesterday. It was so blustery I did a half-baked job and will finish it up today.

Here's the background first...

D* originally mounted the dish in the middle of the roof. When they came out to add the 2-bay bowtie the guy moved it to another spot on my roof. I was not happy that there was another foot for the original mast bolted to my new shingles and roof and filed a damage report with D*. Craig, the guy at Skywalker said to not mount the SS on the mast coming out of the top of the dish as it would be pulled too much by the wind. So you guessed it, I mounted it to the other plate. It's the highest part of the roof near the peak which is good. I used the angle of the bowtie as a rough guide for pointing the SS. However, since the roof is laid out odd over an addition I didn't have a clean sight. I was able to watch 24 and watched a repeat of CSI Miami since CBS and KTVI are my problem channels. CBS was flawless and apparently three brief problems with KTVI already reported in other posts. Having problems with ABC which was solid before.

I would like to use a compass to line it up as close as possible and I don't know how. Can someone please explain what I point it to? I know I need to point it at 174 degrees but from what starting point on the compass? The towers are all south of me.

I was a girl scout but an urban one and can't remember what I need to do. It was 40 years ago okay? :rolleyes: If it's easier to explain by phone please send me a private message and we can talk.

Thanks in advance guys!

EDIT: Btw, if anyone is interested in a Silver Sensor or the bowtie with mast please let me know.

Just curious if everyone else saw the signal blips during '24' tonight. There were at least three of them. I don't remember the exact times, but I think the first one was before the 2nd commercial break and then the 2nd one I noticed was after the 7:30 commercial break.

Anyone?

Yeah, I saw some pixelization in the upper right corner a few times. Compared to the Olympics coverage it seemed like a relief.

Scott

Charter: Can't Carry UHD Due to Bandwidth Constraints

Philip Swann recently has been doing a series of reports on the difficulties some HDTV owners around the country are having in getting access to some -- or in some cases, any -- HD content via cable or OTA.

Today, Swann directly addresses Charter's lack of UHD in St. Louis -- which Charter claims is due to a lack of available bandwidth. Swann's TVPredictions.com story is based on a Post-Dispatch story that can be found here. (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/0/6D4382550EEB53EC8625711500187BE0?OpenDocument)

Below is an excerpt from TVPredictions.com newsletter that summarizes the P-D story:
___________________________________________

...Now there's another sad story for the high-def audience. Charter Cable, which is based in St. Louis, says it will not add Universal HD in their hometown, although the NBC-owned channel is providing high-def coverage of hockey and other sports in the Winter Olympics.

Why won't Charter add Universal HD, as Comcast and a few other cable operators have done this month?

The cable operator says it simply has no bandwidth available on its system.

Charter is not the only cable or satellite TV operator facing this problem. Many TV providers do not have room for new HDTV channels even if they could come to agreement with the networks to carry them.
___________________________________________

For more television industry news, go to www.TVpredictions.com

As a follow-up, I think the story about Charter and UHD goes a long way toward confirming that HD programming has relatively little priority at Charter.

The company seems to have decided that HD is a fringe market and it's more important to push forward the so-called "Triple Play" option -- particularly the Internet Access and local phone service components. That's certainly reflected in recent Charter quarterly results -- Pipeline and local phone are growing, while the video side of the business has been stagnant.

I wonder how much bandwidth is being consumed by Charter's transitional strategy of replicating the traditional analog channels (2-99) as digital channels.

Does anyone think that's a good use of bandwidth, particularly if it means that HD additions are likely to be rare in the foreseeable future?

DTR, I recall you posting some info that stated the native resolution of the different channels. Can you link to that again?

I am curious about CBS. It seems very grainy. My TV is a Mitsu 725 and is 720P native. I am wondering if CBS is 1080i and the conversion is causing the grainy picture.

CBS broadcasts in 1080i.

The scaling in your set isn't stellar, but it's not shabby either. I don't think this problem would be entirely explained by that -- I'd check that you're getting a good clear signal on KMOV as a first priority.

I'm reposting the resource message below -- it includes the link to the Programming Guide which includes the specific information you're requesting for all available stations.

We Interrupt Your Normal AVS Programming...

...for the following St. Louis housekeeping break:

A couple of years ago, we used to start off each month with a reposting of the local resource messages that are now buried on the first page of this discussion thread. I think there's some useful bits and pieces of information there -- and not JUST because I wrote most of it.

Unfortunately a lot of that information is overlooked because it's so far off the beaten path, especially now that the St. Louis discussion archive stretches back more than 2 years and 300+ pages.

To try to address this, I'm going to post an advisory/reminder note similar to this every couple of weeks. Ideally this will make this information more visible and accessible to more readers.

With HDTV sales increasing every month, we're getting more and more newcomers here, which is a great thing to see. But like most of us when we took home our first HDTV, there's a huge amount to learn beyond where to point the remote and which buttons to push.

So, here's to filling in some of those information gaps...

Tower Maps, Your Satellite/Antenna Rights & Local Station Feedback (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995679&&#post2995679)

Using An Antenna to Receive Local HD Stations (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995718&&#post2995718)

Common Questions about HDTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=2995791&&#post2995791)

HD Programming Available in St. Louis (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7041311&&#post7041311)

And finally, I want to remind everyone -- newcomers and old hands alike -- that you can access the St. Louis HDTV discussion here at AVS directly by using the shortcut URL that has been arranged.

The short-form URL also makes it very easy to remember and give the address to anyone you know who's just getting into HDTV.

The shortcut URL is: www.stlhdtv.info

As a follow-up, I think the story about Charter and UHD goes a long way toward confirming that HD programming has relatively little priority at Charter.

The company seems to have decided that HD is a fringe market and it's more important to push forward the so-called "Triple Play" option -- particularly the Internet Access and local phone service components. That's certainly reflected in recent Charter quarterly results -- Pipeline and local phone are growing, while the video side of the business has been stagnant.

I wonder how much bandwidth is being consumed by Charter's transitional strategy of replicating the traditional analog channels (2-99) as digital channels.

Does anyone think that's a good use of bandwidth, particularly if it means that HD additions are likely to be rare in the foreseeable future?


At least a reason has finally been offered by Charter for their slow and limited offering of HD--lack of space. Makes the switch to satellite, easier. Everyone who has asked about new HD channels--Charter has always said, "were in negoiations". Now we know whats really going on.

At least a reason has finally been offered by Charter for their slow and limited offering of HD--lack of space. Makes the switch to satellite, easier. Everyone who has asked about new HD channels--Charter has always said, "were in negoiations". Now we know whats really going on.


On the other hand, at least they're not just cramming new stuff into limited bandwidth just to lure new customers into watching less than stellar HD programming. I don't think ANY of the current companies are doing really good jobs with the HD transition, and the technology to carry all this data will effect each and every one of them.

Maybe it's too early to be thinking about this, but I wonder what's going to happen with cable companies like Charter when the analog broadcast system is actually shut down in 2009.

Congress recently resisted a cable industry request that operators be allowed to "downscale" HD channels to standard-definition so that these channels can continue to be provided to cable subscribers after the plug is officially pulled on analog stations. Unless there's a change of heart in Congress or at the FCC, this would seem to mean one of three outcomes:

1. After the analog stations go dark, cable will be unable to provide local stations to analog subscribers. That would seem to be an unacceptable outcome for all concerned, as the stations would lose viewers and advertising dollars, and cable customers would probably march en masse on the cable offices and burn them down.

I guess this could happen, but it seems highly unlikely.

2. Cable moves all analog customers to digital cable, where the HD channels would be provided and then "downscaled" to SD quality by the set-top box (S-Video, composite video or RF).

This would solve the problem, but seems like it would be an extremely expensive solution (STB cost) to keep those (analog) customers who probably contribute only very marginally to the bottom line.

3. TV stations continue to provide cable with a "customized" SD-compliant digital channel feed that can be provided over the analog cable system. While the stations would have a strong incentive to do this to preserve viewers and advertising dollars, I suspect that they would also expect to paid for these feeds, which in most cases have been provided for free in the past.

It seems to me this would open up the potential for the Sinclair scenario to be played out many times over all across the country.

Maybe there's another solution...

I picked up a used (but tested) Winegard Square Shooter yesterday. It was so blustery I did a half-baked job and will finish it up today.

Here's the background first...

D* originally mounted the dish in the middle of the roof. When they came out to add the 2-bay bowtie the guy moved it to another spot on my roof. I was not happy that there was another foot for the original mast bolted to my new shingles and roof and filed a damage report with D*. Craig, the guy at Skywalker said to not mount the SS on the mast coming out of the top of the dish as it would be pulled too much by the wind. So you guessed it, I mounted it to the other plate. It's the highest part of the roof near the peak which is good. I used the angle of the bowtie as a rough guide for pointing the SS. However, since the roof is laid out odd over an addition I didn't have a clean sight. I was able to watch 24 and watched a repeat of CSI Miami since CBS and KTVI are my problem channels. CBS was flawless and apparently three brief problems with KTVI already reported in other posts. Having problems with ABC which was solid before.

I would like to use a compass to line it up as close as possible and I don't know how. Can someone please explain what I point it to? I know I need to point it at 174 degrees but from what starting point on the compass? The towers are all south of me.

I was a girl scout but an urban one and can't remember what I need to do. It was 40 years ago okay? :rolleyes: If it's easier to explain by phone please send me a private message and we can talk.

Thanks in advance guys!

EDIT: Btw, if anyone is interested in a Silver Sensor or the bowtie with mast please let me know.

Mo -

I'm not positive, but I think you count each degree clockwise. North is 0 degrees and south is 180 degrees. Point the antenna south and rotate it 6 degrees couter clockwise and you should be set.

- Remember, pointing an antenna takes both sides of the brain. (Logical and creative.)

Joe,

I agree 100 percent that HD enhances storytelling -- the whole point of having a large, accurate TV picture is to assist in the suspension of reality, ideally to the point where you're an observer "inside" the story. I'm not saying that can't happen with a 27-inch NTSC image, but it's much harder to accomplish and it's much easier to be distracted and brought back to the reality of your living room sofa.

I don't know that HD makes EJO's complexion better, but it does show it for what it is. For me, it's part and parcel of the character. Certainly not a distraction.

Well put. I once had a friend who tried to tell me that regular TV was good enough and that HDTV was an unnecessary addition. (This from a guy who spent vast amounts of money getting the audio side of things the best he could.) After I killed him, I had a nice glass of wine.

(That was a joke. I don't like wine.)

Mo -

I'm not positive, but I think you count each degree clockwise. North is 0 degrees and south is 180 degrees. Point the antenna south and rotate it 6 degrees couter clockwise and you should be set.

- Remember, pointing an antenna takes both sides of the brain. (Logical and creative.)

http://www.fengshuitips.co.uk/how_to_take_a_compass_reading.htm

Scott

I always Google first. Hmm, never occurred to me to Google Feng Shui. ;)

Thanks for the link.


djearl81, thanks for your suggestions.


http://www.fengshuitips.co.uk/how_to_take_a_compass_reading.htm

Scott

Am I the only one who finds it funny that vB's link shortening thing above changed that to "ass_reading"? :)

I always Google first. Hmm, never occurred to me to Google Feng Shui. ;)

Thanks for the link.


djearl81, thanks for your suggestions.

Didn't occur to me either. That's why I googled "How to read a compass?" :D

I used OTA compass and antenna compass settings. I need to remember to keep it simple!

Didn't occur to me either. That's why I googled "How to read a compass?" :D

Am I the only one who finds it funny that vB's link shortening thing above changed that to "ass_reading"? :)

That's why I always use Tiny URL

Scott's link using Tiny URL: http://heh.pl/&2HI

:D

Well put. I once had a friend who tried to tell me that regular TV was good enough and that HDTV was an unnecessary addition. (This from a guy who spent vast amounts of money getting the audio side of things the best he could.) After I killed him, I had a nice glass of wine.

(That was a joke. I don't like wine.) :D

Hello all,

I have an off-topic question. I recently bought a near-new Audi TT roadster with a stereo and cd changer. I'd like to add an aftermarket Ipod and/or XM Radio to the car and was looking for a very reliable installer who can give me some options. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Mike (Da Bears)

Hello all,

I have an off-topic question. I recently bought a near-new Audi TT sportster with a stereo and car changer. I'd like to add an aftermarket Ipod and/or XM Radio to the car and was looking for a very reliable installer who can give me some options. Any recommendations?

I don't have an installer to recommend, but I do recommend using the Dension iceLink interface for iPod. I installed one of these myself in my wife's BMW in less than an hour.

http://support.dension.com/dension/icelink.htm

Best buy is a dealer, but be careful buying there. They don't know the product and I have heard the kits they carry often have old firmware. I got mine from

Tom Guagliardo | european auto source (eas)
tom@europeanautosource.com
www.europeanautosource.com
direct 714.369.8524
fax 714.369.8546

He knows the product well (used to work for Dension) and provides excellent support.

Hello all,

I have an off-topic question. I recently bought a near-new Audi TT roadster with a stereo and cd changer. I'd like to add an aftermarket Ipod and/or XM Radio to the car and was looking for a very reliable installer who can give me some options. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Mike (Da Bears)

Ultimate Electronics will guarantee their install for life.

Scott

AnotherDoug,

I had the same problem with finding a stand for my tv...a store called Music for Pleasure has a line of furniture called Salamander Designs...their stuff is quite nice because it is very modular and can easily be expanded. Wife thought it was too modern for our decor, however. It is quite pricey. I settled on a Sanus Woodbrook stand which is actually being delivered today.

Anybody here use monoprice cables? They've got a pretty decent following in other parts of the forum.

I haven't had any experience with those, but I do have a set of component Blue Jean cables and like them a lot.
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/component/index.htm

EDIT: I just checked the prices of the monoprice cables. Sheesh. Why don't they just give them away. For those prices, you could try them out and throw them away if they were no good.

(That was a joke. I don't like wine.)

Now THAT'S funny right there! I guess you skipped eating his liver and the fava beans? :)

AnotherDoug,

I had the same problem with finding a stand for my tv...a store called Music for Pleasure has a line of furniture called Salamander Designs...their stuff is quite nice because it is very modular and can easily be expanded. Wife thought it was too modern for our decor, however. It is quite pricey. I settled on a Sanus Woodbrook stand which is actually being delivered today.
BTW: Music For Pleasure is probably the best of the botique audio/video dealers out there. I've dealt with them for 10+ years and wouldn't even consider anyone else now. They are a great bunch of people to deal with.

Ultimate Electronics will quarantee their install for life.
Personally, I just can't bare the thought of anyone messing with my car, other than me, a very trusted car club member, or my mechanic. Definitely not someone from a chain store.

Personally, I just can't bare the thought of anyone messing with my car, other than me, a very trusted car club member, or my mechanic. Definitely not someone from a chain store.

I wired my entire home for 10 zones of audio and 6 zones of video. I've installed 100's of home systems. Yet, I know nothing about cars, so I had UE install systems in both my cars. The guy that installed my stuff knew more about car audio installs than i will ever know about home install or otherwise, and yes he works at a "chain store." Some of the best people in the business are at 'chain stores." This is not to say the small time mom and pop store cannot do a stellar job as well. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend UE.

Scott

This is what I sent charter several days ago....not a single response......


I just sent Charter an email about future growth in their HD offerings. If you are interested, it is listed below. Funny, all I received was an automated responce with a price listing of their current packages.



I am at a point in time where I have to evaluate staying with charter, or
switching to DTV. DirectTV/DISH are announcing a lot of future growth in the HD
offerings on their service. DTV just announced they are adding TNT-HD to their
lineup next week. Dish has many HD channels and they keep their customers
informed of new channels that are coming.
>
> What is Charter's future growth in this area. I don't want to hear the
standard BS responce of "We continue to investigate oportunities to add
progamming ..." What are we looking at and what is the timeframe? I know I am
just one customer and my switching does not effect Charter in any way. But,
speaking with people in the STL market, sales people, current cable subs, etc, I
hear a constant negative attitude toward Charter. As people share experiences
with each other, or join these internet forums, they pass along negative
experiences from Charter's Customer Service Reps's, abilities, Quality of
service, etc. That is bound to take a toll on the bottom line. Especially when
these forums are listed in the Sunday's Post Dispatch as a place to go for
information on HDTV.
> Believe me, all responces I get from Charter, and interaction I have with
their CSR's gets posted on the forums.

This is what I sent charter several days ago....not a single response......

Charter's response should be "Call 800-DIRECTV." :)

This is what I sent charter several days ago....not a single response......

Sheerce,

I'm confused what type of a response you would like from them.

I wired my entire home for 10 zones of audio and 6 zones of video. I've installed 100's of home systems. Yet, I know nothing about cars, so I had UE install systems in both my cars. The guy that installed my stuff knew more about car audio installs than i will ever know about home install or otherwise, and yes he works at a "chain store." Some of the best people in the business are at 'chain stores." This is not to say the small time mom and pop store cannot do a stellar job as well. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend UE.

Scott
I'm just really picky about my car. I'm sure UE is fine for most people. I only plan to add Sirius to my car, and I can do it myself using OEM equipment that integrates with the built-in system. A 30 minute install.

scheerce,

I think the note I posted earlier today about Charter not carrying UHD tells you everything you need to know.

Based on Charter's inability to carry UHD during the Olympics, I think it's reasonable to assume that it won't be adding any HD channels in the near term. If that's an unreasonable assumption, then Charter needs to come out and set the record straight by spelling out their plans, with channels and dates.

But that won't happen, so you might as well move on to some other provider.

I just checked out part of the USA/Finland women's hockey game on UHD. The image quality is vastly superior to local OTA.

Dont know if this has been posted before, but there was a full page ad in Tuesdays Post-Dispatch for this group, The Internet Innovation Alliance. They're trying to advance the Cable competition in Missouri thru telcos and the like. Check them out and sign the petition so we can get rid of crappy Charter once and for all. Then we may actually get real HDTV programming like UHD, without having to move to a dish.

Senate Bill 816 Petition (http://www.moinnovation.org/)

:)

What I want to know is, exactly what I asked:

What are we looking at and what is the timeframe?

Another interesting blurb from Forbes about Charter's stock

In its coverage of cable and satellite television, Banc of America's top pick, in addition to Comcast, is DirecTV Group (nyse: DTV - news - people ), rated "buy" with a $21 price target. Its least favorite is Charter Communications (nasdaq: CHTR - news - people ), rated "neutral" with a $2.50 price target.

Lets all chip in and buy Charter. Heck their stock is only worth 1.20

This may also make people feel better:
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. saw its shares fall 1.4% to $7.82 midday after it posted a quarterly loss , hurt by weaker advertising.

DISH CEO Resigns; Vogel, Dugan Step In

FWIW, Vogel was the acting chairman of Charter up until the recent hiring of a new Charter CEO. Vogel handled the top job at Charter following a major accounting scandal and the resulting resignation and prosecution of several senior Charter officers who were involved (Vogel was not involved).

Hopefully this is NOT an omen for DISH customers...

The following is from today's edition of The Bridge market close newsletter:
__________________________________________________

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing released today, EchoStar said Michael Neuman resigned as president and CEO.

Neuman's duties will be assumed by Carl Vogel, vice chairman of the company, and Michael Dugan, chief technical officer and formerly president and chief operating officer, EchoStar said.

Neuman joined EchoStar in June.
__________________________________________________

Note: A forbes.com story lists Neuman as COO, not CEO. According to Forbes, Charlie Ergen holds the titles of Chairman and CEO.

The Forbes story can be found here:

http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/14/echostar-coo-satellite-cx_gl_0214autofacescan12.html

I installed the SS today and I'm having a weird problem. Before SS was installed I couldn't pull Ch 2 or CBS/Ch 4 very well. NBC/Ch 5 and ABC/ Ch 30 were perfect. This afternoon I was able to pull Ch 2 and Ch 4 perfectly. Now I am having problems with NBC/Ch 5 and ABC/Ch30 is not watchable. So I have reversed them. :(

What really gets me is that Ch 4, which is working great now is 164 degrees. ABC,/Ch 30 is 167 degrees. A mere 3 degrees difference. To really throw a wrench in it, Ch 2 is at 184 degress and Ch 9 is 184 degrees and I pull those fine.

So 180 all the way to 164 on two different towers and I'm good. So why the PITA 3 degree problem? (Local Ch 11 is also at 167 as is Ch 30 and it's even worse)

I messed around with it all afternoon with someone watching the signal strength on the phone with me on the roof. I changed around the elevation, made big swings, made tiny adjustments. I did everything but take a hammer to it.

I have no diplexors and my connections are all tight. Any suggestions? I want to watch the Olympics!

This may make it easier to understand:
KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis MO 180° 13.7 43 FINE
KMOV-DT 4.1 CBS ST. LOUIS MO 164° 14.6 56 FINE
KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS MO 167° 10.8 31 Not Able to Watch
KPLR-DT 11.1 WB ST. LOUIS MO 167° 11.3 26 Not Able to Watch (but don't care)
KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS MO 169° 11.6 35 Not Solid, Frequent Drops
KETC-DT 9.1 PBS ST. LOUIS MO 184° 17.4 39 Okay

I have no diplexors and my connections are all tight. Any suggestions? I want to watch the Olympics!
Did you remember to do the blood sacrifices at the last full moon? I assume you got the pronunciation of the gods' names correct, right?

Yes, as I was cutting the tails off cable ties, I bumped my thumb in aforementioned SS so it got a blood offering. I used God's name in vain a few times. That counts too right? ;)

Did you remember to do the blood sacrifices at the last full moon? I assume you got the pronunciation of the gods' names correct, right?

Yes, as I was cutting the tails off cable ties, I bumped my thumb in aforementioned SS so it got a blood offering. I used God's name in vain a few times. That counts too right? ;)
Oh oh, you said god as in singular? No, no, no...that won't do. You have to show deference to all of them or you can forget all about getting OTA reception.

Oh oh, you said god as in singular? No, no, no...that won't do. You have to show deference to all of them or you can forget all about getting OTA reception.

:p

My menu guide disappeared. Future programs are not listed. I've rebooted, but it didn't fix the problem. Has anyone had this problem before? What's the solution?

Dueces,
IIRC you have a PocketDish and a 921. What happens if you try to record an HD event to the PocketDish. I believe the PocketDish is not capable of playing HD content.
Does it downsize it? Or, will it even play at all?

scheerce,

I think the note I posted earlier today about Charter not carrying UHD tells you everything you need to know.

Based on Charter's inability to carry UHD during the Olympics, I think it's reasonable to assume that it won't be adding any HD channels in the near term. If that's an unreasonable assumption, then Charter needs to come out and set the record straight by spelling out their plans, with channels and dates.

But that won't happen, so you might as well move on to some other provider.

Doug,
My family currently subscribes to Charter, but I completely agree with everything you have said about Charter. Charter's inability to carry new HD Programming, and its unwillingness to spell out their plans is rather bad.

However the one good thing about charter is that the picture quality is really good to the point where i cannot tell the difference in picture quality compared to OTA (I get OTA mainly for ABC HD, and the other PBS channels). Swithing to DirecTV or DISH sounds really enticing for their extended HD lineups, but the thing that I am somewhat cocerned with is the quality of their HD channels.

I have never subscribed to satellite, and i have never seen any HD programming via satellite. My impression was that the HD picture quality of Satellite (and M-PEG 2 compression) was inferior to that of cable (and whatever compression they use). I know now that satellite companies are switching to the MPEG-4 format, allowing them to broadcast more HD channels than cable. Although the number of channels and programming is important, the quality of the picture is just as imporant. So I would like to know what you and anyone else who subscribes to satellite thinks about the HD picture quality from satellite companies, and whether it is the same, better, or worse than cable.

The last question I had is whether or not DirecTV offers local St. Louis channels via "a five-LNB Dish and H20 model receiver" or just through OTA. I looked on their site, and its not made clear. Thanks.

Sudhakar

sudhakar,

I'm not in a position to argue against Charter's picture quality, because I don't live with it on an everyday basis. However, I do regularly see Charter HD and/or MOXI setups in my line of work, and I have no major quarrel with the PQ of what I've seen in those instances.

Still, I should point out that the PBS-HD signal is a really poor candidate for comparison, as its picture quality has been sacrificed to the gods of the subchannels as a result of KETC's decision to run three additional program streams in the space needed to do one HD channel properly.

Of the three available subscription options, DISH seems to be the consensus picture quality leader, and again I haven't seen anything that would cause me to dispute that. Charter may actually have the edge over DirecTV due to the fact that DirecTV has been known to throttle back the bandwidth of UHD and HDNet Movies, but I think both of these channels are looking significantly better on DirecTV since the end of the NFL regular season (and the lack of Sunday Ticket bandwidth requirements).

But Charter is apparently already at the edge of the bandwidth cliff, with no easy or immediate way to increase it -- even if the company had the financial means, it doesn't have the option of "launching more coax into the sky." And increasing sales of Pipeline and local phone service subscriptions is unlikely to help.

DirecTV does not currently offer HD locals in St. Louis, but this is supposedly scheduled to occur before the end of May. Getting HD locals via satellite is a nice convenience and I look forward at some point to having that service as a backup to my OTA reception. But for anyone who really cares about picture quality, OTA reception should be your first choice, if that option is open to you.

Until multi-casting rules the day, there is no better picture quality than OTA HD broadcasts.

There's an interesting commentary on the market momentum of HDTV included in today's edition of the SkyREPORT newsletter.

The commentary was authored by Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Associates. Here's an excerpt:
___________________________________________________

...with prices for high definition TV sets dropping, it seems, almost daily, penetration of this high-end eye candy is naturally on an upswing.

The 2005 edition of Horowitz Associates' annual State of Cable and Broadband study reported that 14 percent of cable/satellite subscribers have HDTV or HD-ready TV sets in the home. The same survey conducted in 2006 finds that today, one out of every 4 cable/satellite households (25 percent) reports having at least one HDTV set, and over one-quarter of those HD homes say they have two or more HDTVs in the home.

With CE retailers taking full advantage of the Super Bowl to push these expensive sets, we can anticipate that the number of sets has grown in the month since the survey was fielded.

Yet, Super Bowl Sunday aside, the availability of and access to high-definition content still remains relatively limited. The reality is that penetration of HDTV services provided by cable/satellite companies still lags behind penetration of the sets themselves:

For example, among digital cable subscribers, 36 percent of whom have HD sets, only 23 percent have HDTV service. Among satellite subscribers, 34 percent say they have HD sets, but only 19 percent report subscribing to HD service.
___________________________________________________

To read the entire article, go to www.skyreport.com and scroll down to the headline "OUTSIDE THE BOX: Consumers and the Business of HDTV".

Far as DirecTV PQ goes, my tagline says it all.

Hopefully when *D goes to MPEG-4, PQ will improve to where it used to be a few years ago. Meantime, I'm quite proud to be the only house in my entire subdivision with an OTA antenna on the roof.

Re KETC: Much as we've been bashing KSDK of late, the clip of Sugarland performing on the Tonight Show I recorded a month or so ago looks faaaaaaaaaar better than Sugarland's performance on Soundstage from PBS-HD a few weeks earlier.

Far as DirecTV PQ goes, my tagline says it all.Robert,

Actually, 1080i x 1280 is high-defintion -- the generally accepted defintion of HD is that it must provide 1 million pixels of picture resolution, and 1080 x 1200 more than meets that criteria. Even 720p x 1280 falls very slightly short of a million pixels, but, of course, there's no (cogent) argument to be made that 720p isn't HD.

I'll admit my point here veers somewhat into the territory of semantics. Like you, I don't approve of or condone DirecTV (or any other provider) throttling HD picture quality.

And ultimately, that's the real problem -- bastardizing the quality of the original signal delivered by the programmer, not the estimated pixel count.

I didn't see anything posted here from last night, but I lost CBS for half of NCIS over charter.
On a positive note, I know a manager inside Charter in the IT area. They are bulking up their disk storage to handle more VOD. Maybe they will start putting up HD in VOD.

I installed the SS today and I'm having a weird problem. Before SS was installed I couldn't pull Ch 2 or CBS/Ch 4 very well. NBC/Ch 5 and ABC/ Ch 30 were perfect. This afternoon I was able to pull Ch 2 and Ch 4 perfectly. Now I am having problems with NBC/Ch 5 and ABC/Ch30 is not watchable. So I have reversed them. :(

What really gets me is that Ch 4, which is working great now is 164 degrees. ABC,/Ch 30 is 167 degrees. A mere 3 degrees difference. To really throw a wrench in it, Ch 2 is at 184 degress and Ch 9 is 184 degrees and I pull those fine.

So 180 all the way to 164 on two different towers and I'm good. So why the PITA 3 degree problem? (Local Ch 11 is also at 167 as is Ch 30 and it's even worse)

I messed around with it all afternoon with someone watching the signal strength on the phone with me on the roof. I changed around the elevation, made big swings, made tiny adjustments. I did everything but take a hammer to it.

I have no diplexors and my connections are all tight. Any suggestions? I want to watch the Olympics!

This may make it easier to understand:
KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis MO 180° 13.7 43 FINE
KMOV-DT 4.1 CBS ST. LOUIS MO 164° 14.6 56 FINE
KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS MO 167° 10.8 31 Not Able to Watch
KPLR-DT 11.1 WB ST. LOUIS MO 167° 11.3 26 Not Able to Watch (but don't care)
KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS MO 169° 11.6 35 Not Solid, Frequent Drops
KETC-DT 9.1 PBS ST. LOUIS MO 184° 17.4 39 Okay

Damn, by the time you finish with this you will be an antenna expert Mo. Did you remember to do auto channel scans after you moved the antenna? That may help.

Scott

Dueces,
IIRC you have a PocketDish and a 921. What happens if you try to record an HD event to the PocketDish. I believe the PocketDish is not capable of playing HD content.
Does it downsize it? Or, will it even play at all?


kdg,

I have a 942, but still same question I know. I can't recall what it does, but I am almost certain it just says it cannot transfer/record it to the Pocketdish.

This is from the FAQ page:

Can I send DISH Network HDTV content to my PocketDISH?
No, only standard definition content can be sent.

On a sidebar, even though it does not allow HD content, I have to say I thoroughly enjoy my PocketDish. I was just gone for a few days on a ski trip. We used it on the airplane and in our condo. Helps the time pass quickly on the plane.

Also, since I have been out of town, Universal HD is on E* now, and I only have an MPEG 2 receiver. I am assuming they made an exception for the Olympics, and this will be gone after the Olympics. I'm sure this has already been discussed, but just thought if someone knew.....

My menu guide disappeared. Future programs are not listed. I've rebooted, but it didn't fix the problem. Has anyone had this problem before? What's the solution?

I had this problem before, and just triggered the guide download via the On-Screen Diagnostics menu. Step-by-step instructions:

On-Screen Diagnostics (OSD) menu

If you are adventurous and wish to do additional troubleshooting prior to calling your cable company, some valuable information and actions may be possible through the OSD. The OSD provides access to device, account, and subscriber information; diagnostic values for hardware, software, network, and resource usage; and triggers for forcing critical updates. To display the OSD, simultaneously press and hold the MENU and OK buttons on the front of the box (not the remote) for about four seconds. Use the arrow keys to navigate through

Electronic program guide (EPG): no data or less than two weeks of data

The EPG data (the listing of programs with times, descriptions, actor and director names, ratings, etc.) should be updated over the cable network nightly, typically between 1 and 6 AM, through the cable modem built into the Moxi. If the EPG contains no data or less than two weeks of data, something is likely wrong. You can check the Last EPG Update entry on the Main Overview page of the OSD to verify this information.

If it is clear that updates have not been occurring properly, it is possible that you have or have had a connectivity problem. Examples of possible causes of connectivity problems include "de-provisioning" of the Moxi's internal modem or inadequate signal level/quality (see the tests in the next two sections to troubleshoot). If your modem's signal level/quality is OK, but the IP address tests fail, it may have been de-provisioned. A cable company CSR should be able to re-provision it.

If the signal level or quality is low, but your guide data previously updated successfully, consider whether any wiring changes were made around the time it stopped updating (e.g., addition of a splitter or amplifier, installation of a cable modem, etc.). If you can fix the wiring issue and improve your signal level/quality, you may be able to restore connectivity by reacquiring a valid IP address as described in the next section.

Here's the link: SPL Moxi FAQ (http://users.adelphia.net/~ksoltmann/SPLMoxiFAQ.htm#Disclaimer)

Hi Everyone-

I keep seeing posts about PBS having other "sub channels" available via OTA.

What are these channels, what channel # are they, and are they in HD?

Right now the only one that I know of is channel 39 and I'm able to receive it.

Thanks for any help!

Also, since I have been out of town, Universal HD is on E* now, and I only have an MPEG 2 receiver. I am assuming they made an exception for the Olympics, and this will be gone after the Olympics. I'm sure this has already been discussed, but just thought if someone knew.....
Correct, they opened the MPEG4 tag to MPEG2 receivers during the duration of the Olympics.

Hi Everyone-

I keep seeing posts about PBS having other "sub channels" available via OTA.

What are these channels, what channel # are they, and are they in HD?

Right now the only one that I know of is channel 39 and I'm able to receive it.

Thanks for any help!

I think I am getting 9, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4. All but 9 are digital, and 9.1 seems to be the one that shows HD mostly.

Scott

csluke,

The ATSC standard used for digital broadcasting allows broadcasters to transmit a single HD-quality channel, or multiple standard-definition quality program streams as part of the same datastream. When HD channels and SD subchannels are required to co-exist, the SD channel or channels is effectively stealing bandwidth from the HD channel, with a resulting reduction in HD picture quality.

How large is the picture quality reduction? The always-handy answer is that it depends -- chiefly it depends on the number of subchannels that are occupying the finite bandwidth, but it can also be significantly influenced by whether the HD channel is transmitting in interlaced (less efficient compression) or progressive (more efficient) format.

I don't have the subchannels in my channel guide, but the last time I checked KETC was sending out three subchannels, along with the national PBS HD feed which is originates as 1080i but is scaled to 720p at the local station before broadcast. The last time I checked the subchannels were PBS Kids, PBS for You, and the analog KETC broadcast.

Only the national PBS feed is HD -- all others are 480i.

FWIW, I recently read somewhere that the KC PBS station had reverted to 1080i HD transmissions during prime time and that it was shutting down the subchannels during this period. Whether it's 720p or 1080i, this should be the model for all OTA stations to follow -- transmitting only a single HD programming stream during prime time or major live HD events.

To see the KETC subchannels, you are probably going to need to rescan for OTA channels with your tuner. The KETC subs are 9-1 (HD), and 9-2, 9-3, and 9-4. If your receiver doesn't act on the PSIP metadata, these may appear as 39-1, 39-2, etc.

FWIW, KETC channel 9 is the analog broadcast and is completely separate from the KETC digital broadcast which originates on UHF 39 with four subchannels.

When the analog shutdown occurs in 2009, analog 9 will no longer be available.

Thanks Scott & Doug!

That helps me out!

I'm having a problem with Fox 2.1 OTA where the picture/audio will freeze and pixel then go back to normal. Sometime it's short <1 sec. other times it lasts 5 sec. I do not have this problem with my other OTA and signal strength is strong on all channels. Anyone else have this problem?

I have D* w/HR10-250

I'm having a problem with Fox 2.1 OTA where the picture/audio will freeze and pixel then go back to normal. Sometime it's short <1 sec. other times it lasts 5 sec. I do not have this problem with my other OTA and signal strength is strong on all channels. Anyone else have this problem?

I have D* w/HR10-250

Yes, it's a Fox problem. We're all having it. They are aware of it.

I'm having a problem with Fox 2.1 OTA where the picture/audio will freeze and pixel then go back to normal. Sometime it's short <1 sec. other times it lasts 5 sec. I do not have this problem with my other OTA and signal strength is strong on all channels. Anyone else have this problem?

I have D* w/HR10-250
It's been an ongoing issue with KTVI recently. If you go back a page, or so, you'll find several posts about it. Apparently KTVI is doing some equipment changes of some sort.

No kidding Scott! At least I have an old ranch home so the roof is easy to walk. But in some ways you are correct. I thought ahead and got weather proof caps for both ends of the short, now diconnected antenna run. I left it up there as I didn't want to cut all the neat bundles D* did just for one short cable. At this point I may have to call someone as the Sq Shooter is not grounded either. I just didn't get that far. The amount of research I have put into this is far more than I should have.

Yep, I sure did rescan. ABC is hopeless and Lost is on tonight. :(

I was out earlier so time to call Winegard. Going up on the roof with no one around is not safe so I'll have to wait until another helper can come over.

Btw, I wrote down my signal strengths using the bowtie and they were all solid at 90-92 except ABC which only peaked at 73 and fluctuated wildly but was solid as far as watching was concerned. Now I get 78-80 on ABC and it still fluctuates just as bad but too much freezing, macroblocking and audio drops. NBC settles down later in the evening but is 90-91 and only drops a point either side and now I am getting brief glitching. It makes it distracting. Hard to know if it's the Olympic coverage or what. Ch 2 was 90-91 before and same problems ABC is having now but the SS fixed it. Ch 4 was solid at 92 and same issue before. So if I can get ABC dialed in I am good to go.

I hate everyone who can use a pair of rabbit ears! ;)


Damn, by the time you finish with this you will be an antenna expert Mo. Did you remember to do auto channel scans after you moved the antenna? That may help.

Scott

Michigan Township To Congress: Keep Teleco TV Out

This sort of thing couldn't smell any fishier if it were wrapped in catfish guts and doused with skunk oil. Note this resolution was approved without being read into the minutes, and without any debate.

Nice work, comrades. :mad:

How is this township board, in taking an official position as an obstacle to free market competition, looking out for the best interests of its constituents?

Since Saginaw is a Charter market, it's likely that similar resolutions are being readied by Charter for local governments here, if they haven't already quietly slipped through.

It might be a good idea to proactively address this issue to your local elected representative.

Also, maybe hizhonor, who was formerly a local mayor and has written here about local cable TV matters in the past, could give us his own inside perspective on this sort of development?

The following story is from the Saginaw (MI) News:
_____________________________________________

You'd expect to see it in the halls of Congress, not James Township Hall: A corporation's lobbyist writes a law, and the government agrees.

Saginaw County's lone cable television provider is seeking to remain dominant by urging municipalities to press lawmakers to keep competition out of the marketplace.

Monday, the Township Board of Trustees endorsed a resolution Charter Communications wrote that tells Congress and the Legislature it wants to retain local control through cable franchising agreements.

However, spokesmen for two telecommunication giants that want to compete with Charter by offering video and television services through existing phone lines are up in arms.

"Cable is using that local argument to block competition," said Jon Kreger, spokesman for at&t Michigan, which includes SBC Communications.

"The locals -- the Charters, the Comcasts -- they don't want the competition," added John Vanwyck, director of external communications for Verizon Michigan.

AT&T and Verizon would like to reform the Michigan Telecommunications Act by eliminating franchise agreements.

Cable companies have agreements with each municipality in the state. Township, village and city governments contract with a company for a franchising fee.

Charter has sent Saginaw County municipalities the same resolution, and James Township is possibly the first to have adopted the measure, said Vickie Jacobs, director of government affairs for Charter in east Michigan.

Jacobs said her company welcomes competition, but only if the telecom companies play by the same rules, respect local control and provide cable access channels for schools and government entities.

"They want to circumvent local control," she said.

AT&T and Verizon say local government still would get a cut under their plans, but customers would benefit the most from choice and possible savings through multiple services -- television, phone and high-speed Internet -- on one line.

Texas is the only state to adopt an open market for telecommunication services, Vanwyck said, adding that a statewide franchising system in Virginia is awaiting final approval from Gov. Mark R. Warner.

"We would really like national legislation so we're not doing this on a state-by-state basis," he said.

The five-person James Township board approved the resolution without debate. Supervisor Gerald M. Wieneke didn't read it aloud.

"Charter, actually, has done a pretty decent job for James Township," Wieneke said. "I don't even know how much this resolution is going to mean to our state legislators."
_____________________________________________

The politics of HD is very interesting; there seems so much reticence on the part of providers to give us high quality source material. Is it the cost of upgrading their equipment that seems to be the rate-limiting factor these days?

Yep, I sure did rescan. ABC is hopeless and Lost is on tonight. :(


Mo,

I believe Lost is a rerun tonight.

Mo,

I believe Lost is a rerun tonight.Based on what TitanTV is showing, it appears to be a new episode:
_____________________________________________
Lost
Drama/Action
TV14, English, 2006

Rousseau leads Sayid to a mysterious captive in the jungle. Is he one of the Others? Meanwhile, Sawyer discovers that Hurley has done something potentially devastating, and uses the information to blackmail Hurley into helping him track an elusive island creature. Sgt. Austen: Lindsey Ginter. Danielle Rousseau: Mira Furlan. Henry Gale: Michael Emerson. Tariq: Marc Casabani. Sgt. Buccelli: Theo Rossi. Joe Inman: Clancy Brown.

Cast & Credits: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan, Jorge Garcia, Malcolm David Kelley

HDTV - presented in 720p (Dolby Digital)
_____________________________________________

No kidding Scott! At least I have an old ranch home so the roof is easy to walk. But in some ways you are correct. I thought ahead and got weather proof caps for both ends of the short, now diconnected antenna run. I left it up there as I didn't want to cut all the neat bundles D* did just for one short cable. At this point I may have to call someone as the Sq Shooter is not grounded either. I just didn't get that far. The amount of research I have put into this is far more than I should have.

Yep, I sure did rescan. ABC is hopeless and Lost is on tonight. :(

I was out earlier so time to call Winegard. Going up on the roof with no one around is not safe so I'll have to wait until another helper can come over.

Btw, I wrote down my signal strengths using the bowtie and they were all solid at 90-92 except ABC which only peaked at 73 and fluctuated wildly but was solid as far as watching was concerned. Now I get 78-80 on ABC and it still fluctuates just as bad but too much freezing, macroblocking and audio drops. NBC settles down later in the evening but is 90-91 and only drops a point either side and now I am getting brief glitching. It makes it distracting. Hard to know if it's the Olympic coverage or what. Ch 2 was 90-91 before and same problems ABC is having now but the SS fixed it. Ch 4 was solid at 92 and same issue before. So if I can get ABC dialed in I am good to go.

I hate everyone who can use a pair of rabbit ears! ;)

I can only imagine how upsetting this has all been for you.

I was lucky. I bought a Terk UHF antenna. Hooked it up to my sat receiver in the family room while holding it in my hands. I simply faced it toward St. Louis, and all channels came in. I put it in the attic and faced it in the same general direction and haven't had to touch it since.

Sorry your install can't be as simple as mine.

Scott

Yes, Lost is a new episode tonight.

Scott

The politics of HD is very interesting; there seems so much reticence on the part of providers to give us high quality source material. Is it the cost of upgrading their equipment that seems to be the rate-limiting factor these days?Not sure what you're referring to. Most network prime-time shows are in HD, and many of the most popular non-broadcast channels (HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Discovery, MTV, TNT) are available in HD and are providing substantial content.

Yes, there is an issue of a limited supply of remote units for live HD broadcasts, such as for sporting events, but that is much less an issue than it was even a year ago. For example, ESPN and ESPN-HD recently carried six live sporting events in a single day -- a college football all-star game and five college basketball games. On the same day, CBS also carried an HD college hoops matchup.

As someone who's been watching HDTV (or trying to) since early 1999, I can tell you that we've come a very long way in 7 years.

Another issue is the fact that Hollywood is paranoid about copy protection being flaunted, but I don't know that we'd really be seeing a lot more if the situation were different (absolute broadcast flag, unassailable copy protection on packaged media, etc.). Overall, probably the biggest hindrance to more HD content is the fact that only around 10% of US households have a television capable of displaying HDTV.

But again, I might be missing the point of your question. If so, take another shot at it...

Yes, Lost is a new episode tonight.

Scott

My bad. I thought I had read that they were going to do a repeat b/c they were up against the olympics and Idol.

Thanks to Doug, Ken, and Robert for the info on Dish and DTV picture quality.

...The commentary was authored by Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Associates. Here's an excerpt:
___________________________________________________

...For example, among digital cable subscribers, 36 percent of whom have HD sets, only 23 percent have HDTV service. Among satellite subscribers, 34 percent say they have HD sets, but only 19 percent report subscribing to HD service.
___________________________________________________

To read the entire article, go to www.skyreport.com and scroll down to the headline "OUTSIDE THE BOX: Consumers and the Business of HDTV".

What's up with that? I have a few friends that claim to have HD sets but don't get HD programing. I always assumed they didn't understand and didn't really have HD sets. In the past, did they ever sell 4:3 HD sets?

wally,

Traditionally I've found around 10% to 15% of my customers didn't have an HD source. I was always surprised and a bit disappointed when this happened (it's pretty rare in 2006), but the usual explanation was that when the customer bought the set they needed to buy a new TV because their old had failed, and to them it didn't make sense to buy a non-HD set.

So, they made a conscious decision to hold off on HD until there was more programming or the cost of receivers or service fees were lower. In many cases, these HDTVs were mainly used for DVD viewing.

In fact, I'd say that from 1999-2002, progressive DVD was the primary driving force behind a majority of HDTVs sold, since there wasn't that much HD programming available. And it's arguable that "flat" (plasma) is what drove HDTV sales from 2003-2004, not HD viewing. Many buyers were excited by the idea of hanging the TV on the wall, and when they couldn't choke down the high cost, they settled for another type of HDTV.

It's really only in the past 18 months that there's been enough HD programming and low enough HDTV prices that a large percentage of TV buyers have actually been motivated to buy an HDTV because they wanted to watch HD programming.

When you're among early adopters, it's sometimes hard to appreciate how the average consumer views a new product.

From roughly 1999-2002, 4:3 HD sets were widely available and somewhat popular, due to the fact that most TV programming originated in that aspect ratio. I don't know of any manufacturers currently offering 4:3 big-screen displays, though there's a handful making direct-view 4:3 CRT HDTVs.

Senate Holds Hearings on Local Video Franchise Reform

The following news item appeared in today's Evening Bridge market close newsletter:
_______________________________________________

Today, the Senate Commerce Committee held hearings on local video franchise reform.

After the event, Walter McCormick Jr., president and CEO of telco industry group USTelecom, reiterated the organization's line that telecom laws need updating.

"While some communities already benefit from video competition, to make sure that all consumers have the same opportunities, Congress must act now to eliminate outdated regulations that favor cable providers over consumers," he said in a statement.
_______________________________________________

Thanks Scott.

A bit of an update and new wrinkle. I can dial in ABC OR NBC but not both. I turned it from a square to 45 degrees so it looks like a yield road sign and was able to pull NBC in better. Because they are just a few degrees between those channels, the "Big Gun" as Winegard refers to their antenna engineer, said to get a 3 DB attenuator and 6 DB as my signals may be too strong and are causing problems. So off Iwent to Radio Shack and all they had was the 6 DB one. Didn't help. It may have cut it too much. I went to BB, CompUSA and they didn't carry them either. The idea was to install the attenuator and then adjust the antenna. Not being able to try the 3 I have no idea if it will help. Btw, Hahn, the guy at Winegard said this antenna is simliar to a 4 bay bowtie I had a 2.

At least Lost is a repeat but it's going to get cold again.

Where can I pick up a 3 DB? Being new to the area I only know about Skywalker way out in O'Fallon thanks to Doug.


I can only imagine how upsetting this has all been for you.

I was lucky. I bought a Terk UHF antenna. Hooked it up to my sat receiver in the family room while holding it in my hands. I simply faced it toward St. Louis, and all channels came in. I put it in the attic and faced it in the same general direction and haven't had to touch it since.

Sorry your install can't be as simple as mine.

Scott

Robert,

Actually, 1080i x 1280 is high-defintion -- the generally accepted defintion of HD is that it must provide 1 million pixels of picture resolution, and 1080 x 1200 more than meets that criteria. Even 720p x 1280 falls very slightly short of a million pixels, but, of course, there's no (cogent) argument to be made that 720p isn't HD.

I'll admit my point here veers somewhat into the territory of semantics. Like you, I don't approve of or condone DirecTV (or any other provider) throttling HD picture quality.

And ultimately, that's the real problem -- bastardizing the quality of the original signal delivered by the programmer, not the estimated pixel count.

Doug,

True.... but try and fit all that into a tagline! :D

Doug,

True.... but try and fit all that into a tagline! :DYou got me there... :cool:

Is anyone else having some problems with ABC? I don't know if it's my TV or what, but my TV says 90% signal, but each time I try to switch to abc it says "updating channel database" and then switches to the picture for a split second then back to "updating channel database" Very odd. Any advice?

No problem with ABC for me -- not a single glitch during Lost.

The 5.1 sound on "Lost" tonight was excellent, particularly the tree frog. Very cool.

Another great episode, too.

No problems for me either during LOST.

The 5.1 sound on "Lost" tonight was excellent, particularly the tree frog. Very cool.

Another great episode, too.

Doug,
I'm at another ABC station tonight...how was the lip sync?
Jim