St. Louis, MO - HDTV *OLD* [Text View] - Page 53

Mac11700

05-08-06, 01:45 AM

But every time I start to think about switching to Charter because of it, Charter has some huge outage or other issue that p!sses people off for days.... and reminds me to be careful what I wish for.

I can tell you horror stories of my experiences with Charter..Needless to say,I have no plans of using their service again... They couldn't get a HD signal to my house,even after running a dedicated line from the head junction...and they ran a-lot of line.I had several suits from the company here trying to tell me I was getting HD when I wasn't..Multiple outages for days at a time..the most obnoxious C/S staff I have ever dealt with..and a billing department that couldn't add 2+2 if their life depended on it...I'm sorry if I offend any Charter Comm staff on this..but it's the honest truth...this is why I went with Direct TV...and I wasn't alone in this...within weeks of my switching..30-40 other folks in my subdivison did as well... I certainly hope they clean up their act and provide a better service and be more responsive to their customer base..

Now with DTV..I am getting HD and it does look good..Even my OTA signals are nice...with the regular DTV-HD box(non-TIVO) I have that has the small antenna on the rear of the box..I'm sure I can improve on that with a roof mount antenna..but that will come later...Before upgrading to the newer larger HD dish of Direct's..I would get rain fade and loss of signal..this is no-longer the case..even thru all of the storms last month..I never lost a signal 1 time..and I have lots of tall trees in my yard too..If we got 1 good lightning storm..our Charter service would drop out...and this was a royal pain in the butt...my neighbor who didn't switch..was without TV for 2 days..

If Dish can give me a better PQ with out any rain fade out's I might consider switching over to them..but until I can actually have something to convince the wife..I'm staying with DTV...and if someone here can tell me who I can start complaining to about their bit shaving and reduction of PQ...please tell me...I will be glad to start a telephone campaign...

Mac

black_macleod

05-08-06, 02:03 AM

Well, nothing beats OTA HD reception -- for locals.

Unfortunately, all the companies have their downpoints. Seems the new marketing tool is to offer the "most" HDTV, not the best. So there is nothing Dish or Direct can do except use the bandwidth they have, and thus shave it.

Like stories of people who buy HDTV sets and don't even HAVE HD service and THINK they are watching HD (magically!) most consumers won't even notice the downfalls of HDLite. That's why the majority of average joe consumers aren't on this board.

We all realize (on here) that we all preach to the choir, right? :-)

Joseph Clark

05-08-06, 03:21 AM

Thought I'd post an update to my embarassing HD DVD adventure - embarassing because I was so outspoken about not buyng in until the format battle cooled.

I'm not at all sorry I got the player, but all my original concerns about the format war still apply. I watched Serenity last night and really enjoyed it. But, at this stage, buying an HD DVD player for movies alone is premature (as will be Blu-ray). However, I am having a ball authoring my own HD DVD discs.

I ran into an ex-student at Best Buy Saturday and we started talking video. I asked if he wanted to watch some HD DVD and we walked back to their Toshiba display. I plugged in my Shaw's Garden program (which I still had from testing the last several days). We talked about how great it is to be able to take an HD project from shooting to a final distribution format at this stage of the HD game. With DVD, that process seemed to take eons.

So far, since getting the player late Friday evening, I've created about 20 discs - of my own material and captured HD footage from OTA and satellite. The next HD player I buy most likely will be a combination unit, that plays HD DVD and Blu-ray - and only after the players have come down in price. Meanwhile, this unit is going to get a workout testing and playing large parts of my HD collection. The problem I was having with double layer DVD+R recordables was not setting the Book Type to DVD-ROM. (I believe this also may have been the reason I've been having trouble playing back some of my MyHD files without glitches from recordable media in the past.) That issue seems to be resolved.

I'm still having some problems, but they are being resolved quickly.

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 09:39 AM

Joe,

First, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you posting your progress reports on HD DVD -- I'm definitely finding them interesting and I'm certain I'm far from being the only one.

Also, I wanted to ask if you know whether there's any way to archive from a HD TiVo to HD DVD. As you've probably heard me say ad nauseum, one of my favorite uses of my DVR is to record the musical segments on Leno, Conan and Letterman each night.

Up until the point at which my original HD TiVo died, I had a 4 or 5 hours a performances that I really would have liked to have kept around in an archive, but obviously they were lost when the old unit bit the dust. Since I got my replacement in February, I've continued recording those shows and because I'm regularly culling those performances I'm still a long way from having any sort of storage problem -- but I know that day will come in 6 to 12 months.

Knowing that there might be a way to get some of my favorite performances onto an HD DVD would be a good thing. Any thoughts on this?

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 09:46 AM

deuces,

FWIW, I was experiencing the same audio sync issues on KPLR-DT yesterday that you reported. It seemed like it was a bit worse before they got the HD feed up, but it was still quite noticeable.

I don't watch KPLR on a regular basis, so can't comment on whether this is typically a problem.

jdiehl

05-08-06, 09:51 AM

Also, I wanted to ask if you know whether there's any way to archive from a HD TiVo to HD DVD.

http://carlstrom.com/tivo.html

I started looking into this as soon as I got my HD Tivo last summer. But after reading all that it entails to mod a HD Tivo to be able to transfer saves off of it, I decided that it wasn't worth the effort (and this is coming from someone that modded his Xbox, doing the chip soldering, putting in a new drive and flashing the chip, adding bootable software, etc... all by myself).

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 09:53 AM

I'd like to second the kudos to UHD for the way they showed the Battlestar Galactica episodes Sunday evening. I did have to scramble around to rework my TiVo recordings, but once I noticed that there weren't any breaks during the first hour I luckily thought to check the program guide schedule and therefore was able to snare the second hour.

Although I watched all of the first series and all of this season, I'm still a bit of a newcomer to BSG, so I may hazy on some of the peripheral characters. Specifically, in the last few minutes of last night's episode, some guy arrives at Starbuck's tent who asks her sick/dying husband where she is.

Who was that? I didn't recognize him and therefore didn't pick up on why this particular guy was seeking her out. Can anyone help me out on that?

Anyway, it was a great way to wrap up the season (or at least, I assume that was the end of the season). If so, next year should be real interesting and I'm definitely ready for it...

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 09:54 AM

Jon,

Thanks for the link -- I'll check it out.

jdiehl

05-08-06, 10:04 AM

Jon,

Thanks for the link -- I'll check it out.

Let me know if you end up doing it, if it's easier and less time consuming than it sounds, I might mod mine. I don't care so much to save/archive my recordings, but adding a 2nd hard drive to increase space would be nice, as would having an ethernet connection to my HD Tivo and being able to program recordings from my PC.

Joseph Clark

05-08-06, 10:45 AM

PinkSplice

05-08-06, 10:53 AM

Second round channel elections are apparently done- see the channel election thread. For the STL area, the two elections that matter are KMOV's, to CH 24 (from 56, and displacing Larry Rice), and WCFN Springfield IL to CH 13 from the current digital CH 53 (analog 49).

Joseph Clark

05-08-06, 11:51 AM

BudShark

05-08-06, 12:30 PM

Not a clue on the HD Tivo archiving, Doug. If you have a computer, I'd still suggest the MyHD. It's a great card for OTA capture and it makes the whole process of editing so easy to do it on a computer system. That's how I originally became interested in doing recordings. I found out about a guy who had been grabbing and saving the musical acts from Letterman and Leno. Sorry to hear you lost them. Must feel like you lost an heirloom.

I second the OTA option - but I'd recommend going the Vbox or Fusion route. They are cheaper and if the computer isn't on your primary display you don't need the display capabilities of the MyHD. Also - if you ever decide to go the Xbox360 and Media Center route you can use the Xbox360 as an extender (meaning you stream over your network to the Xbox and the computer with the HD capture can be anywhere in the house).

The Xbox360/media center would also mean you could use the HD-DVD in your computer as the HD-DVD player without having to buy a standalone HD-DVD player (which I think you may have already invested in).

Chris

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 12:56 PM

I found out about a guy who had been grabbing and saving the musical acts from Letterman and Leno. Sorry to hear you lost them. Must feel like you lost an heirloom.Yeah, it was definitely a loss, as there were a dozen or so clips that I watched regularly and another dozen that I watched every month or so.

I guess I should blame myself for the loss of these recordings. About a week before the HD TiVo gave up the ghost, I sat down and made a catalog of the 60 or so Leno/Letterman/Conan segments that I'd snagged, so that it would be easier to navigate among all the "Manual Recording" labels in my Now Playing List.

That's what I get for trying to be organized...

mikeoates

05-08-06, 05:30 PM

Was this today you saw the test loop?
Jim
It was Sunday afternoon 7 May I got the last ten minutes of it taped but would like to get the whole thing.

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 05:54 PM

mike,

This sounds like the ABC demo loop that they have been running intermittently since the early days of ABC HD broadcasting. I used to see it all the time on the ABC station when I lived in San Francisco, but I can't remember seeing it here.

If this is the loop I'm thinking of, it has some stuff from the set of "Good Morning, America" (dating back to 1998, well before they the show was set up for HD broadcasts), as well as some Monday Night Football and what appeared to be an indoor soccer practice. There were also some shots of Manhattan (the city, not the movie) and a short segment from an ABC prime time program where some gal was dressed up as a princess or fairy. Some of these segments had audio, while others did not.

The same loop has been used by Joe Kane (Digital Video Essentials) at trade shows where he demonstrated the DLP projector he developed with Samsung. JK actually converted the loop using Microsofts HD codec and ran everything from a PC. Those Samsung demonstrations included several test patterns from DVE that were also converted to the MS format, but I don't recall anything like that as part of the ABC loop, apart from maybe standard color bars at the beginning or end.

WRacer

05-08-06, 06:31 PM

It was Sunday afternoon 7 May I got the last ten minutes of it taped but would like to get the whole thing.

We had a new operator that missed switching back to the upconverted feed after the B-Ball game. Hopefully you won't see it agan!!! ABC feeds that as a test before the HD feeds....Doug, I think you have it memorized exactly!!
At this time we have no way of recording it.
Jim

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 07:10 PM

FWIW, the Cards-Rockies listing for tonight's game has disappeared from the Program Guide for channel 95 on DirecTV.

Not sure if this means anything or not...

Robert Simandl

05-08-06, 07:24 PM

Just a word of warning about OTA and satellite editing using HDTVtoMPEG2 and VideoRedo, which I know some people here use. Apparently, the popular HD editing tools cause issues with the MPEG stream for the HD DVD authoring program called Ulead Movie Factory 5. Many of my programs edited with these programs will not load properly into Movie Factory 5. I have found an alternative called MPEG-VCR that works well, but it's not free. Some files work when run through MPEG2Repair, another free program, but not all. Unfortunately, MPEG files run through VideoRedo seem equally problematic in Movie Factory 5. Anyone using the technique I've outlined recently need to take care in using either of these programs. I may have to recapture a lot of material.

Hey Joe,

I used Womble MPEG VCR for about three years, bought it when the price was $250! The reason I stopped using it and bought VideoReDo was about one out of every twenty files edited with MPEG-VCR ended up with a segment out of sync. This was with SD mpegs from my ReplayTV units *and* HD transport streams from my FusionHDTV card.

I've not had that problem once during the year I've used VideoReDo, with SD or HD files.

I've noticed an oddity with HDTVtoMPEG2. When editing transport streams, it doesn't change the time codes to reflect the files are now 42-44 minutes instead of an hour. When I play any H2M2-edited file on the HTPC and hit pause, Media Portal will show elapsed time (for example 1 minute) and remaining time (in this example 59 minutes, even though I edited the file down to 42 minutes). I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is part of the problem Movie Factory sees with H2M2 files.

That same program edited in VideoReDo will show 1 minute elapsed, 41 minutes remaining when paused at the same spot in Media Portal. I'm clueless why Movie Factory would have a problem with VideoReDo's files.

Robert Simandl

05-08-06, 07:30 PM

Hacking a Tivo to simply replace a defective or not-big-enough hard drive in and of itself isn't hard. I've done it twice now. Nowhere near as easy as doing the same with a ReplayTV unit, but still not difficult by any means. just follow these instructions:

http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com/index.php

Now if you want to add features that DirecTV chooses not to allow on DirecTivo units, like networking, file extraction, that's a whole different ballgame. There are forums devoted to this very subject on http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/, but it's all Greek to me!

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 07:50 PM

FSMW-HD pregame show is available on DirecTV 95. The pre-game WAS listed in the guide, even though the game listing DOES NOT appear.

But I'm assuming that the game will be available...

kugumby

05-08-06, 07:51 PM

Although I watched all of the first series and all of this season, I'm still a bit of a newcomer to BSG, so I may hazy on some of the peripheral characters. Specifically, in the last few minutes of last night's episode, some guy arrives at Starbuck's tent who asks her sick/dying husband where she is.

He was a Cylon that first showed up in the mini-series. (He was the one in the munitions storage space station.) Starbuck was captured by the Cylons in a previous episode (late in Season 1, I think) and they did some stuff to her that has yet to be revealed. I assume that's why he was there looking for her.

Anyone that hasn't seen the show and is a fan of Sci-Fi, really should rent the mini-series and at least the first few episodes of Season 1. (You can rent them by the disc at Netflix) You're almost guaranteed to be hooked after that.

Mr_Bester

05-08-06, 08:24 PM

FSMW-HD pregame show is available on DirecTV 95. The pre-game WAS listed in the guide, even though the game listing DOES NOT appear.

But I'm assuming that the game will be available...

It is available. Looks pretty.
Dug

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 08:41 PM

ku,

Many thanks for the background. Much appreciated...

DroptheRemote

05-08-06, 08:48 PM

The thin, black line seen on the left side of some of the Cards' HD broadcasts on KPLR last season has resurfaced on tonight's FSMW-HD broadcast.

In fact, it has a partner this time around, with a thinner and even fainter line on the right side. It appears that these are "guides" for the 4x3 area.

FWIW, these aren't glaringly obvious, but are more apparent whenever there's a single color in that area of the screen from top to bottom, such as a shot of the outfield grass.

StockInv

05-08-06, 09:26 PM

The HD feed from Charter looks very good. However, I hate that scoreboard bug constantly on the screen. I think it detracts from a very good viewing experience.

Joseph Clark

05-08-06, 09:51 PM

Hey Joe,

I used Womble MPEG VCR for about three years, bought it when the price was $250! The reason I stopped using it and bought VideoReDo was about one out of every twenty files edited with MPEG-VCR ended up with a segment out of sync. This was with SD mpegs from my ReplayTV units *and* HD transport streams from my FusionHDTV card.

I've not had that problem once during the year I've used VideoReDo, with SD or HD files.

I've noticed an oddity with HDTVtoMPEG2. When editing transport streams, it doesn't change the time codes to reflect the files are now 42-44 minutes instead of an hour. When I play any H2M2-edited file on the HTPC and hit pause, Media Portal will show elapsed time (for example 1 minute) and remaining time (in this example 59 minutes, even though I edited the file down to 42 minutes). I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is part of the problem Movie Factory sees with H2M2 files.

That same program edited in VideoReDo will show 1 minute elapsed, 41 minutes remaining when paused at the same spot in Media Portal. I'm clueless why Movie Factory would have a problem with VideoReDo's files.

I was shocked that VideoRedo files choked Movie Factory 5. I've always thought VideoRedo was the ultimate MPEG utility. There's something it doesn't like, though. You're right about H2M. It doesn't regenerate the MPEG time code. That screws up Movie Factory 5 and Womble. Even MPEG2Repair can't fix the resulting files.

MYNAMEHERE

05-08-06, 10:35 PM

kdg454

05-08-06, 11:01 PM

I watched tonights Tech Chat on Dish Network and they announced St Louis will have local HD channels by mid May. I hope they carry the EPG guide data for all the KETC sub channels.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=57573
I may be wrong on this, and hope I am, but I'm fairly certain the initial STL HD locals will only include CBS, ABC, NBC & FOX.

Perfect timing Joe....you're going to be busy with that new 622 and being able to record 3 HD events simotainiously :)

kdg454

05-09-06, 12:33 AM

Doug,
Tried to send you a PM just now...got an error....something like not enough space for you to receive any more.

ken

Joseph Clark

05-09-06, 02:23 AM

I may be wrong on this, and hope I am, but I'm fairly certain the initial STL HD locals will only include CBS, ABC, NBC & FOX.

Perfect timing Joe....you're going to be busy with that new 622 and being able to record 3 HD events simotainiously :)

Yeah, they just got me hooked up today. So far, so good. It was a shock to learn they'll be bringing St. Louis online so soon. I believed the rumors of late this year. Since I have MyHD cards for OTA, I won't miss any of the new CW offerings this fall. I do have this real dread, though, that I'm going to wake up tomorrow and Dish will have converted all its HD to MPEG4 HDLite. That'll put a crimp into my favorite new hobby.

DroptheRemote

05-09-06, 07:25 AM

Doug,
Tried to send you a PM just now...got an error....something like not enough space for you to receive any more.Sorry about that...I've just done some initial pruning, so you should be able to send your message now.

Apologies for any hassle on your end, but I can't seem to keep up with the 150-message limit.

gelcoatman

05-09-06, 07:30 PM

RaceTripper

05-09-06, 07:48 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. will release an HD DVD player for its Xbox 360 video game machine in time for the 2006 holiday season and will have 10 million of its next-generation consoles to market before its rivals debut their new systems, company executives said on Tuesday.
I'm really in ho-hum yawn mode on HD-DVD and Blue-Ray. There's a format war that's likely to make everyone a loser, and the initial titles really seem to suck (at least the ones I've noticed).

By the time they really sort out high definition video in a way that's realistic for the consumer, it won't even be distributed on physical media anymore. That is, if the music and video industry doesn't alienate the entire world and litigate itself out of existance first.

DroptheRemote

05-09-06, 08:44 PM

That is, if the music and video industry doesn't alienate the entire world and litigate itself out of existance first.Amen.

duihlein

05-09-06, 09:51 PM

Xbox 360 HD DVD player due for holidays
Reuters
Tuesday, May 9, 2006; 7:17 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. will release an HD DVD player for its Xbox 360 video game machine in time for the 2006 holiday season and will have 10 million of its next-generation consoles to market before its rivals debut their new systems, company executives said on Tuesday.

jim

Since you mention XBOX 360...

Sony announced PS3 release date & pricing:
2 Configs...
20GB HDD & 60GB HDD

Japan Nov. 11 Release Date
MSRP - 59,800 on 20GB Unit
Open price on 60GB unit

United States: Nov. 17, 2006
20GB - $499.00
60GB - $599.00

Canada: Nov. 17, 2006
20GB - $C549.00
60GB - $C649.00

Europe/Australia - Nov. 17 €499 /€599 Including VAT

2 Million Units Available During Launch Period

4 Million Units Available By Dec. 31, 2006

6 Million units by March 31, 2007

duihlein

05-09-06, 09:55 PM

I'm really in ho-hum yawn mode on HD-DVD and Blue-Ray. There's a format war that's likely to make everyone a loser, and the initial titles really seem to suck (at least the ones I've noticed).

By the time they really sort out high definition video in a way that's realistic for the consumer, it won't even be distributed on physical media anymore. That is, if the music and video industry doesn't alienate the entire world and litigate itself out of existance first.

I'm psyched about the thought of hibitrate HD audio & video, but I doubt I'll move on it until the audio processing for HD audio moves to the receiver.

skippy_rq

05-09-06, 11:16 PM

You all watching the KSDK bit on Charter installers?

Excellent BAD PR. :D

mikeoates

05-09-06, 11:40 PM

I guess I just haven't been lucky enough to catch it. One of the sections ran some surround speaker tests and didn't appear to be functioning 5.1. It had the color bars and then had some misc test and calibration images all on the screen at once. Definitely something just for ABC since I recall seeing their logo or something in there. I will have to look at the part I got taped and see if any of that stuff is on it. From what I read later it was a mistake that it got sent and shouldn't be seen by me again. Oh well. Thanks for the info.

Mike Oates
mike,

This sounds like the ABC demo loop that they have been running intermittently since the early days of ABC HD broadcasting. I used to see it all the time on the ABC station when I lived in San Francisco, but I can't remember seeing it here.

If this is the loop I'm thinking of, it has some stuff from the set of "Good Morning, America" (dating back to 1998, well before they the show was set up for HD broadcasts), as well as some Monday Night Football and what appeared to be an indoor soccer practice. There were also some shots of Manhattan (the city, not the movie) and a short segment from an ABC prime time program where some gal was dressed up as a princess or fairy. Some of these segments had audio, while others did not.

The same loop has been used by Joe Kane (Digital Video Essentials) at trade shows where he demonstrated the DLP projector he developed with Samsung. JK actually converted the loop using Microsofts HD codec and ran everything from a PC. Those Samsung demonstrations included several test patterns from DVE that were also converted to the MS format, but I don't recall anything like that as part of the ABC loop, apart from maybe standard color bars at the beginning or end.

kdg454

05-10-06, 01:21 AM

You all watching the KSDK bit on Charter installers?

Excellent BAD PR. :D
The story is on KSDK's website:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=96580

The video of the aired story here:
http://www.ksdk.com/video/player.aspx?aid=33746&bw=

In all fairness, and I am not at all a Charter Fan, after viewing the story, I believe this is pretty much SOP for most providers, Dish and DirecTv included.

DroptheRemote

05-10-06, 09:07 AM

FWIW, I removed my post that made a criminal-to-criminal comparison of kSDk and Charter. I had no idea that the story was actually about the CRIMINAL backgrounds of some Charter installers. As a result, my comparison is more than a little unfortunate.

Still, it seems a bit hypocritical/ironic for kSDk to be pointing any sort of finger at Charter on service issues. Somehow I don't see them earning the right to be first in the stone-casting queue...

I guess kSDk figured they weren't getting much in the way of Charter's advertising spend anyway, and no doubt this is a hot-button topic with both Charter and non-Charter customers...

DroptheRemote

05-10-06, 09:17 AM

The article below on video calibration was a featured link in today's TV Predictions newsletter. I thought it would be worth linking to here, as it's written from the consumer viewpoint.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/technology/article_21217797.shtml

One thing to note about the article, however, is that the THX Optimode found on some DVD discs is not really a good choice for dialing in the user settings on your television, as the Optimode patterns are often optimized for an individual film-to-DVD transfer and won't necessarily produce good/acceptable results for other viewing.

In addition, DVD-generated patterns are probably only going to be valid for a particular DVD player, and therefore won't be very helpful in setting up for HD video sources, even if the player upscales.

DroptheRemote

05-10-06, 09:52 AM

TiVo Expands Net-Based Video Offerings

The article excerpt below is from today's TV Predictions newsletter. While I think this is an interesting development, I suspect it will be a very long while before net-based HD video is anything like a mainstream offering, primarily due to bandwidth bottlenecks.

Still, I agree with Swann on one key point -- this sort of product makes a hell of a lot more sense than the video iPod, which is a great example of media hype run amuck.

From TV Predictions.com:
________________________________________________________

I have predicted that Internet TV will be the "next big thing" and I think my forecast just might happen faster than I thought.

TiVo today announced that it's teaming with online content provider Brightcove Networks to offer Net-based videos to Broadband-enabled DVRs. (DIRECTV-TiVo subscribers will not get the service.) The company did not disclose which videos will be available on the service, which launches in June. But the Associated Press reports that Brightcove has several hundred content partners, including MTV's Teen Channel and National Lampoon's TogaTV.com.

The TiVo announcement is exciting and important news. In fact, it's far more important than the overwhelming media coverage given to Apple's video iPod and PC-based video services. Internet TV will be a big hit because it can be watched on your home TV rather than a 2.5 inch iPod screen or even a small laptop or PC screen. Consequently, it makes perfect sense.

Plus, Internet TV can dramatically expand the viewer's programming options because a TV provider can store more programming on an Internet server than a cable server or satellite in the sky. Instead of relying on the 200 broadcast and cable channels, an Internet TV customer could choose from thousands of special interest movies and shows, including video blogs. (TiVo has already added the video blog service, RocketBoom, to its lineup.)
________________________________________________________

DroptheRemote

05-10-06, 10:22 AM

One other point about kSDk -- and hey, this time I have something nice to say... :)

I only got around to watching last week's "Saturday Night Live" (Tom Hanks/Red Hot Chilli Peppers) Tuesday evening and it appears that kSDk engineering staff have managed to eliminate the multi-color flashes that had appeared on SNL in the past, apparently due to the equipment they used to time-shift the program.

Of course, I watched this recorded, so I'm not sure that this episode of SNL was delayed. But I assume that the Saturday late news still runs 5 minutes into the start of SNL and that kSDk is using their ability to delay/stream the HD network feed...

Anyway, just wanted to note this and say that at least one viewer appreciates this finally being fixed.

Joseph Clark

05-10-06, 10:52 AM

DroptheRemote

05-10-06, 11:05 AM

Joe,

But were you eating grapes or mangos, and if it was the former, were they red, green, or blue? See the connection?

Too funny.

You probably know this, but there have been problems with the HDMI outputs of the HD TiVo failing in a similar manner. I know that TiVo and/or DirecTV were supposed to be addressing this, but not sure if it has been completely elminated as an issue. FWIW, I have several clients who use HDMI from the HD TiVo with no apparent issue but a lot of early units had mega-problems in this area.

These digital connections have a lot of promise, but between how displays actually process them (with many displays converting them to analog before processing) and the fact that there are all sorts of issues in which incorrect DVI/HDMI flavors being used, I think they're often far more trouble than they're worth.

Anyway, sorry to hear that you're out of commission and hope it doesn't take long to get a fix.

MoInSTL

05-10-06, 12:15 PM

I lost all of my HD BSG when my DVR choked a long with some other programs. I spent some time reading about various DVD recorders that will do the job in SD but there are far too many choices and opinions on which way to go.

I need a low cost solution. The cheaper, the better. What do you guys suggest? I have D*'s HD-DVR and a SD-DVR in the other room.

MoInSTL

05-10-06, 01:11 PM

First of all, IMO, KETC-HD does an excellent job of their logo placement. It's for the most part translucent. tucked in the very bottom of the right lower corner, rather small and not up all the time. As far as station logos it's unobtrusive. OTOH, KSDK's placement is clearly used for SD viewers too as it's too far over to the left and red and distracting. I hate it. So much for their laughable HD Leader statement. I think it's KMOV who finds it necessary to have their's on the top AND bottom. Also, the one on top is also too far over to the left. Regardless, with the exception of KETC, they all suck.

Has there every been an organized email letter writing campaign to pressure the local stations to stop and or re-position them?

wmschultz

05-10-06, 01:33 PM

I'll take KMOV's over KTVI. Theirs is ridiculous when it is originating from STL. They have 2
big logo's.

dweebe

05-10-06, 04:18 PM

The story is on KSDK's website:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=96580

The video of the aired story here:
http://www.ksdk.com/video/player.aspx?aid=33746&bw=

In all fairness, and I am not at all a Charter Fan, after viewing the story, I believe this is pretty much SOP for most providers, Dish and DirecTv included.

I was watching the piece (on Charter) and kept waiting for kSDk to go black.

djearl81

05-10-06, 04:33 PM

Only one thing I hate more than logos....the commercials with sound during the game that take up about half the screen.

I was watching the Cardinal game on FSN the other day. They played a comercial for the best damn sports show. It took up about half the screen. I remember Luna was batting and the pitcher was covered while he was delivering the pitch.

I won't be watching any of that show on FSN. If it wasn't for the Cardinals, I'd have never subscribed to the station. Give me the old school scoreboard that pops up between innings any day of the week.

duihlein

05-10-06, 05:15 PM

Well, my Dish 622 PVR worked for a day before it bit the dust. I was watching the news last night and the picture went black. I checked DBSTalk and found the thread about HDMI going bad on a lot of 622s. Seems my problem is fairly common.

My case may be a little unusual, though, and may give others with the same problem some hope that it will be fixed soon. When the CSR asked the question about anything I might have done to cause the problem, I told her, "I was watching the news and eating fruit." I think we're onto something.

Joe,
Is it still working under component? I'm planning on getting a 622 prior to football season (unless d*/charter do something BIG) and I'm hoping they get this fixed with software. My 921 has a dead DVI port. I don't want to replace that with a dead HDMI port.

Although I may not have to worry about your specific problem as I don't watch the news and I don't eat fruit...

Dave

DroptheRemote

05-10-06, 09:08 PM

Jim,

If you're around, the sound on "Lost" is stuttering. Seems to be dropping about every 10 to 15 seconds. It may have cleared up right before the first commercial break, but can't be sure.

Help! It's "Lost"!!!

Joseph Clark

05-10-06, 11:02 PM

Joe,
Is it still working under component? I'm planning on getting a 622 prior to football season (unless d*/charter do something BIG) and I'm hoping they get this fixed with software. My 921 has a dead DVI port. I don't want to replace that with a dead HDMI port.

Although I may not have to worry about your specific problem as I don't watch the news and I don't eat fruit...

Dave

Yes, as per the threads on DBSTalk, the component output is still working. So, I'm not without a receiver for now. They're shipping me a new 622 - I got the return authorization this afternoon. I can't help but wonder about all those 622s out there with bad HDMI ports that are being used with component connections. The unsuspecting owners may one day decide to move to a digital connection, only to have HDMI blow in a few days. Of course, Dish will be off the hook for repair, if that happens after a year.

I lived really dangerously tonight. I once again ate fruit and watched Albert's 18th homer at the same time. Phew! Dodged the bullet that time.

Robert Simandl

05-10-06, 11:12 PM

Lost had one big audio dropout near the beginning for me, but no problems since then.

dweebe

05-11-06, 01:45 AM

Has anyone ever had a Moxi DVR reboot while watching TV? Was watching the end of Cohan, the screen went black and the front panel display went to 12:00.

It's been on the MOXI splash screen for a few minutes.

oops now its back. 10 minutes later

I wonder if I got a firmware upgrade or was that something else?

Ron_M

05-11-06, 04:07 AM

Mine did the same thing tonight.

I notice the changed the logo for channel 791 from PAY PER VIEW HD to INDEMAND HD.

MYNAMEHERE

05-11-06, 07:10 AM

Looks like E* mis-informed us at this week's tech chat...no St. Louis HD Locals. Now I'm hearing late this year.

kdg454

05-11-06, 11:43 AM

Looks like E* mis-imformed us at this week's tech chat...no St. Louis HD Locals. Now I'm hearing late this year.
The cities uplinked last week went live to subs last night. At the time of the tech-chat, these 11 cities had already been uplinked and were being tested. Many of the cities (STL included) announced during the tech-chat are not yet showing up on the Channel Charts as being uplinked.
Dish uplinks a city, then tests it for several days (usually 5-10) prior to making it available to subs.

If STL is going live this month, it will get uplinked with the rest of the remaining cities announced during the tech-chat. If the information from Dish is correct, they should show up in the next day or two as uplinked, and then go live 5-10 days after that.
There's still hope :)

A side note to Dueces....10 of the 11 latest cities all went on 110°, with 1 going on 119°, so perhaps it is not such a sure thing STL will end up on 129°. On the other hand, they were all footprint perimeter cities for 129°, 8 on the West Coast, Dallas, Houston and Miami.

wilkemp

05-11-06, 12:18 PM

Mine did the same thing tonight.

I notice the changed the logo for channel 791 from PAY PER VIEW HD to INDEMAND HD.

The question remains will it ever go live?

black_macleod

05-11-06, 12:31 PM

I want some Universal HD!

goldenluver

05-11-06, 01:40 PM

Kurt K

05-11-06, 01:47 PM

This is my first post to this site. Have been reading it for several months. I have been a customer of E* for 7 or 8 years. A few months ago I had a Dish 1000 installed, and also got a VIP211. After two seperate installation attempts I was told that a tree was blocking reception of 129. Well, we finally had that tree removed 2 days ago (it was time anyway) and after performing the switch check I found that I was now able to view HD programs off of 129. However, signal strength is not very high. During the rain yesterday some stations cut out or pixelated a lot, signal strength then was in mid 40s. Last evening, after rain, signals were in 50s/60s, but that's it. I remember the installer saying that 129 was not very powerful, so I'm wondering if the signal strength that I am now experiencing is as good as it gets, or should I be rescheduling an installer visit for some fine tuning. :confused: Thanks.
I would think it's possible that the dish isn't aimed correctly. Since a tree previously blocked the view, I would think it's possible the installer didn't take the time to fine-tune the aiming of the dish. Just a thought

kdg454

05-11-06, 02:21 PM

This is my first post to this site. Have been reading it for several months. I have been a customer of E* for 7 or 8 years. A few months ago I had a Dish 1000 installed, and also got a VIP211. After two seperate installation attempts I was told that a tree was blocking reception of 129. Well, we finally had that tree removed 2 days ago (it was time anyway) and after performing the switch check I found that I was now able to view HD programs off of 129. However, signal strength is not very high. During the rain yesterday some stations cut out or pixelated a lot, signal strength then was in mid 40s. Last evening, after rain, signals were in 50s/60s, but that's it. I remember the installer saying that 129 was not very powerful, so I'm wondering if the signal strength that I am now experiencing is as good as it gets, or should I be rescheduling an installer visit for some fine tuning. :confused: Thanks.
Goldenluver,
Another member here had a similar issue. Some of the Dish installers are not yet fully skilled at peaking the Dish1000 on to 129°
I suggest you call Dish HD Tech Support directly (800-969-4388). Explain the issue, and request them to dispatch a higher-level, or supervisor installer out to peak your dish correctly.
Done right, and now with a clear line of site, you should be receiving an average signal strength on 129° (all Tp's averaged) between 70-75, which is more than adequate.

Please report back on the eventual outcome, as this would be of interest to several other members.

kugumby

05-11-06, 03:07 PM

kdg454

05-11-06, 04:07 PM

FWIW, I happened to come across a pdf version of this season's 2006 MLB EI schedule:
http://www.indemand.com/sports/mlb/schedule/mlbSchedule.pdf

Joseph Clark

05-11-06, 04:08 PM

The guy that came out and installed my 622 said that if I was comfortable with the two dishes on the back of my house, then he'd stick with that instead of the Dish 1000 and I was fine with that. Now maybe he just didn't want to go through the hastle of installing the Dish 1000, but as long as I see all of the birds I need to see, I really don't care how many dishes I have on the back of my house.

My installer said the same thing, and he also said many of the channels are being moved. He said 129 wouldn't come in well on a Dish 1000. So, I left the two dishes up there and all the signals are coming in from 80 to over 100. We'll see. I knew it was going to take a long time to recable if I had the Dish 1000 installed, so as long as he was telling the truth about locals I'm fine with the way it is.

duihlein

05-11-06, 05:24 PM

This is my first post to this site. Have been reading it for several months. I have been a customer of E* for 7 or 8 years. A few months ago I had a Dish 1000 installed, and also got a VIP211. After two seperate installation attempts I was told that a tree was blocking reception of 129. Well, we finally had that tree removed 2 days ago (it was time anyway) and after performing the switch check I found that I was now able to view HD programs off of 129. However, signal strength is not very high. During the rain yesterday some stations cut out or pixelated a lot, signal strength then was in mid 40s. Last evening, after rain, signals were in 50s/60s, but that's it. I remember the installer saying that 129 was not very powerful, so I'm wondering if the signal strength that I am now experiencing is as good as it gets, or should I be rescheduling an installer visit for some fine tuning. :confused: Thanks.

I have a simialer priblem. My tree is growing into the path of my Dish 500. I plan to order the 622 and I'm hoping to have them move my current 500 from the side of my chimeny to the roof and install a second one for 129.

jdiehl

05-12-06, 08:45 AM

Anyone here anything on the date that D* is flipping the switch on the HD LIL's for St. Louis? All reports say "May 2006" but no exact date yet.

DroptheRemote

05-12-06, 09:18 AM

Jon,

Below you'll find an excerpt from DirecTV CEO Chase Carey's conference call last week discussing the company's 1Q results.

This is where I've drawn the conclusion that the local HD markets originally targeted for May have slipped to June. My understanding is that St. Louis has always been part of the May group.
__________________________________________________

...really the growth in all the metrics and the progress and all the metrics we’ve talked about. Clearly a year where a lot’s going on. We’re continuing to move forward on an array of initiatives, launching HD locals as — as we launched in — the series in April. Launching another group in June. Continuing forward the HD-DVR box coming this summer. Content initiatives that we’ve launched and continue to build on. A new marketing campaign with some new initiatives inside that. Continuing to build and focus the sales channels both on quality, and as we said, I think getting more targeted as we go. And whether that targeted means geographic, demographic, content categories, what have you. Is all part of managing that side of the business.
__________________________________________________

Joseph Clark

05-12-06, 09:39 AM

MoInSTL

05-12-06, 05:01 PM

Anyone here anything on the date that D* is flipping the switch on the HD LIL's for St. Louis? All reports say "May 2006" but no exact date yet.

When I talked to them in late April they still didn't have a date in May. I figured since there was no date there would be no locals this month.

DBSTalk (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=546179#post546179) seems to be the most up to date.

sandblaster

05-12-06, 07:23 PM

Apparently, tonight's Cards game is being carried in HD by Fox Sports Arizona but not by Fox Sports Midwest, at least it's not according to the Fox Sports Midwest schedule of HD games. That seems strange, why not make the HD feed available to both? It's being carried in HD by DirecTV (ch# 95) but I'm guessing it will be blacked out in the St Louis area.

DroptheRemote

05-12-06, 10:22 PM

sandblaster,

I'm not certain about this, but I think the problem with using one production unit for two separate HD broadcasts is that there's only one available "live HD view" selectable at any time, meaning that whatever the Arizona director decides to show would also be shown on the shared St. Louis HD feed.

This ultimatly leads to disjointed commentary/pictures, which might be OK if you're turning down the sound but could otherwise leave viewers scratching their heads about why the announcers are talking about one aspect of the game and we're seeing images of something else entirely.

Then again, with McLaughlin/Hrabosky, this might net out as an upgrade. ;)

aspec2

05-13-06, 07:43 AM

MoInSTL

05-13-06, 03:14 PM

Posted a few days ago asking for cheap DVD recorders for archiving. Anyone? Please feel free to send a PM.

Joseph Clark

05-13-06, 05:50 PM

Posted a few days ago asking for cheap DVD recorders for archiving. Anyone? Please feel free to send a PM.

Sorry, Mo, but I don't know if I can be very helpful with this one. I can perhaps steer you away from a couple of brands. I tired a Lite-On DVD recorder and it flaked out on me very quickly (did the same thing for a friend) - it wouldn't eject the discs. Cyberhome (at Best Buy) seems a very unpopular brand among those who post here. I might suggest Costco for a DVD recorder, just because their return policy is so good. If you get one that is unreliable, you can return it easily there. I've become a big fan of the store for this and other reasons. (I don't think I've ever returned anything there, but the return policy is unbeatable, and that gives me a lot of peace of mind.)

Robert Simandl

05-13-06, 06:04 PM

khelvan

05-14-06, 12:00 AM

Hi, I've been a customer of DirecTV for about 7 years, and finally, just today, had HDTV service installed. I've been amazed by the picture quality on my new Panasonic 42" plasma, but I do have a question about the local reception.

I'm using an OTA antenna to get the local channels, and I have purchased the HD package (in the hopes that they increase programming soon). However, quite frequently I am noticing 1/2s - 1s audio delay, on both OTA and the HBO HD and other channels, and I am wondering if this a problem with the broadcast in the St. Louis area, or if I have a problem on my end?

I have the DirecTV HD DVR (HR10-250), and I'm using HDMI to send both audio and video to a JVC RX-D402 receiver. I send HDMI to the plasma for video, and direct to speakers from the receiver. I also have a DVD input via HDMI, but have had no audio delays with it, so I suspect the problem is on DirecTV's end.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is this the price of seeing TV in 1080?

Thanks,

-Brian

Scott Tucker

05-14-06, 08:29 AM

DroptheRemote

05-14-06, 09:10 AM

I've got a somewhat different take on lip sync issues.

While lip sync can be a problem from time to time, I don't think it's really accurate to characterize this as part and parcel of the HD experience. It does happen more often than with NTSC, but I think some context is needed here -- it's more of a 10% event than a 90% event.

aspec2

05-14-06, 09:20 AM

Posted a few days ago asking for cheap DVD recorders for archiving. Anyone? Please feel free to send a PM.

Mo

I have used several dual layer burners and my favorite is/was the Pioneer 109D. I think the model number is up to 111. My son has a 110. They can be had on the web for between $40 and $50 dollars. Dual layer disk prices are dropping, finally, an these make a nice back up device at 8+gig.

Walt

Mr_Bester

05-14-06, 10:24 AM

Mo

I have used several dual layer burners and my favorite is/was the Pioneer 109D. I think the model number is up to 111. My son has a 110. They can be had on the web for between $40 and $50 dollars. Dual layer disk prices are dropping, finally, an these make a nice back up device at 8+gig.

Walt

Is that a drive for the computer or a stand alone unit, the model # and price suggest it's a drive.

Dug

Joseph Clark

05-14-06, 10:30 AM

Is that a drive for the computer or a stand alone unit, the model # and price suggest it's a drive.

Dug

Yes, that's a computer drive. Mo's looking for a standalone recorder, like a VCR.

aspec2

05-14-06, 10:51 AM

Sorry guys. Now I know about ASSUME. I just thought when Mo said "archiving", it was for a computer.

I just went back and read the post on the 10th.

Walt

aspec2

05-14-06, 11:11 AM

khelvan

05-14-06, 11:24 AM

It does happen more often than with NTSC, but I think some context is needed here -- it's more of a 10% event than a 90% event.
Well, for me, it has been a 50% - 60% event. Which is why I came asking about it.

I'll check for audio delay on the receiver, if that is my only option, thanks!

khelvan

05-14-06, 12:32 PM

Well it turns out I do have that option, but only to 100ms, which isn't enough to cover the sync problem. Still, it helps, thanks!

MoInSTL

05-14-06, 03:59 PM

Joe and Mo,

If it's any consolation, we sell those LiteOn DVD recorders by the truckload and don't seem to get a lot of returns on them (I work for Costco). Price is about $120. I'd post more, but don't want to run afoul of the no-advertising rules here.

Thanks Robert, Joe and Everyone.

Robert, please PM me the info. Joe, if you are planning a Costco run, please let me know as I don't have a membership.

I just need something cheap that will do the job.

MoInSTL

05-14-06, 04:03 PM

Sorry guys. Now I know about ASSUME. I just thought when Mo said "archiving", it was for a computer.

I just went back and read the post on the 10th.

Walt

Walt, no worries. I wasn't very clear in my last post. I have an old Plextor DVD writer I've had for quite sometime. I am intrigued by the ones that have lightscribe technology. Waiting for those to write faster and be more reliable.

I have an internal 300G Seagate and 80G WD external I archive my PC stuff to. :)

MoInSTL

05-14-06, 04:06 PM

Well it turns out I do have that option, but only to 100ms, which isn't enough to cover the sync problem. Still, it helps, thanks!

If it's OTA it could be related to your antenna. Mine struggles with audio on ABC when the signal isn't that great due to wind, trees. etc.

kdg454

05-14-06, 06:46 PM

Dueces,
I watched both the Saturday and Sunday games in their entirety, paying particular attention to the audio sync during the brief announcers-on-camera, and throughout the game with the ball bat/golve. I didn't notice any sync issues.

I watched Saturday's game on the 622 (Component to TV/Toslink to Audio) and Sunday's game on the 921 (Component and RCA to TV).
I checked both the Dish SAT SD and the KPLR OTA DT. Other than the normal SAT SD being a few seconds behind the OTA DT, the sync seemed fine, at least for this weekend.

duvy56

05-14-06, 07:07 PM

Hey Hockey fans D* channel 95 has game 5 Devils and Hurricanes in HD.

redwine

05-14-06, 08:11 PM

Stand alone DVD recorder:

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/5693.cfm

These can be had for around 200. I have read some bad things about the initial release requiring a firmware upgrade and don't know if it has taken place.

Walt

I own this and did the firmware upgrade right after I installed it. It works fine. With every device that connects to a PC the first thing you do after installation is check for upgraded software. 90% of the time there is a new driver or firmware.

I have used this to transfer all my old VHS tapes to DVD. It is a bit expensive put I like the features and portability.

ljgershman

05-14-06, 08:15 PM

I have a Motorola DSR550 Voom receive I purchased back in December on eBay and have had no problems receiving any of the St. Louis HD channels until this week. When I either type in channel 9 or even try to scan through it when changing channels, my Voom box restarts on its own. I have tried to even rescan the OTA channels, and when it gets to the RF Channel for Channel 9, the receiver again reboots.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Could it be a firmware problem, and if so, can this be resolved? Are there any fixes out there?

Thanks,
Larry

skippy_rq

05-14-06, 09:13 PM

Anyone noticing audio dropouts on ch 30 OTA for Desperate Housewives? It is driving my wife nuts. Any thoughts WRacer?

Rich

WRacer

05-15-06, 10:57 AM

Anyone noticing audio dropouts on ch 30 OTA for Desperate Housewives? It is driving my wife nuts. Any thoughts WRacer?

Rich

It was probably due to the weather....I had no problems on my two receivers and it was clean at the studio.
Jim

jdiehl

05-15-06, 11:05 AM

Anyone noticing audio dropouts on ch 30 OTA for Desperate Housewives? It is driving my wife nuts. Any thoughts WRacer?

Rich

No problems here, and I live pretty close to you.

Check your antenna I guess.

Joseph Clark

05-15-06, 11:18 AM

It was probably due to the weather....I had no problems on my two receivers and it was clean at the studio.
Jim

Jim, I had a few LONG audio dropouts (several seconds) on my Dish 622. I think I heard some instances where the center channel dropped out, but the surrounds could be heard. I'll check again - haven't erased it yet. I did rewind and found the exact same audio issues at the same spot, so I don't know that weather was causing it. The picture was fine.

Thanks.

DroptheRemote

05-15-06, 11:48 AM

I recorded but hadn't watched "Desperate Housewives" yet, but checked it this morning, primarily because this sounded like it might be the same as the audio dropouts that occurred during the first segment of "Lost" last week.

As it turns out, the problem wasn't the same as "Lost," as those audio dropouts were frequent and closely spaced together, probably totaling a dozen or so in the first segment. However, in the opening segment of DH, I detected two one- or two-second dropouts, one when Susan's friends offered her a place to stay and the second when she was talking to the insurance investigator about the fire department's arson finding.

I didn't check beyond the first segment, as I've pretty much given up on DH and have been meaning to remove it from my Season Pass list.

But there were definitely audio drops on DH last night, based on the initial introductory scene, and these drops don't obviously appear to be related to reception, as there was no loss of video at all.

WRacer

05-15-06, 01:10 PM

MoInSTL

05-15-06, 01:23 PM

Found out what the problem was... new operator thought he wasn't in 5.1 because he was monitoring the wrong source and switched back to stereo possibly a couple of times. Sorry for the problem.
Jim

Well slap him upside the head Jim so he doesn't goof up the Lost season finale! ;)

MoInSTL

05-15-06, 01:29 PM

An AP article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060514/ap_on_hi_te/net_neutrality) says High-Definition Video Could Choke Internet .

Another money grubbing tactic IMO.

wolverine5767

05-15-06, 06:53 PM

kdg454

05-15-06, 07:27 PM

Jim, I had a few LONG audio dropouts (several seconds) on my Dish 622. I think I heard some instances where the center channel dropped out, but the surrounds could be heard. I'll check again - haven't erased it yet. I did rewind and found the exact same audio issues at the same spot, so I don't know that weather was causing it. The picture was fine.

Thanks.
Joe,
I get that from time-to-time on the 622, while watching playback of recorded OTA HD. I've recorded the same event on the 622 and 921, have gone to the place in the recording on the 921, and it's fine, so I think it's a s/w issue on the 622.

FWIW, I ordered my second 622 last week. Now that E* has extended the upgrade/rebates to multiple 622's, I'm going to turn-in the 921 and take the rebate.

Robert Simandl

05-15-06, 08:45 PM

Incase any of you are interested within the month, C* is launching a 10mps down and 1 meg upload service. :D

Exact launch date and pricing hasn't been given out, but will update it if I am allowed at that time.

Wow.... and a couple of weeks ago I looked into the 5mbps service and was informed it's not available in my neighborhood. :rolleyes:

jdiehl

05-15-06, 09:32 PM

With Charter's insane pricing, I'm sure 10/1Mbps service will be close to $100/month, even though you can get even faster Verizon FIOS in other parts of the country for what we pay for 3Mbps service.

I'd love 10Mbps, or even 5Mbps, but not at their current prices. They need some local competition to get their HSI service pricing down to what most people pay for them in competitive markets.

MYNAMEHERE

05-15-06, 10:06 PM

Anyone notice how bad 24 looks tonight? I tried both the tuners in my TV and the 622. The picture looks more like expanded SD than HD, as if the bitrate has been severely decressed.

gelcoatman

05-15-06, 11:28 PM

Joseph Clark

05-16-06, 01:33 AM

Joe,
I get that from time-to-time on the 622, while watching playback of recorded OTA HD. I've recorded the same event on the 622 and 921, have gone to the place in the recording on the 921, and it's fine, so I think it's a s/w issue on the 622.

FWIW, I ordered my second 622 last week. Now that E* has extended the upgrade/rebates to multiple 622's, I'm going to turn-in the 921 and take the rebate.

I got my second 622 today via UPS. When I went through setup, Check Switch would not see the 129 satellite. I called HD support and was told by the tech that he could activate the 622, but that the installer should have let me know that a future software upgrade could render my older setup inoperable. I went ahead and scheduled the Dish 1000 installation. Some of the channels are giving me a switch error. My HDMI is working so far.

Joseph Clark

05-16-06, 01:47 AM

Making Your Own HD Movies

Although the following article addresses a film produced for the Film Festivals, it covers the various resources that are suitable for the rest of us.

MAKING AN INDIE FILM

http://ct.enews.pcmag.com/rd/cts?d=184-2820-6-57-30894-345614-0-0-0-1

HD cameras and new digital filmmaking technology allow
first-time filmmakers like Web developer turned writer/
director Scott Dacko to make an independent film with all
the production values of a big-budget Hollywood picture.
The cost? Only $200,000.

Jim

If you really want to do it, you can get into HD a lot cheaper than that, by going HDV. It's a wonderful format. The gist of that article, though, is that HD production has become so affordable that the technology doesn't get in the way of production nearly as much as it used to. So true.

Even someone wanting to capture family and personal memories on video shouldn't consider buying a DV camera anymore. Take a look at Best Buy's camcorder section. They have a Sony HDR-HC3 1080i HDV camera for $1,500. (Does this violate policy if I'm just using it to make a point about how cheap HD is these days? Guess I'll find out.) Add an inexpensive editing package and HD DVD authoring (Ulead Movie Factory 5), and you can create your own HD works right at home. (Just use a tripod and make your shots SHORT.)

This is the most exciting time in video prodcution since the introduction of DV a few years ago. And this time around it's much better.

hizhonor

05-16-06, 08:20 AM

Incase any of you are interested within the month, C* is launching a 10mps down and 1 meg upload service. :D

Exact launch date and pricing hasn't been given out, but will update it if I am allowed at that time.

Still having a few friends at City Hall, I recently received a Charter release dated May 2, 2006, indicating that the 10Mbps service would be introduced to our area on May 17th. Cost: $79.99. This service is also eligible for the $10 multiple product discount when purchased in combination with Charter's video and or telephone services.

Another release dated a day later announces internet- based "Charter Business Telephone" to business customers. "Soon" is the release date and no pricing was offered except to say "because of the bandwidth efficient nature of our telephone service offering, we anticipate that Charter Business Telephone will be competitive compared to the rates of the incumbent telephone company, at&t."

Steve

jdiehl

05-16-06, 09:14 AM

Still having a few friends at City Hall, I recently received a Charter release dated May 2, 2006, indicating that the 10Mbps service would be introduced to our area on May 17th. Cost: $79.99. This service is also eligible for the $10 multiple product discount when purchased in combination with Charter's video and or telephone services.

Interesting. Cheaper than I expected, AND they're giving a discount for bundling (something didn't do with their 5Mbps package). I'm really curious to see what the 5Mbps tier will be and if they'll finally give a bundle discount for it now as well.

MoInSTL

05-16-06, 10:44 AM

I lost all of my HD BSG when my DVR died. Looking forward to seeing the original mini-series again and this time in HD!

UHD Schedule (http://www.universalhd.com/Schedule/search.bravo?month=2006-12&keyword=Battlestar&start=today)

From another poster:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's already been posted that UHD begins the series on 5/21 with the three hour, ten minute miniseries (if you're recording it, pad the ending--my Tivo missed the last few minutes last time it was shown). UHD will then begin with "33" on 5/28 and show each episode (June schedule).

The reason for this post is that my Tivo schedule is incorrect and I thought others might want to know. Tivo thinks that there is a three hour block next Sunday for "33" and "Water." If this is not corrected, Tivo will not automatically record those episodes when they are broadcast, thinking that they have already been recorded.

kdg454

05-16-06, 12:05 PM

I got my second 622 today via UPS. When I went through setup, Check Switch would not see the 129 satellite. I called HD support and was told by the tech that he could activate the 622, but that the installer should have let me know that a future software upgrade could render my older setup inoperable. I went ahead and scheduled the Dish 1000 installation. Some of the channels are giving me a switch error. My HDMI is working so far.
Joe,
How were you receiving 129 on your first 622, off a single Dish300?
When I first installed my 622, I also got some check-switch errors on some of the Tp's. I didn't have 129 at that time, IIRC they were from 61.5. I ended up having to reinitialize the unit by resetting Factory Default, and then running through the initial check-switch and software updates. When my Dish1000 and 129 were added, check-switch picked it up first time, and it's been fine since.

On the good side, I've read about more subs having success with HDMI on their second machine. Hopefully they've fixed that and you won't continue having any issue with it.

Scott Tucker

05-16-06, 12:13 PM

Interesting. Cheaper than I expected, AND they're giving a discount for bundling (something didn't do with their 5Mbps package). I'm really curious to see what the 5Mbps tier will be and if they'll finally give a bundle discount for it now as well.

Charter would have to throw in a new Ferrari, and I probably still wouldn't bite. :eek:

Scott

Signia

05-16-06, 12:35 PM

Hey everyone. Just got off the phone with D* and they said the St. Louis locals will be available tomorrow. Of course you need MPEG4 but I thought I would let everyone know.

John Kotches

05-16-06, 12:40 PM

Hey everyone. Just got off the phone with D* and they said the St. Louis locals will be available tomorrow. Of course you need MPEG4 but I thought I would let everyone know.

That'll probably prompt E* to get the channels up real soon now ;) It's actually on the list for this month's HD LiL, but that's just a plan.

Best,

RaceTripper

05-16-06, 12:49 PM

Hey everyone. Just got off the phone with D* and they said the St. Louis locals will be available tomorrow. Of course you need MPEG4 but I thought I would let everyone know.
I'm going to resist migrating my equipment to MPEG-4 for as long as possible. I have the HD TIVO now and don't want to change it to a lesser DVR (especially one without commercial skip). In fact, we're looking at a 32" Samsung LCD for the bedroom and may even buy another HD10-250 D* Tivo receiver.

jdiehl

05-16-06, 12:51 PM

Charter would have to throw in a new Ferrari, and I probably still wouldn't bite. :eek:

Scott

As much as I hate their customer service and TV side, I've been pleasantly surprised by how well the phone service works (w/ unlimited LD, CID, Voicemail, etc), and my HSI has been good too (albiet only 3Mbps). Still, when my 6 month deal runs out ($59.99 for both), I'll be shopping around before they can jack up my pricing to non-new subscriber pricing. Perhaps they'll have a decent phone/HSI bundle at that time with the higher service tiers.

jdiehl

05-16-06, 12:54 PM

Hey everyone. Just got off the phone with D* and they said the St. Louis locals will be available tomorrow. Of course you need MPEG4 but I thought I would let everyone know.

Thanks for the heads up.

When I moved and was getting a new/mover's install in March, I went ahead and upgraded one receiver to the H20, and got the new dish for the heck of it. My OTA comes through fine, so I don't really even need those channels (especially since the kids will still need the antenna for PBS OTA), but it will be nice to fiddle with and compare the quality of the HD locals btw D* and OTA.

dweebe

05-16-06, 02:36 PM

Is tonight's Cards/Mets game on ESPN tonight? I rode the Metrolink in today and there's an ABC Sports truck next to the stadium.

Will it be in HD from ESPN outside St. Louis? (Since we get the Fox Sports Net broadcast.)

DroptheRemote

05-16-06, 02:49 PM

There's no MLB on ESPN or ESPN2 tonight. However, the Cards vs Mets is the Wednesday Night game on ESPN.

But the Wednesday ESPN-HD broadcast will be blacked out here -- unless someone forgets to set/flip the blackout toggle.

Notice how THAT never happens? :(

Signia

05-16-06, 03:10 PM

I wish there was more MLB in HD. Hopefully next year after they start rolling out more MPEG4 content.

dweebe

05-16-06, 03:49 PM

There's no MLB on ESPN or ESPN2 tonight. However, the Cards vs Mets is the Wednesday Night game on ESPN.

What, are the PaintBall Championships on? Or the World Series of Poker?

DroptheRemote

05-16-06, 04:05 PM

RaceTripper

05-16-06, 04:58 PM

ESPN rarely shows baseball on Tuesday evenings -- Monday, Wednesday and Sunday are the typical days.

If the paintball and poker don't get you going, maybe spelling bees or cheerleading contests will do the trick... ;)
Or you could watch Speed Channel for yet another episode of some dumb reality show or more NASCAR has-beens trying to convince each other they are clever, charming, and funny.

DroptheRemote

05-16-06, 05:24 PM

Hey, for those tough times when there's no real sports on, you can always switch over to HDNet and watch such illuminating fare as "Bikini Destinations," "Art Mann Presents," "Get Out," "Young and Beautiful and Trying to Make it in Hollywood," or something that falls even more squarely into the competitive sports mold -- "Perfect 10 Model Boxing."

Better yet, DVR them so you're never caught out... :D

FWIW, HDNet's "guys night out" approach to HD programming seems to be gaining some meaningful traction, as INHD has recently announced that it will launch a series of "whoa, dude..." genre shows designed to reach the same general demographic.

Joseph Clark

05-16-06, 05:30 PM

Joe,
How were you receiving 129 on your first 622, off a single Dish300?
When I first installed my 622, I also got some check-switch errors on some of the Tp's. I didn't have 129 at that time, IIRC they were from 61.5. I ended up having to reinitialize the unit by resetting Factory Default, and then running through the initial check-switch and software updates. When my Dish1000 and 129 were added, check-switch picked it up first time, and it's been fine since.

On the good side, I've read about more subs having success with HDMI on their second machine. Hopefully they've fixed that and you won't continue having any issue with it.

Apparently, the tech who did the initial install didn't do a check switch at all. All the satellites were in green and the transponders were coming in at least about 80. When I did a check switch on both the 211 and the 622, it wouldn't pick up 129, even though the transponders showed a lock from that position. AFAIK, the one dish is aimed directly at 129, the others at 110, and 119.

HDMI is working OK so far, but I've read about people having it work for a couple of weeks before it dies, so I'm not going to claim success yet.

StockInv

05-16-06, 06:26 PM

DroptheRemote

05-16-06, 06:55 PM

Stock,

Because FSN Midwest (and KPLR) paid a buttload of money to have exclusive rights to a certain number of Cardinal broadcasts in the local market...

This is not like football, where the only broadcasts are regional/national; there are no LOCAL NFL broadcasts, though there are local blackouts when a sellout is not achieved.

gtaylor74

05-16-06, 10:46 PM

This post is off topic, but I just wanted to take a minute to thank Doug (Drop the remote) of Clearly Resolved. I had Doug come to my house to perform an ISF calibration on my Pioneer Elite HDTV. Doug spent many hours finely tweaking the set to get an accurate image from it. He showed up fully prepared with all the tools needed and even a copy of the service manual for my particular set in case anything popped up. Doug was very professional and did a great job. My set now has a much more film like image and the many issues I saw due to poor convergence are gone. I highly recommend Doug to anyone in the area considering an ISF for their display.

Greg

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 06:44 AM

Greg,

Thank you for the kind words -- I really appreciate it.

tpm199

05-17-06, 06:46 AM

Directv Now has HD locals, well at least according to their website. While searching under zip code, the following channels are now available: Fox KTVI (2), CBS KMOV (4), NBC KSDK (5), and ABC KDNL (30). As exepected, the "Lower Teir" stations are not yet available, such as PBS and WB (or CW or whatever its called). I will keep my antenna up to compare picture quality on all stations except KDNL, which is the one station I cannot get without serious anntena moving. I am just glad that my antenna/house accross the street problems will be gone.

HDLite, here I come!

p.s. wish me luck with whatever installer they send to my house...my luck hasnt been the best so far. :)

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 06:46 AM

It's Official -- STL HD Locals Available on DirecTV Today

The following short item is from today's SkyREPORT newsletter:

____________________________________________

Beginning today, DirecTV is offering local high-def channels to customers in four new markets: Milwaukee, Phoenix, Salt Lake and St. Louis.

DirecTV's roll out of local HD channels is part of a nationwide expansion of HD programming that will culminate in 2007, when the satellite TV service will have the ability to deliver more than 1,500 local HD channels and more than 150 national HD channels.

DirecTV offers local HD channels in 24 cities with plans to launch an additional 26 cities later this year, which will cover more than 65 percent of U.S. television households.
____________________________________________

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 06:56 AM

Cable, Satellite Customer Satisfaction Up in Survey

The following story is excerpted from today's SKYReport newsletter:

________________________________________________

Pay-TV services saw some improvement in their scores in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, released Tuesday by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. But the survey also suggested there's room for improvement.

The "ASCI" said scores for cable and satellite TV increased 3 percent to 63, improving for the first time since debuting on the index in 2001. The cable industry has been a poor performer in the past, index authors said, "with rate hikes more consistent than service." But the bundling of services is improving the perceived customer benefit in the form of price savings and a single vendor, they added.

Yet, even with the improvements, cable and satellite TV still lag among the poorest scoring industries measured by the index, those with the survey said.

DirecTV led all pay-TV services with a 6 percent improvement to 71, the highest score in the sector, ASCI said.
________________________________________________

To read the entire newsletter story, go to www.skyreport.com.

For more detailed data, including Charter and DISH scores and quarterly histories, click here (http://www.theacsi.org/first_quarter.htm) and scroll down to the "Cable and Satellite TV" heading.

aspec2

05-17-06, 07:24 AM

HDMI is working OK so far, but I've read about people having it work for a couple of weeks before it dies, so I'm not going to claim success yet.

I don't know where I read it so it may be old news but.....I believe Comcast was turning off the HDMI outputs on their cable box (Scientific Atlanta 8300). When they did it, people would unplug the box for a brief period of time and it would be restored. The provider is no longer turning it off. I don't know if this is helpful or not.

Walt

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 07:58 AM

Signia

05-17-06, 08:50 AM

Doug I should be able to try this tonight. I will let you know.

Noel

wilkemp

05-17-06, 09:11 AM

jdiehl

05-17-06, 09:12 AM

I'd appreciate if someone with MPEG-4 capability could let me know the channel designations that are now used for the HD Locals on DirecTV. I assume that there's going to be some way of maintaining the local channel identifier (2, 4, 5, 30), but I'm not clear on how that will work in view of the fact that the local analog stations currently remap to the local station number.

Once I've got this, I'll figure out how/if to update the Programming Guide PDF...

Okay, I just checked it out. Here's how it pulls up in the guide/favorites:

4 ST4 (analog D*)
4 CBS (digital D*)
4-1 KMOVDT (digital OTA)

It's the same for all four networks. It uses only the channel number, like the analog version, but you can tell the difference when programming your favorites since the analog versions are described with a ST before the channel number, and the new digital locals on D* are simply the network name (ABC, NBC, etc). The OTA digital's have the -1 after them, and are named by their call letters +DT at the end.

One thing I observed is a significant delay on the D* version, compared to OTA. That's to be expected I guess, as OTA should get to me much quicker than what it takes for the locals to send that info to D*, bounce it off a bird in orbit, and then back to my dish. I don't mind though, as the HDTV that I have this mpeg4 receiver connected to is within listening distance to my HD-Tivo, so now the two might sync up on network broadcasts (last fall, if I was watching a football game on the HDTivo, I would know if a big play just happened from the reaction in another room watching it a couple of seconds ahead of me).

oby

05-17-06, 09:50 AM

I haven't checked the channel in awhile but did last night, there is a PPV loop going, not in HD and no sound, anyone know what is going on with this channel? Seems like a waste of bandwith if we will not get HD PPV, Charter if your listening(I know your not) give us TNT-HD or Universal HD, I've given up on ABC. :(

Hopefully, with Direct Tv and Dish offering HD local ABC--it will pressure Charter into getting it--assuming people decide to drop Charter, and go with either of the satellite companies for this channel, and Charter realizes that, or even cares. I know that I will be very tempted to switch, what with ABC's HD college football schedule next season--including a series of HD Saturday night games.

I think local abc hd is the number one priority channel for Charter to get. Other charter systems have Universal, TNT, and Starz HD--but for some reason, not STL (probably due to no space).

MoInSTL

05-17-06, 10:01 AM

Okay, I just checked it out. Here's how it pulls up in the guide/favorites:

4 ST4 (analog D*)
4 CBS (digital D*)
4-1 KMOVDT (digital OTA)

It's the same for all four networks. It uses only the channel number, like the analog version, but you can tell the difference when programming your favorites since the analog versions are described with a ST before the channel number, and the new digital locals on D* are simply the network name (ABC, NBC, etc). The OTA digital's have the -1 after them, and are named by their call letters +DT at the end.

One thing I observed is a significant delay on the D* version, compared to OTA. That's to be expected I guess, as OTA should get to me much quicker than what it takes for the locals to send that info to D*, bounce it off a bird in orbit, and then back to my dish. I don't mind though, as the HDTV that I have this mpeg4 receiver connected to is within listening distance to my HD-Tivo, so now the two might sync up on network broadcasts (last fall, if I was watching a football game on the HDTivo, I would know if a big play just happened from the reaction in another room watching it a couple of seconds ahead of me).

Thanks for the info, but how does it look? I guess you won't really know until primetime programming in HD airs this evening. Please let us know.

jdiehl

05-17-06, 10:04 AM

I think local abc hd is the number one priority channel for Charter to get. Other charter systems have Universal, TNT, and Starz HD--but for some reason, not STL (probably due to no space).

With KDNL-HD, it has to do with money, not space. Not sure about the other national HD channels you mentioned that aren't on Charter, but I doubt it's space. That's the one big advantage of cable... plenty of pipeline for HD compared to D* and E*. They've got enough to send digital TV signals to your house, as well as HSI and phone service with room to spare.

I seriously doubt that this will even be on Charter's radar. The amount of people that would actually switch to D* for the only reason so that they could get KDNL-DT on a dish is probably pretty small considering that the channel is freely available OTA. Obviously there will be some that this will take over the edge to make a switch, but not the mass exodus that would cause C* execs to take notice and pay up to KDNL/Sinclair to carry their digital channel.

There might be a few that have no HD tuner, and/or can't get OTA signals due to their location or surroundings, but if they would switch to D* for ABC HD, they would lose PBS and KPLR in HD (and Fox Sports Midwest HD). 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

jdiehl

05-17-06, 10:08 AM

Thanks for the info, but how does it look? I guess you won't really know until primetime programming in HD airs this evening. Please let us know.

Yeah, I couldn't tell much difference from the SD stuff being upconverted at this time of day. Tonight I'll be able to tell. However, my mpeg4 receiver is on a secondary HDTV (32") and not my 50" DLP, so it might be hard to see a huge difference in quality on that set anyway. I know when watching the national Fox channel (88) on that TV and I compare it to KTVI-DT OTA, it looks the same. Tonight I'll flip on American Idol in there and can compare it on OTA (2-1), mpeg2 D* (88) and mpeg4 D* (2).

MoInSTL

05-17-06, 10:25 AM

Yeah, I couldn't tell much difference from the SD stuff being upconverted at this time of day. Tonight I'll be able to tell. However, my mpeg4 receiver is on a secondary HDTV (32") and not my 50" DLP, so it might be hard to see a huge difference in quality on that set anyway. I know when watching the national Fox channel (88) on that TV and I compare it to KTVI-DT OTA, it looks the same. Tonight I'll flip on American Idol in there and can compare it on OTA (2-1), mpeg2 D* (88) and mpeg4 D* (2).

Thanks for the info. I don't really notice any difference between the Fox local OTA
or the national feed either.

I'm in a bit of a quandry. OTA on ABC is getting worse even though I have adjusted my antenna due to all the very old and very large trees with big leaves.
I've got everything else, including PBS coming in great. I at least have my SD DVR and if I have to I can watch Lost on my 32" direct view if it is unwatchable OTA.

I was looking forward to HD locals but with no MPEG4 DVR it's pointless for me. It would be nice though. Like having SD locals to fall back on.

I wish there was a way to pair up the receiver with my HD-DVR.

EDIT: I read somewhere about there being a smaller AT9 dish. Last time I spoke to D* they said they had never heard of it. It's supposed to be lighter and smaller. Has anyone else read or heard this anywhere? I'd prefer a smaller profile dish instead of a big 30 pounder being pushed during bad weather.

jdiehl

05-17-06, 10:58 AM

EDIT: I read somewhere about there being a smaller AT9 dish. Last time I spoke to D* they said they had never heard of it. It's supposed to be lighter and smaller. Has anyone else read or heard this anywhere? I'd prefer a smaller profile dish instead of a big 30 pounder being pushed during bad weather.

From the mpeg4 thread in the hardware forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7628144#post7628144)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/SlimlineDish.jpg

While having these mpeg4 channels is nice, it really hasn't done anything for me as I am able to get those same four channels w/o any problems OTA, and I'll still need my antenna connected to the mpeg4 receiver for one channel that gets watched in that room more than anything else (PBS 9-2... their subchannel has cartoons on for the kids seemingly 24/7). In all honesty, I wouldn't have bothered with mpeg4 if D* wasn't going to do it for free anyway (and I was already re-upping with them due to my move). I haven't actually gained anything at this point unless my OTA signal degrades for whatever reason and I have the DirecTV version to fall back on for live TV only.

ericp

05-17-06, 11:02 AM

Didnt read all the 400 pages, but I am in Stl, and have been reading this site for some time now.

I just purchased a 9730 philips 42 lcd with a wall mount. Have a few questions...

I notice that my hdtv stations are having some issues. 1st, on channel 2, it seems like there are verticles lines across the screen. Could this be caused by using component cables and not hdmi? 2nd, I notice an audio delay on certain hdtv stations. It isnt the same thing as the video delay most talk about. Any thoughts?

Anyway, I got an amazing deal here at my local BB. It is a beautiful tv. And I always thought you couldnt haggle them there, but I was wrong!

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 11:28 AM

An interesting CNET story link below, that details why cable companies (such as Charter, though it's not featured in the article) are rolling out new, higher-speed broadband packages. It's also interested to see the details of the Verizon FioS offering and the prices it charges.

http://news.com.com/Beware+of+broadband+speed+overkill/2100-1034-6073081.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703

duihlein

05-17-06, 11:36 AM

With KDNL-HD, it has to do with money, not space. Not sure about the other national HD channels you mentioned that aren't on Charter, but I doubt it's space. That's the one big advantage of cable... plenty of pipeline for HD compared to D* and E*. They've got enough to send digital TV signals to your house, as well as HSI and phone service with room to spare.

I seriously doubt that this will even be on Charter's radar. The amount of people that would actually switch to D* for the only reason so that they could get KDNL-DT on a dish is probably pretty small considering that the channel is freely available OTA. Obviously there will be some that this will take over the edge to make a switch, but not the mass exodus that would cause C* execs to take notice and pay up to KDNL/Sinclair to carry their digital channel.

There might be a few that have no HD tuner, and/or can't get OTA signals due to their location or surroundings, but if they would switch to D* for ABC HD, they would lose PBS and KPLR in HD (and Fox Sports Midwest HD). 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

They may have the "pipeline", but I think there are specialized video servers required for delivering the HD channels (256QAM). From my understanding charter has a limited number of these for HD. With some of the STB's you could see the frequency the channels were mounted on. This would tell you how much compression was being done (each freq can handle 3 channels, simialer to Sat mounting 3 ch per transponder, but that affects PQ)

At one time I believe local HD on charter were mounted one ch per freq. don't know if this is still the case.

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 11:40 AM

Not sure about the other national HD channels you mentioned that aren't on Charter, but I doubt it's space. That's the one big advantage of cable... plenty of pipeline for HD compared to D* and E*. They've got enough to send digital TV signals to your house, as well as HSI and phone service with room to spare.Jon,

I have read a couple of recent articles about the fact that cable operators are once again scrambling around for ways to make better use of still-finite bandwidth. In fact, phone, Internet and additional video offerings are taking a cumulative toll, particularly for cable plants that only took an interim upgrade step in order to keep capital costs under control. Not sure if that applies to Charter, but let's face it, the company has not earned itself a reputation for gold-plated solutions.

As an example, some cable operators are evaluating a potential system hack where they would only send out channels where there was actually a set-top box somewhere on the network requesting that channel. That sounds like a remarkably ugly kludge-- I mean, how much bandwidth will that actually save, and at what development/hardware/management cost?

Seems to be a strong indicator that things are far from rosy on the cable bandwidth front.

MoInSTL

05-17-06, 11:40 AM

From the mpeg4 thread in the hardware forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7628144#post7628144)
While having these mpeg4 channels is nice, it really hasn't done anything for me as I am able to get those same four channels w/o any problems OTA, and I'll still need my antenna connected to the mpeg4 receiver for one channel that gets watched in that room more than anything else (PBS 9-2... their subchannel has cartoons on for the kids seemingly 24/7). In all honesty, I wouldn't have bothered with mpeg4 if D* wasn't going to do it for free anyway (and I was already re-upping with them due to my move). I haven't actually gained anything at this point unless my OTA signal degrades for whatever reason and I have the DirecTV version to fall back on for live TV only.

That's the info I needed. Thanks Jon!

As part of my willingness to get the HD-DVR so late in the game they promised me the new DVR and dish for free.

Ugh, the thought of live TV sux. ;)

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 11:44 AM

Okay, I just checked it out. Here's how it pulls up in the guide/favorites:

4 ST4 (analog D*)
4 CBS (digital D*)
4-1 KMOVDT (digital OTA)Jon,

Thanks for passing this along so quickly.

But I'm not clear on this. How would you distinguish between 4 analog and 4 digital if you are inputting the channel number via the remote? Is this determined by your favorites, where you have to nominate one or the other (analog or digital)?

MoInSTL

05-17-06, 11:52 AM

Anyway, I got an amazing deal here at my local BB. It is a beautiful tv. And I always thought you couldnt haggle them there, but I was wrong!

Welcome to the forum.

When I bought my set I negotiated a good price but the showroom was out of stock. I ended up buyng mine at CC at a better price armed with the showoom price. I then surfed BB, CC, etc every few days for the next 30 days and got back a large chunk of change when the price dropped with CC's 110% price guarantee. I don't know if BB does the same but I would suggest asking about it and if so watch the prices for the next month.

With the savings I was able to afford a great professional calibration from Doug. :)

What are you using for receiving HD? Have you set your TV or device to scan for HD channels and SD channels? Channel 2 is 2-1 btw.

ericp

05-17-06, 02:01 PM

Welcome to the forum.

When I bought my set I negotiated a good price but the showroom was out of stock. I ended up buyng mine at CC at a better price armed with the showoom price. I then surfed BB, CC, etc every few days for the next 30 days and got back a large chunk of change when the price dropped with CC's 110% price guarantee. I don't know if BB does the same but I would suggest asking about it and if so watch the prices for the next month.

With the savings I was able to afford a great professional calibration from Doug. :)

What are you using for receiving HD? Have you set your TV or device to scan for HD channels and SD channels? Channel 2 is 2-1 btw.

Thanks for the reply. I am definately looking at prices the next month.

My HD box is the larger one by motorola from charter. I dont get the lines on regular channel 2, just the HD 2... New to hdmi, so I thought possibly this was the case since I am using the cheap component cables charter supplied, but I also know that some broadcasters use different quality stuff, so that could be it too maybe.

Also, calibration? I also have a 47 panny rear pro that has been calibrated, but I never thought Id need to calibrate my LCD...

jdiehl

05-17-06, 04:01 PM

Jon,

Thanks for passing this along so quickly.

But I'm not clear on this. How would you distinguish between 4 analog and 4 digital if you are inputting the channel number via the remote? Is this determined by your favorites, where you have to nominate one or the other (analog or digital)?

Good question, I didn't test it out. Both were listed as just "4". I don't have the analog locals added as favorites, so it doesn't make a difference, but I can test it later today and let you know what happens when both are added into the lineup.

As for Charter's available pipeline, you'd think they'd have plenty of headroom since the large majority of their subs have only 3Mbps service, while other national cable companies are already offering 15-30Mbps service (and 1-2Mbps upload compared to our wimpy 200-300) for around the same costs.

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 04:04 PM

Also, calibration? I also have a 47 panny rear pro that has been calibrated, but I never thought Id need to calibrate my LCD...This is a common, but incorrect, assumption. All displays, whether they're a traditional CRT-based product or one of the newer digital displays, require calibration to achieve the best possible performance.

I think there are two likely explanations for why even well-informed consumers assume that calibration isn't necessary for televisions using the newer display technologies:

1. There's a growing perception, particularly among consumers who grew up with computers, that if something has a digital foundation, it will perform flawlessly.

Funny how quickly they forget the "blue screen of death." :)

2. Because of how the market for video calibration developed, it tends to be most closely associated with CRT RPTV and CRT front projectors, where one of the key performance bottlenecks is correct geometry and convergence of the individual red, green and blue CRTs.

While setting geometry and convergence correctly for CRT-based systems remains critical, it's really only the starting point to the actual calibration process.

All video displays require proper set-up and calibration to produce accurate images. This involves many factors, but the key ones are:

* setting peak light (contrast or picture level) and black level (brightness) correctly, based on the viewing environment of your room;

* achieving grayscale tracking from near-black through peak white levels that is as close as possible to the D6500 standard used in professional video and film production;

* determining ideal picture gamma and optimizing end-to-end consistency;

* achieving correct color balance (saturation/hue, or color/tint) and realigning the color decoder (if accessible); and

* reducing or eliminating "edge enhancement" settings that add "noise" that actually covers up real picture detail.

As long as I'm on a roll here, I might as well address one other common misconception -- that calibration is somehow subjective.

In fact, the whole point of calibration is to get as close as possible to a completely objective goal -- adjust the TV so that it ACCURATELY displays the images contained in the source signal, whether it's a movie, a sporting event, a documentary or an advertisement.

By definition, the BEST picture is the most ACCURATE picture -- there can be nothing better.

Of course, I understand that some people prefer and actually seek out "the Sony look," or "the Mitsubishi look," or "the Samsung look," etc. That's fine if that's what you want, but you should be aware that that's all about marketing (or manipulation), not performance.

And bear in mind, "the 'X' look" is typically a moving target, subject to change based on what the manufacturer thinks has the best chance of selling at any point in time, based on any number of external factors.

One of my customers summed this up quite nicely after a few days of watching his newly calibrated set:

"Now I get it -- it's supposed to be a monitor, not a mood ring."

ericp

05-17-06, 04:09 PM

Thanks Drop... very informative.

I really hate not knowing alot about this technology. I guess I will live and learn.

Is there a single disk that takes care of all this? And is it pretty self explanitory. I do have an electronics background, but as I got old, my interests changed and boy have I missed out on some stuff lol.

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 04:56 PM

epluth,

A setup disk will work pretty well for the basic setup requirements, such as black level, and (with some patience and trial/error) peak white level and color balance. All of these sorts of adjustments can be made through the TV's user menus.

For adjustment of the user controls, I recommend Digital Video Essentials or AVIA Guide to Home Theater. Whle DVE is the newer disc and probably an overall better consumer tool in terms of tutorials/guidance, it is a pain in the ass to navigate through the menus to find the patterns you need. From the ease-of-use angle, AVIA may be the better bet.

The key thing that these set-up discs alone won't allow you to set accurate grayscale and gamma. This requires service menu access and professional equipment.

Grayscale and gamma are critical building blocks for accurate color. If there's any substantial error in the grayscale, it will carry through to color images and no amount of fiddling with color and/or tint will correct it. And gamma is particularly important for digital displays, as they need special circuitry and fine-tuning to emulate the way phosphor-based CRTs behave in transitioning from video black to peak white. Gamma is one of the most challenging aspects of new technology display performance.

A setup disc is only going to be optimal for the signal type your DVD player outputs (traditionally 480i or 480p). With an upscaling DVD player, I wouldn't want to trust the upconverted HD signal the DVD player produces, due to a number of factors (none of them necessarily related to the cost of the player).

capt ron

05-17-06, 06:07 PM

Charter HD set Top Box

I presently have Charter Digital and am considering going to Charter HD instead of adding an antenna for HD reception on my new px60u in Saint Charles. Can anyone tell me which HD set top box Charter is presently supplying to customers in Saint Charles.

DroptheRemote

05-17-06, 06:22 PM

capt ron,

The last I heard, Charter has a waiting list on HD set-top boxes, both for Moxi and the standard HD receiver. However, that information is maybe a month old, so the situation may have changed.

Charter uses Motorola boxes, and I believe the current model is the DCT-6200, but maybe someone here can provide more up-to-date info.

Kurt K

05-17-06, 07:31 PM

Anybody else experience problems with OTA KSDK-HD or Weather PLUS? I had no picture or sound on 5.1, but I had a picture on 5.2 with very "hollow" sound. It was fine during Nightline at 5:30, but that's not a native HD feed.

MoInSTL

05-17-06, 07:58 PM

Is there a single disk that takes care of all this? And is it pretty self explanitory. I do have an electronics background, but as I got old, my interests changed and boy have I missed out on some stuff lol.

I read these forums A LOT before and after getting my set. You'll catch on.

There are several of us here who had Doug (AKA DroptheRemote) calibrate our sets or projectors. I don't have the patience for AVIA and as Doug stated, it will only get you so far.

Perhaps seomone can help you out with the rest as I have D*. Have you tried HDMI? Sounds strange to have lines in HD. If your component cables were hooked up incorrectly it would affect only the color AFAIK. If HDMI is a problem too, then I hope you kept the box the set came in. ;)

khelvan

05-17-06, 08:04 PM

Hi guys, I don't suppose the Oilers-Sharks game is in HDTV anywhere? I can't seem to find it, like with the Hurricanes a few days ago...

jmeitz

05-17-06, 09:16 PM

Just got off the phone with the D* retention dept. Since St. Louis was added to local HD I wanted to find out about getting my HD Tivo swapped out for a new MPEG4 DVR. She said no problem you have to pay 299 for it. I said i was told by your retention dept in Aug. that it would be free. she said they must of been misinformed and checked with her supv and he said the same thing. They would give me a 125 credit towards the new one but i had to turn in the HD Tivo when they come out at the end of summer. i think i will be switching to Dish now. any one else having issues?

MYNAMEHERE

05-17-06, 10:54 PM

E* will be upgrading the software on the 622 Thursday night. Hopefully this will fix a few bugs, such as the HDMI problem, video stutter and audio drops. I've also read that E* will have HGTV-HD, Starz-HD, and possibly National Geographic-HD within the next few weeks, with FoodTV-HD later this summer. Locals are also slatted later this summer.

Joseph Clark

05-18-06, 02:06 AM

Joseph Clark

05-18-06, 02:27 AM

You know, my pop IQ is fairly low these days. It used to be relatively high, but since I built my home theater, it's actually gone down. I go to fewer movies, so I end up getting my movie info several months later than I used to. (I used to go to almost everything new that came to town.)

Anyway, I read a few weeks ago someone talking about AI, and I was surprised that anyone cared that much about Steven Spielberg's AI (Artificial Intelligence). Then I saw a reference to AI again and I realized it was American Idol. (I said my pop IQ was low.)

So, I tuned in a few weeks ago, and it's really been fun watching these last idols compete. I can see how people become invested in the outcome of this show. And, it's such a treat compared to the "reality" shows. I can't bring myself to watch them, because for me they appeal to the worst in humanity. If I happen to flip through an episode of Unanimous or Fear Factor, I have to change fast, because it makes me nauseous even to surf through - like I just swallowed a cockroach in some tea I was drinking.

Sorry, didn't mean to rant about reality TV. I just wanted to say how much fun AI is. Unfortunately, my favorite just got voted off. So long Elliot. It's hard to believe, though, that all of these finalists are not going to do well in show business.

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 07:11 AM

DISH Adds 11 HD Local Cities; STL Not Included

The following is from today's SKYReport newsletter:

________________________________________

A day after DirecTV launched local high-def channels in four markets, EchoStar's DISH Network announced additions to its local HD slate.

On Wednesday, DISH launched local HD channels in the following 11 cities: Dallas, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Spokane.

The service now offers local HD channels to customers in 24 cities.

EchoStar said it has plans to launch high def local channels in additional cities across the country, reaching more than 50 percent of U.S. TV households with local HD channels by year-end.
________________________________________

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

oldavman

05-18-06, 07:52 AM

ericp

05-18-06, 08:25 AM

ericp

05-18-06, 08:44 AM

I received the local St. Louis HD network channels yesterday (FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC) - they all look pretty good. I watched lost on ABC 30: picture quality good, but there were still some lip sync issues.

I get the lip sync issues on some HD content as well. Mainly audio a bit behind video.

kdg454

05-18-06, 09:37 AM

A day after DirecTV launched local high-def channels in four markets, EchoStar's DISH Network announced additions to its local HD slate.

On Wednesday, DISH launched local HD channels in the following 11 cities: Dallas, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Spokane.

Doug,
FWIW, these 11 cities went live to Dish subs last week, on May 10th. Perhaps Dish "held-back" the announcement knowing Direct was launching 4 cities this week.
These big companies wouldn't do that....would they :rolleyes:

jdiehl

05-18-06, 10:07 AM

How would you distinguish between 4 analog and 4 digital if you are inputting the channel number via the remote? Is this determined by your favorites, where you have to nominate one or the other (analog or digital)?

To answer your question from yesterday...

Last night, I went ahead and added in the analog channels, which have the same exact channel number as the new digital locals.

When you enter "4" or "5", etc on the remote, it goes to the analog version, not the digital version. I didn't see any way to manually enter a channel number to get the digital D* version (OTA still works by added -1 at the end).

I guess they figure for the people who have the equipment to receive the digital locals, they're not going to need the analog versions in the guide as well (which does make sense).

As for the quality, when watching HD. I can not tell a difference between OTA, D* mpeg2 or mpeg4 (I compared while watching Fox HD content last night on 2, 2-1, and 88). This was on a 32" Sony direct view Sony though, perhaps there might be some artifacts and macroblocking on digital sets, but frankly I don't feel like disconnecting my HD Tivo and moving receivers around just to see.

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 10:42 AM

Jon,

Thanks for the follow-up, but I have one more question for you, though there's no urgency from my end.

If you set up your Favorites to show just the digital 4 and OTA 4-1, does inputting 4 take you to the digital or analog 4?

It seems strange that there wouldn't be a way to directly access digital 4 via the remote. other than going via the guide or channel up/down.

While this is largely an academic question for me, based on what you've found I'm not sure how to present the local station numbers in the PDF program guide.

Thanks again...

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 10:43 AM

Doug,
FWIW, these 11 cities went live to Dish subs last week, on May 10th. Perhaps Dish "held-back" the announcement knowing Direct was launching 4 cities this week.
These big companies wouldn't do that....would they :rolleyes:Ah, suspicious minds...are often correct. :D

dbaggette

05-18-06, 10:53 AM

I don't think that is the case. I called them (C*) last week, and they delivered a HD STB (6200) the next day.

jdiehl

05-18-06, 11:02 AM

If you set up your Favorites to show just the digital 4 and OTA 4-1, does inputting 4 take you to the digital or analog 4?

That's what I've done. I have digital 4 and OTA 4-1 in my favorites (analog 4 is unchecked)

When I input just "4" on the remote, I get KMOV-DT from D*
When I input "4-1", I get KMOV-DT from my antenna.

Only when you add the analog 4 to your favorites (there are two instances of "4" then), is it impossible to directly access the digital D* version from the remote. In that case, if you hit "4" it goes to the analog version (since it's listed first in the guide, I'm guessing), but logically you wouldn't even want the analog anymore with access to the digital D* version of the channel. When all 3 are present in the favorites/guide, the digital channel from D* can't be accessed directly from the remote's input.

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 11:47 AM

dbaggette,

Thanks for clarifying on the Charter HD waiting list.

It sounds like there shouldn't be any further HD install delays, so I'm curious if there's anyone here who was previously on a waiting list and whether they've been installed now that the STB crunch is past.

Or if anyone is still being told there's a waiting list (since Charter is not always consistent on its handling of this sort of thing).

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 11:49 AM

Jon,

Thanks for the additional info on the DirecTV sat-delivered digital locals.

I guess that approach of accessing the digital via the remote should work fine, though it's not exactly intuitive for casual users.

But then, it's all a moot point in a few years anyway...I wonder what DirecTV and DISH will do when all of that analog locals bandwidth gets freed up.

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 12:11 PM

Joe,

Just wanted to chime in that I agree with your take on American Idol. I never would have watched this if it hadn't been in HD, and only tuned in out of picture quality/sound quality curiosity at the beginning of Season 4. It easily shattered my low expectations.

I think the key thing to bear in mind about Idol is that it's a singing contest. While there a certain lack of artistic depth due to the fact that the singers only sing, rather than create music of their own, there's a lot to be said for the discovery of genuine singing talent and AI has delivered the goods, at least the past two seasons.

It seems that Idol has also been a positive force for the music industry, and it's interesting to see the sort of big-time artists who have conspicuosly embraced the show (just this year, including Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart). The other indicator of music industry acceptance is that the list of songs available to the Idols has increased as more and more songwriters and record labels recognize the value of exposure that having a song on AI can bring.

It's also commendable that some of the song selections have shot new life into worthy artists who were largely forgotten by the public. For example, I read just last night that Elliot Yamin's recent selection of a Donny Hathaway song (and his stated desire to see Hathaway get the appreciation he thinks he deserves) has breathed new life into Hathaway's back catalog and that one of his albums has recently re-entered one of the Billboard charts.

How can that be a bad thing?

I was surprised how close the semi-final elimination was, though I wasn't surprised that Eliot was voted out. I think Taylor Hicks will win big next week, even though Catherine McPhee is far and away the better singing talent and will likely have the better long-term music career.

ericp

05-18-06, 12:18 PM

jpconard

05-18-06, 01:20 PM

What is the straight-up costs for going to MPEG-4 on DirecTV? You can't get any good info on their site. Hardware and programming? HD locals part of the regular plan or do you have to purchase the HD package?

I am a current DirecTV user SD only (2 tuner, regular 2 LNB dish).

I also don't trust any of these phone solicitors. One called and told me the DISH DVR is open and it can be connected to the PC to display pictures, and play audio (MP3). Sent a tech question to DISH and of course none of it was true.

DroptheRemote

05-18-06, 01:37 PM

kdg454

05-18-06, 01:48 PM

----- Original Message -----
From: Laslo, David
To: kdg454
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 12:32 PM
Subject: RE: HD Locals

Mr. Green,

St. Louis will be one of the markets included in our next launch, though it is not yet scheduled, it is anticipated by month end.

Sincerely,

David Laslo
Echostar Executive Escalations

-----Original Message-----
From: kdg454 [mailto:kdg454@earthlink.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 9:30 PM
To: Laslo, David
Subject: HD Locals

Mr. Laslo:

Would you mind checking to see if there is any scheduled launch date for the St Louis Local HD's.

Thanks
Ken Green

dbaggette

05-18-06, 01:56 PM

Doug,

Got the pdf manual for the moto 6200... Will try the different settings this evening that you suggested. But I will miss the Cardinals game today. Bummer.

UPDATE: Went home for lunch, and there is no way to change the output from 1080 to 720 on the cable box... unless I have overlooked something or misunderstood you.

epluth,

I was able to change my output to 720p by turning off the power on the 6200, then pressing the menu button on the box. This cannot be done from the remote. When menu is pressed, a white/black screen appears, and you can use the arrow controls on the box to change certain options.

ericp

05-18-06, 02:22 PM

epluth,

I was able to change my output to 720p by turning off the power on the 6200, then pressing the menu button on the box. This cannot be done from the remote. When menu is pressed, a white/black screen appears, and you can use the arrow controls on the box to change certain options.

Excellent! thanks for the info. I shall try this evening.

gelcoatman

05-18-06, 02:48 PM

Beware of broadband speed overkill
----------------------------------------------

news analysis Today's high-speed Internet access packages may sound tempting, but consumers should think long and hard about how much broadband they actually need before they ante up.

http://news.com.com/Beware+of+broadband+speed+overkill/2100-1034-6073081.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703

jim

dweebe

05-18-06, 03:02 PM

skippy_rq

05-18-06, 03:31 PM

It would be awesome to have 5mb upload. I do a lot of remote access into my PCs and would love more bandwidth. Also would be very helpful for the security camera installations I have done.

:)

jdiehl

05-18-06, 03:55 PM

jp,

I don't think you're going to find any definitive answer to the question of MPEG-4 upgrade costs.

From all I can tell, DirecTV has been extremely wary of being pinned down on how this will work, because I think they plan on doing this on a case-by-case basis, based on how long you've been a customer, how much your average monthly billing totals, and (probably most importantly) your credit history. I'd say that another important factor is what sort of discounts and incentives you've received in the last year or so, and whether any of those incentives were accompanied by a commitment extension.

I think this last point is key. I recently took up a free SD DVR offer and while I'm pleased with that deal and the DVR (more or less), it came with the requirement that I commit to 2 additional years. So, I suspect that if I were to call today and try to get an MPEG-4 upgrade deal, I wouldn't have a lot of luck.

And that's why I'll probably wait at least another year to consider an MPEG-4 upgrade, when I'll have less than 12 months remaining on my commitment.

As always, the best general approach to take is to tell DirecTV that you're thinking of cancelling your service and ask to be connected to the Retention Desk. Then you explain what you're looking to achieve, why you think DISH or cable might be a better fit for you (you need to be convincing) and step back and see what DirecTV will offer you.

Good luck.

Good advice, go straight to retention (even though you have no intention of leaving). However, you don't need to be close to the end of your commitment to get a good deal from them, and you don't need to tell them at you're thinking of going to Dish or cable either. Just be honest and ask for exactly what you want (do some research to know what's potentially available). If they decline, hangup and call back and talk to someone else.

When I made the move from Tampa to Houston last May, I was already in the middle of my current commitment from D* and did the mover's connection. They came to my home in Houston and installed the triple LNB for free. This restarted my 1yr commitment, but a few weeks after the install, I got the itch to get a HD Tivo (Best Buy was having a 50% off coupon at the time, and alot of people were able to get it for net $0 after some haggling w/ D*). Anyway, I got my HD Tivo from the store (at a steep discount) then called retention before activating it. Based on reading threads here and the AVS sister site (tivocommunity), I knew that I could ask for a service credit to offset my hardware costs. I had to call 3x, but finally got the deal I wanted. Even though I was only 3 weeks into a new commitment (and they had just given me a free install mind you), they gave me $250 in service credits, 6 months of Showtime and the HD Package for free, and HBO for $10 off (net $2) for 6 months. Basically, it made my HD Tivo free... and then restarted a new 1yr deal. No biggy.

A month later, after the hooks were deeply implanted and I was addicted to Tivo, I called retention to ask for a free SD Tivo. No problem at all, they gave it to me for free and all I had to do is restart a new 1yr commitment.

6 months later, I'm moving back here and calling them yet again for a free mover's program install, despite being only half way through my contract. For a 2yr contract (now their standard requirement I believe, if you're getting equipment), they gave me the mpeg4 dish and H20, all installed for free (not even S&H charge). I could have reupped for just the 1yr on the mover's connection, but figured that the new dish and mpeg4 receiver were worth the extra year commitment (figuring that I'd be wanting a mpeg4 HD DVR before that 2yrs is out anyway).

Anyway, the point is that it can't hurt to ask for what you want, even if you just signed up yesterday. They hear the "I'm going to cancel" line probably 100x a day, so it's probably refreshing for the retention CSR's to hear someone shoot straight with them. Each time, I've always made it clear that I'm not looking to leave, I just want a good deal and "I've read about xyz on the internet and would like the same deal".

Bottom line, if you already have mpeg2 equipment, you should be able to get the mpeg4 dish and receiver for free, no matter how long you've been with them. Most mpeg2 HD Tivo owners are expecting a free upgrade when the time comes as well.

jp - since you have only 2 receivers and a standard dish, it might not be as simple for you to get them to upgrade you at no cost. It can't hurt to try though, but in that situation it would be the time to play the competitor card. Just call them and say that you just got a HDTV and you're looking to upgrade your hardware. When they tell you that you can upgrade to the mpeg4 dish a H20 receiver for $XXX, tell them that you can get a HD box from Charter without any capital costs. Problem is, you don't currently have any of their premium technology (DVR or HD), so you're not going to look good on paper. Once you start adding DVR's and HD equipment, your monthly bill gets higher and you're more important to them (sucks, but that's how it works).

As for your programming question, yes the four D* digital locals are completely free. All you need is to have an activated H20 on your account and you're good to go. They are not part of the $9.99 HD programming package (which has ESPN1/2, TNT, Universal, HDNet/Movies, etc)

jpconard

05-18-06, 05:22 PM

jpconard

05-18-06, 05:25 PM

By Directv HD, I meant the locals only.

Also since I am asking, what if I plan to purchase HD TV for second room, that would mean upgrading both tuners to the H20. How many cables needed for this?

jdiehl

05-18-06, 05:54 PM

jp -

The mpeg4 dish has 4 lines coming from it, to connect to up to 4 receivers. If, like me, you have a need for more lines (I need 6 due to two of my four receivers being dual-tuner Tivo's), they'll add a multiswitch to expand the number of lines you can run.

Like any non-DVR receiver, you only need one line for the H20. Doesn't matter if it's SD, mpeg2 or mpeg4. One cable run can handle all of the channels.

If you've been a sub since 2000, and I'm guessing out of contract, you should be able to get the dish and h20 installed at $0. Just stress that you can get HD equipment for free from either Dish or Charter but you'd like to stay with D*.

brezz

05-18-06, 08:22 PM

Hello,

I am a relative newbie when it comes to this forum, but I have been doing a lot of research recently as I am planning on doing a complete upgrade to my home theater system. I am in the STL area and was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback on a couple of questions:

1. I am planning on buying the new Samsung HLS-5687W. I would love to be able to buy it locally instead of from the TVA website, but the TVA deal is really hard to pass up. Has anyone had success either finding a great deal in the area, or finding a brick and mortar store that will come close to price matching TVA?

2. Does the type of HD box that Charter provides have HDMI outputs?

3. I have heard from friends that Charter does not have many channels in HD--specifically it is lacking TNT and ESPN2HD. Both are channels that I would watch, so has there been any word on if charter is going to expand their lineup.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Brian

phenwick

05-18-06, 08:54 PM

1. I am planning on buying the new Samsung HLS-5687W. I would love to be able to buy it locally instead of from the TVA website, but the TVA deal is really hard to pass up. Has anyone had success either finding a great deal in the area, or finding a brick and mortar store that will come close to price matching TVA?

2. Does the type of HD box that Charter provides have HDMI outputs?

3. I have heard from friends that Charter does not have many channels in HD--specifically it is lacking TNT and ESPN2HD. Both are channels that I would watch, so has there been any word on if charter is going to expand their lineup.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Brian

Brian,

1. Can't help with the price shopping, but my main concern would be if you buy locally and have a problem, you can deal face to face with the manager, and if a return is necessary, shipping it back for exchange could be a hassle. Sometimes convenience is worth a few $$ IMO.

2. Charters HD STB (Motorola 6200) has DVI, no HDMI. A DVI>HDMI cable works fine.

3. Your pretty much right on about the channels.

Good luck,

Dave

Steve_STL

05-18-06, 10:20 PM

bigdaddy10

05-18-06, 11:21 PM

DroptheRemote

05-19-06, 01:06 AM

brezz,

I have to agree with Brian that you should strongly consider buying locally, particularly if this is the new DLP with the LED-based light source.

This a fundamental change in the technology and there will almost certainly be teething pains with the first generation of sets incorporating LEDs.

brezz

05-19-06, 07:42 AM

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to do what I can to find the Sammy locally for a price comparable to the TVA deal.

Droptheremote--the TV is not the LCD but the DLP technology, but I do agree about the ease of being able to return it.

brian

oldavman

05-19-06, 07:54 AM

I use Media Center and ATSC tuners, but having the Directv HD would be a nice back-up, especially if it costs no more per month.

So I need a special MPEG-4 dish, and this H20 receiver. And since I've been with them since 2000, I should be able to get both for free, and still use one of the standard receivers in my other room?

How many cable lines do I need on the MPEG-4 dish? I only have 2 run and adding more could be a pain as the ceiling is drywalled now.

I recently upgraded to the H20 receivers and AT-9 dish. Directv gave me one H20 receiver and the AT-9 at no cost and waived the $49 installation fee for the dish. I wanted an extra H20 and I got it for $99. You don't need to subscribe to the HD package to get the HD locals. Your existing cables will work.

DroptheRemote

05-19-06, 08:13 AM

Brian,

I understand that the TV you're considering is a DLP, but some of the upcoming DLP models from Samsung and other manufacturers are changing how the DLP chip produces light and color, by eliminating the current lamp/color wheel model and instead using red, green and blue LEDs.

That is a major change in technology, and one that is designed to eliminate the "rainbow effect" that results from the color wheel that DLP televisions and projectors have traditionally used.

To be clear, I think the shift to LED illmumination for DLPs is a promising idea, but as a general rule I advise caution with ANY sort of first-generation technology, and I believe that this is significant enough change to be wary. It's logical, though not necessarily certain, that the first run of LED-based DLPs are going to have more service and/or performance issues than the current generation of traditional DLP displays. If so, you'd be wise to consider a local bricks-and-mortar purchase.

Note that I'm not certain that all of the HL-S model Samsungs will be making use of LED illumination, so what I'm saying here may not apply if the model you're considering employs the traditional lamp/color wheel approach.

dweebe

05-19-06, 11:53 AM

I went to a theatre in Atlanta that had a DLP projector and it was the best picture I had ever seen on a movie screen.

Since I got my HDTV I pretty much have stopped going to the movies because all I did was complain about the pic quality while I was there.

Not yet. I was hoping the new AMC at Chesterfield that opened about 6 weeks ago might have been a possibility, but no luck.

The closest ones are in Chicago: a couple downtown and at least one out in the far west suburbs (Naperville/Aurora area). Tried to catch Star Wars EpIII at the Lowes theater along Michigan Ave when I was there last summer, but all the convenient showings were sold out. I think one or two screens at the Water Tower Place theater also have DLP projectors.

jpconard

05-19-06, 01:01 PM

I recently upgraded to the H20 receivers and AT-9 dish. Directv gave me one H20 receiver and the AT-9 at no cost and waived the $49 installation fee for the dish. I wanted an extra H20 and I got it for $99. You don't need to subscribe to the HD package to get the HD locals. Your existing cables will work.

Thanks, looks like I'll have to call them. Probably big demand right now though, hope I can get your deal. I can install the dish, maybe could get upgrade to two H20. Then I'd have an excuse to buy another LCD for downstairs. But even one at no cost, with no additional programming cost is a no-brainer.

By the way big DirectTV free preview this weekend.

jpconard

05-19-06, 01:34 PM

Just called and got the same deal you did. Had to go to retention though, wanted to charge $99.

Went ahead and purchased second for $99 just like you did.

I would think that would be the least they could do since I purchase all original hardware and had no previous deals and been a customer since 2000. I threatened that DISH would have HD locals within a month.

Thanks for the tip.

DroptheRemote

05-19-06, 03:09 PM

CNET on HD DVD vs Blu Ray: Consumers Should Wait

The full article provides a lot of background on these products, but here's a link to the CNET conclusions and recommendations:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6463_7-6462511-5.html?tag=nav

Joseph Clark

05-19-06, 04:02 PM

Not yet. I was hoping the new AMC at Chesterfield that opened about 6 weeks ago might have been a possibility, but no luck.

The closest ones are in Chicago: a couple downtown and at least one out in the far west suburbs (Naperville/Aurora area). Tried to catch Star Wars EpIII at the Lowes theater along Michigan Ave when I was there last summer, but all the convenient showings were sold out. I think one or two screens at the Water Tower Place theater also have DLP projectors.

The Tivoli does have one digital theater. Not sure what technology they use, but it's probably DLP. One of my ex-students is a projectionist there (or used to be).

dweebe

05-19-06, 05:19 PM

The Tivoli does have one digital theater. Not sure what technology they use, but it's probably DLP. One of my ex-students is a projectionist there (or used to be).

I'm not trying to call you out, but I've never seen them advertise it. Plus the website doesn't say anything.

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/St.Louis/TivoliTheatre.htm

Maybe they just have a HDTV level projector and not one of the 4K movie theater projectors.

jdiehl

05-19-06, 07:36 PM

I can install the dish

I've installed my own triple LNB dish in the past (when I lived in Ballwin) but trust me, you don't want anything to do with this new 5 LNB flying saucer. It's a real monster, and requires much more precise aiming to get those new birds to come in.

Hopefully you got the free install included when you called retention.

MYNAMEHERE

05-19-06, 07:44 PM

What's your source for the info? Those would be some really good additions to Dish. Hope it does happen soon.

Here you go....

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=58115

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66424

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66310

Here is a shot of the EPG showing where the new channels will (should) be...

http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=9195&d=1148075802

Joseph Clark

05-19-06, 11:08 PM

I'm not trying to call you out, but I've never seen them advertise it. Plus the website doesn't say anything.

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/St.Louis/TivoliTheatre.htm

Maybe they just have a HDTV level projector and not one of the 4K movie theater projectors.

I checked on this and they don't have a dedicated digital theater. They do have a digital projector that they use for special screenings of movies that come to them in digital format. I'll try to find out what kind it is. The last time I was there for a screening, a couple of my students were talking about them screening a movie in digital that night. I'm not aware of any other theater in the area that does this.

brezz

05-20-06, 12:12 PM

Brian,

1. Can't help with the price shopping, but my main concern would be if you buy locally and have a problem, you can deal face to face with the manager, and if a return is necessary, shipping it back for exchange could be a hassle. Sometimes convenience is worth a few $$ IMO.

2. Charters HD STB (Motorola 6200) has DVI, no HDMI. A DVI>HDMI cable works fine.

3. Your pretty much right on about the channels.

Good luck,

Dave

Has Charter made any talk about expanding their HDTV lineup?

brian

DroptheRemote

05-20-06, 12:30 PM

Has Charter made any talk about expanding their HDTV lineup?

brianNone that I've heard, but Charter does not actively solicit subscriber suggestions and doesn't usually pre-announce additions it does make.

HD is not a Charter priority in St. Louis -- it is much more focused on broadband and local telephone service.

tenholde

05-20-06, 12:55 PM

Anyone else have NO reception OTA Saturday AM?

MYNAMEHERE

05-20-06, 01:09 PM

Anyone else have NO reception OTA Saturday AM?

Yes, I've had problems this morning also, but I have been getting frequent drops lately on KSDK. My signal strength is all over the place, going from 92 to 52. I know it's the wind and the trees. Does anyone know if an inline amp will help? My antenna is pointed in the right direction cause I get mid 90's to high 80's on all channels.

kdg454

05-20-06, 02:33 PM

Does anyone here work for/with ATT/SBC who can find out when/if DSL will become available south into Farmington.

Does my love for Charter show :mad:

phenwick

05-20-06, 04:10 PM

None that I've heard, but Charter does not actively solicit subscriber suggestions and doesn't usually pre-announce additions it does make.

HD is not a Charter priority in St. Louis -- it is much more focused on broadband and local telephone service.

Yea, FSN HD 792 just kind of showed up without any announcement IIRC.

Dave

kdg454

05-21-06, 12:25 PM

What's your source for the info? Those would be some really good additions to Dish. Hope it does happen soon.
Dish has uplinked Starz-HD, National Geographic-HD and Home and Garden TV-HD.
They were uplinked yesterday and not yet available to subs. They should become available in the next day or two, and will only be available to MPEG4 receivers. They are mirrored on 61.5° and 129°.

Joseph Clark

05-21-06, 12:36 PM

Dish has uplinked Starz-HD, National Geographic-HD and Home and Garden TV-HD.
They were uplinked yesterday and not yet available to subs. They should become available in the next day or two, and will only be available to MPEG4 receivers. They are mirrored on 61.5° and 129°.

Thanks, Ken. I'll keep a lookout for them. Actually, with the regular OTA TV season wrapping up, they're more attractive to me than the HD locals at this point.

DroptheRemote

05-21-06, 02:44 PM

Hey Guys --

Count me among those interested in hearing reports from you DISH customers on the both the picture quality and content of the National Geographic Channel.

I'm also interested in knowing how much unique content there is (in other words, how often is there new programming on, rather than repeats of stuff aired previously). Of course, it will take a few weeks or months to get a feel for that, but any initial impressions would be interesting to hear.

Apart from FSMW-HD, NGC is probably the next channel I'd most like to be receiving via DirecTV.

MYNAMEHERE

05-21-06, 04:07 PM

From what I understand StarzHD will mirror the SD channel, HGTV-HD will have separate programing from the SD channel. I've not heard anything yet about NG-HD, or about content of the upcoming FoodNetwork HD. Don't forget about the NFL-HD channel too.

The big question now is St. Louis locals HD, on which satellite they will be on. There is talk of them being on the new 118.75 slot, which would require one of the newer dishes (500+ or 1000+).

kdg454

05-21-06, 05:46 PM

Don't forget about the NFL-HD channel too.

Another change occurred with NFL-HD. It used to be a part-time MPEG2, sharing its bandwidth with 3 other channels.
It is now a MPEG4, uplinked on channel 9464 (same as before) and now occupies the channel by itself on Tp10 @ 129° & Tp20 @ 61.5°.
It would appear in preparation of a full-time NFL-HD for the coming season...."appear" being the key word.

gelcoatman

05-21-06, 06:16 PM

DLP Movie Theatres
-------------------------

A search for zip code 63141 produced the following report =

DLP Cinema® THEATER SEARCH RESULTS

Results for 63141

Landmark Plaza Frontenac (2.76 miles)
210 Plaza Frontenac
St. Louis, Missouri 63131

Kerasotes Stadium 16 - Evansville (159.46 miles)
5200 Pearl Drive
Evansville, Indiana 47712

http://www.dlp.com/dlp_cinema/dlp_cinema_theater_listing.asp

A further search shows that the following movies in current release are available in digital

The DaVinci Code, Posiedon, MI-III, Over the Hedge, X-Men Last Stand [5/25],

Jim

MYNAMEHERE

05-21-06, 09:48 PM

Ok today a reoriented my antenna to 176 degrees, which according to antennaweb.org should split the towers down the middle. I did gain on KSDK up to 90 now, where it was about 75-80 before. The other channels are about the same, 85 to 95. But I still get drops from time to time. It seems the OTA tuner in the Dish 622 has a high cutoff, anything less than 70 will cut out. I'm sure this is due to the wind and trees on the next block as that street is higher and trees cover the whole southern horizon. I'm using a Winegard medium directional VHF/UHF/FM antenna. Will an in-line amp help with this problem? What about a mast mount pre-amp, or a amplified distribution block? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

deuces

05-22-06, 12:07 AM

Sorry for the laziness, but we have been out of town and I didn't want to search through a week of posts. My wife watches Prison Break and the Presidential address left her without the end of the season finale last week. Does anyone know if it will be re-airing again soon? Thanks.

Also I noticed our DVR didn't pick up part 2 of Criminal Minds last week. Does anyone know if it aired or if it will again?

DroptheRemote

05-22-06, 08:54 AM

Studios To Back Off Analog Restraint for Hi-Def DVDs?

The following excerpt comes from today's TV Predictions newsletter.

Have to agree with the skepticism here. Even if the studios take an on-the-record pledge not to inhibit high-definition analog output, their recent actions inspire little trust.

_____________________________________________

There may be good news for HDTV owners who have been considering buying a new high-def DVD player. Spiegel Online, a respected German newspaper, is reporting that the studios have privately agreed to refrain from including anti-copying software in high-def DVDs for the next several years.
_____________________________________________

For the full TV Predictions article, click here. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/)

For a more detailed article at Ars Technica, click here. (http://)

ericp

05-22-06, 10:05 AM

Yea, FSN HD 792 just kind of showed up without any announcement IIRC.

Dave
I got that with a sports tier for the cardinals, unfortunately, all I have gotten since they hooked it up 2 weeks ago is an "off air" message...Then I checked HD service on FOX's website, and they say Stl is not a HD supported team, or something like that.... lame.

DroptheRemote

05-22-06, 10:32 AM

We Interrupt Your Normal AVS Programming...

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

In the not-so-distant past, we used to begin each month of the St. Louis discussion with an entirely new thread and usually that started with a cut/paste of basic resource information that is now buried back on the very first page of this discussion thread.

Because of its location, a lot of that general, introductory information about HDTV and OTA reception is now easily overlooked, especially with the discussion here stretching back more than 2 years and 400+ pages.

In an attempt to make this information more accessible, I'm going to post an advisory/reminder note similar to this every couple of weeks. Ideally this will make this general resource information more visible and easier to find for 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=7567907&&#post7567907)

New! Cardinals HD Schedule (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7576786&&#post7576786)

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

DroptheRemote

05-22-06, 10:33 AM

Eric,

In the post above this one, check out the Cardinals schedule link. It includes a listing of the HD broadcasts to be carried on FSMW-HD...

dweebe

05-22-06, 10:54 AM

Charter: Strike Four

Once again I had to suffer through the stupidity of Charter.

Friday night came home from work, turned the TV and the signal was down. Didn't have time to call and figured it was a temporary outage. But when I turned the TV on Sunday to watch the Cardinal game: still nothing. Reset the Moxi box twice: no good. Called "customer service" and they immediately said the box was dead and they could be out in two weeks. Until then I could run the cable directly into the TV.

After listening to my girlfriend squawk about missing the season finale of "24" I assured her I could reconnect the rabbit ears and VCR and just use that. I then connected the cable directly to the TV and got only snow: it wasn't the Moxi box, I had no signal at all.

I then figured it out: for the fourth time is many years someone had moved out of my apartment building and the rocket scientists at Charter disconnected the wrong cable. I called Charter back and I guess they figured they had screwed up badly and had someone out within 3 hours to reconnect my cable. I asked the guy that came out and he said that everything is labeled correctly: the other tech just messed up.

*sigh*

I can't wait until I get out of this apartment and can get a dish.

ericp

05-22-06, 01:24 PM

Doug... thanks for the tip... cant wait to see the games in HD.

skippy_rq

05-22-06, 03:43 PM

Does anyone here work for/with ATT/SBC who can find out when/if DSL will become available south into Farmington.

Does my love for Charter show :mad:

Check your PM...

deuces

05-23-06, 11:08 AM

While we were out of town last week our DVR missed the end of Prison Break, because of the presidential address. Also the DVR did not fire or I am missing something on two other shows? Were NCIS and Criminal Minds both on last week and continuations of the prior week? I got part one of two on each of those, but somehow got nothing else. If anyone knows of anything or if you know when any of these 3 will re-air, the info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

jdiehl

05-23-06, 12:12 PM

StLouG

05-23-06, 06:54 PM

I don't think Prison Break will be re-airing any time soon, perhaps they'll show a rerun of the final episode this fall before Season 2 starts.

You could always download it from the usual places (usenet newsgroups or **********). Just google "Prison Break 1x22" and that should get you going.

Went to the ********** site and it sounds interesting. However know nothing about it. Is it safe, reliable and easy to use? Any information you can give me would be helpful. Thanks.

black_macleod

05-23-06, 07:05 PM

Went to the ********** site and it sounds interesting. However know nothing about it. Is it safe, reliable and easy to use? Any information you can give me would be helpful. Thanks.

Its illegal and immoral! I like it!

But seriously, this probably isnt the right venue for warez school.

jdiehl

05-23-06, 09:05 PM

But seriously, this probably isnt the right venue for warez school.

Nope, very OT for this forum (although recordings of network TV really aren't "warez" per say, and I'm not sure that you can really "steal" something that isn't for sale and is available to record free OTA).

All I'll say about it is this: Do some searches on google if you want to know more about downloading TV shows and the like off of ********** or usenet newsgroups, it's not that hard to do. There are plenty of FAQ's and tutorials out there at sites where you'd download the software to get it anyway. It's safe, and you're not going to pick up any viruses or spam like you might find on P2P services.

black_macleod

05-23-06, 09:26 PM

Nope, very OT for this forum (although recordings of network TV really aren't "warez" per say, and I'm not sure that you can really "steal" something that isn't for sale and is available to record free OTA).

All I'll say about it is this: Do some searches on google if you want to know more about downloading TV shows and the like off of ********** or usenet newsgroups, it's not that hard to do. There are plenty of FAQ's and tutorials out there at sites where you'd download the software to get it anyway. It's safe, and you're not going to pick up any viruses or spam like you might find on P2P services.

Really? Then why does every ballgame end with "rebroadcast or redistribution of this blah blah is forbidden by the blah blah." Of course its illegal.

And no, its not really warez. But hey :o

As some friends and I often say, if you can't figure it out, you shouldn't be doing it, hehe.

jdiehl

05-23-06, 09:41 PM

As some friends and I often say, if you can't figure it out, you shouldn't be doing it, hehe.

I agree 100% with that statement.

BTW, we're talking about Prison Break, not baseball with their legalese statement that they throw in there each broadcast ;) (although I'm sure network TV has something similar in all of that fine print at the end of a show, but who reads it, hehe).

Seriously though, I can trade recorded shows on my old ReplayTV 4500 series with other ReplayTV owners, it's right in their own software. So is automatic commercial skip, which they had to remove, but it still works (and in my book, it's still legal as it's in the hardware/software that I bought and they haven't taken it out with a firmware upgrade).

DroptheRemote

05-24-06, 08:59 AM

Business Week on Charter: "Worst Stock in America"

There's an extremely unflattering company profile on Charter Communications at the Business Week Online site.

The following are selected lowlights from the article:
___________________________________________

When I went to work on Wall Street after college, I immersed myself in the equity culture. I ate breakfast watching Maria Bartiromo and scarfed down lunch in front of a Bloomberg terminal. I took home stacks of research reports, valuation models, and prospectuses. Blinking Excel spreadsheets appeared in my dreams. I'd say I was a fairly avid student. And yet it was during that period of my life when I managed to buy perhaps the worst stock in America: Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR ), the country's No. 4 cable-TV provider...

...what I ended up getting was an absentee father of an owner; book-cooking; Royal Tenenbaums-like dysfunction in the executive suite; and the kind of corporate governance that would get a company booted from Zimbabwe's stock exchange.

From a financial perspective, Charter has turned into one of the ugliest U.S. companies still in solvency. Its $19.5 billion in debt dwarfs its market cap of $510 million. Its interest expense alone devours a third of its revenue; rival Comcast Corp. (CMCSA ), which has four times Charter's revenues and subscribers, pays about the same. Charter also has a knack for posting nasty quarterly losses, including, earlier this month, red ink of $459 million, or $1.45 a share, for the first quarter, vs. $353 million a year ago. Charter's quarterly losses per share now exceed its share price, which, at $1.20, has collapsed from a 2001 high of $25. It's perverse, the realization that each of my $1.20 shares generates a $1.45 loss. It's a wonder I don't owe Charter money...

... A company spokesman says Charter has ample liquidity and financial resources. But because so much of its cash flow is eaten up by servicing the debt, say analysts, it's unable to invest in the things necessary to keep customers from flocking to satellite TV and the regional Bell rivals. It's no coincidence that Verizon Communications (VZ ) chose a Charter cluster in Texas to pilot its foray into video last year. So easy were the pickings that Verizon says it quickly took 25% of the local market...

...Sporting the fiscal soundness of a banana republic, Charter has every reason to erase its debt by declaring bankruptcy, finally wiping out long-suffering holders like yours truly. But it won't, because Allen, who has billions of his own money plowed into the equity side of the ledger, refuses to cede control to creditors, who would pick through the choicest assets the way they did in the Adelphia Communications Corp. bankruptcy...

...all along, Allen has acted in ways that make him seem either oblivious or indifferent to the plight of ordinary shareholders. Most egregious is his record of diluting the value of the shares already in investors' hands. Case in point: In November, 2004, with its shares at $2.75, Charter announced a $750 million convertible bond offering to ease debt. (Convertible bonds turn into equity under some prearranged scenario, usually a bad one.) But the stock plunged 20% the instant the market caught wind of the deal's 2009 conversion price of $2.42, which was unusually close to the share price at the time. With management willing to flood the market with an additional 310 million shares, traders took the deal to be a vote of no-confidence by the company in its stock price...

...to its credit, management has taken advantage of low interest rates to refinance some of its debt and push out maturities. But a couple of hundred million in retired paper here and there hardly makes a dent in a $19.5 billion IOU. "Everything Charter has done until now has been like bringing a Band-Aid to a train wreck," says Shelly Lombard, an analyst at debt-rating shop Gimme Credit...

...as if all of that weren't embarrassing enough, word got out a year ago that Charter's board of directors was on the brink of suing Allen himself to force him to exchange preferred shares that he bought for $700 million in a cable transaction for the equivalent in common stock, something he promised to do in a 2002 agreement. Apparently, Allen thought common shares were only good enough for suckers like me. The two sides ultimately came to an agreement outside of court. But the absurdity of a board suing its own chairman says all there is to say about the state of affairs at Charter.
___________________________________________

The complete article can be found at the BusinessWeek online site by clicking here. (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_22/b3986081.htm?chan=tc&chan=technology_technology+index+page_more+of+today's+top+st ories) FWIW, some of the reader comments are worth checking out, too.

DroptheRemote

05-24-06, 09:12 AM

DirecTV Exec Says Focus is on High-Quality Subs

The following story is from today's SkyREPORT newsletter:
________________________________________

DirecTV CFO Mike Palkovic told an investor conference held by Lehman Brothers Tuesday the company continues to focus on signing up stronger subscribers and staying away from riskier ones. The move not only will help keep churn low but also generate more money for the service.

When looking at key products, better quality customers are driving penetration rates for DVRs and HDTV. Palkovic said 25 percent of DirecTV customers are using advanced services such as digital recorders and/or HDTV, and that subscriber base is sticking with the company.

Advanced products are keeping churn rates below 1 percent within the customer base purchasing the extra services. "It's obviously an investment we're willing to make," Palkovic said.

The ARPU (average revenue per subscriber) generated monthly from a basic box customer amounts to $70, the executive said. Those with DVRs generate $78 for the company, while customers with HDTV bring in $86. Those with a combination HD/DVR set-up bring in $89 in ARPU.

Palkovic said capital expenditures at DirecTV will increase this year, up from $782 million spent in 2005. Included in the upcoming expenditures are future launches of three satellites to support HDTV services.

After the launch, expenditures are expected to fall to $300 million to $400 million in 2008.

Palkovic wouldn't comment on DirecTV's broadband plans, saying only that the company could have some sort of plan to publicly reveal its broadband intentions sometime this year.
________________________________________

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