Cards in HD Tonight on FSMW-HD via Charter

Just wanted to pass on the note below that I received this afternoon from Geoff Goldman at Fox Sport Net:
_____________________________________________

FYI…The Cardinals games tonight and tomorrow (June 5 and 6 vs. Cincinnati) on FSN Midwest will be available in HD on Charter channel 792 (no DirecTV nor Dish carriage, I’m told).
_____________________________________________

I know you do your own research, but the only thing I have found is that if you
subscribe to Local HD channels, you will have your DNS feeds yanked. There is
talk of it a DBStalk and I have seen a few threads here. I have also read were
people who have the DNS feeds and are in an available area for the HD Locals
have had their DNS feeds shut off even though they don't subscribe.

Yeah, that's why I was asking in our local thread as I've read that other areas with D* digital locals have had their DNS channels removed... but so far, not in St. Louis. I still get 88 as well as the new mpeg4's, so hopefully that wil remain.

IMO, the KPLR on SAT is by far the worst PQ of the SD locals, and possibly the worst PQ of any SD channel on Dish. It is becoming more and more clear, at least to me, the monetary relationship the Cardinal's have with KPLR and KTRS, must significantly outweigh any concern of the part of the Cardinal's with regard to quality broadcasting.
I find it embarrassing to consider KPLR and KTRS the flagship TV and Radio stations of the Cardinals.
Champagne taste on a Bud-Lite budget perhaps?Ken,

Until recently, I think KPLR has done a fine job on Cardinal broadcasts. Let's not forget they were the first to carry and fund Cards games in HD. I don't know that their HD plans had any impact on FSN, but that sort of competition tends to make things happen sooner rather than later.

On the other hand, KPLR has had some technical hiccups, both this year and last, with a couple of HD broadcasts. I'm still not clear on the cause of the problems yesterday, and as I noted previously, it appeared to me that those go well beyond just the multicasting/bandwidth concerns.

I also have to say that I much prefer listening to the KPLR announcing team than I do FSMW -- I really do think McLaughlin and Hrabosky are the worst Cards announcing team in my recollection. Certainly a long way down the pecking order from Caray-Buck.

I actually miss Bob Carpenter, and while Wayne Hagin's voice is easy on the ears, he's said a few truly stupid things on the games this year. For example, in an early season broadcast, he was talking about the early success of the Arizona Diamondbacks, noting that Troy Glaus had already hit 10 homers -- the only problem with that little anecdote is that Glaus was traded in the offseason to Toronto, where I wouldn't have thought those homers would be doing the D-Backs much good. He's committed at least one other major faux pas of a similar nature that I can't recall now.

As for KTRS, I have to agree that this has been a total train wreck. Considering the still-spotty coverage at night, I have to believe that this will be a short-lived arrangement. If they intended this as a hardball negotiating ploy with KMOX, this has massively backfired on them. Really pitiful.

Not everyone has had problems with Charter. I get almost no outages. When the new Moxi box (the 9022 w/Moxi Mate) came out, I found out about it here, called up Charter, and I had the new box within a week. I've always been given 4 hour windows in which to expect technicians and they've always been on time. True, a significant portion of their CSR's are terrible, but others are quite competent.

In terms of channels, as a Cardinals fan Charter wins hands down since they are the only ones who carry FSN-HD, and, in terms of picture quality, the HD channels they do provide are quite comparable to the picture quality from OTA HD with an antenna.

One example in terms of customer service. A couple of weeks ago, some idiot company (some subcontractor hired by SBC/AT&T) cut the cable line to our street. I called up Charter who promptly sent a technician who correctly diagnosed the problem and who then called in a mainline crew to make a new cable drop to my street. Within two hours of the line being cut, my service was restored.

Glad you are experiencing good results with Charter, however, your situation is not the norm by far unfortunately for Charter stock holders. Plus if you had satellite, your line would never had been cut. :)

Scott

If your goal is to watch as much football as you can, that's true.

I like the 25+ channels of HD I have available now, and the 30+ I'll have in the next few weeks.

Cheers,

As usual, you are correct Sir.

Scott

Yeah, that's why I was asking in our local thread as I've read that other areas with D* digital locals have had their DNS channels removed... but so far, not in St. Louis. I still get 88 as well as the new mpeg4's, so hopefully that wil remain.

I'm still getting 86 and 88. I have no MPEG4 however. I have of a lot of people getting their's turned off though.

Scott

Help! My Father in law has a D*H20 and a DVR model R-15. Either remote will control either unit unless you set the H-20 to RF. Not an issue except his Harmony remote will not work in RF only IR. If I set the H-20 to work off of IR, it also changes channels on his DVR. I tried programming both remotes to only work with their respective box, but to no avail. Anyone know if I can fix his issue?

Thanks,

Scott

Scott,

Probably not a great solution, as it may involve some additional cost, but Harmony has recently introduced remotes that provide RF functionality. However, it seems these sell at a premium to the standard IR-only remotes...

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsharmony/US/EN,CRID=2084,CONTENTID=10930

I'm still getting 86 and 88. I have no MPEG4 however. I have of a lot of people getting their's turned off though.

Scott

Perhaps I'm able to keep 88 due to still having two mpeg2 HD receviers active on the account and only one mpeg4? Frankly, I'd rather have 88 over the mpeg4's, as I get the big four via OTA just fine anyway.

Cable HD Bandwidth Crunch
Satellite providers will reap rewards of any missteps

Posted 2006-06-05 10:00:08

USAToday takes an aerial view of the bandwidth crunch (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2006-06-04-cable-hdtv_x.htm) faced by cable providers as more consumers switch to high-definition television sets. The article predicts that if cable operators fail to heed analyst warnings, they'll "lose many of their 65 million subscribers who are hot for HD to satellite and phone company rivals that already are able to offer lots of HDTV channels and plan many more." Of course of the telcos, only Verizon is building enough capacity to handle multiple HD-streams well, and even that project has just started.

The article places satellite providers in the best position to reap the benefits of cable execs who move too slowly. Note a recent article we mentioned that stated only 20 to 50 percent of homes with HD-compatible sets were subscribing to a high def package from any provider.

We need something like this:

http://www.cfu.net/CyberNet/HD/

.

As for KTRS, I have to agree that this has been a total train wreck. Considering the still-spotty coverage at night, I have to believe that this will be a short-lived arrangement. If they intended this as a hardball negotiating ploy with KMOX, this has massively backfired on them. Really pitiful.

No ploy, the Cardinals management was after vertical integration.

Perhaps I'm able to keep 88 due to still having two mpeg2 HD receviers active on the account and only one mpeg4? Frankly, I'd rather have 88 over the mpeg4's, as I get the big four via OTA just fine anyway.

Yep, that's why I bought the Tivo at the last minute. Plus, after rebate I got it to a net price of $86. I don't need mpeg 4 anytime soon I hope. OTA works fine for me.

Scott

Scott,

Probably not a great solution, as it may involve some additional cost, but Harmony has recently introduced remotes that provide RF functionality. However, it seems these sell at a premium to the standard IR-only remotes...

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsharmony/US/EN,CRID=2084,CONTENTID=10930

Thanks Doug. Unless I can figure out how to get both receivers to stop working with both remotes in IR, I will have to get one of the new Harmony's. Or, he can use all 5 of his other remotes. Hah.

Scott

No ploy, the Cardinals management was after vertical integration.They may have been aiming for vertical integration, but they're headed for brand disintegration.

If this KTRS fiasco hadn't been the brain child of one of the Cardinals owners, someone would be looking for hits on monster.com.

If you are in Illinois, or East Missouri, WSMI 106.1 is a great alternative to KTRS. It actually comes in better at the stadium than KTRS if that isn't pathetic. Its a station up in Central Illinois. The day games are on some AM station, but at least the nights are good. You might want to try it.

Chris

Chris,

Thanks for passing that on.

I've tried the FM dial a couple times at night and had no luck, but now that I know to try 106.1, I'll give that a shot next time around.

I also read recently that WIBV, which used to be based in Belleville but has apparently decamped some time back, has also worked out an agreement to be a Cards affilliate. WIBV used to be an AM station, but apparently they are on FM now.

Not sure where they are located or whether they are carrying the games yet.

In any case, I'm glad that I'm not reliant on the radio for night games.

Mark,

I think that may be true of the standard-definition channels, but when Charter initially launched its HD service someone at Charter confirmed that those local HD channels carried were received OTA, rather than via fiber.

It's possible that HD locals delivery has changed since the launch 3 or 4 years ago, and that's why I raised the question.

One of the interesting angles on this is that cable could gain a competitive advantage over satellite (and even OTA delivery) if they decided to receive all HD locals via fiber, with the station providing a full bandwidth HD feed (free of any subchannel traffic). I just recently noticed that some of the KC stations are looking to do that as a way of delivering better PQ to the bulk of subscribers (cable) while continuing to develop their multi-casting approach.

I do specifically remember that it was the Fox HD feed that they had to switch from fiber to OTA while they were having problems. Sounds like it has changed since they launched the HDTV services.

Mark

Thought it might be worth pointing out for the hockey fans out there that the Oilers-Hurricanes game is available via DirecTV channel 95.

Cable HD Bandwidth Crunch
Satellite providers will reap rewards of any missteps

Posted 2006-06-05 10:00:08

USAToday takes an aerial view of the bandwidth crunch (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2006-06-04-cable-hdtv_x.htm) faced by cable providers as more consumers switch to high-definition television sets. The article predicts that if cable operators fail to heed analyst warnings, they'll "lose many of their 65 million subscribers who are hot for HD to satellite and phone company rivals that already are able to offer lots of HDTV channels and plan many more." Of course of the telcos, only Verizon is building enough capacity to handle multiple HD-streams well, and even that project has just started.

The article places satellite providers in the best position to reap the benefits of cable execs who move too slowly. Note a recent article we mentioned that stated only 20 to 50 percent of homes with HD-compatible sets were subscribing to a high def package from any provider.

It looks somewhat like AT&T, Verizon, and other telcos are the ones who really stand to benefit, as long as they are able to get around local franchise agreements.

I'm hoping that the rumors are true and that AT&T is indeed laying fiber to the premises in my new neighborhood. I can't wait to move so I have an excuse to ditch Charter (they aren't going to be in the new subdivision for some weird reasons, I hear), and I am intrigued by the idea that IPTV of some flavor might be headed in that direction.

That, and it usually means a ridiculously large Internet pipe to the home. :)

Oh, and:

By contrast, cable's roots are analog, and they typically still offer analog transmissions of 70 or more of the most popular channels that the majority of their customers watch on "cable-ready" analog TV sets — without a box. Providing those analog signals eats up about two-thirds of a typical system's bandwidth, even after the industry spent $100 billion over a decade to string fatter lines to handle interactive services.
I am not a cable operator, but it seems to me that the choice is obvious. No analog customers of any kind. Make the cost of digital services competitive with satellite providers, and offer only that.

I understand that it would irritate quite a few people, but they have no obligation to provide analog service.

Here Comes the Flood? The FCC Ponders Multicast

So folks, I guess the "Tube TV" and 24-hour weather channels is the sort of brave new world of "public service broadcasting" we should come to expect if the broadcaster lobby in Washington and elsewhere gets its way and Congress and/or the FCC mandates that cable companies "must carry" a local broadcaster's primary digital channel and all subchannels.

I wish one of these broadcaster lobbyists would just stand up and say what they really mean: "Hey guys, we've been getting a free ride on local broadcast signals since year dot, and our business model is predicated on that continuing forever and ever, amen.

Please take special note of our ragged clothing and unkempt demeanor. We need corporate socialism -- now more than ever."

Ahem...

The following story excerpt is from today SkyREPORT newsletter:
___________________________________________

While the media businesses prepare for what's said to be the next big item from the Portals, and that's multicasting, broadcasters are wasting no time in lobbying regulators about the much-talked proceeding.

Helped by the National Association of Broadcasters, state broadcaster associations are contacting the Federal Communications Commission about multicast. And, as expected, they're throwing their support behind the controversial issue.

The Tennessee Association of Broadcasters said it welcomes the renewed multicast push. "Consumers are entitled to the full benefit of DTV and the commission should help ensure that broadcasters' digital signals are also carried by the cable industry," the organization said.

The Tennessee association said stations in the state have spent millions of dollars converting to digital. With a final hard date set for the digital TV transition, "this would be the final measure to enhance consumers' local programming choices," the group said.

The Virginia Association of Broadcasters said with the change to DTV, "stations can provide a great deal of additional programming and community services." But the FCC needs to "require multicast must carry to convey this programming to the majority of the viewers," the association said.

And the Washington state broadcasting group said requiring cable systems to carry the full six MHz signal transmitted by television stations, which would amount to multicast must-carry, "is critical to the success of the transition to digital television. By rejecting multicast/must-carry the commission could eviscerate the public interest standard," the association told the FCC.

It's expected the FCC could take up the multicast issue at its June 15 meeting. However, no formal announcement has been made at the Portals.
___________________________________________

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

I am not a cable operator, but it seems to me that the choice is obvious. No analog customers of any kind. Make the cost of digital services competitive with satellite providers, and offer only that.

I understand that it would irritate quite a few people, but they have no obligation to provide analog service.It's not a matter of altruism that cable continues to provide analog signals. They do it because they believe it's the best way to optimize their bottom line.

As the article indicates, once they move to shut down analog cable services, which in some cases still account for a substantial chunk of a cable company's subscriber base, the analog customer, who's generally less prosperous and getting older, is in a position to look at all the available options to analog cable: upgrading to digital cable, switching over to satellite, or maybe even going without a subscription TV service.

Inertia is one of cable television's most valuable assets -- it ought to be line item on the company balance sheet.

SBC/ATT Fiber Optic
-------------------------
There have survey crews in Maryland Heights over the last several months. There was a break, but see them back in the neighborhood again now.

Jim

Just to follow up the point about analog vs digital cable numbers, here's the most recent data I could find on this, current as of the end of first quarter 2005. Source: The Bridge.

No doubt the numbers for analog have dropped in the last year, but I doubt the change has been dramatic.

Comcast

Total cable subs = 21.5 million; analog cable subs = 8.9 million

Time-Warner

Total cable subs = 11 million; analog cable = 5 million

Cox

Total cable subs = 6.3 million; analog cable = 2.5 million

Charter

Total cable subs = 6 million; analog cable = 2.7 million

SBC/ATT Fiber Optic
-------------------------
There have survey crews in Maryland Heights over the last several months. There was a break, but see them back in the neighborhood again now.

Jim
I'm secretly hoping they'll just install it in the development I'm moving into (near IL-159 and IL-13), since it's all new runs.

I haven't been able to find much of anything in my research into whether or not AT&T is being serious about doing FTTP (actually PON) in any kind of area other than in Texas, where they've apparently done most of their testing. It also remains to be seen whether or not they are eager to get into IPTV, since (I believe) even in their FTTP test markets, they're not offering television over those lines.

Every time I talk with a friend who is a Verizon customer and currently enjoying FiOS, I get a tiny little bit jealous. They're being very aggressive with this kind of service, and I'd like to see more, if only to encourage more competition in providing digital services.

My parents recently got an LCD, when he hooked up the coax cable straight from the wall, he got FREE PORN on a few channels in the 100s! Unfortuneately, the closed caption went to slow for my mom and they had to replace it with another one.


-er yeah...that actually was kind of the problem...

It's a bit embarrassing to have porn randomly pop up when you're sitting with the family and channel surfing.

At least for me.



-Matt

Cards in HD Tonight on FSMW-HD via Charter

Just wanted to pass on the note below that I received this afternoon from Geoff Goldman at Fox Sport Net:
_____________________________________________

FYI…The Cardinals games tonight and tomorrow (June 5 and 6 vs. Cincinnati) on FSN Midwest will be available in HD on Charter channel 792 (no DirecTV nor Dish carriage, I’m told).
_____________________________________________


DOes anybody know if that'll work via Cable Card? Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I REALLY don't have room for another box...

-Matt

DOes anybody know if that'll work via Cable Card? Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I REALLY don't have room for another box...-MattI've never seen anyone here complain about not being able to receive any HD channel via Cable Card.

If you want to find out more about past Cable Card discussions here, use the "search this thread" link and read up on it.

Does anyone here in Stl have the HP upgrade CD (media center 2004 to media center 2005)? I was told by HP customer service today that they aren't sending them anymore but that if I could find another customer that had one it would work on my HP m495c media center.

DOes anybody know if that'll work via Cable Card? Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I REALLY don't have room for another box...

-Matt

I have Charter in Illinois and a cable card. I've had no problem receiving the Fox HDTV broadcasts. I just wish more of the broadcasts were in HD.

Here's something I've been meaning to ask here of my fellow HD-TiVo owners.

In the past month or so, I've noticed that my 30-second skip command has been behaving a bit differently than in the past. For the most part, it works just as it always has, but on SOME programs, when I'm nearing the end of the recording (roughly the last 10 minutes in an hour show, or last 5 minutes in a 30-minute show), the skips jump me ahead substantially less than 30 seconds. Sometimes it may take as many as 10 presses of the skip button to see the progress bar move from one minute to the next (normally this should take just two presses of the skip button).

Has anyone else noticed this? It's not a big deal, though it is a nuisance. I'm wondering if this is something specific to my TiVo unit, or whether this is something that has been "slipstreamed" to minimize commercial skipping.

Anyone else with an HD-TiVo notice anything like this?
Yes, I have experienced that behavior and I've also seen it reported on the HD TIVO forum. There does not seem to be any pattern to when it occurs. When it does occur, you can usually get it to revert to the 30 second skip by going to live TV, then back to the recording.

Yeah, that's why I was asking in our local thread as I've read that other areas with D* digital locals have had their DNS channels removed... but so far, not in St. Louis. I still get 88 as well as the new mpeg4's, so hopefully that wil remain.
Many people get a network feed because they are not able to receive local stations. Those are the people that lose the network feed when they start getting locals. The reason we receive channel 88 is because KTVI is a FOX owned station. You must also be a subscriber to local channels in order to get 88. Additionally, if you subscribe to local channels and you have an mpeg4 receiver, you get the HD locals at no extra cost. I don't think we will lose channel 88 until they shut down the mpeg2 channel completely, which won't be for quite awhile.

Just to follow up the point about analog vs digital cable numbers, here's the most recent data I could find on this, current as of the end of first quarter 2005. Source: The Bridge.

No doubt the numbers for analog have dropped in the last year, but I doubt the change has been dramatic.

Comcast

Total cable subs = 21.5 million; analog cable subs = 8.9 million

Time-Warner

Total cable subs = 11 million; analog cable = 5 million

Cox

Total cable subs = 6.3 million; analog cable = 2.5 million

Charter

Total cable subs = 6 million; analog cable = 2.7 million

I happen to be both a digital and analog cable sub. I have HD and another digital box and two more sets analog only. I think this is true for most cable subs and an advantage.

I don't see why cable doesn't run their fiber into the homes. I have a large Charter fiber cable running next to my backyard.

Of course this would mean Charter management would need some intelligence.

The new uplinked HD channels should be available tomorrow (Wed 06/07/06). This will include HGTV-HD, NatlGeo-HD, Starz-HD and NFL-HD. Hopefully the St. Louis Locals will be up and running soon.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=67951

redwine,

Unless you're getting two separate bills, you're a digital subscriber, even if you take both digital and analog services.

The analog cable numbers in the Bridge Report are analog-only customers.

SBC/ATT Fiber Optic
-------------------------
There have survey crews in Maryland Heights over the last several months. There was a break, but see them back in the neighborhood again now.

Jim

I have been hearing these rumors about ATT coming all year long. I have heard them from their installers and one person who is actually in the process of putting down lines.

Charter Conducting Customer Loyalty Program Trial

You know things have reached a point of genuine desperation when a company looks to the airline industry for ideas on building customer satisfaction.

If this is the shape of things to come, maybe Charter should consider introducing a "Local Station Roulette" feature, where every couple of months, without warning, you receive local news from Boise or the morning traffic report for Racine. Next best thing to that "lost luggage" experience... :rolleyes:

The following story is from today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
__________________________________________________

Charter Communications Inc. is testing a customer loyalty program in Reno, Nev., that gives subscribers a stored value card with up to $500 in credits they can use at businesses in the Reno area.

The program, called Charter Rewards, is designed to reward customers for staying with Charter rather than switching to another provider. The card is automatically reloaded with merchant credits every month. Customers can use the credits to offset the cost of their cable service. Merchants only pay for credits as consumers redeem them.

Complete Access of Portland, Ore., developed the reward program for Charter. A Charter spokeswoman said the company will evaluate the test in Reno before deciding whether to expand it to other markets.
__________________________________________________

redwine,

Unless you're getting two separate bills, you're a digital subscriber, even if you take both digital and analog services.

The analog cable numbers in the Bridge Report are analog-only customers.


With Charter's practice of counting subscriber numbers....Are you sure???

Anyone else here watching the FX channel drama, "Rescue Me"?

Not only is this a great show, but it features one of the all-time classic opening credit sequences, aided in large part by the Von Bondies' single "C'mon, C'mon."

Both the opening and the entire series should be in HD and 5.1. Maybe this will happen when FOX launches its long-rumored HD counterpart to Universal HD...

With Charter's practice of counting subscriber numbers....Are you sure???Good point -- but that's how it is SUPPOSED to work.

Here's something that may lend some comfort to the DISH and DirecTV subscribers not able to watch this week's Fox Sports Midwest Mon/Tue/Wed HD broadcasts of the Cardinals...

I was watching Monday Night Baseball on ESPN this week (Yanks v. Red Sox -- what else?) and they mentioned at one point that this was the first time this season that the ESPN broadcast was being made available in the New York and Boston markets.

The announcer (Gary Thorne, I think) noted that normally the local blackout rule would apply, but that ESPN has a two-game exception "per team" to local blackouts and that they were using one of those (presumably one each for NY and Boston) for the game Monday.

If I heard this correctly and follow the logic, that means that there could be two occasions upcoming this season where a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday ESPN HD Cardinal broadcast would not be blacked out in St. Louis.

As a result, we should keep an eye out for weekday/weeknight HD games where ESPN has selected a Cardinal game, as a couple of those may be available to us.

FWIW, I'd never heard of this "blackout exception" provision previously -- maybe it's something new?

And yet they still dedicated Channel 96 to the HD broadcast of the Yanks & Sox that night.

Hey Doug,

you know how to get into the service menu for convergence on say, a Panasonic 47WX49 47" rear pro...? I have serious halo in the reds that I cant get in the normal menu.

NM Doug, found out how to get in... boy is this going to be tedious.

epluth,

Of course, I can't ignore my own self-interest here, but there are two issues that you should be aware of.

First, you should be able to fix most convergence issues in the user menu, and if not, the problem probably requires a service call or calibration. The service menu on Panasonic sets such as yours is even more complicated than on most brands (particularly in converging picture edges) and trying to fix your halos through the SM is likely to lead to more serious problems, or long-term instability with your convergence.

Second, it's quite possible (probable) that part of the problem with the red halos relates to focus and/or cleaning issues (the lenses for sure if they've never been cleaned, and quite possibly the mirror).

I'd advise treading very lightly...

thanks doug. It seems that the white "spiderweb grid" would be somewhat simple, and I have seen a tech in there (he was very old, I had to show him spots he missed)... Anyhow, that a service you do as well? PM when convenient.

I can clean the guns, and the mirror, but it has been this way since the old tech did it... I just want to fix it now that I can shoot hd to it. But yeah, cant get it in the user menu, the area is between 2 of the left top +'s, rather than right near a +.

McCain TV Bill Dangles "Deregulation" for A La Carte

This is "deregulation" that only a bureaucrat could love.

And why would out-of-market signals only be available to cable providers?

What a mess...

The following story is from TV Week:
___________________________________________

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced legislation Wednesday that encourages the cable TV industry and other video service providers to offer programming a la carte.

Under the measure, video service providers that offer a la carte to their own subscribers -- and permit programming they own to be offered a la carte by independently owned distributors -- would be rewarded with substantial deregulation.

In addition, the legislation would punish broadcast companies that don't permit cable TV programming they own to be offered a la carte. A la carte programming would allow subscribers to choose and pay for only the programming they want.

Cable TV operators that go along would be rewarded by being allowed to switch to a new national franchising system that would allow them to escape key obligations they currently face under existing franchise agreements with local governmental authorities.

Broadcast owners of cable TV programming that decline to play ball would lose their current legal protection of the exclusivity of their network-affiliated programming in their communities.

If approved, the legislation would be a particularly severe blow to major broadcast TV networks that have substantial interests in cable programming networks, including The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, NBC Universal and Fox.

If networks don't agree to the a la carte stipulations, cable TV operators in communities in which the networks own television stations would be free to bring in the signals of independently owned stations affiliated with the same networks.

In a statement, the watchdog Consumers Union, a longtime proponent of a la carte, said it does not endorse Sen. McCain's measure because "it goes too far in eliminating important public obligations of video service providers to ensure nondiscriminatory delivery of cable service, diversity of local programming and essential consumer protections, including the timely and successful resolution of consumer complaints."
___________________________________________

Eric,

You have a PM.

redwine,

Unless you're getting two separate bills, you're a digital subscriber, even if you take both digital and analog services.

The analog cable numbers in the Bridge Report are analog-only customers.

Understand but being able to hook up those two extra sets in my kids room without charge is a definite benefit. But...

If our friend from the "Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization" is right and Dish will soon have StarzHD then I will switch as I have stated in the past. I guess I will need four STBs. :o

HDTV VIRGIN

Hey all, this is my first foray into the world of HDTV. I don't yet have an HDTV set, but I just joined the infamous waiting list for an HDTV digital cable box from Charter. Are there any insiders out there who know how long I will have to wait to get to the top of this dreaded list?

Thanks!

HDTV VIRGIN

Hey all, this is my first foray into the world of HDTV. I don't yet have an HDTV set, but I just joined the infamous waiting list for an HDTV digital cable box from Charter. Are there any insiders out there who know how long I will have to wait to get to the top of this dreaded list?

Thanks!


I can double check for you tomorrow.

I'll see if I can hook one up for you.

wolverine5767.

If I heard this correctly and follow the logic, that means that there could be two occasions upcoming this season where a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday ESPN HD Cardinal broadcast would not be blacked out in St. Louis.

As a result, we should keep an eye out for weekday/weeknight HD games where ESPN has selected a Cardinal game, as a couple of those may be available to us.

FWIW, I'd never heard of this "blackout exception" provision previously -- maybe it's something new?

And another question.... will we know *in advance* when/if these two non-blacked-out games happen?

Understand but being able to hook up those two extra sets in my kids room without charge is a definite benefit. But...Yeah, I agree that's a great benefit.

But from the cable company perspective, the irony is that the vast majority of those extra analog connections in a digital subscriber's household don't produce any revenue, but yet once analog goes away the customer's loss of those "free" sets becomes a big, bad, black mark against the cable company. And that makes it all the more likely that the customer ends up looking seriously at satellite for the first time.

With teleco TV in the wings, I think this analog cable loss risk grows exponentially, as a switch to those new services will be a lot easier than switching to satellite.

And another question.... will we know *in advance* when/if these two non-blacked-out games happen?Great question, but I don't have the answer (and I'm not even sure where to look).

It seems the two logical places to start would be the Cardinals and ESPN. I suspect that the Cardinals wouldn't be particularly eager to volunteer that information, since it has the indirect effect of undermining their broadcast partners (even though I'm sure FSN and KPLR are aware of and understand this possibility).

As for ESPN, the problem is finding out who actually knows this information, and more specifically, how soon ahead of time they would know this.

For now, I think the best bet is to check ESPN at the start whenever the Cardinals are scheduled to appear during the week and then report an alert back here. Of course, that's not very helpful if you don't check in here regularly, or can't be home and maybe want to record it.

But it is potentially TWO more Cardinal games in HD than we'd otherwise have a chance to see...

It sounds like wolverine is our "go to guy" in finding the Charter customer service fast track...

Great stuff!

Any news on a new stb from Charter? I was told by a tech they are working on a smaller, less obtrusive set. I like the motorola, but it takes up so much real estate. Oh, and the poor remote is just hideous. :rolleyes:

There was some discussion here last week about the new Samsung DLP RPTVs (HL-S models).

I just wanted to report back that I spent some time on one of these sets on Monday and came away favorably impressed. Test results were very good, but frankly the post-calibration program material available for this set wasn't particularly good due to distribution network degradation and the fact that the best thing available for viewing was 480p.

The calibration process is largely unchanged from the past couple of years. And the DNIe processing is defeatable from the user menu.

I haven't yet confirmed that this DNIe user setting removes all traces of extraneous video processing, but it definitely cleans up the edges, and black levels seem to be more stable in the "off" mode.

HDTV VIRGIN

Hey all, this is my first foray into the world of HDTV. I don't yet have an HDTV set, but I just joined the infamous waiting list for an HDTV digital cable box from Charter. Are there any insiders out there who know how long I will have to wait to get to the top of this dreaded list?

Thanks!

Run! Run away from the light!

Not sure, but I've heard of people having to wait months. :eek:

Did you check into satellite? You could have HDTV as soon as today.

Scott

HDTV VIRGIN

Hey all, this is my first foray into the world of HDTV. I don't yet have an HDTV set, but I just joined the infamous waiting list for an HDTV digital cable box from Charter. Are there any insiders out there who know how long I will have to wait to get to the top of this dreaded list?

Thanks!

Unless you're unable to receive satellite signals, you should look seriously at going that route. You'll have a lot more options, as well as having the ability to put up an antenna for OTA HD signals. You'll not only have two ways of getting locals in HD, you'll get all the locals, and they'll all be integrated into the same interface. Even if you put up an antenna and get a separate tuner, you will have to switch to it from Charter when you want to use it, not to mention the DVR implications.

Run! Run away from the light!

Not sure, but I've heard of people having to wait months. :eek:

Did you check into satellite? You could have HDTV as soon as today.

Scott

Scott and Joe,

I appreciate your opinions and feedback, but I signed a sweet 2-year contract with Charter digital cable that provides me with all of the movie channels (Starz, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Encore) as well as expanded basic for $47.99 a month. I still have a year left on that, and don't think I can come close to that with a satellite (especially since I only have one box, with analog signals on my other TVs). I've been quite happy with the digital cable, but see that satellites appear to have an advantage when it comes to HD (ex. bandwidth).

But thanks again for the advice!

mgr_stl,

You have to understand that this corner of the online world is more than somewhat unfriendly toward Charter Communications.

Folks here have a tendency to say things like, "And first prize in the contest was a free 1-year subscripton to Charter. Second prize was a 2-year subscription." ;)

Tough audience.

I wish I could get my address off the Charter mailing list. 10+ year subscriber to DirecTV and
will never go to Charter.

wolverine or anyone else

I am a long time charter customer. Have pipeline, and the moxi box with hd service. I have a house being built and will be moving in the next couple of months hopefully.

Am I going to be able to take my moxi with me and have them install it or am I going to have to give it up and hope they find me another?

Thanks for any information you can give.
Ron

DirecTV / Sunday Ticket Subscribers:

DirecTV has an offer that if you subscribe to Sunday Ticket you can get a FREE HD-TIVO.

I just called customer retention and asked about it. It will be here tomorrow. They are also
doing the installation thing FREE which includes an "HD Dish" if needed. I didn't asked what
that is, but I am hoping it is the new AT9.

The installers that come to my house have been cool in the past where they just give me
the equipment.

Any way, I found this info at the Tivo Forum and then at the Sattellite Guys forum. I just
called and asked.

wolverine or anyone else

I am a long time charter customer. Have pipeline, and the moxi box with hd service. I have a house being built and will be moving in the next couple of months hopefully.

Am I going to be able to take my moxi with me and have them install it or am I going to have to give it up and hope they find me another?

Thanks for any information you can give.
Ron

There shouldnt be a problem on taking it to the new house and having it installed.

Mark

wolverine or anyone else

I am a long time charter customer. Have pipeline, and the moxi box with hd service. I have a house being built and will be moving in the next couple of months hopefully.

Am I going to be able to take my moxi with me and have them install it or am I going to have to give it up and hope they find me another?

Thanks for any information you can give.
Ron


Depends on where your from to where your moving to.

There are two different Head Ends, basically the easy way to look at is if your moving west from the city or Illinois, then you may go off a different headend, or vice versa.

If you want to PM your home address and your new one if you know it, I can double check for you.

wolverine5767

Any news on a new stb from Charter? I was told by a tech they are working on a smaller, less obtrusive set. I like the motorola, but it takes up so much real estate. Oh, and the poor remote is just hideous. :rolleyes:


http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct700/

That is it. If you take your "bigger" box to your local office, see if you can swap out the old for the new there.

Can't say much for the rmote though :(

mgr_stl,

You have to understand that this corner of the online world is more than somewhat unfriendly toward Charter Communications.

Folks here have a tendency to say things like, "And first prize in the contest was a free 1-year subscripton to Charter. Second prize was a 2-year subscription." ;)

Tough audience.

mgr_stl,

I believe we are unfriendly towards Charter mostly because of the horrendous service experiences. Luckily, because of Charter employees on this forum, I have had a few good experiences.

Charter vs Direct is currently a wash as far as HD offerings (IMHO). In fact, Charter gets the only good grade for Cardinal baseball. Both Direct and Dish are making strides and I will go with the first one to offer all the premium movie channels in HD. I was a Direct sub from their beginning to just 3 1/2 years ago when I moved. I loved that Sony box's menu. :p

AT&T U-verse to Focus on Bundling -- Not Price, Content

Bundling is a losing strategy. These new subscription TV services need to be cheaper, different and, in at least some ways, better.

And talking about "at least one HD channel" is about as underwhelming as it gets -- surely this must be a misunderstanding on the part of the reporter, or maybe an editing error.

But I can't say that I'm surprised that a "me too" strategy is the best that AT&T can come up with -- it's a reasonable reflection of its size, arrogance and inexperience in the subscription TV market. I still think subscription TV is going to be a train wreck for teleco investors, and this sort of early report does nothing to cause me to think otherwise.

The following story excerpts are from a CNET article. A link to the full story appears at the end.
____________________________________________________

The first major deployment of an Internet-based TV service by a phone company will soon be under way, but the promise of new interactive features and lower prices for consumers could be a long time coming.

AT&T, the largest phone company in the United States, is preparing to launch what will be the biggest deployment of IPTV to date. As the company moves from a small controlled release of the service in San Antonio to widespread deployment in 20 cities by the end of the year, all eyes will be on Ma Bell and Microsoft, which developed the software enabling the new service.

By the end of the year, AT&T plans to have launched large-scale Internet-based TV service in 20 cities.

The company says it is going to deploy the service, called U-verse, carefully in each market, so that it can meet demand in a timely way. Prices and features, at least initially, will be comparable to those offered by competing cable services.

Both companies say they are confident that the technology is ready for prime time. But they plan to move slowly and cautiously as they deploy service...

...but cutting-edge features and deep discounts in pricing could be a long time coming, because, at least initially, AT&T's service will look a lot like what cable providers already offer. And unlike its current DSL strategy, which has slashed prices down to $12.99 for 3Mbps downloads, AT&T, which hasn't yet published pricing for its new TV service, said it isn't planning huge discounts out of the gate.

"We plan to be competitive with the market on pricing," Rice said. "Just like with our other products, people will get discounts the more services they buy from us. But we have no plans to be a low-cost provider."

AT&T's service, called U-verse, will not look much different from what is already being offered by cable providers. Like cable, U-verse will offer a digital video recorder, video on demand, and at least one channel of high-definition content.

More
____________________________________________________

To read the complete CNET story, click here. (http://news.com.com/IPTV+promise+meets+reality/2100-1034-6081563.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e433)

Philips Looking to Launch 3-D TVs Within 2 Years

The following, from the TV Predictions daily newsletter, is my nominee for Stupid News Story of the Week.

Philips leading the 3-D TV charge? Give me a break. Broadcasters providing 3-D content? Simply hilarious stuff.

Someone needs to slap an April 1 dateline on this one...
_______________________________________________

Philips, the electronics company, says it plans to launch 3-D TV monitors in two years, according to an article published Thursday at CNET's News.com. In fact, Philips says it's in talks with broadcasters and producers to develop 3-D content for the new sets.

"It is clearly a more immersive experience," Jos Swillens, vice president and general manager of the 3D division at Philips told the web site. "There is nothing hampering this from becoming a mainstream product."

Well, despite Swillens' bold assertion, it's far from certain that mainstream consumers will be as enamored with 3-D TV as he is. The feature, albeit in crude form (goofy multi-colored glasses), has been available in movie theaters for years and no one would call it a mainstream attraction. It's never been more than a novelty experience.

However, I would agree that 3-D TV could be different. The new technology promises to offer a more entertaining and convenient way to enjoy the experience. Still, you have to question whether viewers would buy a special TV just for the privilege of pretending to have a soccer ball kicked at their heads.
_______________________________________________

To read the CNET story on 3-D TV, click here. (http://news.com.com/Forget+the+glasses-3D+monitors+ready+now/2100-1041_3-6081242.html)

Under Pressure, Cablevision Delays Network DVR Launch

The following excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
______________________________________________________

Cablevision yesterday said it would delay the launch of a 'network DVR' due to copyright concerns expressed by TV networks and Hollywood studios.

The networks and studios have filed a lawsuit against Cablevision, saying the new DVR would infringe on their copyrights because it would effectively transmit programming twice. The 'network DVR' would store programs on a cable server rather than the consumer's cable set-top.

Several cable operators have said they would likely use the 'network DVR' if Cablevision's trial run goes well. Industry executives believe the new device would save money by eliminating the need for a set-top.
______________________________________________________

For more details on this story, click here. (http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=FT&Date=20060609&ID=5784185)

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct700/

That is it. If you take your "bigger" box to your local office, see if you can swap out the old for the new there.

Can't say much for the rmote though :(
Thanks Wolv... The write-up has confused me a bit. Is this for SD and HDTV? So in other words, it will be just a replacement and functions the same? In any event, its so small, I love it!

EDIT... just noticed it doesnt have hdmi or component. Rats.

DirecTV / Sunday Ticket Subscribers:
DirecTV has an offer that if you subscribe to Sunday Ticket you can get a FREE HD-TIVO.

Thanks for the heads up! :)

I was already setup for 2006 Sunday Ticket autorenew and they still let me have one for $20 shipping.
I don't have a 2nd HDTV set yet but I couldn't pass up the deal.
Time to go shopping I guess.

Thanks again,
Token

If you have D* HD and order Sunday Ticket how many games a week are in HD?
Also thanks to everyone who gave me advice on the monitor. I think I will get the Viewsonic. Do they also make a good HD monitor?

I think you still have to get the Sunday Ticket Super Fan package to get the games in HD (other than local game).
Superfan (http://www.directvsports.com/Subscriptions/NFLSundayTicket/SuperFan/) says up to 110 games in HD for season.


Token

Thanks for the heads up! :)

I was already setup for 2006 Sunday Ticket autorenew and they still let me have one for $20 shipping.
I don't have a 2nd HDTV set yet but I couldn't pass up the deal.
Time to go shopping I guess.

Thanks again,
Token

Thanks for the heads up. I had my set for auto-renewal and said that I was considering dropping ST but had read about an offer for a free HD DVR if I would keep my auto-renewal. He said yes, then came back after about 90 seconds on hold and asked if I agreed to the terms (w/ the $19.95 "shipping").

I said, since I already have a 5LNB dish for my H20 and one line run to the location for this new DVR (to replace a RCA DTC210), it would be a very easy install and would like the $19.95 waived (which he did without hesitation).

Great deal, but I guess we have to pay full pop for the SuperFan package now.... but to get a 2nd HD Tivo at $0.00, plus the installer will run that 2nd coax for the dual tuner. Wow, that is well worth it (and come Sept. we might be able to work them for $49 SuperFan, who knows).

I think you still have to get the Sunday Ticket Super Fan package to get the games in HD (other than local game).
Superfan (http://www.directvsports.com/Subscriptions/NFLSundayTicket/SuperFan/) says up to 110 games in HD for season.


Token

Since I couldn't find pricing on their website. What's the normal cost of SuperFan? I might just have to sign up so I can retire my VCR.

Since I couldn't find pricing on their website. What's the normal cost of SuperFan? I might just have to sign up so I can retire my VCR.

SuperFan (which adds the HD Sunday Ticket channels, along with other features) is normally $99 for the season. I'm reading that some have asked, and received, free SuperFan in addition to the HD Tivo with this deal (I didn't ask but will be calling back and playing dumb). They gave SF away from early birds in April, and many auto-renew subs were able to call and get it for free as well.

SuperFan (which adds the HD Sunday Ticket channels, along with other features) is normally $99 for the season. I'm reading that some have asked, and received, free SuperFan in addition to the HD Tivo with this deal (I didn't ask but will be calling back and playing dumb). They gave SF away from early birds in April, and many auto-renew subs were able to call and get it for free as well.

Ah, I didn't ask the right question. How much is Sunday Ticket? And then the Super Fan package is an additional cost?

Ah, I didn't ask the right question. How much is Sunday Ticket? And then the Super Fan package is an additional cost?

Sunday Ticket is normally $249 for the season. SuperFan is $99.

This year, it's $209 for auto-renewal subs (spread over 5 payments, starting in July). For the early-birds who were 1st time Sunday Ticket subs, it was $229 (same 5 payment spread) and they got the $99 SuperFan thrown in for free (which was available through the end of April).

They still offer the early-bird price of $229, but the free SuperFan promo is over:

http://www.directvsports.com/Packages/NFLSundayTicket/

However, whenever you call retention, everything is negoitable... in another thread, I've read of a new Sunday Ticket sub calling and getting the HD Tivo free, as well as free SuperFan (and paying the $229 early bird price).

Sunday Ticket is normally $249 for the season. SuperFan is $99.

This year, it's $209 for auto-renewal subs (spread over 5 payments, starting in July). For the early-birds who were 1st time Sunday Ticket subs, it was $229 (same 5 payment spread) and they got the $99 SuperFan thrown in for free (which was available through the end of April).

They still offer the early-bird price of $229, but the free SuperFan promo is over:

http://www.directvsports.com/Packages/NFLSundayTicket/

However, whenever you call retention, everything is negoitable... in another thread, I've read of a new Sunday Ticket sub calling and getting the HD Tivo free, as well as free SuperFan (and paying the $229 early bird price).
I got a flyer saying that Superfan cost was $50 for those with auto renew. I also got a postcard last year after signing up for Superfan saying as a "thanks" for signing up, this year's superfan would be free. No doubt, I'll have to call and remind them of that once the season starts.

I think you still have to get the Sunday Ticket Super Fan package to get the games in HD (other than local game).
Superfan (http://www.directvsports.com/Subscriptions/NFLSundayTicket/SuperFan/) says up to 110 games in HD for season.


Token
That's correct. If you get the Superfan, you will receive every game carried in HD by FOX and CBS. That's still not every game. FOX broadcast up to 6 games each week in HD and CBS broadcast only 3 games in HD each week. I believe that is still what they'll be doing in HD this year. Also in the past, the Sunday ticket channel would be blacked out if your local station was carrying that game. For example, you could not watch the Rams on Sunday Ticket because local channel 2 carried it. That applied to both the SD and HD channel. I have heard that the local blackouts will not occur this year. We'll have to wait and see. Also in the past, Sunday ticket did not carry either the Sunday night or Monday night games. Since those games are nationally telecast, I doubt that will change.

I got a flyer saying that Superfan cost was $50 for those with auto renew. I also got a postcard last year after signing up for Superfan saying as a "thanks" for signing up, this year's superfan would be free. No doubt, I'll have to call and remind them of that once the season starts.

Correct, I got the same thing, although most auto-renew subs have been able to call and get it for free (if they got the $50 letter).

I called back tonight (after getting the HD Tivo for free, no shipping charge) and got them to give me SuperFan for free as well (I played dumb and said that I didn't notice it added to my account yet but was supposed to get it free too).

Worked like a charm.

I'm just getting into the HDTV game, and I am disapointed in Charter's HD channels. I mean, no TNT, no ESPN 2, that's rediculous. Has there been any talk from them about expanding to include more channels?


brian

I got my bill from charter for this month and on the bottom is says the will be adding two HD channels July 18. The two channels are MHD (799) and TNT (797) .

I wish they would have got TNT in time for the NBA playoffs.

I'd gladly trade both of those for ESPN2-HD :(

I got my bill from charter for this month and on the bottom is says the will be adding two HD channels July 18. The two channels are MHD (799) and TNT (797) .

I wish they would have got TNT in time for the NBA playoffs.

What is MHD? Never mind Music HD never heard of it.

Great to see that someone at AT&T never actually looked to see why FiOS is such a big hit for Verizon and what they could do to be similarly amazing.

*sigh*

I wish they would have got TNT in time for the NBA playoffs.
But now you'll be able to watch SD 4:3 movies upconverted and stretched to fit on TNT-HD. Isn't that worth the wait? :eek:

Don't know if this has been posted yet, but the new Dish Network channels are active. They include:

9461 HGTV
9435 Starz HD
9429 National Geographic HD
9426 NFLHD

I haven't had a chance to check out much yet.

With all the people in this thread that have Dish or D*, what are you doing for high speen internet. We have considered moving to a dish, but have had charter for ever. Is there the same/more content? Similar pricing? What made your decision?

what are you doing for high speen internet. We have considered moving to a dish, but have had charter for ever. Is there the same/more content? Similar pricing? What made your decision?

I have D* but use Charter for HSI and phone.

I pay $60/month total for HSI and phone (w/ unlimited LD, all the bells and whistles, voicemail, etc). It's $30/$30 + tax (for the phone end of it).

When my 6 month special is over, I'll call them and ask for another 6-12 month special (along with an upgrade to 5 or 10Mbps HSI), otherwise I'll go with the phone company (which offers the same $60/month deal for HSI/Phone.

[QUOTE=StLouG]What is MHD? Never mind Music HD never heard of it.[/QUOTE

Here is what I found out about it.
http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=36799

But now you'll be able to watch SD 4:3 movies upconverted and stretched to fit on TNT-HD. Isn't that worth the wait? :eek:

Well, in fairness TNT HD did have The Negotiator in high-def tonight. Not that I'd goout of my way to watch an edited-for-TV version of that (or most any other) movie...

But there is a lot of TNT programming (including some early-round NBA playoff games) that is upconverted to 16:9 HD from 4:3 in a horrible non-linear stretch that makes me queasy whenever the camera pans.

Well, in fairness TNT HD did have The Negotiator in high-def tonight. Not that I'd goout of my way to watch an edited-for-TV version of that (or most any other) movie...

But there is a lot of TNT programming (including some early-round NBA playoff games) that is upconverted to 16:9 HD from 4:3 in a horrible non-linear stretch that makes me queasy whenever the camera pans.


When NASCAR does the mid season switch from FOX to NBC, I presume the TNT NASCAR will be in HD as well.

Any fight fans?

On my DVR channel 791, HD PPV is open so far for the fight.

It's just the countdown right now, but the De La Hoya fight was on this channel last month for free, and in HD. The De La Hoya fight had no sound, but I don't think boxing needs sound, especially to save $50.

yeah even I have to pay full pricese for fights and I work for Charter!!

PS, So far tonight it has sound.

I'll edit the post with an update if the fight is shown on this channel for free. I assume it will.

wolverine5767


No sound, but it's in HD and free :D

Nice weather we're having...having problems watching the Cards game.

With all the people in this thread that have Dish or D*, what are you doing for high speen internet. We have considered moving to a dish, but have had charter for ever. Is there the same/more content? Similar pricing? What made your decision?

I use SBC (AT&T) DSL. I have the pro package that will give you 1.5 to 3.0Mb on the download, and 384Kb on the upload. I pay 17.99 before taxes. I also have Dish's Platinum package. You can compare packages at the DBSTalk (http://www.dbstalk.com/) , or the SatallightGuys (http://www.satelliteguys.us/) websites.

Nice weather we're having...having problems watching the Cards game.


Yeah also the hockey isn't in HD with the weather watch there :mad:

Sunday's Cards-Brewers game is scheduled to be in HD on KPLR-DT.

Sunday's Cards-Brewers game is scheduled to be in HD on KPLR-DT.
kdg,

Thanks for the reminder. I just got my first HDTV today and am totally in love (despite the weather interference). All night long I'll be dreaming of my first HD Cardinals game.

So I bought the Samsung LN-S3251D at Circuit City. I brought in a slew of price quotes from the internet, and was able to get the manager to reduce the in-store sticker price by $190. Once I showed the salesman the RepairMaster price, he never mentioned the Circuit City extended Warranty.

I'll be searching this forum for recommended settings, but I must say that I'm pretty happy with the factory defaults (perhaps it's a bit bright).

Does anyone have an updated listing of the HD channels you can receive with an antenna?

Does anyone have an updated listing of the HD channels you can receive with an antenna?
You should find what you're looking for, and then some, here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7753320#post7753320

Don't know if this has been posted yet, but the new Dish Network channels are active. They include:

9461 HGTV
9435 Starz HD
9429 National Geographic HD
9426 NFLHD

I haven't had a chance to check out much yet.

Any news regarding STL HD locals? Still praying I won't need another dish....

Any news regarding STL HD locals? Still praying I won't need another dish....
Last word from escalations (last week-Tue) was they will remain on 118.7KU. I then asked if my single 300 can be spun off of 61.5 and adapted to receive AMC16.....received a reply he will find out, but no answer to the question yet. He is off on Sun-Mon, so probably will reply on Tue.

IMO, it is looking like the locals are going to remain uplinked on 118.7KU, and not go live until Dish is geared up to install the needed equipment in-home.
Perhaps we'll get lucky, and they'll move them to a different orbital.

Maybe more info on The CC tomorrow night.
That would be a good Q/A, Mo, you should call-in and ask :rolleyes:

Last word from escalations (last week-Tue) was they will remain on 118.7KU. I then asked if my single 300 can be spun off of 61.5 and adapted to receive AMC16.....received a reply he will find out, but no answer to the question yet. He is off on Sun-Mon, so probably will reply on Tue.

IMO, it is looking like the locals are going to remain uplinked on 118.7KU, and not go live until Dish is geared up to install the needed equipment in-home.
Perhaps we'll get lucky, and they'll move them to a different orbital.

Maybe more info on The CC tomorrow night.
That would be a good Q/A, Mo, you should call-in and ask :rolleyes:

Now there is talk that they my be going onto the 129 sat...Look here... (http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=68352)

Now there is talk that they my be going onto the 129 sat...Look here... (http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=68352)

Let's hope this is right. It's basically what my first 622 installer told me, but he wasn't accurate with a couple of other things, so I took that with a grain of salt. Hard to imagine Dish would not work really hard to find a way to put them on a bird that everyone can already get.

For those of you using your computers for home theater, here are a couple of interesting tidbits:

Seagate has released its first 750 GB hard drive using perpendicular recording (a technology that allows more data to be stored on a 3 1/2" disk. It's a little pricey, but if you have limited space in your PC, it gives you monster storage capacity. Terabyte drives are not far off.

Also, a place to look if you're interested in more affordable storage is slickdeals.net (http://slickdeals.net/#p3787) For instance, they have info on a 300 GB hard drive on sale now at Office Depot for far under $100 after rebates.

Anyone know why todays cardinal game is not being aired in hd like the schedule says?

Since the beginning of the year they still haven't fixed their audio and video problems for Cardinals games. It just plain bad. Not only is today's game not in HD up to this point like it was supposed to be, but their Digital Video feed keeps disappearing and reappearing, their audio feed is not insync with the video like it has been for most of the season. The Audio quality has always been terrible, to the point were watching the game on the digital feed is just frustrating. It just shows to me that KPLR doesn't care about getting things correct.

i have noticed the sync issues as well, nothing more annoying than watching a batter hit the ball and a second later you hear the sound...im glad i am not the only one who is frustrated with this piss poor service, i tried to call them but got no human on the line, i also sent them an email...hopefully they can get their *hit together soon....

well, the hd feed is working now, but there is NO AUDIO!! LMAO

The HD feed is working on KPLR-DT now, with both audio and video.

This is the first Cards' HD broadcast I've seen on KPLR since they added the music subchannel and the effects of that addition are pretty clear in looking at the HD picture today. The picture is definitely bit-starved, and this is most evident in the "dancing" reds that can be seen on Suppan's sleeves and other areas where there are large blocks of red. This looks similar, though not as severe, as the problems that kSDk-DT had at the end of December and early January.

Maybe the subchannel and main channel load is something that KPLR will fine-tune, but as it stands now this is a poor example of HD broadcasting.

Edit: For even clearer evidence of the poor picture quality, anyone with a DVR can check Suppan running off the field at the end of the third inning. This shows very severe pixellation from what is actually pretty modest motion.

Bummer. :(

I currently have Charter Communications for high speed internet as well as expanded basic and HDTV service. I am seriously considering switching to satellite but want to keep Charter for internet.

My question is, if I cancel all services but internet, will I still get basic cable? I have been told by a friend that he did not think they could separate the two due to bandwidth issues. (?????) Can anyone confirm or deny this? I have also been told that when you only have internet through Charter that they will charge you a little extra each month. When I talked to a csr they did not mention that but if that is the case is it because I would still be getting basic cable as well and they do not want me to know that?

I am just curious because I only need satellite on our HDTV if I can get basic cable on the other 4 t.v.'s in the house which would save me the $5/month fee for every other satellite box.

Thanks!

WB's Cardinals broadcast in "HD" is disappointing. Are the FSM HD broadcasts more impressive (hopefully)? That sound delay is really annoying.

In order to determine which direction I should point my antenna, I attemped to download the tower map file that was posted by DroptheRemote in the initial post in the local St. Louis HDTV thread. I was unable to successfully download this file. Any suggestions of another place I could find the tower maps?

I just checked the Tower Map links and they work fine for me (Firefox). If clicking on them doesn't work, try right-clicking and manually saving the file(s) to the desktop.

At this point, I would say the FSN HD broadcasts are better from a video quality standpoint, but McLaughlin and Hrabosky are a more trying listening experience, even when you consider KPLR's audio delay.

I just checked the Tower Map links and they work fine for me (Firefox). If clicking on them doesn't work, try right-clicking and manually saving the file(s) to the desktop.

At this point, I would say the FSN HD broadcasts are better from a video quality standpoint, but McLaughlin and Hrabosky are a more trying listening experience, even when you consider KPLR's audio delay.

Thanks Doug, I was able to get the maps.

I hear what you're saying about Dan and Al. I think Hrabosky suffers from a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth.

I got my bill from charter for this month and on the bottom is says the will be adding two HD channels July 18. The two channels are MHD (799) and TNT (797) .

I wish they would have got TNT in time for the NBA playoffs.

thanks for the update. why wouldn't they also add espn2 hd . . . i can't imagine that their wouldn't be some kind of demand for that . . .

brian

AFAIK, You should be able to have internet only, I know here you can have internet by itself, usually, they place a RF trap on the line that still allows you to receive the Internet service.

Hope that helps.

For the small number of people out there who have an HD Cable Box, how would you compare the HD reception/sound for the local feeds through the box vs. via an antenna? Any difference?

SatelliteGuys has info on moves by Dish Network to provide more HD programming. I lost the link, but here's a quote from the report:

"Now some BIG NEWS, this fall Dish Network will carry 11 RSN's (Regional Sports Networks) in HD and will add the other 10 RSN's in HD by spring! These will be on 61.5 or 129. They did not announce which RSN's would be up first.

An update to the DNS issue, at the moment they are going as business as usual as no injunction has been issued which would force Dish to turn of DNS service to those with Distant Networks.

They announced the next HD LILs to go up will be St Louis, Detroit, Raliegh and Indianopolis, In and Pittsburgh."

So FSMW in HD either in the fall or spring, but most likely in time for the 07 Cardinals season. And St. Louis will be in the next group of cities for HD locals.

To repeat, four new HD channels are up on Dish now, although you may need a subscription to the SD channel (or a certain programming level) to receive them: NFL HD, National Geographic HD, HGTV HD and Starz HD.

I captured some content from my Dish 211 and found out that 2 of the channels are MPEG2 (National Geographic and HGTV) and the others are MPEG4. I have no idea how they decide which channel gets which format. I asked that question over at DBSTalk and it turned into a discussion about how I captured content from a Dish receiver.

I currently have Charter Communications for high speed internet as well as expanded basic and HDTV service. I am seriously considering switching to satellite but want to keep Charter for internet.

My question is, if I cancel all services but internet, will I still get basic cable? I have been told by a friend that he did not think they could separate the two due to bandwidth issues. (?????) Can anyone confirm or deny this? I have also been told that when you only have internet through Charter that they will charge you a little extra each month. When I talked to a csr they did not mention that but if that is the case is it because I would still be getting basic cable as well and they do not want me to know that?

I am just curious because I only need satellite on our HDTV if I can get basic cable on the other 4 t.v.'s in the house which would save me the $5/month fee for every other satellite box.

Thanks!


Yes you can have your Charter Internet and not have the cable. There is a higher price with only having Interent.

When you disco cable, you will not have basic. That used to happen, but now if you just have interent, you just have interent.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

wolverine5767.

Could someone a good HDTV tuner for under $250?

My friend just purchased a HDTV monitor and I'm not seeing many choices for HD tuners at BB or CC online.

Thanks in advance, :)
Token

token,

I believe that Samsung make, or has made in the past, an OTA-only receiver that was in that general price range.

Another alternative would be to scour eBay for used HD DirecTV receivers -- these all have OTA tuners built-in and I believe that you need not have an active subscription to DirecTV to use OTA.

Although it sounds like price is the key factor for your buddy, I'd suggest that if the difference isn't great that he should have a bias toward more recent models, as those are probably going to have a more capable tuner (better receipt, multipath rejection, etc.).

Bill Would Allow Cable AND Satellite to Downgrade HD

The following story excerpt is from today's TV Predictions newsletter.
_______________________________________________

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) last month proposed legislation that would allow cable operators to 'downconvert' some local High-Definition TV channels to standard definition.

Now, Multichannel News reports that Stevens is amending his legislation to allow satellite TV operators to do the same.

The bill, which is part of a larger telecom law scheduled for congressional markup as early as this month, is aimed at easing the cable industry's concern that it will eventually be required to carry multiple HDTV signals from local affiliates. (The industry is also balking at carrying the high-def signals of 'must-carry' channels; by law, cable operators must carry the analog feeds of certain local channels, which is why they are called 'must-carry.')

Cable operators say the added HD feeds would take up channel space they would rather use for other services.

More
_______________________________________________

For the complete story, click here. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/hdstevens061206.htm)

For the small number of people out there who have an HD Cable Box, how would you compare the HD reception/sound for the local feeds through the box vs. via an antenna? Any difference?

I have the Moxi box and I see no significant difference between cable and the antenna. (Except, of course, to get ABC HD, I need the antenna :) )

Now there is talk that they my be going onto the 129 sat...Look here... (http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=68352)

Well, this concerns me. Many subscribers, including myself, have experienced signal stringth issues with 129......Transponder 30 in particular (the one that contains RAVE). My Dish 300 has had issues seeing that bird although 61.5 comes in very strong when pointed in that direction. No obstructions are present. E* seems to be in denial, yet many subs across the US appear to experience similar issues with that bird.

So if the the HD locals move to 129 I risk losing some of my favorite VOOM channels. This is a choice I shouldn't have to make.

STL Locals are uplinked to 118.75, aka 119K in the receivers. We need a new + dish (500+ or 1000+), lnb and switch (if no free ports) to get them.

There are no plans at this time to change that.





Cheers,

Stopped in the new Kreigers in the Highlands development across from Forest Park. Since they were brand new I was hopping that they would have the right equipment and some of the major events available in HD on the big screen. Sadly to say I won't be going back there to watch any games.

Above the bar they had four 16x9 projection screens with probably the worst layout ever. They had can spotlights splayed directly onto the screens washing them out. On top of that to try and compensate they cranked the brightness and contrast up all the way making things even worse. Plus the projector were set up off-center and unbalanced. Finally (even though the projector units had composite cables running into them) they were showing everything in standard def even though HD was available for three of the four events. This was middle of Sunday afternoon so the World Cup on ESPN, Cardinal game on KPLR and NASCAR race on FOX should all have been showing in HD.

Maybe someone (Doug/Drop the Remote) needs to call the manager and give them a schooling? I tried talking to an assistant manager but he was busy.

As to me I'll be voting with my wallet and going elsewhere.

My question is, if I cancel all services but internet, will I still get basic cable? I have been told by a friend that he did not think they could separate the two due to bandwidth issues. (?????) Can anyone confirm or deny this? I have also been told that when you only have internet through Charter that they will charge you a little extra each month. When I talked to a csr they did not mention that but if that is the case is it because I would still be getting basic cable as well and they do not want me to know that?

Thanks!

Multi-part answer. By rule, yes they will charge you more if you have only 1 service. I think it is actually $10/mo.

But, experience (and in talking with a couple Charter friends) is that if you have high-speed Internet and definitely if you have Internet and Phone but no Cable, they do not install the RF filter which blocks the basic analog cable.

Why? Because of support issues. The RF filters fail, frequently. And they really don't want to lose a 'premium' customer who chooses not to have TV service because of an RF filter. Thats not to say they won't do it - but often they don't.

With that said, lifeline service is only about $8-$10/mo. This gives you locals, weather, QVC, CCIN, etc. No ESPN or anything like that. This also counts as another service, so that would be an option as well.

Chris

STL Locals are uplinked to 118.75, aka 119K in the receivers. We need a new + dish (500+ or 1000+), lnb and switch (if no free ports) to get them.
John,
I read on one of the spec sheets for the new LNB+ that with a DPP44 switch already using a port for 119, both 118.75 and 119 will be able to share the same port.
Do you know if that is correct? I am using all 4 ports and prefer not to give one up.
Thanks

dweebe,

Did you get any names of managers when you visited Kreigers?

Also, you said they have composite cables but no HD. But I assume that you meant "component" cables and no HD, because composite feeds don't have the bandwidth necessary to carry HD content.

I've found that sports bar owners are generally very tight with their bucks, so I think it's a long shot for me, but I also don't mind making a call and probing a bit. I assume that you'd be OK with me passing on your note above back to Kreigers as an example of just one disaffected potential patron?

STL Locals are uplinked to 118.75, aka 119K in the receivers. We need a new + dish (500+ or 1000+), lnb and switch (if no free ports) to get them.

There are no plans at this time to change that.





Cheers,

My knowledge of how this technology actually works could fit in a thimble. I don't know how the LNBs or switches do what they do. I did have a recent install of a Dish 622. It's getting all three birds (110, 119 and 129) right now and I had the installer leave one of the three dishes that were on my roof. He said he couldn't hook it up because of Dish install regulations (they have to take photos of their work). But, he did say I could take a free connection on the Dish 1000 he installed and run a cable from my other dish to it without an additional switch. Right now, I'm getting 129 pretty well, but 110 is bit weak. What I'd like to do is turn the one dish to 129 and let the Dish 1000 handle 110 and 119.

I probably shouldn't attempt this myself, since I'm so ignorant in this area. Anybody have a reference to a good local Dish installer who could do this for me?

dweebe,

Did you get any names of managers when you visited Kreigers?

Also, you said they have composite cables but no HD. But I assume that you meant "component" cables and no HD, because composite feeds don't have the bandwidth necessary to carry HD content.

I've found that sports bar owners are generally very tight with their bucks, so I think it's a long shot for me, but I also don't mind making a call and probing a bit. I assume that you'd be OK with me passing on your note above back to Kreigers as an example of just one disaffected potential patron?

Yes, I meant component. There were three cables running out from plugs in the ceiling into the projectors. Red/Green/Blue. It sounds and looks like they run all the boxes in back office. The bartenders don't have remotes or control over anything.

No, I didn't get a name of the Kreigers manager. I know it's a franchise because they have a plaque by the door: didn't get the name of that either.

Yes: go ahead and pass it on.

I'm just going to continue to keep going to Schneithorsts for my HD sports. They actually know how to run the equipment there: even the cute blonde waitress who you think wouldn't have a clue what even HD was.

Anybody have a reference to a good local Dish installer who could do this for me?
Joe,
The local O&O Dish installer is Ketterman Communications, 800-664-2602. They have always done everything right for me. I don't know if you can call them direct to schedule a service call, or if you have to go through Dish. I have always gone through Dish, and requested they send the WO to Ketterman, and they always have.
There is a way around keeping your second dish in the system along with your Dish1000 (the antenna Dish installed with your 622 upgrade package)....too long to write here, if you're interested, give me a call.
I have the Dish1000 and the second single Dish300, with 4 SAT feeds in mine.

The installer actually told you they are required to photograph their work....That's a Riot!! These guys can barely peak 3 LNB's following step-by-step written instructions...what makes Dish think they can operate a digital camera :rolleyes:

I'm fairly certain you have the ability to spin your single dish on to 129, and jump it into the current 129 feed off your 1000. Moman did it several months ago, to check the signal strength, though I don't remember what his findings were. I could provide you a link to the instructions, if you like.

SatelliteGuys has info on moves by Dish Network to provide more HD programming. I lost the link, but here's a quote from the report:

"Now some BIG NEWS, this fall Dish Network will carry 11 RSN's (Regional Sports Networks) in HD and will add the other 10 RSN's in HD by spring! These will be on 61.5 or 129. They did not announce which RSN's would be up first.

An update to the DNS issue, at the moment they are going as business as usual as no injunction has been issued which would force Dish to turn of DNS service to those with Distant Networks.

They announced the next HD LILs to go up will be St Louis, Detroit, Raliegh and Indianopolis, In and Pittsburgh."

So FSMW in HD either in the fall or spring, but most likely in time for the 07 Cardinals season. And St. Louis will be in the next group of cities for HD locals.

To repeat, four new HD channels are up on Dish now, although you may need a subscription to the SD channel (or a certain programming level) to receive them: NFL HD, National Geographic HD, HGTV HD and Starz HD.

I captured some content from my Dish 211 and found out that 2 of the channels are MPEG2 (National Geographic and HGTV) and the others are MPEG4. I have no idea how they decide which channel gets which format. I asked that question over at DBSTalk and it turned into a discussion about how I captured content from a Dish receiver.


Joseph here is the link to the above informaton.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=68239

John,
I read on one of the spec sheets for the new LNB+ that with a DPP44 switch already using a port for 119, both 118.75 and 119 will be able to share the same port.
Do you know if that is correct? I am using all 4 ports and prefer not to give one up.
Thanks

No I don't know if that's correct or not. I don't think it is correct though.

There was mention at the Team Summit that a DPP64 is coming. This would certainly handle the job...

Best,

Joe,
The local O&O Dish installer is Ketterman Communications, 800-664-2602. They have always done everything right for me. I don't know if you can call them direct to schedule a service call, or if you have to go through Dish. I have always gone through Dish, and requested they send the WO to Ketterman, and they always have.
There is a way around keeping your second dish in the system along with your Dish1000 (the antenna Dish installed with your 622 upgrade package)....too long to write here, if you're interested, give me a call.
I have the Dish1000 and the second single Dish300, with 4 SAT feeds in mine.

The installer actually told you they are required to photograph their work....That's a Riot!! These guys can barely peak 3 LNB's following step-by-step written instructions...what makes Dish think they can operate a digital camera :rolleyes:

I'm fairly certain you have the ability to spin your single dish on to 129, and jump it into the current 129 feed off your 1000. Moman did it several months ago, to check the signal strength, though I don't remember what his findings were. I could provide you a link to the instructions, if you like.

Thanks, Ken. I think I called Ketterman and they don't come this far north, but I'll try the number again tomorrow. Yes, I'd like the link to the info on using a seperate dish for 129. I never had issues with one dish pointed to 110/119, and one to 61.5. However, I think it's more likely I'll have storm issues with the signal levels I'm getting now with the Dish 1000.

On tonight's CharlieChat---Next 4 cities (including STL) to be added "later this summer."
No further details were provided.

From today's SkyReport at http://www.skyreport.com:

Broadcasters Defend Multicast

Broadcasters are coming to the defense of a multicast must-carry regime, writing the top lawmaker on the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the proposed TV station-friendly mandate.

David Rehr of the National Association of Broadcasters sent a letter to the committee's chairman, Joe Barton (R-Texas), saying "frequently-repeated misinformation" supplied by the cable business has misconstrued the record on a number of issues surrounding multicast must-carry.

"In the digital world, cable systems can easily carry additional local programming from broadcasters without impinging on non-broadcast programming. This would be consistent with the intent of Congress for more localism and greater diversity in programming," said Rehr in the letter.

Rehr also complained that cable operators "regularly operate as gatekeepers, stripping out commercial broadcasters' multicast channels that carry unique local programming - clearly programming that the public wants."

Barton recently wrote the Federal Communications Commission listing his objections to any agency mandate that would prevent cable operators from stripping out multiple program streams contained in digital over-the-air broadcast signals. There was talk the commission could take up the multicast issue at its next open meeting, which has been pushed back to June 21.

<end of article>

<begin smart*ss comment>

Funny, I must have missed all the clamoring for WeatherPlus and TheShaft (oops, I mean TheTube) around here. Was I just not paying attention? :rolleyes:

<end smart*ss comment>

On tonight's CharlieChat---Next 4 cities (including STL) to be added "later this summer."
No further details were provided.

My guess, and it is only that, is they will be officially launched when the + dishes are available.

Cheers,

Study Says HDTV May Determine Cable v Teleco Winner

The following story is from CNET. A link to the full story appears at the end of the excerpt.

Maybe the most interesting tidbit here is that the AT&T trial system in Fort Worth includes NO HDTV CHANNELS. Not a promising sign...

____________________________________________________

After years of hype, HDTV, with its enhanced picture quality and superior sound, is finally becoming a reality. Consumers are starting to buy new HDTV sets in droves. Providing those people with more than one channel of HDTV programming could become a key selling point for the phone and cable providers battling to sign up TV subscribers.

"There's been a lot of talk about integrating all kinds of interactive features into TV," said Rick Thompson, a senior analyst at Heavy Reading, an industry analyst group based in New York City. "But in the short term, the biggest differentiator will be who has the best content package, and part of that will be how much HDTV you have."

Phone and cable companies realize the importance of HDTV. But some providers may be in a better position than others to handle the increased demand for HDTV channels, which will eat up loads of bandwidth.

The cable industry leads the U.S. market in HDTV subscribers, with about 5.5 million of the 7 million households signed up at the end of 2005, according to Leichtman Research Group. Patrick Esser, president of Cox Communications, said the cable company has seen HDTV demand build in the last six months, with 20,000 to 30,000 new customers every month.

Experts say that making sure networks keep up with HDTV demand is important, because it may help sway some consumers' buying decisions in the future.

"People today aren't choosing their TV service provider because of their HDTV offering," said Bruce Leichtman, principal analyst at Leichtman Research Group. "But they probably wouldn't go with a new provider who doesn't at least match or offer more than what they are already getting."

More
____________________________________________________

For the complete CNET story, click here. (http://news.com.com/2102-1033_3-6083040.html?tag=st.util.print)

My guess, and it is only that, is they will be officially launched when the + dishes are available.

Cheers,

OK. What is a + Dish? It seems odd that anyone located in a major city like St. Louis or Detroit will need to see FOUR birds to receive VOOM, HD locals and the rest of the HD and ol' Dish 500 channels.

Someone will need to trip out to my home one more time. And at what cost????

There must be a better way.

For the small number of people out there who have an HD Cable Box, how would you compare the HD reception/sound for the local feeds through the box vs. via an antenna? Any difference?
When I'm not having signal strength issues with Charter, picture quality between cable box and OTA seem the same. Sound quality seems the same too but OTA volume is a couple of notches higher than through the box.

Could someone a good HDTV tuner for under $250?

My friend just purchased a HDTV monitor and I'm not seeing many choices for HD tuners at BB or CC online.

Thanks in advance, :)
Token
I'm having good luck with a used Samsung SIR-T351 bought on ebay about a year ago for $110.

OK. What is a + Dish? It seems odd that anyone located in a major city like St. Louis or Detroit will need to see FOUR birds to receive VOOM, HD locals and the rest of the HD and ol' Dish 500 channels.
Someone will need to trip out to my home one more time. And at what cost????
There must be a better way.
Agreed, Mo, it all sounds ridiculous. Here are the links some other members here posted earlier in the month. They explain the + LNB system fairly well.
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=58826
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=65712

As best as I can understand it, :confused: with a Dish1000 antenna using 3 of the + LNB's and a DPP44 switch, enables reception of 110/118.75/119/129....uhm, I think :rolleyes:

As far as cost, Dish has already stated HD Locals (when available) are included in the subscription to SD Locals at no additional charge.
That being said, it would seem Dish will have to make the reception of the required orbital locations available, also at no additional charge.
Big "if" on that, since the HD rules seem to be, "make it up as we go along."

dweebe,

Did you get any names of managers when you visited Kreigers?

Also, you said they have composite cables but no HD. But I assume that you meant "component" cables and no HD, because composite feeds don't have the bandwidth necessary to carry HD content.

I've found that sports bar owners are generally very tight with their bucks, so I think it's a long shot for me, but I also don't mind making a call and probing a bit. I assume that you'd be OK with me passing on your note above back to Kreigers as an example of just one disaffected potential patron?

Pass this note along to the Krieger's in Cottleville. My Wife and I went there for the first time a few weeks ago. Walked in and 8 servers were all sitting and talking at a table. Must have been bored.

The large projector's picture had a huge purple blob blocking most of the picture. I have never seen anything like it, and it was definitely not in HD. As soon as we ate we left to get home to watch whatever game in HD. I won't be going back to that Kriegers.

Scott

St. Louis Guide to HD Programming Updated

With the addition of the four new HD channels on DISH Network and the release of St. Louis digital locals on DirecTV, I've updated the St. Louis HD Programming Guide and am attaching it here as a PDF file.

Note that there are quite a few changes to the Guide since the last couple of updates, so if you haven't seen it in a while, it may be worth downloading and browsing through.

Some specific notes:

* I've added the four new HD channels from DISH -- The NFL Network, National Geographic, Starz! HD and Home and Garden TV HD. Note that all four of these channels need an MPEG-4-capable DISH receiver, and this is indicated in the Guide by blue shading.

Please note that I don't have complete information on these channels, and would welcome feedback on the following for each channel:

-- 1080i or 720p;

-- estimated daily hours of HD programming;

-- how the screen is formatted during non HD broadcasting (stretch or pillarbox); and

-- whether the channel is capable of providing Dolby Digital 5.1 sound

Anyone who'd like to provide feedback on those aspects of the new channels can do that directly on the forum, or by sending me a private message.

* I've added the four St. Louis digital channels now provided by DirecTV to customers with an MPEG-4 receiver. Note that these channels may still be received via an antenna, regardless of whether you're using an MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 receiver, but in order to receive the channels direct from DirecTV's satellites, an MPEG-4 receiver is mandatory. This is indicated in the Guide by yellow-shaded boxes.

Note that KPLR and KETC are not available by satellite and will continue to require an antenna, at least for now.

* Although Fox Sports Midwest HD was added for Charter in the previous update to the Guide, I have an open question on whether FSN-Midwest is capable of providing Dolby Digital 5.1. It's likely that this will remain an open issue for some time, as I suspect that 5.1 audio is not a high priority for local sports broadcasts.

* I've also added a legend to the KPLR-DT entry to indicate the presence of the Tube subchannel.

As always, if anyone spots any errors or omissions, or if anyone has suggestions on how to further enhance the Guide, let me know.

-- how the screen is formatted during non HD broadcasting (stretch or pillarbox)
Sorry, Doug, I missed that one. Non HD is formatted pillarbox.

Not sure if this matters, OTA DT's on Dish can be received on any Dish HD receiver, either MPEG2 or MPEG4. It seems both E* and D* are taking a similar approach to the transition.

No worries, Ken -- I think I forgot to ask about the stretch/pillarbox question, and only noticed that when I was updating the data.

But anyway, thanks for clarifying -- I'll get that change into the next update.

Now I'm laughing....I knew you hadn't asked, I looked at your VSG again, before replying to your PM, and saw the column, but then forgot to mention it in my reply :o

Reply from E* regarding the STL HD Locals being uplinked on to 118.75:

----- Original Message -----
From: david_laslo@echostar.net
To: kdg454@earthlink.net
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 1:05 PM
Subject: RE: 118.7 KU Satellite

Mr. Green,

That could be a possibility that 118.7 is only to be used as a test location, but at this time I can not comment any further. When it is closer to the time St. Louis is released I will be able to answer your questions, which will be later this summer.

Sincerely,

David Laslo
Echostar Executive Escalations

Reply from E* regarding the STL HD Locals being uplinked on to 118.75:

.......That could be a possibility that 118.7 is only to be used as a test location, but at this time I can not comment any further. When it is closer to the time St. Louis is released I will be able to answer your questions, which will be later this summer........



Well, at least there's hope someone may come to their senses before they pull the switch. Not to over-simplify matters, but does it really take months to "test" the retransmission of an HD signal???? This has already been done many times in multiple markets.

(I wish the 622 HD DVR was "tested" so dilligently prior to its launch). :(

Not to over-simplify matters, but does it really take months to "test" the retransmission of an HD signal???? This has already been done many times in multiple markets.
Exactly why many believe 118.7 is the final resting spot of our HD locals. The "later this summer" launch being in order to roll out the hardware needed to receive AMC16. IIRC, John K mentioned this yesterday. In the past, uplinks to launch is usually under 2 weeks, sometimes only a few days.

You're correct Mo, there really is no reason to "test" them for several months, unless perhaps the testing also involves a new type of antenna hardware on the ground.
+ LNB's come to mind :(

Hopefully Dish has another agenda, and we're all wrong.

Sat receiver:

I have an old Direct TV receiver (RCA DRD102rw) and dish that we removed from another residence. I'm not a sub, I might add.

Is this thing of any value (obviously not to me), or just another doorstop?

Any advice appreciated,

Dave

FOX2 News is doing a story on HD RADIO sometime within the next 20 mins.

Oh, and hello, everyone, I am back here after about a month hiatus. Its good to be back.

Sat receiver:
I have an old Direct TV receiver (RCA DRD102rw) and dish that we removed from another residence. I'm not a sub, I might add.
Is this thing of any value (obviously not to me), or just another doorstop?
Any advice appreciated,
Dave,
I've seen them on ebay, for 10-20 dollars.

Seeing as how this is my first week in the wonderful world of HDTV, I want to thank everyone on this forum (especially Wolverine) for their insight, help and opinions. You've made this whole process much easier and less intimidating for me!

That said, I hope that someday I am able to add something to this message board as opposed to simply mooching all of your knowledge :)

A couple quick questions:

#1 - I have an OTA antenna and just got my HD cable box. I connected my TV to the cable box using a DVI/HDMI cable, and notice no difference in quality. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this perhaps because of the quality of the Charter HD signal? Should I save the money and return the expensive cable/toggle?

#2 - I am currently using the optical sound connection (between the cable box and my receiver), and am curious if anyone has compared that to the regular red/white audio connection. I have 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound if that matters. I would expect there to be a noticable difference, but don't think I hear one...

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=7823926&&#post7823926)

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

A couple quick questions:

#1 - I have an OTA antenna and just got my HD cable box. I connected my TV to the cable box using a DVI/HDMI cable, and notice no difference in quality. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this perhaps because of the quality of the Charter HD signal? Should I save the money and return the expensive cable/toggle?

#2 - I am currently using the optical sound connection (between the cable box and my receiver), and am curious if anyone has compared that to the regular red/white audio connection. I have 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound if that matters. I would expect there to be a noticable difference, but don't think I hear one...

#1 There shouldn't be a difference between OTA PQ and cable because both source signals are the same, except watch for multipath issues (drop outs or stuttering) with OTA. Many multipath issues can be solved with a better antenna, better antenna aiming, etc. See elsewhere in this thread and AVS forum for advice. Cable also supplies more HD channels than locals. If you only plan on watching locals, then you may not need cable.

#2 Optical or coaxial connection is the only way to get DD 5.1 sound from cable/satellite box. Red/white is analog stereo or Dolby Pro Logic depending on source.

#2 - I am currently using the optical sound connection (between the cable box and my receiver), and am curious if anyone has compared that to the regular red/white audio connection. I have 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound if that matters. I would expect there to be a noticable difference, but don't think I hear one...

If you don't hear a difference, you may need to set up the receiver to output Dolby Digital. That will enable the digital audio out on your cable box and then your DD 5.1 receiver should decode that and play it properly. When I was testing out the Moxi, I think I remember having to do that.

Has anyone hooked up a digital cable ready set without a box to Charter ?

I did the other day and I was wondering if anyone has mapped the odd digital channels you get. Like 122-122 for example.

Programmers Urge FCC to Resist Multicast Must-Carry

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

Cable/satellite TV programmers wrote the Federal Communications Commission on the resurfacing of multicast must-carry, telling those at the Portals they should oppose any multicast obligation that may be imposed on cable operators.

The programmer letter to the FCC comes as broadcasters push for a multicast must-carry regime, which would require cable operators to deliver the extra video streams a TV station may carry in its digital TV spectrum.

"We compete vigorously for distribution on cable and satellite systems on the basis of the quality of programming and its value to consumers," the networks wrote the FCC.

Programmers complained that broadcasters already have a government-granted competitive advantage over all programmers given that it has guaranteed must-carry of a TV station's primary signal.

"A vast expansion of broadcasters' must-carry rights would undermine our ability to compete in the marketplace, causing irreparable harm to programming diversity and to consumers, and violating fundamental First Amendment protections," they said.

Those signing the letter include channels associated with Discovery Networks and Turner as well as MTV Networks, Starz and HBO, among others.
__________________________________________________

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

Has anyone hooked up a digital cable ready set without a box to Charter ?

I did the other day and I was wondering if anyone has mapped the odd digital channels you get. Like 122-122 for example.Yes, this gets discussed here regularly, most recently here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7775580&&#post7775580

Not sure if anyone has actually listed the "in the open" channels, but feel free to do that and post it here.

MPAA on Broadcast Flag: Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah...

Hollywood jerk-offs won't be happy until both feet are bullet-ridden...

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

During Tuesday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing on telecom reform, Dan Glickman of the Motion Picture Association of America encouraged lawmakers to include a broadcast flag provision in any telecom legislation, an effort aimed at protecting Hollywood content from piracy.

"Protecting intellectual property will become a recurring and increasingly important theme for our economy in the decades to come," Glickman told the Senate committee. "This nation will prosper or it will fail in large part based on how we protect our nation's greatest assets -- the skill, ingenuity and creativity of our people."

Broadcast flag would protect the quality of free over-the-air broadcasts in the digital age, he said. Cable and satellite TV have systems in place to protect content, and the Federal Communications Commission has some provisions related to broadcast flag technology.

"If broadcast television is not similarly protected, content providers will choose to send their high value content to where it can best be protected," Glickman said. "By including the broadcast flag, this committee takes a stand to protect free over-the air television for consumers."
_______________________________________________

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

I've seen them on ebay, for 10-20 dollars.
Thanks kdg,

I figured as much. Amazing how much electronics and other gear gets relegated to doorstop status in only a few years. I loaded up a bunch a couple of years ago and took it to a local electronics recycling station. Thats the price I pay I guess for wanting to be on the cutting edge of these 'hobbies'.

Dave

Thanks kdg,

I figured as much. Amazing how much electronics and other gear gets relegated to doorstop status in only a few years. I loaded up a bunch a couple of years ago and took it to a local electronics recycling station. Thats the price I pay I guess for wanting to be on the cutting edge of these 'hobbies'.

Dave

I've thrown a bunch in the trash. Didn't know you could recycle them. I got receivers, dvd players, some working some broken that I can recycle. Where do you take it to be recycled?

Scott

I've thrown a bunch in the trash. Didn't know you could recycle them. I got receivers, dvd players, some working some broken that I can recycle. Where do you take it to be recycled?

Scott
In Illinois, Madison Co and possibly St Clair Co sponsor a yearly recycling drop off station. It is usually mentioned in a news blurb in the local newspapers.

Dave

I've thrown a bunch in the trash. Didn't know you could recycle them. I got receivers, dvd players, some working some broken that I can recycle. Where do you take it to be recycled?

Scott
Scott,
MO DONR maintains a list, here's the link. There are lots in our area.
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/swmp/rrr/computerlist.htm

Scott,
MO DONR maintains a list, here's the link. There are lots in our area.
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/swmp/rrr/computerlist.htm

Thanks! I will check into that. It appears the place close to me takes mainly computer stuff, but I'll check with them. Maybe they take DVD, SAT, etc.

Scott

I saw an ad tonight on ABC, they are allowing free viewing of full episodes of selected shows, through June 30th.
Shows include Lost, Desperate Housewives, Commander in Chief, and Alias.

I remember some members here missed the finale of Lost. I don't watch the show, but it appears like it is one of the available episodes. PQ is decent in full screen mode.

http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing

I saw an ad tonight on ABC, they are allowing free viewing of full episodes of selected shows, through June 30th.
Shows include Lost, Desperate Housewives, Commander in Chief, and Alias.

I remember some members here missed the finale of Lost. I don't watch the show, but it appears like it is one of the available episodes. PQ is decent in full screen mode.

http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing

I saw that, too, Ken. Thanks for providing a link. I missed the dialogue from the first 20 minutes, where some key plot points were revealed.

Now, about that full screen mode, what am I missing? I can't seem to find any way to watch it full screen.

FCC Poised to Mandate Cable Multi-Cast "Must Carry"

This is obviously not good news, as it's going to encourage broadcasters to slice up the bandwidth needed for HD broadcasting for lots of pointless crap.

The following item is from today's SKYReport newsletter:
_____________________________________________________

The Federal Communications Commission is set to take up matters related to multicast must-carry at its next meeting, scheduled for June 21. It's expected the agency, led my FCC Chairman and multicast supporter Kevin Martin, will pave the way for mandates tied to the issue.

Martin could have the votes he needs to impose multicast must-carry on cable operators given that newly-appointed Commissioner Robert McDowell now gives the FCC a 3-2 Republican majority.

The FCC also will tackle items tied to broadcast ownership rules and universal service during the open meeting.
_____________________________________________________

One possible silver lining for Charter subscribers as a result of the expected decision by the FCC to mandate digital multi-cast "must carry" is that the negotiations between Charter and Sinclair for KDNL-DT effectively will be moot.

Of course, there's no digital "must carry" provision now, and I believe the way the existing "must carry" rule is interpreted is that the broadcaster nominates which primary signal the cable provider "must carry" -- either the traditional analog signal or the primary digital channel. Because of the low penetration of digital televisions/receivers, virtually all broadcasters nominate that cable carry the NTSC analog feed.

I have to assume that the FCC decision will address the analog and/or digital issue by setting a date where digital "must carry" kicks in, or defines some transition period where both signals have to be carried by cable.

I saw that, too, Ken. Thanks for providing a link. I missed the dialogue from the first 20 minutes, where some key plot points were revealed.

Now, about that full screen mode, what am I missing? I can't seem to find any way to watch it full screen.
Sorry Joe, Full Screen Mode within their viewer. You may be able to pull the properties of their viewer and then launch it in separate browser window. I've done this in the past with other proprietary viewers. I didn't try, there's nothing I wanted to watch.

The U.S. Open looked terrific in HD on ESPN this morning. It's about time that broadcasts held in non-primetime were in HD. It's on NBC this afternoon and I'm hoping it will also be in HD.

Ken,

Thanks for the tip on Lost. I missed the first 20 minutes of dialogue also. Doug was right the Closed Captioning is a good idea. But mine does not seem to work with Dish on OTA broadcasts. Ken do you, or anyone else, notice the same thing?

Hey guys, I'm wanting to buy my father an antenna for Father's Day. I know I'm waiting until the last minute -- like always -- but I can't remember the name of the local place that many of you are getting them.

I know there is antenna's direct, but I can't pick that up (I don't think) and its a long drive anyway. Isn't there another one (I seem to remember Mo getting hers at this place?)

I have also looked at the ones at Home Depot and Lowes. I wonder if they might work.

Hey guys, I'm wanting to buy my father an antenna for Father's Day. I know I'm waiting until the last minute -- like always -- but I can't remember the name of the local place that many of you are getting them.

I know there is antenna's direct, but I can't pick that up (I don't think) and its a long drive anyway. Isn't there another one (I seem to remember Mo getting hers at this place?)

I have also looked at the ones at Home Depot and Lowes. I wonder if they might work.


Skywalker Communications in O'fallon, MO

I'm on several different email distribution lists for various types of online and electronic newsletters relating to the television and consumer electronics industries.

There are several BRIDGE newsletters (Media Business Corp) that I get for free, but then I also get "pitches" to buy their pay subscription reports, such as one that breaks down satellite vs cable penetration, organized by ZIP code.

Today, I received a pitch for a new publication called the Network Carriage Report. I thought the sales pitch/blurb on this newsletter was interesting and timely, so I thought I'd pass it on:
__________________________________________________

Recent news surrounding Multicast Must-Carry should have programmers concerned. Linear channels already are at a premium and with yesterday's news that the FCC will vote in favor of imposing multicast must-carry on cable operators, some tough carriage decisions lie ahead.

One analog cable channel can take as much bandwidth as up to 12 digital channels! And with approximately 1,752 additional commercial and educational digital TV stations poised to benefit from this legislation, combined with cable bandwidth constraints, programmers should be feeling a little queasy. Cable has no choice but to move and/or delete networks from their basic and digtial tiers to free up bandwidth.

With our Network Carriage Report, you will be the first to know of any changes to your channel position.
__________________________________________________

Ken,
Thanks for the tip on Lost. I missed the first 20 minutes of dialogue also. Doug was right the Closed Captioning is a good idea. But mine does not seem to work with Dish on OTA broadcasts. Ken do you, or anyone else, notice the same thing?
Deuces,
I have never used CC, I went to Menu >8 >8 >1 on the 622 and turned it on, then checked the OTA 2-1, 4-1, & 5-1. Works fine on mine. I will check it again during a OTA HD broadcast later on tonight.

I have to turn on the Digital CC on my D* STB if I want to see it.

I went through the same thing Ken. It didn't work on my recorded lost or live on Late Show last night. Maybe I am doing something wrong. It worked fine on sat channels.

I went through the same thing Ken. It didn't work on my recorded lost or live on Late Show last night. Maybe I am doing something wrong. It worked fine on sat channels.
Did you have it activated at the time you recorded the episode of Lost?
I haven't checked a OTA HD (Letterman), they make up those rules as they go along, so who knows, referring to HD/DT.
I'll play around with it.

EDIT: (9:30PM)
Deuces,
Well, I can't get it to not work. I've tried it on both 622's and my 211. I also went into the TV settings and toggled CC off/on, but the 622's override the TV's settings....with the TV CC setting toggled to OFF, and the 622 to ON, it worked.
I also turned it on during the game tonight on ABC, which is in HD and also worked fine.

Note to Jim--should you read this, the playoffs have looked great!

The only time I did not get CC was when I viewed a previously recorded event while CC was off during the recording of the event. When I played back the event and turned CC on, there was no caption. I would guess CC must be active during the recording.

I have a specific St. Louis HDTV question:

I am awaiting my new HDTV and will be upgrading my Charter subscription. I have a question regarding the cable box.

I am upgrading my home theater system as well, and the receivers that I am considering have either 2 optical inputs with one coaxial input for digital sound (Yamaha) versus 3 optical inputs (Onkyo).

Does the Charter cable box have a coaxial ouput for digital sound that I could run to my receiver? If I did my sound this way, would I be losing quality as opposed to using the optical output on the cable box?

Also, does the Charter cable box have DVI out for video?

Thanks for the help.

Brian

Sorry, I have one more question!

I was talking with my friend who has Charter HD and he was saying that in order to get ABC HD I need an antenna. Is this true? What other stations do I need an antenna for? What antenna is best to get, and where can I get it?

Thanks again for all of the help.

Brian

Brian,

I'm not a Charter HDTV subscriber but I believe Charter uses three different set-top boxes for HD services -- the Motorola 5100 and 6200 for basic receivers, and the MOXI DVR (also a Motorola box, but I don't know the model number).

All three provide both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs. I'm sure you wouldn't have to search far to find staunch advocates of one or the other, but I think optical and coax perform equally well.

For the rest of your questions, read this and post any follow-up questions you have from there:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7827583&&#post7827583

Brian,

I'm not a Charter HDTV subscriber but I believe Charter uses three different set-top boxes for HD services -- the Motorola 5100 and 6200 for basic receivers, and the MOXI DVR (also a Motorola box, but I don't know the model number).

All three provide both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs. I'm sure you wouldn't have to search far to find staunch advocates of one or the other, but I think optical and coax perform equally well.

For the rest of your questions, read this and post any follow-up questions you have from there:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7827583&&#post7827583

Thanks for the help, that answers a lot of my questions.

How does the Zeinth antenna plug into the TV--is there a special cable I need to get?

Brian

How does the Zeinth antenna plug into the TV--is there a special cable I need to get?

Brian

I got the Terk HDTVi antenna from CC, and it works really well (as least in my location). This antenna just screws in to the same place a typical cable wire would. Just make sure that whatever you get is a UHF antenna (I don't know if they even make VHF-only ones...).

Also, I just got an HD cable box and it has DVI output.

Just to clarify, you'll need something other than the cable box for pulling in KDNL-DT via an antenna.

None of the Charter cable boxes have any way to connect an antenna. But if you're getting a new HDTV, it probably has a built-in ATSC (not NTSC) tuner; if not, you'll need an additional OTA set-top box.

CHARTER HD

Just wanted to drop a quick note regarding Charter's HD box's.

They're avaialbe now. If you were on the waiting list and got no call, I am sorry about that.

So if you need one setup just call they're available. It's the regualr HD, not the DVR.

wolverine5767

SKYReport Editorial: Multi-Cast Madness

The following is a SKYReport commentary on the FCC's likely approval of multi-cast must-carry at next week's meeting.

It's interesting and encouraging that the cable industry plans to take this issue to court. It's probably too much to hope for, but it would be richly ironic if a court(s) actually takes the position that any sort of must-carry requirement contravenes the constitution and as a result broadcasters actually lose ground against the status quo.
_____________________________________________

Recent advertising from the National Association of Broadcasters promoting TV station delivery of multicast signals showed viewers being immersed in public affairs programming, weather updates and the latest news.

What was missing from the NAB ads, which circulated Capitol Hill this week? The infomercials and TV shopping channels most likely to become a big part of broadcasters' multicast content slate.

Broadcasters are getting a step closer to taking television content on a downward spiral thanks to an upcoming FCC vote that could force cable operators - whether they like it or not - to carry the extra streams of programming available through their digital spectrum. (Multicast's saving grace? That's if the FCC requires a public interest slate for the extra streams.)

Cable will likely challenge the rules in court, saying any multicast mandate would violate First Amendment free-speech rights. They also may argue the multicast regime goes beyond the original purpose of traditional must-carry rules contained in the1992 Cable Act.

Those points alone aren't the only reason why multicast must-carry should be struck down. The free ride broadcasters and their content would get through multicast must-carry is unfair to other programmers.

Broadcasters already have a government-granted competitive advantage over cable/satellite programmers given that they have guaranteed must-carry of a TV station's primary signal. Cable/satellite programmers must compete among themselves for carriage on a cable or DBS system. With multicast must-carry, broadcasters would get slots on a cable lineup without having to jump through the hurdles other content providers have to conquer before landing in a cable package.

Cable systems have finite capacity, much like satellite TV's limited spectrum (and who knows how the multicast rules will impact DBS). With multicast must-carry, independent networks could be left out of channel lineups, future innovations similar to video-on-demand and iTV wouldn't get to consumers, and broadcasters - when counting their various cable/DBS networks - would dominate the TV space. There would be no room left for other voices.

It's unlikely the Portals will turn back now from a multicast must-carry regime. And the devil will be in the multicast details released Wednesday.
_____________________________________________

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

According to Charter cable bill--they will be adding two new HD channels in July--TNT HD and MHD (the MTV HD channel).

Interesting choice--MHD. I wonder why they decided to add that channel, instead of Universal HD, or Starz HD (that they offer on other systems). MHD seems to feature a wide variety of music videos and concerts.

Still no ABC HD--thats a big problem. I'd really like to see World Cup and NBA finals in HD (so far, can't justify buying an OTA tuner/antenna for just one station).

I'm only reading between the lines here, but it appears that Charter is limited in (or self-limiting) the number of HD channels it provides, and rather than simply playing "follow the leaders" with a smaller offering, they're adding HD channels that give them something unique.

In the interest of fairness, I should note that on Wednesday evening, kSDk managed to provide Leno in HD on a delayed basis. I guess that was made necessary by the hockey game running long earlier in the evening. Nice to see that they were on the ball this time around, and I didn't notice any of the multi-color flashes that sometimes occur when kSDk uses it's time-delay facility.

Also, I don't know if this is a kSDk initiative or one that comes from NBC direct, but it appears that Leno is being re-run later in the morning (around 2 a.m.). I guess that's nice for DVR-less night-shift workers.

On the other hand, I can't help but be annoyed by the continuing problems with the kSDk onscreen HD logo. Not only is it floating up toward the middle of the picture, but the contrast is cranked so high on this, you can actually see the outline and overall size of the logo overlay. So, kSDk Amateur Hour is far from winding up...

The U.S. Open looked terrific in HD on ESPN this morning. It's about time that broadcasts held in non-primetime were in HD. It's on NBC this afternoon and I'm hoping it will also be in HD.

Agreed. I watched the ESPN replay last night & the picture quality was awesome.

My neighbor has Charter cable and he tells me that Charter is not carrying the NFL Network. Being a DIRECTV customer I called Charter to find out myself and they said the NFL wanted too much money for the NFL Network. These games are billed as marquee games with strong inter-division rivalries and possible playoff teams. With the popularity of the NFL and with it scheduling NFL games on Thursday's and Saturday's the 2nd half of the season, Charter will really piss off it's customers who love NFL games. My neighbor is going to drop Charter, find another telephone/internet carrier and pick up one of the DBS services who carry the NFL Network. I think many other Charter subscribers will do the same.
Note to cable users: The FCC ruled a few years back that home association covenants cannot prevent homeowners and some renters from installing a dish.

Actuially, I think the NFL Network removed themselves from Charter, not Charter removing the NFL Network. If I remember the story correctly, the NFL demanded that they be part of the basic digital tier, not some additional cost sport tier with the channel number lost in the 400's. The NFL Network was the leader and had upper hand in negotiations, since they knew they would be getting some exclusive rights to some major marquee games this year. Charter balked, and the NFL Network told them to remove their feed from Charter's system. At first I though the NFL Network made a big mistake, but just like with the NFL Sunday package on D*, the NFL is sticking to their guns.

In all matters Charter, you need to bear in mind the old saying, "follow the money."

Charter is in dire financial straits and has absolutely no money to spare, so whenever push comes to shove on money matters, whether it's programming, hardware inventory, etc., Charter is going to come up short.

CHARTER HD

Just wanted to drop a quick note regarding Charter's HD box's.

They're avaialbe now. If you were on the waiting list and got no call, I am sorry about that.

So if you need one setup just call they're available. It's the regualr HD, not the DVR.

wolverine5767

Wolverine,

Did you get my PM?

Tim

[QUOTE=DroptheRemote]SKYReport Editorial: Multi-Cast Madness

The following is a SKYReport commentary on the FCC's likely approval of multi-cast must-carry at next week's meeting.

It's interesting and encouraging that the cable industry plans to take this issue to court. It's probably too much to hope for, but it would be richly ironic if a court(s) actually takes the position that any sort of must-carry requirement contravenes the constitution and as a result broadcasters actually lose ground against the status quo.

Issues about picture quality of aside...I am not liking the impact to quality of the main channel either....

I don't understand why digital must carry is a big deal to the cable companies. If the stations are using the existing bandwidth of the high def channel how is this impacting bandwidth of the cable operators. Isn't the bandwidth required the same as carrying a full HD Feed? The multicast stream is still the same amount of bandwidth rather it be a single HD signal versus several streams. What am I missing here?

jkramer,

You make a good point, but I believe the nature of how the ATSC multi-channel feeds work and how cable plants would distribute those multiple channels is quite different. I'd bet there's at least some additional overhead in carrying the multiple channels on cable that wouldn't be present in the original ATSC feed. I wouldn't expect that overhead to amount to a huge amount of bandwidth for a single channel, but I suspect that when you multiply that by one or two dozen potential subchannels per market, that it could have a real, legitimate impact.

But in the end, I think this is more about broadcasters looking to get a free ride for carriage of multiple channels, and in many cases those free rides would contravene the cable (or satellite) company's ability to make use of limited bandwidth in the most profitable way.

If you've got 100 units of a finite resource and the goverment comes in, based on the lobbying effort of a third party who is in competition with other companies that are willing to pay a market rate for access to those units, and the government unilaterally orders you to make 5 or 10 of those 100 units available, free of charge, it significantly impacts the returns you can achieve on investments made.

I think it's perfectly natural to resist that sort of mandate.

OT, but I'm hoping someone here can shed some light on this issue for me.
I've been having connectivity issues with my Pipeline....go figure. The issue is deffinately outside the house. The 3rd Charter Tech was here this morning, here is what he told me the problem is:

"Charter put their broadband telephone service on such a close frequency as Pipeline is, it is causing problems for both phone and internet....the frequencies are so close that they often overlap and confuse the system which causes loss of service to both IP's attempting connection."

When I asked the tech what the solution is, he said, "your guess is as good as mine."

Other than knowing they are both broadband based, I'm not at all familiar with how it works. Does what the tech told me make any sense?
Each time a Tech comes here, Charter slaps a $39.00 service call charge on to my account. It takes an average of 3 phone calls, and 4 emails to get each one removed. They are one pathetic organization.

When I asked the tech what the solution is, he said, "your guess is as good as mine."This might have been a good time to point out that if he isn't part of the solution, he's definitely part of the problem.

CNET's "curtain-raiser" article on Blu-Ray's debut next week includes a sneak peek at the first Samsung BD player:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4530-10921-6542126.html?tag=nl.e702

Just to clarify, you'll need something other than the cable box for pulling in KDNL-DT via an antenna.

None of the Charter cable boxes have any way to connect an antenna. But if you're getting a new HDTV, it probably has a built-in ATSC (not NTSC) tuner; if not, you'll need an additional OTA set-top box.

I'm getting the Sammy HLS-5687W and it does not have a TV tuner, so I'll be purchasing an antenna as well.

brian

According to Charter cable bill--they will be adding two new HD channels in July--TNT HD and MHD (the MTV HD channel).

Interesting choice--MHD. I wonder why they decided to add that channel, instead of Universal HD, or Starz HD (that they offer on other systems). MHD seems to feature a wide variety of music videos and concerts.

Still no ABC HD--thats a big problem. I'd really like to see World Cup and NBA finals in HD (so far, can't justify buying an OTA tuner/antenna for just one station).

my question is why not ESPN2 HD as well . . . ABC and ESPN2 would seem to be most logical.

brian

I'm getting the Sammy HLS-5687W and it does not have a TV tuner, so I'll be purchasing an antenna as well.

brian

You need an ATSC tuner to pair with your antenna. If you get an antenna, you'll need to get an OTA(ATSC) tuner.
Dug

In the interest of fairness, I should note that on Wednesday evening, kSDk managed to provide Leno in HD on a delayed basis. I guess that was made necessary by the hockey game running long earlier in the evening. Nice to see that they were on the ball this time around, and I didn't notice any of the multi-color flashes that sometimes occur when kSDk uses it's time-delay facility.

However, after, what has it been, over a YEAR now.... the 2.0 channel audio is still being flagged as 5.1. So there is still no center channel, no rear channels, and no subwoofer.

I tuned in Wednesday evening to see if there'd be any fireworks between George Carlin and Ann Coulter.... kinda surprised that there weren't any.

Wasn't the hockey game carried nationally by the NBC network? If so, wouldn't NBC have delayed Leno itself rather than local affiliates having to do it? That would explain kSDk's appearance of suddenly having a clue.....

Good point on the delay -- it probably was network-driven. So much for trying to give kSDk credit. I oughta know better. I will say they did at least figure out the HD time-delay issues on SNL (no multi-color flashes in the last few shows of last season).

BTW, on that same Leno show as Carlin and Coulter, K.T. Tunstall's performance ("Black Horse in a Cherry Tree") was awesome. Also saw her on Letterman a few weeks back and she was superb there, too. Worth trying to catch either of those if they appear in the next repeat cycle.

I'm getting the Sammy HLS-5687W and it does not have a TV tuner, so I'll be purchasing an antenna as well.

brian

Is this one of the new Samsungs with LED projection? If so, I'd really be interested in rainbow effect with these projectors. Anyone know if there is one of the LED based DLP RPTV on display in the area? (I'm seriously out of the loop here.)

Joe,

I don't think the LED-based DLPs are out yet, but maybe Tom Grooms can update on that.

From what I've seen, the initial roll-out on the new HL-S Samsung models has been pretty slow, with only a couple of floor models and limited inventory at stores.

....."Charter put their broadband telephone service on such a close frequency as Pipeline is, it is causing problems for both phone and internet....the frequencies are so close that they often overlap and confuse the system which causes loss of service to both IP's attempting connection."

When I asked the tech what the solution is, he said, "your guess is as good as mine."

Sounds like a bunch ot techno-babble to be. Their broadband phone service is IP-based. Therefore it essentially shares your Pipeline connection with any data traffic you may or may not be generating. Voice and data SHOULD coexist nicely. In fact, it's all just ones and zeros. There simply aren't any "frequency" differences between the two. The distinction is in the identifying headers of the corresponding data (IP) packets. Voice packets are directed to your phone, data packets to your computer. "Freqencies" implies some sort of multiplexing.

Ken, I'm not sure what your issue is, but my guess is that it lies in the router, the configuration or (most likely) the Charter network itself.

Joe,

I don't think the LED-based DLPs are out yet, but maybe Tom Grooms can update on that.

From what I've seen, the initial roll-out on the new HL-S Samsung models has been pretty slow, with only a couple of floor models and limited inventory at stores. A lot of the HL-S models are here but don't hold your breath waiting on the 79 series. The purchase order dates have been pushed back three times now. End of July was the latest update. :(

The new 731 series Mitusbishis are in the shop. Good looking set out of the box and cheap too. $2500 for a 56" 1080p DLP. Have you had a chance to look at this piece Doug?

Joe,

I don't think the LED-based DLPs are out yet, but maybe Tom Grooms can update on that.

From what I've seen, the initial roll-out on the new HL-S Samsung models has been pretty slow, with only a couple of floor models and limited inventory at stores.

What I'm really interested in is LED DLP front projection. Of course, that's considerably further into the future. They need to get more brightness for front projection LED to be viable, but if they can solve that problem, it could be a solution I'd find ideal. Imagine a projector that is:

1. Near instant on.
2. Little to no rainbow effect.
3. Super long LED bulb life.
4. Zero convergence issues.
5. Incredibly crisp detail.

Show me where to sign for that one.

Sounds like a bunch ot techno-babble to be. Their broadband phone service is IP-based. Therefore it essentially shares your Pipeline connection with any data traffic you may or may not be generating. Voice and data SHOULD coexist nicely. In fact, it's all just ones and zeros. There simply aren't any "frequency" differences between the two. The distinction is in the identifying headers of the corresponding data (IP) packets. Voice packets are directed to your phone, data packets to your computer. "Freqencies" implies some sort of multiplexing.


Actually the Charter broadband is divided up into channels (frequencies). They actually are doing frequency division multiplexing. You could actually run several separate simultaneous IP streams over it. The end devices listen to their frequency - which can be digital TV, analog TV, IP, IPTV, or IP Telephony - or multiple of the same - doesn't matter. Its not the same stream, they are distinct.

The comment about them 'overlapping' is a bit odd as there is typically a buffer between the frequencies - but if the end devices are not well engineered, I guess there could be some issues, but ultimately the design of broadband is so there is not overlap... Now if Charter is squeezing the buffers to get an extra couple streams (i.e. revenue)... well....

Chris

OT, but I'm hoping someone here can shed some light on this issue for me.
I've been having connectivity issues with my Pipeline....go figure. The issue is deffinately outside the house. The 3rd Charter Tech was here this morning, here is what he told me the problem is:


Are they building new houses in your area or rerouting cable? It is most likely a signal issue - either too high or too low. If it was truly an issue with the broadband frequencies overlapping - that would be much more common, not local. I would venture a guess that your signal is too high or low, which the tech should report. Charter will often NOT report it if it is too low, because that requires more work, up to and including running RG-11 from the box to your house which is expensive.

I'd demand to know what the db loss is at your house (not the street box). Then I'd have them measure it at the cable the modem is plugged into. That will tell you if its them or in your house (cabling problem).

Chris

Thank you Mo & Bud, very helpful explanations.

Now if Charter is squeezing the buffers to get an extra couple streams (i.e. revenue)... well.... Charter wouldn't do that...would they :mad:

EDIT: They (all 3 techs) did do that Chris. I made them use the RG11 when they did the original install, as the run was 280'. I don't know what the high/low should be, but I watched all 3 techs read it at the box the RG11 feeds from and again at the modem. All 3 said it was excellent and had satisfied looks on their face as the reading came up.

I know it is not the modem or router as we swapped them both out with new, twice. I'm also certain it is not anything to do with our network config. I've also ran 3 separate modems direct to 3 different processors, and experienced exactly the same.
I've had Pipeline for 3+ years with very limited issues that were always related to know system-wide outages. This began 3 months ago, is very intermittent, and follows no pattern. It ranges from going down/up 5 times in a minute and then not go down for several days. Also, no...no new construction anywhere within 3 miles.

So, I can't figure it out, Charter can't figure it out. We can't be without the HSI, and they're the only show in town, at least down this way. I check the DSL's and FiOS availability every week....hoping.

According to Charter cable bill--they will be adding two new HD channels in July--TNT HD and MHD (the MTV HD channel).

Interesting choice--MHD. I wonder why they decided to add that channel, instead of Universal HD, or Starz HD (that they offer on other systems). MHD seems to feature a wide variety of music videos and concerts.

Still no ABC HD--thats a big problem. I'd really like to see World Cup and NBA finals in HD (so far, can't justify buying an OTA tuner/antenna for just one station).

You can get an OTA tuner and antenna for less than $75. Is that not worth it to get ABC?

Scott

I Tivo'd yesterdays US Open. ESPN's broadcast was stellar. NBC forgot to flip the switch I guess until way later into the broadcast. I hope there are no screw ups today.

Scott

What I'm really interested in is LED DLP front projection. Of course, that's considerably further into the future. They need to get more brightness for front projection LED to be viable, but if they can solve that problem, it could be a solution I'd find ideal. Imagine a projector that is:

1. Near instant on.
2. Little to no rainbow effect.
3. Super long LED bulb life.
4. Zero convergence issues.
5. Incredibly crisp detail.

Show me where to sign for that one.

You forgot the most important thing that keeps CRT people in the CRT camp.....BLACKS. I can watch with some rainbows, I can even put up with screen door. The one thing that keeps my Marquee where it is...black blacks with shadow detail. Until this happens with digital I am keeping my CRT. :)

Walt

You forgot the most important thing that keeps CRT people in the CRT camp.....BLACKS. I can watch with some rainbows, I can even put up with screen door. The one thing that keeps my Marquee where it is...black blacks with shadow detail. Until this happens with digital I am keeping my CRT. :)

Walt

Can't argue with that. The purist in me still misses the truly black blacks of a great CRT. However, CRT has its negatives, too, and they can be pretty severe.

1. Installation and maintenance issues.
2. Long warmup times (to full brightness).
3. Convergence issues (during setup, during warmup, over time).
4. Low brightness.

The worst of these is the installation. I traded blacks for ease of use a few years ago and I haven't regretted the decision (most of the time). Especially with the newer DLPs, it's not nearly as much of an issue. Newer DLP designs actually give you better blacks than you're going to find in almost all movie theaters. And setup, installation, brightness and convergence (and fine detail) advantages tip the scales to DLP for me.

It's only during really dark scenes that I miss the richness of CRT blacks. LED might help solve some of that remaining problem as well.

All that said, I do still miss those rich blacks. ;)

You need an ATSC tuner to pair with your antenna. If you get an antenna, you'll need to get an OTA(ATSC) tuner.
Dug

where can I get the ATSC tuner and the antenna? do they sell them at CC or Best Buy?

brian

I know it is not the modem or router as we swapped them both out with new, twice. I'm also certain it is not anything to do with our network config. I've also ran 3 separate modems direct to 3 different processors, and experienced exactly the same.


This may sound kind of strange, but when you replaced the modem, did you replace the power cord as well.

A year or so ago, I had the same problem. I replaced the modem twice, but left the power cord as it was a hassel to untangle all the wires behind the desk. The problem didn't go away. Needless to say, the charter guy (the third one) says sometimes they go bad and it causes problems like I was having.

Tim

This may sound kind of strange, but when you replaced the modem, did you replace the power cord as well.
A year or so ago, I had the same problem. I replaced the modem twice, but left the power cord as it was a hassel to untangle all the wires behind the desk. The problem didn't go away. Needless to say, the charter guy (the third one) says sometimes they go bad and it causes problems like I was having.
Tim
Yes Tim, I did replace it. It's not as strange as it sounds. Also about a year ago, the power cord on one of my routers failed. The router "seemed" to be operating normally, but the power cord turned out to be the source of the issue.

This morning, I took a modem and laptop outside to the box the RG11 feeds into my house from, and connected to Pipeline ahead of the feed, using a new modem, power cord, and enet cable. I had to use a 20' extension cord for AC power, so I used a 10ga to avoid any fluctuation. After registering the modem with the Charter system, I set up a log file to monitor connectivity, and left it there for 2 hours. It lost connection 14 times in the 2 hours. The area supervisor for Pipeline is coming here on Monday to view the results, though Charter still claims it is an ongoing issue having to do with phone & internet.

My next-door neighbor also has Pipeline, which comes into her house off a different box. She's having the identical issues.

Sorry everyone for all this OT stuff. :o Your information has been most helpful, I appreciate it.

where can I get the ATSC tuner and the antenna? do they sell them at CC or Best Buy?
brian
Brian,
You first need to determine the type of antenna you need. eg: indoor/outdoor, etc. Where are you located? You can use www.antennaweb.org to determine which type/size antenna you need.

CNET's "curtain-raiser" article on Blu-Ray's debut next week includes a sneak peek at the first Samsung BD player:



I saw the Samsung Blu-Ray player at the Brentwood Circuit City this morning. It was hooked up to the 50" 1080P DLP Sammy playing House of Flying Daggers... titles don't go on sale until tuesday.

I had the sales guy demo it for me and it booted up and started playing pretty quick...under a minute.

-Matt H

I saw the Samsung Blu-Ray player at the Brentwood Circuit City this morning. It was hooked up to the 50" 1080P DLP Sammy playing House of Flying Daggers... titles don't go on sale until tuesday.

I had the sales guy demo it for me and it booted up and started playing pretty quick...under a minute.

-Matt H

Do you know if all the CCs have the demo units? Titles go on sale, but not the players?

Yes Tim, I did replace it. It's not as strange as it sounds. Also about a year ago, the power cord on one of my routers failed. The router "seemed" to be operating normally, but the power cord turned out to be the source of the issue.

This morning, I took a modem and laptop outside to the box the RG11 feeds into my house from, and connected to Pipeline ahead of the feed, using a new modem, power cord, and enet cable. I had to use a 20' extension cord for AC power, so I used a 10ga to avoid any fluctuation. After registering the modem with the Charter system, I set up a log file to monitor connectivity, and left it there for 2 hours. It lost connection 14 times in the 2 hours. The area supervisor for Pipeline is coming here on Monday to view the results, though Charter still claims it is an ongoing issue having to do with phone & internet.

My next-door neighbor also has Pipeline, which comes into her house off a different box. She's having the identical issues.

Sorry everyone for all this OT stuff. :o Your information has been most helpful, I appreciate it.

I was having similar problems for a couple of weeks in my area, south city. Suddenly, it cleared up and I've had pretty consistent service ever since. I've been pretty happy with it since then and I have Vonage, so I get my phone service pretty inexpensively, too. Vonage now offers free calling to (I think) the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Ireland (not sure about all those European countries, but it is free to 5 of them).

Do you know if all the CCs have the demo units? Titles go on sale, but not the players?
Walk Away, Joe :D

I see Sony has released a VAIO notebook with a Blu-ray R/W drive, 17" 1920x1200 WS display, TV tuner (NTSC) and XPME....$3500.

Brian,
You first need to determine the type of antenna you need. eg: indoor/outdoor, etc. Where are you located? You can use www.antennaweb.org to determine which type/size antenna you need.

I think I need an indoor antenna, as I live in a condo in the central west end and don't have a place to mount the antenna outside.

brian

Do you know if all the CCs have the demo units? Titles go on sale, but not the players?


The guy said they had the players for sale (but limited inventory) and they had the discs, but the discs don't go on sale untill Tuesday, with all the other new releases. They were showing House of Flying Daggers, and it looked pretty sweet. Also got to see the up-converting capability, and I have to say it looked pretty good. I don't know if any other CC have them in stock or on display yet, but I think most of the St Louis stores get their weekly shipments on the same day, so they might have 'em.

-Matt

Walk Away, Joe :D

I see Sony has released a VAIO notebook with a Blu-ray R/W drive, 17" 1920x1200 WS display, TV tuner (NTSC) and XPME....$3500.

Ken, you don't think I'd be swayed by this technology, do you? Not a chance! Well, maybe there is a small chance, but not right away. I'm going to wait several months, at least. Unless I find out it can do things I really want to do. Then I might bite a little sooner. Where was that Circuit City again? :eek:

Ken, you don't think I'd be swayed by this technology, do you? Not a chance! Well, maybe there is a small chance, but not right away. I'm going to wait several months, at least. Unless I find out it can do things I really want to do. Then I might bite a little sooner. Where was that Circuit City again? :eek:


Heh Heh, it's the one on Brentwood Blvd, just south of Highway 40 and the galleria...Me? I'm waiting on the PS3.

-Matt

Heh Heh, it's the one on Brentwood Blvd, just south of Highway 40 and the galleria...Me? I'm waiting on the PS3.

-Matt

Hah, Joe is probably in Brentwood as of this writing waiting for CC to open. He'll probably be watching his new BD player today. :D

Happy Fathers Day all,

Scott

You're not the only one.

My buddy and I were talking about whether we'd ever buy another game system again. We both agreed the PS3 might be worth it due to the games and BluRay.

But, we're both PlayStation guys who've been w/ the Sony game consoles since the PSX.

Joe,
If that VAIO had an ATSC tuner, with XPME, would it be capable of recording off-air HD on to the Blu-ray R/W drive?
Also, it has HDMI and VGA outputs. If it had a HDMI input, would it then be capable of using the 622 as its tuner?

OK to reply when you get home from Brentwood :D

I too, am seeking an ATSC outboard tuner. But I cannot locate a decent one on the web for under $150. Does anyone know which specific D* receivers will allow full OTA DT operation without a subscription? As an E* sub, none of the E* models seem to allow this.

I need specific model numbers so I can try to snag a functional one off eBay. I would hate to win one for say, $50 and find out that it's useless.

As far as I know, all non-DirecTV-branded HD tuners allow you to use the OTA receiver without a DirecTV subscription. Even the HD TiVo will function as an OTA tuner without a subscription, but the DVR functionality, even for OTA, requires a subscription.

Not sure about the new DirecTV-branded HD receivers, but it would not surprise me that those required a subscription for OTA reception. Anyone know the situation there?

According to Charter cable bill--they will be adding two new HD channels in July--TNT HD and MHD (the MTV HD channel).

Interesting choice--MHD. I wonder why they decided to add that channel, instead of Universal HD, or Starz HD (that they offer on other systems). MHD seems to feature a wide variety of music videos and concerts.

Still no ABC HD--thats a big problem. I'd really like to see World Cup and NBA finals in HD (so far, can't justify buying an OTA tuner/antenna for just one station).

You forgot to add that they are raising the price for the HD Tier from $3.99 to $6.99. Someone please correct me if I am wrong but the only thing I get with the HD-Tier is HDNet, HDNet Movies, ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater and soon to be added TNT HD and MHD. I get Showtime/HBO HD with subscription to those premium channels and HD locals and FSN MW with my basic subscription. If all this is correct it doesn't seem worth $6.99/month for 6 channels.

Steve

As far as I know, all non-DirecTV-branded HD tuners allow you to use the OTA receiver without a DirecTV subscription. Even the HD TiVo will function as an OTA tuner without a subscription, but the DVR functionality, even for OTA, requires a subscription.

Not sure about the new DirecTV-branded HD receivers, but it would not surprise me that those required a subscription for OTA reception. Anyone know the situation there?

Doug,

It's the used HD D* receivers that are all over the place on eBay. That's why I'm trying to see if anyone knows for certain if any particular D* models will allow standalone OTA reception. The non-DirectTV models are in the $150 range with shipping.

Moman

Find a Samsung SIR TS360 (Directv HD receiver) on Ebay for around 100 bucks. It will give you OTA, act as a transcoder from Y Pb Pr to RGBHV and a scaler for your DVD player. If it has been set for OTA, you will not need a card. If it has been set to use the card, you will need to borrow a card to set it for OTA. After that you can pull the card and it just works. Next to my MyHD card I liked the Sammy best.

Walt

Walt,

Thank you for the advice. In follow up, will D* need to be notified to allow the borrowed card to work? And will I need the card again if I want to change the OTA config? Say a station decides to add a sub channel.

I just want to add one thing to the DirecTV HD tuner functionality thing.

First, the HD-TiVo *will* work as a tuner w/o a subscription as Doug indicated. He is also correct that the DVR functionality is not operable w/o DirecTV subscription. However, you *can* still pause, FF, and RW live OTA TV w/ the HD-TiVo even w/o a subscription.

I do it all the time right now. Just waiting for my home renovations to be complete and then I'll order DirecTV service.

Joe,
If that VAIO had an ATSC tuner, with XPME, would it be capable of recording off-air HD on to the Blu-ray R/W drive?
Also, it has HDMI and VGA outputs. If it had a HDMI input, would it then be capable of using the 622 as its tuner?

OK to reply when you get home from Brentwood :D

Good question about the ATSC tuner. I don't know. I believe that was supposed to be the idea, but sadly not much seems to be happening in that area. It's technologically possible, but the content providers seem intent on preventing as much personal recording as they can, so things move ever so slowly.

As to using the 622 for a tuner, I'd think that would be next to impossible. The 622 can be modified with the Nextcom R5000 now, and it will be an easy step to move to Blu-ray recording on BD-Recordables from there. Of course the computer is an intermediate step between the 622 and the recordable Blu-ray disc.

That's what I'm doing now with HD DVD - except of course that I'm using regular DVD+R and DVD+R DL discs for archiving until the HD DVD recordables are available and come down to a more affordable price. One good sign is that I see in today's paper that DVD+R double layer discs are on sale at Best Buy for less than $2 a piece.

As to Blu-ray players, I want to see the demo, but I'm pretty happy just being able to record my HD DVDs now. I'm not even sure I'll be able to record a Blu-ray disc from the software I have. That's the next test. My next HD player purchase, I hope, will be a combo player that can handle both HD DVD and Blu-ray. (Pray for me.)

Here's a brief report on the HD DVD recordings I've been able to produce:

1. All the episodes of Battlestar Galactica from Universal HD I've been able to snag with my R5000.
2. Lots of episodes of Smallville from KPLR and HDNet.
3. Rick Steves' Europe.
4. Smart Travels.
5. Miscellaneous mini-series from Discovery HD Theater.
6. Quite a few movies (I was having trouble with those for a while, but worked it out). A few films even fit in their entirety on DVD DL discs - Men in Black, Robots, Before Sunset, White Noise, several others. I recorded Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith from HBO and it's perhaps the best HD quality I've seen yet from HBO. I split it across two DVD+Rs.
7. Lots of single shows from satellite.

To date, I have between 80-100 HD DVD titles in HD DVD format that play very well on my Toshiba A1 HD DVD player. No real issues with the player, either. It's slower than a regular DVD player, but from the reports I've read the new Blu-ray players are not speed demons, either. The Toshiba also has an Ethernet port (for firmware updates), which none of the first generation Blu-ray players have. Also, the Blu-ray players are 2-3 time more expensive than the Toshiba.

I have only two commercial HD DVD discs - Serenity and Apollo 13. Very few of the initial releases have been titles I really want. I've seen speculation that the studios are releasing less than stellar titles in both formats because they know there are only a handful of people who own the players now. They are waiting for the really big releases until they can sell more than a few thousand titles. Maybe after a month of Playstation 3 sales, we'll see some really big titles hit the shelves.

I love that HD discs are finally a reality. I'm upset that greed prevented a single format from becoming the standard. Having two guarantees confusion and a slower adoption of the new technology by the buying public.

FCC Reportedly Lacks Votes to Mandate Multi-Cast

The following excerpt is from a story that was included in today's SKYReport newsletter.
______________________________________

CableFAX Daily reported late Sunday the Federal Communications Commission won't vote on multicast must-carry for cable. Apparently, there are not enough votes to carry the issue.

Nonetheless, as the cable and broadcast businesses prepared for Wednesday's "now-not-going-to-happen" action on multicast must-carry, companies were bombarding the Portals with their take on the mater.

The more notable filing on multicast must-carry came from ION Networks, also known as Paxson, which owns broadcast stations across the country.

ION listed multicast channels it has proposed - or have been suggested by other broadcasters - for delivery to viewers. They included the usual mix of news and public affairs programming that would be offered via multicast.

ION also said it would use multicast to deliver a national children's network and a national channel aimed at the African-American community.

More
______________________________________

To read the complete story, go to www.skyreport.com

I just got around to playing back Thursday night's episodes of Smallville and Supernatural from 11-1 on my FusionHDTV card....macroblocking and pixellation galore, completely unwatchable.

Was KPLR-DT having problems specific to that night? Or is this how 11-1 looks all the time now that TheShaft, I mean TheTube is stealing some of the bandwidth? Or am I just having a problem with the Fusion card?

Doug,

It's the used HD D* receivers that are all over the place on eBay. That's why I'm trying to see if anyone knows for certain if any particular D* models will allow standalone OTA reception. The non-DirectTV models are in the $150 range with shipping.

As others have already stated, you can use a D* receiver for standalone OTA reception. I particularly used a Sony HD-200 for almost a month before I activated my new service account with D* several years ago.

Robert,

I think KPLR is having problems. I'm not sure if these are a direct result of bandwidth issue, or if it's coincident with the process of reconfiguring things in order to set up the subchannel (in other words, changes that were made that were unrelated to bandwidth allocation).

Greg of KPLR hasn't been around here for some time now, but I'm going to try to contact him offline this week to see if I can't find out more about what's going on. I'm surprised that things have slid so far downhill -- KPLR has traditionally done an excellent job with HD broadcasting.

But lately it's been a total mess, and from the outside looking in, there doesn't appear to be any effort going on to address the problems.

NetFlix Planning Net-Connected STB to Deliver Movies

The following story is extracted from today's TV Predictions newsletter:
______________________________________________

NetFlix is planning to introduce a set-top box that can download movies via a high-speed Internet connection.

That's according to Eric Besner, the company's vice president of original programming who made the disclosure at an industry conference last week in Beverly Hills, reports Variety.

Besner said the Internet TV service could start as early as this year. Rather than receiving NetFlix's DVDs via the mail, subscribers could simply download the films and watch them the next day on their TVs.

NetFlix's signal that it will offer an Internet TV service follows similar Net TV announcements from TiVo and DIRECTV. And you'll see more in the coming weeks and months.

I predict that Internet TV will revolutionize the TV industry. Unlike a cable "head end" or a satellite in orbit, an Internet server can store an almost unlimited amount of shows. For instance, NBC could put hundreds or thousands of shows on a group of servers, allowing viewers to watch everything from the first Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to last week's Desperate Housewives.

More
______________________________________________

To read a Variety online story about Netflix' plans, click here. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117945486?categoryid=18&cs=1)

Ya gotta love this, but hey it's the Swann so...

I predict that Internet TV will revolutionize the TV industry. Unlike a cable "head end" or a satellite in orbit, an Internet server can store an almost unlimited amount of shows. For instance, NBC could put hundreds or thousands of shows on a group of servers, allowing viewers to watch everything from the first Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to last week's Desperate Housewives.

Why would NBC by putting up an ABC show on their servers? :D


Anyway, we're back to ye olde bandwidth issue. Let's assume multi-pass MP4 or VC-1 encoding which would get the average bit rate down to 4 Mbits/second for an SD show.

For most users that means you can't "real time" the download. I have a 5 Mb/sec connection from Charter and I am rarely able to get 1/2 that bandwidth. That being the case, we're talking about a ~2:1 differential vs. real time. Of course they could choke the Average Bit Rate down and kill PQ which is not outside the realm of possibility.

For HD, it's even worse, assuming they would have both HD and SD content.

We haven't even discussed the issues with designing the head end infrastructure to handle the volume.

Cheers,

Hey are any of you that use charter's digital box experiencing audio delays? I get it on a handful of stations, including most non-HD locals... For instance, yesterdays baseball game had a delay of about gosh, a half second or more? Thats alot.