OK, any other Charter CableCard subscribers having problems with KPLR-DT and KETC-DT? I haven't had them since the storms.

I have Charter ableCard in Illinois and am getting all the HD channels including KPLR-DT and KETC-DT.

OK, any other Charter CableCard subscribers having problems with KPLR-DT and KETC-DT? I haven't had them since the storms.


My KPLR was really pixelated at times for a few days, as was FOX. Other than that, everything is showing up.

Just ordered my Dish 622 and 1000+. To be installed on Aug 19.
Also, ATT just anounced DSL in our area.

Looks like I can finally drop Charter for Internet and phone. :cool:

so, what is this ksdk "special" tonight on HD? Are they trying to show theirs off, or "educate" the public?

Just ordered my Dish 622 and 1000+. To be installed on Aug 19.
Also, ATT just anounced DSL in our area.

Looks like I can finally drop Charter for Internet and phone. :cool:

Don't go dropping Charter just yet. The little signs popped up in our neighborhood over 3 weeks ago (there's at least 3 on a major feeder road and 2 more in the neighborhood itself). There's even one less than 1000 feet from my house. When we call AT&T they simply give us a line about not in the system yet - call back. Some of the WORST marketing I've ever seen.

Chris

so, what is this ksdk "special" tonight on HD? Are they trying to show theirs off, or "educate" the public?If ever we needed a citywide power outage... http://forum.team-ingame.de/images/smilies/sofa.gif

Hey everyone,

I just got my power back the other day and finally had a good chance to watch some TV last evening. KMOV-DT is much lower strenght than it was prior to the storm and I"m getting a few dropouts on KPLR-DT also. Has anone else had this problem?

The most obvious answer could be that my antenna was messed up, but my antenna is in my attic and I cannot see how it could have moved. Before I go up in that 120 degree heat, I figured I'd ask and see if there was anything I missed.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I just got my power back the other day and finally had a good chance to watch some TV last evening. KMOV-DT is much lower strenght than it was prior to the storm and I"m getting a few dropouts on KPLR-DT also. Has anone else had this problem?

The most obvious answer could be that my antenna was messed up, but my antenna is in my attic and I cannot see how it could have moved. Before I go up in that 120 degree heat, I figured I'd ask and see if there was anything I missed.

Thanks!

I think everyone has experienced trouble with KPLR since the storm, so don't go into the attic for that. It's actually gotten a little better than it was after the outage.

DirecTV Now Says HD DVR Available in August (in L.A.)

The following is from TelevisionWeek.com's High Definition newsletter:
_____________________________________________

DirecTV, the biggest U.S. satellite television service, plans to debut new digital video recorders with HD capability next month after being stung by criticism of past delays in rolling out the boxes.

The devices will hit Los Angeles in August and roll out in other major markets in subsequent weeks, DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said. The timeline is more specific than past "fall" deadlines previously announced by the News Corp.-owned company. Last week, critics ranging from a Wall Street analyst to frustrated subscribers voiced irritation with the delays in introducing the HD DVRs.

Mr. Mercer said that despite controversy about the delays, DirecTV's distribution timeline hasn't changed since early this year.

"We're just trying to clarify that it's rolling out in L.A. in mid-August," he said.

The next-generation HD DVRs are key to DirecTV's plans to become more competitive in the high-end TV marketplace. In 2004, DirecTV announced plans to switch DVR manufacturers from the popular Tivo brand to fellow News Corp. company NDS Group. But technological issues have repeatedly sidelined the NDS devices.

The Tivo-replacing HD DVRs were originally supposed to roll out last fall. Then early this year. Then this fall...

Even with the August target date, marketplace experts said several key questions remain: Will DirecTV yet again miss its deadline? Will it lose customers in the interim? Will the new DVRs satisfy users accustomed to the relatively glitch-free and user-friendly Tivo brand?
_____________________________________________

To read the complete TVWeek.com story, click here. (http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=202)

Just to add to what Joe said about KPLR, immediately after the storm, both KMOV-DT and KPLR-DT were off the air. KMOV-DT came back about 12 hours later, and then KPLR-DT was back on Sunday morning.

As it happens, the digital transmitters for KPLR and KMOV are co-located. Whatever happened apparently impacted transmission for both, and it may be that neither are completely back to normal.

Howard Stern to Offer Weekly HD Episode

Of course, since neither Charter, nor DISH, nor DirecTV carry InHD, this is a bit of a non-event locally.

The following item is from TVWeek.com's High Definition newsletter:
____________________________________________

Howard Stern fans, rejoice: Naked strippers will soon be available in high definition.

IN Demand Networks plans to add a weekly HD episode to its Howard Stern On Demand service.

The daily televised version of the talk show host's Sirius satellite radio show has been shot in HD since its launch in January.

But the uncensored, subscription-only program has been available only in standard definition (aside from a half-hour edited-for-content promotional clip show running weekly on INHD).

The plans call for at least one episode per week to be made available in HD on the $12.95-per-month subscription service by the end of the year. The additions represents iN Demand's latest effort to lasso more Stern subscribers and push more HD options into the VOD marketplace.

"It's always been planned from the beginning that everything will be produced in hi-def," said Rob Jacobson, president and CEO of iN Demand Networks. "There will be an increasing hi-def companion to the [SD version]."

On HD message boards, Stern enthusiasts have asked for a version of the show that's not downscaled to standard definition. Mr. Jacobson said cable operator bandwidth constraints have kept the show from being offered in its native format. Since iN Demand is jointly owned by cable operators Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Advance/Newhouse, the company has a front-row seat to HD bandwidth concerns.

"The challenge has been that the more the subscription numbers go up, the more bandwidth [having an HD version] will take up," he said.

IN Demand doesn't release subscription numbers for Stern's program. Sources said the program has performed well despite the limited penetration of VOD-enabled digital set-top-boxes.
____________________________________________

For more TV Week stories, go to www.tvweek.com

Don't go dropping Charter just yet. The little signs popped up in our neighborhood over 3 weeks ago (there's at least 3 on a major feeder road and 2 more in the neighborhood itself). There's even one less than 1000 feet from my house. When we call AT&T they simply give us a line about not in the system yet - call back. Some of the WORST marketing I've ever seen.

Chris

I called ATT, gave em my address and they said I can order. I'm checking out which bundle I want/need. Guess I'm lucky to be at the front of the neighborhood.

Funny thing is, I had DSL when it was around 300K. Then Charter came out with faster/cheaper service. After Charter jacked their prices I tried to go back to SBC about a year, but they said I was no longer in range (last I check my house didn;t move)

Charter is still faster, but I don't really need 5MB download. And since the storm I've had to reset my Charter phone box daily (I think something got fried)

Dave

BudShark and Dulhllein before I had SBC I was told DSL was not available in my area. At that time I had Charter phone service. Dropped Charter and then all of sudden I was able to get DSL when I subscribed to SBC. Also for some reason I was on the SBC web site the other day and when I entered my 63125 zip code it showed that DSL was not available in that zip code area.

I don't think Charter is running SBC?

If ever we needed a citywide power outage... http://forum.team-ingame.de/images/smilies/sofa.gif

Now that was funny. True, but funny. :D

Scott

If ever we needed a citywide power outage... http://forum.team-ingame.de/images/smilies/sofa.gif
Is it just on my end or did anyone else lose the KSDK-DT signal right in the middle of their "HD special?"

I got my new zenith antenna tonight and was aiming it and I had a perfect KSDK-DT signal and was laughing at their lame special when it went out completely.

I'm getting all the local broadcasts at full or very near full signal but no KSDK-DT. This little antenna is pretty impressive. Thanks for the help Doug.

jermy4,

I think your signal loss must have been a local thing. There were a few brief signal break-ups when I watched it via TiVo, but I suspect that even those were local to me.

But I'm glad that you're finding the Zenith antenna to be a good solution.

While the special was pretty pedestrian, I think as an HDTV introduction for a very broad audience that that was appropriate. Too bad that something like this couldn't have been done to educate viewers 5 years ago. But better late than never.

Maybe I was reading too much between the lines, but the early part of the tutorial seemed to carry a bias toward OTA broadcasting, such as the suggestion that an HDTV with a built-in tuner would be all you need. Likewise, the need for an external STB was presented in a negative light. Mike Bush's news report (in SD with sidebars) at Ultimate Electronics also seemed to put undue emphasis on OTA.

Probably the biggest negative in the show was the plug at the end about NFL games in HD coming to KSDK this fall. The football clips shown were s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d standard def that looked truly gruesome.

jermy4,

I think your signal loss must have been a local thing. There were a few brief signal break-ups when I watched it via TiVo, but I suspect that even those were local to me.

But I'm glad that you're finding the Zenith antenna to be a good solution.

While the special was pretty pedestrian, I think as an HDTV introduction for a very broad audience that that was appropriate. Too bad that something like this couldn't have been done to educate viewers 5 years ago. But better late than never.

Maybe I was reading too much between the lines, but the early part of the tutorial seemed to carry a bias toward OTA broadcasting, such as the suggestion that an HDTV with a built-in tuner would be all you need. Likewise, the need for an external STB was presented in a negative light. Mike Bush's news report (in SD with sidebars) at Ultimate Electronics also seemed to put undue emphasis on OTA.

Probably the biggest negative in the show was the plug at the end about NFL games in HD coming to KSDK this fall. The football clips shown were s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d standard def that looked truly gruesome.

Although the show for most of us here was superficial (and sometimes downright inaccurate), it was a good thing to see. A lot of people watch Ch. 5 every day, and their constant banging of the HD drum lately can only be a good thing.

I admit, KSDK is at least trying to educate the public and they have at lease switched to HD (whether it is good or not, it is an attempt). What are the other channels doing? But, I actually felt uncomfortable listening to Cindy Preszler say "1080i or 1080p". It was like she has never seen those 5 characters put together before. So, I only watched about 30 seconds of it.
Maybe the reason they seem to push OTA is so they would not give one company (Cable, Sat) more publicity. Then it would seem like they were supporting one company over another. Though Charter probably needs any support they can get.

I tried to get KSDK-DT again this morning and it's still not coming in. My antenna must not be aimed properly.

I find it quite ironic that KSDK keeps advertising their HD and how great it is and it is the only channel in St. Louis that I'm struggling picking up with my built in OTA tuner.

Jeremy,

I didn't have any problems last night in my basement with an amplified OTA antenna. Is it possible your antenna's aim got messed up in the recent storms?

I know mine did, and I'm waiting for my 1000+ install scheduled for Tuesday to get the antenna alignment redone.

Best,

That's the thing John, I'm using an indoor antenna and I'm in the process of getting it aimed just right (I just got it last night). All of the channels are coming in quite well with the way I have it aimed now except KSDK-DT.

As always, my problem child KMOV...

I think it's personal with me and CBS affiliates ;)

Cheers,

jermy,

As John indicates, your reception problem is likely not the fault of KSDK. Reception for different channels in different locations will vary a bit due to topological or manmade obstructions between you and the signal. Other factors can come into play, too.

OTA is great when it works, but there can be challenges for sure. Your best bet would be an outdoor or attic antenna, but of course in some situations that just can't be accommodated. But in my experience, if an indoor antenna is going to work, the Zenith is typically the best bet.

Good luck with the fine-tuning...

After another 45 minutes on the phone with E*, I finally have an upgrade to the 1000+ dish. They wanted me to pay the upgrade fees, but I discussed with them that I've already paid to upgrade HD twice : once with 942, then again with the 622 so I can get all the HD channels. I recently moved, and at my last house I had a 44 switch, so I tried to use the angle that the switch was most of the upgrade cost. I nicely keep asking for the fee to be waved. Once I asked to speak with a supervisor, then they agreed to wave the fee. I'm not sure if the 1000+ would use a normal 44 switch, or a 44+ switch, but the point seemed to help.

Generally speaking, I've been pretty happy with E* customer service. I had a problem with the install at my new house, and after I called e* they straightened eveything out without any hassle.

Now all I need is for AT&T to provide DSL in Wildwood and I'll be smok'en. Finally, I've have a setup that will last 6 months before a new upgrade is needed.. lol

-CoCoKola

CoCoKola:

The 1000+ requires the DPP44.

Best,

Although the show for most of us here was superficial (and sometimes downright inaccurate), it was a good thing to see. A lot of people watch Ch. 5 every day, and their constant banging of the HD drum lately can only be a good thing.

I missed the first 15 minutes. Was it me or did they only mention plasma & LCD? I think I heard them say LCD was only available up to 40 something inches leaving the impression that plasma was the only choice for viewers wanting a larger set.

I think explaining the number of lines in a HD signal would have been a bit more thorough explanation for 1080i/720p instead of acting like it was techno-babble.

I tried to imagine knowing nothing about HD and from the 1/2 I watched I came to two conclusions. First, I had to get a plasma for a large set and it was going to cost a lot of money. Second, I have to call my service provider and navigate that process and jump through a couple of hoops or get an antenna. At least they didn't pretend it was plug and play.

EU Scrutinizing HD DVD & Blu-Ray Licensing?

As if Toshiba and Sony don't already have enough challenges in bringing HD DVD and Blu-Ray to market, the anti-business Eurocrats may be looking to muddy things up even further.

In view of the way the EU is headed on other recent "anti-competition" cases, it's probably best that Sony and Toshiba didn't work out a single format...

The following article is from the arstechnica.com web site:
___________________________________________

Europe can't wait to get its hands on HD DVD and Blu-ray.

European Commission antitrust officials are conducting a probe into the licensing practices of the groups backing HD DVD and Blu-ray. Without revealing the cause for the probe or even its aims, a Commission spokesperson indicated that a review was under way.

"We have sent a letter earlier this month to the makers of HD DVD and Blu-ray to request information about licensing," the spokesman told Reuters.

According to a statement released by Sony, "There are no indications of any complaint, nor of any antitrust concerns on the part of the Commission or anyone else."

One curious aspect about this next generation of optical discs is that they share the same core security system (dubbed AACS), and that security system itself also requires a license. It is unclear from reports if that license is also under review, or if the European Commission is only focused on possible anti-competitive issues between the two camps. Should regulators find anything questionable about the licensing practices in question, a formal inquiry would be launched.

Blu-ray is expected to launch in Europe sometime in the winter or spring of 2007, while HD DVD is still aiming for a holiday launch later this year.
___________________________________________

I missed the first 15 minutes. Was it me or did they only mention plasma & LCD? I think I heard them say LCD was only available up to 40 something inches leaving the impression that plasma was the only choice for viewers wanting a larger set.

I think explaining the number of lines in a HD signal would have been a bit more thorough explanation for 1080i/720p instead of acting like it was techno-babble.

I tried to imagine knowing nothing about HD and from the 1/2 I watched I came to two conclusions. First, I had to get a plasma for a large set and it was going to cost a lot of money. Second, I have to call my service provider and navigate that process and jump through a couple of hoops or get an antenna. At least they didn't pretend it was plug and play.

They mentioned projectors, too, although I can't remember them mentioning any particular technologies. Terms like DLP, SXRD and HD-ILA were no where to be found. It was a very superficial look at HD. I think they took that approach deliberately not to intimidate the technophobes. I still think it was a good thing. It will be enough to get some people asking more questions about HD, and it legitimizes HD a little more in the minds of the masses who either have no idea what it is or think it's just a conspiracy to take good-enough TV away from them.

Have any of you guys seen the reports about the $100 million that the NFL is going to pump into ads? The ad will encourage viewers to force their cable companies to add the channel or switch to satellite. Does Charter carry the NFL network?

Chuck

Charter and the NFL Network had an apparent falling out about 6 months ago. I'd suggest a search of this thread as it was discussed at the time, but I believe the problem was that the NFL felt that their channel was "underexposed" due to how/where Charter packaged it.

I believe that the NFL Network was arm-twisting Charter to give its channel wider distribution by making it a part of a more mainstream package, but Charter probably resisted this because it would have resulted in higher payments to the NFL with little or no revenue offset.

As a result, the NFL Network and Charter parted ways, though I recall a news report a month or so back that they were in negotiation to restore the channel to Charter systems -- probably due to the fact that certain 2006-07 games will only be available via NFL Network.

If anyone spots any errors in my recollection, feel free to clarify.

I've spent a reasonable amount of time, over the past week, comparing HD programs on the new MPEG4 Dish SAT locals to the OTA locals.
First, let me say, I am not, by any means, a discriminating viewer. I sometimes see the different artifacts and imperfections we hear Joe, John and Doug describe in detail, but they do not distract or bother my viewing experience.

IMO, the two are very very close. However, after spending time switching between the two, I'm comfortable in saying there is a greater sharpness and crispness in the OTA picture. I suppose it is best described as the SAT locals being a bit softer. Not blurry, but just not as sharp and crisp as the OTA. This leads me to believe there will be more noticeable issues present to those who have a greater appreciation of HD quality than I do.

Taking it a step further, I asked various people to view the two and give their opinions. Again, just average viewers, wife, kids, friends, and a couple of visitors.
In all cases, their unprompted response was they are very close, and if anything, that one is a bit sharper and clearer than the other. Referring to OTA over SAT.

So, for us, we would be content to watch either. For some of you here, I'm not certain that will be the case, and I will be interested in hearing the opinions of the rest of the group as they get them up.

Its been several days now and I"m still having problems with severe dropouts on KMOV-DT. Is anyone else having this problem -- or more accurately has anyone seen a drop in signal strenght from KMOV-DT since the storm?

Winston,
Same here as always...78-80. That's at 50+ miles, if it's any help.
It is, and has always been my lowest OTA signal strength, other than KPLR.

I've spent a reasonable amount of time, over the past week, comparing HD programs on the new MPEG4 Dish SAT locals to the OTA locals.
First, let me say, I am not, by any means, a discriminating viewer. I sometimes see the different artifacts and imperfections we hear Joe, John and Doug describe in detail, but they do not distract or bother my viewing experience.

IMO, the two are very very close. However, after spending time switching between the two, I'm comfortable in saying there is a greater sharpness and crispness in the OTA picture. I suppose it is best described as the SAT locals being a bit softer. Not blurry, but just not as sharp and crisp as the OTA. This leads me to believe there will be more noticeable issues present to those who have a greater appreciation of HD quality than I do.

Taking it a step further, I asked various people to view the two and give their opinions. Again, just average viewers, wife, kids, friends, and a couple of visitors.
In all cases, their unprompted response was they are very close, and if anything, that one is a bit sharper and clearer than the other. Referring to OTA over SAT.

So, for us, we would be content to watch either. For some of you here, I'm not certain that will be the case, and I will be interested in hearing the opinions of the rest of the group as they get them up.

I'm still scheduled for a Monday install of the 1000+, so I'm anxious to see the HD locals. Of course, it may be hard to tell much. My Optoma H79 projector just went down again. I've had issues with it since day one, but tech support at Optoma has always been very responsive. However, if I get a swap out, it will be the 4th projector I will have had. I'm beginning to think this model is just a problem child. I love the picture when it works, but I've had more than my fair share of issues. In contrast, I had an extremely reliable performer in the Sharp 9000 I owned before the Optoma.

Hope everyone has electricity now. We felt fortunate to be out for only three days. On a walk a couple of days ago, we saw some Ameren trucks and gave them a loud, "Thank you!" Those guys have to be exhausted, trying to get us all back up and running.

I've spent a reasonable amount of time, over the past week, comparing HD programs on the new MPEG4 Dish SAT locals to the OTA locals.
First, let me say, I am not, by any means, a discriminating viewer. I sometimes see the different artifacts and imperfections we hear Joe, John and Doug describe in detail, but they do not distract or bother my viewing experience.

IMO, the two are very very close. However, after spending time switching between the two, I'm comfortable in saying there is a greater sharpness and crispness in the OTA picture. I suppose it is best described as the SAT locals being a bit softer. Not blurry, but just not as sharp and crisp as the OTA. This leads me to believe there will be more noticeable issues present to those who have a greater appreciation of HD quality than I do.

Taking it a step further, I asked various people to view the two and give their opinions. Again, just average viewers, wife, kids, friends, and a couple of visitors.
In all cases, their unprompted response was they are very close, and if anything, that one is a bit sharper and clearer than the other. Referring to OTA over SAT.

So, for us, we would be content to watch either. For some of you here, I'm not certain that will be the case, and I will be interested in hearing the opinions of the rest of the group as they get them up.

I anticipated the SAT HD to be a bit softer than OTA simply because thay have additional encoding/decoding. I have an MCE PC which can handle 2 OTA, add the Single OTA for the 622, and I'll only need the SAT locals when all my OTA tuners are in use. I don't expect to use them much, but it will be nice to have during sweeps, etc.

Now, if Dish could get Ch5/Ch11 prior to multicasting being added to the signal, I would bet the SAT signal would best the OTA. I don't think this will ever happen. Just wishful thinking...

I'm still scheduled for a Monday install of the 1000+, so I'm anxious to see the HD locals.

Good luck...my appointment for today was changed to the 19th. I so mad right now I'm thinking of just not getting the new dish, especially after reading Ken's post. The worst part is that they won't turn my locals back on unless the work order is closed or cancelled. My only problem is the storm moved my dish a bit and I'm getting low signals on 110 and 129, and the 1000+ is supposed to help with 129.

FWIW, I watched Letterman last night and while I didn't notice any pixellation, there were a number of "video dropouts," where the screen went from a normal perfect picture to a completely blank screen but the audio continued uninterrupted. This was no gradual change -- more like an eye blink, though it lasted maybe two or three seconds each time it occurred. I saw four or five of these dropouts in the hour I was watching.

I don't believe that this is directly related to reception, but I might be wrong. It looks to be more like a network or local station issue. It's also possible that it might be a TiVo issue, though it happened in the same spot each time when I replayed a blackout segment. Still, I suppose it's possible that TiVo was dropping video inbound.

Anyone else notice the "video dropouts" on Letterman last night?

Has anyone else detected a recent further deterioriation in DirecTV picture quality?

It seems like PQ has gotten quite a bit worse in the past month or so. This is sometimes detectable on the HD channels, but it seems particularly more pronounced on the SD channels.

Is this my paranoid imagination, or are those bastards stealing more of my bits?

Does anyone know when the Charter office in Town & Country opens? I'm returning my cablecard and handing over the MoxiMate to the folks.

Winston,
Same here as always...78-80. That's at 50+ miles, if it's any help.
It is, and has always been my lowest OTA signal strength, other than KPLR.

Thanks. What's really odd for me is that KPLR is very, very strong for me. KMOV has always been my weakest also, but now its pretty much unwatchable.

I guess I'm going to have to go in the attic in the next couple of days and see if I can do anything.

CHARTER STRIKES AGAIN

So I was going to meet my parents at Charter's Town & Country office to return my equipment, which, I was told, could be transferred to them. Hey, the MoxiMate is still hard to find, so why not cut out the wait. When I called Charter's number to find out their office hours, I was told I had to go to the Overland office. No problem, I'll meet my parents there. Well, I got their early and so I walked in (to wait in what I imagine a methadone clinic would look like, minus the posters for pay-per-view) and was told by a rather unpleasant women that they don't do that. Actually, it was "Huh-uh! We don't do that." And then she said that should could only take the Mate and the Cablecard (still not sure where I am supposed to return the Moxi). So I said "Here's my cablecard, I'm giving these to my folks." "Do what you want," replied my new friend. Freaking Charter!

After another hour on the phone, the Wisconsin call center came through and we are back on track with the original plan to swap. Yay Victoria and Jesse in Wis!

WHOOPS! nevermind... didn't work. again. Charter is the devil. Am I Charter bashing? Oh yes, very much... because they choose it.

Anyone else notice the "video dropouts" on Letterman last night?
Yes Doug, exactly as you described. I watched it on playback. Unlikely it's your TiVo and my 622, eh?

Hey, Joe, keep us up to date on where you are w/ the Guardian backup system, jplease.

kdg:

I'm still on for the Tuesday install. Do you think they'll repoint my OTA antenna while they're up there?

Cheers,

Its been several days now and I"m still having problems with severe dropouts on KMOV-DT. Is anyone else having this problem -- or more accurately has anyone seen a drop in signal strenght from KMOV-DT since the storm?

I tried to watch Numb3rs last night & the picture was breaking up big-time - totally unwatchable. I tried OTA in addition to via Charter & both were similarly bad. I also noticed a similar problem during Letterman.

Anyone else lose all 3 satellites on D*? All of mine are gone. Sky doesn't look that bad to lose all 3. It's 5PM.

kdg:

I'm still on for the Tuesday install. Do you think they'll repoint my OTA antenna while they're up there?

Cheers,
I guess it depends on the individual installer you get. You should be able to "convince" him/her. Last year, I asked one of the installers if he would remove the no longer used Starband Dish and caulk the holes. He said, "sure, but it might run me past my allocated install time." I asked if $20 would cover the extra time, and if I could just pay him directly, knowing it would take him at least 30 minutes. Ended up being 45. He said "sure, but I can't put that on your Dish w/o receipt. I said, no problem, thanks.
He brought it down, coiled up the cables, and put it in my garage, where it still sits. Want it? :)

Hey, Joe, keep us up to date on where you are w/ the Guardian backup system, jplease.

I will. Right now, I have an appointment scheduled for Aug. 4th to get an estimate. The Guardian systems can be purchased at different price points based on power needs. We know an electrician who is also looking into options for us.

Doug,

Yep, I've noticed another downward spin on *D lately, too. SpikeTV and Sci-Fi channel in particular. Sci-Fi *sounds* like crap, too.

I will. Right now, I have an appointment scheduled for Aug. 4th to get an estimate. The Guardian systems can be purchased at different price points based on power needs. We know an electrician who is also looking into options for us.

I think AmerenUE has something like this that they will install and put it on your bill and spread out the payments over several months. After everything settles down I'm giving them a call to get the details.

I guess it depends on the individual installer you get. You should be able to "convince" him/her. Last year, I asked one of the installers if he would remove the no longer used Starband Dish and caulk the holes. He said, "sure, but it might run me past my allocated install time." I asked if $20 would cover the extra time, and if I could just pay him directly, knowing it would take him at least 30 minutes. Ended up being 45. He said "sure, but I can't put that on your Dish w/o receipt. I said, no problem, thanks.
He brought it down, coiled up the cables, and put it in my garage, where it still sits. Want it? :)


It'll be a < 5 minute repoint.

Basically point it over the dish and it's done. The wind just knocked the antenna out of whack by, oh, about 60 degrees and it's a Yagi ;)

American Broadcast Company
National Broadcast Company
Columbia Broadcast System

FOX :confused:

Anyone know?

Ken,

FOX isn't an acronym -- it's short for 20th Century Fox, which has a long history as a Hollywood film studio.

20th Century Fox was purchased by News Corp. back in the early 1980s and the FOX brand was employed to jump-start the TV network when it started broadcasting in 1985.

If anyone here has an HD DVD player, we've finally posted the guide to creating your own HD DVDs on regular DVD recordables. It's a sticky in the HD DVD Software section of the forum. You can find it here:

The Official AVS Guide to HD DVD Authoring (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146)

It takes you step by step through the process of creating your own HD DVDs for playback on HD DVD players.

Hey guys. I have a friend that just bought a new HD TV and is trying to get HD service through Charter. They already had a Moxi box but were only getting the SD package. Charter is telling him that in order to get HD service they need a DIFFERENT Moxi box and, of course, there is a waiting list.

I thought that the Moxi was an HD receiver by default, but if you didn't get the HD service, then you wouldn't receive that programming. I'm just making sure they aren't getting bad info from a Charter CSR.

If what the CSR said is true, then can they do a self install in the standard HD receiver or does that have to be installed by a Charter tech?

Thanks in advance

kugumby,

Unless something has changed very recently, this is BAD INFO.

As for self-installs of the standard HD receiver, anyone who wants to do this is probably capable (or even more capable than Charter) of doing it correctly. However, Charter's policy is to do all HD installs itself, as there is an install fee they want to collect.

I've been a Charter customer for just over a month now. The one thing I've noticed is that their Customer Service is down right laughable. One person will tell you something completely different than someone else, and now that their tech support lines are overseas (India I believe) it got even worse.

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=7979699&&#post7979699)

Why Isn't KDNL-DT (ABC) Available via Charter? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8072643&&#post8072643)

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

Hey guys. I have a friend that just bought a new HD TV and is trying to get HD service through Charter. They already had a Moxi box but were only getting the SD package. Charter is telling him that in order to get HD service they need a DIFFERENT Moxi box and, of course, there is a waiting list.

I thought that the Moxi was an HD receiver by default, but if you didn't get the HD service, then you wouldn't receive that programming. I'm just making sure they aren't getting bad info from a Charter CSR.

If what the CSR said is true, then can they do a self install in the standard HD receiver or does that have to be installed by a Charter tech?

Thanks in advance

You can't do a self install for the Moxi. A tech has to come out and call in with the appropriate box numbers as the Moxi uses an IP address and must be properly configured to hit Charters network. Other than that though, it is and HD box and they don't need another one. They will of course have to pay for HD programming.

Thanks Doug. That's what I was thinking. I know we had a Charter employee on the forum, but I don't remember his nick. If he's still around, I'd like to be able to point my friend to a knowledgeable person instead of playing CSR roulette.

They were on hold for a half an hour yesterday before being transferred and subsequently cut off. Then they were on hold for another half hour before being told they had to have a different Moxi box.

A little off thread......

My business is in a strip mall, and I'm trying to put in a receiver and some speakers to get the radio (mainly for cards games). I get NO reception. Is there a specific antenna that will work or am I just screwed?

Tim

tcfila,

I suspect that the steel beams in the strip mall are causing you recpetion problems. Not an area of expertise for me, but I suspect that an FM antenna will improve your reception, but not make it fault-free.

Another option to consider -- XM or Sirius, which would be a big improvement in both reception quality and selection. Of course, if you already have satellite/cable TV in your location, you could use the music services that come bundled with that service without subscribing to sat radio.

What kind of business are you running that involves card games? Sounds interesting...

Doug,
I'm considering the XM route...

We do not have and tv service.

I tried the standard cheap little antenna that came with the receiver, but it's just junk. I would like to pick up an am/fm antenna, but all I've seen at BB is the terks. From what I gather, most terk suck ass.

Thats Cardinals, but card games would be much more fun!

Right -- Cards games. That makes more sense.

All of my (bad) experiences with Terks is with the UHF antennas for digital TV reception. I wouldn't expect their FM antennas to be any better, but then there are other guys here who have reported good results with Terks, so maybe it's just me and luck of the draw (though I'm not queueing up to find out).

Not sure if XM would work for the MLB package due to local blackouts, but I'm not really clear on how that works. Also, the MLB would be an additional cost on top of the standard packages, so that could be pretty expensive for what you're main objective is.

Sounds like maybe you should try a Terk and hang tight to the sales receipt.

XM broadcasts ALL MLB games. The only problem is that they broadcast the home teams announcers.

The games are actually included in the monthly fee.

We had trouble getting am on our boat, so we picked up XM for it. We absolutely love it. I think satelite radio is like a DVR. Once you have it, you won't go without it. We have it in both cars as well.

Tim,

Thanks for the clarification -- good info to know.

In our office building, the only people that can pick up AM stations are the ones along an outside wall due to all of the steel in the building. (As Doug already mentioned as the probable cause of your problem.) Can you try and get your antenna as close to the outside wall as possible or even run the wire out the door and literally get the AM antenna outside?

In our office building, the only people that can pick up AM stations are the ones along an outside wall due to all of the steel in the building. (As Doug already mentioned as the probable cause of your problem.) Can you try and get your antenna as close to the outside wall as possible or even run the wire out the door and literally get the AM antenna outside?
I can't even pick up FM in my building, or cell service :( But I'm also surrounded with a bunch of electrical equipment.

Anyone watch the Cards game on FOX Saturday....notice what appeared to be focusing issues with the cameras?

SD widescreen tends to show these "focusing" issues.

A little off thread......

My business is in a strip mall, and I'm trying to put in a receiver and some speakers to get the radio (mainly for cards games). I get NO reception. Is there a specific antenna that will work or am I just screwed?

Tim

I would try to go to an XM outdoor antenna, or at the very least move it closer to a window.

Scott

Anyone watch the Cards game on FOX Saturday....notice what appeared to be focusing issues with the cameras?

The only focusing issues I had was with the cardinal broadcasting team. They kept giving us the company line that every good play that they cards made could trigger a comeback. As of matter of fact the whole cardinal team had a "focusing" problem this weekend.

The problem is its not hockey season yet

SD widescreen tends to show these "focusing" issues.
I watch that broadcast every week, just never noticed it before I suppose.
Throughout the game, the C/Field camera had the pitcher in crisp focus, but the battery was blurry. I also noticed more than normal brief out-of-focus frames just as cameras switched during action shots.

Probably my eyesight degrading further :o

The problem is its not hockey season yet

I wonder when we'll get the list of Blues games that will he HD?

I wonder when we'll get the list of Blues games that will he HD?

Here you go







:p
I hope there are games, but with how many we got over the last couple of seasons, I'm not holding my breath.

I dont CARE about HD Blues games. I just want them to WIN SOME! hehe

I've been a Charter customer for just over a month now. The one thing I've noticed is that their Customer Service is down right laughable. One person will tell you something completely different than someone else, and now that their tech support lines are overseas (India I believe) it got even worse.
Right now, I'm speaking to someone in California... earlier, it was Manila. The other day, it was Wisconsin. Too bad that they cannot agree on anything between them. Charter sucks... I hate them with a passion brighter than 1000 suns.

Hey guys,

Quick question -- hopefully this is the right place for it.

I'm a Charter Cable HD customer in the St. Louis Area and haven't really kept up on what's going on with D* or E* in our area. A few days ago, I helped my dad (an E* customer) upgrade to the DishNet HD Bronze package and it seems like a pretty good source for a lot of HD content on paper.

I'm wondering what you guys think about how the PQ compares between Charter and DishNet in this area and which you consider to be the best choice.

gremmy,

DISH is the hands-down winner against either Charter or DirecTV, both for HD choice and picture quality.

Here's a local guide that compares HD channel availability among the three providers:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7979699&&#post7979699

gremmy,

DISH is the hands-down winner against either Charter or DirecTV, both for HD choice and picture quality.

Here's a local guide that compares HD channel availability among the three providers:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7979699&&#post7979699
But, NO Sunday Ticket :mad:

gremmy,

DISH is the hands-down winner against either Charter or DirecTV, both for HD choice and picture quality.

Here's a local guide that compares HD channel availability among the three providers:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7979699&&#post7979699


Channel lineup aside, picture quality is very subjective -- what display you're using etc. I find it hard to believe that either sat companies can "beat" Charter's HD PQ - mine is razor sharp, and I've seen my friends D* HD picture -- their compression scheme is not always the greatest. So I'm not saying Charter is "the best" and/or better than the other options, but to just say something beats Charter "hands down" is just more non-Charter using bashing IMHO. Go spend some time with it.

(i was gonna edit that last part out seeing the source of the original post as I'm sure you've spent much time with everything, but i'll just leave it there and swallow my own stupidity - i just get tired of Charter bashing, because I'm a pretty happy customer overall.)

Not to impune your judgement, but Doug, doing what he does, may be the best judge of who has the best PQ in the market in this forum because he's seen pretty much every display available in a calibrated setup. In my experience, I thought Charter's HD looked good when I tried it. (I ended up keeping E*) But, my set is not yet calibrated. ($$$ are still being saved for that purpose.)

For an update on my earlier Charter question, the Moxi IS by default an HD receiver and my friend did receive bad info. He called again and found a CSR that knew what he was talking about and got him set up.

That is true, I didn't see who the post was from :-) BUT, that being said, Charters HD looks really good on my set, especially the channels that know how to do HD right, like HDNet.

Let me clarify my point about picture quality, since I wasn't very specific.

I didn't mean to say that Charter's PQ is bad, but rather that in my experience it isn't quite as good as DISH, at least for DISH's non-VOOM channels (comparing common channels).

As I indicated over the weekend, it seems as if DirecTV PQ has gotten considerably worse over the past few weeks. I caught part of "The Replacements" on TNT-HD the other day and there was extreme pixellation, not just in the game action sequences (which I've come to expect) but in relatively moderately fast camera pans, such as Gene Hackman talking back and forth on the sideline to one of the players. This was easy to see at regular speed, but pausing the picture and moving frame by frame revealed significant breakup, with random areas of the picture showing complete garbage.

Bottom Line: If a customer without any HD service today asked me which service they should subscribe to, I would tell them to go with DISH Network. Based on PQ and choice, it's not a tough call.

FWIW, a DISH Network sales guy knocked on my door on Saturday afternoon to try to talk me into switching to DISH. This was at precisely the moment I was going frame by frame through "The Replacements" :). I'm unlikely to make any move, just because of the hassle and cost that would entail, but if DirecTV doesn't right the ship and do it soon, I'll have to think more seriously about that at some point.

The DISH guy told me he could have me set up with HD locals in MPEG-4 within a week. I told him I thought that was incorrect and that I was aware of several DISH customers who won't be converted to the new 1000+ dish and associated equipment until mid-August, after getting initial install dates in mid-July.

The DISH guy told me he could have me set up with HD locals in MPEG-4 within a week. I told him I thought that was incorrect and that I was aware of several DISH customers who won't be converted to the new 1000+ dish and associated equipment until mid-August, after getting initial install dates in mid-July.
Interestingly enough Doug, most DISH retailers have an inventory supply of the + antennas. Since the retailers "buy" their inventory from DISH, once the equipment is in the retailers inventory, DISH no longer has access to it.

A current DISH HD sub cannot arrange a qualifying (no charge) upgrade through a retailer. DISH can arrange it, but will not, using a retailers current inventory. DISH will send the equipment to the retailer so the retailer does not have to "buy" it. Current stock retailer inventory is specified for new subs, and even though a new sub install may be at no charge to the customer, its design is to capture more market-share. Quite possibly your "man-at-the-door" would have had the necessary equipment.

I've been pushed back three times to get my dish upgraded. At least after emailing using the ceo's email address I now get my SD locals again. I hope my aug 19 schedule holds.

I understand and agree. For all my history of Charter-bashing, I'm on record as saying that I like the MOXI, particularly the interface. I have minor issues with the fact that the storage is somewhat limited, but that could be easily fixed.

I'm not in St. Louis, but I'm hoping you guys could answer a question. I have a Charter Moxi box (Moto bmc9012) on its way to me. I have to ditch my much-loved ReplayTV because I'm upgrading to HD. I've read a lot of posts online about this box, specifically about expanding the capacity with an external USB drive. However, I can't find anything in the past year or so. Is this something that Charter has enabled (yet)? I'd love to pull the 300gb drive out of my Replay and use it as a secondary drive in the HD DVR. Is this a possibility yet?

I've been pushed back three times to get my dish upgraded. At least after emailing using the ceo's email address I now get my SD locals again. I hope my aug 19 schedule holds.

Going on two times, next up in Sept

As of today, I'm still scheduled for an AM install. I have not been called back to reschedule. They better not reschedule on the day of the appt.

Cheers,

As of today, I'm still scheduled for an AM install. I have not been called back to reschedule. They better not reschedule on the day of the appt.

Cheers,
Didn't you get the standard confirmation call sometime after you scheduled? That "3-feet of room behind the TV...someone over 18 years old home"....call

Besides, if they're going to cancel the day of, they won't call...just not show :eek:

As of today, I'm still scheduled for an AM install. I have not been called back to reschedule. They better not reschedule on the day of the appt.

Cheers,

I'm still scheduled for a PM install for Tuesday (today). No delay call for me, either.

I hope you guys get your dishes today...let us know of the results. On the subject of home backup generators, Laclede gas sells Kohler and will charge it to your bill and spread out the payments. I'm calling today to get details.

Didn't you get the standard confirmation call sometime after you scheduled? That "3-feet of room behind the TV...someone over 18 years old home"....call

Besides, if they're going to cancel the day of, they won't call...just not show :eek:

I didn't get the call. I did last time when they rescheduled the appt... twice in the same day after confirming the appt.

Cheers,

Here's some further background on the NFL Network, which someone asked about last week.

This is from the Ft. Worth Telegram newspaper web site, but I think this represents the position that the NFL Network is taking with all cable and satellite companies:
______________________________________________________

...the loss of the NFL Network could be a breaking point for some sports fans, as this season will be the first when the channel will air regular-season games live.

Starting Thanksgiving, seven NFL games will air exclusively on the NFL Network. An eighth game, Dallas versus Atlanta on Dec. 16, will air on the NFL Network but will also be broadcast by a local affiliate, said Seth Polansky, an NFL Network spokesman.

The NFL Network was available through Comcast as part of its basic digital package, Polansky said. That deal was made two years ago. Now, the NFL wants the channel to be made part of basic cable packages and has insisted Time Warner follow suit. Time Warner has said it wants to add the channel to a premium sports tier package.

"They've asked us to pay a premium price for eight games, one of which is a Cowboys game which you can see here anyway," Underwood said. He added that customers who aren't fervent football fans shouldn't have to pay for a channel they're not going to watch.
______________________________________________________

You can read the full story by clicking here. (http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15170585.htm)

I'm not in St. Louis, but I'm hoping you guys could answer a question. I have a Charter Moxi box (Moto bmc9012) on its way to me. I have to ditch my much-loved ReplayTV because I'm upgrading to HD. I've read a lot of posts online about this box, specifically about expanding the capacity with an external USB drive. However, I can't find anything in the past year or so. Is this something that Charter has enabled (yet)? I'd love to pull the 300gb drive out of my Replay and use it as a secondary drive in the HD DVR. Is this a possibility yet?

External storage is not enabled on any Moxi box to my knowledge. I believe it's not so much a Charter issue as a Digeo issue. There are some guys over in the Moxi specific thread in the HD recorder forum who have tried to swap out the hard drives, but no one has had any luck to this point.

NAB Urges FCC to Recall Non-Compliant Sat Radios

More in the continuing terrestrial radio strategy of "if you can't beat 'em, beat 'em up."

While the NAB appears to have a valid point here, I wonder how well NAB's member radio stations comply with the FCC's broadcast regulations. I've recently read various reports where many FM stations routinely spill over their designated frequencies.

The following is from today's SkyREPORT newsletter:
__________________________________________________

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) wrote to Federal Communications Commission chair Kevin Martin urging the agency to recall satellite radio devices that fail to comply with the commission's rules.

According to the association, the NAB tested 17 wireless FM modular devices last month that are currently on the market. The devices are used by consumers to transmit audio signals from satellite radios or MP3 players to in-dash car radios. Thirteen of the devices (76 percent) exceeded field strength limits set by the FCC.

Six of those exceeded the federal limit by 2,000 percent and one transmitted a signal that was 20,000 percent stronger than allowed, NAB said.

"NAB continues to be concerned about the interference caused to free over-the-air radio services by satellite radio devices not in compliance with the commission's rules," the letter states. "To prevent these serious interference problems from growing even worse, the Commission should consider steps to halt the further distribution and sale to consumers of satellite radio devices that violate your rules."

NAB said that despite reports that XM and Sirius have requested manufacturers to suspend production of these devices, the moves do nothing to address the products already in consumers' hands or already shipped to distributors and retailers.

"NAB would urge the commission to seek recall of noncompliant devices from XM's and Sirius' major distributors and retailers," the letter said. "Action is necessary."
__________________________________________________

I've been out of town a couple of weeks and finally sat down and watched some MTV-HD via Charter. I must say I wasn't real excited when I heard that Charter was adding the channel, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw - actual concerts, VH-1 Storytellers, no non-music reality shows, etc.

Now, I have E* being installed on Friday, so I will only have the channel a few more days. Speculation here seems to be that the only reason Charter was willing to add MTV-HD is because Viacom basically gave the channel to them for free in order to get some exposure. Any reason why they wouldn't do the same thing with D* or E*? In other words, when can we expect to the see the channel on satellite?

Here's some further background on the NFL Network, which someone asked about last week.

This is from the Ft. Worth Telegram newspaper web site, but I think this represents the position that the NFL Network is taking with all cable and satellite companies:
______________________________________________________

...the loss of the NFL Network could be a breaking point for some sports fans, as this season will be the first when the channel will air regular-season games live.

Starting Thanksgiving, seven NFL games will air exclusively on the NFL Network. An eighth game, Dallas versus Atlanta on Dec. 16, will air on the NFL Network but will also be broadcast by a local affiliate, said Seth Polansky, an NFL Network spokesman.

The NFL Network was available through Comcast as part of its basic digital package, Polansky said. That deal was made two years ago. Now, the NFL wants the channel to be made part of basic cable packages and has insisted Time Warner follow suit. Time Warner has said it wants to add the channel to a premium sports tier package.

"They've asked us to pay a premium price for eight games, one of which is a Cowboys game which you can see here anyway," Underwood said. He added that customers who aren't fervent football fans shouldn't have to pay for a channel they're not going to watch.
______________________________________________________

You can read the full story by clicking here. (http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15170585.htm)

Did anyone notice that the NFL Network ran a print ad on page 3 of the sports section of the Post-Dispatch on Sunday and Monday? It stated how Charter doesn't carry the channel and a list of the games we'll miss.

Dweebe, I also heard an ad on KMOX radio yesterday touting the same information.

I'm still scheduled for a PM install for Tuesday (today). No delay call for me, either.

Please let me know. They called about 20 minutes ago to tell me I wouldn't get installed. I'm furious and on the phone with them still.

I hope you do get installed, and please find out who it is that actually has a 1000+ if it gets installed.

At this point, I am convinced that the 1000+ is fictional.

Please let me know. They called about 20 minutes ago to tell me I wouldn't get installed. I'm furious and on the phone with them still.

I hope you do get installed, and please find out who it is that actually has a 1000+ if it gets installed.

At this point, I am convinced that the 1000+ is fictional.
Unreal John!
You could try calling Ketterman, ask for the warehouse manager, and see if they have any in stock. I know one of the local retailers down here has some, but I don't think you'll get Dish to take one from a retailer.
Ketterman Communications: 800-664-2602 (Veronica will probably answer the phone)

I keep reading all these horror stories and I think I'm gonna sit back and wait to see how everyone's 1000+ stories turn out until I order my 622 and 1000+.

Please let me know. They called about 20 minutes ago to tell me I wouldn't get installed. I'm furious and on the phone with them still.

I hope you do get installed, and please find out who it is that actually has a 1000+ if it gets installed.

At this point, I am convinced that the 1000+ is fictional.

I'm a new subscriber and am scheduled for a Friday pm install. I've got a neighbor, also a new subscriber, scheduled for an install this afternoon. I'll see if I can talk to him tonight and find out if he actually got installed. This would maybe shed some light on whether there is a difference (in terms of getting the 1000+) between new subscribers and upgrades.

An hour on the phone, escalated to executive escalations and they won't know for 48-72 hours how long it will be before they can reschedule the install.

In the meantime; because of the way they built the local channels, SD and HD are linked. I have a work order to add Local channels and my locals are shut down. So no SD locals until the upgrade is complete.

When designing the software for HD locals apparently someone didn't think it would be necessary to split off the SD and HD locals as discrete line items; even though in some markets they come rom discrete satellites that require an update. After all; these upgrades occur in a timely fashion, right? Of course they do. My locals were shut off on 7/10 for the upgrade. They are talking another 3-4 weeks for the upgrade to be installed unless the escalation goes through. That's timely I guess.

Of course the correct way to build the definitions is to have the SD and HD as discrete line items with the HD being a 0.00 cost so that you aren't forced to shut down the SD stations just to add the HD with a work order.

It's almost like I design and write software for a living ;)

Cheers,

I'm a new subscriber and am scheduled for a Friday pm install. I've got a neighbor, also a new subscriber, scheduled for an install this afternoon. I'll see if I can talk to him tonight and find out if he actually got installed. This would maybe shed some light on whether there is a difference (in terms of getting the 1000+) between new subscribers and upgrades.

I'm sure there is...

I'm "captive", ie I already subscribe. You don't. You're higher on the totem pole.

Please let me know. They called about 20 minutes ago to tell me I wouldn't get installed. I'm furious and on the phone with them still.

I hope you do get installed, and please find out who it is that actually has a 1000+ if it gets installed.

At this point, I am convinced that the 1000+ is fictional.

Although I've never had DishNetwork, I've dealt with them twice. Most recently, as I was helping my 80-year-old father upgrade to DishHD, and prior to that when I was doing research to decide if I wanted to switch from Charter to Dish (about 6 months ago). On both occassions, I was given incorrect information and generally seemed to get the runaround.

This past weekend, they sprung the "increased charge" for the 1000+ on me at the last minute, after I'd already spent hours on the phone with two previous reps trying to get my father's order to go through. I told them I wasn't happy at having an additional 50 dollar charge dumped on me at the last minute. It occurred to me that maybe they were making up the 1000+ just to milk more money from us, but I certainly hope that's not true.

I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I actually think the cable company has better service than Dish. Has anyone else had similar experiences with Dish?

Please let me know. They called about 20 minutes ago to tell me I wouldn't get installed. I'm furious and on the phone with them still.

I hope you do get installed, and please find out who it is that actually has a 1000+ if it gets installed.

At this point, I am convinced that the 1000+ is fictional.

Thanks, John, for the heads up. I just called to confirm and they told me the same thing they told you, except they added a lie about having tried to call me yesterday. :mad: They offered another $20 credit for the inconvenience. I'm going to report this to Dish, but at least now I won't be waiting all afternoon.

It occurred to me that maybe they were making up the 1000+ just to milk more money from us, but I certainly hope that's not true.
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I actually think the cable company has better service than Dish. Has anyone else had similar experiences with Dish?
The 1000+ does indeed exist, I have one on my roof, installed on July 20th.

I've never had anything but exceptional service from Dish, though I only deal with either AHDTS or Escalations.

That being said, I've been lucky to dodge a few bullets, as Dish is notorious for departing from any simulation of common sense when it comes to rolling out new technology. Their inability to perform timely communications and training to their regular CS group puts them right down there with the Charter's and Sprint's of the world.

Thanks, John, for the heads up. I just called to confirm and they told me the same thing they told you, except they added a lie about having tried to call me yesterday. :mad: They offered another $20 credit for the inconvenience. I'm going to report this to Dish, but at least now I won't be waiting all afternoon.

No, that's just something that wasn't in my narrative. They said they called and left a voicemail. I asked why the call wasn't logged by Vonage, and why there was no voicemail. Oops.

Cheers,

Joe:

I didn't mention it as I didn't think much of it; until you said something. One person is a mistake. Two people becomes a bit harder to pass off as a mistake.

Cheers,

Well, at least they told you (after calling them) that they wouldn't be able to install a 1000+. I was at work and my wife was home when they came to install it a week ago and they actually told her that they did install a 1000+ when they just installed a regular 1000. I guess the installer just figured the + didn't mean anything.

My new install date is 8/12...

An hour on the phone, escalated to executive escalations and they won't know for 48-72 hours how long it will be before they can reschedule the install.

In the meantime; because of the way they built the local channels, SD and HD are linked. I have a work order to add Local channels and my locals are shut down. So no SD locals until the upgrade is complete.

When designing the software for HD locals apparently someone didn't think it would be necessary to split off the SD and HD locals as discrete line items; even though in some markets they come rom discrete satellites that require an update. After all; these upgrades occur in a timely fashion, right? Of course they do. My locals were shut off on 7/10 for the upgrade. They are talking another 3-4 weeks for the upgrade to be installed unless the escalation goes through. That's timely I guess.

Of course the correct way to build the definitions is to have the SD and HD as discrete line items with the HD being a 0.00 cost so that you aren't forced to shut down the SD stations just to add the HD with a work order.

It's almost like I design and write software for a living ;)

Cheers,

John,
When did you lose your SD locals. I just ordered the 622/1000+ to be installed on 8/19. I still have my locals. Did you have them after you ordered and lose them just before install? I'd like to avoid getting killed by my wife for missing anything.

Thanks
Dave

John,
When did you lose your SD locals. I just ordered the 622/1000+ to be installed on 8/19. I still have my locals. Did you have them after you ordered and lose them just before install? I'd like to avoid getting killed by my wife for missing anything.

Thanks
Dave

The first time I ordered the 1000+, I had my locals still before they came out. After the messup where they just installed a 1000, for Dish to rebuild the 1000+ work order, Dish said they had to take off the locals.

John,
When did you lose your SD locals. I just ordered the 622/1000+ to be installed on 8/19. I still have my locals. Did you have them after you ordered and lose them just before install? I'd like to avoid getting killed by my wife for missing anything.

Thanks
Dave

Dave,

I lost them when they put in the work order.

Arrrgggh...

After reading all this, I almost feel apologetic for watching all my TV OTA...

PinkSplice:

Why? I still have OTA HD stations to watch. Nothing to apologize for on your part :)

Best,

After reading all this, I almost feel apologetic for watching all my TV OTA...

All my HD is OTA, but most of the crap, er shows, my wife watches are recorded on our 721 (using DishNet locals) for display on either a 36" or 27" SDTV.

Now I could record them OTA, but then I'll be forced to watch crap on an 8ft wide HD screen. Normally bigger is better, but in this case...

Since my work order is in and I still have my locals, I'm assuming the CSR did something right.

PinkSplice:

Why? I still have OTA HD stations to watch. Nothing to apologize for on your part :)

Best,

I'm just not suffering enough, compared to y'all... :D

Thanks, John, for the heads up. I just called to confirm and they told me the same thing they told you, except they added a lie about having tried to call me yesterday. :mad: They offered another $20 credit for the inconvenience. I'm going to report this to Dish, but at least now I won't be waiting all afternoon.


Count me as a victim also,

They just called my home and cancelled my appointment for tomorrow morning. I'm gonna off somebody if this thing does not get done soon. My wife just called me at work and let me know. She told them they needed to talk to me and that I would call them back. I've been on hold for over 15 minutes now and have not spoken to a live person yet.

I was just rescheduled to AUGUST 26th!!!.
This is BULL S**T!

I am on reschedule # 4 for the 1000+.

Wow, and I thought Charter was bad .......

*ducks*

For those of you (us) waiting for our 1000+ upgrade, and you don't get the SD locals over the sat...email ceo@dishnetwork.com and tell them you cannot get the locals OTA. I did this Monday morning and got a call later that day and they turned them back on without having to drop the order. She also said (take with a grain of salt) she would call the installer to get my date moved up. I'm scheduled for the 19th after three reschedules and they better have them. I believe that ADS Communications handles most of St. Louis.

For those of you (us) waiting for our 1000+ upgrade, and you don't get the SD locals over the sat...email ceo@dishnetwork.com and tell them you cannot get the locals OTA. I did this Monday morning and got a call later that day and they turned them back on without having to drop the order. She also said (take with a grain of salt) she would call the installer to get my date moved up. I'm scheduled for the 19th after three reschedules and they better have them. I believe that ADS Communications handles most of St. Louis.


I've never lost my locals......I guess I can be thankful for something.

For those of you (us) waiting for our 1000+ upgrade, and you don't get the SD locals over the sat...email ceo@dishnetwork.com and tell them you cannot get the locals OTA. I did this Monday morning and got a call later that day and they turned them back on without having to drop the order. She also said (take with a grain of salt) she would call the installer to get my date moved up. I'm scheduled for the 19th after three reschedules and they better have them. I believe that ADS Communications handles most of St. Louis.

ADS (American Digital Systems) is the company that handles St. Louis for Dish. My experience has not been good with them. The fouled up an order with my parents so badly that Dish lost a customer for a couple of years (my parents cancelled the order). Several of their installers seemed very inexperienced - didn't ground my folks system properly until called on it, misled me on needing a Dish 1000, had not even a basic understanding of cabling and connections. And we have these reports today of a company that has very poor customer relatons - leaving us hanging and then lying about messages they never sent.

That said, I'm still not ready to ditch Dish. Dish is still the best choice for me right now. They have the most extensive HD offerings and they still haven't gone to HD Lite for most of their programming. I have some hope they may even start broadcasting the Voom channels in full HD again (although that becomes less likely with time). The Dish 622 DVR is a very good performer and a world better than the 921. I get now why DirecTV users are so attached to their name based recording from Tivo. It's a real treat to let the machine make "intelligent" decisions about what to record. And I can't get too upset with Dish for the St. Louis local HD fiasco, but that's because it's summer and there's not much new to record. I also have MyHD to take up the slack with local OTA recordings. I can be patient at this point.

I was wondering if someone could help me out with a charter question that i have. . .

I am having my HD cable installed this thursday--previously i had digital cable with all channels up to 100, then all of the movie stations. i really want to try and cut cost down now, so i am looking for a way to adjust the subscription that i have. if i add the hd package, will that give me HBO in HD automatically, or do i have to keep the package that i have right now in order to get HBO in HD (and other movie stations in HD)?

hope this question makes sense. thanks for the help in advance.

brian

I was wondering if someone could help me out with a charter question that i have. . .

I am having my HD cable installed this thursday--previously i had digital cable with all channels up to 100, then all of the movie stations. i really want to try and cut cost down now, so i am looking for a way to adjust the subscription that i have. if i add the hd package, will that give me HBO in HD automatically, or do i have to keep the package that i have right now in order to get HBO in HD (and other movie stations in HD)?

hope this question makes sense. thanks for the help in advance.

brian


You have to subscribe to HBO to get HBO-HD, Showtime for Showtime-HD, etc. You will get HDNet Movies -- of course you have to subscribe to the HDPack to get that, or any HD. But, you don't need ALL the movie stations ....

Joe,

It's the abyssmal customer support and the (apparent) complete lack of concern for a long term high $$$ customer that have me irate. No doubt about it.

I'll ping you later today about the card.

Best,

Hey there everyone. I'm having a recording issue on my Moxi box that I was wondering if anyone else has heard of. Now, I'm not sure if this is a Moxi issue or Charter's fault, but here goes. The past two days, my Moxi has been recording SOME shows for only 1 sec. I have about 4 shows I tape everyday, with one of them being on multiple times. Yesterday, about half recorded correctly and half only recorded for 1 sec. With the show that is on multiple times, 3 out of the 5 recorded correctly and 2 recorded for only 1 second. Has anyone else heard of this? Anyone have any ideas what the problems may be? Thanks.

LG Bails on Plan to Build Combo HD DVD/Blu-Ray Player

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

LG Electronics has scrapped plans to release a combination Blu-ray/HD-DVD player.

Bob Perry, LG's vice president of sales, made the announcement at a company presentation in New York. Perry said the electronics firm will continue to back Sony's Blu-ray format.

LG had planned to release the combo player this fall. But the company's reversal is bad news for High-Definition TV owners who have been waiting for a dual player. Many high-def owners have hesitated to buy a new HDTV DVD player because they fear they will pick the wrong format.
______________________________________________________

For the complete story, click here. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/lg080106.htm)

IR reading something last month about Samsung considering a dual format player.
Anyone know more about this?

kdg:

Rumors have been floated; but nothing concrete.

Cheers,

John,

You may be more up to date on the Samsung combo player, but I thought they were the first to say they were going to build one, and then later the first to climb down from those plans.

I could very well be wrong, but then considering what a poor job Samsung did with the BD player, it may be a moot point.

I found the article I had read. Looks to be from June:

Samsung Mulls Dual Blu-ray/HD DVD Player
Company will consider launching the movie player later this year, exec says.
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 07:00 AM PDT

Samsung Electronics will consider later this year if it will launch a high-definition movie player compatible with both the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats, it says.

Samsung is a supporter of the Blu-ray Disc format and its first player just went on sale in the U.S. The BD-P1000 is the first consumer Blu-ray Disc player from any manufacturer and its launch will kick off full competition between the rival formats. Toshiba, which is the main backer of the HD DVD format, started player sales in March.

There are only a few technical differences between the formats but they're big enough to make them mutually incompatible. That's a headache for consumers because most Hollywood studios have initially committed to releasing movies on one or the other disc format but not both.

Samsung is already working on a drive that handles both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, said Kim Du-Hyon, an assistant manager in Samsung's home-platform product planning division, in a briefing with reporters at the company's headquarters in Suwon, South Korea.

"We don't have a plan to make an HD DVD-only player but are considering a universal player," he said. "We are preparing HD DVD [support] now and if we launch a universal player it will be the end of this year or early next year."

Kim underlined Samsung's belief that Blu-ray Disc will beat HD DVD in the commercial marketplace but said Samsung will consider a universal player should HD DVD prove as successful as Blu-ray Disc.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/126193-1/article.html

I'm a new subscriber and am scheduled for a Friday pm install. I've got a neighbor, also a new subscriber, scheduled for an install this afternoon. I'll see if I can talk to him tonight and find out if he actually got installed. This would maybe shed some light on whether there is a difference (in terms of getting the 1000+) between new subscribers and upgrades.

Same story for my neighbor (a new subscriber) - no call, no show, no nothing. He just moved in on Monday, so he's got no TV at all. He's rescheduled for the 19th, but he's trying to get them to just put up the 1000 so he can at least have some TV. Of course ADS can't do it until Dish changes the workorder, which "takes a while to hit our system". I'm scheduled for Friday, which of course won't happen. I'm debating just cancelling the whole thing and sticking with Charter. :eek:

I get the feeling a bunch of people left Charter to go work for Dish. :rolleyes:

Just to let you guys in on the DirecTV issue at my house....

I called them last week, last Tuesday to come out and we're going to install the 5-LND dish in my backyard and I'm discovered a way to run the cabling under my patio brick. Anyway, they can't come until August the 8th. Basically two weeks.

That seems like a long time, but I guess its just par for the course.

I found the article I had read. Looks to be from June:

Samsung Mulls Dual Blu-ray/HD DVD Player
Company will consider launching the movie player later this year, exec says.
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 07:00 AM PDTStory here, dated June 26th of this year, says Samsung says it's not planning a combo player:

http://www.hdbeat.com/2006/06/27/samsung-does-not-plan-on-releasing-a-hd-dvd-blu-ray-combo-player/

I'd normally give IDG the nod for trustworthiness over a website called "HDBeat," but they do seem to have official word from the US subsidiary's public relations arm.

Apparently Samsung, in reaction to the IDG story, said the following on June 22:

"Samsung Electronics is fully committed to the Blu-ray format and currently only has plans to introduce a Blu-ray player to the market. Samsung is looking forward to a very successful launch of the BD-P1000 which will be available on retail shelves, June 25th for a $999 MAP price in the United States."

I'm not suggesting this is by any means definitive. And even if it is, if it's technically and legally feasible to build a combo player, and there's signs of a decent level of demand for such a device, Samsung, or LG, or some other company will eventually build it and release it.

OK..I've been a D* customer a LOOONG time. I have an SD Tivo and an H10 receiver. I guess I am going to TRY and go thru retention to get a "free" upgrade to the H20 and AT9. Is there NO way to get the HR10-250 "free to cheap" any longer? What is the Sunday ticket deal?

For some back info on D*: I had purchased a used Panasonic TU-HDS20 receiver and after much fiddling and numerous calls we determined that since it had never been connected to DirecTV it had never received a firmware update, therefore it was not capable of receiving DirecTV's signal. I got to an advanced tech who made an agreement to ship me a refurbished H10 for $60. Normally you have to send in a defective HD box to get that deal but since mine was so obsolete and they claimed they had no way to update the firmware any longer I could just keep mine. Which was fine since it worked ok for OTA. After I received the H10 I also received a return box with a form. I called them and told them that I had arrangements that I did NOT have to return the Panny. They again noted the account..everything was fine. Then I got a SECOND return box and notice. Called again..new note on the account that I didn't have to return the Panny. Then 8 weeks later I got a charge on my credit card for $850 for unreturned equipment. It took me about a week to get the credit back to my DirecTV account and about 3 more weeks to get the credit back to my bank account. I spent countless hours on the phone arguing with people. The only thing I got out of it was a $10/month discount for six months. They also raised my Starz pack from $10 to $12 but I got it back to $10 since I had it "grandfathered" in at that price if I never dropped it. You'd think they'd want to keep me happy but I've had nothing but problems with them. I've been a customer since 95.

OK..I've been a D* customer a LOOONG time. I have an SD Tivo and an H10 receiver. I guess I am going to TRY and go thru retention to get a "free" upgrade to the H20 and AT9. Is there NO way to get the HR10-250 "free to cheap" any longer? What is the Sunday ticket deal?...
I got a HR10-250 for subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket for $229. It did not include Superfan (the HD Sunday ticket channels) at first, but when I complained they added it free.

Well this should be interesting. . .

Knowing what I know about the E* 1000+ and the lack of local inventory, I decide to go ahead and call ADS to re-schedule my Friday install to sometime in late August. I can't find the 800 number I had originally, so I just call their local office number, and tell them I want to confirm an appointment. I give the lady my phone number, she puts me on hold, and then comes back to tell me that I am set for installation on 8/4 between 12 and 5. I ask her to confirm that I am set for the installation of a 1000+, because I know of at least 10 people who have had installs pushed back because there is no local inventory of the 1000+ dish that I need, and that I really don't want to take off work, and then have them reschedule. She pauses for a second, then asks how I got their number. I tell her that I lost the 800 number, so just looked up the local number in the phone book. She asks me to hold for a second, and I hear her yelling to someone in the background. After about 10 seconds she comes back and says "Your all set for a Friday install of the 1000+. We will have one." Anyone taking bets on whether this actually happens? :rolleyes:

As I posted before, I had a 30 foot tree limb demolish my antenna and damage my roof. I had the CM 4221 which worked great until the leaves came out. Then ABC was a problem and even though I made countless trips to the roof it was still spotty. Other locals were in the 90's for signal strength.

I have the HR10-250 DVR and I'm wondering if I should get the H20 receiver from D* and the AT9 antenna to hold me over until the new DVR is out. I read about several problems with the receiver and wondering if it's worth the hassle.

Does anyone here have the H20 and 5 LNB AND the HD DVR? Can they be hooked up together or would I have to select the source for each?

What I really want to know is how the HD locals look on the H20 receiver and if there are a lot of drop-outs, etc. I also read there are lip synch issues that D* is supposedly aware of.

If it wasn't for problems getting ABC, I'd be set (once I get another antenna installed). I just can't bear the thought of having to watch Lost and Grey's Anatomy in SD this fall.

Well this should be interesting. . .

Knowing what I know about the E* 1000+ and the lack of local inventory, I decide to go ahead and call ADS to re-schedule my Friday install to sometime in late August. I can't find the 800 number I had originally, so I just call their local office number, and tell them I want to confirm an appointment. I give the lady my phone number, she puts me on hold, and then comes back to tell me that I am set for installation on 8/4 between 12 and 5. I ask her to confirm that I am set for the installation of a 1000+, because I know of at least 10 people who have had installs pushed back because there is no local inventory of the 1000+ dish that I need, and that I really don't want to take off work, and then have them reschedule. She pauses for a second, then asks how I got their number. I tell her that I lost the 800 number, so just looked up the local number in the phone book. She asks me to hold for a second, and I hear her yelling to someone in the background. After about 10 seconds she comes back and says "Your all set for a Friday install of the 1000+. We will have one." Anyone taking bets on whether this actually happens? :rolleyes:
That is pretty much how mine went. I called the installer, in my case, Ketterman Communications handles this area for Dish, spoke with the receptionist, who checked with the warehouse manager, and confirmed they had a 1000+ for my install. This was back on the 17th. The install was done on the 20th. I continued to get the automated rescheduling calls, but each time, I called Ketterman again and confirmed.
May be a good idea you do the same, perhaps tomorrow.
Hopefully yours will go the same.

I suspect that some of you guys have figured that I'm completely asleep at the switch as far as following up with Fox Sports Midwest and the fact that DirecTV is not going to be carrying the HD events from FSMW, unlike most other regional nets.

In fact, I've sent three separate notes to FSMW to try to find out why St. Louis and FSMW is one of the only regional nets not getting HD carriage via DirecTV. The most recent was sent Monday, and still no answer.

In view of that, it's probably fair to officially unleash whatever conspiracy theory makes the least sense. :) It is does seem very odd that this hasn't been explained by now...

I suspect that some of you guys have figured that I'm completely asleep at the switch as far as following up with Fox Sports Midwest and the fact that DirecTV is not going to be carrying the HD events from FSMW, unlike most other regional nets.

In fact, I've sent three separate notes to FSMW to try to find out why St. Louis and FSMW is one of the only regional nets not getting HD carriage via DirecTV. The most recent was sent Monday, and still no answer.

In view of that, it's probably fair to officially unleash whatever conspiracy theory makes the least sense. :) It is does seem very odd that this hasn't been explained by now...

Based on their play for the last few days maybe this is for the best. Even HD wouldn't make their losing streak any easier to take. :(

I suspect that some of you guys have figured that I'm completely asleep at the switch as far as following up with Fox Sports Midwest and the fact that DirecTV is not going to be carrying the HD events from FSMW, unlike most other regional nets.

In fact, I've sent three separate notes to FSMW to try to find out why St. Louis and FSMW is one of the only regional nets not getting HD carriage via DirecTV. The most recent was sent Monday, and still no answer.

In view of that, it's probably fair to officially unleash whatever conspiracy theory makes the least sense. :) It is does seem very odd that this hasn't been explained by now...

I'm still sticking with the Blues and Cards ownership creating their own channel. The new Blues owner was the one responsible for the MSG (Madison Square Garden) channel in the New York area.

Just to let you guys in on the DirecTV issue at my house....

I called them last week, last Tuesday to come out and we're going to install the 5-LND dish in my backyard and I'm discovered a way to run the cabling under my patio brick. Anyway, they can't come until August the 8th. Basically two weeks.

That seems like a long time, but I guess its just par for the course.

You could call local Premiere installers: 800-210-0355. I called them yesterday as I am scheduled 8/12 just to drop off new HD DVR. I called and complained about the condition of how the refurbished one arrived yesterday. The only way they can guarantee a new one is for tech to drop one off. They put my name on their board to get it dropped off sooner.

I'm especially interested to know how it goes for you. I assume you will getting the H20 receiver? I really want to know how locals look in HD and how well the box performs.

Anyway, give them a call. They may be able to move you up. :)

Mo, I'll let you know what happens.

I am going to have the H20 for a few days, then I'm going to purchase a new card for the HD-TiVo I bought from eBay and swap it out w/ the H20.

Mo, I'll let you know what happens.

I am going to have the H20 for a few days, then I'm going to purchase a new card for the HD-TiVo I bought from eBay and swap it out w/ the H20.

Thanks. I am eager to learn how it turns out.

You have a PM.

In response to a query to E* regarding their policy of 1000+ installation locations:

"The current policy on Dish 1000’s and Dish 1000+, is they are installed on a ground pole or on a non living area rooftop, such as a garage."

Quick question:

I just got my new HDTV (Samsung HLS-5687) and Charter came out today to install the Motorola HD box. I remember reading on here that they did not always make sure that the box was outputting in 1080i (if I remember correctly, people were noticing that the box was set for 480). How can I make sure that my box is outputting at it's maximum capacity, especially since my TV should be able to handle up to 1080p? I went into the setup menu but did not find what I was looking for. Thanks in advance.

Brian

Turn the power off on the front panel and then press the menu button also on the front panel. Toggle through this set-up screen with the remote, when your finished, press the menu button again and turn the power back on. ;)

Quick question:

I just got my new HDTV (Samsung HLS-5687) and Charter came out today to install the Motorola HD box. I remember reading on here that they did not always make sure that the box was outputting in 1080i (if I remember correctly, people were noticing that the box was set for 480). How can I make sure that my box is outputting at it's maximum capacity, especially since my TV should be able to handle up to 1080p? I went into the setup menu but did not find what I was looking for. Thanks in advance.

Brian


if it is the standard Moto, NOT the moxi then....

You have to enter the Moto's setup when the unit is powered down. It is not the same setup as the one with the email etc. I believe on there remote there is a menu or setup button. Press that after turning off the power to the Moto. It will be a black and white screen. There you can set to whatever you want.

sorry, didn't see it was already replied to......

Turn the power off on the front panel and then press the menu button also on the front panel. Toggle through this set-up screen with the remote, when your finished, press the menu button again and turn the power back on. ;)

worked like a charm! it was already set correctly.

one more quick question--i'm using the optical audio out on the box. when i go into the audio setup menu, there is an option for TV or Stereo. What does this mean? Right now the optical audio out goes to my onkyo receiver.

Thanks again.

brian

In response to a query to E* regarding their policy of 1000+ installation locations:

"The current policy on Dish 1000’s and Dish 1000+, is they are installed on a ground pole or on a non living area rooftop, such as a garage."

My current 1000 dish is on the roof over the back bedroom...will they have to move it then? I hate to have it on a pole in the yard, and I don't think they can get good line of sight from the garage.

My current 1000 dish is on the roof over the back bedroom...will they have to move it then? I hate to have it on a pole in the yard, and I don't think they can get good line of sight from the garage.
I suppose it really comes down to the installer you get, Chuck. My 1000+ is in the same place (on the same mount plate) as both my 1000 and 500 were, which is on the rooftop above the center rear of the house. Any indication of moving its location was never brought up by the installer.

If it does come up, just tell the installer (presuming it is not the same one you had before) when the 1000 was put it, they tried, like 4 different places to get a good signal, and where it is now is pretty much the only location it's going to work. Most installers would prefer to "plug & play," rather than "hunt & peck."

I received my cable bill this afternoon and discovered that it was increasing by $26 to $149. (I do not have phone service with Charter.) I called Charter and held on the phone while the agent tried to figure out why my bill went up. After 10 minutes he couldn't figure it out. I told him I'd help him, that my internet service went up by that amount. He put me on hold and told me he would find me a promotion. After 10 more minutes, he came back and told me that he was going to enter the information in the computer. Then 10 more minutes, he comes back on and tells me the computer won't allow him to do it. I told him I wanted to speak to the retention desk. A supervisor came on and told me the computers were programed so that they couldn't put anyone on a promotion for 3 months if they had just ended a promotion. She also told me the retention desk closed July 31st. I asked her why I was on the phone for over 30 minutes with an agent who didn't know I wasn't eligible for a new promotional rate? She said, he's new and is just being trained. She also told me her hands were tied because the computers were programmed that way. Whenever I have to call Charter, I get the feeling I'm talking to an insane asylum.

If you knew that your internet went up by that amount, why did you call Charter?

I suppose it's no secret I have issues with Charter, most of which stem from the manner in which they do business.

I have to say, in the 5 years of having Pipeline, and in the dozen or so times I've needed to contact tech support, I have never had a bad experience. I've found their Pipeline techs to be knowledgeable and seemingly dedicated to their task. They have always listened, assisted, and resolved the issue at hand.

Yes, as soon as DSL becomes available here, I'll drop Charter, but not because of any service/support related issues.

I stopped in the Brestwood Best Buy tonight and they're doing some major remerchandising on the "hard" side of the store. I asked the cashier what they're doing and she said that a new "Magnolia" store will open inside them.

I've never been in a Best Buy that has a Magnolia, though I've driven past a few in the LA area. Aren't they a higher end operation and offer brands like Denon?

Any thoughts?

http://www.bestbuy.com/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat42900050008&type=category

FWIW, uplinked on Dish channel 9462 yesterday. Not yet available to subs, should become available in a week or so.

If you knew that your internet went up by that amount, why did you call Charter?

I called Charter to see if they had a better rate. I'm paying $43 per month for internet service. Isn't DSL much less? Charter has so many rates, they can't keep track of them. What they are telling me is that I won't be eligible for a better rate for 3 months. Then they can put me on another promotional rate for 3 months only.

I called Charter to see if they had a better rate. I'm paying $43 per month for internet service. Isn't DSL much less? Charter has so many rates, they can't keep track of them. What they are telling me is that I won't be eligible for a better rate for 3 months. Then they can put me on another promotional rate for 3 months only.
Here's a link to the DSL packages - you may need to enter area code and then click on residential.

Missouri DSL Packages (https://swot.sbc.com/swot/dslMassMarketCatalog.do?do=view&serviceType=DYNAMICIP)

To answer your question- yes, it's much less (as low as $12.99/month). However, I'm not sure what packages Charter offers so I can't say whether it's an apples-to-apples comparison. You can do a one year commitment and then you simply re-up after the year is up to keep the same price...no issue with renewing promotions. My service has never gone down in the 4 years I've had it (at least not while I've needed it). I have the 1.5-3MB tier. It's plenty fast for my needs, but they do have a 3-6MB tier if you need that. The upstream is a little slower than I would like (takes a while to upload large pictures), but it's very tolerable. If the link doesn't work just go to the website and you can bring up the packages and prices.

Nuzy

I called Charter to see if they had a better rate. I'm paying $43 per month for internet service. Isn't DSL much less? Charter has so many rates, they can't keep track of them. What they are telling me is that I won't be eligible for a better rate for 3 months. Then they can put me on another promotional rate for 3 months only.I pay 19.99/month for DSL 386K up, 1.5-3M down. It's extremely reliable. When we had power outages and my power came back on after 2 days, my DSL was there, ready to go.

Well this should be interesting. . .

Knowing what I know about the E* 1000+ and the lack of local inventory, I decide to go ahead and call ADS to re-schedule my Friday install to sometime in late August. I can't find the 800 number I had originally, so I just call their local office number, and tell them I want to confirm an appointment. I give the lady my phone number, she puts me on hold, and then comes back to tell me that I am set for installation on 8/4 between 12 and 5. I ask her to confirm that I am set for the installation of a 1000+, because I know of at least 10 people who have had installs pushed back because there is no local inventory of the 1000+ dish that I need, and that I really don't want to take off work, and then have them reschedule. She pauses for a second, then asks how I got their number. I tell her that I lost the 800 number, so just looked up the local number in the phone book. She asks me to hold for a second, and I hear her yelling to someone in the background. After about 10 seconds she comes back and says "Your all set for a Friday install of the 1000+. We will have one." Anyone taking bets on whether this actually happens? :rolleyes:

SHOCKING NEWS... ADS called at 11:05 today (Friday) to reschedule my Dish intall (scheduled for 12:00) because they don't have any inventory. This despite the fact that I was assured when I called on Wednesday and Thursday that they had the 1000+ in inventory. When I raised this issue today, I was told "we were expecting them to come in today". Yeah right!! They rescheduled me for the 24th, and said if the dish comes in sooner, they will move me up. What an absolute joke this has turned out to be...

I guess I am not very lucky. Without going through a bunch of details, my 7 month old Samsung DLP was repaired for the third time yesterday. Prior to that, their executive office offered me a refurbished unit which I declined. So I went ahead with the repair and now have a different issue.

Does anyone here have any experience dealing with Samsung? I already posted in the owners thread, but I am hoping someone here may have some helpful information.

Thanks guys!

I guess I am not very lucky. Without going through a bunch of details, my 7 month old Samsung DLP was repaired for the third time yesterday. Prior to that, their executive office offered me a refurbished unit which I declined. So I went ahead with the repair and now have a different issue.

Does anyone here have any experience dealing with Samsung? I already posted in the owners thread, but I am hoping someone here may have some helpful information.

Thanks guys!
Samsung has given me excellent support. I had one of the 1st gen DLPs (HLM617 61") that had multiple issues. After 18 months of various problems, they replaced it with a new HLP6163 2 years ago. It has since had the logic board replaced because the HDMI discrete codes didn't work (a known problem form the beginning). Otherwise, it has been great. I also just bought a Samsung LMS3251 32" LCD HDTV for the bedroom.

Within the next couple years, I'll probably get a Sammy 70"+ 1080P DLP.

I know these questions have been asked before but I was hoping to get some fresh, quick answers. I am a current Charter customer and have had enough. In the past two months, I have gone through 3 Moxi boxes. Yes, 3. Their customer support has driven me nuts, and I can't take it anymore. I am looking to switch to satellite, and I have a few quesitons.

First off, to both Direct TV and DishNetwork offer the STL local channels in HD?

With the DirectTV HD Tivo, I'm assuming it has two tuners. What sort of wiring do I need to be able to use those? Right now, I obviously just have 1 cable jack where my HDTV is. Would new lines need to be run, and if so, how do they do that? I recently moved into a brand new house, and I"m not too excited about installers punching new holes in walls and things like that.

Just I'd ask before I made the leap. Thanks in advance.

yup, you gotta have two lines to each DVR. That means fishing wires through the walls

I know these questions have been asked before but I was hoping to get some fresh, quick answers. I am a current Charter customer and have had enough. In the past two months, I have gone through 3 Moxi boxes. Yes, 3. Their customer support has driven me nuts, and I can't take it anymore. I am looking to switch to satellite, and I have a few quesitons.

First off, to both Direct TV and DishNetwork offer the STL local channels in HD?

With the DirectTV HD Tivo, I'm assuming it has two tuners. What sort of wiring do I need to be able to use those? Right now, I obviously just have 1 cable jack where my HDTV is. Would new lines need to be run, and if so, how do they do that? I recently moved into a brand new house, and I"m not too excited about installers punching new holes in walls and things like that.

Just I'd ask before I made the leap. Thanks in advance.
As Tom said, you need 2 lines...and you can't use the cable line unless you plan to cut it anyway from the Charter lines (hmmm...that could be a way to piss them off).

As for DirectTV HD DVR and HD locals...right now it's either/or. If you want HD DVR you have to use the older MPEG2 HR10-250 HDTivo box, or you can get the newer non-DVR MPEG4 HD receiver that will get you the HD locals (but not 9 and 11). The latter as a DVR is anot yet available. D* keeps deleaying the intro of its MPEG4 capable HD DVR. With that said, I have the HR1-250 HD Tivo and use it to get HD locals OTA. I like it this way.

I do not plan to switch to the newer HD DVR (when finally available) until D* adds HD channels (non-locals) I want that are not available otherwise.

I know these questions have been asked before but I was hoping to get some fresh, quick answers. I am a current Charter customer and have had enough. In the past two months, I have gone through 3 Moxi boxes. Yes, 3. Their customer support has driven me nuts, and I can't take it anymore. I am looking to switch to satellite, and I have a few quesitons.

First off, to both Direct TV and DishNetwork offer the STL local channels in HD?

With the DirectTV HD Tivo, I'm assuming it has two tuners. What sort of wiring do I need to be able to use those? Right now, I obviously just have 1 cable jack where my HDTV is. Would new lines need to be run, and if so, how do they do that? I recently moved into a brand new house, and I"m not too excited about installers punching new holes in walls and things like that.

Just I'd ask before I made the leap. Thanks in advance.
DISH has the HD DVR (dual tuner/dual TV) and HD locals, but you're looking at 3 downfeeds into the house from the Dish, and with the availability issues of the required Dish antenna, probably a late August install, at the earliest.

DISH has the HD DVR (dual tuner/dual TV) and HD locals, but you're looking at 3 downfeeds into the house from the Dish, and with the availability issues of the required Dish antenna, probably a late August install, at the earliest.
Yeah, but he said he's had it with Charter, and from recent accounts Dish CS has become just as bad, if not worse.

DISH has the HD DVR (dual tuner/dual TV) and HD locals, but you're looking at 3 downfeeds into the house from the Dish, and with the availability issues of the required Dish antenna, probably a late August install, at the earliest.

I thought someone said that they're readily available for new customers. It's just us longtime loyal customers that are getting pushed back. Maybe I read someone's post incorrectly.

I haven't even called to order the 1000+ yet. I figured I'd give it a month or so and then order it. I already have the 622 (which is what Ken was talking about above) and I get the locals OTA pretty well. (knock on wood)

I thought someone said that they're readily available for new customers. It's just us longtime loyal customers that are getting pushed back. Maybe I read someone's post incorrectly.

I haven't even called to order the 1000+ yet. I figured I'd give it a month or so and then order it. I already have the 622 (which is what Ken was talking about above) and I get the locals OTA pretty well. (knock on wood)

No, new installs are delayed as well. Mine was scheduled for today and pushed back to 8/24.

In the eighth inning of tonight's Cards game, McLaughlin was reading a promo on the FOX GOTW for tomorrow. He said, "Presented in HD."

I've been under the impression the FOX GOTW games were presented in FOX Wide-screen, but not in HD. Is that correct?

I ask because I have been waiting for a Network live sporting event presented in HD in order to do a comparison of OTA locals to SAT locals.

Anyone know which it will be tomorrow?

one more quick question--i'm using the optical audio out on the box. when i go into the audio setup menu, there is an option for TV or Stereo. What does this mean? Right now the optical audio out goes to my onkyo receiver.

Thanks again.

brian

sorry to repost it, but i was wondering if anyone could help me with the above question?

brian

kdg,

The GOTW on FOX is normally in FOX Widescreen -- I haven't seen all of this season's Saturday games, but I don't recall any of them being in HD.

However, like you I heard the promo last night and it appears that this week's game is in HD. I wouldn't count on this being the case in the future, but it's possible that FOX is beginning to abandon FOX Widescreen.

In any event, it should be pretty obvious if the game is in HD, as the 480p presentation has a lot of noise due to the fact that picture was acquired in 480i NTSC.

I believe its fixed or variable analog audio output. TV being variable, stereo fixed. It doesn't matter if you're using the digital audio output

There is one thing I think is better with the Charter cable, there is no pixalation, none whats so ever, and a very stable signal. I tried to get the dish 1000+ installed, but my install date was cancelled twice, so I cancelled the installation all together. I'm using Charters HD card that plugs into the media box, no cable box involved.

I believe that using the cable card provides a much better picture, there are no wires or conversions made, the signal is a very direct hookup and displays a perfect picture.

In the eighth inning of tonight's Cards game, McLaughlin was reading a promo on the FOX GOTW for tomorrow. He said, "Presented in HD."

I've been under the impression the FOX GOTW games were presented in FOX Wide-screen, but not in HD. Is that correct?

I ask because I have been waiting for a Network live sporting event presented in HD in order to do a comparison of OTA locals to SAT locals.

Anyone know which it will be tomorrow?

FOX will often have more than one game on. The last couple of times the Cards were on FOX, channel 88 was showing a different game. So, perhaps when they do regional games, they are in widescreen but there is only one game this week and it's in HD. In any event, if the FOX GOTW is not HD, the Sunday Hall of Fame NFL game on channel 5 will be HD.

I'm considering moving from Charter to DishNetwork and one of the factors in that decision is the comparison of the Charter channel line-up I have now to what I would get from E*. I found three different channel lists on the E* site, none of which agrees with the others in all respects. I also found a PDF document on the SBC site; again not mapping to the others. Finally, I looked at Zap2it and it has two choices for my zipcode (62034 in Glen Carbon), DISH Network ( USA ) and DISH St. Louis ( Saint Louis ). The Zap2it lists look great, but they list a lot of channels in the 230s and 240s that are out-of-town NBC, CBS, ABC, etc. which doesn't map at all to any of the other "official" lists I've found.

So, anyone know of a list that is reliable?

Thanks,
Terry

I'm considering moving from Charter to DishNetwork and one of the factors in that decision is the comparison of the Charter channel line-up I have now to what I would get from E*. I found three different channel lists on the E* site, none of which agrees with the others in all respects. I also found a PDF document on the SBC site; again not mapping to the others. Finally, I looked at Zap2it and it has two choices for my zipcode (62034 in Glen Carbon), DISH Network ( USA ) and DISH St. Louis ( Saint Louis ). The Zap2it lists look great, but they list a lot of channels in the 230s and 240s that are out-of-town NBC, CBS, ABC, etc. which doesn't map at all to any of the other "official" lists I've found.

So, anyone know of a list that is reliable?

Thanks,
Terry
230's and 240's are Distant Networks, which you would not receive.
HERE (http://ekb.dbstalk.com/110list.htm) is a list of the Dish Channels, separated by orbital location.
Most of your tier programing will be on orbitals 110 & 119.
National HD's are on 129, and LiL DT's are on 119k(118.75)

Click on the respective orbital location to view the channels transmitted from it.

This is the national Dish lineup, and not sensitive to STL, but may be of some assistance to you. It is definitely current and accurate.

There is one thing I think is better with the Charter cable, there is no pixalation, none whats so ever, and a very stable signal. I tried to get the dish 1000+ installed, but my install date was cancelled twice, so I cancelled the installation all together. I'm using Charters HD card that plugs into the media box, no cable box involved.

I believe that using the cable card provides a much better picture, there are no wires or conversions made, the signal is a very direct hookup and displays a perfect picture.

There's no way I would choose Charter over Dish at this point, because my HD options would be so limited. You'd give up a lot of channels in choosing Charter. The only way to know if Charter is better than Dish is to capture material from the same source (such as films from HBO) and do some screen grabs from tough scenes. When they did that in the Star Wars III thread recently, Dish held up very will against other providers - including most cable companies. It was no contest with DirecTV - Dish was clearly superior.

Best Buy has a sale on 320GB IDE hard drives starting today - $99 with no rebate hassles. $300 gives you almost a terabyte of storage. Wow. I remember getting all excited when hard drives came down to $300 for a gigabyte - not that many years ago. It's not as exciting as the 3D holographic storage news I read a while back, but that drive is still $15,000 (when it's finally released).

On the software front, I have a new favorite backup utility - Acronis True Image 9. I love my PCs, but since day one the biggest PITA has been what happens when Windows starts foraming at the mouth. Usually you just have to shoot the poor beast and put it out of your misery. If ever there was one thing that Mac folk had over PC folk, it was the relative ease of getting the Mac back up after a serious injury. (Come on, Flicka. You can do it.) Even better was the Amiga, which I could have up and running in just a few minutes. Now, I can do that for my PC, easily and painlessly. I know Windows backup is not news for lots of folks here, but I've had such grief from backup programs in the past that I'd all but given up on them. Acronis is truly easy. You can back up Windows in several painless ways and be back up and running literally in minutes. I downloaded the progam from the Acronis web site last night, and today all my PCs are about 10-20 minutes away from full recovery in the event of a Windows heart attack. Hooray!

Here's an interesting thread that discusses Fox's plans to improve the quality of their HD broadcasts.

Fox Plans Better HD (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=696851)

Fox's 720p looks pretty good for the most part, and with this technology in place, maybe I'll stop seeing the annoying blocking artifacts that bother me so much at shot changes. Our favorite Fox shows could look stellar this fall. All I need now is for my projector to work.

I know we have many scifi fans who read this thread, so I thought I'd pass along some info here for those who may not know. Joining Battlestar Galactica this fall on Universal HD is Firefly, the Joss Whedon series that got the quick ax from Fox a few years back. Excellent show.

Enterprise (which was HD from day one but which never aired on our local UPN affiliate in HD) will be coming to HDNet. Scott Bakula, who is a St. Louis guy and starred in Enterprise and Quantum Leap, was on with Mike Shannon yesterday when the Cardinals finally broke their latest losing streak. Why couldn't he have gone back a couple of weeks ago to put right what went terribly wrong?

A belated reminder that the Cardinals are on in HD today (and yesterday) on KPLR-DT.

I missed yesterday's game while at John Kotches' home theater meet and never thought to suggest checking it out -- definitely a missed opportunity.

Joe, thanks for the sci-fi pointers. I gave Enterprise a shot when it first came around but couldn't get into it, though this was pre-TiVo for me. I'll definitely give it another chance. "Firefly" is also interesting to me, now that I've seen some HD DVD scenes from "Serenity," also at John's.

While it's not really sci-fi (more fantasy), I totally enjoyed HDNet's run of "Dead Like Me." It's too bad this show didn't have a longer run on Showtime, but then I guess if it did, it probably wouldn't have been available to HDNet.

A belated reminder that the Cardinals are on in HD today (and yesterday) on KPLR-DT.

I missed yesterday's game while at John Kotches' home theater meet and never thought to suggest checking it out -- definitely a missed opportunity.

Joe, thanks for the sci-fi pointers. I gave Enterprise a shot when it first came around but couldn't get into it, though this was pre-TiVo for me. I'll definitely give it another chance. "Firefly" is also interesting to me, now that I've seen some HD DVD scenes from "Serenity," also at John's.

While it's not really sci-fi (more fantasy), I totally enjoyed HDNet's run of "Dead Like Me." It's too bad this show didn't have a longer run on Showtime, but then I guess if it did, it probably wouldn't have been available to HDNet.

Sorry I couldn't attend the meet. I'm sure John put on a good show with the new 1080p projector.

I'm afraid Enterprise arrived DOA. The Star Trek franchise was pretty much exhausted at that point, at least without some new blood and a greater infusion of money than Paramount was willing to give it. Still, I'll check it out. Everything's better in HD. Firefly is a whole different realm of quality. Any scifi fan who missed it before should check it out. I saw it in Fox High Resolution Widescreen (480p). It was better than the DVD release was later.

Sorry I couldn't attend the meet. I'm sure John put on a good show with the new 1080p projector.

I'm afraid Enterprise arrived DOA. The Star Trek franchise was pretty much exhausted at that point, at least without some new blood and a greater infusion of money than Paramount was willing to give it. Still, I'll check it out. Everything's better in HD. Firefly is a whole different realm of quality. Any scifi fan who missed it before should check it out. I saw it in Fox High Resolution Widescreen (480p). It was better than the DVD release was later.

I liked Enterprise as I love Star Trek. The original got in my blood when I was a young kid.

Firefly was good but too few episodes.

Thanks for the info Joe.

I couldn't attend the meet either. My sister lost her dog of 13 years earlier in the week and yesterday was the first time I could spend time with her.

Agree with Doug, DLM was an interesting premise and fun to watch.

As much as I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer (early seasons anyhow) and had high hopes for Josh's Firefly, I could never really get into it. And the overacting in Serenity - wow, I couldn't even watch the whole movie, and I love SciFi.

I had to take my Mom over to Best Buy to replace a microwave that went out last night. I saw that the tax free day for schools is going on. Long and short of it - pick up 320GB WD IDE hard drive for $99, no tax, and use the 15% off coupon they give you when you walk through the door (South County Best Buy had these), total price $85. Still about and hour and a half left on this deal.

Joe:

Thanks for the backup program tip. I've been searching for a good backup solution for my machines.

All I need is the ability to "click a button" and back a drive. Based on the little I've read it looks like Acronis can do this.

Best,

Enterprise sucked the first two seasons. Then the third season got really good. And most of the fourth season (except for the absolutely horrid finale) is among the best TREK ever produced. I credit that to their bringing in Manny Coto to help in season 3, and pretty much putting him in charge of season 4 (he's the guy who ran things at 24 this season).

On the software front, I have a new favorite backup utility - Acronis True Image 9.

Outstanding program. I backup all 3 of my desktops in the house every other week with this utility, all to an external 320GB Western Digital firewire/USB2 drive that I bought for backup purposes (networked to the one PC that's hardwired to the router, the rest do it via 802.11g). It's saved me a couple of times when I had a bad IDE drive go on the wife's computer. I just used the latest backup image and she was good to go with the new drive in about 10min like nothing ever happened. Easiest backup software ever.

Outstanding program. I backup all 3 of my desktops in the house every other week with this utility, all to an external 320GB Western Digital firewire/USB2 drive that I bought for backup purposes (networked to the one PC that's hardwired to the router, the rest do it via 802.11g). It's saved me a couple of times when I had a bad IDE drive go on the wife's computer. I just used the latest backup image and she was good to go with the new drive in about 10min like nothing ever happened. Easiest backup software ever.

It is, isn't it? I mucked around with other backup software - Ghost, Drive Image, GoBack. I had one problem after another. On more than one occasion, the act of installing the backup software actually destroyed Windows. I had to do a complete reinstall. I've put Acronis on four systems now and it's gone effortlessly. I have system backups on each system drive in hidden partitions. Hit a key combo on bootup and restore to the system partition. I have backup images on a USB2 drive, with a boot CD. If the drive goes bad, boot to the CD and restore to a new hard drive. I'm storing backup images on DVDs, too. My last Mac envy has just gone poof.

I bought two of those 320GB drives at Best Buy. At $85 a piece, it was too good an offer to pass up. Now I just have to find two empty bays somewhere to put them in.

...

I bought two of those 320GB drives at Best Buy. At $85 a piece, it was too good an offer to pass up. Now I just have to find two empty bays somewhere to put them in.

I've got an empty bay in my computer if you need someplace to store it :p

Need help with Charter! After nearly 2 years with a Moxi box, it has died on me. After 2 phone calls (about 30 minutes on hold total), they have schedulued me for an AUGUST 21 visit to fix the Moxi. When I asked her if she knew how far away that was, she said she was anticipating that I would be upset. Is that on their card they read over there in India? I asked if I could just take it in and exchange it, she said I could try that but didn't seem like that would be too promising. So..........my question. Has anyone ever gone in to exchange a box? Do they even have any Moxis at this point that I could exchange it with???

I've got an empty bay in my computer if you need someplace to store it :p

Now, why didn't I think of that? Here's what we do - meet me tomorrow at noon at the main county library on Lindbergh near 40. I'll give you the drive there. Sound good?

If I'm late, you just wait there, OK? Sometimes I run late - maybe two, three hours. But you just wait and I'll be there. If it gets to be 6:00, don't worry. I'll show. I'm very reliable. It's just that sometimes I get a little distracted and lose track of the time.

I never got distracted in the past, but now sometimes I do. What were we talking about?

:D

twombomber,

There have been various reports here of Charter customers trying to pick up or exchange a MOXI box at a Charter office, but none that I can recall that were successful. These boxes have always been treated as something special or different by Charter, and there's now the additional complication that MOXI inventory is short and waiting lists are long.

I think it's probably a waste of time to try to swap your MOXI at the local office, but as the CSR said, you can try. If you have any luck, be sure to report it back here.

I watched the NBC Sunday Night Football game in HD last night and there was a definite glitch when they were superimposing the graphics. You could see a noticeable resolution change. I watched the game via OTA on CH 5.1 and MPEG4 via H20 receiver and it was noticeable on both. Did anyone else see this? I hope this is something the national or local feed works out before the season starts.

It was a national problem. My Dad, who lives about 1 mile from me has the East Coast Feed of NBC and he checked for me. Same issue. The fuzziness (out of focus look) and lack of sharpness at different times.

Although, it's not related to Sunday night football.

Anybody know why KSDK does not include HD highlights of game known to be in HD (Cards games on Saturday and Sunday) during their sports highlights?

Kurt,

I suspect that it's because KPLR hasn't granted KSDK the right to use the HD feed for highlights on its newscasts, only SD. Since KPLR can't do HD news, there would be little point in handing KSDK an additional advantage by providing them with an HD package of Cards highlights.

I thought maybe the broadcasts were the property of MLB. I guess the same can be said for highlights from ESPN-HD and FSMW-HD.

Too bad the networks can't play nice :rolleyes:

I think MLB play some role in controlling the redistribution of radio and television broadcasts after the fact, but I don't think that would fully explain why KSDK wouldn't be showing the HD highlights. After all, KSDK does have the rights to the SD highlights, as do all other local stations with newscasts.

I think MLB play some role in controlling the redistribution of radio and television broadcasts after the fact, but I don't think that would fully explain why KSDK wouldn't be showing the HD highlights. After all, KSDK does have the rights to the SD highlights, as do all other local stations with newscasts.

I don't know the answer to this for sure, but I'd bet it has more to do with KSDK not having the ability to edit in HD. Even KSDK's edited packages promoting their own HD broadcasts have been in upconverted SD (along with all their other field packages). Realtime HD editing is still very expensive and its a whole different process than presenting live broadcasts from the studio in HD. Even if they could edit in HD, playing it back during the HD broadcast would be a separate issue. I imagine they don't have dedicated HD playback decks integrated into the studio, either.

All this will come, but it's an expensive upgrade that's going to cost them a lot more. I'm sure they have so much in studio conversion they won't be transitioning all their field production/editing equipment for a while.

Ironically, HD editing and playback devices have migrated to the home quicker than they have to the networks. I can do realtime HD editing of my HDV footage (shot on a Sony HDV camcorder), burn the edited footage to HD DVD and play it back on my home theater projection system. That footage looks better than any field production footage (not studio footage) I've seen on KSDK. However, getting that process to work in a fully integrated studio environment means lots of money.

John,

Could we get a report on how 1080p HD DVD looks on your new projector? I'm sure a lot of people here who couldn't come to the meet would like to know. Not looking for a Widescreen Review in-depth analysis. Just a few quick impressions.

I don't know the answer to this for sure, but I'd bet it has more to do with KSDK not having the ability to edit in HD. Even KSDK's edited packages promoting their own HD broadcasts have been in upconverted SD (along with all their other field packages). Realtime HD editing is still very expensive and its a whole different process than presenting live broadcasts from the studio in HD. Even if they could edit in HD, playing it back during the HD broadcast would be a separate issue. I imagine they don't have dedicated HD playback decks integrated into the studio, either.



Joe,

When they time shift shows like SNL they are not HD, IIRC. I think all their HD must be live or network feed, from what I've noticed. I have no knowledge of this, only what I've observed.

Dave

John,

Could we get a report on how 1080p HD DVD looks on your new projector? I'm sure a lot of people here who couldn't come to the meet would like to know. Not looking for a Widescreen Review in-depth analysis. Just a few quick impressions.

Wow!

That's a very quick impression, I'll give you a little more later :)

Best,

Joe,

When they time shift shows like SNL they are not HD, IIRC. I think all their HD must be live or network feed, from what I've noticed. I have no knowledge of this, only what I've observed.

Dave

Is there something especially complex about doing this at the broadcast level vs. us capturing the stream as consumers?

Is there something especially complex about doing this at the broadcast level vs. us capturing the stream as consumers?

Reports here seem to indicate they can time shift programming, but that's different than having the capability of doing realtime HD editing and output, and the ability to control HD playback devices in a studio setting. I haven't done research for a while, but equipment to do that is quite expensive. When we did a studio makeover where I used to work, we didn't have the money to do HD. Even SD gear for that small studio (cameras, switcher, lighting, CG, audio, prompter systems, and video recording and playback decks - which didn't even have the automation a studio like KSDKs would require) cost well in excess of $300,000. That's not even HD. We would have blown the whole budget on less than 3 HD studio cameras. For field production (where they go out and shoot a fire, edit it and get that package on the news at 6:00), you have to have all new cameras and editing systems. And in the studio you have to be able to cue up the HD footage on HD playback devices (usually videotape, although digital, instant access systems should replace those in time, if not already).

And pro gear costs a lot more than consumer gear. A WHOLE lot more.

Joe,

When they time shift shows like SNL they are not HD, IIRC. I think all their HD must be live or network feed, from what I've noticed. I have no knowledge of this, only what I've observed.Dave,

KSDK is alone among local statons in its ability to time-shift HD programming. In fact, they use this now every week to slightly delay the start of SNL, due to the fact that the Saturday evening late news on KSDK runs a few minutes longer than the affilliate standards. As a result, KSDK begins recording the program when they receive the HD network feed, and then begin playback of it when the news ends 5 or 10 minutes later.

There were some technical glitches with the playback when KSDK first started doing this after SNL went to HD last fall (periodic and randomly located rainbow flashes appeared), but this has been fixed. I actually caught some of SNL this past weekend and it looked fine.

KSDK also uses the HD time-shifting gear during the NFL season, as KSDK runs Rams specials on Monday nights after a Sunday game, resulting in Leno being delayed by around 15 minutes. In most cases toward the end of last football season, KSDK managed to air Leno and Conan in HD from start to finish via their time-shifter.

Is there something especially complex about doing this at the broadcast level vs. us capturing the stream as consumers?

John,

Just a guess here, but all the production and field cams are tape, it would probably require going all digital, and as Robert said, the pro gear switchover costs would be substantial, as well as pro grade software. Then there is the hiring/ training of the personnel to get it done. We have seen what the learning curve is at some of the local stations.

Dave

Dave,

KSDK is alone among local statons in its ability to time-shift HD programming. In fact, they use this now every week to slightly delay the start of SNL, due to the fact that the Saturday evening late news on KSDK runs a few minutes longer than the affilliate standards. As a result, KSDK begins recording the program when they receive the HD network feed, and then begin playback of it when the news ends 5 or 10 minutes later.

There were some technical glitches with the playback when KSDK first started doing this after SNL went to HD last fall (periodic and randomly located rainbow flashes appeared), but this has been fixed. I actually caught some of SNL this past weekend and it looked fine.

KSDK also uses the HD time-shifting gear during the NFL season, as KSDK runs Rams specials on Monday nights after a Sunday game, resulting in Leno being delayed by around 15 minutes. In most cases toward the end of last football season, KSDK managed to air Leno and Conan in HD from start to finish via their time-shifter.

Doug,

Thanks for correcting this. I was just going on what I had observed in the past. I know I've seen SNL rebroadcast in SD when the earlier original was HD.

Dave

An explanation from one of our experts please....
Last Saturday, I recorded the FOX HD GOTW from both the SAT HD DT local feed, and from the OTA feed. I watched most of the game on the SAT HD feed, switching on occasion. I'll mention again, to me, PQ is identical, SAT vs OTA.

During the broadcast, I noticed some very brief, and small pixelating (I'd say the went about 70% across the screen, and took up an inch or so in width) on the SAT HD feed. Later I went back to the recordings and found they existed at exactly the same time, in exactly the same places on both the SAT HD and OTA feed.

I always thought this was a result of terrestrial reception, me being 50+ miles away, etc.

To me, this eliminates any reception issue, and any receiver issue. I recorded the two events on different Dish HD DVR's, using different sources, I'm guessing it takes it down to a broadcast issue either at KTVI or the national FOX HD feed. :confused:

Is this what you guys refer to as bit-starved? It is just a brief small blocking-like band across portions of the screen, very brief, and in different places. It looks the same as the larger ones I get while watching KPLR DT during bad weather.

I always thought this was mostly a OTA reception issue, but now that I have the SAT reception, I'm wondering if there's anything else I need to do to correct this. Any takers?

Wow!

That's a very quick impression, I'll give you a little more later :)

Best,

I'm sure it has a very nice video presentation but how is the room acoustically? Knowing John it has to be 1st rate ;)

I gotta get over there and check out your new pad

I always thought this was a result of terrestrial reception, me being 50+ miles away, etc.OTA reception is all or nothing. Macro blocking is usually caused by peak motion content the encoding algorithm cannot accommodate.

I think it may have happened around 2pm. Can anybody verify whether KMOV-DT is online or not?

On a side note, WRBU-DT appears to be broadcasting a higher power (just this afternoon, I was able to tune it without any trouble. They appear to be still broadcasting in 480i, but it looks sharper than it has.

Ken,

When you say the pixellation went across about 70% across the screen, I'm a bit at a loss. Do you mean that it started on the left side of the screen and went nearly to the other side. If so, how "tall" was the pixellation and where was it located vertically?

In extreme situations where a TV has litle or no overscan, you may be able to see what sort of looks like pixellation at the very top or bottom, but this is where "data" from the vertical blanking interval (used for closed captioning info or sometime for third-party data carriage) is improperly coming down into the picture area. You can sometimes see this on certain channels on plasma TVs or projectors set up with less than 2% overscan at the top or bottom. But this usually only happens on SD channels, or on HD channels where they're currently showing something (a commercial, for instance) from an upconverted local SD feed.

If this isn't something that's happening at the top/bottom, then it's possible that it was just a momentary encode/decode error at the network or local level. It would be interesting to see if you can say exactly where this happened -- maybe someone else who recorded this game would be able to check to see if they see the same thing.

Otherwise, I wonder if this is something that you're seeing regularly? If so, I would suspect that you may have an internal cabling problem (cable insulation compromised or you're running an extreme length) and you're experiencing signal loss. If so, this should be fixable by getting DISH out on a service call.

Those are the only possibilities I can come up with, but maybe someone else will come up with an explanation for this.

Thanks Doug,
When it happens, it is never at the bottom or top of the screen. From top to bottom, it shows up in the center 2/3's, and is about 3/4's the width of the screen, also away for the left and right edges.

I'll take some paused screenshots and email them to you, perhaps that will give you a better idea.

Thanks Tbrunet for the reply, unfortunately I don't have the knowledge to understand it :o

kj,

Confirming that KMOV-DT was off the air when I checked shortly before 3 pm.

As for WRBU, I've always considered my ability to receive this station to be a black mark for digital television technology... ;)

I think it may have happened around 2pm. Can anybody verify whether KMOV-DT is online or not?

Off here also. SD is on, but not the DT.

Charter Update: I tried to exchange my Moxi box at Charter today, and, as Doug predicted, no dice. However, when I said I could only make an appointment for someone to look at it on the weekend or sometime this week, she said all weekends were full and no one could make it out before August 17th, she made a phone call to her supervisor and said someone will come out today, up until 8pm. Go figure. She offered to give me a digital box in the meantime, but I said I wanted an HD box at least. She said they couldn't do that because the numbers wouldn't match up and there was no way to enter it into the computer. Yeah, that's a pretty good reason. So hopefully in the next 4 hours someone makes it out here, but what are the odds they have a replacement Moxi when they find out this one is shot. Stay tuned...

FCC Denies Time-Warner Appeal on NFL Network Carriage

Although the Time-Warner angle here isn't directly relevant to St. Louis and Charter, I think it's a good indicator of the general problems that the NFL Network is having in getting cable carriage on the terms it is demanding.

Time-Warner recently sent the NFL Nework packing from its recently acquired Adelphia Cable systems, due to the NFL's demands for inclusion in one of the more basic subscription packages, rather than an optional expanded sports tier. TW declined and immediately dropped the NFL Network from those systems.

The NFL Network appealed to the FCC, claiming that TW ignored the requirement that it give customers 30 days notice before dropping any channel previously provided. The FCC found in favor of The NFL Network and ordered TW to reinstate the NFL Network and provide subscribers sufficient warning that it would be discontinued on those systems.

In turn, TW appealed, saying the requirement was only relevant if there were ongoing negotiations with the channel, and it claimed it has no intention of talking further with the NFL Network. Again, the FCC ruled against TW.

On balance, it seems that the NFL Network is aggressively overplaying its hand and rapidly losing cable distribution. This is clearly not a problem unique to Charter.

The following news brief is from today's Evening Bridge market close newsletter:
_____________________________________________

The Media Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission denied an application from Time Warner Cable that asked the agency to reconsider an earlier decision to temporarily reinstate carriage of the NFL Network on recently acquired Adelphia systems.

The NFL's petition alleges that Time Warner discontinue carriage of the NFL Network without providing customers with the mandated 30-days notice.
_____________________________________________

...but what are the odds they have a replacement Moxi when they find out this one is shot?Put me down for "not as good as the odds of monkeys flying out of Tony La Russa's butt while orchestrating a double-switch involving Albert Pujols during this week's Cincinnati series."

Wow!

That's a very quick impression, I'll give you a little more later :)

Best,

John,
Which 1080P projector did you get? I currently have a Panasonic AE700 (720P LCD) with 106" Screen. I'm thinking of upgrading to DLP (Optima H72 720P DLP), but I may just try to make the AE700 last 1 more year and go 1080P.

Sorry I missed the meet. Maybe next time...

Dave

I think it may have happened around 2pm. Can anybody verify whether KMOV-DT is online or not?

On a side note, WRBU-DT appears to be broadcasting a higher power (just this afternoon, I was able to tune it without any trouble. They appear to be still broadcasting in 480i, but it looks sharper than it has.

Just checked the FCC database. They are still authorized 109 KW (no change). Of course, they may actually be *using* all 109 KW now...

Larry Rice (KNLC) is an egregious example of this. His analog (24) is authorized for 3.09 MW, and the digital (14) is authorized for 63 KW. I routinely pick up DX on those channels. Many smaller markets and stations are cheating, I believe, as analog cutoff is still 2 1/2 years away.

Thanks Doug,
When it happens, it is never at the bottom or top of the screen. From top to bottom, it shows up in the center 2/3's, and is about 3/4's the width of the screen, also away for the left and right edges.

I'll take some paused screenshots and email them to you, perhaps that will give you a better idea.

Thanks Tbrunet for the reply, unfortunately I don't have the knowledge to understand it :o

I think I know what you're talking about, Ken. I get intermittent glitches on Fox as well. They had some technical problems near the end of the regular TV season, where those glitches were frequent and bad. They cleared it up a lot, but smaller but similar problems have remained to this day. I'm hoping they can get it right for the beginning of the new season. Nothing I recorded near the end of the regular season was worth keeping.

Heard about this on NPR today - MovieBeam a new onDemand box that transmits movies using PBS's OTA digital signal ......

http://www.moviebeam.com/opencms/opencms/Pages/


Such a ripoff if you ask me.

John,
Which 1080P projector did you get? I currently have a Panasonic AE700 (720P LCD) with 106" Screen. I'm thinking of upgrading to DLP (Optima H72 720P DLP), but I may just try to make the AE700 last 1 more year and go 1080P.

Sorry I missed the meet. Maybe next time...

Dave

Not John here, but I know he got the Marantz 1080p. Although I've read really good things about the Optoma H72 DLP, I think you might want to wait until after CEDIA (September), when a lot of 1080p projectors will be announced. If the H72 is your price range, though, it's supposed to be a great projector for the money. None of the 1080p projectors will be close in terms of price.

I love single chip DLP technology. In terms of sharpness (detail), it can beat almost any 3-chip technology (LCD, SXRD, even 3-chip DLP). If you read the Sony Ruby 1080p projector threads, you'll notice that there are reports that 720p DLP often beats the Ruby for perceived sharpness - not bad for a technology that has 50% less vertical and horizontal resolution. 720p prices may go down even more after CEDIA.

black,

Unless there's been a recent change, MovieBeam is a Disney property and as a result the service was going to use "excess" digital bandwidth from ABC "owned and operated" stations. Maybe the PBS angle is for markets where the local ABC non-owned station doesn't want to play ball with MovieBeam.

Then again, there's not a lot of excess PBS bandwidth available, no matter how loosely "excess" is defined.

black,

Unless there's been a recent change, MovieBeam is a Disney property and as a result the service was going to use "excess" digital bandwidth from ABC "owned and operated" stations. Maybe the PBS angle is for markets where the local ABC non-owned station doesn't want to play ball with MovieBeam.

Then again, there's not a lot of excess PBS bandwidth available, no matter how loosely "excess" is defined.

The story on NPR this morning said it was a Disney company, but made it quite clear they had paid a licensing fee to PBS to use their signal. Since NPR loves PBS they were harping on it.

black,

Unless there's been a recent change, MovieBeam is a Disney property and as a result the service was going to use "excess" digital bandwidth from ABC "owned and operated" stations. Maybe the PBS angle is for markets where the local ABC non-owned station doesn't want to play ball with MovieBeam.

Then again, there's not a lot of excess PBS bandwidth available, no matter how loosely "excess" is defined.I also heard the NPR story, and they were quite clear about it using the PBS bandwidth to distribute movies to devices.

black,

Well, that definitely sounds like a new development. I would assume that this means that participating local PBS stations are going to have to drop some of their subchannels in order to free up enough bandwidth to make this viable.

In some markets, local PBS stations are running an HD program stream and as many as six SD streams.

Bleeech...

I also heard the NPR story, and they were quite clear about it using the PBS bandwidth to distribute movies to devices.

Where are they going to get the bandwith from here in St. Louis? KETC already has 4 bit starved sub-channels.

Yep -- but it will probably die anyhow. I mean .... 4.99 to watch an HD movie? And the last thing I need is another applicance sucking electricity to my bill. And then there's the internet ......

Well, I'm obviously outside the demographic market for this device anyhow.

black,

At $4.99 Disney would be letting you off easy...there's a News Corp. executive who told investment analysts that HD early adopters are so desperate for HD programming that we'd happily pay $25 to watch a single HD movie.

And this was less than a year ago...

black,

At $4.99 Disney would be letting you off easy...there's a News Corp. executive who told investment analysts that HD early adopters are so desperate for HD programming that we'd happily pay $25 to watch a single HD movie.

And this was less than a year ago...


Maybe that was about HD-DVD -- like $25 to OWN one .... maybe ... not me :) To just WATCH one? That guy must be crazy. I'd rather watch re-encoded Law and Order re-runs over and over on TNT-HD :D

black,

Here's the original story and follow-up discussion...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7223140&&#post7223140

Maybe that was about HD-DVD -- like $25 to OWN one .... maybe ... not me :) To just WATCH one? That guy must be crazy. I'd rather watch re-encoded Law and Order re-runs over and over on TNT-HD :DBut will you take standard def, pillar-boxed episodes upconverted and stretched on TNTHD? :rolleyes:

I was being sarcastic :P

I was being sarcastic :PSo was I. ;)

But I agree agree about renting movies in HD. $4.99? No thanks, especially not after paying $200 for the movie rental box that's severly limited. With all the crap Hollywood puts out nowadays, I'm sure I'd be hard pressed to find enough movies from a selection of 100 to be worthwhile, even if rental were $1 for HD.

I'm considering the move from Charter to Dish and I'm not really concerned about HD PQ, but I don't really know what to expect for SD. Since most programming is still SD and Charter's really looks pathetic on our large screen set, I'm wondering what others think about SD from E*? I would be especially interested from anyone with experience with both.

Thanks,
Terry

I'm considering the move from Charter to Dish and I'm not really concerned about HD PQ, but I don't really know what to expect for SD. Since most programming is still SD and Charter's really looks pathetic on our large screen set, I'm wondering what others think about SD from E*? I would be especially interested from anyone with experience with both.

Thanks,
Terry

I went the other way - E* to Charter, but not necessarily by choice. Anyhow, I actually prefer Charters SD picture to E*'s. Just my opinion though, but it is less pixelated. You should probably go view it somewhere for yourself though if possible on a screen the same relative size as yours. I have a 54" plasma.

54"?

black,

At $4.99 Disney would be letting you off easy...there's a News Corp. executive who told investment analysts that HD early adopters are so desperate for HD programming that we'd happily pay $25 to watch a single HD movie.

And this was less than a year ago...

I'm paying about that, but I own the media :)

Cheers,

John,
Which 1080P projector did you get? I currently have a Panasonic AE700 (720P LCD) with 106" Screen. I'm thinking of upgrading to DLP (Optima H72 720P DLP), but I may just try to make the AE700 last 1 more year and go 1080P.

Sorry I missed the meet. Maybe next time...

Dave

Dave,

Joe answered earlier for me...

I have a Marantz VP11-S1, which is their new 1080p DLP (Single-Chip).

I think I'll let some of the people that attended comment on PQ. Also, it looked even better on SD-DVD when we changed the Meridian output to 480p and let the Gennum chip do the scaling.

Cheers,

54"?


No, 42" -- sorry, too much coffee today :rolleyes:

Dave,

Joe answered earlier for me...

I have a Marantz VP11-S1, which is their new 1080p DLP (Single-Chip).

I think I'll let some of the people that attended comment on PQ. Also, it looked even better on SD-DVD when we changed the Meridian output to 480p and let the Gennum chip do the scaling.

Cheers,

Let's put it this way. I can't think of a picture I've seen anywhere look better. The clips you showed from the Sin City trailer blew me away, and HD-DVD looked stellar. I love single chip DLP's, and the Marantz won't disappoint.

Scott