need to get this out there before I head home. Looking for a in-wall entertainment system to be built. if you or someone you know or someone you had do a job for you is looking for work send me a pm. I'm near 141& Big Bend

Folks,

We're currently sitting in neutral on the kSDk boycott. No one has followed up on the need for sponsor monitors and no one has stepped forward on the domain name purchase and hosting/redirect.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8603915&&#post8603915

phenwick has written a letter to kSDk in an attempt to start either an online or offline dialog. I'm not sure the letter has been sent yet, but I'm sure Dave will update us once it's gone off.

I'm still interested in pursuing this, but I'm not going to go into this essentially alone and then watch it belly flop due to a lack of followthrough. Maybe kSDk fixing the "tape delay" problems is enough that we should let them off the hook. Under different circumstances, I might agree, but the long track record shows that execution and consistent followthrough is not a likely outcome.

Unless someone is going to step up on the mointoring and the domain/redirect, this probably won't go any further.

Nothing like floating a ridiculous go nowhere idea, and expecting someone else to "step up" and do all the work and even buy the domain for it!!!

Nothing like floating a ridiculous go nowhere idea, and expecting someone else to "step up" and do all the work and even buy the domain for it!!!
Isn't that a little harsh?

Isn't that a little harsh?I think most of the members he directed that at have him on their ignore list anyway. His comments wouldn't be seen by them until you quoted it. :)

3) Is it true that the normal box w/ charter (non DVR) does not have DVI or HDMI?

I believe this is correct, and/or the port on the box is disabled. But not 100% sure have only used the Moxi.


The regular HD box I have has a working DVI port. I have the DVI connection going to the HD PJ and the component connection goign to a HD TV. Can have both on at the same time as well.

not sure which box I have.... here is a pic... hard to tell but if you click on the full size link you may be able to make it out????
AV Closet (http://crackity.com/gallery/v/HomeTheater_3-9-05_/JH5X7607.jpg.html)

I just can't get the 1000+ installed. That isn't my area of expertise :-(

That makes you qualified to become a Dish Installer, John :D

I think most of the members he directed that at have him on their ignore list anyway. His comments wouldn't be seen by them until you quoted it. :)

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I encourage everyone to do the same.

Scott

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I encourage everyone to do the same.

ScottAgree. I did that a while ago.

I posted a subject over in the HDTV PROGRAMMING area about this and got no response.

"Drop the Remote" has asked his FSN-MW contact a number of times and has gotten no response.

My idea for why FSN-MW was not included is the small number of HD games broadcast. Why uplink a whole HD channel if only 5 or 6 Cardinals games per year are produced in HD?

Other RSNs do every home game for multiple teams in HD and some also do their studio shows.

Once FSN-MW starts broadcasting HD games regularly, there would be more reason to get the channel included by D* and E*.

Again, this is just my hunch. I have no inside information about this.

My idea for why FSN-MW was not included is the small number of HD games broadcast. Why uplink a whole HD channel if only 5 or 6 Cardinals games per year are produced in HD?

Other RSNs do every home game for multiple teams in HD and some also do their studio shows.

Once FSN-MW starts broadcasting HD games regularly, there would be more reason to get the channel included by D* and E*.

Again, this is just my hunch. I have no inside information about this.
So far, DISH has uplinked 8 of the FoxNet HD RSN's, all on to the same orbital location and same transponder, with the restriction of only 2 being active at a time. Currently, transponder 8 on 129° shares a total of 28 HD RSN's, including the FoxNet, NBA and NHL HD's. (none yet available to subs)

I don't know how the math works out, but only 2 of the 28 will be live at any given time. I suppose it is feasible a HD broadcast a sub wants to see may be nixed by league rules or DISH, and another one broadcast.

I agree with you Dj, I still think we're a couple of years from seeing all the HD content of a particular RSN-HD on DBS. Even if FSNMW-HD was included in the current E* and D* plans, there's still no guarantee subs would see every Cards and Blues HD broadcast MW produces.

There's always cable :eek:

OTA is pretty rough again tonight... the first few minutes of Lost was a pixel parade. Jericho is doing the same. Anybody else? Is this that crazy Topowhatsits that Mo mentioned? The heavy air thing? It is pretty damn chilly out.

Dan:

I had zero reception problems from ~30 miles out from the transmitters.

Regards,

Dan:

I had zero reception problems from ~30 miles out from the transmitters.

Regards,
Crap! I'll check the signals again tomorrow.

Another question: What's the deal with KSDK & Wheel of Fortune? Some days it's in HD other days it's not. I'm confused.

I know this was posted a few days ago, but I've been wondering why KSDK has been having so many problems with Wheel of Furtune.

It's odd that I'm seeing so many of the new DirecTV (MPEG-4) DVR so early in game, but I had a calibration tune-up yesterday where another customer had recently added this receiver.

One thing that I discovered that I had previously overlooked is that the new DVRs have a "native mode" that will pass the HD format as originated by the station or programmer. So, when you have the new DVR in "native" mode, FOX, ESPN, ABC and PBS is output as 720p and all other HD broadcasts are output as 1080i.

While the greatest benefit of this "native" feature will be for customers who have an external scaler/video processor, I think many average customers stand to benefit.

In my experience, most consumers, regardless of display type, when given a choice between 1080i and 720p output will normally opt for 1080i on the assumption that higher numbers are better. In fact, with most non-1080p digital displays, when you have to choose between 720p and 1080i, selecting 720p normally would be the better choice. This is because opting for 720p would avoid the completely unnecessary step of converting (720p) progressive images to interlaced (1080i), with the display then taking the interlaced 1080i back the display's native resolution of 720 progressive.

The same would be true for LCDs and plasmas that have computer-oriented native resolutions, such as 1366x768 or 1024x768. Better to keep 720p in progressive mode, with the display scaling 720p to the native progressive resolution.

With the native mode option, all digital display (non-CRT) customers should opt for native mode, regardless of the native resolution of their TV as this will avoid all extraneous progressive-to-interlaced conversions.

The two groups of display owners who wouldn't really benefit from the native output option are CRT RPTV and CRT direct view owners, as virtually none of these TVs are capable of natively displaying a 720p signal, and probably the majority wouldn't even be able to convert a 720p to 1080i. On the other hand, a native output option is nirvana for anyone with a CRT front projector and/or anyone who has invested in a good-quality video scaler/processor.

The reason for all this is that de-interlacing is difficult, even for the most advanced video processors/scalers, while scaling from one progressive resolution to another progressive resolution is relatively much more straightforward and less prone to errors. Without question, interlaced video always creates more image artifacts than progressive images, so converting 720p to 1080i is going to be a losing proposition from the standpoint of video quality.

Anyway, I wanted to mention this here, because there are some real benefits to having a "native output" option on HD (satellite or cable) receivers. While the new DirecTV DVR lacks the popular 30-second skip and the ability to toggle between two live tuners, the "native output mode" may cushion that blow a bit for customers focused on getting the best possible picture quality.

Dan:

I had zero reception problems from ~30 miles out from the transmitters.

Regards,

Me too in O'fallon, MO.

Scott

Doug,
On the DISH HD receivers, there is not a "native mode," however there is an output selection of either 720p or 1080i.

My displays do not have a resolution input setting (they're 1080i), but do offer an option of selecting either Interlaced or Progressive input.

I use the 1808i output from the receiver, and the interlaced input on the display.

After reading your post (twice), would I be better suited to change to 720p/progressive?

OTA is pretty rough again tonight... the first few minutes of Lost was a pixel parade. Jericho is doing the same. Anybody else? Is this that crazy Topowhatsits that Mo mentioned? The heavy air thing? It is pretty damn chilly out.

I also had problems with Lost. Watching through an HD-Tivo, DB2 antenna. My ABC signal strength is a pretty constant 80, although once Lost starts, I get breakups every few minutes. The last 5 minutes of this episode were completely unwatchable, no dialog got through.

I watched ABC News at 10 (not HD) and the morning show (Good Morning America?) on ABC (in HD) this morning, with no dropouts at all.

What could be causing my reception to go bad only during the one show I care about on ABC?

Edit: I'm in Dogtown, about 4 miles from the towers.

Ken. it sounds like you have a CRT (not a front projector). In that situation, 1080i output is your only practical choice, as most CRT RPTVs and "direct views" can only handle 1080i HD input. along with 480i and 480p. Most CRT RPTVs and DVs can't display 720p natively and only a minority can accept 720p for conversion to 1080i.

Hope that is clearer.

I also had problems with Lost. Watching through an HD-Tivo, DB2 antenna. My ABC signal strength is a pretty constant 80, although once Lost starts, I get breakups every few minutes. The last 5 minutes of this episode were completely unwatchable, no dialog got through.

I watched ABC News at 10 (not HD) and the morning show (Good Morning America?) on ABC (in HD) this morning, with no dropouts at all.

What could be causing my reception to go bad only during the one show I care about on ABC?

Edit: I'm in Dogtown, about 4 miles from the towers.
Dj,
Does this occur every week with LOST? Have your checked the reception in the same time-slot as LOST on different days than it airs? I realise that's not the solution, but it will get you closer to zeroing in on what the problem is.

Isn't that a little harsh?

I don't think there was anything harsh about it. It is the truth. It is basically like me saying "I want to start a ban against Charter communications. Ok, here is the deal, I want you to get me a list of all the advertisers and keep it updated for me, someone else needs to buy the domain for this little project, and what will I do you ask???? I will write the hate mail!!!!" after all, this is my expertise, criticizing others because I am perfect" this is the attitude DroptheRemote has. Sit back and let everyone else do all the work.

OTA is pretty rough again tonight... the first few minutes of Lost was a pixel parade. Jericho is doing the same. Anybody else? Is this that crazy Topowhatsits that Mo mentioned? The heavy air thing? It is pretty damn chilly out.

I watched Lost and Jericho back from my Dish 622 and had no reception problems, both were recorded from the OTA tuner. I am in St. Peters.

I can keep track of some of advertsisers. Are we talking local ones who sponsor the news or a list of national ones as well? I sent a PM with a couple of national advertisers.

GoDaddy.com is the cheapest to buy and host btw if someone else gets the domain. That's easier than trying to get it served locally. There may be other providers out there but I have used GoDaddy without any problems for a few years. I would do if I wasn't in serious job search mode. (I'm looking for an IT job, If anyone has any leads, please PM me). :)

Mo,
Periodically I have to re-adjust the elements on my off-air antenna. I have to realign them because of the wind.

Yesterday, when I was up there doing it, I remembered what you had said about trying a slight upwards tilt. I use a level to set then directly across from each other, then this time, I tilted each of them upwards, about a 1/4".

Normally after realignment, my signals are in the 80-90's. This time they're in the 90-100's. It seemed to have made a difference. I have a large directional UHF antenna with 40 elements. At 50 miles, every little trick helps.

Thanks for the tip :)

Our bank needs a new IT person, the one we have is scary, but he knows just enough so the bank thinks he's golden. I'll keep my ears open.

I also had problems with Lost. Watching through an HD-Tivo, DB2 antenna. My ABC signal strength is a pretty constant 80, although once Lost starts, I get breakups every few minutes. The last 5 minutes of this episode were completely unwatchable, no dialog got through.

I watched ABC News at 10 (not HD) and the morning show (Good Morning America?) on ABC (in HD) this morning, with no dropouts at all.

What could be causing my reception to go bad only during the one show I care about on ABC?

Edit: I'm in Dogtown, about 4 miles from the towers.
I'm in Clayton/U City, not that far from you...

I can keep track of some of advertsisers. Are we talking local ones who sponsor the news or a list of national ones as well? I sent a PM with a couple of national advertisers.

GoDaddy.com is the cheapest to buy and host btw if someone else gets the domain. That's easier than trying to get it served locally. There may be other providers out there but I have used GoDaddy without any problems for a few years. I would do if I wasn't in serious job search mode. (I'm looking for an IT job, If anyone has any leads, please PM me). :)

Advertisers only care about eyeballs watching the news.

I can keep track of some of advertsisers. Are we talking local ones who sponsor the news or a list of national ones as well? I sent a PM with a couple of national advertisers.
Mo,
The sampling I did encompassed 4 broadcasts (Noon, 5PM, 6PM, & 10PM) daily x 4 days. It revealed about 90-10 local-national.
The data is captured on a xls which Doug already has. If you'd like a copy, PM me with an e-addy and I'll send one your way. :)

Each broadcast identifies a single sponsor (always local) of that particular HD broadcast. Most likely, these advertisers will be targeted.

Man, I'm so glad I finally found this thread. There is some very good info here. Thanks to all. Anyway.... I've just purchased a Mitsu WD65831 DLP to replace my broke down Tosh 52HMX94 DLP. I've been told before that the Mitsu sets, historically, were not worth calibrating, as there were not enough changes that could be made. I am really wanting to get Doug (DroptheRemote) to come out to calibrate the set, but don't want to waste his time or my money. My new set has a feature called Perfect Color and Perfect Tint which allows for changes/memory on each input. Would this help out w/ the calibration effort, or is the real calibration in the service level menus?

I watched Lost and Jericho back from my Dish 622 and had no reception problems, both were recorded from the OTA tuner. I am in St. Peters.
Jay,
Do you have the HD locals on Dish? If so, at times do you get a audio behind video lag on the SAT locals, but it's perfectly synced on the OTA local?

Next Friday's (10/20) Blues/Canucks game is scheduled to be produced/aired in HD by FSNMW. The live Pre & Post Game Shows will also be in HD.
It is a STL origination, so no promises on black-outs.
I believe this will be the first MW HD production for the Blues this season.

Mo,
Periodically I have to re-adjust the elements on my off-air antenna. I have to realign them because of the wind.

Yesterday, when I was up there doing it, I remembered what you had said about trying a slight upwards tilt. I use a level to set then directly across from each other, then this time, I tilted each of them upwards, about a 1/4".

Normally after realignment, my signals are in the 80-90's. This time they're in the 90-100's. It seemed to have made a difference. I have a large directional UHF antenna with 40 elements. At 50 miles, every little trick helps.

Thanks for the tip :)

Our bank needs a new IT person, the one we have is scary, but he knows just enough so the bank thinks he's golden. I'll keep my ears open.

Glad it helped. I wish I could take credit for the tilt tip. It was the engineer at Winegard who told me that last year. He said 2-5% tilt but I think that just means whatever works ;)

Thanks for the info. My last two jobs were providing IT support in a financial environment. A well known bank and the second largest mortgage company.

Man, I'm so glad I finally found this thread. There is some very good info here. Thanks to all. Anyway.... I've just purchased a Mitsu WD65831 DLP to replace my broke down Tosh 52HMX94 DLP. I've been told before that the Mitsu sets, historically, were not worth calibrating, as there were not enough changes that could be made. I am really wanting to get Doug (DroptheRemote) to come out to calibrate the set, but don't want to waste his time or my money. My new set has a feature called Perfect Color and Perfect Tint which allows for changes/memory on each input. Would this help out w/ the calibration effort, or is the real calibration in the service level menus?

I think only Doug or someone who may have the same set can answer your questions. I suggest sending Doug a PM. I have a Samsung DLP and it responded extremely well to Doug's calibration. If you have a calibration disk you can get an idea as to how off or close it may be, but nothing beats a professional calibration.

Glad it helped. I wish I could take credit for the tilt tip. It was the engineer at Winegard who told me that last year. He said 2-5% tilt but I think that just means whatever works ;)

Thanks for the info. My last two jobs were providing IT support in a financial environment. A well known bank and the second largest mortgage company.
I'll sniff around....pretty much what we do...medium bank keeps the ARM's, and all of the fixed stuff is sold in the secondary market to mostly SunTrust and American Mort. CWide is making a huge push in the STL market, all of the Midwest actually...I know some peeps in HR if you're interested.

Man, I'm so glad I finally found this thread. There is some very good info here. Thanks to all. Anyway.... I've just purchased a Mitsu WD65831 DLP to replace my broke down Tosh 52HMX94 DLP. I've been told before that the Mitsu sets, historically, were not worth calibrating, as there were not enough changes that could be made. I am really wanting to get Doug (DroptheRemote) to come out to calibrate the set, but don't want to waste his time or my money. My new set has a feature called Perfect Color and Perfect Tint which allows for changes/memory on each input. Would this help out w/ the calibration effort, or is the real calibration in the service level menus?

I am curious what happened to your 52HMX94 DLP?? How old was it? I have a 52HMX84 DLP.

I think only Doug or someone who may have the same set can answer your questions. I suggest sending Doug a PM. I have a Samsung DLP and it responded extremely well to Doug's calibration. If you have a calibration disk you can get an idea as to how off or close it may be, but nothing beats a professional calibration.

Yeah, I thought I'd ask though. I left a voicemail w/ him. I'm sure he'll be in touch w/ me soon enough. I think these new Mitsu sets will be worthy of a good calibration though. They seem to have quite a few settings in the service menu. Fingers crossed...

I am curious what happened to your 52HMX94 DLP?? How old was it? I have a 52HMX84 DLP.

Well everything was great until the tech opened her up to replace an audio board. I was dropping audio here and there. Shortly thereafter, he replaced it again, followed by 2 "video boards." Next came the biggy. He plugged it in after the last video board and then came a nice pop and some smoke, which I don't believe to be normal. They replaced the entire cage of components and I had the same old audio issues and a nice new line down the right side of the screen. American finally conceeded and I was given in-store credit to purchase a new set. I ordered the Mitsu and had a month long wait so the gave me a Tosh 62MX196 as a loaner. That set was gorgeous. Had it come w/ the 1080p inputs and DVI, I would have kept it. I highly recomend it for the price. It can be had for a steal. The Mitsu however, is in a different league. Just my unprofessional opinion.
Take care,
Jeremy

Jay,
Do you have the HD locals on Dish? If so, at times do you get a audio behind video lag on the SAT locals, but it's perfectly synced on the OTA local?

Yes and Yes. Fox seems to be the worst. I am watching the ball game on it right now.(OTA is recording other stuff) The audio is way off. The other Dish Locals seem fine, I thought maybe it was the 622 but it is definatly their mpeg4 encoding.

The regular HD box I have has a working DVI port. I have the DVI connection going to the HD PJ and the component connection goign to a HD TV. Can have both on at the same time as well.

not sure which box I have.... here is a pic... hard to tell but if you click on the full size link you may be able to make it out????
AV Closet (http://crackity.com/gallery/v/HomeTheater_3-9-05_/JH5X7607.jpg.html)

Yeah, I also have the regular Charter HD box, and the DVI works. Though, I will say that the installer told me not to bother because it wouldn't work. He said the same thing about the optical sound connection (and that worked, too). When I tried them both and they worked, he just shrugged and said, "huh."

I just wish they had HDMI so I could get rid of one of the 300 cords behind my entertainment center. Does the moxi have an HDMI connection?

Dj,
Does this occur every week with LOST? Have your checked the reception in the same time-slot as LOST on different days than it airs? I realise that's not the solution, but it will get you closer to zeroing in on what the problem is.

I recorded Grey's tonight on both of my HD-Tivos. Perfect, no dropouts. Same time slot, also HD, with 5.1.

This has happened every week with Lost this season including the recap show.

I will record some other primetime ABC shows this week to see if I have any other problems. I can't think of something that is specific to Wednesday that would be causing my problems with Lost, but if anyone has an idea, I'd be glad to hear it.

It's odd that I'm seeing so many of the new DirecTV (MPEG-4) DVR so early in game, but I had a calibration tune-up yesterday where another customer had recently added this receiver.

One thing that I discovered that I had previously overlooked is that the new DVRs have a "native mode" that will pass the HD format as originated by the station or programmer. So, when you have the new DVR in "native" mode, FOX, ESPN, ABC and PBS is output as 720p and all other HD broadcasts are output as 1080i.

While the greatest benefit of this "native" feature will be for customers who have an external scaler/video processor, I think many average customers stand to benefit.

In my experience, most consumers, regardless of display type, when given a choice between 1080i and 720p output will normally opt for 1080i on the assumption that higher numbers are better. In fact, with most non-1080p digital displays, when you have to choose between 720p and 1080i, selecting 720p normally would be the better choice. This is because opting for 720p would avoid the completely unnecessary step of converting (720p) progressive images to interlaced (1080i), with the display then taking the interlaced 1080i back the display's native resolution of 720 progressive.

The same would be true for LCDs and plasmas that have computer-oriented native resolutions, such as 1366x768 or 1024x768. Better to keep 720p in progressive mode, with the display scaling 720p to the native progressive resolution.

With the native mode option, all digital display (non-CRT) customers should opt for native mode, regardless of the native resolution of their TV as this will avoid all extraneous progressive-to-interlaced conversions.

The two groups of display owners who wouldn't really benefit from the native output option are CRT RPTV and CRT direct view owners, as virtually none of these TVs are capable of natively displaying a 720p signal, and probably the majority wouldn't even be able to convert a 720p to 1080i. On the other hand, a native output option is nirvana for anyone with a CRT front projector and/or anyone who has invested in a good-quality video scaler/processor.

The reason for all this is that de-interlacing is difficult, even for the most advanced video processors/scalers, while scaling from one progressive resolution to another progressive resolution is relatively much more straightforward and less prone to errors. Without question, interlaced video always creates more image artifacts than progressive images, so converting 720p to 1080i is going to be a losing proposition from the standpoint of video quality.

Anyway, I wanted to mention this here, because there are some real benefits to having a "native output" option on HD (satellite or cable) receivers. While the new DirecTV DVR lacks the popular 30-second skip and the ability to toggle between two live tuners, the "native output mode" may cushion that blow a bit for customers focused on getting the best possible picture quality.


The Native mode pass through is one of the reasons I love my new HR20-700! :)

Yeah, I also have the regular Charter HD box, and the DVI works. Though, I will say that the installer told me not to bother because it wouldn't work. He said the same thing about the optical sound connection (and that worked, too). When I tried them both and they worked, he just shrugged and said, "huh."

I just wish they had HDMI so I could get rid of one of the 300 cords behind my entertainment center. Does the moxi have an HDMI connection?

No, the MOXI does not have an HDMI connection, but it does have a DVI connection.

I was watching the Cards game last night on my Dish 622. It was the local HD over the Sat. Did anyone else have an extreme lag in audio? Mine was a good 2 seconds off. It was so hard to watch.

TV Predictions Site Reviews New MPEG-4 DirecTV Receiver

An interesting review, though I'm puzzled at some of the conclusions, most notably the suggestion that the non-MPEG4 channels look better than previously. :confused:

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

Last night, for example, I scanned the dial from Fox's baseball playoff game between the Mets and Cardinals to NBC's sitcom, The Office, to HDNet's Penguins-Rangers hockey match. I was so impressed with each broadcast that I wanted to watch all three at the same time.

Still in disbelief at DIRECTV's turnaround, I walked over to another high-def set (I have three) which is connected to a Comcast HD receiver. After checking out Fox and NBC via the Comcast box, I have to say that DIRECTV's picture was a little better. (Comcast does not carry HDNet.)

...interestingly, the national HD channels also look remarkably better, although DIRECTV says it's not using MPEG4 to deliver those signals. (The satcaster says it will switch to MPEG4 for all high-def channels next year.)
__________________________________________________________

To read the complete review, click here. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvpicture101306.htm)

I was watching the Cards game last night on my Dish 622. It was the local HD over the Sat. Did anyone else have an extreme lag in audio? Mine was a good 2 seconds off. It was so hard to watch.
Yes, Jerastan. We were discussing it earlier in the day. FOX is the worst of the 4, especially a live HD broadcast. Switch to the OTA, if you have it.
When the HD locals first launched on DISH, the audio lag was poor on all 4. CBS, NBC and ABC seem to have been fixed, there is no discernible difference between those 3 in SAT or OTA. But DISH's MPEG4 encoding on the FOX feed is still awful at times.

An interesting review, though I'm puzzled at some of the conclusions, most notably the suggestion that the non-MPEG4 channels look better than previously. :confused:

Perhaps they are backing-off the throttle on the MPEG2 national HD's. :confused:

Perhaps they are backing-off the throttle on the MPEG2 national HD's. :confused:

Like HDNet becoming HDLiteNet. Some of my favorite HDNet shows definitely look softer than before. Again, I have a 720p projector, so the Dish encoders are definitely having a negative impact on picture quality. (I'm referring to the fact that even though a 1920x1080 satcast is downrezzed to 1440x1080 and the resolution still exceeds my display's resolution, my video processor does a better job at scaling 1920 than theirs does scaling 1440. I think the bitrate is being shaved, too.)

My Dish 622 stopped recording a couple of days ago. I called Dish and they are sending a new one UPS. At first, scanning appeared flaky - it would break up and the scanning was erratic. Finally, when I tried to pause, the image would freeze, but no recording took place. No timers triggered and manual recording failed.

This will be my third 622, so I think quality is a real issue with this box. Mine is still under warranty, but long term I don't have much confidence in this design. The first box had a bad HDMI port. The component out was good on that box. I wonder how many 622 users are using 622's with bad HDMI ports and don't know it. If you just used the component outputs, you wouldn't know until you switched to a display with DVI or HDMI inputs. Plug it in and poof, the picture goes in a few days. If you're out of warranty, you're out of luck.

My Dish 622 stopped recording a couple of days ago. I called Dish and they are sending a new one UPS. At first, scanning appeared flaky - it would break up and the scanning was erratic. Finally, when I tried to pause, the image would freeze, but no recording took place. No timers triggered and manual recording failed.

This will be my third 622, so I think quality is a real issue with this box. Mine is still under warranty, but long term I don't have much confidence in this design. The first box had a bad HDMI port. The component out was good on that box. I wonder how many 622 users are using 622's with bad HDMI ports and don't know it. If you just used the component outputs, you wouldn't know until you switched to a display with DVI or HDMI inputs. Plug it in and poof, the picture goes in a few days. If you're out of warranty, you're out of luck.


Ok, everytime I'm about to pull the trigger and order mine you guys scare me. I was literally about to call today. I don't know what to do.

Yes, Jerastan. We were discussing it earlier in the day. FOX is the worst of the 4, especially a live HD broadcast. Switch to the OTA, if you have it.
When the HD locals first launched on DISH, the audio lag was poor on all 4. CBS, NBC and ABC seem to have been fixed, there is no discernible difference between those 3 in SAT or OTA. But DISH's MPEG4 encoding on the FOX feed is still awful at times.

thanks. i must have missed the earlier posts. i don't normally like watching my OTA stuff, because all of my Dish boxes have had poor tuners built in and i get a LOT of dropping and freezing. Well, at least that is the problem that i've come up with. I'm no pro, or amateur by any means, but my cables seem to be good, and the rooftop antenna has been checked out to be ok. anyway...... thanks for the heads up.

Ok, everytime I'm about to pull the trigger and order mine you guys scare me. I was literally about to call today. I don't know what to do.


well i had enough problems w/ my 942 that dish gave me the 622 for free and i have yet to have problems w/ the HDMI, but the ota tuner still seems to be crap. maybe i'm wrong, and i just need a new ota antenna, but.... anyway, my fingers are crossed about the 622. it seems to be doing a very good job so far.

Ok, everytime I'm about to pull the trigger and order mine you guys scare me. I was literally about to call today. I don't know what to do.
Try to avoid using HDMI. The 622 and HDMI don't play well together. As Joe said, even when the HDMI port is operative, other issues arise, not found using component.

Sorry Joe...mostly about having to add all the timers back in...that sucks. There is one ever so slight shimmer...Dish now activates the receiver via modem (if you have a phone line hooked to the receiver), so you shouldn't have to call in.

I've only had to swap out the one box, and that was just because it would not complete a guide download...everything else worked fine, but I'm component on both units and on the 211.

Are you using the HDMI port on your 211? Any issues with it?

well i had enough problems w/ my 942 that dish gave me the 622 for free and i have yet to have problems w/ the HDMI, but the ota tuner still seems to be crap. maybe i'm wrong, and i just need a new ota antenna, but.... anyway, my fingers are crossed about the 622. it seems to be doing a very good job so far.


I had to get a second 942, problems with OTAon first one. And I think there is a possibility it was my antenna acting up. But since then the 942 has been golden (knock on wood) including the OTA 90-100 on virtually all locals. So I am almost afraid to do anything. I am positive now that I am keeping my 942 to go along side my 622. I think I am going to go check out A-1 Satellite in Cahokia unless someone has something bad to say about them.

Try to avoid using HDMI. The 622 and HDMI don't play well together. As Joe said, even when the HDMI port is operative, other issues arise, not found using component.

Sorry Joe...mostly about having to add all the timers back in...that sucks. There is one ever so slight shimmer...Dish now activates the receiver via modem (if you have a phone line hooked to the receiver), so you shouldn't have to call in.

I've only had to swap out the one box, and that was just because it would not complete a guide download...everything else worked fine, but I'm component on both units and on the 211.

Are you using the HDMI port on your 211? Any issues with it?


As we discussed earlier I will have to use the HDMI with my setup. A tech support person told me the other day that they are trying to work on what the HDMI issues are. I wonder if I should continue to wait for this to sort out.

well i had enough problems w/ my 942 that dish gave me the 622 for free and i have yet to have problems w/ the HDMI, but the ota tuner still seems to be crap. maybe i'm wrong, and i just need a new ota antenna, but.... anyway, my fingers are crossed about the 622. it seems to be doing a very good job so far.
Jerastan,
The 942 was known for having a good OTA tuner, and the 622 even better. I split my off-air antenna signal to 2 622's and a 211, and I'm 50 miles away. My furthest 622 is over 100' from the antenna, the third split, and the tuner pulls 80-90's.
You may want to check that antenna :)

We are getting ready to use the movers deal when we get to our new house. It is currently wired for cable, so I am going to be making all the interior runs before D* comes out. So, my question deals with the new 5-LNB dish, does it have an integrated multiswitch like the 3-lnb? Do I run 5 cables to a location and then send everything to the rooms I need or do I run everything from the dish to each room directly? I want the fewest holes in my exterior walls.
Thanks
Dug

As we discussed earlier I will have to use the HDMI with my setup. A tech support person told me the other day that they are trying to work on what the HDMI issues are.
I forgot about your setup. TS has been saying that for 6 months. There was something in the last software update (365), but reports are not much has changed.
The other main issue of stuttering video seems to have been corrected 2 updates ago. Currently, the *main* issue is HDMI problems.

I Still want folders!! :(

Jerastan,
The 942 was known for having a good OTA tuner, and the 622 even better. I split my off-air antenna signal to 2 622's and a 211, and I'm 50 miles away. My furthest 622 is over 100' from the antenna, the third split, and the tuner pulls 80-90's.
You may want to check that antenna :)

No kidding?!?!? I have had nothing but problems and live over in Collisville on a large hill so I figured it's been the tuner because my line fo site is quite good. here's the one i've got...

http://www.antennasdirect.com/images/DB2_large.jpg

any feedback on it? any chance it could be a grounding issue?

Since my first 622's HDMI port died and they replaced it, I haven't had a problem with that feature. HDMI has worked great. I think it either does or it doesn't, depending on the box you get. I also use it exclusively with my 211. Never had a problem with it.

I'm sorry I scared you on your decision. I really like the 622, despite these issues. I didn't add the USB fans as Ken suggested (just got lazy when it worked well for a few days), and I suspect that contributed to my hard drive failure. The 622 runs hot. I won't run the new one without a fan. The 211 is getting a fan, too.

Bottom line, I wouldn't hesitate to get a 622 again, knowing what I know. I'm just going to take a few precautions. Also, I'd want to make sure the HDMI port works and continues to work. If all you're ever going to do is use component, it won't matter.

I didn't add the USB fans as Ken suggested (just got lazy when it worked well for a few days), and I suspect that contributed to my hard drive failure. The 622 runs hot. I won't run the new one without a fan. The 211 is getting a fan, too.

Is there a local source for usb fans? I've just noticed how hot the 622 gets. Heck I actually need somthing to cool off the new Onkyo receiver as well. That thing could double as a grill on Sunday.
Thanks.

Is there a local source for usb fans? I've just noticed how hot the 622 gets. Heck I actually need somthing to cool off the new Onkyo receiver as well. That thing could double as a grill on Sunday.
Thanks.
All kinds...any computer accessory store should have various types of them. People have also used below laptop-type fans.
Most are using this:
http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/mobilefan/mobilefan2plus.htm
You can find them at a number of places online for around $12. + $6./ship

I have them aimed at the L/R corner of the 622, as you're facing the machine. It's variable speed. It only requires the lowest setting, which gives off no fan noise, and plugs into the rear USB port on the 622 for power. You don't need/want the one with the LED light...it costs more, and TT makes one without it.

I put them there from the beginning, so maybe it helps (it does run very hot), or maybe I just got lucky...what works, works :)
It drops the HDD average temp in Counters by 20+°

We are getting ready to use the movers deal when we get to our new house. It is currently wired for cable, so I am going to be making all the interior runs before D* comes out. So, my question deals with the new 5-LNB dish, does it have an integrated multiswitch like the 3-lnb? Do I run 5 cables to a location and then send everything to the rooms I need or do I run everything from the dish to each room directly? I want the fewest holes in my exterior walls.
Thanks
Dug


It has an integrated multiswitch in the main LNB. Although it is a 5 LNB Dish, you
still only get 4 feeds.

All kinds...any computer accessory store should have various types of them. People have also used below laptop-type fans.
Most are using this:
http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/mobilefan/mobilefan2plus.htm
You can find them at a number of places online for around $12. + $6./ship

I have them aimed at the L/R corner of the 622, as you're facing the machine. It's variable speed. It only requires the lowest setting, which gives off no fan noise, and plugs into the rear USB port on the 622 for power. You don't need/want the one with the LED light...it costs more, and TT makes one without it.

I put them there from the beginning, so maybe it helps (it does run very hot), or maybe I just got lucky...what works, works :)
It drops the HDD average temp in Counters by 20+°

nice. i will be looking around today. i did just remember that i have an old 4" case fan that has an ac plug on it. i'll plug that into the back of the onkyo to help keep it cool. i'll post up here if/where i find the usb fans.
thanks so much.

No kidding?!?!? I have had nothing but problems and live over in Collisville on a large hill so I figured it's been the tuner because my line fo site is quite good. here's the one i've got...any feedback on it? any chance it could be a grounding issue?
It's a good antenna. Collinsville is only about 20 miles from the towers, that DB2 should be sufficient.
Attic?
Roof?
I don't think grounding will effect reception. Have you eyeballed it recently to insure it hasn't moved off peak?

nice. i will be looking around today. i did just remember that i have an old 4" case fan that has an ac plug on it. i'll plug that into the back of the onkyo to help keep it cool. i'll post up here if/where i find the usb fans.
thanks so much.
Here ya go:
http://www.smarter.com/thermaltake_mobile_usb_fan---pd--ch-2--pi-473535.html

This is where I got them:
http://ebuyx.com/i65138806.html

If you come across the xjog (snake-type), *Don't* buy it, I had 3 and they all quit working after a week.

It's a good antenna. Collinsville is only about 20 miles from the towers, that DB2 should be sufficient.
Attic?
Roof?
I don't think grounding will effect reception. Have you eyeballed it recently to insure it hasn't moved off peak?

thanks. that's good to know. it's actually up on the roof. i have not eyeballed it since i picked up the 622, but will tonight. i guess i'll use the maps provided by Doug to get the direction down. is there any other measure i can take to ensure the direction is spot on, besides having the wife sit in front of the screen while i'm up on the death roof. that pitch scares the crap out of me every time! the reason i mentioned grounding was because my signal will go from 90-100 down to 0 in the blink of an eye. it's the strangest damn thing.

Here ya go:
http://www.smarter.com/thermaltake_mobile_usb_fan---pd--ch-2--pi-473535.html

This is where I got them: (guess it was around $12 w/shipping)
http://ebuyx.com/i65138806.html

If you come across the xjog (snake-type), *Don't* buy it, I had 3 and they all quit working after a week.


awesome. i'll take your advice and steer clear of the xjog. it' looks a bit funky anyway..

thanks. that's good to know. it's actually up on the roof. i have not eyeballed it since i picked up the 622, but will tonight. i guess i'll use the maps provided by Doug to get the direction down. is there any other measure i can take to ensure the direction is spot on, besides having the wife sit in front of the screen while i'm up on the death roof. that pitch scares the crap out of me every time! the reason i mentioned grounding was because my signal will go from 90-100 down to 0 in the blink of an eye. it's the strangest damn thing.
Yep, use antennaweb and a compass
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
If you enter your address and zip code, antennaweb will return the exact compass headings for each tower.

I hate that screech too....always Mute before checking signals on Dish :)

Since my first 622's HDMI port died and they replaced it, I haven't had a problem with that feature. HDMI has worked great. I think it either does or it doesn't, depending on the box you get. I also use it exclusively with my 211. Never had a problem with it.

I'm sorry I scared you on your decision. I really like the 622, despite these issues. I didn't add the USB fans as Ken suggested (just got lazy when it worked well for a few days), and I suspect that contributed to my hard drive failure. The 622 runs hot. I won't run the new one without a fan. The 211 is getting a fan, too.

Bottom line, I wouldn't hesitate to get a 622 again, knowing what I know. I'm just going to take a few precautions. Also, I'd want to make sure the HDMI port works and continues to work. If all you're ever going to do is use component, it won't matter.


The tech support guy told me they think some of the problems are being caused by the weight of the HDMI cable pulling on the connection prongs. I don't know if this has any validity or not.

Does anyone know anything about A-1 Satellite in Cahokia? Their website is http://www.a1satelliteonline.com/ . It seems they have been doing it a long time and they act like they care, any thoughts?

thanks. that's good to know. it's actually up on the roof. i have not eyeballed it since i picked up the 622, but will tonight. i guess i'll use the maps provided by Doug to get the direction down. is there any other measure i can take to ensure the direction is spot on, besides having the wife sit in front of the screen while i'm up on the death roof. that pitch scares the crap out of me every time! the reason i mentioned grounding was because my signal will go from 90-100 down to 0 in the blink of an eye. it's the strangest damn thing.

Dropping down to 0 probably is multi-path. Does the signal drop down and jump back up frequently? I had a DB2 and got what is essentially a DB4. Both were not grounded and getting them properly grounded made no difference. I struggle with multi-path and have tried everything short of a CM 4228. I live in a bit of a valley, lots of very large trees in my line of sight and right at Lambert. :( So I know multi-path issues. I'm assuming you read my tilt tip.

After getting the degree set with your compass have your wife monitor the signal strength on the channel having the most problems, tune that in and work from there. One suggestion I read was to walk the roof to find the best location. In your case, sounds like you need to carefully walk it. ;) FWIW, when I had the DB2 I could receive 2 channels well but not the other two. I tried a Square Shooter and could receive the 2 channels the DB2 couldn't but not all 4. It's time consuming and can be frustrating. Since you are on a hill and have good line of sight you may have better luck. One other thing to check is if you are close to an FM radio station. If you are you can get an in-line FM trap at Radio Shack.

Yep, use antennaweb and a compass
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
If you enter your address and zip code, antennaweb will return the exact compass headings for each tower.

I hate that screech too....always Mute before checking signals on Dish :)

Copy that. I'll be on it this weekend!

The HR10-250 can be flaky when it comes to OTA. There are some post in other
forums about taken the box apart and fixing the connections on the OTA card because there is a splitter in there that could be defective and some crappy
cabling.

As far as getting the D* mpeg 4 DVR, I was supposed to have it installed two
Saturday's ago, but Premier says DirecTV is out of them.

Have you tried determining if the OTA signal is bad on both of the tuners of the
Tivo?

I have virtually fixed all OTA issues w/ my HR10-250. What I did was take the box open, remove the existing cabling from the splitter (it was RG-59) and I bypassed the internal splitter.

I now have two lines going into the two ATSC tuners and I"m in the 90s on everything. Much, much improvement.

Dropping down to 0 probably is multi-path. Does the signal drop down and jump back up frequently? I had a DB2 and got what is essentially a DB4. Both were not grounded and getting them properly grounded made no difference. I struggle with multi-path and have tried everything short of a CM 4228. I live in a bit of a valley, lots of very large trees in my line of sight and right at Lambert. :( So I know multi-path issues. I'm assuming you read my tilt tip.

After getting the degree set with your compass have your wife monitor the signal strength on the channel having the most problems, tune that in and work from there. One suggestion I read was to walk the roof to find the best location. In your case, sounds like you need to carefully walk it. ;) FWIW, when I had the DB2 I could receive 2 channels well but not the other two. I tried a Square Shooter and could receive the 2 channels the DB2 couldn't but not all 4. It's time consuming and can be frustrating. Since you are on a hill and have good line of sight you may have better luck. One other thing to check is if you are close to an FM radio station. If you are you can get an in-line FM trap at Radio Shack.

Yes, I did read your tilt tip and will do that. There will be NO walking my roof. It's a 1910 Victorian that looks to have been built by Stunt men. The installer would get no where near it to install the dish. I really just wish that there was an indoor antenna that would do the job as well as the roof tops are supposed to do. What I should do, is take the antenna from the base of the roof all the way up to the top, but that would take marbles much bigger than mine.

Hmm, nobody complained about the ad campaign that said if you smoke pot, you support terrorism. I'm not even a drug user, and that stuff pissed me off. Same breed of propaganda if you ask me.

Actually that one was dead on.

Agree. I did that a while ago.


Not I. I enjoy the comedy.

I need a vga to Component break out cable. To run from my MYHD to my TV.

I have one but it seems to have developed a short or something. We just moved and when installing everything my existing cable seems to have developed a problem. I know that Compusa does not carry one.

Can anyone tell me a local supplier. I know I can get one on line but trying to see if I can have a new one by Sunday.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ron

Yes, I did read your tilt tip and will do that. There will be NO walking my roof. It's a 1910 Victorian that looks to have been built by Stunt men. The installer would get no where near it to install the dish. I really just wish that there was an indoor antenna that would do the job as well as the roof tops are supposed to do. What I should do, is take the antenna from the base of the roof all the way up to the top, but that would take marbles much bigger than mine.

So you can get to it where it is right now? You could get a a larger antenna. The DB2/CM 4221 is not much bigger but twice as strong. Skywalker has great prices & low shipping. My CM 4221 ($20 at Skywalker) is hanging on the wall in my home office for now and looks ugly but it works pretty well inside. I went for function over form in this case. I have french doors with two steps down into my home office so it doesn't really show in the lving room.

I have D* and they installed the DB2. There is a place to mount it next to the dish. I don't know about E*'s set-up. In the Bay Area there are a ton of Victorian homes so I can appreciate staying away from the roof.

Skywalker
9390 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
O'Fallon, MO 63366
(800) 844-9555
(314) 272-8025
Fax (314) 272-8214

I need a vga to Component break out cable. To run from my MYHD to my TV.

I have one but it seems to have developed a short or something. We just moved and when installing everything my existing cable seems to have developed a problem. I know that Compusa does not carry one.

Can anyone tell me a local supplier. I know I can get one on line but trying to see if I can have a new one by Sunday.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ron


I know computer renaissance sells them pretty cheap, here in O'Fallon, IL. I'm sure it would be the same on your side of the river.

So you can get to it where it is right now? You could get a a larger antenna. The DB2/CM 4221 is not much bigger but twice as strong. Skywalker has great prices & low shipping. My CM 4221 ($20 at Skywalker) is hanging on the wall in my home office for now and looks ugly but it works pretty well inside. I went for function over form in this case. I have french doors with two steps down into my home office so it doesn't really show in the lving room.

I have D* and they installed the DB2. There is a place to mount it next to the dish. I don't know about E*'s set-up. In the Bay Area there are a ton of Victorian homes so I can appreciate staying away from the roof.

Yes, I can use my HUGE ladder to get to the edge of the roof (use it to clean gutters) , but not much more than that. I'll call Skywalker now and see if they have them in stock.

I know computer renaissance sells them pretty cheap, here in O'Fallon, IL. I'm sure it would be the same on your side of the river.

Thanks I will give it a try.

Ron

Joe,
Sounds more like an inferior plug design in the 622, if the prongs can't handle the cable. I'm guessing the HDMI cable has proven road worthy.

OTOH, I've never used HDMI, but I've often wondered what, if any effect there would be putting all that information through that teeny clip-lock type plug. It reminds me a lot of the old clip-lock gold hands free interface plugs on the bottom Motorola cellular phones. In time, most of them failed.

Take for instance, USB, Mini USB, and even Firewire...they're huge in comparison.
How many actual individual streams of data travel through HDMI?

Yes, I can use my HUGE ladder to get to the edge of the roof (use it to clean gutters) , but not much more than that.
Just a few inches of added height can make a huge difference in OTA reception. Any height you can add, even by adding a pole, is a big plus.

Mo (MoInSTL) has been there and back...twice now, I think. If anyone here can help you find the niche, she can :)

I just ordered four of Ken's suggested USB fans from Amazon. Just a word of caution about eBuyx. I started to order from them, but the shipping for 4 fans was four times the shipping for a single fan. The total was almost $20 more than for the total from Amazon. Buyer beware.

BTW, I haven't seen any of these USB fans at places like Best Buy or CompUSA. Maybe I'm just overlooking them. I did notice at CompUSA today that they now sell both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, although the selection was puny. Also, Target started selling HD DVDs on Oct. 8th. Their prices are generally $5 or so cheaper than Best Buy. However, now that Target carries them in store, Best Buy will price match.

Ok, everytime I'm about to pull the trigger and order mine you guys scare me. I was literally about to call today. I don't know what to do.

I truly believe this is a compatibility issue with the 622 and certain display models or brands. I have never seen a formal poll though. I've had my 622 since it first launched. While I was a major complainer with the early, buggy software, things have really settled in nicely. HDMI has been flawless with my Toshiba DLP.

Am I lucky or is the Toshia set just very compatible with its HDMI port? .....I don't know.

But I suggest you take the plunge. I can be real picky, but am (finally) very happy with the 622. I had FIVE (yes, 5) Dish 811's and never had one that worked properly. In fact, I HATED it. Moving up to the 622 was like night & day.

(No, I don't work for E*. And I believe they still do dumb things from time to time)

There will be NO walking my roof. It's a 1910 Victorian that looks to have been built by Stunt men. The installer would get no where near it to install the dish. Your installer must have been a wuss... ;)

When I lived in San Francisco, I had to get special permission from the residents association to install a dish and an antenna on the roof, and then only if the cabling was run/secured from my fourth story loft to the roof, up the side of the building.

To accomplish this, the installer had to rappel from the roof down the side of the building, over and around a couple of sets of power lines. It goes without saying that this was an EXPENSIVE install, but the rappelling approach was entirely the idea of the installer. Only later that afternoon, when everything was pretty much finished, did I learn that this was the first time EVER the installer had done any rappelling.

Fortunately, he was a natural. :D

That's a riot, Doug....can you just imagine suggesting to one of "our" local installers to rappel off the neighbors house to gain access :eek:

They whine about climbing a 20° ranch roof!

Moman,
You may be on to something there. Do you cool yours with a ext fan? As I follow all the posts, the same as you do, I'm beginning to sense there's a pattern. There must be, for so very many to have no issues, and others have constant issues. It doesn't make sense that it's the hardware or software...though...it may be.

I find the ones having issues with the 622 usually fall in to 1 of 3 groups:
-compatibility issues with other equipment
-excessive heat build up
-playing around with it too much....almost as if seeing what it takes to get an error.

jmt

It has an integrated multiswitch in the main LNB. Although it is a 5 LNB Dish, you
still only get 4 feeds.

Will there be any way to get six+ feeds? I have 1-SD Tivo (2feeds), 1 HD Tivo(2 feeds), 1 SD reciever, and 1 HD reciever(for future use). Am I SOL? I won't go to charter, so that's out of the question. I'm OK if I need 5 Cables entering the attic(or basement) and then running them to the rooms, but I WON'T have 4 cables going to different spots in my house.
Thanks for the info.
Dug

Moman,
You may be on to something there. Do you cool yours with a ext fan? As I follow all the posts, the same as you do, I'm beginning to sense there's a pattern. There must be, for so very many to have no issues, and others have constant issues. It doesn't make sense that it's the hardware or software...though...it may be.......


Ken,

No ext. fan. Seems to be fine just sitting on a rather open glass shelf. I used to have a Series 1 Tivo and thought it was way too noisey....could hear the fan and the drives all the time. Especially annoyed the wife with her supersonic hearing. We never hear the 622 fan other than during reboots, which hardly ever happen now. For some strange reason the fan briefly revs up loudly during reboots.

I'll bet the 622 does get hot in tight quarters though. Perhaps the fan kicks in to overdrive when things get too warm. But I wouldn't know as mine never does.

Just a few inches of added height can make a huge difference in OTA reception. Any height you can add, even by adding a pole, is a big plus.

Mo (MoInSTL) has been there and back...twice now, I think. If anyone here can help you find the niche, she can :)

If only twice I'd be happy! I know it's hard to keep track. ;) I had a DB2 originally from D*. Ended up giving it to someone on the list and got the Square Shooter from Skywalker. Returned it and got the CM 4221. July storm crushed it and ripped out two of the mounting bolts and picked up another CM 4221 from someone else on the list. My roof is finally getting repaired tomorrow and someone else from the list is going to help me get it mounted back on the roof. This time I won't be confined to where D* originally installed the mounting plate for the dish. I have more leeway in placememt. My neighbors think I'm nuts as I have been on the roof dozens of times.

You are right about adding a slightly longer mast though. I cobbled one together after getting a J mast from Skywalker and an extension from Home Depot (to replace the S shape of the shorter one from D*). My sister came over and we drilled the holes in both masts and used longer nuts & bolts as the mast from Home Depot was 1/4" slimmer. Just one bolt at the top & bottom and it was very secure as we dropped it all the way down inside the bigger J mast,. It didn't move at all. I didn't add that much height but the extra foot helped.

I don't think he has enough access from the edge of his ladder.

Ken,

No ext. fan. Seems to be fine just sitting on a rather open glass shelf. I used to have a Series 1 Tivo and thought it was way too noisey....could hear the fan and the drives all the time. Especially annoyed the wife with her supersonic hearing. We never hear the 622 fan other than during reboots, which hardly ever happen now. For some strange reason the fan briefly revs up loudly during reboots.

I'll bet the 622 does get hot in tight quarters though. Perhaps the fan kicks in to overdrive when things get too warm. But I wouldn't know as mine never does.
Yeah, mine too, when it reboots. Unless you changed the default time, it's still rebooting every night...there's no option to disable it. But, even the one in our bedroom, that boots at 3AM, doesn't disturb us.

I've also never heard the fan kick up other than when it reboots. One of my Toshiba laptops does that also...kicks up on reboot, but it also kicks up during use...weird.

BTW, have do you happen to know who the manufacturer of the VIP's is?

Is it just my eyes or is tonights picture quality on the cards game horrible?
It looks like the fox digital widescreen stuff tonight.

Just a few inches of added height can make a huge difference in OTA reception. Any height you can add, even by adding a pole, is a big plus.

Mo (MoInSTL) has been there and back...twice now, I think. If anyone here can help you find the niche, she can :)

well i was able to get to the antenna and adjust it about 15-20 degrees to the north of where it was. all of my signals have went up. i have been watching the horrible fox feed of the game tonight w/out interuption... only an aweful "hd" picture. i'll monitor it throughout the night. if i have to get it up higher, i'll just suck it up, and do it.

Your installer must have been a wuss... ;)

When I lived in San Francisco, I had to get special permission from the residents association to install a dish and an antenna on the roof, and then only if the cabling was run/secured from my fourth story loft to the roof, up the side of the building.

To accomplish this, the installer had to rappel from the roof down the side of the building, over and around a couple of sets of power lines. It goes without saying that this was an EXPENSIVE install, but the rappelling approach was entirely the idea of the installer. Only later that afternoon, when everything was pretty much finished, did I learn that this was the first time EVER the installer had done any rappelling.

Fortunately, he was a natural. :D

Wuss maybe, but my installer was 300+ pounds. I'm sure that was the limiting factor. I'm pretty happy he didn't get up on the roof. One of two things would have come of it... a hole in the roof, or a 300 pound dead man in my yard. neither are good.

If only twice I'd be happy! I know it's hard to keep track. ;) I had a DB2 originally from D*. Ended up giving it to someone on the list and got the Square Shooter from Skywalker. Returned it and got the CM 4221. July storm crushed it and ripped out two of the mounting bolts and picked up another CM 4221 from someone else on the list. My roof is finally getting repaired tomorrow and someone else from the list is going to help me get it mounted back on the roof. This time I won't be confined to where D* originally installed the mounting plate for the dish. I have more leeway in placememt. My neighbors think I'm nuts as I have been on the roof dozens of times.

You are right about adding a slightly longer mast though. I cobbled one together after getting a J mast from Skywalker and an extension from Home Depot (to replace the S shape of the shorter one from D*). My sister came over and we drilled the holes in both masts and used longer nuts & bolts as the mast from Home Depot was 1/4" slimmer. Just one bolt at the top & bottom and it was very secure as we dropped it all the way down inside the bigger J mast,. It didn't move at all. I didn't add that much height but the extra foot helped.

I don't think he has enough access from the edge of his ladder.


dear lord. what a mess. Skywalker has the CM 4221 in stock so if my direction change doesn't work out i'll be picking one of those up along w/ some rope to tie myself off while i climb mount crazyroof to raise the location.

Is it just my eyes or is tonights picture quality on the cards game horrible?
It looks like the fox digital widescreen stuff tonight.
Agreed...picture quality looks terrible. Signal is in Dolby Digital though.


Watching via OTA

Agreed...picture quality looks terrible. Signal is in Dolby Digital though.


Watching via OTA


It is the worst the High Definition pciture quality i have seen in a while

Is it just my eyes or is tonights picture quality on the cards game horrible?
It looks like the fox digital widescreen stuff tonight.

Not your eyes. You're spot on. I love having a huge hd set that makes crappy feeds look even worse than normal sd. I am coming to really hate Fox. Oh, I think the umpires eyes are the ones that are bad. Has he even established the strike zone yet????

It is the worst the High Definition pciture quality i have seen in a while

I feel like I'm watching something using Media Player on my computer. The pixels are as big as my head!

Not your eyes. You're spot on. I love having a huge hd set that makes crappy feeds look even worse than normal sd. I am coming to really hate Fox. Oh, I think the umpires eyes are the ones that are bad. Has he even established the strike zone yet????

Is there a strike zone tonight? It is all over the damn place for both pitchers. This can't be HD it has to be 480 widescreen.

I feel like I'm watching something using Media Player on my computer. The pixels are as big as my head!
The MLB TV picture is BETTER! Oddly enough, the Dish SAT HD local is somewhat better....someone 'splain that.

Jerastan,
That's a huge amount at 20 miles. You can't use tonight's FOX PQ as a gauge. If on your Locals page in your Dish menu, you have 70+ on all of them, you're good. The 622 tuner starts its drops >65 and under.

I hear Mo saying, "it can't be that easy." :)

they must be using the RealPlayer 4 codec from 10 years ago to encode this broadcast

The MLB TV picture is BETTER! Oddly enough, the Dish SAT HD local is somewhat better....someone 'splain that.

Jerastan,
That's a huge amount at 20 miles. You can't use tonight's FOX PQ as a gauge. If on your Locals page in your Dish menu, you have 70+ on all of them, you're good. The 622 tuner starts its drops >65 and under.

I hear Mo saying, "it can't be that easy." :)

I just turned on the Dish feed and it does look slighly better. I think it's because the mpeg4 feeds tend to look a little soft, hiding some of the noise in the picture.
Go figure audio synced tonight but picture crap.
Wow bringing in the guy that looks like he is pitching a softball game.

Yeah, I noticed when they talked to La Russa and Ken Rosenthaul, the lip sync was on. I wonder why, or what causes it...it's so intermittent. The one FOX broadcast in the Padres series was so far off, when they turned up the mic's at the bases, it was 2-3 seconds off.

Damn, that Reyes is something else.

I have found that the HD commercials tonight look better than the game.

OK, so quick question - watched games 1 and 2, and game 2 is clearly of lower PQ. Why is this? I assume same equipment, same crews, etc. What are the main variables?

a hole in the roof, or a 300 pound dead man in my yard. neither are good.

Words to live by! :D

OMG!!! The GUGH just went yard!!!!

I guess Fox decided the pixelation wasn't enough... I like the digitized bar going across the top of the screen... Oh, just switched to SD.... Is this a high school production? (No offense to high schools)

Baseball's Choke of the Year Award

FOX/KTVI
:mad: !! :mad:

I couldn't see Rolands play at 3rd through the digital mess. By the time I switched to SD locals all I seen was the last out. Nice job tonight Fox.

GO REDBIRDS!!!! Well the PQ was absolute crap, but all of my OTAs are rock solid. I'm having a hard time believing that just a little adjustment on the antenna would make such a huge difference. oh well. i'm not going to complain. now that the cards learned how to play baseball again, and i have good OTA.... life is good. Now I can actually view OTA and the PC on good ol' split screen. Absolutely awesome.

I guess Fox decided the pixelation wasn't enough... I like the digitized bar going across the top of the screen... Oh, just switched to SD.... Is this a high school production? (No offense to high schools)
I switched from OTA to D* 88 to avoid the digitized bar that appeared between the top and bottom of the ninth.

I switched from OTA to D* 88 to avoid the digitized bar that appeared between the top and bottom of the ninth.
i got that same thing on my 622. i switched from the OTA on the 622 to the hd over sat, to the OTA on my Mitsu tuner. The Mitsu tuner yielded the best result, but they were all jacked. I actually lost Letterman on 4 shortly thereafter. Strange.

Charter called informing me they would be sending out an update to my cable box. Didn't really say anything more than that on the recording. Anyone else receive a call about this update that would be coming out and what it's about?

I switched from OTA to D* 88 to avoid the digitized bar that appeared between the top and bottom of the ninth.
Kurt,
Were you able to watch the bottom 9th on D* 88? Is that the national FOX HD feed?

From the top/bottom 9th commercial break, until just after the final out, the KTVI DT signal on both OTA and SAT was unwatchable. Just after the final out, as Rosenthaul starting talking with Spiezio, KTVI switched the DT signal to SD.

Just wondering if it was a local or national issue...sounds like local :confused:

Will there be any way to get six+ feeds? I have 1-SD Tivo (2feeds), 1 HD Tivo(2 feeds), 1 SD reciever, and 1 HD reciever(for future use). Am I SOL? I won't go to charter, so that's out of the question. I'm OK if I need 5 Cables entering the attic(or basement) and then running them to the rooms, but I WON'T have 4 cables going to different spots in my house.
Thanks for the info.
Dug

No, you are not out of luck. You need a 4x8 multiswitch. Then you can run 8 leads. That reminds me. I need to take my own advice. My wife's tivo only has one lead, so she can't record two shows at once.

Scott

Jerastan,
That's a huge amount at 20 miles. You can't use tonight's FOX PQ as a gauge. If on your Locals page in your Dish menu, you have 70+ on all of them, you're good. The 622 tuner starts its drops >65 and under.

I hear Mo saying, "it can't be that easy." :)

I'd have to say more than 70 as there is no room at 70 for low clouds and other weather changes that affect signal strength. Two of my channels are in the low seventies and I occasionally get audio drops and pixelization. My other channels in the mid-eighties are solid.

Interesting sig :p

Kurt,
Were you able to watch the bottom 9th on D* 88? Is that the national FOX HD feed?

From the top/bottom 9th commercial break, until just after the final out, the KTVI DT signal on both OTA and SAT was unwatchable. Just after the final out, as Rosenthaul starting talking with Spiezio, KTVI switched the DT signal to SD.

Just wondering if it was a local or national issue...sounds like local :confused:

I checked out the HDTV Programming forum and it seems that the problems were national with the Cards/Mets game. People were reporting the same thing from all over the country.

I switched from OTA to D* 88 to avoid the digitized bar that appeared between the top and bottom of the ninth.

I did the same. It was very strange that NY Fox was okay.

I too, noticed the HUGE pixels throughout the game via OTA. Signal strength was pegged at 100. I'll bet this was a network feed issue, not from KTVI. But who knows?????

Ken, to answer your question as to who makes the 622, isn't it Echostar? There's also a Canadian connection, but I simply don't know.

Back to KSDK bashing, uhh.....I mean Critiquing.....I tuned into Conan (OTA) last night and could not believe the audio quality:

It looks like they are "trying" to fix the hole-in-the-middle issue, but WOW! The audio was in ProLogic (probably a good thing) but it sounded very processed. Sort of like when you put your audio in SPORTS mode. Also, the video was out of sync and way ahead of the audio. Something I never noticed on CHannel 5 before.

One step forward, two......

Can you spell B-A-S-K-E-T-C-A-S-E-?

Well, let's just hope tonights is good.

I wonder if Phil Garner was taking notes when Rollen dove for that out in the 9th.

No, you are not out of luck. You need a 4x8 multiswitch. Then you can run 8 leads. That reminds me. I need to take my own advice. My wife's tivo only has one lead, so she can't record two shows at once.

Scott
Cool, Thanks for the info.
Dug

Adding to the cacophony regarding the game last night:

Heavy pixelation througout the game, and then it went nutty (a la KPLR a couple of weeks back...remind me, good sirs to show the pictures of that...) and the only clear spot on my reciever was at the top of the screen just below the FOX Info Bar graphic.

That was the worst HD experience I've had, and my reciever is connected to ancient TV...Yikes. :eek:

They better get it right tonight! I suspect this was all FOX, not KTVI. The signal was rock solid the whole game.

Did anybody see the audio only FOX2 News earlier in the week?

Charter called informing me they would be sending out an update to my cable box. Didn't really say anything more than that on the recording. Anyone else receive a call about this update that would be coming out and what it's about?

Got one of those myself on Thursday -- coincidetally just after hanging up from placing a service call with them. Charter is rolling out a new Guide around the 17th.

Of all things to spend their resources on. I'm not sure what's worse, a new guide (don't need it --- I have Tivo) or the autoattended call telling me about it.

Sheesh!

Steve

Aside from a few minor glitches the Cardinal game looked good tonight for me OTA and via D* 88. Last night I watched SD on my 13", so I didn't see the bad picture you all have talked about.

Scott

Picture quality on both games was good in KC over Comcast. I don't know about how the OTA signal ws, but I expect it was also good.

Does anyone have any experience with the Toshiba Symbio? Prices have dropped in half on these units and my 42HP95 Plasma will work with the Symbio, as my TV has the built in TV guide. I'm thinking of getting this to use as a 2nd OTA recorder to suppliment my 622 PVR.

Kurt,
Were you able to watch the bottom 9th on D* 88? Is that the national FOX HD feed?

From the top/bottom 9th commercial break, until just after the final out, the KTVI DT signal on both OTA and SAT was unwatchable. Just after the final out, as Rosenthaul starting talking with Spiezio, KTVI switched the DT signal to SD.

Just wondering if it was a local or national issue...sounds like local :confused:

Yes, I still have access to D* 88 because I haven't upgrade to MPG4. I almost pulled the trigger on the HD DVR / NFL supperFan deal, but I waited too long. As it turns out, I'm glad I still have D* 88

OH yeah. Go Cards!

Yes, I still have access to D* 88 because I haven't upgrade to MPG4. I almost pulled the trigger on the HD DVR / NFL supperFan deal, but I waited too long. As it turns out, I'm glad I still have D* 88

OH yeah. Go Cards!
So is 88 the MGEG2 HD, or just the standard SD? On DISH, we cam choose from either the SAT MGEG4 HD, or the OTA HD, or the SAT SD. Is it the same on D*?

I'm going to the Rams games tomorrow...let's see them screw that on up on me :D

REDMEANSGO

Something's up at Fox2. I thought the game at Busch looked great last night compared to the previous day at Shea. Pixellation was all but gone. However, this morning while watching Fox News Sunday via OTA, the same pixellation issues appear during the most simple fade-ins and camera moves of the talking heads. It looks more like Fox Widescreen. Must be some issue with the NY feed. I sure hope it gets fixed soon.

Speaking of the game---and I may be just too critical here---did anyone else notice that during every slow-mo replay there were faint vertical lines (banding?) on the screen?

Perhaps the quality of the consumer products we all own is simply superior to what the broadcasters are now using. That's a shame if it's true. You would think a big network O&O would do better.

Speaking of the game---and I may be just too critical here---did anyone else notice that during every slow-mo replay there were faint vertical lines (banding?) on the screen?


You aren't being too critical, its just that kSDk has conditioned us to accept mediocracy.

And, yes I saw the vertical banding also.

Tim

i think Fox is inserting some type of fake highspeed-movie-slo-mo filter, which causes the black pulses and lines. I guess they think the effect is cool...

Speaking of the game---and I may be just too critical here---did anyone else notice that during every slow-mo replay there were faint vertical lines (banding?) on the screen?

This was seen on the SD as well. No HD setup in my home yet. Will be starting my room in January! :)

I was watching the game on Charter in SD last night. I did notice when someone would get a hit, when the camera would change to follow the ball, for a small period of time I would see horrible pixelation? Anyone else notice this on either feed?

I just noticed this morning that my Charter Moxi has program listings only until 6 p.m. next Friday, not even a full week.
Anybody else have this issue? Maybe my Moxi is having DL problems?
thx

I am having problems losing the audio,usally for 1 to 5 seconds, on KTVI programs mainly. Can this be a 10-250 DVR problem or is it a signal issue. The picture continues but no audio.

Anyone know if charter's moxi or moto box allows hdmi connection? I have 3 things to connect to my hdtv and only have 2 comp, and 1 hdmi. thanks. (the ps2 and dvd player only have component.)

I am having problems losing the audio,usally for 1 to 5 seconds, on KTVI programs mainly. Can this be a 10-250 DVR problem or is it a signal issue. The picture continues but no audio.

You must have received the new 6.3 TiVo software update.

Its a known issue over at the TCF regarding this issue and it impacts FOX programming much more than anything else. Personally, I have noticed the same thing on FOX programming, but only after the 6.3 upgrade.

Maybe the slower guide was worht it after all. =/ Let's hope they issue a quick update to the software, but I won't hold my breath.

I am having problems losing the audio,usally for 1 to 5 seconds, on KTVI programs mainly. Can this be a 10-250 DVR problem or is it a signal issue. The picture continues but no audio.

I read over at TCF to unplug it, wait a few seconds and power it back on if it's the 6.3a update. It's worth a try regardless. Is it also happening on the satellite channels like CNN?

Mo, I haven't noticed it on anything other than KTVI-DT. And, so far, I've only noticed it on HD programming (and to be even more specific, only on the NLCS and ALCS.)

It is the 6.3a update for me.

I just did what you suggested (unplugged my TiVo for about two minutes, then plugged it back in) and I'm hoping that it fixes my audio problems as you described.

I'll let you know.

***EDIT: It did not appear to fix it.

So is 88 the MGEG2 HD, or just the standard SD? On DISH, we cam choose from either the SAT MGEG4 HD, or the OTA HD, or the SAT SD. Is it the same on D*?

I'm going to the Rams games tomorrow...let's see them screw that on up on me :D

REDMEANSGO

D* 88 is in fact HD, although it's probably HD-LITE. Apparently most of the people who upgraded to mpeg4 on D* gets their D* 88 turned off.

They wouldn't even let me get it when I turned ordered the HD pak.

I do not have MPEG4, a capable receiver or dish to get it.

I just noticed this morning that my Charter Moxi has program listings only until 6 p.m. next Friday, not even a full week.
Anybody else have this issue? Maybe my Moxi is having DL problems?
thx

Just checked mine & it is fine. It should load 14 days ahead. You can access the diagnostics menu by holding the "menu" & "OK" buttons at the same time for a couple of seconds. You can scroll through the menu info & it will indicate when your last programming update occurred. Your Moxi should get updated every day (overnight).

I had a recent issue where my guide was not updating. It turned out to be a poor signal strength issue caused by an old crappy splitter that I was using.

On the kSDk front, they were showing "Football Night in America" in SD for about the first 50 minutes of the show before finally "flipping the switch". I have no idea if it was a network or local issue, but I know which way I would bet...

I read over at TCF to unplug it, wait a few seconds and power it back on if it's the 6.3a update. It's worth a try regardless. Is it also happening on the satellite channels like CNN?
I have only noticed it on the local OTA channels

I had to make a call to KSDK Saturday night during the NASCAR Race. At
approximately 10pm the put a KSDK News Commercial into the broadcast during
the local spot for commercials and when they came back to the race it was still
4:3 upconvert.

I called the KSDK news line and asked to speak to the Control Room. When I was
passed onto the control room I asked if they could flip the switch so the race
would be in HD. The guy said, yeah I'll take care of it.

Well anyway, I asked how they keep doing this and said it was because of a new
guy and the equipment was new. I told him that they have had this problem for
over a year and it was growing tiresome, and then I asked how I could get a hold
of management because I need to make sure they are aware of the problem. He
continued to deflect saying that it was because the hardware was new.

Okay, I hang up. I then call back and talk to the news person who answers the
phone and told her that perhaps they could do a story on how the HD Leader in
St. Louis keeps forgetting to flip the switch and that perhaps I should call channel 2
and let them know what a farse KSDK's claims are.

Well, hopefully it woke them up and they can pass the information along.


EDIT: I just sent an email, although it might not get seen, to several KSDK email addresses.

I have only noticed it on the local OTA channels

It is on channel 88 also.

I saw the vertical lines during the ballgame too.

I have yet to get the 6.3 update, and I'm starting to think I'm lucky I haven't.

I am upset that I have superfan, and have had to endure 2 Charger games in SD. I think there were only three 3 o'clock games too. Do the networks not have enough HD equipment to cover all games or what?

Scott

...
I have yet to get the 6.3 update, and I'm starting to think I'm lucky I haven't.
I have two HR10-250s and the newer of the two got the 6.3a update yesterday. I also started getting audio dropouts on FOX 2-1 right after that.

Having folders is not worth reception issues and having to setup received/favorite channels all over again.

CBS only does 3 HD games/week, and I think it is bandwidth related.
Did you pay for superfan? I got it free, and then about a month ago I got a $99
credit for having superfan, so I got an extra $99 for nothing.

You should check your TIVO. I have 3 of them and the oldest one got hit a couple of weeks
ago, the other two got it this weekend. I had to reboot them due to issues and they each had
a pending restart, so once I did it, they were upgraded.

I saw the vertical lines during the ballgame too.

I have yet to get the 6.3 update, and I'm starting to think I'm lucky I haven't.

I am upset that I have superfan, and have had to endure 2 Charger games in SD. I think there were only three 3 o'clock games too. Do the networks not have enough HD equipment to cover all games or what?

Scott

Fox does six games a week in HD, CBS does three. Unfortunately there are almost always SIX and sometimes SEVEN games for each network to cover each week.

Since the Chargers are an AFC team, they usually end up on CBS. CBS will devote its three HD camera crews to teams that have a national following (Patriots, Steelers, Broncos). I don't think the Chargers are in that group.

When the Chargers play a team with a national following, the odds are better that CBS will have HD for it. When they play a team nobody cares about, they'll get stuck with the SD cameras. And since CBS doesn't have any type of "Fox Widescreen" broadcasting for SD games, you're stuck with SD 4x3.

BTW, since the Rams sucked the last couple of years, we Rams fans are in the same boat. It's just not as noticeable since Fox has six HD crews. When there's seven games for Fox to cover and the Rams are playing Arizona or some other team that nobody outside their home town cares about, we'll be the seventh game with the SD cameras.... and we'll get "Fox Widescreen" instead of HD.

Well, my girl and I pulled the trigger and bought a house over the weekend. So I wanted to ask about a couple things:

• Anyone have experience with D* moving program?

• Any good interior OTA antennas anyone can vouch for?

TIA, folks!

Well, my girl and I pulled the trigger and bought a house over the weekend. So I wanted to ask about a couple things:

• Anyone have experience with D* moving program?

• Any good interior OTA antennas anyone can vouch for?

TIA, folks!

One of the more highly recommended indoor antennas is the Silver Sensor. I just purchased the Philips version of it at CC. It was relatively inexpensive (under $30), is pretty compact and unobtrusive, and achieves good reception. I tried several more expensive indoor models with less favorable results. You can also pick up the Silver Sensor online for less than CC.

As to your first question, I have not had any experience recently with the moving program. But have you considered Dish? I just switched and have been pretty happy with the service.

Get a DirecTV Credit for Dropped HD Channels?

Apparently DirecTV may provide refunds to customers who complain about the temporary removal of channels to make room for NFL Sunday Ticket channels. Probably a bit of "luck of the draw" on this, but definitely worth checking out, particularly if the removal of HD channels inconveniences you.

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

DIRECTV owners must pay $9.99 a month for the satcaster's package of High-Definition TV channels.

However, there may be a way to reduce or perhaps eliminate that fee for up to a year.

Got your attention? Keep reading.

Every Sunday during the current National Football League season, DIRECTV has dropped one high-def channel from its lineup. The first week, TNT HD went black; the following week, Universal HD; and then HDNet.

The reason: DIRECTV needs extra satellite space every Sunday to air Fox and CBS' high-def broadcasts of the games as part of its NFL Sunday Ticket PPV package.

DIRECTV must drop a HD channel for the NFL Sunday Ticket.

So, to make room, the satcaster takes one regular HD channel off the air during Sunday afternoon when the games are played.

However, the practice has enraged some subscribers who say they are being cheated.

"I take exception to DIRECTV removing one of the HD channels included in my $9.99 HD Package in favor of bandwidth necessary to provide NFL Sunday Ticket to other subscribers," one TVPredictions.com reader said in an e-mail letter to DIRECTV. "I subscribe to the HD package and I expect to be able to view any of the channels in that package at any time, day or night. If you cannot provide the level of service for which you are charging $9.99, then you need to credit my account until such time you are able to provide uninterrupted service."

The letter writer tells TVPredictions.com that DIRECTV's Customer Service department agreed to credit his account by $9.99 a month for a full year.

Yes, that's right, he will get DIRECTV's HDTV programming package free for a year.

As a DIRECTV HDTV subscriber, I thought I would call and ask for a refund today after noticing that TNT HD had been dropped to make room for the Sunday Ticket HD broadcasts.

After a few moments pause, the Customer Service rep said she would give me $5 a month off my HD package for three months.

Well, it's not a free year, but I said I would take it. Afterall, $15 is $15.

So, there you have it. I'm not saying that you will get a refund if you call to complain.

But I did.
_________________________________________________

For more stories on the TV industry, check out www.tvpredictions.com.

Well, my girl and I pulled the trigger and bought a house over the weekend. So I wanted to ask about a couple things:

• Anyone have experience with D* moving program?

• Any good interior OTA antennas anyone can vouch for?

TIA, folks!

Dan I did their moving program. I left my dish at my old house and then suspended my account since I had yet to buy a house when I moved here. They came out and installed a triple LNB and ran all of the lines. There was no charge. It was pretty simple.

Congrats on the house!

Just checked mine & it is fine. It should load 14 days ahead. You can access the diagnostics menu by holding the "menu" & "OK" buttons at the same time for a couple of seconds. You can scroll through the menu info & it will indicate when your last programming update occurred. Your Moxi should get updated every day (overnight).

I had a recent issue where my guide was not updating. It turned out to be a poor signal strength issue caused by an old crappy splitter that I was using.

Well, a tech is due out tomorrow afternoon.
My Moxi hasn't updated since Oct. 9, and I get a "0x22" error whey I try to play free VOD (HBO, Sho etc).
Diagnostics shows "error" for upstream and downstream bandwidth.
Reset, hard reboot and EPG trigger ... no help.
Fried modem, I assume?

One of the more highly recommended indoor antennas is the Silver Sensor. I just purchased the Philips version of it at CC. It was relatively inexpensive (under $30), is pretty compact and unobtrusive, and achieves good reception. I tried several more expensive indoor models with less favorable results. You can also pick up the Silver Sensor online for less than CC.

As to your first question, I have not had any experience recently with the moving program. But have you considered Dish? I just switched and have been pretty happy with the service.
Just switched from Charter to D* a couple months ago, so that's not an option right now.

I’ve not been keeping close track over the last many months, but am getting close to pulling the trigger on upgrading my Dish 811 to the 211. I’ve scanned the last several weeks posts, is there an overheating issue with the 211? On my rack, the 811 is on its’ own shelf with about 6 inches above and a foot or more to the wall. Should that be enough ventilation?

It is on channel 88 also.

I haven't read the TCF in a few days, but this does seem to only be a problem with FOX (at least for me.)

Are there any ideas as to why its only affecting FOX and how we can fix it? Or, how DirecTV can fix it.

I have two HR10-250s and the newer of the two got the 6.3a update yesterday. I also started getting audio dropouts on FOX 2-1 right after that.

Having folders is not worth reception issues and having to setup received/favorite channels all over again.

I agree and I love folders. The faster guide isn't really an issue for me. I could wait. Folder are nice, however.

These reception issues are out of control.

I’ve not been keeping close track over the last many months, but am getting close to pulling the trigger on upgrading my Dish 811 to the 211. I’ve scanned the last several weeks posts, is there an overheating issue with the 211? On my rack, the 811 is on its’ own shelf with about 6 inches above and a foot or more to the wall. Should that be enough ventilation?
It's not a known issues with the 211, Wally. I have a fan on mine, but did so when I added the fans for the 622's, which do have an overheating issue of their HDD, something the 211 does not possess.

Joe could answer you best, probably isn't anyone in the market that works their 211 as hard as he does. :)

I agree and I love folders. The faster guide isn't really an issue for me. I could wait. Folder are nice, however.

These reception issues are out of control.For the most part I was happy using 3.1f. The only thing that bothered me was the lag associated with managing season passes. The folders are nice, but not that big a deal.

I just don't get why everyone over at TCM was peeing their pants in anticipation of 6.3.

Is there a way to get back to 3.1?

Is there a way to get back to 3.1?
Not without losing your prefernces, and it's not "Non-Tech" friendly. If you are comfortable with Linux and pulling apart your computer, you could probably do it.
Dug

I saw the vertical lines during the ballgame too.

I have yet to get the 6.3 update, and I'm starting to think I'm lucky I haven't.

I am upset that I have superfan, and have had to endure 2 Charger games in SD. I think there were only three 3 o'clock games too. Do the networks not have enough HD equipment to cover all games or what?

Scott

As I understand from reading multiple threads over on the HDTV Programming thread here's the story about CBS and HD Sunday football.

CBS is in the process of upgrading their ground equipment and satellites to handle more HD signals for sports. Right now their equipment limits them to three games a week in HD. In 2007 they'll be able to do 4 games, 2008 5 games at a time and in 2009 they'll be able to do a full slate of HD NFL games.

CBS will have to meet this mark because the NFL television contract states that everything MUST BE in high def by the 2009 season.

I seen threads that claim the equiment upgrades will cost CBS in the order of tens if not hundreds of millions since they're totally going to build new transmission centers in Manhattan, New Jersey and Los Angeles. Plus it sounds like they're going bleeding edge technology so that causes some delays.

So some of the smaller AFC markets really get screwed on HD football.

(This information is based upon my memory of posts in multiple threads and may not be 100% correct.

Also: there used to be a CBS insider who used to post on the programming forum and was a great source of info. But then some posters personally attacked him and ran him off. Thanks for ruining for us all, a**holes.)

I am getting ready to drop my Charter digital and HD service and want to go with one of the satellite services in this area. I am one of the lucky few that can get good OTA digital reception of all of the local stations with a silver sensor in my attic pointed thru a dormer window. Most of my TV viewing tends to be the hd channels and charter only was offering a few in addition to the locals. Their price was great up until this month when my special offer for digital channels was up and all that the customer retention folks want to talk to me about is adding telephone service and broadband service. Already more than happy with AT&T for those services. My question for those of you that have had the satellite services is which should I choose in this area. E* seems to have the greatest number of hd channels available and the bronze package seems inexpensive enough as I don't really watch that many sd channels any more. I have seen references to HD Lite in some of the post and was wondering if I will be happy with the picture quality with satellite service. Any advice that can be offered would be most appreciated.

I am getting ready to drop my Charter digital and HD service and want to go with one of the satellite services in this area. I am one of the lucky few that can get good OTA digital reception of all of the local stations with a silver sensor in my attic pointed thru a dormer window. Most of my TV viewing tends to be the hd channels and charter only was offering a few in addition to the locals. Their price was great up until this month when my special offer for digital channels was up and all that the customer retention folks want to talk to me about is adding telephone service and broadband service. Already more than happy with AT&T for those services. My question for those of you that have had the satellite services is which should I choose in this area. E* seems to have the greatest number of hd channels available and the bronze package seems inexpensive enough as I don't really watch that many sd channels any more. I have seen references to HD Lite in some of the post and was wondering if I will be happy with the picture quality with satellite service. Any advice that can be offered would be most appreciated.

I'm not for sure I would switch. Contemplated it myself. It's more of a hassle than you think. ANd it's not really any cheaper. And people with satelite HD complain as much as the Charter people. You are better off sucking it up and sticking with charter for another year or so until someone REALLY steps up and gets their HD stuff together.

Also: there used to be a CBS insider who used to post on the programming forum and was a great source of info. But then some posters personally attacked him and ran him off. Thanks for ruining for us all, a**holes.)

I sure hope you are not part of the KSDK 'basher crew' here. Some might say that would be the pot calling the kettle black. By the way, has bug stepped up and bought that domain yet?

Not without losing your prefernces, and it's not "Non-Tech" friendly. If you are comfortable with Linux and pulling apart your computer, you could probably do it.
Dug

Would you mind PMing me w/ the info/websites, etc?

Does anyone know when KMOV will be showing How I Met Your Mother? Tonight's episode appears to be pre-empted by "At the Zoo."

When will it be shown and will it be in HD?

I am getting ready to drop my Charter digital and HD service and want to go with one of the satellite services in this area. I am one of the lucky few that can get good OTA digital reception of all of the local stations with a silver sensor in my attic pointed thru a dormer window. Most of my TV viewing tends to be the hd channels and charter only was offering a few in addition to the locals. Their price was great up until this month when my special offer for digital channels was up and all that the customer retention folks want to talk to me about is adding telephone service and broadband service. Already more than happy with AT&T for those services. My question for those of you that have had the satellite services is which should I choose in this area. E* seems to have the greatest number of hd channels available and the bronze package seems inexpensive enough as I don't really watch that many sd channels any more. I have seen references to HD Lite in some of the post and was wondering if I will be happy with the picture quality with satellite service. Any advice that can be offered would be most appreciated.
Ron,
To reiterate what Jeff said....HD on SAT is not exactly a "walk in the park." At the end of the day, costs really are comparable. Yes, Dish currently provides much more HD content than Direct and Charter, and Direct more than Charter, but this too, will change...it has too.

PQ is comparable. Dish better on some, Direct on others, and something else, that has the potential to change.

I don't believe anyone thinks the HD market is stable enough yet, to base a provider decision on. It's still in its infancy. A year from now, ATT/Fiber may be a player...lord willing, someone will buy out Charter...Dish and Direct may merge...anything can happen.

If you have other reasons for switching, then perhaps so. But based solely on costs and HD content, I think it's premature.

Does anyone know when KMOV will be showing How I Met Your Mother? Tonight's episode appears to be pre-empted by "At the Zoo."

When will it be shown and will it be in HD?

Titan TV has it listed at 2AM. Unless KMOV recently aquired the technology, it will be in SD because they can't timeshift HD.

Dave, thanks.

I'm hoping my HD-TiVo grabs it. Perhaps I'll procure the HD version from a torrent =]

Thanks for your help!

OK, it's been a while since I checked the forum...I gather that D* has expanded local HD channels into the St. Louis market through MPEG 4. I currently have the H10-250 that allows OTA recording...does the new MPEG 4 HD DVR allow recording of the OTA signal? Also, are they upgrading owners of the H10 to the new recorder and 5 LNB dish for free? Thanks!

Oh, also...does D* offer the NFL Network in HD?

OK, it's been a while since I checked the forum...I gather that D* has expanded local HD channels into the St. Louis market through MPEG 4. I currently have the H10-250 that allows OTA recording...does the new MPEG 4 HD DVR allow recording of the OTA signal? Also, are they upgrading owners of the H10 to the new recorder and 5 LNB dish for free? Thanks!The MPEG4 DVR does not currently even enable the OTA tuner. They are not upgrading anyone free that I've heard of. And there are no new HD channels either (unless you count the travesty called TNT-HD), so no NFL Network in HD.

The MPEG4 DVR does not currently even enable the OTA tuner. They are not upgrading anyone free that I've heard of. And there are no new HD channels either (unless you count the travesty called TNT-HD), so no NFL Network in HD.

Lovely, I thought they had promised there would be some sort of promotion to drop the cost of "upgrading" to mpeg 4. I'll just keep my H10 for now until they expand the channel lineup.

Lovely, I thought they had promised there would be some sort of promotion to drop the cost of "upgrading" to mpeg 4. I'll just keep my H10 for now until they expand the channel lineup.If you have the H10 and can receive locals OTA, there is no good reason to switch to the H20. I believe you will also lose the commercial skip feature if you switch.

Question for all you Charter people out there. My wife said that yesterday she got a phone call from Charter saying that they were going to be updating our Moxi boxes this week. She said that they told her what was going to be updated/changed, but when I got home she forgot most of it. Anyone out there know what is going to be updated on the Moxis?

If you have the H10 and can receive locals OTA, there is no good reason to switch to the H20. I believe you will also lose the commercial skip feature if you switch.Dean, at the moment I agree with you.

However, a recent TV Predictions story reviewing the new DirecTV MPEG-4 receiver said that DirecTV will be moving all HD channels to MPEG-4 in 2007.

Two things about this that aren't at all clear: Who is the source for this TVP claim, and does this mean early 2007 or late 2007.

If this is a real DirecTV plan, hopefully it slides at least 6 months, just like every other plan they make.

Question for all you Charter people out there. My wife said that yesterday she got a phone call from Charter saying that they were going to be updating our Moxi boxes this week. She said that they told her what was going to be updated/changed, but when I got home she forgot most of it. Anyone out there know what is going to be updated on the Moxis?

No phone call for me, however, I did see on digeos website that Moxis are now able to work with a cable companies phone service to display caller ID on the television like satellite, maybe that is it.

Question for all you Charter people out there. My wife said that yesterday she got a phone call from Charter saying that they were going to be updating our Moxi boxes this week. She said that they told her what was going to be updated/changed, but when I got home she forgot most of it. Anyone out there know what is going to be updated on the Moxis?


Is your wife sure it was the Moxi??? I have heard people getting phone calls on the new guide interface but I believe that is only for the standard boxes not the Moxi. If it is for the Moxi I would hope they would only do the phone calls if there was major changes going on but I have a feeling the call was about standard digital boxes since those guides are supposed to be getting updated shortly.

-Phatty

Yeah, she's pretty sure it was for the Moxi's. We have two Moxi's and none of the standard boxes, so there may be a chance they said digital box and she just assumed it was the Moxi. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. You think that Charter's customer support in India would know anything about it?

Dan I did their moving program. I left my dish at my old house and then suspended my account since I had yet to buy a house when I moved here. They came out and installed a triple LNB and ran all of the lines. There was no charge. It was pretty simple.

Congrats on the house!
Thanks, Mo. We're pretty excited... not really moving very far (U. City to Dogtown) but it's going to be nice not living in an 4-family flat where 2 units are often host to sorority parties. I'm going to call this week and schedule the time, just want to make sure I find a good OTA option (right now, the antenna is in the attic) or decide if I want to make the jump to the H20, which is due for an update in December - or that was the latest word.

USA Today Performs Hatchet Job on HDTV

The following excerpt is from today TV Predictions newsletter:
___________________________________________

USA Today on Monday published a feature article on how the new High-Definition DVD players are impacting the HD industry.

However, the story contains a number of factual errors, leaving the mistaken impression that sagging player sales are badly hurting the HDTV industry as a whole.
___________________________________________

Each of the erroneous points in the USA Today story is addressed by TV Predictions in the article that can be found here. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/usatodayhd101606.htm)

FWIW, I attempted to try to find the original USA Today story and to provide a link to it here, but even searches for "HDTV" and "DVD" turned up nothing. It's possible that USA Today has removed the story.

it's going to be nice not living in an 4-family flat where 2 units are often host to sorority parties.Dan, I'm guessing that I'm not the only guy here scratching his head over this statement.

Is it too late for you to get in touch with your John Belushi side? :D

But seriously, congratulations on the new house.

Well I've been monitoring my OTA problems over the past few days. I thought I was home free, w/out drops on the OTA stations, but low and behold... I had recorded the Sunday night game this past weekend and it was almost unwatchable. It would go from 100 to 0, and back up after it came back. I was lucky to get in 30 seconds of viewable tv. I've checked my cables and connections, changed my antenna position, etc... My signal has improved accross the board, but I'm still getting drops. I've been told it could be "multipath" issues. I'm unfamiliar w/ that but will do some research.

Dan, I'm guessing that I'm not the only guy here scratching his head over this statement.

Is it too late for you to get in touch with your John Belushi side? :D

But seriously, congratulations on the new house.
You know, after I hit "submit", I realized that I should be thrilled. Actually, it's the 3 or 4 am parties or screaming in the stairwell that I won't miss. Plus, I'll finally be able to kick out the jams (MC5 reference) on the soundsystem... I like my stuff loud.

Well, a tech is due out tomorrow afternoon.
My Moxi hasn't updated since Oct. 9, and I get a "0x22" error whey I try to play free VOD (HBO, Sho etc).
Diagnostics shows "error" for upstream and downstream bandwidth.
Reset, hard reboot and EPG trigger ... no help.
Fried modem, I assume?

elgibby-

Let us know how it goes. It sounds like you may have a signal strength issue.

One of the more highly recommended indoor antennas is the Silver Sensor. I just purchased the Philips version of it at CC. It was relatively inexpensive (under $30), is pretty compact and unobtrusive, and achieves good reception. I tried several more expensive indoor models with less favorable results. You can also pick up the Silver Sensor online for less than CC.

As to your first question, I have not had any experience recently with the moving program. But have you considered Dish? I just switched and have been pretty happy with the service.
Forget to mention, I have a DB4.

FWIW, I attempted to try to find the original USA Today story and to provide a link to it here, but even searches for "HDTV" and "DVD" turned up nothing. It's possible that USA Today has removed the story.


http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2006-10-15-hdtv-woes_x.htm

If you have the H10 and can receive locals OTA, there is no good reason to switch to the H20. I believe you will also lose the commercial skip feature if you switch.


Well, the only thing that bothers me about my OTA signal is that the lip-synching seems to be off on some of the programs...I don't know if this would be any different with the satellite signal (probably not). Any word when D* will pick up some new channels (like Food HD or HGTV)?

Well, the only thing that bothers me about my OTA signal is that the lip-synching seems to be off on some of the programs...I don't know if this would be any different with the satellite signal (probably not). Any word when D* will pick up some new channels (like Food HD or HGTV)?
Lip-synching is dead-on through the OTA signal on the Dish tuner. Their DT local SAT signals (MPEG4) is horrendous, especially FOX, which can be 2-3 seconds off at times, SD or HD.

I would love to get Dish, since they seem to have the most expansive channel line up...but the lack of NFL Ticket is a deal-breaker!

Gemstar Charges Digeo, Charter with Patent Infringement

The following story is from the Los Angeles Times:
________________________________________________

Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. accused Digeo Inc. of infringing patents for interactive TV listings.

Gemstar sued Digeo in federal court in Los Angeles after the closely held company refused to negotiate a license and targeted Gemstar with an antitrust lawsuit, General Counsel Stephen Kay said.

Hollywood-based Gemstar's suit also names Charter Communications Corp., a cable provider controlled by billionaire Paul Allen that uses Digeo's Moxi program guide.
________________________________________________

I would love to get Dish, since they seem to have the most expansive channel line up...but the lack of NFL Ticket is a deal-breaker!

i usually subscribe to both d* and e* and just put e* on hold until football season. this is the first year i've went w/out the ticket and i'm thrilled. why? because i'm a broncos fan and they've been on EVERY week so far (sans the bye, of course). i feel like i'm back in Denver! oh, just to clear the air, i like the Rams as well.. but in the AFC, it's all Denver.

Anyway........ I've had HD from both, and so far I really like the e* content much better. Of course, I was a Voom subscriber until their demise so i'm a bit biased.

Forget to mention, I have a DB4.


By that, I'm wondering if the DB4 is okay on the inside of a house... it's in my attic now. I have a fairly large closet/pantry/media hybrid that I can mount the DB4 in.

I hope this doesn't start any arguments, I just thought it was funny.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclickcomics/20061017/cx_ft_uc/ft20061017

I hope this doesn't start any arguments, I just thought it was funny.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclickcomics/20061017/cx_ft_uc/ft20061017

Perfect.

Dean, at the moment I agree with you.

However, a recent TV Predictions story reviewing the new DirecTV MPEG-4 receiver said that DirecTV will be moving all HD channels to MPEG-4 in 2007.

Two things about this that aren't at all clear: Who is the source for this TVP claim, and does this mean early 2007 or late 2007.

If this is a real DirecTV plan, hopefully it slides at least 6 months, just like every other plan they make.I agree...and realize the H10 will become unsupported sooner or later, as D* moves everything to MPEG4. But until that time comes -- and D* doesn't add any new HD channels other than the locals -- there is no compelling reason to switch. When the time does come that I have to switch to the H20 or whatever, I'll let D* switch me free or risk losing me to the competition. In any case I have no intention of paying hundreds of dollars to change my two H10s.

I don't know if this has already been posted, but it came through today via my Google news watch -- the Blues have announced their HD schedule for the 2006-07 season:

Friday Oct. 20 Vancouver 7:00 PM
Thursday Nov. 2 Colorado 7:00 PM
Tuesday Nov. 28 San Jose 7:00 PM
Tuesday Dec. 5 Detroit 7:00 PM
Thursday Jan. 4 Chicago 7:00 PM
Friday Jan. 26 Detroit 7:00 PM
Thursday Feb. 8 Detroit 7:00 PM
Friday Feb. 16 Nashville 7:00 PM
Tuesday Feb. 27 Vancouver 7:00 PM
Tuesday Mar. 20 Ottawa 7:00 PMApologies if this is redundant...

I am getting ready to drop my Charter digital and HD service and want to go with one of the satellite services in this area. I am one of the lucky few that can get good OTA digital reception of all of the local stations with a silver sensor in my attic pointed thru a dormer window. Most of my TV viewing tends to be the hd channels and charter only was offering a few in addition to the locals. Their price was great up until this month when my special offer for digital channels was up and all that the customer retention folks want to talk to me about is adding telephone service and broadband service. Already more than happy with AT&T for those services. My question for those of you that have had the satellite services is which should I choose in this area. E* seems to have the greatest number of hd channels available and the bronze package seems inexpensive enough as I don't really watch that many sd channels any more. I have seen references to HD Lite in some of the post and was wondering if I will be happy with the picture quality with satellite service. Any advice that can be offered would be most appreciated.

Since I recently switched from D* to E* (within the past month or so), I'll throw in my two cents. I had been a long-time subscriber to D* but had never subscribed to the high definition package (I thus have no basis to compare the high-def PQ between the two).

You may be aware of much of the following so I apologize if I am being too obvious: Currently, E* has a substantially greater number of HD channels because of its acquisition of the VOOM channels. Probably an additional 10 channels not provided by D*. That of course could change, but E* is currently superior in that regard. You indicated that you are primarily interested in watching HD channels so this is probably an important factor for you. On the other hand, only D* provides the NFL package. As a Charter subscriber, you obviously do not have that now, but, if important, it is not an option available on E* currently. This was the factor that made it most difficult for me to switch (that and my young kids give me grief for losing the kids channel, PBS Kids).

The other factor I found to be a plus for E* was that its set top boxes can operate two televisions independently (one for each non-OTA tuner). This limits the number of boxes that you have to get (thereby eliminately some of the "extra box" charges). It gave me some very important flexibility in my installation as well. On the negative side, E* has a bit of a cloud over it regarding litigation over alleged patent infringement of a TIVO patent. A court ruled that E* had to "turn off" the DVR functionality in virtually all of its DVRs because of the patent infringement. That ruling was temporarily suspended by an appeals court pending its review of the case. If the ruling went adverse to E* then it would either have to comply with the court order or reach some other resolution (ie, pay TIVO a ton of cash to license the patent). Right now though, the situation is a bit in limbo.

When I was deciding whether to switch, E* was requiring a 18-month committment and D* was requiring a 24-month committment.

Also, I found it beneficial to go back and forth between the two companies to get competing offers. They continued to provide better and better deals (more free equipment and more discounts on programming) to out do the other. It was, I think, worth my time and effort.

Hope this helps.

I would love to get Dish, since they seem to have the most expansive channel line up...but the lack of NFL Ticket is a deal-breaker!

Bingo! I gotta have my NFL season even if the Chargers always get the shaft on HD. Directv rocks, and from what I've been reading will shortly be the difinitive HD leader in channel offerings.

Scott

I hope this doesn't start any arguments, I just thought it was funny.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclickcomics/20061017/cx_ft_uc/ft20061017

Classic. That is one of the many reasons to bail on Charter.

Scott

Classic. That is one of the many reasons to bail on Charter.

Scott

This made me think of something - is there any redundancy with the satellite services? For instance, someone manages to get a virus up to the sat, or even a major hardware failure up there .... is there a fallback? I mean that would kill the entire user base right?

Just mind wandering, not argumentative.

...my young kids give me grief for losing the kids channel, PBS KidsIf you have an antenna, PBS Kids is available as a subchannel via KETC-DT.

I just got the call from Charter. I have the standard box (6200) and the call was about the upgraded program guide.

This made me think of something - is there any redundancy with the satellite services? For instance, someone manages to get a virus up to the sat, or even a major hardware failure up there .... is there a fallback? I mean that would kill the entire user base right?

Just mind wandering, not argumentative.


hmmm good question...maybe we should ask Jeff Goldblum

I got a call from Charter about the new guide and I have a Moxi only.

FYI, my parents got a new Tivo S3 and had Charter install two cable cards yesterday. The install went smoothly and it is working like a champ.

FYI, I received my 6.3 upgrade this afternoon for my HD TiVo.

I made a minor adjustment in the Season Pass Manager and it took about 2 minutes to process. That seems better, but I need to try to move something from the top to bottom (or vice versa) and see how quickly it goes.

Folders work nicely, but I've already a half dozen audio droputs during the ballgame on FOX.

WOW :D

-------------------

I suppose most who have been watching the games on FOX have noticed that changeable ad banner behind home plate having one of FOX's national sponsor's when the center field camera is on, and that green-ground when any other camera is on.

I've been watching it on OTA, and have seen sort of a bleeding artifact in the top corners when the ads are displayed. Obviously either the ad or the green-ground is an overlay used by FOX. I suppose Busch was not able to, or it was not cost effective to, produce the required ad banners for FOX.

Does anyone know what is actually there during the game? I was at one of the DS games, but failed to take notice.

WOW :D

-------------------

I suppose most who have been watching the games on FOX have noticed that changeable ad banner behind home plate having one of FOX's national sponsor's when the center field camera is on, and that green-ground when any other camera is on.

I've been watching it on OTA, and have seen sort of a bleeding artifact in the top corners when the ads are displayed. Obviously either the ad or the green-ground is an overlay used by FOX. I suppose Busch was not able to, or it was not cost effective to, produce the required ad banners for FOX.

Does anyone know what is actually there during the game? I was at one of the DS games, but failed to take notice.
They (Fox/ESPN) always put the green screen behind homeplate and the overlay the national adds. They've done this all season on all National games. They've been doing it for a couple of years now.
Dug

Bingo! I gotta have my NFL season even if the Chargers always get the shaft on HD. Directv rocks, and from what I've been reading will shortly be the difinitive HD leader in channel offerings.
Scott

I too am bound to D* due to Sunday Ticket. Some of the new features they have added definitely made it more valuable (2 Game mix channels, red zone channel) but it bothers me that all of these new features are not in HD or not available on DVR's (interactive features).

That said, the Short Cut option of watching/recording any game in 30 minutes is a great feature. :D

Good luck,
Token

FYI, I received my 6.3 upgrade this afternoon for my HD TiVo.

I made a minor adjustment in the Season Pass Manager and it took about 2 minutes to process. That seems better, but I need to try to move something from the top to bottom (or vice versa) and see how quickly it goes.

Folders work nicely, but I've already a half dozen audio droputs during the ballgame on FOX.
I had problems all during the game, but when KTVI news came on after the game there were no more dropouts. Is this a problem only with D*? Anyone with Dish having the problem?

FYI, I received my 6.3 upgrade this afternoon for my HD TiVo.

I made a minor adjustment in the Season Pass Manager and it took about 2 minutes to process. That seems better, but I need to try to move something from the top to bottom (or vice versa) and see how quickly it goes.

Folders work nicely, but I've already a half dozen audio droputs during the ballgame on FOX.

I have been forcing a call everyday and have just gotten Pending Restart!

I have the toslink cable from my DVR to receiver. I'll see how it handles the game tonight on Fox

Go Cards!

I had problems all during the game, but when KTVI news came on after the game there were no more dropouts. Is this a problem only with D*? Anyone with Dish having the problem?

I have been getting frequent dropouts since the upgrade. It seems to be more frequent on FOX for some reason. I haven't noticed it on Sat channels yet. There is a large discussion this problem at the Tivo forum so it's not uncommon :(


Good luck,
Token

Anyone with Dish having the problem?
For the most part, it's OK now. But, of the four, FOX did not play nice when Dish released their VIP series receivers, and subsequent software updates. FOX had, by far, the most issues syncing the original guide data, and then continued with intermittent audio drops and video freezes, both on the passed trough OTA and SAT DT local.

I just figured I'd throw up a post to ask and make sure I have my act together before I go and do something I'm totally not going to want to re-do.

I recently moved into a new home in Belleville, near 159 and 15. 2-story, attic has a pretty low clearance, but it's enough to cram an antenna in there. I purchased a ChannelMaster 5646 to throw up there in the attic.

My main questions are thus:

From those with experience, is this going to be sufficient? I'm not looking to get anything more than the normal St. Louis stations (antennaweb says I'm about 20 miles out from most of them).

Secondly, how the crap do you put this thing in the attic? I've got the antenna, and I've got 75 ft of RG-6 running from the attic to the basement and then up in the living room. But how should I affix the antenna in the attic? Is there anything I need to particularly watch for? The packaging is full of warnings about roof-mounting it, but absolutely nothing about sticking it in your attic.

I don't have the HD set yet with which to do some testing and really worry about reception, but this will certainly pump up my SD reception while I wait for the wife to approve the HS purchase. :)

Folders work nicely, but I've already a half dozen audio droputs during the ballgame on FOX.

That's exactly the problem I'm having.

Some dolt at the TCF is trying to claim its an OTA issue. Hahahha.

Well, as far as HD goes when you get there, I don't know that this is the best choice.

In "mounting" it, you need to have the tail facing towards the towers.

When I was trying to use the one in my attic, I drilled two holes in a 2x4 up there and
then just put a U bolt around the frame and attached it through the 2x4.

You can also kind of lay it out on top of the 2x4's.

Ryan,

The 5646 will probably work, but unless you have a need for VHF and FM reception I think you might be better off with a UHF-only antenna, such as the 4221 or the 4228. These antennas are a bit more maneuverable as well, as they can simply be leaned against a wall or positioned on rafters. I have my 4221 leaning against an inside wall and this gives me very reliable reception.

Here's some tips on attic installations from Antennas Direct:

http://www.antennasdirect.com/attic_installation.html

FYI -- I'm only about 5 miles away from you, just off Sullivan Drive.

I have been forcing a call everyday and have just gotten Pending Restart!

I have the toslink cable from my DVR to receiver. I'll see how it handles the game tonight on Fox

Go Cards!

I get the pending thing for the last two weeks. I still have no update, and I guess I'm glad because my audio of Fox is great.

Scott

I get the pending thing for the last two weeks. I still have no update, and I guess I'm glad because my audio of Fox is great.

Scott

Yow will get it if you restart your DVR. If you don't want it, just hope it won't reboot. Eventually it will reboot itself to load it.

Is your wife sure it was the Moxi??? I have heard people getting phone calls on the new guide interface but I believe that is only for the standard boxes not the Moxi. If it is for the Moxi I would hope they would only do the phone calls if there was major changes going on but I have a feeling the call was about standard digital boxes since those guides are supposed to be getting updated shortly.

-Phatty


It's cool...I got the call today that I'm getting a guide update...which is odd because I'm using a CableCARD. So I have no guide whatsoever. I wonder how Charter's gonna update THAT. Maybe I should call and ask...

-Matt

Anyone know charters QAM channel for 2 (fox)...my hdtuner is tied up recording LOST tonight. the analog fox looks pretty rough.

-Matt

Yow will get it if you restart your DVR. If you don't want it, just hope it won't reboot. Eventually it will reboot itself to load it.
Well... I got it the 6.3. So, hate to ask, or be redundant, but how do we turn on those dang folders?

I figured it out... had to use the "real" remote, not the Harmony. Doy.

I just received the guide update for Charter today (notice, I didn't say upgrade). Ever since, my HDTV comes in fine, but my SD channels have no picture (but they do have sound). Any suggestions? Could this be a setting on the box that got messed up when they uploaded the new guide? My online chat with Charter was useless (surprised, hiuh?). They said I needed to have a tech visit to check it out.

I just received the guide update for Charter today (notice, I didn't say upgrade). Ever since, my HDTV comes in fine, but my SD channels have no picture (but they do have sound). Any suggestions? Could this be a setting on the box that got messed up when they uploaded the new guide? My online chat with Charter was useless (surprised, hiuh?). They said I needed to have a tech visit to check it out.
I wonder if they use USA keyboards :D

Same thing happened with my sister's update yesterday. She called Charter and they told her to restart. She did, and the SD vid came back, but she's not so sure they (Charter) didn't do something on their end during the phone call.

mgr_stl:

When Charter sent out their update, it reset all of the settings on the Motorola
box. The default setting for passing through SD channels is 480i. Your TV must only be able to decode 480p and above on the HD inputs. To fix this, turn your cable box off, press the menu button on the cable box itself and change the passthrough to 480p or off.

Edit: On a sidenote, down here in Rolla, the local cable provider (Fidelity) is downconverting at least DKTVI and DKMOV to 480i and using them as analog 2 and 4 while cutting the image down to 4x3. I didn't know this was allowed, because on HD commercials some of the picture is obviously cut off. Perhaps Fidelity is small enough to slip through the cracks.

elgibby-

Let us know how it goes. It sounds like you may have a signal strength issue.

Moxi repair man came yesterday, and the Moxi had to be reset from the office. It lost its IP address. All is well...

Moxi repair man came yesterday, and the Moxi had to be reset from the office. It lost its IP address. All is well...

If I have ANY problem with one of my Charter devices, the first thing I do is call and have them reset the box. Make sure if it's an HD box that you call Charter digital. Have the number on the bottom of the box ready when you call so they get the correct box address. This takes care of 99% of my Charter problems.

Walt

Anyone with a Moxi get a guide update? I don't suppose we're going to get it, but I did get the phone call :-) Ah well, at least mine has worked right for a year, hehe.

Ryan,

The 5646 will probably work, but unless you have a need for VHF and FM reception I think you might be better off with a UHF-only antenna, such as the 4221 or the 4228. These antennas are a bit more maneuverable as well, as they can simply be leaned against a wall or positioned on rafters. I have my 4221 leaning against an inside wall and this gives me very reliable reception.


I also have a question, I am going to get the 4221 or 4228 and I live in a two story house. I will have to also run RG6 down 2 stories from the attic and then back up to the first floor. Does this need to be amplified? I would like to split the siginal, one to my TV, one to my HTPC, will I need to amp for that split?

Thanks for any help.
Moat

Oh, just for the record, I live out in St. Peters, MO.

Moat,

Since you're mounting in the attic, I assume that your antenna is fairly accessible. If that's the case, I'd try it out without a pre-amp and see if you get reliable reception via both your TV and HTPC.

If not, it should be relatively straightforward to add a pre-amp once you've determined you actually need it.

While it's not a common issue, too much signal can create problems.

More on the TiVo 6.3 upgrade/audio issues: It seems like the audio dropouts on FOX are most in evidence shortly after tuning to a FOX station.

Last night, when I first switched over to KTVI, I had four or five audio drops within the first 15 minutes. I stayed tuned to FOX on one of the tuners throughout the game and after the initial 15 minutes, I only experienced one very brief audio drop. It's possible there were others (I generally switched to the other tuner during commercial breaks and spent a couple of innings watching non-HD upstairs), but it definitely seems like the problem is most acute just after tuning into FOX.

Anyone else notice similar behavior?

Hey Guys,

Is anyone using a Slingbox with a Directv Tivo?
So far I haven't read anything to convince me not to give it a try.
I'm assuming in need the AV version and not the basic one.

I'm planning on using it to watch at lunch on a laptop or PPC phone. :)


Thanks,
Token

More on the TiVo 6.3 upgrade/audio issues: It seems like the audio dropouts on FOX are most in evidence shortly after tuning to a FOX station.

Last night, when I first switched over to KTVI, I had four or five audio drops within the first 15 minutes. I stayed tuned to FOX on one of the tuners throughout the game and after the initial 15 minutes, I only experienced one very brief audio drop. It's possible there were others (I generally switched to the other tuner during commercial breaks and spent a couple of innings watching non-HD upstairs), but it definitely seems like the problem is most acute just after tuning into FOX.

Anyone else notice similar behavior?

I switched over from KTVI OTA to Fox East after a couple of long audio drops. I went back and forth between the two and don't recall Fox East (ch. 88) dropping.

I'm glad I have a SD DVR to take up the slack as I have two shows scheduled that conflict with the game tonight

Hey Guys,

Is anyone using a Slingbox with a Directv Tivo?
So far I haven't read anything to convince me not to give it a try.
I'm assuming in need the AV version and not the basic one.

I'm planning on using it to watch at lunch on a laptop or PPC phone. :)


Thanks,
Token

My brother had his hooked up to his DirecTV Tivo. It worked fine, but
he attached it to a different tuner recently.

Well... I got it the 6.3. So, hate to ask, or be redundant, but how do we turn on those dang folders?

I figured it out... had to use the "real" remote, not the Harmony. Doy.

When you are in the Now Playing you can hold down the #2 for about 3 secs. to swap between Folders and Non-Folders. I think #1 swaps between alphabetical and last recorded...

More on the TiVo 6.3 upgrade/audio issues: It seems like the audio dropouts on FOX are most in evidence shortly after tuning to a FOX station.

Last night, when I first switched over to KTVI, I had four or five audio drops within the first 15 minutes. I stayed tuned to FOX on one of the tuners throughout the game and after the initial 15 minutes, I only experienced one very brief audio drop. It's possible there were others (I generally switched to the other tuner during commercial breaks and spent a couple of innings watching non-HD upstairs), but it definitely seems like the problem is most acute just after tuning into FOX.

Anyone else notice similar behavior?

I have the exact same behavior, although I've also noticed that switching between an SD source and an HD source on Fox's end seems to trigger it sometimes too.

I've thought about calling Direct and using my Fox audio dropouts and messed up recordings as an argument to get the Directv Plus HD DVR, but then I'll have no OTA and random missed recordings... sigh... I feel like I'm back on Dishnetwork 5 years ago...

I've been using IE 7 for a couple of days now....it's no FireFox (my browser of choice), but it does offer some nice enhancements over IE 6. For anyone using IE, I recommend it.

The install was clean, and no compatibility issues...thus far.

I've been using IE 7 for a couple of days now....it's no FireFox (my browser of choice), but it does offer some nice enhancements over IE 6. For anyone using IE, I recommend it.

The install was clean, and no compatibility issues...thus far.

I just installed it today and couldn't get it to go to my regular home page. It insisted on going to a Microsoft site that wouldn't load properly. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling and the same thing happened again. I just uninstalled it and am back to IE 6.

<...Snip...>

My main questions are thus:

From those with experience, is this going to be sufficient? I'm not looking to get anything more than the normal St. Louis stations (antennaweb says I'm about 20 miles out from most of them).

Secondly, how the crap do you put this thing in the attic? I've got the antenna, and I've got 75 ft of RG-6 running from the attic to the basement and then up in the living room. But how should I affix the antenna in the attic? Is there anything I need to particularly watch for? The packaging is full of warnings about roof-mounting it, but absolutely nothing about sticking it in your attic.



I'll answer what I can

1) Probably. I have a radio shack antenna in the attic of my garage out here in
St Charles (Wolfrum & Hwy 94). It's about 20' off the ground. It picks up all the
HDTV stations fine (I have an HD tuner card in my pc here).

However I have an RCA amplifier up in the attic and I amplify the signal
before sending it down 100'+ of coax. Again, HD stations come in fine. You
might need an amplifier. I got mine at Home Depot, and I have AC in the
attic for the garage door opening. Simple to put a 110 v box in the attic for
the amplifier.

2) Mounting! What I did is to put tie nylon ropes across the attic rafters and then
lay the antenna on it. Then I "unhinged" the elements carefully, twisting and
turning the antenna to make them go inbetween the other rafters. It's a slow
careful process. I also put nails in the rafters to make sure the knots/nylon
stays where I want it.

3) Be careful not to step through the celing. Laying down plywood or other flooring
where you are working might be a good idea. You will be up there awhile and
perhaps several times aiming it.

Good Luck,

Rod

More on the TiVo 6.3 upgrade/audio issues: It seems like the audio dropouts on FOX are most in evidence shortly after tuning to a FOX station.

Last night, when I first switched over to KTVI, I had four or five audio drops within the first 15 minutes. I stayed tuned to FOX on one of the tuners throughout the game and after the initial 15 minutes, I only experienced one very brief audio drop. It's possible there were others (I generally switched to the other tuner during commercial breaks and spent a couple of innings watching non-HD upstairs), but it definitely seems like the problem is most acute just after tuning into FOX.

Anyone else notice similar behavior?
Yes, I've had similar audio dropouts and only on 2-1, which is why I watch 88 when possible. I've not had any dropouts on 88 or any other OTA channel. The audio dropout problem being discussed on the HD Tivo forum is mainly on systems with the optical output turned on going thru an external receiver, is that the way you've got yours setup? I do not have mine set that way. The audio on mine is going thru the TV's speakers. Personally, I believe the 6.3a upgrade has made the OTA tuner somehow less sensitive. Everytime I tune an OTA channel now, I see the "Searching for signal" blue bar momentarily before the picture comes in. I never saw that before the upgrade. Also, when I've had the audio dropout problem on 2-1, it almost always comes back after displaying some pixelation, making me think it's a reception issue, yet my antenna setup has not changed.

kdg,

I just downloaded it and normally don't like change. I'm use to the File, Edit, View, etc at the very top. Now it has the back and forward arrow with the URL at the very top. I can't figure out how to get the File, Edit, etc on top. Any help?

Thanks,
Tim

sandblaster,

Yes, my HD TiVo's audio is routed to my AV receiver via the optical out.

The ironic thing about this release is that TiVo and DirecTV have been rumored to be working on this for 2 years. You'd think that with all that time that the testing would have been a bit more thorough. On the other hand, maybe the fact that this thing still has issues explains why it took so long to get it to this state.

I'm still puzzled why DirecTV went forward with this release, now that they have their own new homegrown DVR available. Or maybe that's all part of the plan... ;)

I just installed it today and couldn't get it to go to my regular home page. It insisted on going to a Microsoft site that wouldn't load properly. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling and the same thing happened again. I just uninstalled it and am back to IE 6.
After the installation restart, a MS setting page opened by default. I selected/saved the settings I wanted which was followed by a link, "go to my home page."

Like I said Joe, you're not missing very much. The biggest feature being the addition of tab selectable multiple instances of IE, rather than opening additional instances in the System Tray.

Tim,
I see what you're saying, but I don't expect to be using IE over FireFox. If I figure it out, I'll let ya know. There's got to be a way to tag the address bar on the same line as FEVFTH...too much wasted space.

Moat,

Since you're mounting in the attic, I assume that your antenna is fairly accessible. If that's the case, I'd try it out without a pre-amp and see if you get reliable reception via both your TV and HTPC.

If not, it should be relatively straightforward to add a pre-amp once you've determined you actually need it.

While it's not a common issue, too much signal can create problems.

Thanks for the info, I installed the 4221 today in the attic no amp, I even split it, one to the DLP and one to the HTPC. Got 10 bars on the DLP and 98 signal on the PC :)

-Moat

kdg,

I just downloaded it and normally don't like change. I'm use to the File, Edit, View, etc at the very top. Now it has the back and forward arrow with the URL at the very top. I can't figure out how to get the File, Edit, etc on top. Any help?

Thanks,
Tim


Hit the ALT key...

Hit the ALT key...
Tim,
That will enable the commands for keystroke use, but won't move the toolbar.
I read your post to say you want to move the Menu Bar to the top, yes?

Is it my connection, or does the picture tonight on Fox HD look bad? Last night looked fine...but tonight is different.

mike