Me too Bruce...Diana, what's up over here?

Mark

I was having problems again this morning around 6am on my HD channels before I came into work. So it looks like I get to go home and have my wife complain some more about the spending of $100 a month for a blank tv screen.

Only 100 a month? You got a deal. My bill is 214.00 a month including roadrunner. I could get another car for that...

Mark

yeah, that deal runs out at the end of this month. Therefore I will be weighing my options between Sat. and cable. I had decided on trying VOOM but now that they are shutting down (supposedly) I will have to see what else there is.

TWCSC is up and running fine here now; not sure when it came back online since I was not keeping a close eye on it.

Here too Bruce. Sometime before 3pm.

Mark

Just to give the other Sumter people some more info. It went out on analog cable as well. I have my Tivo connected straight to the cable (no STB) and saw the picture fade out around 11:20 this morning, then it stopped recording because of loss of signal. Another recording on a different channel @ 1-2PM didn't get recorded either because there was no signal.

I agree with Brent 100%. Now if you have problems that you have tried to get corrected over and over again you need to call and request the area supervisor for your area and I gaurentee you that your problem WILL get resolved if it has anything to do with anything that TWC has controll over and all of the supervisors will go that extra mile to make sure you are happy with the resolution of your complaint. Sometimes you have to make sure you are complaining to the right person or nothing gets resolved and I do mean that complaing over and over to your nieghbor and on a forum board doesn't get you satisfaction of getting it resolved as none of the supervisors that CAN get it fixed do not have mind reading powers and unless they know about your situation they are powerless to help you and they are the one person that has all the resources that TWC has at their fingertips to see that you get satisfaction. TRUST ME! TRY IT!

MB2forU..

That has to be one of the more interesting sig's I've seen here..:D

Bob,

I'd give my measurements in my signature, but I didn't want to make any of the guys here jealous...lol

Mark

Originally posted by Marky_Mark896
Only 100 a month? You got a deal. My bill is 214.00 a month including roadrunner. I could get another car for that...

Mark

Mine is about $135/month. All I have is the basic digital tier with the addition of the 6.95 HD tier and roadrunner. I dont have any of the premium channels or their HD counterparts. And my roadrunner is still in the $29.95 period of the first 3 months. So it'll be going up by about $20 in a month or so. Sure is a lot of money.

if you're not already getting it call and ask for the Speed of Light package (analog cable+digital cable+roadrunner). i didn't know it existed until a couple of years ago. even when i called a CSR tried to tell me that i already had it but after i quoted him an email i had gotten through the TWCSC website he adjusted my monthly rate.

i wish TWCSC would model their website like Bellsouth's, where you can set up an online account, see all the options and packages and what they cost, and add or delete services online. it would help free up some of those 100 phone lines for service calls. :)

I'll have to ask about the Speed of Light package. I have every channel available, and I have roadrunner premium.

Mark

Originally posted by Marky_Mark896
I'll have to ask about the Speed of Light package. I have every channel available, and I have roadrunner premium.

Mark

PM me your home phone - I'll check to make sure your in the best package you can get and let you know what I see.

Originally posted by scruffy7

i wish TWCSC would model their website like Bellsouth's, where you can set up an online account, see all the options and packages and what they cost, and add or delete services online. it would help free up some of those 100 phone lines for service calls. :)


Just got back from two days of meetings in Charlotte with the NC Divisions - a good portion of these meetings was web based self care. Our issue is hooks into our billing system - big barrier, but promise we are working on it... also trying to do what baby steps we can in the meantime.

Ok - as I said, just got back from Charlotte, so I don't know what happened in Sumter yesterday - I'll try to find out tomorrow.

Standing Offer - ANYONE - if you want me to make sure you are packaged into the best valued deal

OR

if you have Service issues that you feel have gone unresolved through usual Service Call into Call Center

Send me your home telephone number - detail service problems

I'll do everything I can to resolve and make sure you have the best package you can.

Now - how about some LOVE for Illinois!

Illinois sucks (unless I get the Super Bowl on Fox).
:D Forgot this!

That's not very nice Gary...

Mark

Sumter Outage on Tuesday - Transport fiber cut - typically related to errant shots by gun owners in the countryside.

Ahhh, nice shot.

Mark

Probably was shooting at a duggum squirrel eating from the bird feeder..

hey Diana just getting into this thread but i would love to have you check my setup. also i gave up on the hd dvr box as it kept freezing up etc and went to the standard hd box and one of the girls on greystone is going to call me when an hdmi box gets in. will we be getting a dvr hd box in any time soon with hdmi and active?

jverhey - please PM me your home telephone number and I will be happy to check your account.

HD DVRs are delivered to Greystone Blvd every day. Some quantity of which will be 8000 and some will be 8300. The HDMI is active on all 8300s.

I got a 8300hd at greystone today. I haven't connected it yet.

and i will pop by there tomorrow to see if i can get one i am hating not having the dvr feature

HDMI is activated on the new SA 8300 DVRs. Had some difference of opinion among several TWC customer service reps I spoke to. Finally got a hold of a tech guy that figured out I needed to adjust my HDTV channel settings to the proper input.

Have to say, not a distinguishable difference between the component cables and the HDMI/DVI cable - should have heeded the advice on one of the main threads.

Diana, how about a ONE DAY deal with Fox for the Super Bowl??

Sorry for the Inbox guys - its cleaned out this morning

I have written down dpear and jverhey phone numbers if you would like to delete them now

remember you always have the option to email me at twcscnews@twcable.com if the inbox is full at AVS

irish4hd - we have had that offer in front of the Sinclair as a back up all along - put some pressure on them to do a OTO (one time only)!

I am not so concerned about the increased quality of the hdmi as i am opening up a component port for an htpc. 2 components and 1 hdmi and 3 devices something has to go hdmi.

super bowl on fox but no hd feed is that right?

Oh this has proubably been asked many times already but are we going to get any new hd chanles anytime soon

jverhey -

No deal to carry FOX HD yet - working very hard on it.

Any new HD Channels - I don't know until I know and then I post it. Unlike analog launches in days of old, we don't plan for specific channel launches to happen on January 1st. With HD, we get a signed deal and we put it on the air quick like a bunny. However, given the nature of the negotiations, we simply don't have a clue about completion or an eta on launch until they are signed.

Thank you, Diana. We certainly appreciate all you have done for us and we have a much higher opinion of TWC as a result.
Bob

Originally posted by bpear1600
Thank you, Diana. We certainly appreciate all you have done for us and we have a much higher opinion of TWC as a result.
Bob

Ditto that. TWC has a good face with Diana and she has brought TWC some goodwill to this neck of the woods.

Can you folks in Columbia pick up Fox HD OTA ??

Which direction is their antenna??? Is it near any other HD towers we are already getting ???

And what channel is Fox HD, OTA ??

Thanks!!

-- Cain

Cain,
Point to the same tower as WOLO (over near Elgin)
WACH-DT Ch 48 (remaps to 57-1 usually)

Originally posted by Cain
Can you folks in Columbia pick up Fox HD OTA ??

Which direction is their antenna??? Is it near any other HD towers we are already getting ???

And what channel is Fox HD, OTA ??

Thanks!!

-- Cain
Fox HD is very low power. I can barely get it from an antenna on a 30 ft mast off Harbison forest.

Wach-DT comes in perfect ota. Just as strong as all the others (except Wltx-DT). All Fox network shows and commercials are DD 5.1. All other local shows and commercials are 2.0. This is different than any other digital station in our area. There is one thing about Fox that most people will not like is they (Fox Network) inserts the local Fox logo in the right bottom corner. It is very bright and is white, black ,yellow,and blue. They do not insert it for NFL Football, just for network shows. I'm in the White Knoll area of West Cola/Lexington, and have a large chimney mounted antenna. All the locals come in maxed out, even the Sumter etv stations(except Wltx-DT). I am using a very small Motrola ATSC STB.

Kir,
I just talked to Dan Orta at WACH; he is not aware of any problems with his signal and he says it is at full strength (520kW). You might want to give him a call if your signal is still wacky.

Those in the Myrtle Beach area. I noticed that when I ordered my stb box from Circuit City that the Myrtle Beach store was the Only CC that stocks ota boxes. I would not want to wagers any bets on cable carriage for a Sinclair owned Fox station. I hope we all get the Fox cable carriage. Heck, It will save me about 300 bucks!

Kevin..does the motorola have a line lump or wall wart for power?

Bob, it has a line lump. Very fast to change channels, and weighs 2.6 lbs. It has a foot path about the size of a regular size hardback book. I do not understand why this box is $100.00 more than the feature loaded Samusung 451, other than the Samsung seems to never be in stock.

Thanks. I'll probbaly drop by CC tonite to get one, need it to check PSIP
compliance..

All Columbia locals redirect correctly. WACH-DT just this last month started to redirect. Wach-DT does not use any EPG. My Samsung seems to handle the EPG better than the Motorola.

yea...and wolo has a software bug where EPG disappears altogether..

I just got the 8300 home and plugged it into the HDMI and in five minutes the screen turns green and stays green. If you turn it off it doesn't have a picture when you turn it back on. Then if you unplug the HDMI cable it starts again then five minutes all over again. Any ideas of what to do

I just connected my TV to the HDMI interface on the 8300 and get no picture (I do get sound and info) when I turn the thing on; sometimes, if I change cannels, the picture comes on, but sometimes not. If I play a recorded program it seems to work right away (so far). Eventually I get a picture of good quality. But it should come on right away. Is this a known bug?

Originally posted by bdenman
Kir,
I just talked to Dan Orta at WACH; he is not aware of any problems with his signal and he says it is at full strength (520kW). You might want to give him a call if your signal is still wacky.
I guess I should have explained it better. All stations except WACH come at 100% signal strength from my antenna. I have a good lock on FOX, but it's at 69% at best.
PS: Bruce, you know I don't like watching sports. We had this conversation long time ago ;)

The "signal" reading on your receiver is more of a signal "quality" rather than strength..A station can be at full power and not deliver 100% due to transmitter mis-alignment. Or, if the receiver is having to work harder to recover the received signal due to multipath, receive antenna issues, local
interference, etc..the reading will be lower.as well.
It's actually irrelevant if the receiver stays locked and you get solid decoding.

I noticed that my Motorola STB has Signal Quality and Signal Strength. All channels are maxed out for Signal Quality, but strangely only the Sumter ETV have a maxed out signal strength.

FWIW: the Motorola STB now has a $50 rebate for online purchase only.

CC is offering the $50 Motorola rebate as well..

I just had an 8300 brought out yesterday by a tech to replace my 8000 that was not working properly. Was I supposed to get the HDMI cable with the box or do I have to go out and buy the cables for it? I got the COmponent cables from the 8000 still and that is what I am currently using.
Thanks for the answers.

TWC supplies Component cables, you have to purchase your own HDMI if you choose to go that way.

How's it working?

I found that my trouble was the HDMI cable it has a short so back to Sam's club for another today. They are $22 and they are made by Phillips.

Well, the line tech that came out was rather perplexed. I had ABD-HD not working and 921 SHO-HD not working. When he checked I had +12 level at the side of my house and a -7 at the box. So he thought I might have a splitter somewhere that we didn't know about. Then he checked the outlet on the wall that the box is connected to and I had +8 there. So he changed out the box with no change in those 2 channels but my signal strength at the box was what he thought it should be. He said for the signal strength that I am reading that I shouldn't have any channels not acting correctly. He is going to ask on Monday if there were problems with ABC and SHO yesterday. I had TNT-HD go out a few times last night right around 9pm, I haven't really watched any TV today yet.

I will let you know if I have any further problems.

Thanks for the help and the answers.

No problems with ABC-HD that we know of, looks fine to me here.

Lat night WOLO-DT had problems (cable; OTA) from about 8pm to 8:38pm (during the movie Snow Dogs). No picture, no audio BUT I had closed captions (noted via TWC). After about 38 minutes of blank recording WOLO came back on as SD. I noted this sometime after 8 but was tied up with other things; checked when it came back on via my 8000 HD recording. I figured it was weather related.

Had dish icing here, We lose the HD feed before the SD feed, and when we go to the backup SD feed it kills the HD feed, (even if HD were there).

Bob,

Do we really need a duplicate subchannel at this time?

yes, we have to have something to leach off the HD..:)

my ABC-HD and SHO-HD (only 1 of the 2 SHO channels) problems were from like 10am til the last time I tried watching either of those channels around 6 or 7pm on Saturday. Does SHO come off the same source or anything like that?

No, broadcasters and cable channels are not received or processed in the same manner. Off the top of my head, I can't come up with any reason that you would only get One Showtime, so as soon as I can get Tech Ops attention, I'll investigate.

Thanks Diana, The line tech that was here at my house while that was happening was pretty stumped. The only thing that he could find blaringly wrong was that my box was losing something like 15dbmv of level. When he replaced the box he got the signal that he expected. The only other thing that was of note is that when the guy came out to bury my main line from the tap that all he did was stuff it under the sod. he didn't actually bury it, but that being said I still had a very strong signal inside and outside of the house.

What is the current status of ABC HD and both Showtimes? Getting them or not?

The last time that I checked last night they were both coming in. I will let you know if they are out when I get home from work.

I just purchased a Panasonic CT-34WX54 and noticed that most of the local channels, anything below channel 11, seems to have noise, or snow, on the picture. Would this be the case that i need to look at changing the DVR that TWC gave me, a setup issue on the DVR, or should I look at monitor problems? I am thinking it has to do with the DVR since everything else appears fine.

Thanks

The local fox channel in the Florence/Myrtle Beach area WFXB Fox 43 are running ads saying that Fox 43 HD will be coming soon. It will be on TWC channel 807 according to the ad. Is the Super Bowl on Fox( I don't keep up with football until the playoffs)?? Maybe WACH will follow suite in the near future. Heres hoping you guys in Columbia will get some good news in near future. Mitch

Seriously, nothing new here so far . There have been numerous articles stating that they are in negotiations and the channel would be added as soon as a agreement is signed. It has been stated in those articles that Wach-DT will be on Ch. 820 or as of late Ch.830.

Not really news, just information.

Upon resolution of HD deals with FOX throughout the state, it will appear on Channel 820 (don't know where or why they would say 807?)

Raycom (WACH) is Columbia DMA
Sinclair (WTAT) is Charleston DMA
GE Media Inc (WFXB) is FMB DMA

What would happen with those of us who get both WTAT and WFXB?

Originally posted by jepember
I just purchased a Panasonic CT-34WX54 and noticed that most of the local channels, anything below channel 11, seems to have noise, or snow, on the picture. Would this be the case that i need to look at changing the DVR that TWC gave me, a setup issue on the DVR, or should I look at monitor problems? I am thinking it has to do with the DVR since everything else appears fine.

Thanks

jepember, I live in the Irmo area and and experiencing the same thing. I just moved here from Florida and find the Time warner service very lacking. The noise comes and goes on my set with the box, but other TV's are fine. Anyone else see this and get it fixed?

Originally posted by Gary J
What would happen with those of us who get both WTAT and WFXB?

Your area is the most complicated throughout the state because you are in the Charleston DMA but are fed from a headend in the FMB DMA with services that have significantly viewed status.... its a real joy to deal with.

We are following the precedent of WPDE, so you would get WFXB.

However when we get WBTW (when?) you will not receive a duplicate CBS feed.

Originally posted by shahram72
jepember, I live in the Irmo area and and experiencing the same thing. I just moved here from Florida and find the Time warner service very lacking. The noise comes and goes on my set with the box, but other TV's are fine. Anyone else see this and get it fixed?


jepember and shahram72

All problems are fixable with a service call - please call and schedule. Let me know about the appointment and I'll be happy to keep tabs from this end.


There is no reason to have bad service - all reasons are resolvable - but we have to know the problems exist in order to fix them, so we need customers to call in with issues!

PS - I live in Irmo and my service is perfect! So, its not an 'area' thing...

It's good to see that someone is here from TW! Thanks for your post. I just had a bad experience with an unfinished install from one of your contractors, who eventually came out and finished the job, but only after several calls. I never brought up the static because I just wanted to get the install completed and it comes and goes so the tech can't fix something that is not there. All is fine for now. Thanks for your concern.

I have been having the same problems as well shahram, pixelation and sound drop outs coming and going. With Diana'a help I have been able to get more attention than what I was getting by calling in to the CSR. I have had everything checked that can be yet I am still having problems. I certainly hope that your problems get resolved, maybe that will help with mine and vice versa.

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
I have been having the same problems as well shahram, pixelation and sound drop outs coming and going. With Diana'a help I have been able to get more attention than what I was getting by calling in to the CSR. I have had everything checked that can be yet I am still having problems. I certainly hope that your problems get resolved, maybe that will help with mine and vice versa.

Could ya'll explain in more detail as to what stations/channels/programs you are having problems with? I wonder if your problems are TWC related or if what your seeing is the network or local station burping?

Originally posted by shahram72
It's good to see that someone is here from TW! Thanks for your post. I just had a bad experience with an unfinished install from one of your contractors, who eventually came out and finished the job, but only after several calls. I never brought up the static because I just wanted to get the install completed and it comes and goes so the tech can't fix something that is not there. All is fine for now. Thanks for your concern.

PM me your home telephone number so I can access your account and I'll have the tech's check the levels outside your home (you don't have to be home) then we can see where we have to go from there.

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
I have had everything checked that can be yet I am still having problems. .

Can you please email specifics on what has happened since Saturday so that I can get the Techs back on your issue for full resolution.

twcscnews@twcable.com


Thanks

Bdenman/Diana,

LIke I said before I still didn't get the ABC-HD or SHO-HD (921) when the tech left after about 4 or 5 hours on Saturday. They eventually started coming in again later in the evening. I had some pixelation problems last night on HDnet.

I wish that I could tell you that it has been mostly on one specific channel only but unfortunately it runs the spectrum of channels, one day I will have a couple of locals not working while everything else is or everything else is working while only one or no locals in HD. The actual service disruptions have varied from just intermittent sound/picture drop-outs to complete loss of channels.

the only consistent thing is that is the HD channels, Every once in a while I lose some of my digital channels as well.

Nucleartiger,

To this layperson, it sounds like you have still a signal level problem. And a TWCSC tech should be able to track that down and get it fixed. Diana should be able you with that. FWIW, over the years I have used TWC for HD, I have heard of or experienced problems in the box, in the house, between the house and the pedestal, and between the pedestal and the neighborhood node. Tweaks/repairs have been made, and my HD service from them now is pretty darn good. Even my DVRs work (now) with few problems.

While waiting for the TWC tech; suggest you check to make sure your F-connectors on the cable to the cable box/DVR are all tight; I had that as a problem once <blush>. Also, if you have a splitter between your wall outlet and your cable box/DVR take it out of the loop and see if the signal improves. Good luck!

ps: what cable box/DVR are you using and having problems with? An SA8000HD?

I know everyone is sick of this topic by now and I am sorry for bringing it up again but I am trying to figure out if I should buy a OTA stb for the Super Bowl. The question is for Diana... What are the odds of us having WACH HD by this Sunday?:confused:

Does anyone have any recommendations for an inexpensive HD OTA tuner? BestBuy wants to sell me a sattelite receiver with a tuner built in. Any suggestions for something else that could be purchased in the next few days for use this weekend? I would appreciate any input.

Originally posted by chilley
I know everyone is sick of this topic by now and I am sorry for bringing it up again but I am trying to figure out if I should buy a OTA stb for the Super Bowl. The question is for Diana... What are the odds of us having WACH HD by this Sunday?:confused:
Buy the box and keep it unopened until the weekend. That way you will be doing the retailor a favor if you return it.

Re: TWC Tech Support

I echo the sentiment that TWC Tech Support here in SC is way above average. My experience with another large MSO in another state was dismal but TWC here has somewhat restored my faith. Part of it may be the competition. Of course there's always DBS Sat, but in our area there is also a second provider (Southern Coastal Cable) to help keep them on their toes. I also feel that Diana Smith is a very valuable asset to us all.

We had been having nagging problems with analog signal level and quality (Georgetown area) for a month or two, and as we had a nice new Pioneer 1120 on order, I wanted them straightened out. (Couldn't imagine what the analog channels would look like magnified up to 50"!) Diana got a couple of tenacious techs out to the house in less than 48 hours after a polite inquiry, and after about 3 hours of hard work, they had the analog reception about as close to perfect as it gets at the far end of the last mile of their trunk.

Meantime the Pio arrived this weekend and we're waiting for the HD DVR STB install scheduled for later this week (and hoping for the 8300 but realize we have to start out with whatever they have on the truck that day). The QAM tuner in the Pio has "found" a few gems in the rough it could decode, like the PBS-HD national feed, the Discovery HD channel, and several locals, but my wife and I are looking forward to a full complement of all the HD channels TWC is carrying.

Mike

The tech said I had +8 at the wall behind my stb and a +12 on the side of the house. I had an 8000HD that was reading -7 on the display with the +8 at the wall plate. The line tech changed out my 8000 for an 8300 and I was reading something like +1 to +5.

Welcome to the site Satori, I too have been overall impressed with the level of customer care that TWCSC provides but I have been way underwhelmed with the actual service as compared to the Cable provider that I had previously.

Excellent set, and you can watch the Super Bowl in HD! (with a antenna and your built in ATSC Tuner).

Nucleartiger:

I'm sure another member of this forum probably already suggested this, but have the cables been replaced? both into the stb from the wall and out to the tv? If one of them is corrupted, it will degrade the signal

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
Upon resolution of HD deals with FOX throughout the state, it will appear on Channel 820 (don't know where or why they would say 807?)


807 will be the channel for a competing cable company.

Originally posted by Gary J
807 will be the channel for a competing cable company.

How are they "competing"? Can you get either HTC or TWC down there in Pawleys?

TWC and HTC are both available in many areas of The Grand Strand - the broadcast footprint for advertising would be the same throughout, no matter if its an area of competition of not.

I do not think HTC is on Pawley's, but it is in other areas of the South Strand.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
TWC and HTC are both available in many areas of The Grand Strand - the broadcast footprint for advertising would be the same throughout, no matter if its an area of competition of not.

I do not think HTC is on Pawley's, but it is in other areas of the South Strand.

Thanks, Diana. I didn't know that. In the neighborhoods I've lived on the Strand it has been one or the other. In fact, a popular ad, which I'm sure you are familiar with, cautions people to make sure TWC services their neighborhood before buying a house.

Actually, we did just that last summer when we moved from the Surfside Beach area to Murrells Inlet. We ruled out a couple of nice communities in Horry and Georgetown Counties because they were serviced by HTC only and we would have lost RoadRunner.

Live and learn. Sorry, Gary. Twas just a joke.
Bob

"...and you can watch the Super Bowl in HD!"

Well, maybe, but probably not OTA.

Antenna.web says we are about 60 miles from WTAT-DT (Fox/Charleston) which is only on with low power. AVS-ers within 10 miles of WTAT who post on the Charleston Local HD board have trouble getting them so I don't think any antenna here will pull them in.

WFXB (Fox/Grand Strand) to my knowledge is nowhere near ready with their ATSC transmitter, and their tower is about 40 miles in another direction anyway, so about the only hope would be via TWC. The Myrtle Beach HDTV board has posts stating that both TWC and HTC have worked out an arrangement with WFXB for carriage, but I don't think that agreement will extend to the Georgetown TWC system (or Coastal Cable for that matter). TWC here carries WTAT analog but not WFXB analog.

So that might make an interesting question for Diana Smith: if TWC/Myrtle Beach gets the SB via agreement with WFXB, can they make it available in the Georgetown system? My guess is that normally WTAT would object, claiming that we are in their DMA, but their low power makes them not viewable in this market as a practical matter. Maybe a one-time special arrangement??

We can hope...

Mike

This post is simply to express my continued frustration with the companies that are preventing the distribution of Fox's HD signal on TWC, specifically that handful of upper eschelon @#$^*&s who I'm guessing are preventing this for some kind of fiscal reason. Nothing but pure arrogance, greed, and detachment from its customer base could create such a scenario as this. I wish there was some way to effectively boycott these companies, or at least inundate them with our displeasure. Anyone got Sinclair/Raycom e-mail addresses?

I can't wait until the broadcast industry is basically P2P communication (narrowcasting) between the source content and the end user. I'm tired of middlemen like these #$%*ing me off. (That said, we still love you and TWC, Diana ;) )

Originally posted by Satori84
[BTWC here carries WTAT analog but not WFXB analog.

So that might make an interesting question for Diana Smith: if TWC/Myrtle Beach gets the SB via agreement with WFXB, can they make it available in the Georgetown system? My guess is that normally WTAT would object, claiming that we are in their DMA, but their low power makes them not viewable in this market as a practical matter. Maybe a one-time special arrangement??

We can hope...

Mike [/B]

Unfortunately for you no. Analog carriage is step one.

Originally posted by bpear1600
Thanks, Diana. I didn't know that. In the neighborhoods I've lived on the Strand it has been one or the other. In fact, a popular ad, which I'm sure you are familiar with, cautions people to make sure TWC services their neighborhood before buying a house.

Actually, we did just that last summer when we moved from the Surfside Beach area to Murrells Inlet. We ruled out a couple of nice communities in Horry and Georgetown Counties because they were serviced by HTC only and we would have lost RoadRunner.

Live and learn. Sorry, Gary. Twas just a joke.
Bob

You are correct, there are also areas with exclusive deals.

Glad to hear you stuck with us - I will share your story with the brain child of the Myrtle Beach "Did you ask" campaign.

Yesterday I sent a pretty harsh email to WACH.com complaining about their weak signal strength and lack of carriage on TWC. I live in downtown Columbia and can't pick up their signal reliably OTA, but yet I can get the other 3 networks and its my understanding that all the towers are located basically in the same area. But I did receive this reply from WACH:

"Well gosh Derek, You sound very bitter about the whole thing!.. Seriously, I under your consternation and it is frustrating to us here also.

The first point is, you should be able to receive our on-the-air DTV signal on channel 48 (or sometimes channel 57.1) depending on your DTV receiver setup.) assuming that you have a suitable antenna.. We blanket the Columbia area with a strong DTV signal. And unless there is something that I am unaware of , you should not have a problem.

Now, to the cable question… There is, and has been, an on-going dispute between T/W and our parent corporation (Raycommedia Inc, Montgomery Ala.) on the use of our DTV Signal.. It is a monetary thing and I have no control over what those people do, or not do. Unfortunately, you the viewer, and us the broadcaster, both suffer.

The good news is, it may soon be resolved; hopefully, in time for the game..I have been in communications with the engineers at the cable company and they are ready to flip a switch as soon as they get the word from their management..

That is the truth about this whole thing.. I hope I have answered some of your questions, and Knock on wood, It may soon be fixed.. In any case we value your viewership, and hope you aren’t too angry at us.. remember there are always two sides to every story.

Thanks for your interest in WACH TV.

Dan Orta
Chief Engineer
WACH TV-57
WACH DTV-48"

So I dont know if that sounds like good news or not "hopefully in time for the game." Who knows with these guys.

I received two replies from the email I sent yesterday, here is the other one:

"Derek,

Let me try to explain the best way that I can. Time Warner Cable and
Raycom Media, who owns WACH-TV, have been negotiating for more than 15 months on a re-trans deal. Unfortunately we are also negotiating our
entire group, which consists of 46 television stations in various
markets, at the same time.

This does not make me happy and by your e-mail you are none to pleased
as well. I have made several calls to my corporate office asking for a
time frame. The latest is that the deal is in their hands (TWC) and we
hope to have an answer very soon. I have also talked with the GM of
Time Warner Cable here in Columbia and we are both in agreement it's
just our corporate offices can't come together.

There is no hidden agenda here I can assure you of that. I want this to
be over ASAP, and am doing everything in my power to get resolve.

The reason WIS / WLTX and WOLO have theirs done is that they don't have
the number of stations in their group that we do, which makes it a lot
easier to reach agreement.

If you have further questions or concerns please call my office at
252-5757 and I will be more than happy to discuss further.

Scott McBride
VP/GM WACH-TV"

This guy is placing all the blame on TWC, saying that the ball is in their court. I'm sure if I had emailed TWC their guy would have said the exact opposite and that the ball is in Raycom's court. Funny how you can't get an honest answer from anybody in corporate america anymore. The customer is never right unless he pays through the nose.

D-rock,

I don't want to get in a pissing contest over this but I can't see where either of the E-mails you quoted involve blaming the entire matter on Time-Warner. The person you corresponded with blames unnamed parties at both the Time-Warner and Raycomm home offices. Any blame-assignment beyond that seems to be taken completely out of context.

What he said was that he believes the issue to have recently been brought to a close from Raycomm's point of view and that it is now within the realm of possibility that TWC will agree on their end in time for carriage of the Super Bowl. That would seem the kind of optomistic hint that lots of people here have been looking for.

Why not wait and see if it happens before going on yet another tirade against the great conspiracy that is keeping those of us without a good antenna from seeing a high-definition Super Bowl? If not...well, there's always the Masters.

I was flipping thru the channels today and channel 820 Fox HD is on. Tuned to the channel and it said Fox Hd WFXB. As far as I know the Florence/Myrtle Beach area now has the HD feed on TWC channel 820.

Mitch

Originally posted by Satori84


WFXB (Fox/Grand Strand) to my knowledge is nowhere near ready with their ATSC transmitter, and their tower is about 40 miles in another direction anyway

Yes, but not quite.. I have a friend at WFXB.. They are on air and passing FOX's HD, albeit with a 500w transmitter (not certain on the ERP, but probably around 5kw or so)..and an antenna at 100' on their tower next to the MB airport..

However, TWC and HTC are fed via fiber..:)

"..and an antenna at 100' on their tower next to the MB airport.."

That's still over 30 miles from Georgetown, so I'd be very surprised to get it here without a tall mast and high gain antenna.

OTOH I can lash up an old VHF/UHF antenna on the back porch railing (clear to the horizon in that direction) and see what happens, once the rainy WX moves on ...

Mike

Mike,

We are about 40-50 miles from our antennas here in Sumter, and I know a few guys are getting good signals without tall masts and just a radio shack antenna. Bruce will have to tell you what he's doing.

Mark

Originally posted by Satori84
"..and an antenna at 100' on their tower next to the MB airport.."

That's still over 30 miles from Georgetown, so I'd be very surprised to get it here without a tall mast and high gain antenna.

OTOH I can lash up an old VHF/UHF antenna on the back porch railing (clear to the horizon in that direction) and see what happens, once the rainy WX moves on ...


From here, I can barely get WRLK... 65kw/960ft at 34miles ... with my Radio Shack Double Bowtie indoor antenna (I think I have a clear shot at the tower too). Like Bob said, it appears WFXB is currently at 5kw ERP at about 100ft eleveation. I think that gonna be a real toughie OTA for you at 30miles but you never know.... give it a shot.

Originally posted by Mitchell B.
I was flipping thru the channels today and channel 820 Fox HD is on. Tuned to the channel and it said Fox Hd WFXB. As far as I know the Florence/Myrtle Beach area now has the HD feed on TWC channel 820.

Mitch

Does this mean it should be on across the state? Because I just checked TWC here in Columbia and there's still nothing on channel 820. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get it by Sunday. My Superbowl party will be much better if we can watch the game in HD.

Any news on Fox HD on TWC here in Columbia?

Currently we do not have an HD agreement with WACH currently. Although we are still trying very hard - that is not a guarantee.

WFXB HD is on in only most of the Forence-Myrtle Beach area. The only HD show on the channel so far though came across in SD last night.

Columbia guys, read it and weep! Florence has beaten Columbia in the Time Warner Cable contest to carry all four major networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. With a LG LST-4200A HDTV receiver, Florence can now receive all four of them. TWCSC's boxes don't receive CBS as of yet. My antennas is going back into its boxes. No more OTA for me, unless Diana does something to block my Charleston CBS channel. Shhh... mums the word. By the way, I pay $5.80 for my TW cable service. Superbowl in HD!

Originally posted by FloCobra
Superbowl in HD!
After the gloating you better hope these people don't know where you live. :D Besides, we have yet to see a HD show from WFXB. Diana, I hope they are aware of that and get it fixed by the Super Bowl.

Originally posted by FloCobra
Columbia guys, read it and weep! Florence has beaten Columbia in the Time Warner Cable contest to carry all four major networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. With a LG LST-4200A HDTV receiver, Florence can now receive all four of them. TWCSC's boxes don't receive CBS as of yet. My antennas is going back into its boxes. No more OTA for me, unless Diana does something to block my Charleston CBS channel. Shhh... mums the word. By the way, I pay $5.80 for my TW cable service. Superbowl in HD!

I'll be satisfied if I get it before the Super Bowl on Sunday. We're talking about the single largest sporting event in the world each year... it'll be a shame if a lot of us TWC guys aren't able to catch it in HD.


Now what can we do about blocking some of this guy's HD channels? ;)

Originally posted by FloCobra
Columbia guys, read it and weep! Florence has beaten Columbia in the Time Warner Cable contest to carry all four major networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. With a LG LST-4200A HDTV receiver, Florence can now receive all four of them. TWCSC's boxes don't receive CBS as of yet. My antennas is going back into its boxes. No more OTA for me, unless Diana does something to block my Charleston CBS channel. Shhh... mums the word. By the way, I pay $5.80 for my TW cable service. Superbowl in HD!

Florence guy, read it and weep! You have a weak grasp of grammar, are assuming that the Super Bowl on WFXB will actually be in HD, and seem to enjoy gloating over the Internet about an imaginary "contest" and how little you pay for cable!

Getting a bit off here,Let's keep this on Columbia, and place MB comments in the MB thread..

Diana:

I greatly appreciate your efforts to inform subscribers with respect to TWC HD issues, particularly regarding the ongoing negotiations with FOX.

Quick question for you/other AVS members: I'm occasionally getting a popping noise - not too loud, but irritating at times [usually just one loud pop]. Are you aware of any problems with the SA 8000 or 8300 DVRs? My rear-projection LCD is only about 5 months old and the popping noise is not accompanied by any deterioration in the picture quality. A local authorized repair rep doesn't believe it's a HDTV issue.

Thanks!

Yes, almost as bad as clicking the email subscription link, starting a browser and seeing nothing of substance. :D

Originally posted by irish4hd
Quick question for you/other AVS members: I'm occasionally getting a popping noise - not too loud, but irritating at times [usually just one loud pop]. Are you aware of any problems with the SA 8000 or 8300 DVRs? My rear-projection LCD is only about 5 months old and the popping noise is not accompanied by any deterioration in the picture quality. A local authorized repair rep doesn't believe it's a HDTV issue.
There are nights my RCA tube HDTV pops, sometimes for quite a while. It crosses through all available channels, and eventually it goes away. I always assume it's just another line problem...

Originally posted by mikepaul
I always assume it's just another line problem...

Not a line problem - only related to DVR. But never causes any damage, just irritation.

Originally posted by Gary J
Diana, I hope they are aware of that and get it fixed by the Super Bowl.


I hope your calling them about it.

Diana,
Just wanted to say thanks for your patience with our frustrations. Being the only TWC rep 'in the house' it seems as though you take all of the beating around crunch time for an important HD event. Additionally, want to let you know we appreciate EVERYTHING you have contributed to this forum. Most notably, some excellent customer service on problems and issues which we may not have received had we only called in. I feel it in my bones that we will have Fox in HD for the Super Bowl so...just wait until we start bitchin' about ESPN2 HD on Monday! :)
Craig

WACH general manager Scott McBride believes an agreement will be reached between Time Warner and Raycom today that will allow the Columbia cable system to carry Sunday's Super Bowl in high definition.

If an agreement is reached, that would mean Time Warner HD customers could watch New England and Philadelphia play in high definition. Official game coverage begins at 6 p.m., and the game would be on Time Warner HD channel 820. Non-HD subscribers still can watch the game on Time Warner cable channel 6 or WACH’s over-the-air channel 57-1(48.1).


Page Two: Doug Nye Column in today's sports section. Channel changed from 830 to 820 for accuracy.

I thought I heard something on the radio this AM (WVOC) that a deal would be signed this afternoon, they even gave the channel number, for TWC Fox-HD ??

I was only half-awake though.

-- Cain

Hooray! especially for Diana and Kevin !

The only thing better will be getting home and seeing 820 show up on the guide.

Nothing on 820 yet. Goes to 840 when I type in 820. Hopefully soon...

Mark

When I schedule a recording on my SA8000HD here in Columbia on TWC, I usually say "record all episodes at all times" for shows like CSI or Medium. On the schedule/guide they then show up in red. In the weeks when they are pre-empted by another show, that other show is displayed in red on the schedule/guide, but it does not record. Is this a known glitch or just something wrong in the software in my box?

I won't be able to check in on this thread over the weekend, so is it safe to say that IF we get FoxHD in time for the Super Bowl that it will be on TWC channel 820?

No 820 here yet...

Mark

a watched pot never boils
<g>

lol yep

Patience is a virtue.

Deal is done - headend is hard at it - WACH FOX HD on channel 820 should be up by 2pm today - Guide information hopefully tonight, but tomorrow at the latest.

Yeah for Diana and everyone at TWCSC and Raycom for getting the deals done. Unfortunately for me I have to work Sunday until 8pm. I guess I only get the second half in HD. Any way that you can get me out of work Diana?

Diana,
Excellent news! Thanks in advance to all involved at TWCSC making this happen!

A tremendous THANK YOU to Diana and the people at TWC who are literally making it happen now that the red tape's been cut. Perhaps there is hope for the suits at Raycom yet!

Yahoooooo!!!!!!

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
Yeah for Diana and everyone at TWCSC and Raycom for getting the deals done. Unfortunately for me I have to work Sunday until 8pm. I guess I only get the second half in HD. Any way that you can get me out of work Diana?

We have this wonderful little device called an HD DVR that will allow you to record the game in HD and watch it at your convenience.

Super news! Thanks for getting the word out, Diana!

And Ch 820/WACH-HD is up and running (with some program data as well)!

Yeah, I got the DVR but I would much rather watch it Live Diana.

Like I said before thanks for all your hard work and 820 appears on the guide here as of 1:30pm

Now you all can "WACH" the game in HD!

That's good one bob WACH...Thanks Diana, and all of TWC!

Mark

Now everyone can shift their attention to complaining about the picture quality of Fox's HD broadcast. ;)

Surely you jest..complaining here on AVS? Nah..never happen!

Re: WFXB-DT reception OTA. (georgetown area)

I temporarily put up the old VHF/UHF antenna on the back porch today and did an auto scan. Set finds WPDE-DT, WHMC-DT (3 subchannels), WWAY-DT, WMBP-DT and a bunch of other analog only, but no joy on WFXB-DT. Their SD on channel 43 is watchable but a little noisy (I realize the DT xmtr is in MB while the SD stick is way inland, so I tried manual rotation).

One downside of the Pioneer tuner is that while you can manually add SD channels in whole numbers, if the auto scan doesn't find DT or sub channels, you can't add them yourself. At least I haven't found a way to yet!

Looks like SB will be SD only in our house this year.

Mike

Satori,
I'm not meaning to be rude or anything, and you can keep posting here if you like, but this is a Columbia and surrounding areas forum and none of us get these channels you are mentioning. You may want to find a forum on AVS for myrtle beach or charleston area HD.

Myrtle Beach:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186712&perpage=20&highlight=myrtle%20beach&pagenumber=23

Charelston:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=221319&perpage=20&highlight=Charleston&pagenumber=125

Good luck,

Mark

Mark,

Thank you for the info. I have been following the other two threads as well, but started posting here as there is more and better info as relates to TWC, and in particular more frequent posts from Diana Smith. I do agree my OTA problem with WFXB is more Grand Strand related, so I put a post in the MB thread too.

Charleston is predominantly a Comcast market. We are technically in their DMA, but we are on TWC here, and get a mixed bag of channels. WIS is one of two NBC stations TWC carries here, for example, so I guess I feel some ties to the Columbia thread, but we are kinda in the middle of all three.

Regards,

Mike

Quick question. How do I get the menu to display on my screen for the 8300HD? I want to see what the current signal level is and see what it is after I put a brand new cable from the wall? Thanks

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
Now everyone can shift their attention to complaining about the picture quality of Fox's HD broadcast. ;)
Or lack of HD programming on Fox. :rolleyes:

Hopefully Nextel Cup races on Fox will be in HD.

Ahh..newbie..Hate to tell you, but most of FOX's programming is done in
HD..Perhaps a little research of such on this forum would help!

Monday
2/7/2005
24
Tuesday
2/8/2005 American Idol, House
Wednesday
2/9/2005 American Idol
Thursday
2/10/2005 Point Pleasant, The O.C.
Friday
2/11/2005 Bernie Mac, Jonny Zero

8 Hours worth, and I think there is a football game on this Sunday.

Nextel Cup is going to be HD on Fox, NBC, and TNT. The only races that most likely will not be in HD will be the ones on FX. TNT should have the best video quality, and Fox will most like have the best audio quality.

You know Kevin, I have heard something somewhere that there was a football game in HD on Fox this Sunday, I just can't place the source...lol

Congratulations on getting your wish...

Mark

My bet is Kevin won't even watch the game..he'll be out on the lake sailing or cruising to Rio in his Learjet for the day..

Anyone else not have ABC-HD? I haven't had it for a while now tonight. That's the only HD Channel that has problems.

Mark

Looks fine to us OTA..of course, the ACC game is NOT supposed to be in HD...and is a bit nasty, we're looking into it..:(

Mark,

I'm a bit confused - you weren't getting the channel at all, or you weren't getting it in HD?

Take a look at this thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5129392#post5129392

Guys, I wasn't getting anything. I just checked, and it is back on now. During the ball game, I didn't have audio or video at all.

Mark

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Ahh..newbie..Hate to tell you, but most of FOX's programming is done in
HD..Perhaps a little research of such on this forum would help!
I knew about 24 (although I don't watch the show), American Idol, football and I was hoping for Nextel Cup races. Since they just flipped the switch (for me), I was basing my comments on this months Home Theater – “Fox, good sports coverage, needs more prime-time HD programming”. Consider the newbie learned by pissing off the Fox guy. :D

No,you didn't, and didn't mean to infer that you did..a lot of nb's here fall into the:
"post first, think second, read third" when joining this forum.
And by the way, Welcome.

Originally posted by Marky_Mark896
Guys, I wasn't getting anything. I just checked, and it is back on now. During the ball game, I didn't have audio or video at all.

Mark

Hummm, when I checked (just before my post, it was on) let me know if you see it again - thanks


Remember 1pm WLTX HD - Illinois v Indiana

Well, I wanted to be the first to thank WACH Fox, and TWC and Diana for a great game. This has been a great day of HD coverage. There was a little audio clipping or something on the digital output, not on the stereo outputs of the box though, but all in all, it was great.

Thanks again,
Mark

Does anyone know when WLTX OTA will be back up? There has been no news for a while on this subject.

Well there was a point over the weekend when WOLO-DT was not coming in at all. I too flipped to channel 815 to watch the ACC basketball game on the digital channel because its usually a little bit better picture than the analog station and there was no audio and no video. I dont know how long it was out or when it came back but it was out. I guess that had to be during the saturday afternoon game from 3-5pm.

Yes there was, we did a bit of work remotely on it Saturday afternoon during that time period..

Originally posted by sao309
Does anyone know when WLTX OTA will be back up? There has been no news for a while on this subject.


It was posted on 1/17/05 by the Wltx engineer that the repair to the analog audio should be completed in a little over two weeks. I do not know what the holdup might be. Maybe Dan will post a update soon.

What happened to WOLO 25.2 ABC news now? I'm an OTA only guy down in florence and this was my only 24/7 news that I could receive.

Originally posted by crosbyclan
What happened to WOLO 25.2 ABC news now? I'm an OTA only guy down in florence and this was my only 24/7 news that I could receive.

ABC took down the channel awhile back. This report (http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/) (scroll down) indicates that it may return some day in a different form. "ABC intends to revive its digital channel ABC News Now within weeks and plans to make it available to users "on demand" via cable, personal computers, and cell phones..."

Thanks bdenman. MY vhf antenna has been down for awhile. maybe ABC can come up with something a little more fair and balanced.

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
No,you didn't, and didn't mean to infer that you did..a lot of nb's here fall into the: "post first, think second, read third" when joining this forum.
And by the way, Welcome.
I use the search button when I can and try and limit my stupid questions to one a week. ;) Don't let the registered date fool you, I've been hiding in the bushes for about 1.5 years now. I don't know why it took me so long to register. Thanks for the welcome.

How much longer are going to wait for those cables to be pulled?

Set the Superbowl to record. Also set Simpsons and American Dad.

Came back later to watch my shows and rather than have three recordings, I had about ten. All chunks of the recording. I had 28 minutes of the Superbowl, then 17 minutes, then 20 minutes, then 8, etc. Simpsons was cut into about three pieces, American Dad was cut into about two or three.

Thought it might've been something about the Superbowl broadcast. So we just shrugged and took it with a grain of salt.

Then I recorded American Idol.

Rather than get American Idol in one, hour long segment, I got several chunks again, all different sizes and lengths.

Then we recorded 24. Same thing.

Now, I was willing to overlook the Superbowl. I don't really watch American Idol, but I was curious about the HD broadcast, so that wasn't a big deal.

But 24? I gotta draw the line there...lol.

Is anyone else having the same problems? Is it a Beach thing?

We had this problem a while back. I think Diana will know what it is. I recorded American Idol without incident yesterday. I didn't record the Superbowl or 24 or anything else. Did you record anything on any other channels, or only Fox? You may want to PM Diana with your phone number, and tell her what the problem was. She can have the engineers look at the history stored in your DVR. Tell her what days/time that you had the problems.

Mark

I recorded the SB; got one recording. I checked it but did not watch it before hitting erase (space considerations). In the past (on about three separate and isolated occasions) I have ended up with multiple recordings for a single program. I deleted them; rebooted my box and found all was/is well for quite some time to come. Sometimes it just breaks.....

Bruce, didn't this problem occur when we had that corrupt file or piece of equipment a while back? The problem I'm thinking of was discussed starting on page 178 of this post. It goes on for a few pages, and was a bad M-QUAM, whatever that is. I don't know if that is what is happening in Myrtle Beach or not, just a guess...

Mark

Originally posted by Marky_Mark896
Did you record anything on any other channels, or only Fox? You may want to PM Diana with your phone number, and tell her what the problem was. She can have the engineers look at the history stored in your DVR. Tell her what days/time that you had the problems.
Mark

Thanks, and just to make it clear. It's JUST Fox. I recorded things as recently as last night, both SD and HD, and everything is fine EXCEPT anything recorded on Fox.

Originally posted by bdenman
I deleted them; rebooted my box and found all was/is well for quite some time to come. Sometimes it just breaks.....

Thanks Bruce, I didn't actually think about rebooting the box. I'll do that now and see if it still does it tonight. I'll just record some random Fox stuff and see what happens later.

As a side note, my wife noticed that while it was supposed to be recording, it was "flickering" between recording and not. I'm trying to get hold of her at work to ask her more detailed questions about it, but from what I gathered, last night during 24, it would switch on the box from recording to not and you could see the red recording light going off...then on....then off...

So I'll reboot and see what's up.

Originally posted by Marky_Mark896
Bruce, didn't this problem occur when we had that corrupt file or piece of equipment a while back? The problem I'm thinking of was discussed starting on page 178 of this post. It goes on for a few pages, and was a bad M-QUAM, whatever that is. I don't know if that is what is happening in Myrtle Beach or not, just a guess...

Mark

.... I don't have a page 178 to go quickly check (different page formatting perhaps) but yes I do remember that conversation somewhat and yes that might have been the culprit then. I have, however, seen similar problems in the past two years on both the SD and HD 8000 DVRs and M-Quam problems was not always blamed before. Bottom line is if your box is actiing really weird I suggest you try a reboot and see if it helps. (my guess: onboard memory get corrupted and weird things happen).

* three finger salute: press the + and - volume buttons along with the "info" button simultaneously and it should reboot. Or... you could power down by pulling out the power cord on the back of the unit for 10 to 15 seconds.

Bruce,
What salute do I use if I want to pull up the screen that shows what the signal level is on the 8300HD box?

I have the engineers on the WFXB issue. JeffSmall, they are also discussing it on the Myrtle Beach Thread.

In the past, it was because the Digital Rights Management (DRM copywright flag) was incorrectly set. Don't know in the instance of a Broadcast network who controls the flag though..... My memory is our primary trouble was with ESPNHD right after it launched.

Am not Bruce but this is one of the few things I know hehe.

Point the remote at the box and hold the pause key until the light on the box blinks...then hit the page + key . You can keep hitting it to see other info or just hit exit to clear the display.

The shortcut I use the most is hitting the # key on the remote...to change from normal to stretch to zoom. Isn't technology wonderful.

Bruce, I did not know your hint..thanks.

Gail

What causes audio drops and video glitches on recorded HD , but almost never occurs watching live?

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
Bruce,
What salute do I use if I want to pull up the screen that shows what the signal level is on the 8300HD box?

Gail gave you one way; here is another. This works on the 8000 and earlier boxes so should also work on the 8300 too. It is a bit easier on your remote's battery:

Press in the center button of the cursor pad ("+") and hold. When the envelope light flashes release the "+" and press the "info" button one time. This will bring up the 22 pages of read only diagnostic information. You can page through using the page up/down button. Hit "exit" when done. You can change channels while in the diagnostic mode and get info for each channel (I am not sure where the signal levels are; you can see the currently tuned channel number on page 10). There is a lot of stuff there that I know little about.

Originally posted by kevinivey
What causes audio drops and video glitches on recorded HD , but almost never occurs watching live?
At the headend TWC has a huge cage of rested and fed gerbils and frequently replaces the gerbil that turns the hard disk that their program data is fed off of. Hence, data is rarely lost during live feeds and hence no audio problems.

Your DVR on the other hand has but one gerbil inside it and he (or she) gets tired a lot both making recordings and playing them back. So if he (or she) was tired while recording your program you will get bad audio upon playback. If he (or she) did a good job recording the program you may also get lousy playback if he (or she) is then tired and hungry.

Solution: exchange your box frequently so your gerbil is always fresh and recently fed.

That's some good info Bruce! Now are we supposed to feed them, or does TWC download food pellets and water through their coax?

Mark

I think TWC uploads food periodially during their nightly updates. They also give them a short nap each night starting at 1am.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
I have the engineers on the WFXB issue. JeffSmall, they are also discussing it on the Myrtle Beach Thread.

In the past, it was because the Digital Rights Management (DRM copywright flag) was incorrectly set. Don't know in the instance of a Broadcast network who controls the flag though..... My memory is our primary trouble was with ESPNHD right after it launched.

Awesome, I was just coming here to confirm that it did it just now at 9:18. It flickered and we noticed it, then we checked the list, and sure enough, it was now split in two.

Thanks Diana, I look forward to hearing more.

By the way, where *is* the "Myrtle Beach Thread". I'd love to follow that.

Here is the Myrtle Beach Post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186712&perpage=20&highlight=myrtle%20beach&pagenumber=23

Mark

I am having the same problem recording anything on Fox. I am in the Florence/Myrtle Beach area, so it must be state wide. Hope they get it fixed soon. itch

Originally posted by Mitchell B.
I am having the same problem recording anything on Fox. I am in the Florence/Myrtle Beach area, so it must be state wide. Hope they get it fixed soon. itch

Nope

Nope

Originally posted by Mitchell B.
I am having the same problem recording anything on Fox. I am in the Florence/Myrtle Beach area, so it must be state wide. Hope they get it fixed soon. itch


Issue currently limited to FOX HD WFXB in Florence-Myrtle Beach DMA only.

OK Its time to start the complaining about getting new HD channels again. Nah just kidding Diana, I was just had a question.

What channels are TWC in negotiations for these days? Specifically I was wondering about Universal HD.

Thanks

I believe it would be very safe to say that any channel (HD, Analog, VOD) that is not carried by TWC, is in front of our Corporate Programming group to negotiate as often as they can get in.

*cough*ESPN2HD*cough*

Kevin

It is 12:41am and about 5 minutes ago all of my cable service except my roadrunner quit working. By all I mean ALL no cable on my STBs or my direct line to the back of one of my tv's. Anyone else having this problem?

Nope, I'm up and running...

Mark

Originally posted by Marky_Mark896
Here is the Myrtle Beach Post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186712&perpage=20&highlight=myrtle%20beach&pagenumber=23

Mark

Thanks tons Mark. You da man. This place still has way more traffic, but I'll follow along with the locals as well. :-)

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
It is 12:41am and about 5 minutes ago all of my cable service except my roadrunner quit working. By all I mean ALL no cable on my STBs or my direct line to the back of one of my tv's. Anyone else having this problem?

I inquired this morning and found out we did a 'recombine' in the Irmo hub last night to accomodate a new requirement from Irmo City Council to utilize Channel 2. This did bring down video services in the Irmo hub for several hours last night. Going forward, Channel 2 in Irmo will be specific to Irmo rather than the Columbia City channel.

Originally posted by kevincoleman
*cough*ESPN2HD*cough*

Kevin


Holy Cow - it never crossed my mind that you guys would want yet another sports channel in HD....

learn somethin' new everyday!

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
Holy Cow - it never crossed my mind that you guys would want yet another sports channel in HD....

Well what sucks is ESPN is playing dirty, they have been taking HD games away from ESPN-HD and making the games that are on ESPN2 into HD games. For example all of the Big Monday games were listed on their website as HD games on ESPN-HD now they are all gone and ESPN2 has the HD games on mondays now and the same with the ACC wed night games, most of those aren't in HD anymore. I guess ESPN is trying to force other cable operators to pick up ESPN2-HD by getting the consumers pissed off.

Diana's developing a bit of sarcasm there! :)

Yeah Diana, it's hard to believe, but we want EVERYTHING in HD...lol

Mark

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
Diana's developing a bit of sarcasm there! :)

You should see the posts I delete rather than send:p

Has to maintain a little professionalism. Can't tell us what she REALLY thinks of our demands...lol

Mark

Hello all. I just wanted to let you know we are shooting to get the HD signal back on the air this week end. If everything goes as planned with the stacking of our new analog line, we will begin to cut over Saturday or Sunday. Once the process begins, WLTX will be off the air until it is completed. For all of you Time Warner and DirecTV subs, there will be no service interuption since those signals are fed via the WLTX M.C. room directly.
Please remember the PIDs have changed and you may need to do a channel rescan to find the HD signal. Not all receivers will require this. However, if you don't see us by Sunday evening and I have't posted another delay, try the rescan.

:) :) :)

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
You should see the posts I delete rather than send:p

Oh, I could imagine well enough...

:cool:

Originally posted by Dan'sHiPix
Hello all. I just wanted to let you know we are shooting to get the HD signal back on the air this week end. ...

Thanks for the update Dan!

Good Luck to Dan and Jim!

Well to our surprise, we ran into a problem this afternoon. The elbow complex for our new line is 4" out of plumb to meet up with the new vertical run up the tower. What does that mean to you? It will be a couple more days before the DTV transmitter is back on. I will get the parts here ASAP and weather will determine from that point on out as to when everything gets back on the air. Sorry for the problems.

Grammy's via Wltx-DT , SD and 2.0.

So, no Grammys in HD ?? They are not in HD for me on TWC...

-- Cain

Hd here via WBTV..If you count the too low bit rate for 1080i (12.3 mb/s) as HD that is...

Law & Order not in HD here in Myrtle Beach for some reason. TWC ch. 805

They flipped the switch at 9:00. Hour late, but glad they did.

Stll in SD here...

And I am watching Crossing Jordan on WIS TWC Ch 805 in glorious SD. pffffffffffft

Well, for what it's worth Arrested Development and especially Malcolm in the Middle looked great in widescreen HDTV on WACH-DT via TWC. It's been a long wait but it sure it nice. I don't watch the Super Bowl but I'm glad it was the thing that finally got the deal done.

Originally posted by Brent Hutto
Well, for what it's worth Arrested Development and especially Malcolm in the Middle looked great in widescreen HDTV on WACH-DT via TWC.

Is it just me, or is Fox the only network that has any HD programming to speak of on weekends?

Originally posted by gravelpup
Is it just me, or is Fox the only network that has any HD programming to speak of on weekends?
Just you:)
Your weekend prime time viewing preferences probably relate more to FOX's demographics and HD schedule best. I on the other hand prefer to watch CBS and NBC about equally well as they present me with the HD programming that I prefer. Having said that I do enjoy House" Tuesday nights on FOX (the one and only FOX show I watch regularly). And HBO does have a lock on Sunday night here (real time viewing vice recorded) when new episodes of "The Sopranos" and "Deadwood" are on the schedule.

Originally posted by gravelpup
Is it just me, or is Fox the only network that has any HD programming to speak of on weekends?

Don't ask me. The only network programming we watch is Fox on Sunday evenings, Enterprise (which has been cancelled almost as soon as a UPN station came on the air here) and lately the occasional episode of Monk. Oh, and we probably see an average of one episode of week of one or another Law & Order--sometimes Criminal Intent, sometimes reruns of one of the others.

We watch more television shows on DVD than on television by a factor of two or three, easily.

So like I say, I only know what goes on one night a week basically.

Anyone have any ideas about what will be the next new HD channel in the Columbia TWC line-up. I know many people wish it would be ESPN 2. I think that would be cool, but I understand that they have very little HD programming like ESPN. Are any other HD possibilities out there? UPN, WB, movie channels. I know that there is more out there.

Guess which HD channel has Yankees - Red Sox opening day.

Originally posted by chilley
Anyone have any ideas about what will be the next new HD channel in the Columbia TWC line-up. I know many people wish it would be ESPN 2. I think that would be cool, but I understand that they have very little HD programming like ESPN. Are any other HD possibilities out there? UPN, WB, movie channels. I know that there is more out there.


The UPN affiliate (WZRB), and the WB affliate (WBHQ) do not have a viable HD channel.

I would expect to see some of "The Braves" home games in HD from TBS and Turner South. They were put them on channel 813 on last year (currently a simulcast of INHD ). I have not seen any information on this however. Movie channels are a national deal, and TWC seems to only add them on a national basis. In other words no local deals.

Hello all,
Question: Is anyone using DVI with the 8300HD? if so, did the HDMI -- DVI adapter cable come with the unit or would I need to buy it? How is the DVI compared to Component?
Craig

Anyone else notice how poor the video of Wach News is every night on TWC 820? It looks good ota. The other news cast on the other digital channels via TWC look fine.

Then WACH it OTA!:D

Originally posted by chummel
Hello all,
Question: did the HDMI -- DVI adapter cable come with the unit
Craig

No - you have to buy it

thats certainly the wrong attitude Bob, we as customers pay for the service to be the same whether we see it OTA or via Cable. I am not going to say that there aren't differences in the 2 signals as I don't watch anything OTA however if it is as glaring a difference as those guys say it is then it is WRONG and needs to be fixed.

Originally posted by Gary J
Guess which HD channel has Yankees - Red Sox opening day.

Please say its INHD, I'd love to see Yanks-Sox in HD on opening day!!

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
thats certainly the wrong attitude Bob, we as customers pay for the service to be the same whether we see it OTA or via Cable. I am not going to say that there aren't differences in the 2 signals as I don't watch anything OTA however if it is as glaring a difference as those guys say it is then it is WRONG and needs to be fixed.


Just spoke with my Senior Engineer about he - he is going to investigate as there shouldn't be a difference between our transmission and OTA.

Thanks for letting us know.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Please say its INHD, I'd love to see Yanks-Sox in HD on opening day!!
ESPN2HD

Originally posted by Nucleartiger
thats certainly the wrong attitude Bob,

You totally missed the point..:D

And as Diana says, it should be the same. Tho I have a hunch why it isn't:)

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Tho I have a hunch why it isn't:)

Then call my Engineer's and share please :D

Originally posted by Gary J
ESPN2HD

F***!!! I thought that game was originally scheduled for Sunday night on ESPN?? See thats what ESPN has been doing, moving all the HD content to ESPN2-HD to pressure cable co's into getting that one now. Since ESPN2-HD came out I bet ESPNHD's HD content has been cut by 50%.

But what really gets me is the fact that ESPN made the announcement about ESPN2-HD and ESPN-U about a month before TWC and Disney signed the carriage agreement for ESPN-HD, why wouldnt they have the foresight to include them too? I have a gut feeling that ESPN is going to start moving all of the premiere college content to ESPN-U(on air date 3-4-05) like they are doing now with ESPN-HD and ESPN2-HD. And while TWC's corporate office drags their feet us customers, the ones that pay their salaries, are the ones that will be getting the shaft.

I dont understand why it takes a superbowl(twice) or the Daytona 500 or some other major event for TWC to finally sign a carriage agreement. It took TWC about 18 months to finally get ESPN-HD, I hope and pray it doesnt take them another 18 months to get ESPN2-HD, but I sure as hell am not going to hold my breath on that one. But its already been a month and a half. :mad:

Hey Guys - Annual Girls Weekend to Charleston is about to begin. I'll be away from cell phones, email and internet until Monday.

If you have an issue, please call customer service at 866-892-7201

Have a great weekend and go Illini!

First-time poster in this forum. Go easy on me. ;)

I've been looking at plasma displays and have noticed some come with a built-in QAM tuner. First of all, what are its capabilities? And how might it benefit me? Would I have to be a TWC subscriber?

I've also got a question about OTA HD antennas......while I've been trying to decide what service to go with (either DISH, DirecTV or TWC) I've noticed the satellite providers charge more if you want locals. Anyone here with satellite that uses an antenna to get locals? Do the local stations air their news telecasts in HD? Let's say a USC game has been picked up by Jefferson-Pilot but they aren't broadcasting in HD...would I still be able to pick it up if my only source for locals is an OTA-HD antenna? Thanks in advance, neighbors.

Oh, I live downtown in the Elmwood Park area.

Maybe one day the artifacts will disappear from my playback of recorded HD . It's getting very tiresome with all the color swirling, video shifting, and audio drops. I have observed this from playback of several 8300HD dvr's.


I found this post over in the HD recording area:

Pixelation and audio dropouts of recorded content vs live are manifested from the statmuxing of multiple digital signals on a single QAM and the DVR attempting to record the changing stream. Memory Buffers help alleviate the problem, but a headend fix is required to completely eliminate that particular cause. Other causes are related to RF signal issues (low) at the STB, RF system noise, and Digital bit errors in the stream cuased my a multitude of various events.


I can eliminate a low signal to my box, as it is very strong. I have seen this since the last SA upgrade. I was hoping a fix was coming soon. I defintiely varies on recordings. Example: CSI will playback almost perfect. Then playback of Alias will have all kinds of problems. I have checked OTA ,and my video glitches are not coming from the locals for the most part. However, audio issues from Wltx-DT are most definitely from the local, and are not issues with TWC.

I mostly use my 8000HD to record HD shows in primetime when it might conflict with something I want to watch live. But as far as I can tell the PQ of recorded HD material is just as good as the source material. I have compared it by pausing the HD show and waiting about 20 seconds then hitting play and watching the paused portion then hitting the LIVE button and going back and forth and I cant tell a difference, I've been very impressed. Now the PQ of recorded SD material is definitely lacking, its like the DVR compresses SD material but records the HD material at 1:1 ratio. But this is something that doesnt bother me at all, the PQ on channels 2-99 is already so terrible that you just adjust to it. I just watch recorded shows for the show and don't get into actually studying and concentrating on finding flaws. I've got a few HD recordings saved permanently that I watch over and over, like the Lord of the Rings in HD from TNT, and the Everlast concert from the playboy mansion and every time I watch those they look brilliant. And I record shows like NYPD Blue, Law and Order, The George Lopez show, and My Wife and Kids every week then erase them as soon as I watch them and I havent noticed any of those problems. I know for a fact that my signal level at the box isn't the strongest in the world. I had problems before with signal dropouts all the time so a service tech came out and the level was like around -20 dB so he put some new lines under the house to get it up to -8 or -9 just enough so the box would not show the level as being in the red, but I havent had any problems since. I know the prefered range is +10 to -10.

Originally posted by iBleedGarnet
First-time poster in this forum. Go easy on me. ;)

No need for that, things here ain't as hostile as where you come from. ;)

Originally posted by D-rock0030
the Everlast concert from the playboy mansion and every time I watch those they look brilliant.

I was wondering if I was the only one to see that. Great concert and great PQ.

My viewing habits pretty much mirror yours as well. I've never noticed any difference in PQ between live and recorded HD.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Now the PQ of recorded SD material is definitely lacking, its like the DVR compresses SD material but records the HD material at 1:1 ratio.
The picture quality of "live" and recorded is exactly the same for SD as well as HD. Even "live" is actually from recorded hard disk.

Originally posted by Gary J
The picture quality of "live" and recorded is exactly the same for SD as well as HD. Even "live" is actually from recorded hard disk.

i've always thought that with the 8000HD live was really live for 2 reasons. the first time you pause live tv it goes to blank screen for a couple of seconds while subsequent pauses are instantaneous. the other reason is how quickly it changes channels, particularly on the analog tier.

i have a replaytv which always plays back from the buffer even while watching live tv and it pauses instantly but there is quite a lag changing channels while it fills the buffer.

regardless, i can't say i've seen the amount of video and audio artifacts on my 13 month old 8000HD that Kevin is seeing. the only audio dropouts i get are limited to 5.1 audio on the Starz! channel which is unfortunately not HD. most of my recordings are clean although i might occasionally see several lines of brief glitching but that is rare.

hope i haven't just jinxed myself, because my roadrunner service has been kind of hinky lately and that's usually a precursor to worse problems ahead so i'm hoping the packet loss on the main line isn't back. :(

Originally posted by iBleedGarnet
First-time poster in this forum. Go easy on me. ;)

I've been looking at plasma displays and have noticed some come with a built-in QAM tuner. First of all, what are its capabilities? And how might it benefit me? Would I have to be a TWC subscriber?

I've also got a question about OTA HD antennas......while I've been trying to decide what service to go with (either DISH, DirecTV or TWC) I've noticed the satellite providers charge more if you want locals. Anyone here with satellite that uses an antenna to get locals? Do the local stations air their news telecasts in HD? Let's say a USC game has been picked up by Jefferson-Pilot but they aren't broadcasting in HD...would I still be able to pick it up if my only source for locals is an OTA-HD antenna? Thanks in advance, neighbors.

Oh, I live downtown in the Elmwood Park area.
Greetings and welcome to our forum. I will step up and try to give you some answers. Do feel free to ask more questions if needed.

An integrated HDTV with a built in ATSC tuner can tune in all the digital signals in one's area given an acceptable over-the-air signal. That same tuner if it is QAM capable can, if connected to a cable system, also receive those digital signals provided in the open (unencrypted). In our area, that should include WOLO, WLTX, WACH, WIS, WRLK, DISCOVERY and TNT. QAM is an acronym for the basic type of modulation that cable uses for digital transmission (i.e. quadrature amplitude modulation).

If the set is also "cable card capable (or ready)" then one can get their cable company to install one and it will give them access to some additional subscription based HD programming (including the HDTV tier). (do note these channels have their own monthly fees). The card itself rents for a couple bucks or so a month and is a simple substitute for a cable converter. Do note that it does not offer all the same capabilities (e.g. no interactive cable guide).

DBS systems in our area offer L-I-L but these are analog broadcasts only; not digital (nor HD) broadcasts. To get our local's HD programming you will need to use the ATSC tuner built into every DISH Network, DirecTV or VOOM HD receiver coupled with an antenna that can see and receive our local signals (most towers are near Elgin, east of town). There are also standalone receivers (STBs) that work for OTA only and others that are both OTA and QAM capable.

Reception from the downtown area should not be a problem distance wise from the broadcast towers though there are other concerns that might cause problems. If there are obstructions between you and the towers (buildings, hills, trees) then you may have get only weak or reflected signals (called multipath). These can be a problem. Unfortunately there is no surefire way to be sure without trying.

What you might try first is a standard combo indoors antenna (UHF/VHF) attached to your ATSC tuner and go from there. Technically there is no such thing called a HDTV antenna. TV signals are broadcast on either a VHF channel or a UHF channel. So you really need is an old fashioned antenna that works at your location (all but one station here broadcast on UHF channels; WOLO is on Ch 8 and thus VHF). Unfortunately some manufacturers do hype their antennas as HDTV models. Check my summary (link in my signature) for antennas that work for some in our area.

To learn more about HD you might want to visit the other forums here at AVS. The Programming forum has a good synopsis plus you might check out www.HDTVGalaxy.com or www.titantv.com. Basically network HD is available during some evening/Prime Time hours and at various times on weekends (especially sports). No local station produces any HD that I know of (SCETV's WRLK should have some production capability however). Networks can of course come in and produce a local sports program in HD that might well be broadcast OTA here.

Good luck!

Bob, I caught the point of the post . WACH.

I apologize for flying off the handle like that but I am just a little jaded due to the problems that I have been having with my TWC.

Originally posted by scruffy7
i've always thought that with the 8000HD live was really live for 2 reasons. the first time you pause live tv it goes to blank screen for a couple of seconds while subsequent pauses are instantaneous. the other reason is how quickly it changes channels, particularly on the analog tier.

i have a replaytv which always plays back from the buffer even while watching live tv and it pauses instantly but there is quite a lag changing channels while it fills the buffer.

I agree, when you hit pause it freezes and shows a black screen for a few seconds. But when you hit play to resume watching the PQ definitely has a compressed "blurry" look to it. When you hit LIVE button it goes back to the normal analog PQ. This only occurs on analog channels 2-99, the digital channels seem to be the same PQ whether watching "live" or a recording. I have heard that the analog channels take up more bandwidth than the digital channels(obviously with the exception of HD channels) that is why most cable companies are eager to convert their 2-99 to fully digital too, to save bandwidth, this would make sense why the DVR seems to compress the analog SD channels, to have them take up the same hard drive space as the digital SD channels. JMO.

No problem Tiger..I'm cool with that..

Originally posted by bdenman
Greetings and welcome to our forum. I will step up ............................................................ ............................................................ .......................................

Good luck!


Kudos, Bruce - that's one hell of a summary. You may want to add that to the beginning of the thread.

BTW, if you guys want me to delete a couple of the first few posts in the thread from 2001 so Bruce can have access to a number of posts for current info, let me know. Some of the areas that do not want to split the thread apart into OTA, Cable, etc. use the first few posts to segment current info into OTA, TWC, Station Contact Info, FAQs. That way they can point newbies to Post 1 or Post 3 etc. when they have a question.

Here is example(stiil) of the playback video shift error and artifacts that I have seen for the last couple of months. Notice the blue color swirl. I have had them in red, blue, green, and white. Large, medium, and small. This has been observed on two 8300HD dvr. Hard to believe that I would be the only one that has these issues.

Originally posted by kevinivey
Here is example(stiil) of the playback video shift error and artifacts that I have seen for the last couple of months (snip)...
How odd... thanks for the show and tell Kevin. I still have the 8000HD model so have not experienced that particular bug. yuck.

Originally posted by CPanther95
Kudos, Bruce - that's one hell of a summary. You may want to add that to the beginning of the thread.

Thanks... For now I added it to the end of post #1 and labeled it as PART 2 (and noted at the beginning there were two parts). It is a very long post now. :)

Re: SA 8000 PQ

I realize this has been covered before over in the hardware forum, but wanted to ask here since so many of you have the TWC-SC "SARA" version of the SA 8000 STB like us.

It seems to me that because the box is always buffering (writing/reading) and the box output is always through the internal codecs, the end PQ is a little soft as a result. Since we have a QAM tuner in the Pio, I can do a fairly quick A-B test between direct decode of some TWC channels and the same program via the 8000, and there is a just noticable difference to my eyes. It's particularly noticable on hard edges, such as superimposed text from a character generator, or fine structure like a tree limb against a light sky.

I don't think this softness is objectionable, but now that I have seen it for myself, I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed it? Is this something that the (apparently non-enabled) "direct" mode would circumvent? Does the 8300 do a better job?

Just curious,

Mike

The 8300 is about 15% better.

WLTX-HD is back on the air. After a month of transmission line trouble, we finally got all of the new parts together last night. Enjoy......

Lately (past couple of weeks) I have been having a lot of audio cutouts on all the HD channels. When I was watching the Superbowl, I noticed it was only on the audio from the digital audio output. The analog (which is hooked to the whole house audio system) did not cut out, and I could hear it in the background when the digital signal run to my receiver cut out. Anyone else having audio drops with their HD channels?

Thanks,
Mark

Yes, I had to change the channel from The Daytona 500 to get the sound corrected. I have several one second drops during live and recorded playback. Today it looked like the video was beginning to stutter when the audio cut out. This is from a 8300HD, and I do not have analog audio hooked up.

Today, I noticed INHD1 and 2 were pixellating this morning, and are completely off the air now.

I haven't noticed any or very little pixelization, but the audio on the digital output has been driving me nuts. I hate to give up surround sound, but I have been thinking about going back to analog... Kevin, are you using the digital coax output on the 8300?


Mark