Note: half way down is a limited FAQ (part 2) regarding OTA, DBS, and cable access from a post made 2/18/2005.

Part 1: Detailed Columbia Station/Channel Information:

Note: as of April 1, 2004, all DTV stations are required by the FCC to broadcast digital programming 18 hr/day. This programming may be SD simulcast of analog channel or HD. (Neither network nor local station is required to provide any programming in High Definition). (local station broadcast hours to be confirmed) Note that stations do not always use virtual remapping of their digital channels. Most stations use virtual remapping on OTA receivers to make their digital channel to show as their old analog number (maintains station channel identity). This remapping sometimes is turned of so the station will show up as their digital number. (ex: WRLK might be found as 32 vice 35). When in doubt try both numbers. (station power levels are listed further down this posting)

WOLO-DT ABC (8) (24/7)
....HD OTA Ch25.1 TWC Ch 815 DD5.1 capable
....SD OTA Ch25.2 TWC Ch 816 Weather radar
....SD OTA Ch25.3 TWC Ch 817 ABS News Now

WLTX-DT CBS (17) (12:00 noon to 12:35am
....HD Ch19.1 TWC Ch 810 DD5.1 capable
....SD Ch19.2 TWC Ch 811 weather radar
....SD Ch19.3 TWC Ch 812 (started for DNC/RND conventions; potentially now a permanent SD simulcast of Ch810)

WIS-DT NBC (41) (12pm to ~12:35 am)
....HD Ch41.1 TWC Ch 805 DD5.1 (started ~8/12 in time for Olympic coverage)
....SD CH41.2 TWC n/a 4:3 simulcast of 41.3
....SD Ch41.3 TWC Ch 806 weather radar

WRLK-DT SCETV/PBS (32) 24/7 **
....SD Ch35.1 TWC Ch 801 simulcast of analog channel
....SD Ch35.2 TWC Ch 802 South Carolina Channel
....HD Ch35.3 TWC Ch 800 DD5.1 capable

WACH-DT FOX (57) 24/7
.....HD Ch57.1 TWC Ch 820 DD5.1 (added to TWC 2/4/05)
----SD Ch57.2 TWC Ch 821 "TheTube" music channel (added OTA ~06/05; TWC ~9/7/05)


WBHQ-DT WB/UPN (39) 10am to 10pm
....SD Ch 63-1* TWC n/a (UPN part went away 9/10/04) Cola area DT broadcast not expected till June 2006.

WZRB-TV UPN (47) on the air as of 0001 hours 1January 2005.
(NTSC only, TWC ch 13)


side note: formerly known as WRBJ-TV Ch 47, this is a new station that has assumed the UPN mantle for the Cola market. It is listed on the FCC web site as having a Construction Permit (appl date April 2004). They are replacing WBHQ as the UPN affiliate (UPN ceased UPN programming as of 9/10/04 and there was a "hole" for some time). FCC Application data list station as analog, not digital. They do not have a separate channel assignment for digital and so will most likely just switch over somday to digital (not likely for 2005).

*WBHQ Ch 63 (formerly known as WQHB and UPN/WB) has analog tower near Columbia and is on TWC. Their digital tower however is just east of Sumter, transmits very low power, and pretty much can be received in/near Sumter. Broadcast hours are approximate and subject to change and are SD only (No HD capability). They went WB only after 9/10/04. Word came on 10/07/04 however that WBHQ-DT is constructing a new digital broadcast capability in Columbia. They will be using the same tower they now use to for their analog signals and their coverage will be kidney shaped (wide east to west; more south than north); and ERP = 500kW). They expect to be up by June 2005 and able to pass through HD at that time. UPDATE: According to Station Manager S. Rein, their full DT buildout (with HD capability) on the Columbia tower (same one used by WACH and WOLO) has a new drop dead/expected date of July 1, 2006.

** SCETV's Sumter station WRJA-DT Ch 28 Sumter started broadcasting Mar 10, 2004. Their programming is, for now, the same as WRLK-DT and will extend/improve SCETV's DT broadcast area (Sumter, Florence/MB, and other points east).

*** NBC initial DD5.1 broadcast was on 4/3/2004(American Dreams); more to follow)

Additional/Premium Channels on TWCSC
HBO HD East-Ch 901 West-Ch 902 DD5.1 capable Subscription reqd
Showtime HD East- Ch 921 West Ch 922 DD5.1 capable Subscription reqd
Discovery HD Theater Ch845 (free)
HDNET Ch 930 (TWC HD Tier)
HDNET Movie Ch 931 (TWC HD Tier)
INHD1 Ch 940 (TWC HD Tier)
INHD2 Ch 941 (TWC HD Tier)
SEHD Ch 813 (NBA/HD, Fox Sports, etc (when available; otherwise simulcast of Ch940) (Ch 814 is spare HD channel for specials)
TNT-HD Ch 840 (free) (but mostly 4:3 material stretched/zoomed to 16:9)
ESPN-HD Ch 950 (TWC HD Tier)

Other/Future Cable Services: ESPN2HD: unknown.

TWC HD Tier: The HD Tier currently costs $6.95/mo plus tax and includes HDNET, HDNET Movies, INHD1, INHD2, and ESPN-HD. Note that while TWCSC's Sumter and Orangeburg's service area lineups are virtually identical to Columbia, other service areas are not (and have different system capabilities as well).

Time Warner High Definition Converters: Models currently available in the Columbia area are:
SA3100HD (note there is a bug tuning Ch815; go one channel up and then down). good remote.
SA3250HD: preferred box; small footprint; has DVI; has scaling and zooming; good remote; Firewire model limited availability (as of Apr 04)
SA8000HD: HD Digital Video Recorder (DVR; can record about 20 hours of HD); limited distribution; no DVI (scheduled for summer 2005); software bug prevents output via analog outputs (update for DVI scheduled for late summer; firmware update to enable recording options/analog ports scheduled for early June); mediocre remote.
SA8300HD: preferred DVR if one can get one (check in person with local office); Improved PQ over 8000; reportedly has functional DVI and analog ports.

Station connectivity to TWC for Digital broadcasts:
WOLO: OTA (B. Davis)
WIS: awaiting feedback
WLTX: Fiber with OTA backup (D. Stalnaker)
WBHQ: n/a; no DT signal in Cola or on TWC yet (Mr Smiley)
WACH: n/a (no DT on TWC yet)
WRLK: hybrid.... an RF feed pickup is taken off the transmitter and fed into fiber optic going to TWC's head-end. TWC users must still depend on the transmitter being up and operational to get SCETV/WRLK-DT's signals. A pure fiber feed into their MC is in the works but will take some time (right of way issues with the RR to work out). (H. Griffin)


Station Power Levels: The Columbia Market is served well by all stations as is Sumter. Florence/Myrtle Beach areas are iffy and vary by station. On 09/20/04, a query of the FCCC database revealed the following:

FOX: WACH-DT/Ch 48 is licensed for 520 kW ERP; antenna height (ant ht) 460 meters AGL; the antenna's polar plot (radiation pattern) shows it may be difficult to get in FLO/MB. (and they are not yet doing HD yet though expected any day now).

ABC: WOLO-DT/CH 8 is licensed for 43 kW ERP; ant ht 527 m AGL; polar plot shows it might be okay for parts of FLO/MB (Provo okay in some areas by viewers). (agrees with Bob Davis obviously)

NBC: WIS-DT/CH 41 is licensed for 874 kW ERP; ant ht 427 m AGL; polar plot shows it might be okay for FLO/MB (but will vary by viewer location).

CBS: WLTX-DT/CH 17 is operating under a STA license (Special Temporary Authority) that I understand means they are operating at half power; 500 vice 1000 kW ERP; Ant ht ~ 478m AGL; polar plot indicates FLO/MB reception is probably difficult at best.

PBS: WRLK-DT/Ch32 (SCETV/Cola) is licensed for 65 kW ERP; ant ht 396 m AGL. polar map not shown (but should be relatively circular but be advised that Florence reception has always been very difficult; try Sumter SCETV station instead.

PBS: WRJA-DT Ch 28 (SCETV/Sumter) is operating under a Construction Permit still and licensed for 98.4 kW ERP; ant ht 354 m AGL. polar plot is not shown. Understand decent reception is possible in some parts of the Florence area.


Area Antenna Solutions: gleaned from previous thread postings (not inclusive; additions welcome). CM = Channel Master; RS = Radio Shack

Cola/Harbison Forest, CM 3016 (~27ft mast atop a 15ft hill / CM7777 preamp)
Cola/NE Corridor (I-20/Clemson Rd), Silver Sensor
Irmo, Winegard PR-4400 (attic mount)
Irmo, RS Double Bow-tie
Harbison/Broad River Rd vic, CM 3021 (attic mount; 2 story house; no pre-amp)
Elgin, Coat hanger er Single Bowtie
Florence, CM 4248 plus Winegard YA-1713 (high band VHF Yagi)
Garners Ferry Rd , CM CM 4248 (unk mast; rotor)
Rock Hill, Winegard PR8800 (WOLO, WIS) (25ft mast; CM7777 preamp)
Sumter, CM 3021 (10ft mast; no pre-amp)
Sumter, RS Double Bow-tie (but not WRLK)
Sumter, Winegard Square Shooter (UHF reception was okay; about the same as CM3021; VHF reception was poor). May be better for multipath situations which is not a problem here. It uses a different mount than standard antenna (similar to dbs mounts though). Tested late Feb 2004.


updates:
01/01/04: corrections to WIS (hours) and WACH (audio capabilities)
01/14/04: addition of WRJA-DT information
01/16/04: added converter boxes available from TWCSC
01/20/04: updated/corrected WLTX hours of operation
02/05/04: corrected one antenna installation
02/12/04: updated WIS-DT information (DT added to TWC)
02/16/04: added Irmo CM 3021 antenna solution
02/17/04: corrected 2/16 post to read Harbison/Broad River Rd vic
04/05/04: added Winegard Sq Shooter info; info on NBC DD5.1; update for WRJA, and note about April 1, 2004 requirement for DTV.
04/08/04: corrected WRLK cable channels 801 and 802 (were reversed).
05/11/04: added info on WJRB and station connectivity to TWC
05/15/04: added WIS's weather radar on TWC 806 which was noted new o/a 5/13/04
05/21/04: TNT-HD added to TWCSC; updated firmware update info
6/20/04: removed incorrect footnote data for WBHQ (who does not do HD).
Also; TNT-HD program information. .
7/27/04: Yesterday ABC News Now went live and immediately available on WOLO-DT's SD channel and was added to TWC Ch 816 today.
8/1/04: Added the CBS SD channel used in part for the DNC/RNC conventions
9/1/04: added the fact that NBC/WIS used DD5.1 during Olympics. Other programming with real DD5.1 (not synthesized) appears to be minimal thus far. Also tweaked change for WOLO that occured on 8/11 (added back wxr radar)
9/10/04: updated info on WACH Splicer and added info on WRBJ having been changed to WZRB and will go on air 1 Jan 05. Added ESPN-HD to the HD tier when announced today.
9/20/04: added results of queries of the FCC database on station power levels.'
10/3/04: added fact that WACH can pass HD (the splicer is now working)
10/07/04: added new info on WBHQ-DT and their build out of a new DT capability for Cola.
01/03/05: updated the WZRB info as they went OTA 1 Jan 05; availability of TWC SA8300DVR
2/04/05: updated WACH-DT cable carriage on Ch 820
2/18/05: added Part 2
08/09/05: included info on "TheTube" channel (Ch 57-2).
08/22/05: added fiber connect for WLTX to TWC
9/10/05: added fact that The Tube multicast from WACH is now on TWC
9/26/05: updated WBHQ's DT build out date to July 1, 2006.
11/18/05: updated WLTX adding DD5.1 capability as of yesterday.
----

Part 2: Limited FAQ regarding OTA/Cable issues in Columbia from a posting made 2/18/2005


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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!
Bruce...

Bruce,
Long time no see!! Thanks a lot for the update. I was starting to think we'd never see CBS in HD ever here in Columbia. At least it sounds promising. Have you checked out the i-control PPV movies. Pretty cool, you can pause it and remind it kinda like Tivo. My HBO-on demand isn't working yet, but they are supposed to have it ready in the next month. I think that they'd be anxious to pick up more HD content and use it to keep or attract existing/new customers. Well, good to see ya around. I hope that you and your family have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

Jay

Hi Jay,

Good to hear form you too! To your questions; No I have not tried iControl. They did not tell me I could use it on the 2000HD box and I have not asked. Regular PPV works so who knows. We rent DVDs vice doing PPV. We bought one PPV since getting the box in April (had a free coupon) but thats it.

Now......Warning! Their HOD is not compatible with the 2000HD unless they have fixed the software in the past two months. In September they offered it to us with a free month, we bought it; they turned it on; and zap..."it" killed the box. Turns out the box's firmware was incompatible with the server software. oops. Someone in tech knew but no one else. CSR did not know; my marketing rep did not know; the HOD sales guy from TWC did not know... hopefully they know now. But they have called back since trying to get me to sign up for it. So be careful. If it zaps your box, they cannot reload the firmware locally and it took them 35 days to get me another one.

It does looks like we might have CBS and ABC HD OTA come spring. But my gut says it will be at least fall before TWC carries it which is not good. You have a great holiday too!

Bruce

Hi Bruce. Sumter is my hometown, but I live over in Lexington now. Are you from Sumter, or move there (Shaw??)..

Many, many thanks for the update. I'm excited. I plan to pop up an OTA antenna up in the attic to grab these signals.

You folks should also consider this, if possible, you will get a much, much better picture than TW, who is guaranteed to be compresing the heck out of the signal.

Any word from WIS on when they'll start HD broadcasting???

I wonder why these folks don't go ahead with unannounced tests particularly the ABC affiliate, who sounds like perhaps they could do that now.


BTW I'm building a dedicated HT in my basement, with a front projector, and the whole bit. You guys are welcome to come visit when I get it finished, hopefully in mid February (in time for the HD Olympics !).

Take care, thanks again for the post Bruce, please keep us updated,

-- Cain

Howdy Cain,

Good to hear from another Columbia viewer. In this round of communications, I telephoned vice emailed the stations and my first priorities were ABC and CBS. Next will be WIS (NBC) and WACH (FOX). Emails have not done much in the past (other than let them know I exist perhaps).

I do not know if NBC or FOX will have their DTV on before May. Previously, WIS emailed me that they would be on in May. If you really have to some HD Olympic coverage in February, you probably will have to get HDNET from DirecTV. However, I do hope to get an update from WIS and will ask about the Olympic's coverage. It would be a good idea if everyone emailed all the stations just to let them know we exist and are awaiting their HD signal.

As mentioned, WOLO did a round of tests with SD and are now working on the hardware needed to pass HD from ABC. Few of the networks are eager to spend the money until they have to for the electricity to power the transmitter. The audience is too small and there is no extra income stream to pay for it. So April at best is probably when they will flip the switch in anticipation of May.

Regarding the Time Warner compressing the signal. I don't know. I do know the SCETV/PBS HD material is really really nice on TWC. Since PBS HD programming is limited, they put the PBS demo loop at night after their educational progamming is done. The loop is varied occasionally and generally has some great imagery.

And regarding a home theater...projector. hmmm. Yeah; that would be nice to visit And your right that I am a transplant I am a displaced Texan actually courtesy of Uncle Sam and the USAF.

I will post as I get updates.

Bruce

A Texan will fit in, in Sumter just fine. For instance, you are aware that "Supper" is the last meal of the day, not "Dinner" ;)

Seriously you are most welcome to come check out my HT. It will have a 107"x60" screen, will seat eight, and it gonna really be cool, my wife and I are excited about it ..

I will have the DirecTV down there, and look forward to Hi Def Olympics, on HDNet.

Do you have a Satellite, or only TWC??

Take care, drop me an e-mail,

-- Cain

Cain, check for pm

Another station heard from: FOX

In talking to the Chief Engineer for WACH/FOX this past Tuesday, it now appears WACH will not be on the air with a digital signal before December 2002 (tower issues).

So to recap:
PBS: WRLK-DT Ch 32 Up and running now
ABC: WOLO-DT Ch 8 May 2002
CBS: WLTX-DT Ch 17 April/May 2002
FOX: WACH-DT Ch 48 Dec 2002 (est)
NBC: WIS-DT Ch 41 (unknown)
WB: WQHB-DT Ch 38 (unknown)

Notes: NBC has yet to return my call; will try again. WQHB has no number to call. Only WRLK is on TWC.

Bruce

Bruce, thanks again for the summary and update..

Leave it to a Texan to sort all this out!!

;)

-- Cain

Bruce,

Hopefully we will see WOLO-DT long before May. Almost all of their equipment is in place and they are only waiting on a few pieces.

Scott

Happy 500th post to me :))

Scott

Originally posted by Scott Burns
Bruce,

Hopefully we will see WOLO-DT long before May. Almost all of their equipment is in place and they are only waiting on a few pieces.

Scott

Hope your right. I got the impression they could but they won't. Maybe Bobby will say something different. Have you heard anything new from WBTW or WPDE up there?

BTW; happy 500th :) ........noisy aren't you <g>

Bruce

you're right scott-
unfortunately, waiting on the encoder order, which has been
placed on hold..
Otherwise, I have everything else...:(

Bob,
Lets hope you guys get an encoder under the tree this week :)

Bruce

Originally posted by bdenman
Bob,
Lets hope you guys get an encoder under the tree this week :)

Bruce

Uhh..only problem is, the budget is so tight there's no tree!

:)

I would rather have the encoder than the tree. I hope all the folks in WOLO's area who get new HDTV's for Christmas call and badger management.

Scott

Originally posted by Scott Burns
I would rather have the encoder than the tree. I hope all the folks in WOLO's area who get new HDTV's for Christmas call and badger management.

Scott

Agreed. All the stations need to know we are out here waiting!

Bruce

ps: Seasons Greetings all

Bruce,

What are you doing up this late?!!! My excuse is that I am stuck in the ER in Manning. It is Christmas Eve man!

Scott

I think WOLO has already started broadcasting on its new DTV channel..

Anyone seen it yet???

-- Cain

Cain,

Last information I have is from Jan 10th and the word then was that they are on hold and do not have all the parts and pieces needed for HD. They did several weeks of SD testing last fall but nothing has been said regarding their turning back on before 1 May.

I take it your PJ is installed now and anxious for a signal..... <g>
If yes, can you get WRLK-DT (channel 32)?

Bruce

PJ is here but sitting on dining room table awaiting theater completion!!

I do not have an antenna up yet either, but will soon.


-- Cain

Another station heard from: NBC

I just talked to the Chief Engineer for WIS/NBC by phone and I was told that NBC-DT Ch 41 will not be on the air before October 2002 if then. They also have tower issues and will be applying for a waiver.

So to recap; it appears this is our OTA schedule for now:

PBS: WRLK-DT Ch 32 Up and running now
ABC: WOLO-DT Ch 8 May 2002
CBS: WLTX-DT Ch 17 April/May 2002
FOX: WACH-DT Ch 48 Dec 2002 (est)
NBC: WIS-DT Ch 41 October 2002 (est).
WB: WQHB-DT Ch 38 (unknown)

Note: WRLK-DT is carried on TWC. WRLK-DT is also expecting their new decoder in this month which will allow them to multicast their classroom programming and a PBS HD feed (with reduced bitrate).

Bruce

Columbia, SC Tower Info Web Page...

http://100kwatts.tmi.net/tv/CAE.html


-- Cain

Click on the little blinking transmission tower and it shows you the tower location on a map, and the projected strong signal area for some of the stations also..

-- Cain

Looks like WIS and WACH will not be broadcasting DTV for az while.

Both have asked for extensions..

Be sure to read the application, the scroll down and read the detailed attachments.

WACH blames WIS, WIS blames WACH..

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_list.pl

-- Cain

Cain -

Alot of great infomation in this thread for all of us in columbia. I have been meaning to get on the ball about installing an antenna in my attic. http://100kwatts.tmi.net will definately help me in choosing what atenna I install. Cain, have you picked out an antenna yet? If so which one. I was thinking of just running up to rat shack and getting the biggest one that will fit between my rafters.

If I'm not mistaken I think you are the one who runs the CS 1.3 server. Great server man!!! I play there all the time!!! :D I think I've even seen the "president" ;) there a few times. I play under "<hpk> busin caps".

Yo a fellow HT guy and a CS Player in Columbia!!! Small world :)

Yes I run a very busy public Counter-Strike Server, and also run a UT server too.. All here are welcome BTW.

Here is my Game Server's Web page:
www.cainslair.com

Drop by and register for the Forums. We have a terrific group of regulars from all over the Country.

I play as -CAIN- those folks named "President Cain, AmeriCain, etc. are a family of father and several kids near Dallas Texas.

I live over in Lexington, I'm thinking of putting a Channel Master 4228 in my attic. I'd like to be able to get the Augusta CBS Station to get HD before WRLK comes on-line.

The Columbia towers all seem to be located in the Northeast, and near Screaming Eagle road area. If you live in the Northeast, you will be able to pick them up on your teeth!!

Take care,

-- Cain

Anyone heard anything new??

I'm hoping WLTX goes live on May 1 ??

-- Cain

Haven't heard anything new. Guys, if you get any news please post here and keep this thread alive.

Same here; nothing new to report. But if something comes up I certainly will holler. I think I will try and call WLTX and WOLO this week to see what they say. I still have not heard one word from either station or TWC regarding anyone working on a carriage agreement.
Bruce

I talked to the receptionist who answers the telephone at WLTX a few weeks back. She said "DTV May1" then practically slammed the phone down in my ear.

Let us know if anyone talks to anyone who really knows for sure.

At present I'm most interested in WLTX since they carry the most HD and it is 1080i.

-- Cain

Good news.... WLTX-DT is still a go for 5/1/02!

I just got off the phone with the Chief of Engineering at WLTX and he said while they are still working on the tower (adding braces), antenna, and assorted gear, he DOES expect them to be up and running on 1 May AND able to provide CBS HD programming along with the SD stuff!

As a side note; I asked him about the TWC and he did say there had been interest shown but no further detail. I am working the TWC side (again) to see if they are actively pursuing a carriage agreement. Will pass along my findings (good or bad).

Bruce

I would hope they would provide the HD content, I can think of no other reason to mess with their DTV station/signal other than HD content!!

-- Cain

Late yesterday I heard hear back from TWC and was told they have ready (and have offered to local stations) a standard Digiital Retransmission Consent Agreement for a 6mHz HD channel on cable. No one is yet onboard. I asked but did not hear back on how long it might take to implement an agreement once signed.
Bruce

Strong work Bruce. I forwarded your message to management at WBTW. Maybe the fact that we will be watching CBSHD from Columbia instead of their digital signal will put some fire under their ass.

Scott

I can hardly wait to see HD from CBS.

I'll be going the OTA route for now.

Thanks for the info and update, it is much appreciated!

-- Cain

Minor update regarding SCETV (PBS). SCETV's webmaster has updated their website (www.scetv.org/dtv/programming_upcoming_hi_def.htm) with the high definition schedule through August. I was emailed with the heads up and also told they will have a new online program schedule coming out this summer that will be easier to use.

Bruce

Hi guys. I live in Irmo. Has anyone heard whether WLTX went live today? I have a call in to them but have not heard back.

I also called WOLO and was disappointed to hear that they have postponed there "go live" date till next year. Of coarse I am not sure whether to beleave him or not though, he told me that the FCC granted ALL stations an extension until next year because of lack of interest.??? What’s interesting is when you go to the FCC website, they show that WOLO requested an extension do to "financial difficulties". See http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/files/dtvextletters.pdf. Has anyone else confirmed this?

I also called WLTX this morning (engineering) but had to leave a voice mail message. They have not yet called back. Last I heard they were planning to be up today so perhaps they discovered a glitch at the last minute. No STB here to verify as I am one of those planning on getting them eventually via TWC.

Regarding WOLO, latest on them was they were on hold though I had not heard of a 2003 date. They did have the hardware in place for SD last fall (they did tests) so perhaps something changed. Before it was said they would not have any HD equipment for the forseeable future.

I believe the FCC bent a little on those stations not yet constructed but I am not aware of blanket waivers for stations in WOLO's situation. It was my understanding broadcasters who were non compliant w/o waivers would face forfeiture of their analog license. I am wondering too what happens next.

Bruce

I have a Zenith DTV1080 DirectTV/STB. So tonight I will plug in my antenna and see if WLTX is up. I will let ya know what I find.

Originally posted by Easley

I also called WOLO and was disappointed to hear that they have postponed there "go live" date till next year. Of coarse I am not sure whether to beleave him or not though

For WOLO-DT, the info you received is correct.

Bob,

Thanks for the update on the date. Hope when they do go live they will have HD pass through capability.

Bruce

Steve,

Did WLTX DT go live today???

-- Cain

PS You seen the latest pics of my HT on my Web page???

Looking at the schedule over at HDTVGalaxy for tonight; even if WLTX they did turn on today there would be nothing to watch in HD on CBS. Instead one might check out WRLK/PBS at 9pm tonight instead. Tomorrow has CSI and The Agency to hope for in 1080i. Question is just "if".

Cain...nice pics... theater is going up nicely indeed :) The curved screen definitely looks interesting.

Bruce

OK, the engineer at WLTX called me back, they are having some problems so they didn’t start broadcasting today. But he estimates they should be fixed and broadcasting in one week to 10 days. He seemed pretty optimistic they will have it going soon.

Bummer about WOLO.

John, Steve said you had a Zenith DTV1080 STB also. Have you hooked up an antenna for receiving WRLK-Digital (ETV) yet? I bought a Radio Shack UHF/VHF/FM attic antenna today and will try to at least pick up that.

So I hooked up my Win-TVD card (digital) and did a channel scan at 9:00 pm and the only channel listed in digital is channel 32 which is PBS. All the other channels are analog. I'll do another scan when we think CBS is live.

OMG! John, just looked at the your theater pics. Looks awesome! Hope I get an invite to the "Cain Grande Theater". :)

BTW, are you going to use an external scalar with your Seleco? I am thinking of buying one for my Mits 65" RPTV. Not sure if it will make a big difference for the money though. Seems to be a big mix of opinion.

Bruce, thanks!! You have a standing invite to the finished Theater..

Steve, thanks!! You also have a standing invite, and bring that loudmouth carpet salesman too!! Hehe..

I have a RCA DTC-100, not sure what Carpet Boy was talking about.

I have a Seleco HT300 projector, and it features built in faroudja scaler/deinterlacer, so I'm good to go.

I hope LTX-DT is up soon..

Take care gang,

-- Cain

Originally posted by bdenman
Bob,

Thanks for the update on the date. Hope when they do go live they will have HD pass through capability.

Bruce

Yes, that is the plan, to pass-thru ABC HD. Otherwise, no reason to be on,
other than legal compliance!

Just got off the phone with WLTX-DT Ch 17 and the Chief, Eng said they should be turning on the transmitter shortly with test signals and have "The Young and The Restless" on in HD today at 12:30pm.

Bruce

WLTX-DT channel 17 is now on the air!! They fired up at 10:46 AM May3rd with a color bar test pattern. No programming as of yet.

80-85% signal strength in Florence SC

SCott Burns

Woohoo! Will hook up my ant tonight! Check out http://www.wltx.com/news/news19.asp?storyid=5946

Anyone think this will put a burner under the other affiliates?

Suggest other Cola area viewers go to to WLTX's site and send an email to Rich O'Dell, General Manager, and thank them and let them know we are out here! Also, all TWC subscribers should also let them know we are waiting for their signal to get on TWC as well.

Bruce

Thanks for the info guys.

Steve, did I read that News item correctly to say that they are turning the channel off and on?? It seemed as if it was only on the air at certain times on certain days.

What's up with that I wonder??

-- Cain

Scott,

You are getting it that good in FLORENCE!?!?!

I'm in Lexington, I should be able to receive it on my teeth!!

-- Cain

Cain,

i even briefly saw it in the 90's!!!! Of course, I am using a 4251 CM parabolic dish. But, even with my CM4248 yagi, I was getting 75% signal strength.

Dan Stalmaker (the engineer) called me today. They will be turning it on and off. The will basically on have it on for the news, HDTV, and prime time.

They are currently broadcasting at 11Kw which is 50% power to save on the electric bill.

SCott

Watched CSI last night, looked AWESOME! My wife saw it and said "so make the other channels look like that now." hehe, if it only it were that easy.

I agree with Bruce, we must all thank WLTX for stepping up to the plate and getting things going. And ragging (respectfully) the other affiliates wont hurt either.

John, it does look like it is only going to be on at certain times. Last night it went from color bars to the news at 7PM. Looks like the article indicates they may turn it on for some sporting events.

What signal strength do you get Steve, out there in Irmo??

And what type of antenna do you have??

-- Cain

I will check that tonight when they are broadcasting, I didnt even think about looking last night.

Right now I am trying a Radio Shack VU-75XR (15-2151). I have it sitting on my porch right now, but am going to try to put it in the attic today. I will let you know how it turns out.

I am not familiar with antennas, so if anyone has a suggestion for a better one, let me know. I live in Irmo.

http://www.radioshack.com/ProdSupport/DocumentDetail/DocumentDetailIndex.asp?URL=http://support.radioshack.com/support_video/doc44/44032.htm

The best, and most popular antennas for HD, UHF are:

Radio Shack Double BowTie
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F002%5F002%5F008%5F001&product%5Fid=15%2D623

Channel Master 4221
http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4221.htm

Channel Master 4228
http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228.htm

For us here in SC, with the bad electrical storms we get, I plan to put mine in the attic. I know folks with both the 4221 and others with the 4228 and they all love them.

-- Cain

Steve,

From what I have read and seen Cain is right on the money with those models. When I get one it will probably be one of those CM models or possibly an outdoor RS model. I would love to try one of the little RS Double Bowtie models but fear at my distance it won't work (30+). When one talks of antennas one might start first at www.antennaweb.org and see what they recommendation they make and go from there.

Bruce

Thanks John. I will keep those in mind.

I just finished installing my antenna in the attic. It's got an unobstructed view (minus the house wall) of the eastern sky. I forgot that PBS broadcasts in DTV 24x7, so I was able to test the signal strength. It is showing about 90% strength for 32-1 and 32-2 (32-0 (HDTV) comes on at night). I will test WLTX-DT tonight and report back.

Based on those number's I think I am fine. What do yall think?

Thanks Bruce. I double checked with www.antennaweb.org this morning before I put up my antenna. It said the antenna I put up was fine (yellow zone). And from the numbers I am getting so far (90s), I "think" am fine.

I guess I will know for sure when I view some HDTV tonight.

I am loving WLTX-DT. I think we show go ahead with some letters of appreciation to the state paper.

Tonight I watched JAG, The Guardian, and Judging Amy in HDTV with my grandparents (even 80 year olds love HDTV). I was getting 100% signal strength in Darlington SC with a Mits HD-5 receiver using a CM 4248 and Titan 7777.

Scott

BTW, the address to mail your letters is as follows:

The State newspaper
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 1333
Columbia, SC
29202

I think this would be great publicity.

Scott

Starting this past Tuesday WRLK-DT changed their broadcast methodogy to 1HD and two SD services at the same time. WRLK Eng says they are now using a new encoder that does this; before it was either 1HD or 2SD. This change allows them to meet the upcoming FCC rule on broadcasting digital and provides a mechanism for them to add services required by their state mandate. The second service will be used largely for "PBS You" programming until a South Carolina Channel goes on the air this fall. Until they can meet the simulcast requirement in HD they have to run two SD services.

They have reduced the bandwidth previously available for HD by about 3Mb. The PQ may reflect therefore the lower bandwidth. WRLK will also be decoding/re-encoding the stream from PBS rather than passing it straight through as this allows them to insert local info/station breaks. This may induce some additional artifacts which cannot be helped. They say they are continuing to tweak the system to work on improving the PQ.

Bruce

WIS just had their construction permit extension rejected by the FCC. The also were scolded for not being on the air yet. Maybe they will get off their ass now and give us some HDTV.

Scott

I talked to TWC this week about WLTX and Discovery HD Theater. Regarding WLTX the comment was made again that TWC had already offered a standard agreement to WLTX and the ball was in the station's court.

I called WLTX today and talked to Rich O'Dell the station's General Mangager. He said it was in the hands of lawyers between Gannett and TWC. They had received a transmission agreement offer from TWC but there were "issues" to be resolved. Gannett wanted the entire broadcast signal passed (which includes Gemstar guide and datacasting stuff) and TWC wanted to strip off all but the program data. So, impass time. He felt it would probably be resolved soon (and by Sept). We will see.

Was also told to expect some additional programming in HD from CBS this fall (no further details). Be nice to just get the original and go from there <g>. ahem....

When I asked TWC about Discovery HD Theater he had no idea of what.... when.... if. I ended up passing some urls to my local contact to be passed to Cola.

Latest on WOLO was (on 6/8) they were working on getting the rest of the gear needed but no firm on-air date was to be had.

Bruce

Thanks for the update Bruce. Stay on 'em.

Scott

FWIW, yesterday's The State (http://www.thestate.com/mid/thestate/news/3568727.htm) newspaper has an article saying WOLO will be moving their news operation to Charlotte where it will be merged with it's sister stations WCCB. "The move is designed to sidestep the cost of converting, per FCC dictates, to digital broadcasting, said WOLO general manager Chris Bailey. That's about $1.5 million in technical upgrades." Not said is how this might affect the other aspects of their DT broadcasting. -- Bruce

I am surprised WOLO is doing this.

I think it will eliminate the last two or three viewers who watch their news anyway!!

-- Cain

Hi Guys,

I just found this forum. Allow me to introduce myself. My real name is Steve and I live in Lexington. I see we already have a Steve here, so I am Floundahead (don't ask).

Last week I hooked up my new RCA DTC100 STB to my Pioneer HDTV ready 53" receiver. I'm using a cheap old UHF antenna an am receiving pretty good signals on WLTX and the PBS station. I am amazed at the picture quality. I have tracked down a Radio Shack UHF antenna that was recommended and it is on order. Of course I'm receiving what Directv has to offer. Anyway, I'm thrilled to find this forum.

Here is a email that I recently received from the Director of Engineering at WACH-TV 57. I'm not a huge fan of their programming. I just want all the HDTV I can get.

Dear Steve,
Thank you so much for your interest in our TV station. I congratulate you for moving ahead of the curve and purchasing digital equipment. You must be the envy of your neighborhood. Your enjoyment level will increase very soon. My target date for DTV is late or mid September. We are installing a brand new DTV and a brand new NTSC transmitter as we speak. You will be interested in knowing that we will be going from 520 feet to 1,700 feet with our new transmitter antennas. Keep watching and feel free to contact me at any time for updates. You the viewer are our most valuable asset.

Respectfully,
Lee Latham
Dir of Eng.
WACH-TV 57
mailto:llatham@wach.com


I will be watching this forum for any activity.

Thanks,

I was out of town for about a week and upon returning I notice that changing HD channels now seems much slower than before. I am using a SA3100HD. Anyone else experienced anything similar?. All the other channels including 802 and 803 seem okay. I have called TWC and given this observation to my contact there but I thought I should ask the group to see if they have noticed this as well.

I have also noticed a new info box in the upper right when you press the "menu" key. Seems mostlly redundant (and hope not related to problem above).

And greetings to Floundahead.... welcome to this little corner of the world :)
Thanks for the WACH update; sounds like they found a solution to their tower problem. However keep in mind that FOX network, in broadcasting DTV, does not do High Defintion. Instead they do only Standard Definition (which does include a widescreen format).

Regards,
Bruce

WACH will be located on the WOLO tower, If I am correct..
Welcome "floundahead"...

Bob,
I do believe your right on the WACH tower! Checking 100kwatts site the coordinates are the same for both WOLO and WACH. So... guess they got a workable agreement with American Tower. Great! It also appears WIS/NBC got something going too and they now list their current tower location for their DT station. Time will tell. Thanks again for the heads up. -- Bruce

Hey guys! I am on TW and I think that they are testing WLTX between HBO-HD and SHOW-HD. Let me know if y'all hear anything new.

Thanks!
Jay

Happy to see you are with us, Steve! Welcome. There are only about 12 of us in the Columbia area that come to this site and are probably 80% of the HD subscribers on TW.

BRUCE,
I have experienced a huge difference with whatever software upgrade they did on our receivers. The guide may be the slowest I have ever seen now. It is about as bad as 1st generation DSS receivers. I will be calling them to let them know the problem. Keep me posted on your receivers. I did notice that HBO-On Demand has a new menu on it.

Take care guys!!

Jay

Please, all TWCSC HD subs who also notice/ experience the slow guide please post here (or PM me) and call TWC (talk to Dir Sales maybe, Mr Whiting, not just the CSR). I called my contact the other day but I think it will take more complaints to get them to look at it. And tonight I too saw the new HOD menu. Think iControl is a bit different too.

Jay: I just checked the guide and did not see a new channel in the 9xx series. Where/ what did you see for the possible "testing"? Maybe we all should call WLTX's General Manager (Rich O'Dell) just to let him know we do exist and are "waiting"... :)

Bruce

hi all,

I live in Lexington and have also been waiting to see if the "test" channel between HBO-HD & Showtime-HD will become WLTX-DT. I noticed the guide seems different, I'll check tonight to see if it's any slower.

Also, 4 people at my workplace have 3100HD boxes, so hopefully the people on this site don't represent 80% of TW's HD subscribers in Columbia.

Rich

I just talked to Rich O'Dell, WLTX. They are still working on the contract with TWC and supposedly they are "close" to an agreement. He said they hope to be on by mid Sept if all goes well. Thus this may or may not be related to what TWC is doing with their test channel.

I also asked him about their SD programming on the TWC channel and he said they will be upconverting it all to 1080i. Not unexpected and this will give us black windowbox bars. This I am not a fan of and the use of which will cause me to immediately switch over to their analog channel. We talked about gray bars. He was of the impression gray was not good either. I mentioned how some sets (Mits; Pioneer) rock the 4:3 images sideways to prevent vertical demarcation lines. Personally I wish they could do something similar but that might not be suitable for all. Perhaps others might provide them their preference.

Bruce

Thanks for the update Bruce. I am happy to hear that things may be up by mid sept. It would be really nice if they could have it up in time for USC/UGA that will air on CBS at 330 on Sept 14. Take care!

Anyone hear anything new about the test channel and the WLTX agreement?

Thanks!
Jay

Anyone living in the Lexington area receiving OTA HDTV? If so, what antenna are you using?

Thanks,

Steve aka floundahead,

Great question.

While I have no digital experience but I would guess a Radio Shack Double Bowtie might be worth a shot if you have few obstacles between you and the towers. Recently there were on closeout sale for $10 plus you will need a balun ($3). From Sumter... about 24miles as the birdie flies to the antenna farm over by Elgin ... I can get the analog signals from WIS and WLTX with mine. You should be closer (and so will be WRLK but no guarantee it will work with WOLO's Ch 8).

Note there is a Carolina Area HDTV List composed of a number of engineers from stations in Cola, Charlotte, and Raleigh plus a handful of just us regular viewers. Hopefully there you could get a better answer than I just gave. Anyway, an email to Bill Taylor .... taylor@fmci.net .... will get you on it. Its a mailing list that gets a couple of questions/remarks and dozen or so answers in a typical week. One reason they exist is to provide feedback to the stations and for users to get antenna assistance.

Keep in mind you will need VHF capability with your antenna since WOLO-DT will be on channel 8 when they come (back) on .

Regards.
Bruce

ps..... four of the little darlings huh; wow and all identical. double wow.

For what its worth, The State (Sunday Edition) yesterday had an article on HDTV which included somewhat of a confirmation of what we have heard. WIS in Jan 2003, WACH and WOLO by the end of October. I don't recall anything about a WB station around here, though.

One more thing, I live in Columbia off Garners Ferry Rd, Does it sound strange to anyone that I only get 69-72% on both WLTX and SCETV on A Dish 6000. I have a CM 4248 on my roof. I feel like I should have better reception, what do you guys think?
TIA
Craig

chummel,

I too caught Mr. Nye's articles (two) via the State's website (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/3973840.htm). (He has also had a few articles lately regarding WOLO's situation). The first article unfortunately was in part a puff piece that reiterated the myth that HD requires ultra big bucks. The linked FAQ (bottom of page) was a bit more factual and down to earth but also somewhat shallow and incomplete. For the first time though he had a number (275) for TWC HD users in Cola and Orangeburg. I wonder if that included the four of us here in Sumter? <g>.

WB: WQHB Ch 63 is currently a UPN/PAX/WB affiliate in Sumter and their new tower will be over by Cola. 100K Watts lists their DT channel as 38 (Nye's article said 28) and 100kWatts indicates it will only be WB 04/2003.

Re: antenna... I don't know if your numbers are bad or not. Are you getting signal dropouts? All I could do is guess and I am no expert. Have you tried different antenna heights (up or down?). Are you using a rotor (given the towers are not collocated I would wonder if your pointing is in-between vice right on to either.

Bruce

chummel,

Your signal strength meter is a representation of signal quality and not a measure of true strength (i.e. voltage). you probably have some multipath issues nearby.

I get WLTX in Florence with a CM4251 at 95-100% most of the time. Occasionally drops to 85%. Never (knock on wood ) drops out.

BTW, the CM 4248 is a great antenna for DTV in the UHF band.

Scott

Bob Davis, any updates?

Scott,

Since your in Florence have you heard any word when WPDE 15 or WWMB 21 will go live? Titantv listed WWMB for Sept 1st. As you see they didn't start Sept 1st and it now says Under Review.

Hey Scott-
Hang loose. Working on WOLO as we speak, awaiting completion of the
DS3 Telco circuit..Watching ABC HD here daily..Of Course, the move of WOLO analog to Charlotte MUST come first. But,
Things look good for 10/1st, however no guarantees, nor are any warranties expressed or implied. Taxes, tag and title not included, your mileage may vary. Results not typical, the FDA has not investigated these claims for accuracy. Consult your physician before engaging in any exercise program. Compensated endorser used in this program.:p

I called WWMB today and the engineer said they were having trouble getting the transmition line installed on their 2000ft tower. Their still waiting on the construction crew. They don't know how long the wait will be but when it's done WWMB & WPDE will go live at the same time.

Any updates on WLTX on Mid Sept with TW. I am anxiously waiting. If they were smart, they would unveil it to us in time for USC/UGA which will be in HD on CBS Sept 14 at 3:30

Thanks!
Jay

Ok, so most people that live in Charleston wouldn't consider Mt. Pleasant to be no mans land, but it might as well be. . . . we've got no HD here locally and the only official word i have received from anyone (thanks to an application submitted to the FCC) is that WCBD (NBC) is beginning "low power" transmissions on November 30th. It's a very frustrating situation. But, I won't waste any more of your time complaining..... Here's some questions for those of you (Bruce, etc) that make up what seems like a pretty good wealth of information.

1. Anyone have a guess as to the expected range of a "low power" transmission. I know that low power is very vague, but it's all i've got at the moment.

2. What is the furthest distance that anyone in your area is receiving signals from WLTX? I'm pretty sure I'm well beyond the practical range of receiving any signal from them (approx. 100 miles or so), but I would rather have someone knowledgeable tell me that so as I sit and watch the US Open in SD I can stop "wondering" about the possibility of amplified reception.

Thanks in advance and congratulations on being in the HD world. Be thankful for what you have.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha!

Time Warner of SC has added CBSHD Channel 810 to the menu! It is on right now (9:15pm). Hope it stays. Not a bad finding upon my recent return from Alabama this evening!

The program on right now is 60 minutes and is presented as a 4:3 program that has windowboxed with gray bars on either side. Unfortunately there are also narrow black bars along the vertical edge (right is wider than left; wonder if it will change sizes). Something to ask the station about if it continues.

Bruce

I watched the US Open today and it was grand!!! CBS-HD is finally on TWHD service. Watching CSI right now and it looks great. I have never been so excited to see a channel like this. I am actually giving away my tickets to the football game against UGA this weekend so I can watch it in High Def. Hopefully WOLO and the others will follow.

Take care guys!!!

Jay

Just talked to Rich O'Dell, WLTX GM to thank him/them for the TWC lashup. For those who missed it, CBSHD via TWC went live 5pm last Friday. Current TW feed from WLTX is OTA; will have a fiber connect in about two weeks. Ch 811 with the OTA radar channel should also be on cable soon. I asked about bitrate used for HD but Mr O'Dell referred me to Eng and suggested I call next week. Last, the program information from Tribune for TWC's guide is in the works.

Bruce

CSI was awesome again tonight. I am aching for more HDTV. This is the first time I have skipped Monday Night Football that I can remember. I will be watching CBS programming each and every night it is on. King of Queens, Yes Dear, Raymond and Becker were all great quality pictures. I will be calling TW and WLTX tomorrow to express my appreciation for them bringing CBSHD into my home. Hopefully we wil have all channels sooner rather than later. Have a great night guys!!!

Tonight, Jag looks awesome too!! I have never watched this show before, but am thoroughly enjoying it. A few other shows are following so I think I am just hooked on CBS.

Take care guys!

Jay

I am told that

1. WOLO-DT is on the air

2. Channel 8 @ 48kw ERP

3. Carrying the ABC PrimeTime HD lineup.

Excellent news; appreciate the update!

Bruce

On for testing at this point, awaiting final approval for 24/7 from our
corporate office..

Receiving you loud and clear here in Florence. Can't wait to see Alias in HD. THanks to WOLO, ABC, and BOb Davis.

SCott

Scott...thanks for your reception report and kudos too for Bob Davis and his folks for getting WOLO-DT up and running. I hope Bahakel Comm Group and TWC will soon be negotiating for retransmission rights.

Bruce

I may not have read all the (many) postings to this topic but I don't get a very clear picture of the current status here in Columbia. Let's say I put up an outdoor antenna over the Thanksgiving weekend and obtained a set-top box from somewhere.

a) What DTV stations would I be able to receive?

b) What "real" HDTV programming is on those stations?

I live near the VA hospital in Columbia. I'm very concerned about the fact that anywhere in my yard I put the antenna there will be 50-foot pine trees either between me and the transmitters to the northwest or between me and the transmitters to the northeast.

c) If there's a 50-foot pine tree directly between my antenna and the broadcast tower and somewhere between 40 and 80 feet from my antenna, will that cause such bad multipath that there's no hope of getting a good DTV signal?

d) Finally, does anyone know whether WQHB will really be discontinuing UPN programming this spring? If so, there may not be a local outlet for Enterprise (hard to believe). I was hoping that when they get their digital transmitter up and running they would also start broadcasting with stereo sound instead of mono. That point will be moot if they don't show Enterprise.

Brent,

I am a HD cable user but here is what I understand the current OTA situation is:

ABC Ch 8 WOLO-DT (may remap to Ch 25-1) (not on TWC yet)
CBS Ch 17 WLTX-DT (may remap to Ch 19-1, 19-2) (the HD channel is on TWC)
PBS Ch 32 WRLK-DT (may remap to Ch 35-1, 35-2. 35-3) (the HD and 2SD are on TWC)


NBC and FOX should come on board later this year with DT OTA. WB next year and regarding UPN I have no idea what WQHB is doing either.

Real programming is primarily primetime comedies and dramas and some presentations on the weekends (CBS has SEC football on Sat). CBS has one daytime soap on too. PBS/SCETV (www.scetv.org/dtv/programming.htm) ) has an occasional HD or Widescreen SD program. For schedules, see /titantv (www.titantv.com), hdtv galaxy (www.hdtvgalaxy.com), or atlanta hdtv (http://schedule.atlantadtv.org/)

Techically WOLO is still in test mode and does not have all the final approvals. (suspect tha might mean they might still have some glitches). Also note that Time Warner Cable offers HD over their digital system too (PBS, CBS, HBO, Showtime for now). (HD box rents for about $10/mo)

This http://www.ardman.com ( site] has a coverage map that might help you find your distance and azimuth to the towers (click on the banner; check DT, APP and STA boxes and search on your zipcode or your geographic coordinates).

Bruce

Thanks Bruce. I have azimuths printed out from some other web site (can't recall where) so I've got a pretty good idea exactly which trees are in the way ;)

It really looks like there's no hurry for me based on the current availability. I'm probably going to put up an outside antenna just to eliminate the monthly lifeline-cable bill (in addition to Dish Network) but the first upcoming reason to want HDTV is probably The Masters next spring. We watch the Sunday evening cartoons and a couple of sitcoms on Fox, Enterprise on UPN and other than that maybe an hour a week of television at most. Mostly we watch DVD's. Since WACH in particular and Fox network programming in general aren't that far along the HDTV path I think a set-top box is something I should wait as long as possible on.

I did call Time-Warner Cable a while back and ask about HDTV. I didn't talk to the HDTV-specific person but the $10/month seems to be on top of the "digital cable" charges which were $50-something/month or so. That's a pretty Cadillac price for my basically Chevy needs.

Trees can be a pain. I have a cousin in Rock Hill that has been fighting them. Just yesterday he just installed a new, bigger and higher still antenna on his chimney..... today was hook up day and I have not heard the results on whether or not it improved his DTV reception.

If your a Dish customer I can understand your situation. But for some (like me) it was a cheaper way to go rather than buy into a multi-receiver dbs system. Someday I hope to get an OTA tuner (with Firewire) so I can "play" and perhaps start down the road towards recording OTA HD.

Bruce

Glad to see there is a local HD forum on the net.I have been a TWC HD subsriber for about 6 months.I am using there SA 3100HD receiver,hooked up with component monster cable to my Hitachi 53" Widescreen.I am using the Dolby Digital out to my receiver.I receive HBO-HD,SHO-HD,WRLK-DT,And WLTX-DT.I been having alot of blackouts(lost siginal),audio droputs,green pixalizations when watching WLTX-DT,andWRLK-DT.HBO and Showtime are perfect all the time. Does anyone else have similar problems with these channels?

WRLK-DT has had ongoing problems with their encoder which was installed in late May and their downlink sat setup has occasionally been affected by heavy rainfall. They have working with the manufacturer Harris working the encoder issues and last I heard a firmware upgrade was in the works.

My experiences with WLTX has been pretty good and have seen only a few dropout problems. I suspect things will settle down there in time and get better. Like you said HBO and SHO don't have similar problems but they don't encode locally either.

Question: Out of curiosity, I see you went to Monster cables....did you try the cables that came with your SA box and were there problems or did you switch to the Monster ser set just in case? I have tried my OEM cables and a RS set and both work fine.

Bruce

The cables supplied by TWC were cheap and too short. I spent $2500.00 on my TV,and figured the cost of these cables were justified.

Brent,
I live over off Garners Ferry as well and have pretty good reception for WLTX and WRLK. Haven't pulled in WOLO yet. I have a Dish 6000 and a new Sony HD100 and I will say the Dish 6000 doesn't give me as good of signal strength as the Sony (with the same antenna, of course) I get about 95% with the Sony as opposed to 85% with the Dish. Everything got better when I installed a rotor for my antenna (CM 4248) because the height went up about 4 ft. I can demo it for you sometime maybe.

Forgot one thing,
Hey Scott, what VHF antenna would you recommend adding to my CM 4248 for WOLO?
Thanks,
Craig

I was wondering if anyone out there is watching WLTX-DT with a OTA Set Top Box.My TWC cable reception has been very inconsistant.I have watched
several shows from start to finish.I watched CSI Miami on Monday,my reception was perfect all the way through.I watched CSI on Thursday night and the screen went black 16 times,and the sound went out 21 times,and find it impossible to enjoy watching this channel when this occurs.What I am really asking is has this been happening with a OTA box.Also these problems occur so often with the SEC games on Saturday that a switch to the analog feed so I don't miss any action.

kevinivey,

We receive HD via TWC here too and last night's CSI was "perfect" .... I do not recall any video or audio dropouts at all. So I don't think the problem you are seeing with WLTX-DT is one of Cable vice OTA. (note that WRLK-DT frequently does have problems).

Suggest you get TWC to come out and check your installation as it sounds like you have a box/signal problem. If you have a splitter in the coax that runs to your cablebox you might remove it and see that helps. If the signal is strong enough one can successfully split the signal say to feed the PIP of one's set and then it should be a 1gHz model. TWC may be able to install an amp in the system to fix low signal levels (we have one here). Good luck!

Bruce

Originally posted by chummel
Brent,
I live over off Garners Ferry as well and have pretty good reception for WLTX and WRLK. Haven't pulled in WOLO yet. I have a Dish 6000 and a new Sony HD100 and I will say the Dish 6000 doesn't give me as good of signal strength as the Sony (with the same antenna, of course) I get about 95% with the Sony as opposed to 85% with the Dish. Everything got better when I installed a rotor for my antenna (CM 4248) because the height went up about 4 ft. I can demo it for you sometime maybe.

Thanks for the offer, Craig, sorry I took so long to respond. After thinking over the stations and programming that are available, I'm not going to pursue the HD thing any time soon. I'll reevaluate in the Spring but for right now it would be a lot of trouble and expense for no real payoff, given our viewing habits.

Bruce,

Thanks for your quick response.I've had TWC check my line and they say it is perfect.I have all my lines run seperate with a amp. As I stated above HBO and SHO never mess up.I e-mailed WLTX and they said it was A TWC problem and they forwarded my e-mail to TWC chief engineer.I have a theory about TWC carrieng local HD.The worst channels on TWC are the local channels (compared to my roottop recieved signal).They keep adding all this ONDEMAND stuff,which I would think eats up bandwidth.Do we really need Food network ondemand? I am going to Sears or Best Buy and buy a set-top box,and who knows I might be able to pick up Wolo-DT.I will keep everyone posted with my results.

Kevinivey,

I pick up WLTX (19-1) and (17-1)with an OTA box (Hughes HIRD E-86), and I am in Irmo. Most of the time the signal is 100%. Thursday night CSI had a lot of dropouts so I watched it on the analog channel.

FYI : WOLO (25-1) and (25-2, radar) has been 100 % with no dropouts so far, no picture on 25-1 yet, I guess they are still testing


Mike

Mike,
Wow, I don't recall any dropouts Thursday night. hmmmm. (I am really confused now....) Were these audio or video or both? Anybody remember what the weather was Thursday night? At one point the WLTX feed to TWC was OTA but it might be fiber optic by now. And the only reason I can think of a difference between cable and OTA might have been the weather.

Kevin,
Has TWC come out and measured the signals where the cable enters your SA3100HD since the problem started? Keep track of what is happens over the weekend and lets compare notes. There might be an intermittent problem in your neighborhood's distribution cable as well (water in the a cable here in my neighborhood was such a problem early this summer).

A STB from BB, Sears or wherever is obviously an alternative answer but unless you get a Samsung SIRT 150/151 then you will probably have to subscribe to DirecTV (or Dish.

Later,

Bruce

If anyone in the area is interested, Best Buy on Two Notch road had a couple of the Samsung STB's available as out-of-box demos for $400-something last week.

Bruce (or anyone with HD via TWC here in Columbia):

Does TWC put the raw HDTV feed onto the cable or is it squeezed in with the other compressed digital channels?

What is (the cost of) the minimum TWC package you have to get in order to obtain the HD-capable box and the HD local channel feeds?

Originally posted by MikeInIrmo
FYI : WOLO (25-1) and (25-2, radar) has been 100 % with no dropouts so far, no picture on 25-1 yet, I guess they are still testing
Mike

Mike,
We have not experienced any problems with reception of WOLO, we have 3
of the RCA DTC-100's in use for test in Columbia, and they show no problems receiving WOLO-DT 25.1, which has video present, including the
ABC programs that are sent in HD.. What STB/Monitor are you using?

Brent,

Thanks for the info on the Samsungs. Given we have some HD on cable now I am thinking it would be more useful for us to wait and get a receiver (when available and affordable) that has Firewire that could also be used for timeshifting with a D-VHS.

Regarding the compression of cable signals: Retranmission is agreed upon between TWC and the local channels and I would be surprised if any station allowed their signal to be further compressed than that sent out OTA.

Regarding TWC pricing, you will have to call them for exact numbers as our bill includes RoadRunner and more and TWC lumps some of its pricing together. But for a ballpark number and looking at a Sumter price list, it appears it would cost you at least $52.22/mo (maybe more) plus another $5 - $6 or so in tax/fees: basic cable - $41.32 digital tier -$ 2.95 conv box, remote, nav - $7.95.

Not really useful as a complement to a dbs service.

Bruce

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by MikeInIrmo
FYI : WOLO (25-1) and (25-2, radar) has been 100 % with no dropouts so far, no picture on 25-1 yet, I guess they are still testing
Mike
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Mike,
We have not experienced any problems with reception of WOLO, we have 3
of the RCA DTC-100's in use for test in Columbia, and they show no problems receiving WOLO-DT 25.1, which has video present, including the
ABC programs that are sent in HD.. What STB/Monitor are you using?


__________________
Regards,
Bob Davis,Director of Engineering
WCCB-FOX18/WCCB-DT27
WOLO-ABC25/WOLO-DT8

Mr. Davis,

I have a Hughes HIRD E-86 connected to a Panasonic PT-53WX52, I Don't understand why I don't get 25-1, any ideas?

Mike

Well, I had assumed it wouldn't be something affordable in addition to the satellite. I was just asking because there will come a day when Dish Network has to stop broadcasting WWOR and WSBK. There's already been a court order to that effect many months ago.

If or when that happens, I'll no longer be able to get Enterprise via satellite. The bad news is I'll be stuck with the poor picture and mono sound from WQHB and the worse news is that WQHB is supposed to drop UPN some time next year.

The good news is that the WWOR/WSBK package is the main reason I switched to Dish from DirecTV. If that goes away then I'll at least think about switching to the cable TV service, at least if that also nets me HDTV. How's that for an elaborate plan to deal with something that may never even happen?

My absolute best-case scenario is that WQHB upgrades their facilities when they put their digital transmitter on the air AND that they somehow keep showing Enterprise. In that case, the satellite will become moot anyway.

Quote:

Mike,
Wow, I don't recall any dropouts Thursday night. hmmmm. (I am really confused now....) Were these audio or video or both? Anybody remember what the weather was Thursday night? At one point the WLTX feed to TWC was OTA but it might be fiber optic by now. And the only reason I can think of a difference between cable and OTA might have been the weather.


Bruce,

I think the weather Thursday night was dreary, that is probably the reason for the poor reception, audio and video. I think rain does effect the signal, I remember the Georgia vs. Carolina game had lots of drop outs.

PS: Last nights reception was perfect!!

Originally posted by Brent Hutto
<snip> How's that for an elaborate plan to deal with something that may never even happen?
Chuckle... totally understandable. <g> I too have been wondering about the WQHB move to Cola and apparent change of affilation to only WB. Regarding last nights viewing: Hack/CBS.... looked good for the 10min or so I tuned in (sorry; dvd night). RHD/CBS.....great

Bruce

[i]
I have a Hughes HIRD E-86
Don't understand why I don't get 25-1, any ideas?

Mike [/B]

hmm..
Planning to carry my Hughes and Samsung down to Columbia on the
next trip, may be next week before I get down there again..
try 8-1 and 8-2 as well and let me know.
Thanks..:confused:

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
hmm..
Planning to carry my Hughes and Samsung down to Columbia on the
next trip, may be next week before I get down there again..
try 8-1 and 8-2 as well and let me know.
Thanks..:confused:

I did some playing around, are you ready for this ......................

Saturday I started playing around with the tuner in my Hughes, If I type in 8-1 and select within 3 seconds the tuner will re-tune to 25-1 and I get a picture. (I have noticed this with the CBS local 17-1 re-tuning to 19-1). I think this has to do with Physical channels and Virtual channels? So after the tuner re-tunes from 8-1 to 25-1 the picture will drop out about every 30 to 45 seconds, also if I hit the guide button the picture will be lost. Again the only way to get a picture on 25-1 is to have it re-tuned from 8-1, and it goes blank for no reason or if I hit the guide button.

So I give Hughes a call, hoping to get someone with more knowledge than me. I explain the whole situation to the guy on the phone and his attitude was if one channel come in correctly than it is not the fault of the box and they can not control the way stations broadcast.....<click> good by Hughes.

I did some more experimenting, my Hughes box has a feature called "The Advanced Program Guide" This feature will add local channel programming so it shows up on the Directv guide. To set this up there is a place to add your zip code in the setup. When you choose this the Hughes box displays retrieving zip code data, I assume through the satellite stream ultimately from Directv who knows? After you finish with the zip code entry the message "Updating Guide Data" appears on the screen. When that goes away all local programming for your area is mysteriously placed into the Guide. Then another screen has you perform a scan for locals and they are added to the channel list.

To make a long story short, If I remove my zip code in setup, the Guide data shows "Regular Schedule" in the guide and no specific programming info for all local channels, but your channel 25-1 comes in flawlessly every time!!

I really like the Advanced Program Guide feature of this box but it will not allow me to get and hold a picture on 25-1. I am not sure how or why this prevents the channel to come in but it does.

Do you think it is because WOLO has recently began transmitting?

Or that wherever the Hughes gets its information on locals and schedules knows that WOLO is transmitting now, could some database be out of date preventing the tuner to work correctly?

Is your test box a Hughes HIRD E-86? If you get a moment can you see if this happens with your box?


Confused, but getting the picture,
Mike

Hi Mike-
Glad you're getting a pix now. I will try and duplicate your experience.
We broadcasters don't like the APG..basically, it puts the DirecTv guide data
in place of our EPG..While that is good when broadcasters aren't sending
it, it shortchanges the viewer on other channels that may be provided EPG by the local broadcasters.
I'm not sure we have WOLO 100% correct, since the signal comes out of Charlotte we are doing some "new" things that have early software. But, it will only get better..I have the Mits HD-5, which is really the same box.
Please send me your comments on Tonight's programming via PM, I'll
be in touch..I'm specifically interested in how Alias looks and sounds..
Thanks!:)

I have found the solution to my reception woes when veiwing CBS-HD on TWC using a SA3100 HD STB.I have found if I unplug the receiver before my initial evening viewing that I experience no dropouts.I viewed the second half of the game on Saturday without any reception errors.So,I was set for my usual CBS Monday viewing.I received 3 hours of perfect reception,not one dropout.I would imagine that these boxes being very much like a computer,need to be restarted occasionally.I use a Tivo recorder for analog and therefore the box needs to be turn off occasionally.Seems like TWC use to turn these boxes off every week,but not so regularly anymore.In the setup menu I have set my start up channel to be 810,and as the box is starting up I also cancel the interactive guide.This inturn devotes all the processing power to HD and I don't change the channel,especially not to any Ondemand channel.I know that this sounds extreme,but the first half on Saturday, before I rebooted the box was a nightmare.Conclusion,we need newer more powerful boxes in Columbia,as TWC keeps adding every Ondemand channel in existence.Just try it ,it wont mess any of your settings up.:)

Those on the north/northeast side of Columbia toward the SC/NC line, I am curious if our analog channel 8 from High Point is causing reception problems and if so, what kind for WOLO-DT Channel 8.

In several years all stations will have to decide whether to shutdown the analog channel and move all operations to the digital channel or shutdown the analog and move the digital to the old analog channel and shutdown the digital channel.

Very few markets have VHF digital channels and those of use who have VHF high band analog channels (7-13) are debating whether it is worth moving the UHF digital to the VHF analog channel when it comes time to go all digital or shutdown the analog and stay on the UHF digital channel. Since you have a digital station on channel 8, this is exactly the scenario we would have, so we are very interested to see how other stations impact the range and viewablity. Obviously this will be a several year study since the time of most interference is spring and fall when you have cool nights and warm days.

Please feel free to PM me, post here or email me directly at clayno@wghp.com. I will be checking this thread periodically.

FYI, WGHP came on the air in 1963 and we are still using the same tower and antenna when we signed on and we have no plans to change this in the near future so things should be stable for a while.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Charles Layno
Transmitter Supervisor
FOX8 WGHP/WGHP-DT 35
High Point, NC

kevinivey,

Your right.... TWCSC has added a ton of On Demand services (9 freebees and 5 PPV so far... ). However my box is handling them fine and not undergoing the problems yours is. I have noted that two of the OD channels do not have Closed Caption support... not sure if that applies to all the OD services or if its intentional.

Bottom line is I have not rebooted my box by unplugging in ages. I really suspect your box has a problem and needs replacing.

Bruce

Bruce,

The new SA8000 boxes with DVR functions are being distributed now.There is supposed to be a HD version,but TWC of course was unable to verify this.If you have a connection,please check on this.These boxes are the hottest thing going.A powerful processor with a bunch of ram.

kevinivey,

I talked to my contact at TWCSC late this afternoon and mentioned your situation and referred him to this thread since I did not have your name/address type details. (pm me if you want me to do more and include those details or email me at brucedenman@hotmail.com).


kevinivey and all,

My contact and I today talked about the new DVR8000 which is SD only and now out in limited numbers. (rent from $5 to $10/mo; depends on your current TWC sub. For me, would be $5). And yes there is a HD model on the way but no date was mentioned per se' (nor was a cost). He thinks it will roll out like the original SA2000HD box did; pretty soon after the standard box did. I am more pragmatic... saying we will see. But I will keep in touch on that myself as it supposedly has Firewire (and hopefully will mate with a D-VHS). That would be nice!

And a brief word regarding WOLO was that they have been offered a retransmission agreement by TWC. Given it took WLTX about 3 months to get one worked out I figure it might take awhile (but hoping I am wrong on that).

Bruce

Bruce,

Guess what the 8000 being distributed(according to the PDF Specs)has 2 1394 ports on the back left handside.

That is good to know! However, SA has been known to incude ports in their boxes for future expansion but which have not actually been used (not by TWC anyway). The original 2000HD box had an ethernet port and the current 3100HD box has USB. It could be the Firewire is there primarily for the HD version of the 8000. Lets all hope so anyway.

Bruce

I am testing the new 8000 box.Just hooked it up and used for about 2 hours.This by far the best cable box ever made.The ondemand works without any delay.I have Tivo and so far this will replace it.I would really be excited if I could view HD through it,even if I couldn't' record it.I wish I knew if these 1394 ports were HD video out.If they were ,I guess it would cost me,as I don't have a Firewire capable tv and my only less expensive alternative would be a D-VHS recorder.

Great news! What happened with your 3100HD? They give you the 8000 till they can get you another? Did you call them today or vice verse? Do keep us updated on that unit if you would as I am sure many will want the HD version. Bruce

Although, I am a new registered user I have been following this thread for about a year.
First of all, I would like to thank all of you, for the valuable and very timely information on this thread.
Now to my question, I had been receiving the signal from WOLO-DT with very little problem (drop on sound from time to time).
However, starting Tuesday afternoon I completely drop the signal.
I read the message posted by MikeInIrmo and drop the "APG" option in the receiver without any success.
My OTA receiver is a RCA DTC-100 and my antenna installs over my satellite dish.
I am receiving WLTX-DT and WLRK-DT without any problem.
I'm located on the Northeast Columbia area on the vicinity to Clemson Road.
Thanks, in advance.

WOLO-DT currently off-air due to some transmitter maintenance issues..
We will be back on shortly, I hope..

Bob:

Thanks, for the prompt reply.
I'd like you to know that I'm enjoying the test so far.
Is there is anyway I could be of any help during the test period or after, please let me know.

Oscar

chummel and others:

Currently I would recommend the Winegard high band VHF antenna for receiving WOLO-DT. The model number is YA-1713. Here is a link with specs : http://www.starkelectronic.com/wya1713.htm

This is a great antenna with a built in balan so that the coax can be directly connected to the antenna. Very good build quality.

Bob, what VHF antenna do you use/recommend?

Scott

I'm not a fan of winegard, I tend to favour Channel Master.However, for
home usage it should be fine. My preference is the CM 1160A, if it is still
made. It's a V/U combo, that's abou 11' long...a big sucker..Here,
We always use Blonder-Tongue cut channel antennas, they run $100 and
up..

WOLO-DT is back on now..Hopefully, if all goes well you will see Push!Nevada tonight, and the HD lineup this weekend..reception reports are
welcome..Thanks!

Bob,

When is Wolo-DT "live" date?What is the realistic time frame on TWC carrying the signal?

WOLO's "Live" date probably next week sometime pending completion of testing.... TWC is in the works, You'll probably know before I do!

Does anyone have any inside scoop if WACH-DT is going to go "live" November 1st?Has anyone picked up there "test" signal OTA?

WACH is located on the same tower with WOLO..The transmitter is installed, however they don't yet have the ability to feed the DTV signal
to the transmitter yet..Hopefully Rick will have it On-air soon!

Bob:

I'm getting WOLO-DT signal with no problems.
Cola NorthEast.

Oscar

Is anyone seen this game today?I would love to know if you have had reception problems with this feed today.I have Checked my signal on my 3100HD box and have seen the signal drop(10db)alot while viewing,all other channels seem to maintain properly.I would appreciate OTA comparison.

I caught the last quarter and saw no reception problems here via TWC. PQ varied from mostly good to occasionally fair (motion artifacts). -- Bruce

Originally posted by kevinivey
Is anyone seen this game today?I would love to know if you have had reception problems with this feed today.I have Checked my signal on my 3100HD box and have seen the signal drop(10db)alot while viewing,all other channels seem to maintain properly.I would appreciate OTA comparison.

Ota was ok in Irmo, no drops.

Mike

I had no dropouts at all and thought picture was good. I ordered my SA8000 box today to use in addition to the Explorer HD box in our media room. I am looking forward to using it. Now I know why I kept holding out on TiVO.

Gcocks,
What will the SA8000 do? I am wondering if I should just switch to cable now that TWC is going to carry all of these channels!

The SA98000 has a PVR built into it. Pretty much, it is a 40gig TiVO plus a cable box. The HD compatible ones are due out next year. TW is bringing it out on Wenesday.

Talk to ya later!

Jay

The 8000 has a 80gb harddrive,Dual processors,Multi device remote,PIP mode,Dolby Digital,FireWire(not active),USB(not active).You can record two shows at the same time(Tivo can't).You can watch a "live show" and record another(Tivo can't).You have to use the onscreen guide to record from,does not tell you if a show is a repeat(Tivo does).All the bugs have not been worked out completely,locks up and has to be unplugged.You can pick up the box a TWC,it hooks up the the same as any digital box.It rent for a additional $4.95 on top of the stb monthly rental.

Thanks Guys,
So this will accept an HD signal but not record it right?

no,NTSC only

Did anyone catch the CBS-HD broadcast from Williams-Brice?Actual discussion of the outcome is not requested.

Yes. I saw it. looked pretty good, only caught the last half as I was in the fairgrounds for the 1st :)

Any updates on WOLO-HD on TWC?

WOLO-DT on TWC is in the works. Should be some news soon!

Thanks, Bob! Please keep us up to date.

Does anyone know what kind of subchannels WOLO-DT is broadcasting?,if so what kind of bitrate is being ate up to the HD feed?

25-0 analog (RCA DTC100)
25-1 720p HD 15mb
25-2 480i SD 3mb Radar

Thanks,Bob for your quick response!

I guess it was bound to happen after reading so many complaints in other forums about local stations forgetting to flip the switch from SD to HD.Wltx has had this problem all week with their first HD show of the evening.I am truly greatful to Wltx for getting HD to us.As I am posting this, Presido Med is still in SD 20 minutes into the broadcast.Well I guess I will tune TiVo to the analog broadcast,watch it tomorrow and FF through the commercials.Sorry for the rant,but I have become spoiled by 16x9 HD programming.

Kevin,
I noted that too and about 10:12pm I called WLTX's newsroom and asked them to ask Master Control to switch the HD feed over (I did the same last Monday when they had a delay and within a minute it switched over; whether or not it was me I don't know). Tonight they rung MC up and I was able to talk to the MC operator.....the problem was not a local switching problem but a problem with the feed from CBS New York. As a test he momentarily switched it over at one point while we were on the phone and the pic went to black.

Bruce

Glad to hear Wltx is on the ball!

Hope you don't see this with WOLO, we use a timer so that no human
has to do any switching. Of course, the human (me) must program the timer
correctly...Once we get the firware update in the ABC receiver, WOLO
should have stabel HD from ABC.
TWC carriage is tied up in getting the paperwork done..but soon!

Bob,

Regarding the switching... thats good to hear as I have no idea who one would call during the evening hours to report a glitch. Also looking forward to seeing WOLO over TWC as well.

Bruce

Prefer you NOT call, send me AND ABC an email. Our MCO's are busy doing news and TWO stations here (ABC&FOX) so they are quite busy with the printing presses that actually make money..We feel the networks should provide a complete primetime HD feed. If the program isn't HD,
then feed it upconverted. This would reduce the problems by 95% because we can slave it to follow that analog feed. Network Test tapes should not be fed during primetime..duh..

Understand your MCO's are busy. As many folks are doing nationwide (and for WLTX) the process is to call the newsroom and ask them to contact the MC and ask them to check the HD feed. Which is what I have done twice with CBS. It sounds like your process is more automated than most which should eliminate most of those problems.

Bruce

WACH-DT is currently testing anybody else getting a signal?

Oscar

Guess we'll will have to WACH and see, eh?

will TWC in florence offer ther channels when they go on air..

There is a Florence/Myrtle Beach thread.

Mitchell,
It appears that TWCSC started their HD ops out of their Columbia service area first. Searching the web including here (http://www.twcsc.com/news.htm) does not reveal an info yet about HD in the Florence service area (PeeDee). Scott's updates on the Florence stations are great since they provide info on the Florence/MB stations. Best I can suggest is you contact the marketing supervisor for your Time Warner office (or Florence's) and ask them about it. If you do get some info please do get back to us, posting in the Florence thread will be fine, so others might be able to see it too.

Bruce

Originally posted by odpz
WACH-DT is currently testing anybody else getting a signal?

Oscar

I spoke with Lee Latham at WACH today and he confirmed their digital broadcast. I can't get their signal and that confuses me because they are on the same tower as WOLO. Anyone else picking it up? If so which channel? 48-1?

Mike

PS: I also spoke with John Augistine at WIS and they expect to be on the air by the middle of Jan.

Bob,
Do you think it is realistic that Wolo-DT will be carried by TWC by the time the Super Bowl rolls around at the end of January?

WACH is on Air, at least they were today when I was out at the tower,
Ch 48-2..I WACH'd it most of the afternoon.

WOLO is Off-air until sometime tomorrow for Transmitter work.

And Yes, we will be on TWC by the SuperBowl..unless something major falls
through...

MikeInIrmo:

I apologize for not responding earlier.
Are you getting a signal now?
I had some problems on Monday getting a signal, but they have been on since Tuesday.

odpz

Bob,
Do you think WACH will be on the air (full time) in time to see some Football this season? Even if it is 480p :)

odpz,

I am getting WACH now as well as all the other channels transmitting. I had a problem with the original antenna I chose to use. It is not directional enough and I had multi-path issues. The new antenna I have works perfectly so far and no multi-path drops. I will have to see what happens when it gets cloudy and rains.

Mike

Is anybody getting WACH-DT?
I can not believe that they decided to go down on Thanksgiving day when you have a Dallas-Skins game and family and friends to brag about HDTV.

odpz

Does not seem like there are to many people on this tread anymore?I am I the only one who cares that Wolo-DT is still not on TWC?I'm I the only one that seems to be pissed that WIS-DT is dead last on getting their digital broadcast online?

Kevin,
I am switching to TWC on Tuesday from OTA reception. I will start caring then! Of course we have known all along WIS is coming in last with digital. We will probably see the WB first! I wish someone from TWC would take a look at this board and maybe answer some questions about the future. FOX is still where a great deal of the football is so I'll take 480p, I want that on TWC as well.
Does anyone know when we will get the 8000HD? It is the one piece of AV equipment I am dying for.

Is WACH still on the air? I scanned channel 48 last night and did not see a signal. I previously caught their signal a week or so ago.

Scott

Recap for Columbia

PBS WRLK-DT Ch 32 OTA and TWC. Services: 1HD, 2SD.
CBS WLTX-DT Ch 17 OTA and TWC. Services: 1HD, 1 SD/radar.
ABC WOLO-DT Ch 8 OTA. TWC carriage negotiations reported underway; no date announced. Services: 1HD, 1SD/radar.

FOX WACH-DT Ch 48 reportedly testing OTA now....cable ???
NBC WIS-DT Ch 41 OTA expected mid January .... cable ?
WB WQHB-DT Ch 38 expected 2003... cable ?


Other comments:
- regarding cable carriage of OTA signals.... since it involves $$ there are no guarantees of if/when or how much and I doubt either party will say anything definitive until basically they are ready to flip the switch.

- regarding WOLO-DT on cable: WLTX-DT took about 3 1/2 months to get on TWC and I can see WOLO-DT taking as long as well (which would take it into mid January and thus be on time for the Superbowl).

- regarding WACH-DT on cable.... Given FOX does not do HD I am not sure what TWC's stance will be regarding adding FOX's SD service to their lineup.

re- Explorer 8000HD.... I am using a standard 8000 and have heard nothing about when the HD version will be deployed. I do suspect it will be quite awhile yet as the standard 8000 still has a few bugs to get ironed out.

Bruce

Bruce,
Thank you again for the summary. I get my 8000 and the HD box today, unless the weather messes me up!

Kevin,
Bruce and I have been here from the beginning of HDTV in Columbia. We have gone through hell waiting and waiting and waiting.....

TWC has got their act together much better than most companies anywhere. My parents live in Atlanta and have had to get OTA signals for the past 2 years. AT&T is FINALLY adding HDTV to thei rcable service this month. I feel we have been very fortunate.

As far as WIS goes, they have been dragging their feet to go digital. They feel that people could care less. It made me feel pretty good when I saw them show a comercial about WIS going digital next year. It is about damn time!!

I am also extremely anxious to see WOLO being carried by TWC. It will be great to finally see the Super Bowl in HD.

Take care and happy holidays!

Jay R
www.ShopSportsPlus.com (http://www.shopsportsplus.com)

Does anyone have any word on Discovery-HD Theater. I see it has a good programming lineup and wonder if TWC is in negotiations with them.

Merry Christmas!

Guys,
I picked up my HD box from TWC today. The gentleman I spoke with said the following:

1. No word on WOLO yet. He wasn't really aware of the level of negotiation

2. 8000HD (HD-PVR) due out at the end of the 1st quarter.

3. No word on Fox at all

4. He was just over at WIS the other day and they said they would pass an HD feed to TWC on the middle of January.

I know some is a repeat, just wanted to summarize...
Craig

Thanks for the update, Craig. I can finally get rid of the PVR box I have now for a new HD one. Do you know if it will record in HD?

Thanks!

Jay,
From everything I have heard and read, it WILL record HD. I don't know about the connections though.
Craig

Heres a link to the 3 SA boxes.www.twckc.com/services/hdtv/compare.asp (http://www.twckc.com/services/hdtv/compare.asp)

Thanks for the link. My HD box has been acting up, so I am looking forward to this one. Take care!

Thanks to all for the info. I was waiting for a more "settled" HD situation before jumping in, but the idea of the superbowl in HD has me thinking that maybe it is time. Is there an update on WOLO on TWC? I have DIRECTV (NFL TICKET) and it would be more efficient, and cheaper, to go OTA, but I'm in Lexington, with tall trees, steep roof, and a hill.
I guess I'll just experiment. is there a retailer locally with a selection of antennas? or is it an online type of purchase? If I can find an SD signal with an antenna, I will assume that HD will be ok, and purchase an STB.
Thanks again for the work that went into compiling this thread. I am looking forward to seeing how my new Hitatchi 65swx20b looks with a HD signal.

ratroom,

Folks who can get TWCSC have access to a reasonable source for CBS and PBS HD today (and HBO and SHO) though the cost will make it prohibitive for many/most to have both digital cable and a DBS service.

WOLO-DT: No word yet that I have heard of WOLO-DT on TWC but maybe Bob Davis of this forum can/will provide an update. I bet it is in the hands of the lawyers who won't say much till it is a done deal on their end. (My gut says if it will happen by the Superbowl, that it will be maybe a week before the game).

WIS, WQHB, and WACH might also make it in 2003 so I would think HD is becoming more common if not settled in.

You won't find a SD signal without an ATSC receiver (aka STB) but you might get a hint on reception possibilities if you can get their analog stations (or similar) okay now with an indoor intenna. (most of the towers are in the same general area; so maybe getting analog 10 okay is a harbinger of getting digital 8 okay). (assumes stations at full power too).

This week in Cola I noted that Circuit City has the Zenith HTV420 ($399)which is an OTA only receiver and Best Buy has the OTA only Samsung SIRT-151 ($449) and the DirecTV Model 160 ($699 I think). CC is(was?) giving away a decent indoor UHF antenna (Zenith Silver Sensor; $40 separately) with the Zenith ATSC receiver but it might not work for WOLO which is Ch8 (VHF).... but you never know and rabbit ears might work. BB also had the Hughes E86 DirecTV hd receiver (price not noted).

I can't speak to where to buy outdoor antennas in Cola other than Radio Shack). Be sure to avoid any sold at Best Buy, Circuit City and the like. Do look for Channel Master or Winegard if possible. For internet sales you might consider Starkelectronic (http://www.starkelectronic.com). And hopefully someone else will lead you to a local retailer since antennas still require a bit of luck to get it right the first time. There is a Channel Master/Winegard distributer in Charlotte but I do not know if they regularly serve walk in customers (see CM web site for details).

Have you visited Antennaweb (http://www.antennaweb.org) or TitanTV (http://www.titantv.com) to see what they recommend for an antenna? Trees, buildings, and hills of course will make it more difficult but these sites are a usefull start. Ardman (http://www.ardman.net) is a bit more difficult to work (check the yellow banner ...coverage maps... to start and finesse the filters like checking DT and APP and STA). It can be very useful in determining the distance/direction of the towers you want to receive.

Bruce

Bruce, Thank you for your reply. this thread is very helpful. I picked up a Zenith sat-hd520 and a 3 lnb directv dish from CC. I also bought an antenna from BB. (Iknow, I know, but if it works, I'll be happy) I'll probably end up experimenting with different antennas. Does anyone know if any of the local radio shacks carry the "double bow tie"? I honestly don't know what it looks like, but I see it gets a frequent mention as a wonderful antenna. I have no idea how to set up my new dish, either, so I am going to be busy. I have to wait till christmas,though, because my girlfriend wants this to be my Christmas gift. I feel like a little kid. Do we know for sure that the superbowl will be broadcast HD here in Cola? Man,that would be a huge dissapointment if its not. Thanks,
Mike

I'm posting this here because of the local tie-in. It's WAY off topic. I have a Hitatchi 57swx20b that I love. 29 days old, maybe 80-100 hrs, and I have decided to exchange it for the 65swx model. I have already done the red push fix. The set is in perfect condition, other than the strip of velcro on top for the center channel. The result is that there will be an open box deal on the tv at the Circuit City on Harbison probably around 12/24, depending on when they do the exchange. If you're interested, try to work with Keith, nice guy and helped me out with al my stuff. Sorry again about off-topic. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Mike

Originally posted by ratroom
Bruce, Thank you for your reply. this thread is very helpful. I picked up a Zenith sat-hd520 and a 3 lnb directv dish from CC. I also bought an antenna from BB. (Iknow, I know, but if it works, I'll be happy) I'll probably end up experimenting with different antennas. Does anyone know if any of the local radio shacks carry the "double bow tie"? I honestly don't know what it looks like, but I see it gets a frequent mention as a wonderful antenna. I have no idea how to set up my new dish, either, so I am going to be busy. I have to wait till christmas,though, because my girlfriend wants this to be my Christmas gift. I feel like a little kid. Do we know for sure that the superbowl will be broadcast HD here in Cola? Man,that would be a huge dissapointment if its not. Thanks,
Mike

Mike, welcome to the group. I have the RS Double bow tie, the last one from the RS at Harbison. They are discontinued and hard to find. The discontinued price is $1.97 and it gives me the best OTA reception so far. This UHF only antenna even picks up WOLO Ch8.

When you aim your dish concentrate on the A and B satellites, after that C will fall right in, at least that is how it worked for me. Remember the Sat C LNB is special, not a regular LNB. You can get it from Directv for the cost of shipping as long as you subscribe to Showtime for 1 year. Showtime HD is the only channel on Sat C (I think) but Directv will add future HD channels to it, soon I hope. Good luck

Happy Holidays,
Mike

Hi guys,

So, can you pick up the WOLO DT with a UHF antenna??

I have been out of the loop lately, but I'm excited to hear we are getting more HD !!

- Cain in Lexington..

Cain,
Howdy; ltns... I have heard that the RS Double Bowtie can get some of the high band VHF so maybe.... I personally have checked out my RS Double Bowtie here in Sumter and I was able to bring in analog Ch 10/WIS without any problems. If/when I get a STB I am hoping it will work for Ch8. -- Bruce

Guys,

Can ya'll confirm that WACH-DT 48 is on the air?

Scott

Hi Scott,

I'll get a chance this week to scan for all the Digital channels. I'll post what I find out here.

-- Cain

PS Bruce, I finished my HT you need to drive over and check it out sometime.

Cain: I definitely want to come over some time and see your setup! Question: can you verify that WLTX-DT is on only in the evenings (seems like on cable they start around 7pm and end around 11:30 (after the news). I assumetheir radar channel is up only when their main channel is going as well. Same request on WOLO if you could.

Ratroom/Anyone: I visited Sumter's Radio Shack today and asked about the the Double-Bowtie UHF antenna ---- they are all out of stock there too.

Bruce

Bruce,WOLO is on 24-7..HD when ABC has it..

Bob,
Thanks for the reply. I take it then that WOLO is generally broadcasting the DT channels only during the evening week days and not all day. (weekends may vary I suppose). Do they ever send out a SD signal over their DT station or is it always 720p even if the source was 4:3? Does the ABC network provide an upconverted signal when the material is just SD?

When we get a 4:3 upconvert from CBS/WLTX, say their news program (via TWC I might add) we switch over to the analog channel so as to the black side bars present on the HD channel. I am wondering if we won't have to do the same with ABC/WOLO (when the time comes and we can get it via TWC). And it just hit me it might not matter; TWC might only be providing the one channel to you use and thus it has be used for HD. So that begs the question, are we losing flexibility by using TWC rather receiving it OTA?
Bruce

Originally posted by bdenman
Cain: I definitely want to come over some time and see your setup! Question: can you verify that WLTX-DT is on only in the evenings (seems like on cable they start around 7pm and end around 11:30 (after the news). I assumetheir radar channel is up only when their main channel is going as well. Same request on WOLO if you could.

Ratroom/Anyone: I visited Sumter's Radio Shack today and asked about the the Double-Bowtie UHF antenna ---- they are all out of stock there too.

Bruce

Bruce, you are correct. I pick up WLTX-DT OTA from 7:00 to 11:30, also they transmit from 12:30 to 1:30 during the day (Young and the Restless HD I think). Radar as well.

PS: WACH blew an output tube, parts are in and they should be up soon.

MikeInIrmo:

Thank you for the information about WACH I was wondering what happened to them.

Oscar

Bruce, Thanks for checking at the Radio Shack for the Double Bowtie. I am trying the BestBuy model tonight. I am on a hill and I think I may have a fair line of sight to the towers, even though they are 30 mi away. I REALLY dont want to go up on my extremely steep roof, so if this thing works, I am going to feel like I hit the lottery. Thanks again, Mike

I've got my SAT-520 hooked up to TERK 55 antenna(I know, Iknow). I am getting abc DT on 25-1, and CBS on 19-1, and it looks like PBS wants to come in on 35-1/2, but signal is too poor. Where is FOX-DT?I definately want to experiment with some different antennas, and I have a dumb question: I do not intend to watch any SD OTA stuff, all I am after OTA is DT/HD. Do I need VHF capability? Also, Does CBS cut power on DT during day?
Thanks, Mike

ratroom (Mike),

The only VHF DT station in the Cola DMA is ABC/WOLO-DT, Ch 8 which is being remapped by your receiver to 25-1. So it appears you are okay there. Are you getting their radar channel too?. To find out where the transmission towers are supposed to be check out the 100k web site (http://www.100000watts.com/tv/CAE.html) is a very good reference (find the station and click on the tower icon and you will get a map).

Another site for tower positioning (distance/direction) is ardman's (www.ardman.net) (click on the coverage map's yellow banner; select the DT, APP and STA boxes for your search there). The search resullts there can be very accurate (if you provide geographic coordinates for your house) or less so (by using a zipcode). Highly recommended.

SCETV/PBS WRLK-DT Ch 32 tower is not in the antenna farm area out by Elgin but a bit north and closer to town (see the 100k site info/map). I do not know how directional your Terk is but you should try repositioning it a bit (presumably more northward).

Regarding CBS-DT, I don't think they have their transmitter turned on all day but only for their early afternoon soap, evening news and then evening primetime; and whenever for some weekend sports. Last, WACH-DT may still be down and out with a blown output tube.

Bruce

Terrible Equipment that's Really Krappy :>)

Bob,
Should I buy a stb for the super bowl ?I am within the 30 day return policy.Do you think this event will help the negotions between TWC and Wolo?Please lets us TWC customers know so we can make a decision on what to do .

No guarantee (either way) with WOLO and TWC. Who knows.. it's with the lawyers now..
If you want guaranteed viewing of the Superbowl in HD, then get the STB.
They don't require refrigeration..and you can always use it with the ntsc output on another tv to see the HD feed, or sell it to Bruce cheap. :>)
Hint: If you buy one, we will be on TWC. If you don't buy one, then we won't..I think you can credit murphy for that one..

ha ha .....i "heard that" <vbg>

bruce

Bruce, once again I have to thank you. I was having a hell of a time with CBS-DT and PBS-DT. I picked a couple of indoor antennas today as part of one last effort to avoid the roof, and the Silver Sensor you recommended works like a champ. CBS went from appx 25% to 75%, and PBS is doing better also. It sure doesn't look like like much, but it is completely outperforming that overpriced TERK($99.99) I bought at bestbuy.
Also, Does anyone know the status of Discovery HD on DIRECTV?
Thanks,Mike

Mike, do you get WOLO-DT okay on the Silver Sensor? If so, please PM
me with an address so I can plot you on the map. We are very high on the
silver sensor, I have had one OUTSIDE on the roof for almost 2 years,
and it allows me to get all 9 Charlotte stations perfectly..Including WTVI-DT
on channel 11..

Bob, you have PM. any tips on silver sensor install? amps,mounting,etc?

Try in the attic first before outside on the roof.
Turn the SS over, and remove the two screws from the bottom of the base. break the middle screw tab out, and drill a hole where it was. This will allow you to run a screw (or bolt) thru the base. You can then mount the
base easily with 1 wood screw in the attic, the orientation of the base does
not matter as the antenna will fit into it front or back, and you can turn the antenna in 90 degree increments.
For outside, I took an old antenna bracket, screwed the SS to it, and put the bracket on a chimney mount..Works very well.
Only try an amp as a last resort, as close as you are you'd probably be doing more harm than good with the amp. Let me know how you come out, ok?

I think I will give it a shot. I'll let you know if I see a difference. Thanks, Mike

Well,with the Super Bowl pending and no TWC carraige of Wolo-Dt,I was forced to take matters into my own hands.Got the Zenith 420 from Circuit City with the 30 day return policy.Paid $419.00 with tax.Hooked it up to my old RG6 antenna cable,found all local DT,including all subchannels.I have a 10 year old big ole ugly rooftop mast style antenna I bought from RadioShack when I used the little ole ugly dish.I got all channels in the good range on the onscreen menu.I'm not using a amp and I didn't have turn or adjust anything.You can actually fill the entire screen when watching
SD material.Did Wach broadcast any widescreen football when they were actually on the air.Wach has never answered any of my e-mails,nor has Wolo.Wis and Wltx have very good e-mail response turn around.

Zenith 420 also has cable 8vsb tuner and like I expected tuned no local cable via TWC.It auto-detects between ch.1 thru ch.125.Locals are ch.800 and above and in the Qam realm.I would probably drop the digital tier,except with Discovery HD and ESPN HD coming it wouldn't be in my best interest.

Originally posted by kevinivey
Wach has never answered any of my e-mails,nor has Wolo.Wis and Wltx have very good e-mail response turn around.

Not sure where you're sending WOLO emails, but I have not seen them.
If you're Sending to the WOLO webpage, well you might as well mail
them to file 13..

Bob,
Your responses have been great.I was referring to the abandoned Wolo web page.

FYI, Got a Zenith 520 today..more later, but so far I think it (and the 420)
are the box to get. Unfortunately, neither support local EPG yet.

Bob,
What did you do with your old STB?

Bruce

We keep 'em all to ensure compatability, typically they go to our engineers
or managers.

rats............... well I tried..... (sigh)......

Happy New Year Anyway! :=)

Bruce

Is anybody else having problems with the WOLO-DT Orange Bowl signal?
It just when blank on me.

Oscar

yes, but It should be more better now..!

Definitely, much more better!

Bob, do you have any clue when WACH is going back on?

Thanks, Oscar

WACH lost the output toobe in the transmitter, I understand they are waiting for the factory tech to come and change it.. having done that a few times, it's not a big deal, but if you have never done it better to wait than risk popping a $38,000 tube..I did see the tube's factory rep have one fall over and break for him, it is not a pretty sight, especially the look on his face..

That's a expensive tube.
Hope the previous one was in warranty, since it only worked for a couple of weeks.

Thanks, for the update.

Oscar

We are working on having our HDTV signal on the cable before Jan. 26th

Dave Aiken
daiken@wolo.com



This is the actual e-mail response from WOLO about TWC carriage of WOLO-DT.

High Tech Antenna?

I went to CC today in Cola and picked up a Zenith 420 unit along with the Zenith Silver Sensor. Got it going tonight using the SS and my RS Double Bow-tie (latter seems to work best for me so far). Am getting WOLO-DT and WLTX-DT but not WRLK-DT. Will work on that later. So far so good.....

Bruce

Congratulations Bruce,getting Wolo is a great addition,and WIS in the near future.I've really enjoyed watching the BCS championship and the NFL Wildcard games on the OTA Wolo digtal channel instead of the dreadful analog TWC channel.I may keep the 420 or I may try the Samsung 151.I found the t151 for almost a $70.00 less.Thats enough savings to almost pay my TWC bill for this month!

Hello all,
I am down here in Sumter and was quite startled when I saw this thread as I was unaware of the possibility of me getting any HD signals.
First a big "Thank You" to all the posters for such great information.

Unfortunately, I can't get (I don't think) any OTA signals. I'm in a first floor apartment surrounded by trees and other buildings, and have a very difficult time getting the analog signals via an amplified indoor antenna.

So, TWC is the only option for me. But twice now they told me they don't carry any HD programming except for the premium channels (HBO, SHO, PPV). First when I got my HDTV late last year, and then again just this past week. But reading this thread it looks like the people at TWC I've spoken to (In person I might add) don't know. So I've got some questions.

-Whats the secret handshake to get them to give me some local HD content :D
-What channels are they on?
-What converter box do I need? Right now I just have analog cable/no box.
-How does the converter work with Tivo? I know Tivo can't do HD. I'm more concerned about how well the converter box responds to Tivo's IR commands. I have a series 1, stand alone, upgraded to 269hrs, in case that helps.

Thanks again for all the info posted here!!

Gene

Gene,

HD via TWC is here in Sumter.... we have had it almost two years now. Channels are HBO HD and Showtime HD(regular sub required, East and West coast feeds); WLTX-DT/CBSHD (mostly primetime programs along with a radar channel), and WRLK-DT/PBS (24/7 PBS demo loop interspersed with occasional HD programming. We hope to get WOLO-DT/ABCHD before the Superbowl but it is not yet confirmed.).

-Whats the secret handshake to get them to give me some local HD content
....call TWC (469-2200) and talk to the Customer Service dept (they are actually in Cola). Tell them them you want the digital service and the HD channels and a SA3100HD cable box. It might take a while to get the box. If that fails, you could go to the local office and tell them what you want. They probably will want to schedule a tech to visit the first time to make sure your digital cable signal to your apt is good. Highly recommended.

-What channels are they on?
...800 is PBS HD, 801 and 802 are their SD channels
...810 is CBS HD, 811 is their radar SD channel
...901, 902 is HBO
...921 and 922 is SHO
If you have a standard digital box; you can see them in the guide but you cannot assess the HD ones (but you can the SD ones).

-What converter box do I need? Right now I just have analog cable/no box.
... The box they are currently using is the SA3100HD.

-How does the converter work with Tivo? I know Tivo can't do HD. I'm more concerned about how well the converter box responds to Tivo's IR commands. I have a series 1, stand alone, upgraded to 269hrs, in case that helps.
... I have no idea. Suggest you visit the Tivo forums here. FYI, TWC here has the Explorer 8000 cable box which is also a basic DVR (but it is SD only).

Send me a PM with your email and I will get back to you with my phone number. If you continue to have problems I may be able to help... When you order/receive it, I suggest you sub to HBO and SHO initially (ask for free month; never know). Now to your questions

Bruce

Tivo works ok with the ir blasters.I used to use it to control my TWC 3100hd box.I recently have switched to rf analog cable input since most of the digital tier is movie channels and I use the On-Demand to time shift movies.

Wolo-DT stayed SD for a entire ABC-HD broadcast of Any Giving Sunday.I wonder if it was equipment problems or they just forgot to flip the switch.I also experienced complete signal loss of WLTX-DT at times,and numerous dropouts of video.I always thought that TWC was my source for the dropouts but since I am using a stb,I can switch back and forth and have to say it is source problem not a cable problem.I saw what I thought was a new commercial promoting Wltx-DT via TWC,and kind of slamming Wolo for moving to Charlotte because of cost of there digital broadcast.

I am surprised to find this thread. Anyway, great work folks.

My problem, I just got the 3100HD a couple of weeks ago. Everything is fine except CBS HDTV. THe PBS channels and the so called HBO HDTV channels work fine. However, the CBS is just blank when it is supposed to be on air. The info/menu windows from the cable box show up, but no channel content.

Anybody seen this problem? I am awaiting a new cable box, but I thought I would share this here.

Also, I am getting lots of "noise" on my digital channels now so if everybody has found a remedy for that please pass it along.''

Thanks in advance!
Doug

Doug,Cbs is only on 1-2pm,and 7-11:30pm.TWC digital tier is first rate,and HBO-HD and SHO-HD are outstanding.If you need to check your signal using the 3100HD box, pm me and I will walk you through it.Remember only ch. 800 of PBS is HD.

Yes, I know CBS-HD is only on air some of the time, but during those times I can't get a picture. The other HDTV channels work fine.

Thanks

Last night watching CBS-HD we also noted the signal problems using the Zenith 420 OTA receiver. Frustrated after a bit I switched over to TWC figuring it was my reception that was the problem. Nope, discovered it was on TWC too so it had to either WLTX or their feed. I have to do a manual cable swap between the Zenith and SA boxes at this time so I never did go back to the Zenith last night to check out ABC.

Gene: Presume you were tuned in last night for your first night of HD via TWC. Yikes, what you experienced was not typical HD on TWC. At least by the time CSI Miami came on the problem was greatly minimized if not totally fixed.

Doug: I have never lost just one HD channel like CBS; perhaps it is your box or your signal. Can you get Ch 811 the WLTX Weather channel? (It is on when the HD channel is on). Also, I do not understand the "noise" your reporting. Can you explain further? Image problems, audio?

DVR news: the Exlorer 8000 received a firmware update early this morning (caught it doing the boot up dance around 5:30am) so some things may have changed (for good or bad).

Bruce

I am not sure I tried channel 811, but I will tonight.

The noise I am referring to is screen flicking, and blotches of white and/or green apairing on the screen. These happen for not even a second at random times of various digital channels.


Also, what is an Explorer 8000? I just got a 3100HD.

Screen blanking, line breakups and large blocking can happen to us all sporadically. But if it is regular then the signal to the box may be the problem. Last night it happened to us all bigtime with CBS but that was unusual. If you are using a splitter between the wall and the box remove it and try again. (1gHz models can be used if the signal is good enough but often that requires an amp in the system). If removing any splitters don't help I would advise you to call TWC and get them to send a tech out.

The Explorer 8000 is a cable box with a built in digital video recorder (DVR). It is not HD so it cannot replace the SA3100HD (a HD one is in the works reportedly). I mention it here as several of us that post in this thread have one and there is no Explorer 8000 forum here at AVS. There is a tutorial on the DVR here. (http://www.twcsc.com)

Originally posted by kevinivey
Wolo-DT stayed SD for a entire ABC-HD broadcast of Any Giving Sunday.I wonder if it was equipment problems or they just forgot to flip the switch.

No switch to flip,it's automated..however, the HD programs must be programmed in, which was MY BAD!. Didn't check the schedule..
expected standard monday fare..no NFL fan here..
As pennance, I will force myself to watch SD only for a week..Ok?
besides..Why is a movie named "Any given Sunday" being aired on a monday?:(

I promise we'll do more better! Especially on the 26th!:)