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Raleigh, NC - HDTV

2M views 16K replies 879 participants last post by  LaserBeamSC 
#1 ·
Hello Raleigh/Durham area AVS folks. I have re-written this initial post and will try to make it a pointer to some relevant information about our community.


*For information about MUCH more than can be pointed out here in this intial post please USE THE SEARCH. Especially once you are within a large post, such as this one then click on the "Search this Thread" button beside the Thread Tools drop-down.


*For information about QAM reception I would direct your attention to this wonderful site maintained by Erik Garci -
http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/channels.htm Digital TV Channels in Durham, NC[/url]


*For information about antenna reception (Off The Air) check out antennaweb.org. Plug in your address and it will tell you what type of antenna you need and which direction to align it.


* Our local uber-HDTV station WRAL gives away free antennas. Check out Antenna Give-away


* On the subject of free antenna's scsiraid pointed out this information. CLICK HERE


* Your physical location is often helpful in troubleshooting issues and answering questions. Be sure to edit your profile and put in your town and state.


There are a ton of good posts in the forum. My intention is not to re-write everything here in this post or to try to be the decision maker on choice A -vs- B. I would rather just have this post point out fairly routine information that is well documented.


Some posts or information I would like to point out include:

* What to ask for when calling TWC to setup your new HDTV.

* What to ask for when calling for DIRECT-TV service.




Send updates via private messages to WildBill. I will try to be prompt.
 
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#682 ·
All,


Is there a consensus yet as to which is the preferred box here in the Triangle - Pace 550 or SA3250? Just got the 3250 at the Cary office as they were out of the Pace but a TWC supervisor called me to say they could deliver a Pace if I preffered. My display is a Sony GWIII LCD RPTV. I know the Pace DVI is activated and the SA3250 is not but I hear some shady things about using DVI with my TV. So far the component on 3250 looks nice w/o any tweaking...


Also, if you go to the Cary office try to deal with Tanya as she was great!


TIA,

Brian
 
#683 ·
Hi folks,


I picked up my box this past Wed. At first all seemed well with the exception of my On Demand movie channels. Called them and had to reboot. Didn't really fix it, but I was able to view Channels I wasn't subscribed to for a bit; not a bad trade off. I have since gotten that fixed. The next day I came home and turned everything on; no picture, but the sound was fine. A reboot resolved this problem. The latest problem is with the Guide. I can't get the Guide or the Info to display on my screen on the lower channels unless I pass a channel (seems arbitrary) where the Info happens to pop up; seems to work fine when accessing the movie channels.


As far as my DVI experience, I hooked up the DVI cable and disconnected the Component cables. Turned everything back on and got the message that my device was not HDCP compliant. BZZZT! Wrong answer: I have the Sony VPL-HS10 which is HDCP compliant. I haven't had a chance to read through this entire thread so has anyone heard of similar problems with the Pace box and DVI? The picture with Component is fantastic, but I'd still like to try the DVI :)


thanks,


Scott
 
#684 ·
Scott,


I am having similar issues. I discussed this with Pace and they confirmed this to be an issue with some sets (I have the Sony kV34XBR910) due to timing issues. They said a firmware fix for this will be ready in a few weeks and should resolve the issue. For now, the best fix appears to be unplugging/replugging the DVI connector to reset it.


Another issue I think I finally got around is the inability to use the zoom feature due to the TWC remote not having a # key. Pace said the Universal Remote UR4-EXP will work (which TWC doesn't have.) After talking with about 6 TWC people claiming that they can't help, I finally found out that you need to request the AT8400 remote. I just got mine and am anxious to see if the zoom will now work.


Jay
 
#685 ·
Greetings, Jay, Scott, and other Triangle-area TWC-over-DVI aspirants:


BIG disaster today on the TWC front. As noted in a previous post, I was also having the problem with the DVI cable connection and the Pace box reporting that it wasn't HDCP compliant. However, I discovered that by turning on the TV (Sony 34XBR910) and THEN the Pace box instead of leaving the Pace box on all the time, the DVI setup worked fine. The Super Bowl on WRAL HD last night over DVI with the Pace box was nothing short of stunning. My guests couldn't stop talking about how amazing it looked, particularly the promo montage of CBS HD programs at one commercial break. It was truly breathtaking, and I very rarely use such hyperbole.


However, being the perfectionist that so many of us are, I called a tech out today to iron out that "HDCP compliant" error message kink so that I could just leave the Pace box on and turn on the TV when needed without having to deal with the HDCP error message. It was working 95% perfectly, so why not iron out this last problem, I thought? I was at work when the tech arrived, but my wife was there to let him in, and I talked to him over the phone.


The tech said that the Pace boxes were lower quality than the Scientific Atlanta boxes, that he had had a Pace box in his home and had switched it back for an SA box, that I should let him do the same for me, that the DVI would work fine (danger Will Robinson), and that the image quality on the SA box would be better than the Pace box. Like a knuckle-dragging moron and against my better judgment, I allowed the tech to switch out the Pace for an SA box, hoping that he knew what he was talking about and that indeed the DVI would work without quirks, and that image quality would be even better as the tech claimed. BAD mistake on my part.


So I get home, and immediately notice the nice 5-foot rut in my lawn beside the driveway that the tech so considerately supplied. I head inside, and note that the DVI cable is connected to the Scientific Atlanta box, but so is a set of component cables. Not a good sign. Sure enough, the DVI on my 34XBR910 (Video 7) is not receiving a signal, the lower SD channels look like @#%@# over component, and HD channels don't look anywhere near as good as they did over DVI (no big surprise).


Further, there's grey pillarboxes on the sides of 4:3 content in normal mode instead of the Pace's less intrusive black pillarboxes, AND the wide modes of the TV have been magically disabled in favor of the SA box's wide and zoom modes! My spouse was already happy using the 910's wide zoom mode for 4:3, and now she can't access it--they're greyed out and inaccessible in the 910's menu. She (and I) are NOT HAPPY about this at all.


The first guy at TWC I talk to by phone tonight tells me that the fact that the DVI connection worked at all on the Pace box was a "fluke", and that NO HD boxes in the TWC network are supposed to support DVI until a large-scale software upgrade to their HD boxes at the end of March. That was not what I wanted to hear. Of course, I asked for my "fluke" Pace box back, but no dice. "So there's nothing that can be done about this?!?", I ask incredulously. "Uh, no." Freaking great.


After that, I notice that I was left no documentation for the SA box either. Thoroughly infuriated now, I call back and talk to a 2nd guy who welcomes me to either come exchange the box, or he'll send out another tech later this week to do it. I'm ripping out the SA box and will be down there tomorrow AM at opening to exchange it for another hopefully equally "flukey" Pace box.


So, moral of the story--if you've got a Pace box that has the HDCP compliance error message issue with a DVI connection, do what I did before, and turn your display on before powering up the Pace box--doing that, you should be fine, or at least that was my experience. Under no circumstances let TWC lead you to believe that the SA box will be a better option.


Thanks for reading all this.


Quite irate,



Dan
 
#686 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by Raleighwood
Greetings, Jay, Scott, and other Triangle-area TWC-over-DVI aspirants:


So, moral of the story--if you've got a Pace box that has the HDCP compliance error message issue with a DVI connection, do what I did before, and turn your display on before powering up the Pace box--doing that, you should be fine, or at least that was my experience. Under no circumstances let TWC lead you to believe that the SA box will be a better option.


Thanks for reading all this.


Quite irate,



Dan

Dan,


As one of the TWC-over-DVI aspirants, I appreciate your report. Sorry you had such a painful experience with TWC but hopefully your reporting can save a group of us the same hassle. Will be going to TWC in the next day or so and will definitely not be talked out of the Pace box. If it works as advertised I will be lookng for an cost effective DVI switch so that I can have DVI for both the Samsung DVD and TWC connections.


Thanks again, sorry you had such a PIA day with TWC.

Bob
 
#687 ·
Is the Smith Center not Wired for HD or something? I see the 3/6 Carolina at Duke game will be in HD, but this coming Thursday night's matchup is not. I've yet to see any game from UNC in HD. Is there a technical reason why?
 
#688 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by Raleighwood
Greetings, Jay, Scott, and other Triangle-area TWC-over-DVI aspirants:


BIG disaster today on the TWC front. As noted in a previous post, I was also having the problem with the DVI cable connection and the Pace box reporting that it wasn't HDCP compliant. However, I discovered that by turning on the TV (Sony 34XBR910) and THEN the Pace box instead of leaving the Pace box on all the time, the DVI setup worked fine. The Super Bowl on WRAL HD last night over DVI with the Pace box was nothing short of stunning. My guests couldn't stop talking about how amazing it looked, particularly the promo montage of CBS HD programs at one commercial break. It was truly breathtaking, and I very rarely use such hyperbole.


Dan

Dan,


Sorry to hear about your TWC misfortunes.... I've had a few big ones myself lately and can relate including a tech (actually a subcontractor) that showed up 2 hours past the window last week and quickly left without checking anything out... he even left the analog block installed.


I too have the Sony KV34xBR910 and was also extremely impressed by the Super Bowl! Thanks for the tip on the DVI trick, I will try it out tonight... sounds a lot easier than replugging it each time. I am trying to do an assessment to see how much improvement i get with DVI over Component and can't say I notice much difference yet. Additionally, I'm trying to evaluate a Monster DVI compared to a generic cheapy DVI and a Monster Component with a cheapie (TWC supplied) component. I will see if the Avia DVD will lead me to any clear winners.


My new AT8400 TWC remote now has the # button and for the first time can take advantage of the Pace zoom feature..... nice! It just amazes me that I had to work so hard with TWC to get it.


Even with a couple quirks, I really like the Pace and cannot imagine that the SA would be a better box. The only benefit I see on the SA over the Pace is that it has an RF output if that is the least bit important to anyone.


Jay
 
#690 ·
The March game is definitely ESPN HD. I hadn't checked on Thursday's game either, but TarHeelBlue.com lists it as RJ/ESPN2, so yeah it is a local feed this week.


But I was just wondering why there haven't been any HD games ever at the Smith center as far as I'm aware of.
 
#692 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by swebsurf
Dan,


I tried your suggestion and it worked! I'll follow your other advice and not request a new box, although the Guide/Info glitch is a bit annoying.


thanks,


Scott

Scott,


I too had the annoying issue with the Guide button. TWC swapped out the Pace with another Pace unit and it solved the issue. It sounds like you also have a faulty box and need to swap it out.


Jay
 
#694 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by Chris001
jmarkan,


I've also been struggling to get a remote with the # key. I went to the Durham TWC office today and they claimed no AT8400s were available and that the UR3-EXP was the only remote offered. Who do I need to speak to at TWC to get this straightened out?


Chris

Chris,


It amazes me how TWC makes things so difficult. I picked mine up yesterday at the kiosk at Southpoint Mall and they seemed to have a bunch there. This is the remote made for the DVR and I seriously question that they don't have abundant stock in all offices as they told me that I could go to any office to get one, I just happened to go to Southpoint. I don't know who I talked to specifically but it took me about 6 attempts of talking with TWC before getting anywhere. What i did though was arm myself with knowledge by reading the Pace manual from their website (pacemicro) and personally talking with Pace support folks. Pace suggested using the universal Remote UR4-EXP remote which TWC unfortunately does not carry. On my last call yesterday to TWC, I told them the exact model I wanted (UR4-EXP), that Pace recommended this to get their product to work right, and referenced the last 2 pages of the Pace manual. Perhaps because I seemed determined or knowlegable about what i was asking for they finally relented and said that the other remote they have AT8400 that is used for their DVR customers also has the # sign and would work. It does amaze me that not one person in about 10 I talked to at TWC seems to know anything about the Pace box.... two techs even argued that various features didn't exist. I know it's a new box for them but they really need to be better educated so they can adequately provide support and the right equipment to use with their products.


Jay
 
#695 ·
Greetings, all:


I'm happy I was able to help others with my workaround for the HDCP compliance issue on the Pace box, and I'm also really pleased by the amount of interaction going on in this thread RE: these TWC issues.


I hope someone with some clout at the local TWC unit will take it upon themselves to monitor this thread and to assist us however they can, if only by PM'ing users with recommended people to call, etc. I will say that I came home from work tonight to find that I had received a PM from a tech at PaceMicro who was reading this thread today and who wanted to get in touch to talk over these issues!! VERY impressive indeed!!!



Anyway, here's what happened today. I had been told last night to come to the Atlantic Ave. office first thing this AM with the SA box, where I would be able to exchange it for a Pace box. Well, I walk into the Atlantic office this AM at 5 after 8, and the woman behind the window apologetically drops the bombshell that the guy on the phone last night was clue-free, and that the Atlantic Ave. office was OUT of Pace boxes, and would not have any more until at least the end of this month. The woman behind the window called other offices in the area, each of which reported being out of Pace boxes as well.



I explained that I had been assured that there would be a Pace box there this AM, and if not, could the person at the window please try to contact the tech who had been at my house yesterday and who presumably could still locate the Pace box he had replaced. A few more calls were made, and the subcontractor supervisor of the techs told her to tell me that indeed they would be able to make another house call and deliver said box sometime this week.


To their credit, the woman at the window was very helpful and kind, and made at least 5 or 6 calls on my behalf. The tech supervisor asked her to apologize to me for the inconvenience, and offered to schedule the visit at any time that would be convenient for me. The tech (supervisor?) named Bob that my wife talked to this PM was also apparently a nice and helpful guy. Well done, TWC!


Late update: I got a call from the tech who was supposed to come switch out the box, and alas, the only other tech he could find in the area with a Pace box is in Durham, and that guy won't get in to Raleigh until at least 10 this evening. Keeping in mind the golden rule, I told him to hold off until tomorrow. Sigh.... Thanks to your input, I asked him to bring along an AT8400 remote with him so we can see what happens with the Pace box. He thought it was only compatible with the SA boxes.


Keefer, still love that sig of yours. Though I have no idea what it requires, I wouldn't be surprised if the Dean Dome is simply lacking the infrastructure for HD broadcasting. I hate to say it, but the DD has a number of significant shortcomings that will require addressing sometime in the next few years if we Tarheel faithful intend for it to continue to be a viable ACC-caliber venue, particularly in the areas of luxury suites, advanced signage, and media accommodations.


ESPN HD is 720p, isn't it? IMHO, there was simply no comparison between the ABC HD presentation of the last round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament on Sunday and the Super Bowl--to my eyes, CBS's 1080i simply blew away ABC's 720p, at least on my set and on those broadcasts. Granted, I'm sure CBS had their very best hardware and staff on hand for the Super Bowl. I'll be happy to see ESPN HD in our TWC lineup soon, but I do hope that ABC/ESPN/etc. decide to standardize on 1080i at some point.


Jay, how does the zoom feature on the Pace box differ from the zoom mode on the 910? I sure hope this new Pace box brings back my "wide" and "wide zoom" modes which were greyed out by the SA box. RE: your DVI cable comparison, I was using the supplied component cables with the SA box last night, and that combination vs. my M-Series Monster DVI cable was simply no contest. Sure, I expected there to be a difference between component and DVI, but this was quite a larger difference than I expected. I actually eventually just quit watching the SA/component combo last night because it was so frustrating, in comparison with the previous Pace/DVI setup which I had moronically allowed to be dismantled on Monday.


Thanks again for reading all this stuff, and thanks to everyone for their contributions to this great forum!


Tomorrow's another day,


Dan
 
#697 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by Raleighwood


Keefer, still love that sig of yours. Though I have no idea what it requires, I wouldn't be surprised if the Dean Dome is simply lacking the infrastructure for HD broadcasting. I hate to say it, but the DD has a number of significant shortcomings that will require addressing sometime in the next few years if we Tarheel faithful intend for it to continue to be a viable ACC-caliber venue, particularly in the areas of luxury suites, advanced signage, and media accommodations.

Dan, thanks on the sig.
Sorry about your mishaps with TW Cable's HD boxes, but I have nothing to add.. using DirecTV here, though I do keep an eye on the TW stuff as my parents have a SA HD box from them. Once the demand settles down, I'll have them swap it out for one with active DVI on it.


As for the Heels, my fear is exactly the things you expressed, though I don't think other ACC venues have us beat out by much. Dook certainly doesn't, though they obviously have the ability to produce HD. I can't believe the Smith center doesn't or wouldn't be able to get the fiber up and running.


But then I think back to my days at the dorm when the Internet was installed in visible troughs down the hallway... so maybe the Smith Center is as low tech.
 
#698 ·
I did go back and check and the Thursday night game is a regional broadcast by Raycom/JP Sports, they just discovered stereo a couple of years ago and are not doing any HD broadcasts. The March UNC-Duke game is a Saturday game on ESPN, hence the HD broadcast.


My guess is that they will just have to run whatever cable then need to run at Cameron whcih should be a little easier given the size and design of the place does not leave too many places to put a camera anyway.
 
#699 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by Raleighwood
Greetings, all:



Jay, how does the zoom feature on the Pace box differ from the zoom mode on the 910? I sure hope this new Pace box brings back my "wide" and "wide zoom" modes which were greyed out by the SA box. RE: your DVI cable comparison, I was using the supplied component cables with the SA box last night, and that combination vs. my M-Series Monster DVI cable was simply no contest. Sure, I expected there to be a difference between component and DVI, but this was quite a larger difference than I expected. I actually eventually just quit watching the SA/component combo last night because it was so frustrating, in comparison with the previous Pace/DVI setup which I had moronically allowed to be dismantled on Monday.



Dan

Dan,


Thanks for the tip on syncing the DVI with the Sony 910... it works great!

Regarding the zoom feature on the Pace, it does pretty much emulate the Sony 910 zoom. The normal setting is 'Normal". when the # key is pressed it goes into "Stretch" mode thus filling the 16*9 screen with a 4*3 image. Pressing it again it goes to "zoom" mode blowing up the whole image (I only use the "stretch mode" which is like the wide zoom on the 910.)


In my testing thus far, I will definately say I notice an improvement with DVI over component, but I wouldn't consider it drastic. Unfortunately, my DVD player with Avia disk cannot test the DVI port and I can only rely on HDTV programming so the test is not scientific. I can't say I can tell a difference though between the $100 Monster DVI and a cheapie DVI as they both look fantastic... I wish TWC had a high defination test pattern so I could test this more throughly. In short, I think the DVI connection is the way to go but not sure if buying expensive cables is worth it.


Jay
 
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