Greensboro, NC - HDTV - Page 102

Does anyone watch full power home shopping channels?

Or the biggest waste of electricity, bandwidth, and real estate: PAX/ i

Hi guys,

I was wondering if I could get your opinion on something...

How many of you scoured the Internet and brick and mortar stores when purchasing that expensive HD TV? I know I must have looked everywhere to make sure I was getting the best price...

Why should I waste all that time looking for the best price, isn't there some website out there where I can post what I am looking for and have reputable vendors bid on my purchase?

Thanks in advance,

Just Curious.

Does anyone know the answer to this? Does WFMY have the equipment to record the feed in HD and then replay it?

Froogle

There are several sites like www.streetprices.com , www.pricegrabber.com , etc...
But I've found that checking with the other forum members here usually leads me to the best price from a reputable dealer. Some of those sites will turn up great "deals" from the gray market boys up in Brooklyn.

TWC issues:

1) I emailed TWC asking for ESPN2-HD and got a reply that they were in negotiations with ESPN to get it, no speculation on time frame.

2) I also asked for National Geographic HD, but they said they were not planning to add that. I love their programming, to me, better than Discovery Channel. So if anyone else is interested, please email.

3) The TiVo Series 3 is rumored to hit the streets in September. But I can't get a hold of anyone at TWC that knows anything about switched digital transmission. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a Series 3 if they have put or plan to put the HD channels on a switched tier. Does anyone have a knowledgeable TWC contact? Or is that an oxymoron?

Is anyone else having trouble with the Fox digital signal? I have been having trouble with both the WGHP or the Charlotte signals tonight. Right now I am getting no signal, earlier was getting intermittent drops. I can get the Analog signal without a problem. It is not good timing with the start of new episodes. I am not having any trouble with any of the other networks.

Transmitter is running at full power and has been since last Thursday. If you have an unusually strong lightning strike close by it will cause momentary dropouts.

I am not talking about momentary drops. They happened for at least the last 30 minutes of Bones and now I am not getting any signal at all. The Charlotte Fox signal just came back, but still 0 signal from WGHP. I have not have any problems with either of the ABC signals, the local NBC or CBS signals tonight, just Fox.

Both Fox signals started dropping and then went completely out. Seems a little too coincidental. I have been getting an 80-90% signal from WGHP since you went full power. I was wondering if anyone else was having similar issues tonight. I'll try re-scanning again.

The WGHP signal just came back, without having to do anything, but they are still both experiencing intermittent drops.

I did finally get someone at TWC Greensboro to call me back about switched digital and the TiVo Series 3. He said that TWC DID plan to roll out switched digital just about everywhere and said that just about all of the channels would end up on a switched system (I guess that makes sense from their perspective?)

But he said that they had just received an email that they were aware that some customers might be getting the TiVo S3 and that the "guys at the head end wanted to know about them and keep track of them". He said he didn't know what that meant, whether there was anything that they could do for us or not, and he would try to get more info for me next week when they had a meeting.

Don't know if any of you guys are sick of the SA8300 like me, but I'll keep you posted.

I have been at the transmitter all night and watched Bones and Justice via the DTV transmitter and I saw no dropouts here and we had no transmitter problems tonight at all.

If I remember correctly (and please correct me if I am wrong) but I think you said you were using an indoor antenna. In storms, indoor antennas may or may not work. It depends on the atmospherics, the amount of local RF noise and the severity of the storm and distance/power/antenna height and signal strength of the transmitted signal.

I was guessing the problem was weather related. It just seemed odd that the only 2 signals I had a problem with were Fox from Charlotte and Greensboro. I would not have asked any questions if I had also been experiencing issues with any of the other stations, but given I completely lost both of those signals and did not experience any interruptions with the others, I had to ask. I have had the same antenna setup for 2 years and the only signal I have ever had a problem getting consistently (regardless of the weather conditions) was Fox from Charlotte, which I can understand given the distance. Tonight I had no problem with ABC (from Charlotte or Greensboro), WXII, or WFMY. I didn't check all of the smaller stations.

Thanks for checking.

I also noticed occasional artifacts while watching "Bones" on FOX-HD last night. I assumed it was weather related. I have TW digital cable.

To answer both questions yes and yes. There may be some minor annoyances with setups on this end at first, and that will pass quickly. I wasn't inclined to answer this question untill I saw the tests work. It works! Master control will have their hands full however, switching two program streams and possibly two tape machines simultaniously. Enjoy. Rickey.

Hi Foxeng,

Just wanted to add my thanks for all the info you have provided over the past months. Sounds like you really enjoy your work.

Last December when I went HD WGHP was impossible to receive. I'm in Lewisville very close to Davie county. Called the station and asked to speak with an engineer. Very quickly I had very useful suggestions on receiving equipment. I wonder if it was you that I spoke to ? Anyway, I purchased a new high gain directional UHF antenna and along with a preamp and rotor the signal strength on my D* HR10-250 went from 0-5 to around 60-65 good enough for reception most of the time. Saved me from moving the antenna out of the attic and onto the roof.

Fast forward to last week. I go down to our theater fire up the pj before the Panthers game with the intention of dialing in the rotor position. Lo and behold there is local FOX news announcing the upgrade to ONE MILLION WATTS. Check signal strength and now it's at 92.

So I thank you, and my Pop Warner QB son #17 also sends his appreciation. Jake and crew in glorious HD on a 133" screen all season!! Just hope Mr. Kasay gets some help in point production.

Go Panthers (and FC Broncos).

Regards,

Joe

Thanks Joe.

You may have spoken to me, but I would suspect you talked to someone else in Engineering since I was at the transmitter getting the site ready for the new DTV transmitter and antenna from June of 2005 pretty much up to today! We have several people who have HD OTA setups in the department so they are pretty good with what works and what doesn't. Of course if it wasn't for the people who post here saying what works and what doesn't, we wouldn't know what to tell people like you who call so it is very much to you as a viewer as us as the broadcaster to have that information.

Glad you are enjoying our programming in digital!

I don't know if it is intentional or not but ABC-45 is showing the Rutgers/UNC game on 45 and Oregon/Stanford in HD on 45.1. Pretty cool if you ask me. I'm obviously watching UNC/Rutgers but during commercials and other breaks in the game I can flip it over to the HD game.

By half-time 45.1 was showing UNC/Rutgers.

Is there a listing somewhere of the HD channels I should be able to receive on TWC with a QAM tuner? I just got a Westinghouse 32" hdtv and went through the channel scan routine, but I'd like to be sure it found everything there is to be found.

Just to give everybody a heads up. Got my HR20 installed this morning. Installer said they just got a shipment in this morning and I was the first install. Sweet!!!!

Couple of questions regarding the HR20?

1. Did you have to purchase it or did they swap out with a HR 10-250? If they did a swapout, was it a direct exchange or did they charge you? I'm interested in this because I've got 3 HD Tivo's and I don't want them to hammer me with charges.

2. How do you like it? Is the speed better than a Tivo? Is it simple to use?

Okay, maybe that is more than 2 questions, but I look forward to your responses.

Did D* contact you for the upgrade or did you have a friendly installer that let you know they had them in? ...... and all the questions sbarrier asked!

Actually I needed a DVR for sunday ticket. I called last wednesday trying to order the hr20 but was told they weren't available. So I went ahead and ordered the hr10. I called the retention number and got it free like I read on these forums. I thought it was a swapout for the h20. I insisted for him to take it but he said it wasn't a swapout. He said they may send me a pre-paid box to send it back. I never used the hr10 so i can't compare, but it is much faster than the h20. This thing is fast!! One downside is the OTA is disabled supposedly until october. Going to have to break out the old DTV reciever.

Did they give you the HD locals too, or was it just the receiver. Their website says it won't be until October before we get the locals. Didn't know if, in your situation, they gave them to you early or not.

I have asked this before and got little to no response but I will ask again.

With the new TV season starting and more interest in HD, is there any interest of getting together either at a restaurant or some other place and just talk "HD?" Cable, or OTA or programming or upcoming HD events?

I would be happy to bring some pictures of the building of our new tower and show those in attendance and maybe some other goodies!

If so, sound off here and then let's set something up and "git 'er dun!"

I would be interested, let me know if you work something out.

Count me in as well!

If no schedule conflicts, we can be there!