Raleigh, NC - HDTV - Page 421

Maybe TWC is running some sort of free preview? The sat companies do this from time to time to encourage you to upgrade to higher tier.

I saw FoxNewsHD as well. Not too long ago BBC america in HD was out there. I think from time to time you see sporadic QAM channels appear.

They're wrecking the last Dollhouse right now, running a distorted, SD version on their HD station. This is miserable. It'll probably look better on hulu..

Argh.

Drew

Pure speculation on my part, but...

WRAL broadcasts in 1080i, whereas WRAZ broadcasts in 720p.

I have a nasty feeling like the crawl technology WRAL implemented for channel 5 does not work to mix with a 720p... Notice not only Dollhouse, but the 10pm channel 50 news as well was not HD to run the crawl.

I just have a nasty suspicion that the equipment the parent company invested in does not play well with their 720p equipment for the WRAZ broadcast.

Now I like that idea. Any clue as to why there are two HD broadcast standards anyway? I don't want to spark an argument as to which format is better, but why did the FCC set it up this way versus sticking with one format?

The Fox splicer does not allow local stations to provide overlays in HD. The new splicer that is to be rolled out this year is supposed to support such things.

- Trip

That was my 2nd thought... but I wasn't sure if the FOX splicer was in play for the local-only broadcasts like the 10pm news.

I... don't know. I know all material from inside the station is supposed to pass through the splicer before being fed out to the transmitter, but I don't know if it accepts HD inputs or what. I imagine foxeng knows the answer.

- Trip

I'm probably oversimplifying, but...

Essentially there were 2 camps when the HD broadcast standard was being discussed.

One group wanted the highest resolution possible in the allotted 6MHz-per-channel OTA bandwidth... while the other group was set on progressive (instead of interlaced) even at lower resolution.

So... after fighting for a while, they eventually compromised to just accept both 720p and 1080i in the broadcast spec and let stations choose.

IF they could have waited another couple of years... they might have been able to settle on MPEG4 instead of MPEG2, and then we might have had 1080p only and been done with it... but alas, that was not possible at the time all these things were being discussed.

I've always been vague as to just where that FOX splicer went... which is why I wasn't sure.

My initial feeling was that the splicer was purely related to what the local stations received from FOX for network programming... and that perhaps it was something "not in use" for syndicated or locally produced stuff.

But, the more I hear... the more it sounds like the FOX splicer is part of the system no matter what... and then we get the limitations that we are now thinking possible like the inability to add the scroll/ticker during broadcast.

They played with "standards" for over 30 years (that's three decades -- yikes!). And what we ended up with is 8VSB modulation -- aka multiplath hell. Coulda had COFDM like everyone else, but no, we had to be different. Granted, there is a non-negligible power efficiency to 8VSB (IIRC it's something like 25%, as in you can cover the same area for 25% less power), but the cost is steep -- multipath problems effectively impede OTA reception (especially close in to the transmitter which is opposite from the analog days), and would be practically impossible on a moving platform such as a high speed train. Oh, wait, we don't have any of those. Yet. So why learn from the Europeans or the Japanese and plan for it?

MPEG4 could have been implemented if I remember the time table. Coulda and shoulda. MPEG4 showed up in the late 1990s IIRC so was available for a good nine or 10 years before the great analog - digital switch over. I have no idea why this wasn't done.

The fight over "i" vs. "p" was largely a turf war between TV and computer companies. TV wanted to keep "i" (as in: "interlaced is the way we've always done it") while computer companies had already shown that "p" was a much better technology (as in "we tried interlaced but found that progressive scan cured things like flicker, resolution, motion, etc."), especially for computer games. We recovered, such as it is, with blu-ray. Which shows just how good 1080p really is in comparison to either 1080i or 720p. 1080p trumps the others if you are interested in video quality, no question. If you are interested in protecting your turf, maybe no so much.

Perhaps we'll learn something from all this and the next standard (long after I'm dead I'm sure) will be 2048p with MPEG4+ on a COFDM modulated carrier. I'm a gonna hold my breath for that one.

BTW, can anyone tell me how we got 1080 instead of 1024? I'm thinking I knew once what the significance of 1080 was, but I've forgotten.

And why 16:9 and not something that makes a modicum of sense like maybe 16:10 (the golden ratio) or 2.24:1 (sqrt(5), related to golden ratio), or maybe 1:85:1 ("flat" 3 perf pull down for 35mm film), or even 2.39:1 (anamorphic 4 perf pull down for 35mm film)? I'm sure it's an average of what was being used at the time (1980s maybe? -- decades before implementation of course), but why do we always react to the past as opposed to planning for the future? I mean, think about it: how much longer do you think cinema will be using 35mm film anyway? And if you're going to go digital, why not pick an aspect ratio that makes a modicum of sense, or at least has some bit of logic in it?

Feh. Please forgive me. I've been trapped inside all day and evidently it's made me somewhat cranky.

Anyone have any bad reception with the snow that fell recently? I was expecting some bad results since my antenna is in the attic. I was pleasantly surprised and almost didn't even noticed a difference until I was watching channel 11 yesterday. Channel 11 was quite a bit more jumpy and almost unwatchable for a while, but it came back. Not sure if it was the snow or something else. My roof is completely covered with snow and sleet but I get all the channels this morning with no noticeable problems. Just curious how other peoples experience was with DTV and snow on the roof (if you have an attic antenna).

My antenna is in the attic too and I haven't had any trouble. I'm getting all the Triangle and Greenville area stations as usual.

No antenna issues here. Mine is on the roof.

Indoor antenna here too... but also no problems with my Satellite Dishes on the roof.

No issues either OTA or satellite (all antennas outdoor).

Come on, the weather is just lovely.

Thanks for all the info regarding 720p vs 1080i standards...I figured it would be something along the lines of not making much sense in the long run. I never understood the 16:9, not that I quite get why there are numerous widescreen film formats, but at least go with some standard that is used widely. Prior to 16x9 sets and TV stations switching to that format what other sources even used 16x9?

Whats the data comparison to 1080i MPEG2 versus 1080p MPEG4?

VT-Miami game is in SD today, although widescreen....I guess this is supposed to qualify as HD?

I realize you guys were angry about the crappy 4:3 broadcasts, and rightfully so, but Im more angry that there have now been 3 broadcasts that Raycom indicated would be in HD that weren't...as if they think we are really going to be fooled by this. If these games were listed as being in SD only, then widescreen SD would be acceptable, but theres no excuse for trying to fool viewers like this.

The basketball games are the same widescreen junk on WYDO and WSFx also.

I'm not seeing anything different in QAM except the addition of FoxNewsHD on channel 101.1. Betting that will be gone sometime tomorrow as soon as TWC discovers it's in the clear.

Not in my book. I was disappointed by this too. Hard to look at. Not sharp, no shadow detail (it took me a while to realize that the VT team was wearing dark purple and not black).


Oh, I'm with you there. Raycom is making WRAL look stupid, and WRAL is letting it happen for some reason (contract most likely).

I'm sure that Steve Hammel has heard it enough from me however. Shoot him an email and tell him what you see and express your lack of enthusiasm for his video quality. You can find his email on the WRAL website -- he's the general manager (last on the "Comments about WRAL-TV" list). Seems like a nice guy who's actively concerned about how we perceive his station's quality. What have you got to loose? At least we can give him some ammunition for when it comes time negotiate the next contract with Raycom, yes?

Ha! FoxNewsHD gone at 5:12 PM. Didn't take TWC until tomorrow to learn they were giving something away. Takers, not givers that crowd.

Just wanted to keep this in the forefront..if anybody cares that it is..

http://keepfreetvfree.com/

Next they will start charging for radio...

I'd like to see some actual sources for that speculation. I know the FCC has been looking into taking more OTA spectrum for last mile internet service, and if internet service to 100% of homes could replace TV broadcasts and emergency alert services that might not necessarily be a bad thing. But to say the FCC is about to make you pay for cable TV or satellite is just plain not true as far as I can tell.

I am 21 and I don't think I'll live to see the day that happens.

- Trip

Last I heard they (FCC) had kind of backed off on it, but I would not let our guards down till the fat lady sings.

I really hope that gaudy ABC11 ticker for closings and such doesn't take over the screen during the Lost broadcast tomorrow night but I'm doubtful.

I emailed the General Manager. Suggest you do the same. There is really no need for these crawls on TV. Check for weather closings on the internet, if you can't do that, use the phone. Most businesses have recordings advising of closings. Why in the hell would anybody sit through 500 closings on a TV station to maybe catch the one they're interested in.

I'm 58 and I'm thinking that I might.

If you were rude in your letter, I doubt you get the response out of it you are looking for. The stations have to serve the public interest in times of hazard. It is frustrating for everyone looking at those non stop crawls.