Springfield, MA - HDTV - Page 5

TV 40 S U C K S ! ! ! !

Just for the hell of it try channel 5-TV/20-DTV out of boston. Tune your receiver to channel 44 analog and rotate your antenna until it comes in as clear as possible then check for signal strength on 20-DTV.

good luck!

Law & Order did indeed say it was being broadcast in HD where available. My guess is WWLP
is testing and isn't passing through "true" HD. MHO

Just a Superbowl FYI, Channel 5-TV/20-DTV Boston has been dropout free all afternoon for us. We usually don't have too many problems with this station out here in Goshen (15 minutes northwest of NorthHampton) and today we have even fewer problems so there maybe hope for some of you. The signal strength meter is pegged at 100%, usually we are in the low 90%'s.

JasonAndreas:
No go here in West Springfield. You must be much higher than we are down here. I tried to get 19-1 (36 digital) out of North Adams for regular digital picture with similar success...none. I can get analog ch 19 though. Enjoy the game.

No go in Westfield on a hill. Absolutely ZERO signal from channel 20.

I installed an antenna in my attic a few weeks back and I have been able to get WWLP in the 80s. I see that they finally have HD up and running, now we have to hope they remember to flip the switch.


Can anyone confirm the PBS channel WGBY-DT sub channels? Emails to them have gone unanswered.

Here are my brief observations, please correct where necessary.

57-1: Mirrors the analog WGBY during the day, but I don't get sound. Once the HD demo flips on, sound is OK.

57-2: Another PBS station from another city? Programming differs from WGBY analog. Is it HD?

57-3: PBS Kids?

57-3:PBSyou

57-4 and 57-5: I get snow at times, but not at always on these channels which doesn't make sense for digital channels. So, Does anything ever broadcast on these stations?

I have also heard talk of 57-100. I punch it in and it says channel unavailable. Anyone ever seen anything here?


Ralph

Hey Arebee,
How do you know WWLP has HD up and running. I've been watching and have not seen any yet? All SD up converts from what I can tell.

Just saw on TitanTV that they push HD on 22-3. I will have to check it out. Hope I have not missed too much HD!!

Such,

I just saw that! I was looking at Titan TV and saw that 22-3 was listed, so I came to this thread to confirm. You know how unreliable Titan can be. Last week they had DirecTV channel 511 listed as HBO West-HD!

In looking at Titan's schedule, I have come to realize how little NBC I watch. Still it's good news. I wonder how WVIT is doing. Maybe they are still waiting for their exciter!

OK, I'm getting a 16x9 signal on WWLP, but there is no HD tonight.

I have a strange problem with my HiPix PVR card. My Mits STB gets 22-3 just fine. My HiPix has all these strange verticle lines on 22-3, 22-1 looks fine on the HiPix (though stretched, not letterboxed).

Anyone else having this strange reception problem on 22-3?

I sent them an e-mail yesterday also. Hope they are close.

I recorded Leno on my HiPix last night & got those strange horizontal scan lines (white lines across the screen) - no HD on 22-3 as noted. Hope they go away when they truly start pumping HD.

I checked out 22-3 during ER last night and thought that someone was asleep at the switch. I don't think there's a cliche that is more apropos!

I was messing around with PBS channel numbers and couldn't get 57-100. My Hughes would only let me put in 57-10. I swear that I input 57-100 once before. I tried 58-100 with the same result, it jumped to 58-10. 58-4 was identical to 57-1 (HD Demo), but 57-4 was snowy. I'll never figure out what they're doing.

Does anyone get guide information for any of the analog or digital channels for WWLP, WGGB or WGBY? I don't get guide or PSIP info on any of the MA stations.

Such, do we not get the guide info on our Mits/Hughes because of our CT zipcodes? All I get is "Regular schedule".

On a related note, I also do not get guide info for 20-1, or 59-1. Which sucks because I can't timer record with my Hughes box. I forgot how to program my VCR! It's been years!

AreBee

I don't get guide info either. Strange as it seems, both DirecTV and TitanTV get their guide information from the same source Tribune Media Services.

Seems however, that TMS customizes the data for each client with only the information that customer requests. Translation, until DirecTV asks, TMS won't deliver the guide data. I do, however, now get the station banner for WWLP & WTXX. I get the Mass stations banners by adding a second zip code to my Mits reciever. It has a spot for a 2nd/alternat zip code.

I have some "friends" over at TMS, I'll drop them a note to see if I can get them to add the programming info to DirecTV.

Do you put a second zipcode in "Local in 2"? I thought about that and a dialog box came up saying something about not having anything connected and it asks if I want to move it to Ant input 1. Do I say yes at that point? I was thinking I'd erase my current channel list.

Not sure, I have the Mits HD400, and on the Local Channels main screen, it has a place for 2 Zip codes,

Listed something like this:

Cable Operator:
Local Zip 1:
Local Zip 2:


I put an enfield zip code in Zip 1 and my Avon zip in Local 2. Seems to work, though as you note, there are not listings yet for the Mass stations or WTXX (sent a note off to TMS this morning).

I think we're talking about the same menu. I'll check it out.
Worse case, my channel list resets to MA. Now that I know how to add channels without rescanning, it's not a big deal.

I'm going to fire off an email to DirecTV to see if they will ask TMS to add the info.

Here is the email I sent to DirecTV about the guide information. Their response is below my message.
=====================================================
subject: Channel Guide Information

select: Technical

details: I own a Hughes E86 receiver which decodes High Definition local
channels that I receive with a rooftop antenna. Three new digital
stations were added to my channel line-up recently yet I do not receive
the channel-banner program information or the guide schedule. I
understand that you work in conjunction with Tribune Media Services(TMS)
to send out this inofrmation. TMS provides this service to
www.titantv.com and they have the program information listed for these
channels. The channel 12-1 WTXX-DT (this channel remaps to 20-1),
channel 39-1 WCTX-DT (which rempas to 59-1) and 11-3 WWLP-DT(which
remaps to 22-3). From what I have been told DirecTV must ask TMS for
this information in order to get it passed on to consumers. Is this
correct, and if so, can this be done?

Regards,

Ralph Summa
Farmington, CT 06032

=====================================================
Dear Ralph:

Thank you for your inquiry. As you know, DIRECTV makes changes and
additions to our programming line-up from time to time. However, it is a
DIRECTV policy not to discuss upcoming announcements until their
official release date, and at this time we have no official announcement
beyond what we have already communicated to the public. We invite you to
visit the News Releases section of our web site at
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutus/Headlines.jsp for the latest
announcements.

Suzie
DIRECTV Customer Service

=====================================================

That answer was from the team JD Power ranked #1 for Customer Service for cable/satellite providers.


Do you think they've answered a few "WILL YOU BE CARRYING ESPN-HD?" emails?

Here's my reply to the message in the previous post and DirecTV's reply.

=====================================================
Good afternoon,

My question from my earlier email seems to have been misunderstood. I am
trying to determine how local channel guide information gets from
DirecTV to my TV. Currently I cannot receive guide information on three
local channels which I have listed below. This makes it impossible for
me to record programs with the receiver. please see my previous email
below for detailed information.

Regards,

Ralph Summa

=====================================================
Dear Ralph Summa,

Thanks for your inquiry. We do not currently offer broadcast networks in
high definition. However, most high definition televisions can display
high definition over-the-air signals from local broadcasters via off-air
antennae. Your DIRECTV dish may act as an antennae so that you may
receive these local channels, however as we informed you earlier we do
not offer these channels in high definition at this time.

As you can imagine, HDTV programming is expensive to produce and is
available in a limited quantity at the moment. We are in constant
discussions with all types of program providers and will continue to
increase the number of high definition programs we offer as they become
available. Please continue to visit DIRECTV.com for news and updates.

Nickcole
DIRECTV Customer Service
=====================================================


This is amazing. They haven't even come close to my question yet. I'm thinging that DirecTV has a computer that searches for certain words and sends out a canned reply relating to those words whether the reply is relevant to the question or not.

AreBee

Last night I was surfing and saw that 22-1 was showing Fear Factor and my STB was stretching the picture. 22-3 had black bars on the 4x3 picture and my STB would not change the aspect ratio. This to me seems like they were passing NBC's 1080i feed even though it wasn't a high def broadcast.

I'll send out a letter ASAP. Still no help for guide information from DirecTV. I'm going to ask the guy at WWLP how it works.

Sent out an email this morning and got a quick reply.




Dave:


I am a local High Def owner and have been eagerly awaiting WWLP's high
definition broadcasts. I now get 22.1DTV and recently started pulling in
22-3 HD. It seems as though you folks aren't sending NBC's HD feed?
How much longer before you "flip the switch"?
Thank you for your time and efforts.


The reply:



If all arrives as promised, later this month will flip the switch.

David Cote
Chief Engineer WWLP TV
dcote@wwlp.com

AreBee,
I find you comments interesting.. I too get 22-3 with a 4x3 picture and black bars, all in the proper aspect ratio. The integrity of the picture is intact. But MY STB (samsung t151) does let me ZOOM with terrible consequences. The integrity of the picture is gone on the right 1/3 of the display, with about 100 bogus lines, evenly spaced running horizontally. Of course the aspect ratio is now all wrong in the zoom mode, so I'm not missing anything with this mode being distorted. Funny, but I can't zoom on any other HD broadcast from other stations.... only 22-3. Could it be something weird in the signal that 22-3 is sending?

Larry