Champaign, IL - HDTV - Page 160

Speaking of new HD feeds: Do you know if Comcast's intent is to eventually drop the SD feeds of the major cable channels offered on higher package levels than Digital Economy (e.g., ESPN, TBS, MTV, the other sports nets) and go to a nearly all-HD lineup? Also, would you also be surprised if Comcast starts phasing out basic (channels 2-22) cable entirely soon (or goes completely all-digital and/or all-HD including on local and public access channels)? I have wondered about whether we should brace for these possible Parts 2 and 3 of the "World of More" (Part 1 the loss of analog above channel 22).

I HIGHLY doubt it, as then ALL those subs would need HD boxes, INCLUDING all those expanded basic (digital starter actually) subs whose existing DTA's would be useless. SD digital signals do NOT take up but a fraction of the bandwidth as the analog versions did.


As I mentioned on my last post, CC DID already get rid of ALL analog on a few systems. (again, they are NOT going to be getting rid of SD, as I already stated) The whole game plan of CC all along, was to eliminate ALL analog signals on most/all their systems, so that they did NOT have to utilize SDV (switched video) for bandwidth reclaimation, & all it's inherent problems. (go to Time Warner or Cox forums for all the complaints related to SDV) CC was going to also utilize SDV, but just announced a few months ago they were putting SDV on the back burner, as it was not necessary now. (thank goodness!) I think what the plan is, is for CC to finish up all the rest of the analog expanded basic cutoff, THEN go back & start getting rid of the rest of the analog (limited) basic channels.

Interestingly, Time Warner just announced they now (finally) plan on going the same route CC did & do DTA's & get rid of ALL analog; they finally found out SDV was NOT the panecea of bandwidth reclaimation they thought it would be!

I HIGHLY doubt it, as then ALL those subs would need HD boxes, INCLUDING all those expanded basic (digital starter actually) subs whose existing DTA's would be useless. SD digital signals do NOT take up but a fraction of the bandwidth as the analog versions did.[/quote]

I do agree--but I was just curious if you had any insights on what Comcast was going to do next here in Springfield in regards to SD/HD lineups. But can you still see the likes of the premium channels (e.g., HBO, Cinemax and their multiple channels), NFL Network and other sports channels, and other non-Digital Starter channels going HD-only on Comcast, or can you still not see that happening?

Also, I have heard that Comcast has rolled out a four-digit capable digital cable lineup in some markets (Nashville, TN and in Indiana were two of the places I had heard such a lineup to exist). The channels above 1000 were to be used for HD (with few or no HD channels below 1000). Any likelihood we will see that channel lineup within the next few years on Comcast here in Central Illinois?

From what many have written Comcast is going to standardize their lineup like the satelite companys except for the local channels .This will save time searching for hds. They will have the same channel numbers only preceeded by the 1000 example channel 63 sd would be 1063 for hd.

NO, it's NOT going to happen on ANY of their systems in the near future - if even AT ALL. Again, those few SD channels are NOT taking that much bandwidth anyway - where are you getting this idea from anyway? Didn't you just see my post on the previous page re: CC REMOVING HD premium feeds??? (they ARE leaving the SD versions of these multiplexes, so that should tell you what their game plan is...)

Also, not everyone has an HDTV & the majority of TV subs will NOT for some time - you DO realize that both DBS co are STILL installing new SD receivers for new customers, & are NOT planning on a large scale conversion to HD-only signals for quite awhile. (while DirecTV ONLY installs HD receivers in a portion of TV markets, including ours, they still install lots of SD-only equipment in the majority of their "legacy" markets such as the likes of Chicago, St.Louis, NY, LA, etc.)


It's supposed to eventually be "standardized" like this on ALL their (upgraded) systems in the near future - your guess when is as good as your guess when the hell they plan on finishing getting rid of ALL analog signals!

Is anyone who has Directv able to pick up Me TV yet? I have rescanned my ota several times and it still isn't recognizing 55.2. 55.1 is coming in strong.

DON'T hold your breath on it happening, either - it appears that D* is throwing in the towel on adding ANY more (new) OTA channels/subs to it's database. You can scan all day, but if they do NOT put it in their database, you will NOT get it at all. If you notice, while the geniuses at D* DID add WICD 15.2, they did NOT add WICS 20.2, either!

About the ONLY way you can record these missing OTA channels on D*, is if you have an HD D* Tivo, which DOES still allow OTA scanning; which is exactly why I still use one - even though I have HR20's.

Supposedly, they have run out of database room to add more - the way D* does their OTA tuners like this IS totally asinine; at least with all E*'s receivers, you CAN do "real" OTA scanning to get around this stupidity.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=134005&page=18

If you're close enough to the transmitter site of WRSP or WCCU, a set of rabbit ears connected to the receiver(if it contains a digital off air receiver module) will allow the subchannels to appear. The directions are all outlined on http://www.dougquick.com.

It works for me...27.2 MeTV comes up as a local channel. The only problem is the lack of guide information. Other locals include the guide info....MeTV does not. It's a problem with D* not including it in it's data stream.

Now, WCCU needs to work to keep it's transmitter consistantly on the air. The transmitter is dropping out from time to time, sometimes just a "blip," other times it may last 10-15 seconds.

You are not understanding the problem - it's not a signal issue! (hint - the OP said he WAS getting 55.1 )


What is the model# of D* receiver you are using? I'm guessing it's either an H20 receiver, or one of the older MPEG2 HD receivers. Those receivers ARE able to scan & find these channels regardless if D* provides guide data or not. The H20 is the ONLY MPEG4 HD receiver that can do this - none of the newer MPEG4 HD receivers can. (they require the external AM21 to receive any OTA signals)
And as I already stated, the only D* DVR that can currently scan, is the old, MPEG2 HD Tivo - NO current MPEG4 HD DVR can do this.

If you are using a receiver with the external AM21 OTA module, OR an HR20 series receiver, it will NOT pick it up those missing subs that I mentioned. The reason being is - none of these receivers has actual OTA "scanning". When you do the OTA setup, these receivers get their OTA lineup strictly via the D* OTA guide data, depending on the zip code you enter. If D* has NOT provided this data, you will NOT get those missing channels - period! There is NO way to override this - again, they do NOT do actual OTA scanning.

Read the info in the link I provided if you still do not understand...you will see many others complaining about this like myself...

Hey WCCU/Comcast....Nice job on the 5.1 audio for NFL games. Not. Seriously...can one person tell me why they can pass 5.1 audio for the Idol crap but not for NFL games?

Check the audio for the Fox channel tonight. I think you will see that it is NOT in 5.1. The local Fox channel has not been broadcasting anything in 5.1 for quite a while. I believe this time we can blame the local channel, not Comcast for the problem.

I have a HR21 with an AM21, and a HR20. Glad to see it's just not my receivers but a Directv muckup!

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the Entone boxes used by Consolidated Communications. We had our box replaced recently to a newer model and I noticed it had an ATSC in.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if this port does anything. I have not been able to figure out if it does and their tech support was no use. I recently bought an HD TV for the front room and if I can feed OTA from my antenna to it via the cable box instead of having to drop a new cable to it it would be great (the cable box and antenna drop I have are both in the back end of the house).

Last night while scanning Comcasts (Springfield) digital line up through my dvd recoders tuner I noticed WRSP (55.1) along with METV (55.2) no longer was appearing, however its Urbana based sister station WCCU (27.1) and METV (27.2) showed up in my presets.
Because I have programming timed to record off of METV I immediatly re-scanned my digital tuner and re-set my timer on the recorder.
This doesn't really pose a problem for my recordings as both stations broadcast the same schedule, I just wondered if anyone has an idea what's going on with WRSP and to give a heads up should any of you have programs set to record off of 55.1 / 55.2

W31BX (WAND's repeater in Danville) is currently transmitting a blank signal. It's coming in at about 70% (though it occasionally bottoms out at 20-40%), but with no content.

Edit: WAND's website says that they're upgrading their antenna today. It also says that cable and satellite viewers shouldn't be affected. W31BX apparently receives its station feed off the air. Odd, since I rarely get WAND itself. I guess that's the advantage of being on the tallest building in town. Also, it looks like there's no equipment for locally originating content (since there's no notice on W31BX), so I guess I'll forgive them for running Springfield's weather radio station on the Danville repeater.

The main WAND signal was scheduled to have downtime today while tower crews are up on the tower. No surprise that W31BX-D would be unable to retransmit a signal that isn't there.

- Trip

It looks like they're doing something with the repeater, as well, since it doesn't usually fluctuate like this. Or maybe it's an artifact of the retransmitter lacking an input signal. (Though, if that were the case, I'd just expect it to shut down or go to a low power standby mode.)

Is there a consensus on the best style of antenna for the Champaign area? I'm in Savoy, specifically, and TV fool shows pretty good reception on the major networks and PBS, but in all different directions, so I don't know which way I'd point a directional antenna. Do people use something like the Winegard MS-2002 disk that's omnidirectional? Is something like a DB2 okay?

I live in SW Champaign and have DB4 in my attic which gets acceptable signals from all the networks and PBS. I had to fool around a bit with pointing to get all the stations. I ended up getting FOX from Springfield and forgetting about the local FOX transmitter. I don't use an amp, but the attic is in a 2 story house, so your mileage may vary.

An omnidirectional antenna (heck, even an indoor one) should work fine for WICD, WCIA, WILL, and WCCU. As for the Decatur stations and the low power stations in Champaign, a directional antenna would be best, but you could try an omdirectional antenna with a good return policy. A good indoor antenna might work for Decatur, but if you go that route, be sure you get a good return policy. As for Springfield, Bloomington/Peoria, and other out of market signals, a good directional, external would be necessary.

Comcast has been breaking up at my house every Friday and Saturday. One day the higher channels, the next the lower. The pixelation and audio drops are worse than watching a scratched DVD. I tested it with another box (the dta,) and it was the same. Signal to noise reads as good at 30db. Last night FOX on 7 was one of the worst and I almost missed the World Series game. Not a problem! I switched to my trusty Magnavox DVD/DVR and attic antenna. I actually watched it from Bloomington and was able to pause the game while I ran to the store and then skip commercials. Thanks Comcast for nothing!

Didn't see this posted yet, so fyi....

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=469&NewsID=1007805&CategoryID=7026&on=1


WAND STORMCENTER 17 EXPANDS SIGNAL AND GOES BACK TO 17.1
10/24/11


WAND StormCenter 17 (NBC Affiliate serving Decatur, Champaign and Springfield) is entering another era in its highly acclaimed Central Illinois television history. With the new transmitter and antenna that was put on the top of the tower on October 9, 2011, WAND StormCenter 17 began broadcasting its one million watt signal.

Along with this signal expansion, those viewers who watch WAND StormCenter 17 over the air, off an antenna, will need to rescan their televisions and converter boxes by November 9, 2011 when the signal will no longer be sent out over Channel 18. They will be sending out our signal only on Channel 17.

I live in Chatham and WAND's old rf 18 comes in slightly better than the new rf 17. I thought it would be stronger.

In southwest Champaign, RF 17 comes in at 99/100 on a DISH reveiver. WCIA beats it by registering 100/100. All from a screen type antenna in my second floor attic with no amplifier.

A small opening tonight. Not sure how it compares to yesterday's. Probably your best shot at TV DXing until Spring comes around again, unless you can catch some E-skip around the winter solstice.

Interesting how the local network affiliates have approached broadcasting in HD. WAND started broadcasting their news in HD a few years ago, and then just recently started broadcasting syndicated shows in HD. WICD, and assume WICS, have taken a different approach. They have started broadcasting syndicated shows in HD, but their news broadcasts are still in SD. I am amazed how "cheap" WCIA is. They have always been the station with the highest ratings, and assume to have the most in ad revenue. They were the last local network to embrace HD for the network programs, and assume they will drag their feet on upgrading to present news or syndicated shows in HD. I assume the FOX affiliates will never upgrade. Even their network broadcasts are only in Dolby Pro Logic sound.

I won't get on my soapbox again about the local FOX and their cheap ownership... The odd thing is looking at the ratings and you'd think WAND would be one of the last stations to go HD and FOX would be one of the first along with WCIA. I feel bad for those of you who don't have alternative means to get respectable A/V programming. (Although to be fair, WMAQ took a big hit in their sports dept over the past 12 months and WFLD went from a good weatherperson to a guy who comes across as an egotistical horse's behind.)

Unfortunately, the decision to go HD is not at the station level, it's at corporate level. And they have been prioritizing which of their stations goes first. The larger market stations more often than not go first. So, don't blame WCIA or the local Fox stations. That all comes from the owners of the company that run it, and not the individual stations. I'm more than sure the engineers and employees at WCIA would love to be in HD. The good news is that it IS 2012, and when they do go HD, it's going to look great, assuming, of course, enough bits are allocated for it on the main channel.

I recorded the game on WAND via QAM and when I ran it through my editing program it didn't report any audio packet issues. I haven't watched my recording yet so I can't say for sure that it didn't happen. For what it's worth, the WMAQ feed was perfect so the problem wasn't on a national level. In fact it was one of the best football broadcasts of the year.