Providence, RI - HDTV - Page 2

Fox is not broadcasting at full power I believe and that has a lot to do with it.

I know for one thing, 2 of my tuners have no problems with Fox and the other 2 are like you described.

Jim

I held off getting upset with Fox (25.1) but now I can no longer receive any signal above 20-25, which is unwatchable. here's the trouble I have with the atmospheric explanation. Last year I watched a bunch of NFL games and several Fox shows (i.e. "24") on 25.1 in widescreen, we had some hiccups from time to time - but Now NOTHING!

Should I just give up on this channel and hope Providence gets the Fox affiliate up and running in the next 5 years. This sucks. My HDTV receiver is built into my RCS HD65W20 TV.... so it's similar to the DTC100.. any suggestions...

Mitchman

Gentlemen,

I am in Fall River and have a 4 bay bowtie antenns in the attic with a Sammy TS-165 recv'r and I get 25-1 consistently at 70%. So maybe I am crazy but the atmosphere does play tricks on us some times.

I ended up upgrading my antenna from a CM 4228 to a CM 4248 and it seems to have solved my problems, especially with the E86 receiver which can be tempermental at times.

PS: anyone needing a 4228, PM me for a deal on it

Jim

Certainly atmosphere plays a part - bad weather tends to get poor reception. My comments originally were trying to state that after receiving 25.1 for well over a year (good weather/bad weather), now I can no longer get above 30% reading. I have a feeling it is an RCA receiver issue. Sounds like the F38310 and my HD65W20 have problems dialing this in.... oh well.

Sounds like some of the other receivers (i.e. TS-165) do well.

Mitchman

Not sure when Providence CBS (12.1) started Broadcasting in Hi-Def..... (they have had their digital channels 12.1, 12.2, 12.3 up for a little while now.

Anyway, I noticed CSI tonight was broadcast in widescreen/HDTV - looked great.

Hell has froze over, "Little Rhody" gets a legit Hi-Def channel...

Mitchman

Got a message on my TiVO this AM saying that ESPN HD, Showtime HD and Discovery HD were being added to Cox (channels 710, 711, 720, 721) -- the Cox website for RI states that HD is being added for $9.95/mo. Haven't called for details yet, but I am assuming there is little hope of getting local HD broadcasts (PRI, WBZ, etc.) ... is that a fair assumption?

I have the Cox RI HD service. I was told the next additions to the channel lineup would be WPRI and PBSHD. No timeline was given.

jcmitch

As some may know WJAR-NBC was recently cited by the FCC for being so tardy on getting the digital station broadcasting. The main excuse was the tower they transmit from needed more work than originally thought. Anyway, I just received this response from WJAR when I inquired when to expect their digital station to be running:

Thank you for your interest in this exciting project. We have worked diligently to complete this process to enhance our viewers television viewing experience. We have always planned and remain on track for WJAR to make the digital transition by year's end. Weather permitting or any other unforeseen issues beyond our control, the modification work to the tower is expected to be completed at the end of December. Thank you again for turning to NBC 10. Please contact us should you have any further questions.

I wouldn't hold my breath on the year end statement. Just thought I would keep you posted.

Mitchman

I've compared PRI and WCVB both OTA and WCVB via Comcast here in Taunton. PRI loses on the HD quality- definately more grainy on any given show.

Tim

------------------ another follow up from WJAR -----------------
WJAR was ready to proceed with the DTV implementation as prescribed by the FCC mandated timeline of May of 2002.

However, WLNE ABC6 was able to get FCC approval to co-locate with WJAR in Rehoboth, MA in January 2002 as a tenant at WJAR's transmission facility in that locale. Co-location has been a strategy very much endorsed by the FCC to lessen the financial and in some cases community zoning burdens DTV imposes to broadcast operators. The addition of a tenant changed all of WJAR's plans and brought everything back to the drawing board, literally.

The transmitter facilities and building required extensive modification to include, now, two new tenants (WSBE, the local PBS, is the second). This work has been underway much of this year. Also, required is modification to the existing transmission tower. The project has taken longer than anticipated, but in the end, we will have a product that the community expects form WJAR. We hope to be broadcasting by mid to late December if the weather holds out long enough for the tower modifications to be completed safely by the company performing the work.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Mitchman

We have been robbed of one of the top ten media markets in the country by Cox and given the low-end media market with WPRI and WLNE. Its officially, the admonishment by the FCC last week of NBC WJAR makes them one of if not the biggest HD deadbeat in the country.

This monopoly given them by being Cox cable locals gives these locals a let the people eat static attitude. Come-on, do you believe these phonies? Do you think they would get away with this garbage if we still had the choice of WBZ and WCVB? Stop acting like their sorry cousin, even if you are (Small State) and tell them to join the rest of the world.

Call the locals and get good and mad.

Call Cox and demand HD locals and do it now and stop squinting!

Being the smallest state makes us exempt for doing the right thing, thankfully I do NOT care about the locals and really enjoy the Boston stations, put up an antenna and stick your middle finger up at the RI stations and Cox too, IMO.

Jim

Call Cox and demand HD locals and do it now and stop squinting!

Demand as a paying Cox Cable subscriber you want the network HD feeds that are available thur OTA, we have enough boxes!

If not now, when?

If not us, who?

Cox Cable
401-383-2000
401-383-2000


WJAR / Ch 10 NBC
23 Kenney Dr
Cranston, RI 02920
401-455-9100

WLNE / Ch 6 ABC
10 Orms St
Providence, RI 02904
401-453-8000

WNAC / Ch 64 FOX
25 Catamore Blvd
East Providence, RI 02914
401-438-7200

WPRI / Ch 12 CBS
25 Catamore Blvd
East Providence, RI 02914

With the exception of WPRI, none the rest of those channels are broadcasting in HD (or digitally) yet. Cox can't supply you with something that doesn't exist.

The Must Carry rules apply to analog and Cox is complying. However, there is no rule saying once Cox is in compliance with analog that we have to wait for the Rhode Island HD deadbeats stations to get network HD. They can give us local HD via WCVB, WGBH, WHDH, WLVI etc. Make some noise and stop squinting!

Has any one experienced any anomolies in the reception for 12.1, .2, .3? I have two receivers: one integrated in my Zenith C32V37 HDTV and another in my new Sony SAT-HD300. The signal strength on the sony is bad (~20%) while the signal strength on the zenith is consistently good (~80%)? I also have a similar problem on 25.1 but its worse (~0% and ~80% respectively). I've got a CM 4228 w/ a high gain preamp up on the chimney and I'm on Aquidneck island. Since the reception is good on the zenith and bad on the sony I am tempted to assume the sony is bad but I want to rule out any xmtr problems.

I live in Mystic, CT and get pretty good reception in WPRI with several receivers. Some possibilites the Zeinith may be more sensitive-the newest settop boxes from them have a good reputation. You could get a better signal with a VHF antenna on channel 13. Also sometimes preamps degrade the signal from overload perhaps not even TV signals, FM radio pagers etc. so removing it may improve some channels.. John

kirk,

Sounds like you might have got a bad tuner. I haven't had any problems on channel 25 recently.

Just seems weird that digital 30 and 13 don't work but all other functions do. Could you check your signal levels tonight and let me know if these two channels are significantly below the others. I guess I'll look into a new receiver.

That is strange. The Sony box is actually made by LG, as is the tuner in the Zenith (which is owned by LG), so I'd think the tuners themselves should be very similar if not identical. I would expect them to perform very similarly, which is why I'm guessing there's a fault in the Sony box.

But stranger things have happenned.

Good luck.

I don't get 13 (not strong enough to pick up indoors in Cambridge), but 25 has signal levels that are similar to all the other stations.

I am trying to determine if I have an issue on my end - Sunday afternoon I got NOTHING from the FOX (25.1) Boston affiliate. Usually I receive even a faint reading from that station, but it was flatlined. All of the other surrounding Boston stations came in fine.

Curious if anyone else had the same problem.

Thanks.

Mitchman

Fox (25.1) was also dead here in Postmouth yesterday (on both my Zenith TV and the Sony STB).
I also got a second SAT-HD300 over the weekend (Sony outlet had B-stock for 499) and it works the same as the other on I had (no signal level on 25.1 and no station available for 12.1,.2,.3)

Is anyone else using the HD300 successfully on those two stations?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...97#post2968397

I solved my reception problem on 12.1! CBS is using channel 13 which is a VHF station not a UHF therefore my CM4228 and 7775 preamp weren't helping at all. As a matter of fact, the UHF preamp was probably causing the AGC in the STB and TV to compensate for the higher UHF signals so that the lower VHF level from 13 was outside the dynamic range of the receiver (it was interesting that I could receive 12.1 when I removed the preamp from the system). Anyway, now I have both a UHF and a VHF antenna and I am receiving all programming great (except FOX). I had always assumed that all digital programming was in the UHF band - apparently I was wrong.

WPRI Providence is only at Active Special Temporary Authority (STAs) to Operate. WPRI Providence has not been granted full authority. They may not have a signal at full strength. I still think we need to get more active in Rhode Island if we are going to get clear network HD feeds. Some of us can't pick up Boston HD stations over the air.

I write to these stations monthly bugging them on upates..... At least now they know what I am talking about - for the first year it was Digital TV, huh.....?????

Here is a couple of people who have actually followed up with comments and updates:
Smith, Clark (NBC, WJAR) [Clark.Smith@nbc.com]
Kingsley Kelley [KKelley@abc6.com]

PS: I still think you might want to figure out how to get Boston digi-channels first..... I live way on Southern RI and I do fine with a yaggi ant. and pre. amplifier. My gut is RI will be way behind any deadlines and even when stations do go live it will be sporadic at best.

Mitchman