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post #2041 of 3710
Gee, you got the phone number for engineering? That's wasn't on their web site. I tried the main number with no success. Thanks for getting through to them.
post #2042 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sevenfeet View Post

Gee, you got the phone number for engineering? That's wasn't on their web site. I tried the main number with no success. Thanks for getting through to them.

Phoned main number, punched number for news and asked for a transfer.
post #2043 of 3710
Is anyone having trouble with FOX HD tonight? Both of my records for Prison Break and Terminator were unwatchable due to freezes in video and audio. I've hard artifacts before but never this bad.
post #2044 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lava Lamp Freak View Post

Is anyone having trouble with FOX HD tonight? Both of my records for Prison Break and Terminator were unwatchable due to freezes in video and audio. I've hard artifacts before but never this bad.

I am an OTA viewer, and I got the same results you did. I recorded the FOX OTA Feed of Terminator, and it had freezes in it as well. I don't know if it was the station or the network.

NashDigie signing off.
post #2045 of 3710
I was watching using Dish HD, and I encountered the same problems. I was able to watch all of Teminator, but it was difficult at times.
post #2046 of 3710
I think I have some Fox shows on the HD Tivos but have not watched them yet, but I did notice on clear QAM this morning when I check there were lots of freezes in a SD show (Matlock, I think).

My guess is that the station is having issues, if OTA, cable, and sat users all are having problems .

One of the downsides to Tivo time-shifting is when something like this happens you can't go back and record the SD feed so you can watch the show. If you were watching live you could just change channels.

Dennis
post #2047 of 3710
I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it... but Fox 17 is doing a MAJOR overhaul of their master control. They are going digital...and when done... they will be able to switch both HD and SD in house. Right now, all kinds of cables and equipment are being re-routed and moved around.
post #2048 of 3710
Whats the difference between Comcast's Full Basic vs Digital Starter package if using a cable card and no box? Do you get more HD channels in the DS Package? They are both listed at the same price of $52.50 per month
post #2049 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaboWabo View Post

Whats the difference between Comcast's Full Basic vs Digital Starter package if using a cable card and no box? Do you get more HD channels in the DS Package? They are both listed at the same price of $52.50 per month

I think they both get the same channels. However the digital uses a box, and the other does not. And the digital gets you QAM HD channels (locals only) if your TV supports it, but no actual HD channels in the guide.

My question is how much is HD with and without the DVR package.
post #2050 of 3710
hello everyone -- i have an HDTV, live in the Forest Hills area and just bought a OTA indoor antenna -- the Terk HDTVa -- i only receive 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 8.1, 8.2 -- no channel 5, 17 in HD -- channel 58 shows up in my list, but it doesn't come through at all.

I have an attic antenna that is old and huge -- i wonder if i could convert it to catch the signals? the wire that it connects to isn't coax, it's a weird six-pronged connection that looks like two "^"s on top of each other.

anyway -- two questions -- what's the best OTA antenna that can fit in a cabinet (wife's requirement) or could i convert the old antenna to coax cable?

i am a complete newbie, just for you to know

just want to catch all the big stations that i can.

thanks!
yotoad
post #2051 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by andydumi View Post

I think they both get the same channels. However the digital uses a box, and the other does not. And the digital gets you QAM HD channels (locals only) if your TV supports it, but no actual HD channels in the guide.

I have the limited basic plan ($11.90 per month) with a cablecard and I get the locals in HD and the channel guide, I get "Mojo" in HD as well.

The answer to the question can be found here:

http://www.comcast.com/Customers/Clu...neupPopup.ashx


Full basic:

2 WKRN (ABC) Nashville
3 Government Access News & Info
4 WSMV (NBC) Nashville
5 WTVF (CBS) Nashville
6 WZTV (FOX) Nashville
8 WNPT (PBS) Nashville
9 Access News & Info
10 Access News & Info
11 ESPN Sports
12 QVC Lifestyle
13 CNN News & Info
14 WUXP (MY30) Nashville
15 WPGD (TBN) Gallatin
17 WNPX (ION) Nashville
18 WNAB (CW) Nashville
19 Access TV News & Info
20 WGN (IND) Chicago
21 WHTN (IND) Murfreesboro
22 WJFB (IND) Lebanon
23 TBS Lifestyle
24 USA Network Lifestyle
25 Disney Channel Children & Family
26 Cartoon Network Children & Family
27 CSS Sports
28 FOX Sports South Sports
29 ESPN 2 Sports
30 CMT Music
31 GAC Music
32 VH1 Music
33 BET Music
34 MTV Music
35 ABC Family Channel Children & Family
36 AMC Movies
37 Nick/Nick at Night Children & Family
38 TNT Lifestyle
39 Discovery Channel Lifestyle
40 Animal Planet Children & Family
41 A&E Lifestyle
42 Lifetime Television Lifestyle
43 The History Channel Children & Family
44 HGTV Lifestyle
45 The Learning Channel Children & Family
46 CNBC News & Info
47 CNN Headline News News & Info
48 Fox News Channel News & Info
49 CSN49 News & Info
50 News Channel 5+ News & Info
51 MSNBC News & Info
52 The Weather Channel News & Info
53 Court TV News & Info
54 The Golf Channel Sports
55 G4Tech TV Lifestyle
56 Bravo Lifestyle
57 Sci-Fi Channel Lifestyle
58 E! Lifestyle
59 TV Land Children & Family
60 Comedy Central Lifestyle
61 Spike TV Lifestyle
63 Style Lifestyle
64 Oxygen Lifestyle
65 Food Network Lifestyle
66 TV Guide Channel News & Info
70 FX Lifestyle
71 HSN Lifestyle
72 Versus Sports
73 The Travel Channel Lifestyle
74 Leased Access News & Info
96 Univision# Multicultural
98 C-SPAN News & Info
99 C-SPAN 2 News & Info
202 ESPN HD High-Definition TV
203 ESPN2 HD High-Definition TV
204 TNT HD High-Definition TV
205 HD Theater High-Definition TV
206 MOJO High-Definition TV
207 Versus/Golf Ch. HD High-Definition TV
208 Universal HD High-Definition TV
209 MHD High-Definition TV
211 A&E HD High-Definition TV
231 WKRN (ABC) HD High-Definition TV
232 WSMV (NBC) HD High-Definition TV
233 WTVF (CBS) HD High-Definition TV
234 WZTV (FOX) HD High-Definition TV
235 WNAB (WB) HD High-Definition TV
236 WUXP (UPN) HD High-Definition TV
240 WNPT (PBS) HD High-Definition TV
241 WNPT 2 (PBS) DIGITAL News & Info
245 WKRN 24hr Weather News & Info
246 Telemundo Multicultural
*Analog Channel Location Only


Digital Starter:

2 WKRN (ABC) Nashville
3 Government Access News & Info
4 WSMV (NBC) Nashville
5 WTVF (CBS) Nashville
6 WZTV (FOX) Nashville
7 HBO* Movies
8 WNPT (PBS) Nashville
9 Access News & Info
10 Access News & Info
11 ESPN Sports
12 QVC Lifestyle
13 CNN News & Info
14 WUXP (MY30) Nashville
15 WPGD (TBN) Gallatin
16 Showtime* Movies
17 WNPX (ION) Nashville
18 WNAB (CW) Nashville
19 Access TV News & Info
20 WGN (IND) Chicago
21 WHTN (IND) Murfreesboro
22 WJFB (IND) Lebanon
23 TBS Lifestyle
24 USA Network Lifestyle
25 Disney Channel Children & Family
26 Cartoon Network Children & Family
27 CSS Sports
28 FOX Sports South Sports
29 ESPN 2 Sports
30 CMT Music
31 GAC Music
32 VH1 Music
33 BET Music
34 MTV Music
35 ABC Family Channel Children & Family
36 AMC Movies
37 Nick/Nick at Night Children & Family
38 TNT Lifestyle
39 Discovery Channel Lifestyle
40 Animal Planet Children & Family
41 A&E Lifestyle
42 Lifetime Television Lifestyle
43 The History Channel Children & Family
44 HGTV Lifestyle
45 The Learning Channel Children & Family
46 CNBC News & Info
47 CNN Headline News News & Info
48 Fox News Channel News & Info
49 CSN49 News & Info
50 News Channel 5+ News & Info
51 MSNBC News & Info
52 The Weather Channel News & Info
53 Court TV News & Info
54 The Golf Channel Sports
55 G4Tech TV Lifestyle
56 Bravo Lifestyle
57 Sci-Fi Channel Lifestyle
58 E! Lifestyle
59 TV Land Children & Family
60 Comedy Central Lifestyle
61 Spike TV Lifestyle
63 Style Lifestyle
64 Oxygen Lifestyle
65 Food Network Lifestyle
66 TV Guide Channel News & Info
70 FX Lifestyle
71 HSN Lifestyle
72 Versus Sports
73 The Travel Channel Lifestyle
74 Leased Access News & Info
96 Univision# Multicultural
98 C-SPAN News & Info
99 C-SPAN 2 News & Info
166 FearNet ON DEMAND
194 Movies On Demand ON DEMAND HD ON
246 Telemundo Multicultural
298 Local Channel On Demand ON DEMAND HD ON
299 Free Movies! On Demand ON DEMAND HD ON
401 Sounds of the Seasons Music
402 Today's Country Music
403 Classic Country Music
404 Bluegrass Music
405 Hip Hop and R&B Music
406 Classic R&B Music
407 R&B Soul Music
408 R&B Hits Music
409 Rap Music
410 Metal Music
411 Rock Music
412 Arena Rock Music
413 Classic Rock Music
414 Adult Alternative Music
415 Alternative Music
416 Retro-Active Music
417 Electronica Music
418 Dance Music
419 Lite Hits Music
421 Hit List Music
423 Party Favorites Music
424 Showcase Music
425 '90s Music
426 '80s Music
427 '70s Music
428 Solid Gold Oldies Music
429 Smooth Jazz Music
430 Jazz Music
431 Blues Music
432 Reggae Music
433 Soundscapes Music
434 Easy Listening Music
435 Big Band & Swing Music
436 Singers & Standards Music
437 Show Tunes Music
438 Contemporary Christian Music
439 Gospel Music
440 Classical Masterpieces Music
441 Light Classical Music
442 Pop Latino Music
443 Musica Urbana Music
444 Salsa Merengue Music
446 Rock en Espanol Music
448 Opera Music
501 - 502 iNDEMAND 1-2 Pay-Per-View
503 - 507 iNDEMAND Pay-Per-View
508 Hot Choice Pay-Per-View
544 Playboy Pay-Per-View
545 fresh! Pay-Per-View
546 shorteez Pay-Per-View
549 TEN Pay-Per-View
701 - 706 GamePlan / Full Court 1-6 Pay-Per-View
750 NBA PREVIEW Sports
751 - 761 NBA PPV Pay-Per-View
771 NHL/MLB 1 Pay-Per-View
772 NHL/MLB 2 Pay-Per-View
773 NHL/MLB 3 Pay-Per-View
774 NHL/MLB 4 Pay-Per-View
775 NHL/MLB 5 Pay-Per-View
776 NHL/MLB 6 Pay-Per-View
777 NHL/MLB 7 Pay-Per-View
778 NHL/MLB 8 Pay-Per-View
779 NHL/MLB 9 Pay-Per-View
780 NHL/MLB 10 Pay-Per-View
781 MLB 11 Pay-Per-View
782 MLB 12 Pay-Per-View
783 MLB 13 Pay-Per-View
784 MLB 14 Pay-Per-View
*Analog Channel Location Only
post #2052 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by yotoad View Post

hello everyone -- i have an HDTV, live in the Forest Hills area and just bought a OTA indoor antenna -- the Terk HDTVa -- i only receive 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 8.1, 8.2 -- no channel 5, 17 in HD -- channel 58 shows up in my list, but it doesn't come through at all.

I have an attic antenna that is old and huge -- i wonder if i could convert it to catch the signals? the wire that it connects to isn't coax, it's a weird six-pronged connection that looks like two "^"s on top of each other.

anyway -- two questions -- what's the best OTA antenna that can fit in a cabinet (wife's requirement) or could i convert the old antenna to coax cable?

i am a complete newbie, just for you to know

just want to catch all the big stations that i can.

thanks!
yotoad

Hi Yotoad,

Welcome to the wild and woolly world of antenna physics. There is a lot already posted here and in the antenna forum one level up that discusses this, but I'll try to sum up some of the things you'll be faced with.

First, there is no such thing as an HD antenna. So guess what? That old antenna that's been in your house since the '70's will probably pick up many of the area HD stations. That being said, it still may be not the best possible antenna for the job. But it's there and it's probably worth a try.

Most of the old antennas put on top of homes and in attics are some type of directional Yagi type antenna. That is it has some sort of center rod with branches on both sides, often at an angle, and a device called a reflector at one end. Properly pointed, the antenna should look this this:

/ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\
<--------------- ********************Station Tower**
\\ / / / / /

Where the object on the left of this figure is the reflector.

Antennas aren't magic...they can only pick up the airborne signal based on the strength of the signal, it's clarity and the design of the antenna to maximize the signal. It cannot make the signal more powerful. You may have seen or heard of powered antenna boosters. They DO NOT boost the ability of the antenna to catch the signal. What they do is take the signal and boost it for the trip down the wire where it eventiually gets to your TV.

That trip down the wire results in signal loss for every foot it travels. The signal is measured in decibels, much like audio waves. The scale is plus or minus zero where 0 is considered background noise. So if the incoming signal is +15 dbs and it loses 8 dbs of strength going down the wire to your TV, it ends up at 7 dbs for the destination. But what if the signal coming in is only +6 dbs? If it loses 8 dbs on the way to the TV, then your TV's receiver can't distinquish the signal for other background noise and you get no picture. An antenna booster might take the +6 db signal and add another +15 dbs to it, giving your TV a much better chance of receiving it.

But sometimes even boosters aren't enough. The signal for a far away station might just be too weak to begin with. A crappy antenna booster might introduce too much noise into the signal its trying to amplify...this wasn't a big problem in the pre-digital TV era but now that signal must be pristine enough to discern digital data. And your antenna might not have the best design to grab a good clean signal from the air. Finally, terrain is a huge problem for many of us. Hills, buldings, and even leafy trees can be enough to block TV signals (those of us in Bellevue near you know the terrain problems well). An indoor attic mounting will also decrease the amount of decibels your antenna can discern....mounting outside gives you a much better shot.

The good news is that you can probably do some experiments with your old attic antenna to see if you can pick up HD television towers. Even with its age, it's surface area and height in the house means its far more likely to pick up a good signal versus a small indoor antenna near your TV. Your first problem is the cable itself. It sounds like you have some sort of proprietary design used a long time ago. All antennas of this kind have two flat screw-in 300 ohm leads someone on its spine (just like all old TVs used to have up until the 1980s). You can easily attach a 300 ohm->75 ohm (coax) converter at this point and connect it to a conventional coax cable. Converters of this type are still available from places like Radio Shack. Or if you want to better your chances, consider a antenna booster which will have the necessary circuitry built in. Radio Shack sells them too but the gold standard in boosters is the Channelmaster 7777. Randolf and Rice (downtown around the corner from Deja Vu) carries it locally or you can find it on the Internet. If the cable from the antenna to the TV isn't a coax cable, consider replacing it. If you do this yourself, make sure you use quality cable like RG-6 type coax, not the cheap RG-59 cable. Again, make sure that the length of cable from the antenna to the TV is as short as possible since every foot weakens the signal.

Now yagi type antennas are directional meaning that you must point them in the proper direction to get the best signal. The best resource on the web to determine which way your antenna should point is antennaweb.org. But since you're in Forest Hills, its safe to say that you have some challenges. Channel 4's antenna is about 6-7 miles NW of you on Knob Hill off White Bridge Rd. Channel 5, 17, 30 and 58's antennas are all on the same hilltop in north Nashville 15-17 miles away from you and your biggest challenge. Your easiest and strongest signal is Channel 2 and Channel 8's shared tower which if you have a good view to the south, I bet you can see it just south of Old Hickory Blvd just east of Hillsboro Rd. If you point your antenna to the north to get the distant towers, you'll be pointing away from Channel 2 and 8. But that may still work for you since those towers are so strong, odds are their signal will be reflected off of something to the north of you and bounce back. This is called multipath and can be a huge problem in antenna reception, but can be beneficial in cases like this. In the old days, HDTVs handled multipathed signals badly but advances in technology have minimized this problem for many people. If this doesn't work for you, you might have to resort to an antenna rotator (yup, just like the 1970s). A friend of mine with a house in Donelson has this problem and uses a rotator.

Even configured correctly and amplified, your attic antenna still may not be enough to pick up the signals on the north side of town. But its probably worth a try since you appear to at least be able to partially bring in Channel 58 with a small antenna. If this doesn't work, then your only option is to replace the antenna with a model that promises better overall signal gain and/or move it to a mast on the roof of your house. We folks in Bellevue have had notoriously rotten luck with some of these stations mostly due to the hills in the area. Forest Hills has its own challenges, but again, location is everything.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
post #2053 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by yotoad View Post

hello everyone -- i have an HDTV, live in the Forest Hills area and just bought a OTA indoor antenna -- the Terk HDTVa -- i only receive 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 8.1, 8.2 -- no channel 5, 17 in HD -- channel 58 shows up in my list, but it doesn't come through at all.

The HDTVa is a decent indoor antenna. I would actually suggest moving this antenna up to the attic to see if things clear up. OTA reception usually gets much better as you move the antenna higher (attic or roof) because the signal passes through less building material and you're picking up less signal scatter / bounces (signal reflections make it harder to decode the channel).

Quote:


I have an attic antenna that is old and huge -- i wonder if i could convert it to catch the signals? the wire that it connects to isn't coax, it's a weird six-pronged connection that looks like two "^"s on top of each other.

Can you post a picture of the antenna and connector?

If this antenna was used successfully in the past for analog TV, I'm sure it will also work great for your new TV as long as we can figure out the right interconnect.

Quote:


anyway -- two questions -- what's the best OTA antenna that can fit in a cabinet (wife's requirement) or could i convert the old antenna to coax cable?

If you must keep the antenna close to the TV, the unamplified Terk HDTVi might be a little better. Amps can sometimes make things worse rather than better. Amplified antennas generally don't improve things unless the cable length is fairly long (> 30 ft) or if the signal is split to multiple destinations. If you end up moving the antenna up to the attic, then you're fine sticking with the amplified HDTVa.

Be warned that indoor reception can be very unpredictable. There's a lot of hidden "stuff" (pipes, ducts, wires, foil-backed insulation, metallic objects, neighbors, etc.) in and around your house that can cause reception difficulties. As you move up, your antenna starts to rise above most of the interference sources and the system performance becomes more predictable.

For indoor reception, there's just no substitute for trial-and-error, so be prepared in case your particular situation is not so cut-and-dry. You may want to return products that don't work out for you, so check the return policy of your sources.



It would also be helpful if you could enter your exact address into the analysis tools at antennaweb.org or tvfool.com and then post your results here (just the digital channel list is enough). This will tell us the strength and direction of the incoming signals, so that a suitable antenna setup can be suggested.



Best regards,
Andy
post #2054 of 3710
wow -- first of all thank you for your help and information -- I am such a newcomer to this and am a bit overwhelmed - i haven't had cable for 8 years, and now that I have an HDTV i'm excited that I can still save money and have great-looking tv!

the antenna in the attic definitely does NOT have coax cable attached to it, so i guess the first step would be to get the converter from radioshack and then running the coax (this would be the greatest challenge!) I would probably run the coax down the chimney into the crawl space, then back up behind the TV. right now the wall i have my entertainment center on does NOT have a cable hookup, so I'd have to figure that out.

also I might go for converter that doesn't amplify -- i figure that the antenna that's up there would work without it, plus they're not that expensive.

so basically i have a lot of things to figure out

i'm looking for the cheapest solution out there -- if the antenna picks up anything, i'd be happy.

if this is too much for me, who'd be a good person to call for this type of setup?

yotoad




Quote:
Originally Posted by Sevenfeet View Post

Hi Yotoad,

Welcome to the wild and woolly world of antenna physics. There is a lot already posted here and in the antenna forum one level up that discusses this, but I'll try to sum up some of the things you'll be faced with.

First, there is no such thing as an HD antenna. So guess what? That old antenna that's been in your house since the '70's will probably pick up many of the area HD stations. That being said, it still may be not the best possible antenna for the job. But it's there and it's probably worth a try.

Most of the old antennas put on top of homes and in attics are some type of directional Yagi type antenna. That is it has some sort of center rod with branches on both sides, often at an angle, and a device called a reflector at one end. Properly pointed, the antenna should look this this:

/ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\
<--------------- ********************Station Tower**
\\ / / / / /

Where the object on the left of this figure is the reflector.

Antennas aren't magic...they can only pick up the airborne signal based on the strength of the signal, it's clarity and the design of the antenna to maximize the signal. It cannot make the signal more powerful. You may have seen or heard of powered antenna boosters. They DO NOT boost the ability of the antenna to catch the signal. What they do is take the signal and boost it for the trip down the wire where it eventiually gets to your TV.

That trip down the wire results in signal loss for every foot it travels. The signal is measured in decibels, much like audio waves. The scale is plus or minus zero where 0 is considered background noise. So if the incoming signal is +15 dbs and it loses 8 dbs of strength going down the wire to your TV, it ends up at 7 dbs for the destination. But what if the signal coming in is only +6 dbs? If it loses 8 dbs on the way to the TV, then your TV's receiver can't distinquish the signal for other background noise and you get no picture. An antenna booster might take the +6 db signal and add another +15 dbs to it, giving your TV a much better chance of receiving it.

But sometimes even boosters aren't enough. The signal for a far away station might just be too weak to begin with. A crappy antenna booster might introduce too much noise into the signal its trying to amplify...this wasn't a big problem in the pre-digital TV era but now that signal must be pristine enough to discern digital data. And your antenna might not have the best design to grab a good clean signal from the air. Finally, terrain is a huge problem for many of us. Hills, buldings, and even leafy trees can be enough to block TV signals (those of us in Bellevue near you know the terrain problems well). An indoor attic mounting will also decrease the amount of decibels your antenna can discern....mounting outside gives you a much better shot.

The good news is that you can probably do some experiments with your old attic antenna to see if you can pick up HD television towers. Even with its age, it's surface area and height in the house means its far more likely to pick up a good signal versus a small indoor antenna near your TV. Your first problem is the cable itself. It sounds like you have some sort of proprietary design used a long time ago. All antennas of this kind have two flat screw-in 300 ohm leads someone on its spine (just like all old TVs used to have up until the 1980s). You can easily attach a 300 ohm->75 ohm (coax) converter at this point and connect it to a conventional coax cable. Converters of this type are still available from places like Radio Shack. Or if you want to better your chances, consider a antenna booster which will have the necessary circuitry built in. Radio Shack sells them too but the gold standard in boosters is the Channelmaster 7777. Randolf and Rice (downtown around the corner from Deja Vu) carries it locally or you can find it on the Internet. If the cable from the antenna to the TV isn't a coax cable, consider replacing it. If you do this yourself, make sure you use quality cable like RG-6 type coax, not the cheap RG-59 cable. Again, make sure that the length of cable from the antenna to the TV is as short as possible since every foot weakens the signal.

Now yagi type antennas are directional meaning that you must point them in the proper direction to get the best signal. The best resource on the web to determine which way your antenna should point is antennaweb.org. But since you're in Forest Hills, its safe to say that you have some challenges. Channel 4's antenna is about 6-7 miles NW of you on Knob Hill off White Bridge Rd. Channel 5, 17, 30 and 58's antennas are all on the same hilltop in north Nashville 15-17 miles away from you and your biggest challenge. Your easiest and strongest signal is Channel 2 and Channel 8's shared tower which if you have a good view to the south, I bet you can see it just south of Old Hickory Blvd just east of Hillsboro Rd. If you point your antenna to the north to get the distant towers, you'll be pointing away from Channel 2 and 8. But that may still work for you since those towers are so strong, odds are their signal will be reflected off of something to the north of you and bounce back. This is called multipath and can be a huge problem in antenna reception, but can be beneficial in cases like this. In the old days, HDTVs handled multipathed signals badly but advances in technology have minimized this problem for many people. If this doesn't work for you, you might have to resort to an antenna rotator (yup, just like the 1970s). A friend of mine with a house in Donelson has this problem and uses a rotator.

Even configured correctly and amplified, your attic antenna still may not be enough to pick up the signals on the north side of town. But its probably worth a try since you appear to at least be able to partially bring in Channel 58 with a small antenna. If this doesn't work, then your only option is to replace the antenna with a model that promises better overall signal gain and/or move it to a mast on the roof of your house. We folks in Bellevue have had notoriously rotten luck with some of these stations mostly due to the hills in the area. Forest Hills has its own challenges, but again, location is everything.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
post #2055 of 3710
andy,
i can post a picture of the antenna and the connector probably later on this weekend -- i'm ridiculously busy until sunday afternoon . . . but i'll get to it as soon as i can --

here's my information from tvfool

yotoad

Quote:
Originally Posted by andy.s.lee View Post

The HDTVa is a decent indoor antenna. I would actually suggest moving this antenna up to the attic to see if things clear up. OTA reception usually gets much better as you move the antenna higher (attic or roof) because the signal passes through less building material and you're picking up less signal scatter / bounces (signal reflections make it harder to decode the channel).



Can you post a picture of the antenna and connector?

If this antenna was used successfully in the past for analog TV, I'm sure it will also work great for your new TV as long as we can figure out the right interconnect.



If you must keep the antenna close to the TV, the unamplified Terk HDTVi might be a little better. Amps can sometimes make things worse rather than better. Amplified antennas generally don't improve things unless the cable length is fairly long (> 30 ft) or if the signal is split to multiple destinations. If you end up moving the antenna up to the attic, then you're fine sticking with the amplified HDTVa.

Be warned that indoor reception can be very unpredictable. There's a lot of hidden "stuff" (pipes, ducts, wires, foil-backed insulation, metallic objects, neighbors, etc.) in and around your house that can cause reception difficulties. As you move up, your antenna starts to rise above most of the interference sources and the system performance becomes more predictable.

For indoor reception, there's just no substitute for trial-and-error, so be prepared in case your particular situation is not so cut-and-dry. You may want to return products that don't work out for you, so check the return policy of your sources.



It would also be helpful if you could enter your exact address into the analysis tools at antennaweb.org or tvfool.com and then post your results here (just the digital channel list is enough). This will tell us the strength and direction of the incoming signals, so that a suitable antenna setup can be suggested.



Best regards,
Andy


LL
post #2056 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by yotoad View Post

here's my information from tvfool

It looks like you're right underneath the transmitters for WKRN and WNPT (only 0.6 miles to the east). WSMV is also pretty strong (6.6 miles to the north). Now I can see why you had such an easy time picking up these three channels right off the bat with the indoor antenna.

Most of the other channels are also to the north, but they are a bit weaker. Since they are showing "1Edge" and "2Edge" under the "Path" column, it probably means they are behind some hills and cannot reach you via a direct line-of-sight path. An attic or roof installation is probably necessary to get signals at these levels and I don't think the Terk HDTVa is such a good fit for this situation. You're welcome to try the Terk since you already have it, but in cases like this, I would usually recommend a different antenna.

This situation is a little tricky because you are trying to pick up some weaker signals with a couple of very strong transmitters nearby. With signals this strong, you need to watch out for amp and tuner overload.

Since you already have an attic antenna, that's the first thing to try. Chances are that all you will need is a balun (converts between twin lead and coax) and some RG-6 to get it connected to your TV. But we'll know more once we see the antenna and connector. Do you have any idea what the make and model number are?

It's best to try without any amps in the chain first because of the possible overload problem.

Best regards,
Andy
post #2057 of 3710
I'll try to take a picture of the antenna and the connector as soon as i can so we can check it out. the house was built in the 60s, so i think it's been there since then
post #2058 of 3710
when i get up there this evening, where should this guy be pointing? i've only been up there once and i just had more insulation blown up there, so i'm hoping i can just cut the existing wire (leaving some there for the coax converter of course) and then run the wire downstairs. i have a ranch style house, so i think 50 feet of rg6 will do me. i just don't know how to get the cable from the attic to the wall -- i'm guessing get it down to the crawl space then work my way in from the floor. like i said, the wall the tv is on (in the entertainment center) does NOT have a cable hookup, just a power outlet and a telephone jack.

i'm handy, just not sure how handy i'll need to be to get this antenna tested.
post #2059 of 3710
Nothing wrong with asking a single OTA question in the Comcast forum, but this really needs to be moved to the Nashville OTA forum for further discussion.

Not trying to be the thread cop and I do subscribe to both, but folks with Comcast (only) really have no interest in OTA matters and the folks that only watch the OTA thread can't jump in to help out.

Dennis
post #2060 of 3710
i'll watch that thread for responses . . . thanks
post #2061 of 3710
i posted pictures in the OTA thread - thanks
post #2062 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaboWabo View Post

Whats the difference between Comcast's Full Basic vs Digital Starter package if using a cable card and no box? Do you get more HD channels in the DS Package? They are both listed at the same price of $52.50 per month

If you get the digital starter with a cable card, you will get exactly what you get with standard basic except many of the channels are broadcast as SD, plus Hallmark (137), Movieplex (149), Game Show Network (179), and about 50 Music Choice channels. I don't think you get any HD channels with the cable card unless you pay extra for the HD package.

If your TV has a clear QAM tuner, you can plug the cable line directly into the TV (bypassing the cable card) and get all digital and analog channels that are not scrambled, and the local channels in HD without paying any extra for them. However, the digital and HD will not be mapped to the Comcast's published channel numbers. The cable card or set top box does the channel mapping.
post #2063 of 3710
I've confirmed that the $52.50 Digital Starter package does get all the HD channels (except National Geographic HD) with a cablecard without paying for the HD package. And the $52.50 Standard Cable package (basic + expanded) with a cablecard will only get the local network HD channels plus Mojo.
post #2064 of 3710
Does anyone with TV Guide On Screen (TVGOS) know how to configure it to get the listings for Fox Sports South, Universal HD, and Encore Movieplex? I don't see those channels anywhere in the setup when using a Nashville zip code and Comcast.
post #2065 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaboWabo View Post

I've confirmed that the $52.50 Digital Starter package does get all the HD channels (except National Geographic HD) with a cablecard without paying for the HD package. And the $52.50 Standard Cable package (basic + expanded) with a cablecard will only get the local network HD channels plus Mojo.

what device do you have ?
a tivo hd/s3?
if so, how do you manage the hd channels, do they show up normally in the guide even though they are qam?
and what numbers do they map out as. the offical lineup for digital starter does not list any hd channels,
post #2066 of 3710
I have a LG 42LB1DR LCD television that has a bult-in DVR and it uses TV Guide On Screen and a cablecard. The TVGOS gets most all of the HD channel data except the ones I listed above.
post #2067 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaboWabo View Post

I have a LG 42LB1DR LCD television that has a bult-in DVR and it uses TV Guide On Screen and a cablecard. The TVGOS gets most all of the HD channel data except the ones I listed above.

I wonder if anyone else's experience is similar with a TivoHD or a Series 3.
post #2068 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by andydumi View Post

I wonder if anyone else's experience is similar with a TivoHD or a Series 3.

I have 2 HDTiVo's, 2 Series 2 TiVo's, and one Comcast PVR box - all of them properly show me all HD stations information and channel numbers with no problems.
post #2069 of 3710
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wryker View Post

I have 2 HDTiVo's, 2 Series 2 TiVo's, and one Comcast PVR box - all of them properly show me all HD stations information and channel numbers with no problems.

But what level of service do you have. Do you pay for the HD channels to Comcast?

It seems from his reports that without paying the HD fee, he gets the HD channels (not just QAM locals) in full including the Discovery, TNT, AE, Animal Planet...

My idea is that I can switch from my current setup of Comcast with DVR and HD subscriptions with a Series 2 and a Motorola DVR to a TivoHD and Series 2 with just the cable subscription and no DVR or HD fee by getting an M card.

That way the 15 dollar DVR/HD fee gets reduced to the 6.95 for MSD for an additional Tivo on my plan. Plus I should be able to get a regular box without DVR that I can use for On Demand programs.
post #2070 of 3710
If he gets the HD channels w/o paying for them, then that is just a fluke/glitch in the system and you would not be able to replicate that without being really lucky.

I am on limited basic ($13 per month) and with a free M cablecard in an HD Tivo and only get what I am supposed to get - locals in HD + Mojo. If I pull out the cable card, I can get some other clear QAM stuff - some all the time, some time to time (in demand) that does not show up when the CC is in place.

If you had limited basic and no trap, then you could get the analog channels you are not supposed to get (ESPN, etc) if you don't use the cablecard, as soon as you plug it in those would be blocked by the card so no need for the trap.

If Comcast properly programs your card you will get nothing extra, if they fail to, then you get freebie. I would not count on getting anything other than what is list in their package guide online.

Dennis
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