Traverse City, MI - HDTV - Page 55

I miss 5.1 too, but I also hated when a show was in 5.1 but sound was only coming out of the left and right speakers and I couldn't apply Pro-logic to it so I could get dialog out of my center speaker, I just wish they knew more about sound than they do.

Anyone else having picture break up, pixellation, tiling or whatever you want to call it, on 7 (47) and 29 out of Kalkaska? It's on both OTA and Ace Comm. IPTV. What's it look like on Charter, Dish and Direct?

I have break up on 47 & 29 over the air and on Dish Network. I'm guessing they have some sort of problem with their fiber line between TC and their Kalkaska transmitters.

I've noticed it on OTA. Sure would be nice to get it resolved, as my wife is ticked when it ruins Grey's.

I received a response from an engineer at WPBN this morning:

Our broadcast signal gets to the Kalkaska transmitter via a Charter fiber optic feed. Charter was/and is having some problems in their fiber network. They are working to address and correct the problem.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your submission.

I saw it a bunch during Event last night on NBC. Glad they are aware of the problem.

Last Thursday's reponse from WPBN about their less than stellar signal out of Kalkaska:

They (Charter) were here working on it Tues and Wed and believe they have it isolated. They need to replace equipment here, in Kalkaska and in Saute Ste. Marie. They need to get that from their corporate storage facility and I don't know when that will all come together as it is out of our hands.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your submission.

Here's some contacts at 7&4:
kwierman@upnorthlive.com
nhess@upnorthlive.com
gclough@upnorthlive.com

I'm not sure what was worse last night, the Bears or 7&4's signal. I did manage to pick up 50 from Harrietta. It was only 50%, but no break ups.

A little OT from the current NBC/ABC issues, but.......

Just bought a 47" Vizio. On CBS (9.1) we get an awful audio-sync issue. Using a DTV box (Zenith DTT901) on an old TV the audio sync is just fine. It doesn't SEEM to be on other channels, but we've only had it a few hours (while we've been home, anyway).

Is it the TV?
Is it 9&10?

At this point the TV goes back because of it.

HELP!!!!

Are you checking both TV's at the same time? I haven't watched 9 tonight, but they have had audio/video sync problems in the past. It's not the TV if the problem is only on one channel. I bet your picture looks a lot better, now!

I just checked 9 on the IPTV receiver (Ace Comm) and there is slight, but noticeable sync problem. Maybe it's just that you can see people's lips better on the new TV?

We checked at the same time. Me in an old-tv room and my wife on the new TV. her saying its awful, me saying its fine.

I was focusing on the lips and it was fine on other TVs. It was off AT LEAST a word on the big TV. I don't get it.

I emailed Vizio to see WTF.

What do I do? At this point, the TV has to go back because of it. Its about unwatchable.

Still seeing sync issues with 9.1.
Vizio tech support had me do some re-scans. Might have been better for a while, but its back to being bad.

Do you think the TV is bad (i.e. - should I exchange it?), or there's something wrong with the design (i.e. - I should return it?)....?

I can't find people with the same issue online, but it is a very new TV too, plus not many people do solely OTA.

Does someone have a *reliable* contact at 9&10 that I could call or email?

Contact Scott Michael Trager and he'll pass it on to their engineers if he doesn't know.

@aeblank
My most common sync problem differs from you. I almost always have sync issues with 7.1 /.2 and 29.1 /.2 that come off the Kalkaska tower. For me, 9's signal (and 45's from Vanderbilt) is more likely to be in sync even though 9's signal strength is a bit lower at my location.

I've had a VIZIO TV for a few years. Lip sync has been an issue from the beginning.

I have and outdoor antenna with booster as well as Dish TV. Channels from both sources will have sync problems at times.

I'm considering making the jump to DirecTV from DISH. Just wondering if those audio problems on local stations have been fixed on Direct? I;ll probably get the add on off-air receiver for the Direct DVR anyway, but I was wondering how the audio was sounding off the satellite.

After experiencing terrible audio brrrrrips and dropouts on the local stations since I had DirecTV installed in May 2009, I finally took guffy1's advice and "moved" to the Green Bay DMA. For the first time, I have all 4 networks with perfect audio and an amazing picture. WPBN and WGTU (NBC and ABC) were nearly unwatchable. Constant audio hiccups and picture freezes/skips. Only during primetime though. I couldn't figure that out. Other network programming like the Today Show in the morning had no problems at all, motion pixelization aside. I don't know how the locals look on Dish Network, but if you're happy with them, and don't feel like getting up to date with "The Wisconsin Dairy News", I'd stay put.

First of all, that's fraud. Secondly, what is the point of having local stations if they aren't local?

He's not "stealing cable" from his neighbor. He's still paying for DirecTV's service. Besides, he gets the weather reports before the rest of us.

Place the blame where it's deserved: Barrington/Tucker.

Would you consider it fraud to buy a Chicago newspaper because your hometown paper stinks? Same news, just a more professional operation.

It may be a violation of the Directv TOS, but it certainly isn't fraud, good Lord that's a whole lot of drama right there!

Anyways, Ive been a Directv customer for about two and half years now and Ive moved my service address 6 to 8 times. So Directv certainly does not care that's for sure. Don't ask, don't tell, no big freaking deal.

If anything is fraud its the Traverse City local HD channels. Whether it be OTA, Directv, Dish or Cable those two channels (ABC and NBC) should not be allowed to call themselves HD. I would be straight up embarrassed to have guests over to my house and watch any programming on TC's NBC or ABC. No one should have to watch that garbage.

By the way Frost, if you wanted to stay in a Michigan market Grand Rapids signal is great up here in TC as well. Consistent mid 80's... That's what I'm using right now due to needing to be in a Lions market.

Ill never go back to those TC channels. The only thing different is I don't get local news. Do I really care that a cat climbed up a tree and got rescued by the TCFD? No I do not...lol

I still pay for the TC local channels from Charter, so I'm not completely out of the loop.

Where to begin with all this.... First, faking your television market has no relation to buying an out of town newspaper. Newspapers are not awarded franchises to serve a particular area. The area a television station serves is protected by law. Thus, faking a move is indeed fraud. You not only take the legally entitled subscriber fee away from the TV station (which doesn't amount to a hill of beans, and is insignificant in small numbers) but if somebody else takes your unfortunate advice, and they are issued a ratings book from Neilson, it could cost the TV station tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. One subscriber. If you want your TV stations to get better, purposely circumventing the law, thus taking money away, would seem counterproductive. All 4 local affiliates have seen staff cuts in the past two years, and need the revenue to which they are legally entitled.
Additionally, the audio problem was not WPBN or WGTU's fault. It was on Direct's end. They had equipment in many markets that was not compatible with the signal being provided. I have learned from many other Direct subscribers that is has now been fixed, and locals are crystal clear now, just like Green Bay.
I doubt that any of you have the attention span to have read this far, but if you have, be aware that the upcoming battle between Fox O and O's and DISH network will likely force an audit of satellite service addresses.

The TC local channels are "crystal clear" now? After a year and a half of writing to them and complaining, all it took was a forum post about moving? Are they running WPBN in 1080i and 5.1? I was embarrassed to have convinced two of my neighbors to sign up for DirecTV with the sorry state of the local channels. Watching Nightly News on NBC last night at their house was the same old stuttering mess it's been since we had it installed in spring 2009.

It doesn't have anything to do with the audio issues for me. It has to do with two "HD" channels (ABC and NBC) sharing bandwitdth, making the HD picture quality beyond hideous, regardless of provider. Im sorry but delivery of an HD channel at around 8 mbs is not even close to acceptable.

I highly doubt SonyLCD has any idea what I'm talking about, but that's my issue with the TC local HD channels. They look like complete ass! Not even remotely close to crystal clear compared to Green Bay ABC and NBC.

When these two channels stop sharing the bandwidth that should be allocated to only one HD channel I will switch back to TC locals. Translation: I will never allow those channels in my home. LOL

Three Barrington/Tucker UHF stations in Northern Michigan are less than 100kW ERP: WTOM, WGTU, and WLUC. That kind of signal is pretty pathetic. Hence the need to share with WPBN and WGTQ. Is Barrington that tight with capital?

Imagine if the WTOM and WGTU transmitters were more than flea powered...then you could offer CW, My TV, This, or RTV as a SD subchannel.

Word from WPBN/WGTU engineers is that they are still working to correct the audio & video problems:

"We have equipment to install, we have tower work to do and Charter has equipment to change. We hope to have the work completed some time next week."

Excellent points, Barrington PROFITS went up last quarter from 28 million to 32 million. Rather then seeing how rich they can get, some of this money should go for the items you outlined above

Has there ever been anything mentioned about WFUP going HD for Fox? I know they have CBS in HD on 45-2, but are they intending on keeping it that way or switching them around? I tried searching back a ways but couldn't really find any definitive answers.

once again these two channels 7&4, 29, 9&32 or what ever they call themselves are Mickey Mouse operations.. ever watch 9&10 postage stamp highschool football hi lites. Give me a break..