Traverse City, MI - HDTV - Page 58

Just did a manual scan of all 135 Cable Digital TV (CADTV) channels that my qam tuner receives with my current basic charter package.

I only found the following Charter CADTV ITC feeds (as of November 18, 2011):

7-1 WFQXH (FOX) 720p
7-2 WGTUD (ABC) 720p

13-1 WPBND ((NBC) 720p
13-3 WWTVD (CBS) 1080p

Strange (and pretty worthless) feed comes thru 108-1 – Charter On-Demand saying its channel 1 - it only shows up at top right of center in a ‘widescreen’ ratio but only taking up about 1/8 of screen.

What else is pretty worthless is the feed interruptions on those four network ITC feeds – on the half-hour anywhere between 8pm to midnight and especially just about always at 11pm the ITC feed will either go out (so it seems) or distort or switch to the other multiplexed channel! You have to either turn off the power on the set or switch the channel up/down or down/up to get the feed back! After observing this for almost two years, my guess is that it has something to do with the actual network feed to the local station and how it is being switched. And in this case it appears Charter cable does not care since technically they are In The Clear by the FCC regulation to carry the locals ITC! They would rather sell you an upgrade to their pervasive ‘Digital’ STB.

As expressed before apparently PBS/(WCMV) is not considered as a local channel hence Charter does not carry ITC at least with the TC feed.

Using my in-house TC second floor antenna for DTV (OTA) – all the ‘local’ channels that I can tune into my LG set are below. Signal strength is using the LG set’s monitor.

As of November 18, 2011 I am receiving the following OTA ‘DTV’ channels:

(actual DTV 47 morphed into 7-1 & 7-2) [signal 80%]
7-1 WPBN HD (NBC) 720p
7-2 WGTU HD (ABC) 720p

(actual DTV 40 morphed into 9-1 & 9-2) [signal 90%]
9-1 WWTV HD (CBS) 1080 (best looking HD resolution of all TC HDTV channels!)
9-2 WFQX SD (FOX) 480i (looks worse, after further study, than supposed 720p CADTV ITC feed @ 7-1)

(actual DTV 17 morphed into 27-1, 27-2 & 27-3) [signal 70%]
27-1 WCMV HD (PBS) 720p
27-2 WCMV SD (PBS) 480i
27-3 WCMV SD (Create) 480i
The WCMV channels all suggest Multi Audio channels but to-date only seems to be English.

(actual DTV 29!) [signal 55 %]
29-1 WGTU HD (ABC) 720p
29-2 WPBN HD (NBC) 720p

WWTVD is actually 1080i.

Is there a way you could record the Charter On Demand video and post it to YouTube? There are multiple On Demand channels but Charter advertises it as being on channel 1.

Is WWTVD actually 1080i? My LG set only does up to 1080i resolution so I put 1080p with the CADTV listing guessing that it was broadcast at 1080p. Regardless, WWTVD is still the best HDTV local channel in northern Michigan currently.

The Charter On Demand that I get on CADTV 108-1 is their on-demand and movie ordering advertising channel. Guess its worthwhile for glimpsing movie previews . . .

Had a great picture on 40-1 and 40-2 this morning.....no picture this afternoon.....anyone else having a problem. Thanks

Checking DTV 40-1 & 40-2 tonite at 10:40pm, Friday Dec 2nd - coming in fine as reported before:
(actual DTV 40 morphed into 9-1 & 9-2) [signal 90%]9-1 WWTV HD (CBS) 1080i (best looking HD resolution of all TC HDTV channels!)
9-2 WFQX SD (FOX) 480i (looks no different than supposed 720p CADTV ITC feed @ 7-1)

Maybe they had an outage as I did receive an email reply from Pete Ludviksen
Director of Operations with 9&10 on Friday, November 18, 2011 that they were currently program testing their new translator for the Traverse Bay area.

Anybody notice the new great programming, (America One), on WLLZ-TV12, channel 72 on charter cable. I noticed it on Saturday, I thing they like many of RTV affiliates are dropping RTV for MeTV, I think it would be a good move, even better than America One programing

Broadcasters use either 1080i or 720p for HD.

1080i
CBS
NBC
PBS
The CW

720p
ABC
FOX
My Network TV
ION

1080p is primarily from Blu-ray, limited PPV movies from DBS providers, some video games, and a few other sources like select HD camcorders.

What is the quality of the video like now? I haven't watched WLLZ-LP (MYTV12), since WWE SmackDown was on MyNetwork TV.

To the note above:

If a cable company has 3D On Demand then wouldn't 1080p be used for that. My Cable System (Charter Communications Traverse City-Cadillac), has 3D On Demand.

Nope. No cableco does 1080p, 3D or otherwise. It would either be 1080i or 720p, at half resolution.

Jed,
I talked to one of there techs at channel 12 a while ago, and he told me they were doing way with all there video tape playback of shows an going with digital server for all the shows. I thing there look good on the air, although they are still analog and have not gone HD yet.
If you like wrestling, you should check out "Wreslicious" all girl wrestling, on Saturday nights at 1:30 am on channel 12.

It must be a chilling statement about 'HDTV' broadcasting that WFQX (FOX) transmits OTA @ only 480i but somehow upscales it to 720p for Charter cable.

So it apparently means that either Charter cable gets an actual HDTV signal from WFQX or it is 'upscaled' from 480i to 720p.

After making a cursory search for HDTV broadcasting requirements, it appears that the only real requirement is DTV which can come in at the cheesy looking 480i. It was a real bummer watching the grainy and fuzzy broadcast today of the Packers getting destroyed by the Giants in the playoffs. Unofficially, WFQX (FOX) claims to broadcast a HD signal but it clear that is false since the OTA signal is only 480i which is SDTV.

Strangely enough the company that owns WFQX also owns WWTV HD (CBS) which broadcasts OTA @ 1080i - and that is the best resolution of any TC OTA HDTV channel. Wish me luck - I plan on querying the station about this via email. Betting that since money (cable) talks & that shi$ walks that I will be ignored . . .

Er, WFQX 32-1 is in 720p HD.

- Trip

Still stand by my post of 01/15 - WFQX (FOX) is broadcasting into Traverse City on my LG HDTV at 480i over the air on the (DTV tuner) digital channel 40 which gets translated to 9-2. The LG info read-out plainly shows the channel as WFQX-DT SD @ 16:9 ratio and a 480i resolution. And the resolution looks poor as a 480i would in comparison to at least 720p - and I was sure to watch FOX broadcasts such as Fringe last Friday night and of course the football playoffs.

If you have WFQX currently as 720p than perhaps you are receiving it from a different source such as cable? Or is it possible if you can pick it up from their main transmitter south/southeast of Cadillac and that it is 720p from there?

No, you are looking at their SD simulcast on 9-2. Channel 32 is HD, not 40.

Coverage map for 32: http://www.rabbitears.info/contour.p...=1347766&map=Y

TSReader data showing 720p: http://www.rabbitears.info/screencap.../25396-0_0.htm

- Trip

The only FOX channel that I receive in Traverse City over the air using a Terk antenna on my 2nd floor is on the (DTV tuner) digital channel 40 which gets translated to 9-2. It looks correct according to this page - http://www.rabbitears.info/market.ph...callsign=26994.

I get nothing on DTV channel 32, how anyone easily gets that OTA signal in Traverse City is a mystery. Unless they are not blocked by a hill like I am directly to my south and they have an external antenna OR they are up on Wayne Hill for instance - I guess. What I do know is that I had heard about a ‘translator’ going in up around Cedar Lake. And then the Director of Operations with 9&10 on Friday, November 18, 2011 emailed me that they were currently program testing their new translator for the Traverse Bay area. About that time CBS & FOX appeared on DTV OTA Channel 40, 9-1 & 9-2.

Trip are you located with Traverse City's city limits?

I still find it amazing that in today's TV broadcasting cable rules. There is scant readily found information about what channel you tune in to get over the air channels in TC. I feel now with no cable TV service and only OTA like a marginal viewer. For instance, how does a DTV OTA signal come in as almost 80% strength like the CBS & FOX signals yet cut out entirely every few moments like the new premiere of Alcatraz on FOX was doing last night especially during its first hour? Hopefully the DTV OTA Channel 40, 9-1 & 9-2 transmitter equipment will be upgraded soon - especially since 9-1 CBS comes thru at 1080i it would seem that FOX could come thru at least at 720p instead of 480i.

Nope, I'm in Tennessee. I just know a lot about over the air television.

WFQX actually filed for a translator in Traverse City, but the FCC has yet to grant its application. (They applied for 39 or 42, both are stalled.)

- Trip

Since Heritage Broadcast Group owns WWTV/WWUP that broadcasts CBS besides WFQX, its likely they are putting the multiplexed 9-2 OTA DTV channel 40 on that TC translator. The translator that was mentioned by the Director of Operations with 9&10 last November that they were program testing for the Traverse Bay area.

Guess it would nice to hear from someone else within TC actually who is receiving both CBS & FOX OTA in HD and what sort of antenna and signal they are receiving - DTV 40 or 32?

My folks are just west of TC not far from Martin's Tower on Cedar Run that has the ch. 40 translator. They've had good luck using a roof mounted UHF antenna similar to a Winegard 9075 with a Channel Master 7777 preamp to pick up ch. 32 out of Cadillac. The UHF antenna in the attic is hit and miss, mostly miss, for 32.

I'm in a first-floor apartment on Boardman Lake. Using a small indoor antenna I have an excellent signal on 40 and no signal at all on 32.

From 10 miles south of Traverse City here is what is going on:

Channels are in the actual RF

WNEM
22-1=1080i
22-2=480i
22-3=480i

WBPN
47-1=720p
47-2=720p
50-1=720p
50-2=720p

WWTV
9-1=1080i
9-2=480i
40-1=1080i
40-2=480i

45-1=480i
45-2=1080i

WMNN
14-1=720p
14-2=480i
14-3=480i

WCMU
17-1=720p
17-2=480i
17-3=480i

WGTU
29-1=720p

WFQX
32-1=720p

I am hoping it isn't some fluke, but after trying a Trek HDTVa I bought on Ebay today. I am getting all the channels in yellow and red with it in an upstairs bedroom. Sure I have to point the antenna either North and South and don't get them all at the same time. If this proves not to be a fluke, I willl be very happy. I do get one grey, WTLJ.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...0b86bf9d933c95

OK - I am a dummy apparently. I have looked

• on my set using the OTA tuner for DTV

• Online looking for WFQX OTA channel

And the only channel that I have found that might be 720p is off of the tvfool.com listing for Channel: 32 (33.1) which is 44.5 miles from me.

On 12/01/2011 they announced (www.mifox32.com/category/story/?id=312311) a low power transmitter on channels 40.1 and 40.2 but only CBS comes in at HD (1040i) whereas FOX comes in at 480i. The minimum resolution for HD is 720. Guess they are using more of the multiplexed channel for CBS? Perhaps CBS mandates 1080i HD on any transmission and with multiplexing it is only possible to have two channels each at 720p? I will be sending a comment/query to WFQX asking if there is an enhancement coming soon for Traverse City OTA where Channel 32 (33.1) can not be received.

Anyway the listing you show is slightly off since 9.2 & 40.2 are actually the local FOX channels with WFQX.

I just like being able to get WFQX on 32 and WXMI on 42. Plus I get WXMI sub channels of Antenna TV and This TV.

Yes for SE Mason County that is probably closer than my 45 miles plus a hill directly to my south that obstructs signals.

Although my reception shows only a few miles more for WFQX, it probably would not even pull it in with a roof antenna here for the 32.1 transmission - .http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...0b863c3a4a1020.

I am considering a leaf antenna from Mohu but their support recommends that I get the powered version. It seems pricey to pay more than the what the leaf antenna itself sells for only to add the amplified power. However, the antenna itself seem to have much better reception than what my (non-amplified) Terk gets. Even with a new antenna I seriously doubt being able to pull in the WFQX HD feed from channel 32.1.

is cadillac 9/10 ever going to broadcast local news in 16/9 format??

Does anyone up in NW Michigan use a tower-mounted antenna rather than a rooftop antenna?

Back in the days of analog broadcasts, tower-mounted antennas were sometimes used in rural areas where the nearest transmitter was quite a ways away.

Getting the antenna way up high really helped reception.

 

For the person lamenting not being able to get WFQX in high def, I guess the owners of WWTV want to keep most of their bandwidth for CBS, so they just put WFQX on the standard def subchannel.

After all, FOX is a newbie. It's only been around since the mid 80's. whereas CBS has a long history.

I think think this thread is dead

Man, wouldn't that be nice.......
I think 7&4 is now.

My parents do. They are between Wellston and Manistee. 50' tower. At the top is an extreme fringe UHF/VHF antenna and a quality amp. Picks up green bay stations in the analog days, little iffy on those now (I think).

I noticed that in an earlier post in this thread there was some outdated information about Charter Cable channels. Charter changed some of the channels this summer. I spent a while determining the actual cable broadcast channels so I could get WIndows Media Center to work.

Here are the channel mappings that I'm using. Hopefully this can help others who are looking for this data:

Actual Cable Broadcast Channel - Station - (Virtual Channel ID as reported by an HD TV without a cable box)

7.1 - WFQX (FOX) - (32.1)
7.2 - WGTU (ABC) - (29.1)
13.1 - WPBN (NBC) - (7.1)
29.1 - WWTV (CBS) - (9.1)
75.1 - TBS - (75.1)
76.2 - WCMV (Create) - (14.3)
76.4 - WCMV (PBS) - (14.1)
80.12 - WGN - (80.10)

I also found additional unencrypted digital channels (not major network channels, and not HD channels) on the channels below. For the most part these channels a simply digital copies of the SD analog channels on the cable system.

79.5, 79.13
80.13,
81.6, 81.8, 81.9, 81.10, 81.12, 81.56
83.4, 83.5, 83.7, 83.10, 83.11, 83.12
84.6, 84.7, 84.9, 84.10, 84.11, 84.12
85.1, 85.2, 85.3, 85.4, 85.5, 85.6
108.1