Chattanooga, TN - HDTV - Page 70

Does anyone know how to prioritize series recordings on EPB's DVR?

We got the upgrade in Athens also, not sure it has anything to do with EPB, we certainly have little to no hope of any real competition here. I got a letter today saying they will be sending me another modem, because the one I currently have won't handle the new speeds.

That's basically what my letter said. My current modem may not be fast enough for the new speeds they offer.

EPB does have a cap, but it's in the 300+GB range. They did indicate that you won't get slapped hard if you only bump it once in awhile.

I recently switched from Comcast to EPB. Yes, I wanted the faster internet speed but I also expected better, or at least as good HD quality as I was getting from Comcast. My HD channels are higher quality images than the SD channels but are definately not 1080i. I had epb come out to check the signal levels and they say all is OK. Nothing has changed except the comcast to epb install.
I have also noticed on the SD channels that the frames are often too large to fit the frame (cutting off the channel marker in bottom right corner) on certain channels. Some channels also at times look like bootleg movies as if somebody recorded it with a camera in a theatre.
I'm not trying to bash epb. I still prefer it to Comcast. I have no desire to go back with Comcast. I think I would rather just put up a digital antenna than use comcast again but I would like a higher quality TV service from epb.
Anybody aware of these issues systemwide or is there possibly a problem at my location only?
Thanks. Most of what you guys discuss is over my head but I do enjoy learning more on this forum.

What I've seen of our EPB HD service is very close in quality to OTA for the channels I can compare. A lot of my frustration has been with differing screen sizes when trying to do side by side comparisons. The larger screens really show the compression artifacts vs my LCD monitor.

I have a couple of SD quality issues, but I think it's splitter related. They split it 4 ways at the box and I split it another 3 at the PC. If I have room in the old Comcast housing I'm going to replace the EPB splitter with an 8-port electroline amp. That should clear up SyFy.

We do agree that the SD image quality is a bit lower on EPB that Comcast. At least by appearances. However, my analog tuner cards seem to smooth out the roughness well enough; or I'm just getting used to it.

So, Zap2It finally loaded up the EPB channel guide. Only 2 mistakes on 2-78.

15 doesn't broadcast as of this post
22 is not listed as ION Television, but as some W*** callsign.

So nice not to have to remap 70+ channels from the Comcast lineup.

I haven't experienced any of the problems you describe. In fact I would say that EPB picture quality is pretty much on par with Comcast, maybe even slightly better. A couple of questions:

- What connection are you using from the set top box to your TV?
- Under Settings - Television - Screen aspect ratio and high definition What do you have it set to?

I'm using HDMI cable between my setop box. Its the Cisco DVR HD box. I have a Sony Bravia 46" LCD 120HZ 1080P TV. Under settings it gives me the option of; full, wide & auto wide. I have it on "full". I believe this displays in the original aspect ratio as it is originally broadcast.
Sometimes HD is awsome, sometimes it is not. I know it can only display only as good as the original program. I try to base comparisons on Fox News HD, CNN HD etc... studio scenes when I think the original content should be full HD.
I really like using epb it just seems maybe whoever they have on the the TV end of things is not detail oriented.
I was watching WDSI Fox 61 the other day on my old 27" CRT. Channel 7 on epb. This is not HD I know but the image was thin and tall as if they just squeezed the wide aspect feed onto the SD channel. Sometimes the images are obviously too large to fit the complete picture on the screen. I've noticed this on my widescreen LCD as well as my other old fashioned CRT's.
Oh, maybe makes a difference, I dont have set top boxes on my other TV's.
I'm thinking epb is just having some growing pains and putting their primary focus on their internet product instead of the TV.

Odd on my DVR the options are:

4:3 SD
Widescreen SD
720p
1080i

are you sure your checking the right place?

Also, I haven't spent much timing watching on our analog-only TV so I can't comment too much on those concerns.

Oh, didn't realize you were referring to the DVR.
I checked and it and it is set to 1080i.
I was doing some further reading and found some people talking about motionflow, refresh rates etc... They said something about motionflow settings causing people to look like cartoons or "soap operas" That may be what I'm dealing with...I still have a lot to learn.

My situation is a little different. I have Comcast lifeline basic so I can get the high speed internet cheaper. I have had DirecTV for ten years now so between my OTA antennas, cable plus HD service, I can see different kinds of signals for sure.

I decided to switch to EPB to consolidate billings and for a more consistent internet speed. I'd agree that Comcast has upgraded their speed where I'm at off Hwy 58, but it is still inconsistent depending on time of day and day of the week.

I took the basic phone service, internet 30 and the Essential TV service with HD and DVR. The install was last Friday and I can't say I was very impressed with the installers. They were polite and did an adequate job but didn't seem to know anything about the services (couldn't answer questions about the DVR model or its capabilities, when I might get a smart meter, when or if they might offer 3D content, how to add email accounts, etc.). After they left I noticed that the TV in the bedroom only had channels 2-13 and had lost the HD locals OTA. I guess I need to rescan to see if the OTA signals will return.

I called EPB today with some questions and in answer about how the DVR priortizes recordings, they said that it would simply record the first two HD programs in its queue and would error you if you asked it to record a third program that conflicted with the first two. Surprisingly, there is no detailed manuals for the DVR. They told me I had a 160 GB model with 40GB partition for the system, leaving 120GB for recordings which equals only 30 hours of HD recordings. He said it was the only model they install as well. I will check online later to see if I can find more info on the DVR. The little getting Started guide doesn't really go into much detail about anything but the basics. You have to create another account in order to add email accounts. It seems confusing to me to have so many differnt logins and passwords for all of the PEB services.

The support guy didn't know when or if they might add 3D content or when I might get a smart meter. He did say there was no technical reason they couldn't offer 3D content as they had plenty of bandwidth.

For the moment, I haven't yet cancelled my DirecTV so I can compare the pictures. I haven't had much chance to do it yet but so far, looking at ESPN HD and CNN HD, the pictures seem to look about the same. I would say the SD channels seem to be inferior to the Comcast channels although I can't directly compare them now. The EPB SD channels seem to look fuzzy and soft. It is kind of hard to describe exactly. At least some of the HD channels seem a little dark and I notice that the volume levels seem to vary from channel to channel a lot more than I remember with DirecTV. The overscan varies from channel to channel and the white bars along the top on some EPB channels is distracting.

The internet speed is pretty much the same as Comcast except that the upload speed is about the same as the download speed. This isn't as important for me but I expect the EPB service will be more consistent.

I like the EPB telephone service so far as I had the most basic AT&T service with no long distance provider. I'm sure I'll enjoy some of the digital features when I learn them.

Cost wise, this move will save me about $25/month if I keep the TV service but I may eventually cancel the TV service after I evaluate it more. I have considered calling DirecTV to see what they could do for me since I would need a newer model HD DVR to receive any 3D signals. I figure it would be the standard 2 year commitment to get new hardware plus their prices continue to creep up. I'm not sure how much I'd watch 3D content if it was available but I face the possibility that EPB might not offer anything for some time.

Programming-wise I am looking forward to seeing Mad Men in HD on EPB's AMC-HD channel. I am surprised that DirecTV has never offered it in any tier of service and I don't think Comcast offers it either. The EPB VOD seems comparable to the DirecTV VOD but I very rarely pay for PPV movies so this less important to me as well. The EPB TV service is a mixed bag for me; I'll have to evaluate it more within the next few weeks.

Comcast does have AMCHD (channel 429 in Ooltewah).

Anyone else not get WFLI #53 tonight?

I didn't either. It was out on D*TV and on the high def over the air feed. It's beginning to become pretty reliable that after any really heavy storms with high wind (like early, early Friday morning) their signal just gets knocked out. If you search some of my posts on this specific thread you'll see where I posted contact information for their station manager and chief engineer. The engineer's name is Pat Motley, but I don't recall the GM's name. Pat was sometimes hard to get a hold of, but I found he would answer to persistence.

Its not worth contacting I assume they know its out. I also noticed while flipping through that the WDSI sub-channel (MyNetworkTV) is audio only at least for me.

Its not worth contacting, I assume they know its out. I also noticed while flipping through that the WDSI sub-channel (MyNetworkTV) is audio only at least for me.

53 was flaky for me yesterday. Out Friday. Missed Smallville. I dropped 2 emails to a contact at the station. No response yet. At least I have a backup next time if I catch it soon enough. WBXX coming from somewhere has the same schedule.

Morning to all,

Does anyone know any information or place to acquire information about AT&T adding cable service? A relative lives in Cleveland, TN and I'm helping him with his internet connection. Believe it or not, he just got DSL so he's on the web for the first time in his life. Anyway, the DSL guy mentioned it, and that Cleveland, TN was a target for what essentially sounds like beta testing. My father has a connection to a senior VP in AT&T, so I'll post anything I find out, but thought I'd ask the community if it knows anything in the meantime.

I just looked it up and you might be able to get it all the time.

yeah, has a decent signal. Sage recorded Smallville from it last week in favor of 53.

I still haven't heard back from either email I sent to my contact at CW the other week.

EPB just added their second batch of channels last night:

WGNHD 302
SpikeHD 372
Comedy Central HD 373
Cooking Channel HD 420
Nat Geo Wild HD 437
HD PPV 703

which comes on the heels of April 1st additions of:

TCM HD 350
DIY HD 419
MLB HD 473
HLN HD 341
Weather Channel HD 338
EPIX HD 490

(and a few other SD channels)

I spoke with an EPB rep, that stopped in to my business, about dealing with Comcast, channel lineup expansion, etc. He said to expect 70 to 80 new channels from EPB by the end of 2011.

As far as the epb installers not being very knowledgeable, I found this to be the case as well. This may be because they are a new operation and I believe are subcontracting the installation out to another company. It would have been nice to get some answers (that was one of the few good things about comcast, the techs were at least knowledgeable), but maybe to be expected that they aren't well versed.

There isn't a percentage used calculator on the EPB DVR interface (although i think you can access it elsewhere), but I have found that I seem to have more storage capacity than with my comcast DVR. Maybe its the way the files are stored or compressed??? not sure on that one.

i'm having a quirky issue that I believe may be a problem with the Cisco DVR. when i turn on the television, my channels come in fine for about 5 seconds, and then i get the "tv signal has been lost" message. then, i can simply change channels and the picture/sound comes in again for 5 seconds only to return to the error message.

I currently have the DVR connected to my TV with component cables running 1080i, but have experienced the same problem with HDMI running 720p

Fiber internet never has problems, so it's not likely a line issue, and my TV works fine with OTA signals, Wii, and DVD (HDMI).

any ideas?

Other than to call an EPB tech, no. Does seem a strange problem for sure since it's on both Comp & HDMI. If they replace the box I don't think they can transfer the recordings though.

i get the occasional malfunction from the cisco dvr (loss of signal, artifacting) but nothing even close to persistent

sounds like you need a new one

I have basic Comcast in the Chattanooga area. (basically 2-13?) I bought a new tv primarily for netflix/pandora etc. use in an alternate room and it is picking up 32-5 (espn). The channel worked fine for a few days, but now it becomes heavily pixelated in scenes with motion.


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1340586

Anyone know when WRCB will be finished with there tower/power upgrades?

I haven't seen very much of them since the digital switch?

As of last night the old antenna was still on the tower, but it looked like they had the gin pole in position so it shouldn't be too much longer before they get it removed. I'm sure all this rain has slowed them now.

I switched from Comcast to FiTV recently after the newest batch of channel additions (internet awhile back, works great). Something is just.. wrong with motion scenes on HD channels. The picture seems wavy, the picture seems to blur, etc. There's just no comparison to how good these looked on comcast (MLB network, ESPNs, I can even tell the difference on the scrolling text at the bottom). I've tried the 720p and 1080i options on the box, both still suck. Is this something wrong with my box, my line, or the service in general? It's not my TV as other inputs play fine.

Anybody else checking out ME TV on WFLI's sub-channel. Pretty cool IMO. Nice mix of oldies. Good addition to the local line up. If I could just pick up Antenna TV out of Sumerville I would be set.

Yeah, Since that came on I have probably watched more of 53-2 than I have the past two years combined for the regular WFLI CW.

Bonanza, The Big Valley, Rawhide, Hawaii 5-O and Hogan's Heroes!

I think I saw where this fall they will be airing the original Batman and Star Trek series!

Any update on WRCB and there upgrades?