San Francisco, CA - OTA - Page 11

44-1 HD is out of service until you see it again. Studio-to-transmitter link repair awaiting equipment arrival/installation.

Any guess on an ETA of the return of the channel ???

I was looking forward to watching in HDTV. What a disappointment! Also, the lip sync was pretty bad!

akula

Well I'm not the expert on the waiver issues. You'll have to search for that. Regarding antenna, my understanding is you need some clearance to the Sutro Antenna on Twin Peaks to get those HD signals. You might try various antenna to get a bounced signal but you really need to be able to get an antenna high enough to get over the real estate. Did you look at www.antennaweb.org? There are some good threads on antennae in general and in this thread.

I've seen comments about this or that station having better equipment, but as far as I can tell it's the original source that makes the difference. Enterprise always looks stunning (KBHK). Lost also is incredible (KGO). I haven't done a scientific study, but it's not like I think, "Oh, that's KTVU, it always looks great." I'm seeing all of these over the air with an HD TiVo in San Francisco.

What are other people's views about this? Do you think it's the show or the channel?

wow... imagine if this happened on the analog side...

once again... confirms my suspicion that DTV is the red headed step child of tv stations...

The Harris Unicoder is just a Flexicoder in a different chassis.

Ron

I re-ran the autochannel function last night on my Sammy 150 and true to the above postings, lost 44-1. I also lost 66-1 (Sutro). Is anyone else having problems with 66-1? On the plus side, I picked up 14-1 (Mt. Allison), albeit with only 1 bar of signal strength.

Thanks, so there must be different models and degrees of performance with these things because KPIX has always looked better than KNTV, in my experience anyway...

Jim

So let's see, KPIX goes down with a broken Unicoder, UPN is in the same broadcast room and loans KPIX it's Unicoder to fix their problem. Now UPN, 44-1, is now broke and KPIX is running and fixed. Is this a coincidence or is there more to this than meets the eye. Not that it really matters I only watch UPN for Enterprise and having channel 5 fixed is better for me but it does seem odd to me on the timing of these incidents.

Well if you consider that both stations are owned by Viacom the swapout of the Unicoder makes sense, what's more interesting to me is the fact that even without ratings for digital stations yet, Viacom Television Stations Group of San Francisco, Inc. feels having the digital feed of KPIX with it's full boat of HD-digital programming up and running is more important that KBHK. I bet it has something to do with a contract provision for providing cablecos like Comcast with a digital signal...

Keenan, you said the nasty word, ( Comcast )

I sort of figured that there might be a relationship between the two stations but being new to the OTA stuff it just seemed a little strange that one station would sacrifice it's self to get another station up and not it's self, very altruistic of them

Laters,
Mikef5

When it comes to money, altrusim flies right out the window...

44-1 HD back in service!

Now that was fast...

This encoder failure, did it have anything to do with the green screens and break-ups we were getting 3-4 weeks ago on KPIX?

Just curious...

GregF,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have checked out AntennaWeb but since my situation is somewhat unique (being literally on the side of San Bruno Mountain) I'm not sure just how relevant the findings are. I'm sure that there is someone one lives near me and has either been able to get a signal or not. I could always go with Comcast but I would rather not and I already have DirecTV.

Although I am one of the highest houses in the development, there is no possible way an antenna will see Sutro directly. I might be able to get a bounce off of Sign Hill (you know "South San Francisco, The Industrial City") but I think that even it is too short to see over San Bruno Mountain.

It looks like I'll have to wait until I get the HD DirecTiVo next year and plug in an antenna and see what I get.

Dan

How come the Enterprise reruns on Sunday are always in SD (i.e. upconverted SD with a black frame) unlike the main Friday broadcasts in HD? Is that a local KBHK issue or due to the UPN parent?

Stan.

That REALLY sucks. It didn't tivo on Friday so I got it tonite. Now it's letterboxed.

I wanted to provide a reception report. I just moved into downtown San Jose (95112) near Japantown. I tried a silver sensor and was able to get all the non-major networks ok (no NBC, ABC, CBS). I then mounted a Channel Master 4228 on the top of my second story attic with a 5ft mast and pointed it to Sutro hill. I am now able to get all the locals in HD with signal strength ranging from 80s to mid 90s. Though the 4228 is UHF, it was able to pick up NBC on Channel 11 through the back of the antenna just fine.

cheapguy, great signal strength.

i'm in same boat. i have an old roof top antenna (zip 95117, San Tomas & Payne). i changed the cables etc, but signal strength is still less than 50%. So, no FOX, UPN, WB for me. I went to fry's this morning and got the Channel Master 4228. My friend got the same antenna last week. He has not installed the antenna yet. He was testing it inside his room. He is getting close to 75% signal strength inside his room ! Just by pointing it towards Sutro ! Its a great antenna. We will put our antennas over the long weekend.

How much is the 4228 at Fry's? I've seen it online (Solid Signal) for $48.99, but got quoted $99 at a San Jose store that sells only sat/hdtv equipment.

49.99 at fry's (campbell location has only 2 left). the cust rep said they are not getting any more as this thing works so well, people have stopped buying Channel Master's expensive stuff :-)

its a big pizza box, probably 4 feet by 4 feet. The entire antenna is fully assembled, thus the big box size.

Cool, thanks, I may stop and get one on the way home tonight...

Also try the hometech store on De Anza. Got mine there for a little over $50. They go fast though.

I have a Channel Master 4228 about 10 feet above the roof of my two story house at the 300 foot level between the Castro and Noe Valley in San Francisco and I get 19 digital stations here with it. It's a really good antenna.

I had to put up a separate VHF antenna to pick up KNTV on channel 12.

Larry

If you are going to FRY',s which doesn't carry it I think, head to that place in San Jose on 9th, called, uh Schad or something. They have bunces of them 63$

Fry's in Sunnyvale had a few out on the floor - no problem getting it. Now I have something to do over the long weekend...

good luck

KTVU you not broadcasting spiderman in HD?