Harrisonburg / Charlottesville, VA - HDTV - Page 102

It is good that now all the major networks are providing HD and 16X9 video now, instead of just NBC and PBS. I haven't had many issues yet with the picture, except that CBS and FOX have signal issues that I assume are related to the reduced power on those channels. ABC is working fine as far as I can see.

As a side note, after a rescan this evening I get FOX SD and FOX HD as being 27.1. I know this cannot be correct, and I am not sure what it is. Maybe the technicians for Gray TV can check on it and see what is going on?

29Guy, is Raycom not carrying basketball in HD? The past few times I have watched it has been in SD, and when it is on Comcast standard cable you can really tell the difference.

FOX SD should be on 19-3. I'm looking at the stream right now, and it's 19-3.

- Trip

It's that way OTA too. I'm just reading between 5 and 6 Mbps for it too. Seems to average around 5.6. Needless to say, lots of blocking. No encoder is that good!

Looks like WAHU-LD isn't letting the splicer do its job.

- Trip

I get higher quality video off of Hulu. They've got some work to do.

Definitely not a Fox issue. Looks great on Baltimore WBFF-45.1. They are also running an SD subchannel. (THIS TV NETWORK on 45.2)

Yep not a FOX issue or ABC issue. ABC and FOX OTA from Richmond looks very good.

Lost started out a macroblocking mess on WVAW for the first few minutes, but they seem to have fixed it.

It seems that the scan on my H20 does find all the different channels, but the guide just won't show them all. The guide shows:

16.1
19.1
19.3
27.1
27.2 however this is actually 19.2 - I'm not getting MyCville TV

At least the major networks are there correctly. I'm guessing the guide won't list all channels correctly as long as 40 is handling 19.2 and 27.2.

Is anyone having trouble getting the guide information on CBS HD (19.1) and ABC HD (16.1)? I performed a channel scan last night and while my TiVo picked up the new HD signals, I wasn't able to get accurate guide information. I'm wondering if everyone is having this problem, or if something is amiss with the channel list provided by my TiVo.

I know WVIR still has the news on analog 29, but here was the ceremonial turning off of "regular" analog TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzoLCLWZ9iI

Caught a little of GMA this morning, lots of macroblocking when the camera changed views...switched to WRIC, didn't see it there.

CBS's morning show is still in SD, but WCAV looks much better than WTVR for CBS's SD programming.

I just checked through my (vizio) TV, and I was getting guide data through Sunday afternoon. This was on 16.1 and 19.1.

I did see all 3 Gray HD channels are in 5.1 audio too.

Thanks DrBri. The 5.1 audio is a huge upgrade!

The problem must be related to the channel list that TiVo provides. After the channel scan I noticed that it has two different frequencies mapped to 19.1 and 16.1. When tuned to the old frequencies, I can see the guide information but not the video. The newer mapping of 16.1 and 19.1 shows the video but not the guide.

If anyone else is having a similar problem with the guide, please post and let me know.

That's the way TiVo works. You only get guide info for channels/frequencies in its database. Anything added via scan is available to view, but you don't get guide data.

Notify TiVo to update its database. They will have a lot of updates to process, so it may take a while.

Thanks joblo. I guess this is one issue I won't be able to fix on my own.

I just talked with a Rockingham County contact who says that WHSV-TV will, in June, take over two of the three translators run by the county; the one on Massanutten and the one on Little North Mtn. No plan yet to transfer the Bergton translator. They will eventually transmit digital, too, probably in June. I suppose that will be on 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 & 3.4. (49.1, etc.) Anyone else have info on this subj?

WHSV? Not WVIR? And they'll rebroadcast what? ABC and FOX, same as digital 3? What about CBS?

I think the Rockingham County translators rebroadcast WTTG and WUSA---doesn't WVIR operate their own translators in the Valley? If WHSV is buying the Rockingham County owned translators, that would be Gray, who also owns WCAV and the rest of the newsplex, so I guess WCAV could end up on one of the channels (in lieu of WUSA?). Perhaps the WHSV FOX subchannel could replace WTTG on the other.....BTW, doesn't WHSV also operate a MYNetwork subchannel? Interesting.

Hmm... if Gray bought W18AA and W46AE, they could flash-cut both to digital (on new channels, of course), then repeat WHSV-DT on one and WCAV-DT on the other. That actually makes a lot of sense. I'll be interested in seeing how this plays out.

- Trip

Well, that would certainly make sense...

Except that a couple years ago, before Dish lost the right to use the section 119 DNS license, they were going to uplink the H’burg DMA, adding out-of-market CBS and NBC via DNS to round out the package. Tracey Jones told me at that time that they didn’t care where the CBS came from, except it could not be WCAV, because, as best as I could understand the logic, they were concerned that too much C’ville viewing in the H’burg DMA might prompt Nielsen to merge the DMAs, which for reasons not entirely clear to me, they apparently did not want to happen.

Maybe I’ll give her a call tomorrow and ask what the deal is.



Maybe, but I suspect they are more concerned about the fact that CBS, FOX, and NBC are now available in analog from out of market sources, while WHSV is not.

If I were running WHSV, I would want it on an analog translator as well, unless and until the WVIR and other Rockingham County translators are all switched to digital.

While I suspect you're right, Gray could turn it around and use it against NBC29.

By flash-cutting the translators to digital, that instantly makes their ABC/CBS/FOX/My all available digital only, and NBC/CW the only ones not available digitally. (Granted, WVIR-DT does make it over the mountains, though I'm not sure how big an antenna is needed to see it reliably.) Then, people who have converter boxes are missing out on NBC but getting everyone else in digital.

That would then also push NBC29 to convert one or both of their translators to digital operation in order to compete better in terms of signal strength in the valley.

- Trip

[WHSV? Not WVIR? And they'll rebroadcast what? ABC and FOX, same as digital 3? What about CBS?]

WHSV! Not WVIR. Don't know yet whether they'll rebroadcast WCAV. I hope so! My contact not sure yet.

[ Granted, WVIR-DT does make it over the mountains, though I'm not sure how big an antenna is needed to see it reliably.-Trip ]

For info, I am using a CM 4228-HD outside with CM 7777 preamp for one Sharp and an attic mounted CM 4221 with RS preamp for another Sharp, both Aquos. Both receive WVIR 29.1 in HD, as well as WEAX on .2 & CW on .3, very clear. I'm just west of EMU outside H'burg.

It appears that Gray HD on ABC/CBS/FOX was short-lived. They are now broadcasting 480i of their primary stations. Oh well. Hopefully, they will get it under control again. Maybe they are working on the macroblocking problem that has plagued the transmissions since it started earlier this week.

Weird, I wonder what happened. WCAV, are you still reading, any thoughts?

- Trip

I hope they let us know. I was just getting into it. Now it is back to my DC stations for HD. I was hoping to cancel locals in Dish with the advent of HD in C'ville. Guess I will hold off for a while since it isn't consistent HD, not yet anyway. Last night, I had some blocking while watching CSI and even a drop out or two briefly, although the signal was in the 80s and 90s all evening. I get the signal OTA but through my Dish ViP622 DVR.

As far as signal goes, yesterday WCAV filed paperwork to immediately boost from the 50 kW they have now up to the 155 kW they've asked for. They want to operate it under STA until the FCC grants it through the normal channels.

- Trip