Minneapolis, MN - OTA - Page 52

Used a TR-50 for a year then decided to give Windows Media Center (WMC) under Win7 a whirl, added 4 tunners for OTA and a 2 gig storage drive. So far I have been happy with it. It has some plus and minus but would do it again. The TR--50 was ok for a dedicated OTA DVR box but I really missed name based recording, hence the reason I went to WMC.

Just not to many choices for us OTA users.

Yes, I don't stretch 4:3 programming. If I want to see wide and fat I look in the mirror. One of the nice things about METV is that they broadcast it in 16:9 format but the station adds the black bars so your TV doesn't have to. Also, wide screen promos and ads look fine. I wish all channels did this when they showed 4:3 programming.
My two Sony TVs automatically size the screen to put bars on the sides of 4:3 programming and present 16:9 programming without bars and with the proper screen size. My Samsung TVs don't do this. If the TV is in 4:3 mode then all channels have bars on the sides. If the TV is in 16:9 mode then 16:9 programs look fine and 4:3 programs look wide and fat. That's why I'm glad all programs on KSTC (5-3,5-4 and 5-45) are presented in 16:9 mode. I don't have to set the screen size unless I watching somthing on Channel 2-2, 2-3 or 2-4.

Hey now..I resemble that remark...

 

I usually leave my set on 16:9 and just accept that a program broadcast in 4:3 could look distorted depending on whether the station has anything in its signal to specify how to handle a 4:3 program. I'm not sure, but it seems to me that when a station has the capability to broadcast in high def on a channel, then the station puts some info into the signal to tell the set to put vertical bars on either side for programs that are in 4:3 and not try to stretch the picture to fill the full 16:9 space.. But if the channel itself is strictly standard definition, then the 16:9 setting on my TV set will enlarge the standard definition 4:3 picture to 16:9 and that can cause slight distortions.

 

There are also other settings such as "set by program" and "zoom", but those don't work very well. In fact, the "set by program" setting seems almost random. I can never figure out with that setting why one thing has bars on the sides, another has bars on the top and bottom, and yet another is full screen. Or sometimes the main programs will look OK but the commercials will look funny under that setting.

 

Most of the time, the 16:9 setting works best for me.

 

 

I did wonder why it was that Me-TV always looked pretty good even though it is only 480i.

I didn't know they broadcast in 16:9 so that the image will not be distorted on a widescreen set.

waiting patiently for them to flip the switch

Now that's what I call a FLASH cut!

Very smooth Mr. Rice.

For anyone using a Tivo OTA, I managed to get all the new stations just by tuning 45-2, which was automatically renumbered 5-2. Going into the channel list, all the new channels were available for me to check off (though I had to manually uncheck 5-45 since only Tivo can permanently remove it while it's still in the lineup data).

Unfortunately there won't be any guide data for 5-2.or 5-6 until Tribune updates things. On that front, it's encouraging that Zap2it has already replaced 5-45 with 5-2 in its lineup. The big question remaining is do they have it mapped correctly to UHF45.

The two Zenith converter boxes I have updated automatically as soon as I tuned 5-1, and so did my LG TV. I did the 45-2 trick on my Toshiba TV, and like the Tivo, it detected everything without a full rescan.

EDIT: I just forced a connection to Tivo and it moved 5-45 to 5-2 properly. Now we just have to wait for 5-6 to be added and then everything will be up to date (until 5-7 goes live...)
Edited by TCDTV - 6/14/12 at 11:19am

Well so far so good

AOC TV updated automatically. Hit 5-1 and it loaded 5-7. Was on 5-45 and it changed to 5-2 and loaded in 5-6. DTV converter box (TR40) had to do a scan

I do like the slate on 5-7 with a guide of what channel is what....very nice

On my Sony LCD I'm getting:
5.1 ABC HD
5.2 placard telling what is on the various channel 5's
5.3 MeTV
5.4 Antenna TV? old B&W sitcom playing now(maybe Dennis the meace)
5.5 No signal
5.6 THIS
5.7 same as 5.2
45.1 KSTC HD
45.2 Same as 5.4
45.5 MeTV

Does this sound about right?
Seems to be a lot of duplicates, maybe I need to do a full channel scan?

looks like your TV doesnt update properly when channels change around

My Panny shows what it should
5-1 KSTP
5-2 KSTC
5-3 MeTV
5-4 Antenna TV
5-6 ThisTV
5-7 slate

I do not get a 5-5 listed. Nothing on 45's. My TV goes from 43-1 (HSN) to 50-1 (religious)

After a "add digital channels" scan everything was the same except now 5.45(KSTC HD) was added Time for a full channel scan(Sony calls it "auto program") and warns it can take up to 30+ minutes I hope this doesn't mess up my TVGOS. In the past it has and I've had to go in and manually delete all the channels that are not in my market but are in nearby markets.
BTW 5.5 was also not listed for me, the no signal was if I just typed 5.5 enter.

Rescanned the DTV box....have what others are reporting

As for cable...(Charter NW Suburbs): Antenna TV took This-TV's spot. All onscreen guide information is still for THIS.

The 5.7 slate is on where "Rewind" was with Onscreen guide saying "Off Air". I'm guessing this is a placeholder for Live Well and THIS has been gassed.

Well took no where near 30 minutes This is what I have now:
5.1 KSTP HD
5.2 KSTC HD
5.3 MeTV
5.4 AntennaTV (but TVGOS still calls it THIS)
5.6 THIS(but TVGOS calls it KSTCDT4, eye of the needle)
5.7 slate(TVGOS calls it KSTPDT2)

No 45's show up now but if I type 45.1 I get KSTC HD if I type 45.2 I get AntennaTV and if I type 45.5 I get MeTV
Digital TVGOS is showing 5.2 KSTC, 5.3 MeTV, 5.4 THIS(wrong) and 45.5 REWIND but SIGN OFF for program. I'm not too confident TVGOS will get things changed in a timely manner but we'll see.

Sounds like your TV will allow you to use either the mapped down version or the "actual" (RF) version. Mine doesnt do that. If I hit 45 then OK on the Panny it does go to 5-2 but thats it.

Per rabbitears.info if you click on KSTC it shows this

KSTC
Display channel of 5-2
Real channel of 45-1

Antenna TV
Display of 5-4
Real 45-2

MeTV
Display of 5-3
Real 45-3

ThisTV
Display 5-6
Real 45-6

see attached pic (click on pic to make larger)

Both my HDTV's and converter boxes have the guide info right
Directv AM21 has 45 (errr 5-2) and Antenna TV guide right. 5-3 & 5-6 show "regular programming" as its not in D*'s database...was scanned in manually

Rabbitears.info shows that channel 5-7 will be the Livewell in the future.

http://livewellnetwork.com/index

I haven't yet received a data update to know for sure if this is how KSTC is configured. I'm hoping to get that data in the next few days and then be able to confirm the actual layout of the KSTP and KSTC signals, including Mobile DTV.

- Trip

Why would they leave 5-5 vacant but put shows on 5-6 and 5-7?

What would you like to see go on 5-5?

I'm aware of it. Been posted numerous times but as of right now the contract deatils are getting ironed out. SO for now they have a 480i slate that shows what channel is what

post 1514 has the info

For those of you that are curious:
5-1 KSTP @ 720p on RF 35
5-2 KSTC @ 720p on RF 45
5-3 MeTv @ 480i on RF 45
5-4 AntennaTv @ 480i on RF 45
5-5 Reserved
5-6 ThisTv @ 480i on RF 45
5-7 LiveWell (future) @ 720P on RF 35

so right now nobody knows.

I'm able to access all the display channels you listed by entering the real channels, except entering 45.3 gives me no signal....I have to enter 45.5 to get MeTV
Which I think is what Trips site says.

yup you're right. Thats where I took the info from

On my HD Tivo, I'm not getting any guide data on 5.6, just To Be Announced. Is anyone getting program titles for 5.6?

No, there's no data from Tribune for 5-6, so no data for Tivo. Sadly, it also appears that Tribune is about to break the one major part of the transition they (initially) got right. After smoothly changing things from 5-45 to 5-2 yesterday, today zap2it.com (Tribune's listings website) is once agian showing 5-45 for KSTC: . Tivo users should have this mistake introduced into their lineup within 24-48 hours if Tribune doesn't correct it by then.

EDIT: I just refreshed the listings and it's back to 5-2 again, so maybe disaster has been avoided. Still no 5-6 though
Edited by TCDTV - 6/15/12 at 7:15am

TitanTV picked up programming for 5-6 fairly quickly (by Saturday morning) but still nothing in Win7 Media Center.

Anyone have an idea how long it might take?

Nothing on my Tivo either although for my digital TVGOS I was able to renumber the old 5.4(THIS) and use it's schedule for the new 5.6, no joy for 5.4(AntennaTV) though since TVGOS didn't have any prior listings for that channel.

Win7 Media Center, TVGOS, and Tivo all use Tribune for guide and channel information. Keep an eye on the listings at Zap2it.com, Tribune's web listing site. Once the changes appear there, it shouldn't be long until the various services that use that data will be updated to match.

Anyone else noticing 23.1 changing the way they broadcast? I noticed as I clicked past it last night (they were broadcasting a movie (it appeared to be 16:9 shrunk down with black bars on top and sides to appear in a 4:3 window), and then again today that I am getting nothing in widescreen... it is as if they are broadcasting everything in 4:3... Before anyone asks anything about the way I have my tv and tivo set up, let me just say, 23.1 is the only channel doing this (all the other channels are as they should be and have been), and it seemed to have started recently (I have to say, I don't watch 23.1 a lot, but if I watch a movie on it, I would like it to be full size and on the whole screen...)

Anyway, anyone else notice this?

Like you I rarely watch 23.1, only really for Nikita and Hart of Dixie which are both in reruns so I'm not watching now. I did flip several times today to 23.1 and everything including commercials seems to only be in 4:3.....odd indeed. If they are postage-stamping 16:9 they must really have a technical issue going on.

Just took a quick look at 23-1 and at least at the moment the picture is full screen as expected for prime-time shows.