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Detroit, MI - HDTV

post #1 of 11559
10/3/04 at 5:47am
Thread Starter 
Update 4/21/12


Over-the-air Digital TV HDTV:
Legacy Channel Number, (Digital Channel Number), Network Affiliation, Call Letters
Subchannels and Formats
Dolby Digital Capability
Network, syndicated, local origination, news, local specials in HD

2 (7) FOX WJBK-DT
2.1 720p FOX HD
DD5.1
Network HD, syndicated HD, local origination HD, HD News

4 (45) NBC WDIV-DT
4.1 1080i NBC HD
4.2 480i This TV
DD5.1
Network HD, syndicated HD, local origination HD, HD news, and local HD specials - Auto Show

7 (41) ABC WXYZ-DT
7.1 720p ABC HD
7.2 480i 16:9 Live Well TV
DD5.1
Network HD, syndicated HD, local origination HD, HD news, and local HD specials - Dream Cruise

9 (9) CBC CBET-DT
9.1 720p CBC HD
DD5.1
Network HD, syndicated HD, local origination HD, HD news

18 (18) TCT WDWO-CD
18.1 480i TCT
18.2 1080i TCT HD
18.3 480i TCT Family / TCT Kids
18.4 480i TCT La Fuente
DD2.0
Network HD

20 (21) My Network TV WMYD-DT
20.1 720p MNTV HD
20.2 480i The Cool
DD2.0
Network HD, syndicated HD

31 (31) ION WPXD-DT
31.1 720p ION HD
31.2 480i qubo
31.3 480i IONLife
DD2.0
Network HD
Testing for the move to UHF 50 & the tower in Southfield.

32 (32) TVO CICO-DT
32.1 1080i TVO HD
DD2.0
Network HD

38 (39) WADL-DT
38.1 1080i Independent programming; syndicated, children's, religious
38.2 480i Antenna TV
38.3 480i The Word Network
38.4 480i Independent programming; syndicated, children's, religious
DD2.0

50 (14) The CW WKBD-DT
50.1 1080i The CW HD
DD5.1
Network HD, syndicated HD, local origination HD, HD news

56 (43) PBS WTVS-DT
56.1 1080i PBS HD
56.2 480i 16:9 PBS Digital Service
56.3 480i American Public Television Create
DD2.0
Network HD, local origination HD, and local HD specials - Pledge Drives

62 (44) CBS WWJ-DT
62.1 1080i CBS HD
DD5.1
Network HD, syndicated HD, local origination HD, HD news, and local HD specials - Auto Show Building Bridges



Over-the-air Mobile Digital TV (M-DTV)
Please note you'll need an M-DTV tuner to receive these channels.
- WDIV-DT, on the air, encrypted. NBC
- WXYZ-DT, on the air. Live Well TV
- WPXD-DT, on the air. ION, qubo
- WTVS-DT, air date TBD.
- WJBK-DT, air date TBD.

Info courtesy of AVS Member 'Trip In VA' of RabbitEars.com, Broadcast Engineering, and Ken H.


Other Local and Out Of Market DTV
The Detroit TV market has a number of low power DTV stations, and out of market DTV stations from Flint, Lansing, Toledo, etc., available to receive in various parts of the metro Detroit area. Please see this link at Rabbit Ears.com as a starting point for additional information: http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=14.


Cable Providers Local HDTV

Bright House HDTV
202 FOX HD WJBK-DT
204 NBC HD WDIV-DT
205 The CW HD WKBD DT
206 My Network TV HD WMYD-DT
207 ABC HD WXYZ-DT
209 CBC HD CBET-DT
211 PBS HD WTVS-DT
214 CBS HD WWJ-DT
221 ION HD WPXD-DT
232 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
286 Fox Sports Net Detroit Plus HD
See the Bright House website for national HD in your area. http://applications.brighthouse.com/...s/default.aspx

Charter HDTV
763 Fox Sports Net Detroit Plus HD
780 WDIV-DT - NBC
781 WWJ-DT - CBS
782 WXYZ-DT - ABC
784 WJBK-DT - FOX
785 WTVS-DT - PBS
786 WPXD-DT - ION
787 WKBD-DT - The CW
791 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
See the Charter website for national HD in your area. http://www.charter.com/channels/displayChannels.jsp

Comcast HDTV
201 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
231 ABC HD WXYZ-DT
232 NBC HD WDIV-DT
233 CBS HD WWJ-DT
234 FOX HD WJBK-DT
235 My Network TV HD WMYD-DT
236 The CW HD WKBD-DT
237 ION HD WPXD-DT
240 PBS HD WTVS-DT
707 Fox Sports Net Detroit Plus HD
999 CBC HD CBET-DT
See the Comcast website for national HD in your area; http://www.comcast.com/michigan/

WOW HDTV
200 ABC HD WXYZ-DT
201 CBS HD WWJ-DT
202 FOX HD WJBK-DT
203 NBC HD WDIV-DT
204 The CW HD WKBD-DT
205 PBS HD WTVS-HD
206 My Network TV HD WMYD-DT
208 ION HD WPXD-DT
220 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
221 Fox Sports Net Detroit Plus HD
See the WOW website for national HD in your area. http://www.wowway.com/cable-tv-service/channel-lineups/


IPTV Providers Local HDTV

AT&T U-verse HDTV
1002 FOX HD WJBK-DT
1004 NBC HD WDIV-DT
1007 ABC HD WXYZ-DT
1020 My Network TV HD WMYD-DT
1050 The CW HD WKBD-DT
1056 PBS HD WTVS-DT
1062 CBS HD WWJ-DT
1737 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
See the AT&T website for national HDTV. http://www.att.com/u-verse/shop/chan...ddressId=&zip=


DBS Providers Local HDTV

DirecTV
2 FOX HD WJBK-DT
4 NBC HD WDIV-DT
7 ABC HD WXYZ-DT
20 My Network TV HD WMYD-DT
50 The CW HD WKBD-DT
56 PBS HD WTVS-DT
62 CBS HD WWJ-DT
663 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
664-1 Fox Sports Net Detroit + HD
See the DirecTV website for national HDTV. http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/new_cu...-1&lpos=header

Dish Network
2 FOX HD WJBK-DT
4 NBC HD WDIV-DT
7 ABC HD WXYZ-DT
62 CBS HD WWJ-DT
430 Fox Sports Net Detroit HD
See the Dish website for national HDTV. http://www.dish.com/entertainment/packages/
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post #2 of 11559
10/3/04 at 8:59pm
Has anyone heard ANYTHING about WDWB being added to Comcast?? :-(
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post #3 of 11559
10/4/04 at 3:27am
(Intentional repost since I ended up at the end of the Q3 thread and no one will read that one now...)

I've just read through all the posts in this thread. I do not have an HD-capable TV yet, but I am interested in getting one, or perhaps adding an HDTV tuner card to a PC. It sure seems like those of you who are trying to get HDTV broadcasts via OTA signals are often quite frustrated, and thwarted in your attempt to do something as simple as watch TV. I'm getting the impression that you must be very happy with a good HD broadcast to endure all the problems that I've seen posted.

I'm trying to understand why some of you (clearly knowledgeable people) are on OTA, some on Voom, and some on cable. I'm also wondering if the problems the OTA folks experience are also experienced by the cable folks and the Voom folks during the same broadcasts.

I live in Warren (Southeastern MI) and have the Comcast Basic Analog service along with cablemodem service. I have a Gateway Destination 2 (Zenith) 32" monitor that can display 800x600 resolution. I have plenty of PCs in the house and throwing an HD tuner card in one for use with that monitor to watch HD content would be the simplest (and cheapest) route for me.

So...

1. Would the max 800x600 monitor be able to display HD content at all, and if so, would it look appreciably better than what I see on a SD TV now? (The monitor would be connected to the PC, so I guess the real question is, can I run at 800x600 res on the PC and use the tuning software that comes with the HD tuner cards, or do they require you to run at a higher res?)
2. Does Comcast Analog Cable (in my area I suppose) pass through the HD signal from the major networks?
3. If 1 and 2 are yes, any suggestions for a tuner card?

The newbie thanks you.
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post #4 of 11559
10/4/04 at 1:51pm
Thread Starter 
My reply to the previous message (in the old thread)

The elegant way to point back to what I said before -- less typing, too

Still can't help you with HD tuner cards, though.
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post #5 of 11559
10/4/04 at 7:28pm
Is anyone having any trouble with WDIV'? I can receive 4-3 but not 4-1 or 4-2. 4-3 is of no use to me and I'm missing LAX in high def right now

I try to scan all the channels and I do receive ALL the other local digital channels except for 4-1 and 4-2. Also I did look to make sure they weren't removed some how. I'd love to hear if anyone else has had any problems. I'm using a Samsung DirecTV receiver.

Thanks
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post #6 of 11559
10/4/04 at 7:47pm
What are you seeing on 4-3? It's my understanding that 4-3 is no longer being broadcast. At least I can't tune it in, and I am receiving 4-1 and 4-2 just fine. Only problem I'm having is that there's no DD5.1 on the network shows on 4-1.
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post #7 of 11559
10/6/04 at 5:40am
4-3 is a blank screen. I can't see anything on it but for some reason it tunes in. Right now I can't get 4-1 or 4-2 to even show up as channels I receive. I think my next step might be to call d* and see if they can fix it.
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post #8 of 11559
10/6/04 at 7:46am
WKBD (UPN) ch. 14 comes in really poorly for me still. I'm using a CM4228 and an HD Tivo (the HR 10-250). I'm located near dexter. I get all of the detroit HD stations with a signal reading in the 70s and 80s except UPN which typically scores around 50, and can't hold a signal long enough to record... say, this friday's premiere of Enterprise. Is this a common problem? Am I just SOL?
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post #9 of 11559
10/6/04 at 7:56am
Now that the offerings are summarized on the first post, would you guys (gals) in Detroit like me to combine the old threads for historical/searching purposes into this single master thread? If so, I can go back to 10/20/03. Anything prior to that is already in the archives. Otherwise, all those threads - along with the 2004 threads prior to this one, will also be moved to the archives early in 2005.

As long as the first post gets updated occasionally, you can direct newbies to read the first post - and you can easily navigate to the current discussion regardless how many pages are in between.

Post your opinions.
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post #10 of 11559
10/6/04 at 12:50pm
I just bought a house in Livonia near Laurel Park Mall and while I have my living room ceiling torn up for recessed lighting I'm trying to decide what to do about installing an antenna. I think I've ruled out satellite, so I'll be getting brighthouse cable eventually but I'll be OTA for a while.

I don't live in the house yet and I don't yet have my TV (Sony 34XS955) so I won't even be able to experiment with OTA reception much until after my walls and ceilings are patched up. Would something like the antennasdirect db2 be a good way to go or perhaps one of channel master's UHF antennas? I'd like to avoid an outdoor antenna but I could probably 'hide' a db2 next to my chimney on the side facing the tower. An attic install for a smaller antenna is also possible. According to antennaweb.org I'm 13 miles from the towers at most. I'd like to keep the cost of the RG-6 and antenna combined below 60-70 bucks as it will probably end up supplementing my cable service.

Thanks
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post #11 of 11559
10/8/04 at 10:55am
Anyone know why Comcast does not carry the HD version of NFL network? It just doesn't feel right paying extra for NFL Network when it is not in HD. Still the best channel out there for football freaks.
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post #12 of 11559
10/8/04 at 11:33am
Quote:


Originally posted by puckalicious
Anyone know why Comcast does not carry the HD version of NFL network? It just doesn't feel right paying extra for NFL Network when it is not in HD. Still the best channel out there for football freaks.

The NFL game of the week was on INHD2 last night. Was just surfing last night and there it was. Would be nice if Comcast would send a message out to let us know.
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post #13 of 11559
10/8/04 at 1:43pm
Quote:


Originally posted by pkwjr
The NFL game of the week was on INHD2 last night. Was just surfing last night and there it was. Would be nice if Comcast would send a message out to let us know.

I don't know what Comcast does for sure, but on DirecTV, it's simulcast with the SD first run GOTW on NFL Network, 9pm and midnight every Wednesday and Thursday night during the season. (DirecTV doesn't make any announcements about it, either)

I haven't heard about anybody carrying NFLN-HD. It's the proverbial tree falling in the forest without anyone to see/hear it.
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post #14 of 11559
10/9/04 at 4:18pm
At 19:05 on 10/9/04, WJBK-DT went off the air - right in the middle of the baseball game! Now, I'm getting the "Searching for signal on: Antenna in" message. I knew there was a reason to continue subscribing to LiL. Just hope they're back on the air by kickoff time tomorrow!
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post #15 of 11559
10/9/04 at 4:22pm
Quote:
Originally posted by tbb1226
At 19:05 on 10/9/04, WJBK-DT went off the air - right in the middle of the baseball game! Now, I'm getting the "Searching for signal on: Antenna in" message. I knew there was a reason to continue subscribing to LiL. Just hope they're back on the air by kickoff time tomorrow!

I lost it on Comcast channel 183 too, now back but dropping in and out. Went over to Fox2 when the picture went out and that station was out also but not as long as 183.
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post #16 of 11559
10/9/04 at 4:31pm
Checked back at 19:25, and all is well. Just in time to see (ex-Tiger) Sierra homer to tie the game.

Must have been either a quick R&R of some system component, or somebody tripped over the power cable
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post #17 of 11559
10/10/04 at 5:32pm
Marysville OTA HD Reception? Voom?

I am toying with Voom as an alternate to Comcast, would like to have more HD content as we now rarely watch SD channels.

I understand that I would rely on OTA signal for HD locals going with Voom, can anybody in the Marysville/St. Clair county talk to signal reception on local channels. Will I need a roof antenna?.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Pete
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post #18 of 11559
10/10/04 at 7:22pm
I can't help with reception in your area but I used to have Voom on the east side of detroit (I'm now back with comcast for the dvr and the good deal they gave me). Voom gives you an antenna and they install it for you as part of the installation. If the regular one they give you isn't strong enough then they will approve a bigger one.

Also rain fade was a huge issue for me with Voom but they approved a 30 inch dish which solved that problem. If you have problems then keep pushing for the bigger dish (although allegedly they're supposed to be installing bigger dishes for everyone soon when the implement their new satellite).
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post #19 of 11559
10/10/04 at 8:30pm
Hello,
I'm in Royal Oak and I'm curious if my clear QAM receiver(LG 4200a) would be able to pick up the HD channels on WOW or Comcast. Right now I'm just using the receiver for OTA sports and was wondering about my digital cable options. Do these providers scramble or block out STBs other than their own?

-ref
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post #20 of 11559
10/11/04 at 9:15am
Quote:


Originally posted by pflavell
Marysville OTA HD Reception? Voom?
I understand that I would rely on OTA signal for HD locals going with Voom, can anybody in the Marysville/St. Clair county talk to signal reception on local channels. Will I need a roof antenna?.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Pete

I'm in Marysville too!
My setup:
Antannas Direct XG91 - roof mounted about 8 feet above roofline
Channelmaster Rotor (not really using it)
Winegard UHF preamp, mast mounted
About 75 feet of RG6
DirecTV HDTivo

My reception is pretty good with this setup. I get at least a 70-ish signal most of the time with ALL local channels. Pretty rock solid.

I had a Winegard 8800 8 bay bowtie and didnt have great luck with it. I was lucky to get a 60-70 signal, and ABC was nowhere in sight.

The XG91 is the ticket. It's not too big, and works great. I reccommend it highly.

Hope this helps. You absolutely CAN get reception in Marysville.
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post #21 of 11559
10/12/04 at 6:09am
For those who get their locals OTA, has anyone noticed a decrease in signal strength from FOX since they changed to HD broadcasts? Ever since they started transmitting HD my receiver is having a lot of trouble locking into Fox's signal and it's driving me nuts.

I live in Canton and use a Channel Master 3018 roof mounted antenna (with a Samsung TS160 Directv receiver). I have my antenna pointed exactly in the direction of the FOX tower according to the data I get from Antenna Web. Even though there are a bunch of trees on my back yard in the direction of the towers, I don't think this should be causing the problem since I do get all other OTA's digital stations (NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, & UPN) except WB & I used to be able to get FOX's digital transmission just fine. I know because last season I was able to watch all season of 24 in FOX's old widescreen ED format.
Anybody else have similar problems? Am I missing something?
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post #22 of 11559
10/12/04 at 7:33am
anyone? (bump...)
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post #23 of 11559
10/12/04 at 9:04am
no one from Detroit Metro area here today?
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post #24 of 11559
10/12/04 at 9:13am
My dad lives in Plymouth and has a channel master 3018 in the attic with a sammy 151 receiver and hasn't had any problems with Fox 2.
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post #25 of 11559
10/12/04 at 10:04am
Quote:


Originally posted by FJV17
For those who get their locals OTA, has anyone noticed a decrease in signal strength from FOX since they changed to HD broadcasts? Ever since they started transmitting HD my receiver is having a lot of trouble locking into Fox's signal and it's driving me nuts.

I live in Canton and use a Channel Master 3018 roof mounted antenna (with a Samsung TS160 Directv receiver). I have my antenna pointed exactly in the direction of the FOX tower according to the data I get from Antenna Web. Even though there are a bunch of trees on my back yard in the direction of the towers, I don't think this should be causing the problem since I do get all other OTA's digital stations (NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, & UPN) except WB & I used to be able to get FOX's digital transmission just fine. I know because last season I was able to watch all season of 24 in FOX's old widescreen ED format.
Anybody else have similar problems? Am I missing something?

I've been having problems with 2-1 as well. It's hard to mantain a signal on 2-1. Although I did get my 4-1 and 4-2 problem solved thanks to DirecTV.
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post #26 of 11559
10/12/04 at 12:18pm
mmm.... I wonder what the problem is with Fox then. I guess I just wanted to know to decide if I should just wait it out and hope it gets better soon (fingers crossed) or try something drastic like trying a bigger antenna....
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post #27 of 11559
10/13/04 at 11:57am
Anyone have an update on either WBHD or UPNHD on Comcast? I'm digging some of UPN's new programming....it would be nice to see it in HD.
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post #28 of 11559
10/13/04 at 1:02pm
can anyone get upn on ota? I have a channel master suburban antenna in my attic in ferndale, pointed almost due west to the sources per antennaweb. I can get everything with very good signal strength except for upn 50. I have tried pointing it everywhere and no success. Is it off the air? I've had my sanyo hdtv for about 2 weeks now and have never found upn 50. fox 2 was touchy but now is strong based on the direction of my antenna. any suggestions would be appreciated.

of course that Mt. Clemens station is not coming in, but I don't care, no good programming on it anyway.
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post #29 of 11559
10/13/04 at 3:31pm
I have similar issues in southeast Royal Oak, but most people here don't seem to have too much trouble pulling in WKBD-DT. For me, I think it's mainly a matter of being too close to the towers, with too big an angular spread between them. In Ferndale, the angular spread is probably even larger. UPN's transmitter is at 11 Mile Rd. and Inkster, and most of the rest of them are further south and east (I think). To optimize UPN, you'd probably have to aim significantly north of due west.

By getting my UHF yagi antenna about 10 ft off the roof (to see over the neighbor's bungalow), I can aim it far enough north to pull in UPN fairly well, at the expense of losing consistent FOX reception. So, I have it dialed back toward the WJBK-DT transmitter just enough to make sure I get my FOX HD solidly. Now, UPN is hit-or-(mostly) miss. I seem to get multipath reflections off cars driving by, which causes signal drops. It gets better late at night (probably because of fewer cars), and somewhat randomly comes in OK during primetime, but not reliably.

As I said, I don't think my experience is typical, but this is how it's been for me. Could be all you need to do is get your antenna out of the attic and onto the roof?

FWIW, when I first got my HD STB (late 2001), UPN50 was fine, but WDIV-DT was giving me similar fits. At some point in the last few years, I'm guessing they boosted their transmitter power, because now it's rock solid. I'm hoping UPN50 has a power increase in its future, as well, but I don't have any knowledge about what power they're at or whether they plan to increase it.
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post #30 of 11559
10/13/04 at 9:05pm
Anyone notice a drop in WB 20's signal level? The last few days I've been having getting them when in the past the signal quality indicator was hitting the 90's (now it's mid 30's) on WB 20 HD.
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