Detroit, MI - HDTV - Page 280

I've noticed there's never a bug during NFL games. Don't know if that has anything to do with it. They managed to put one up in the middle of the bottom of the screen during "Fringe," this week. And did it while the transparent logo was still in the corner.

They did the legal ID in the center of the screen from the splicer last week during the NFL.

4 O'clock legal ID was done thru the splicer.

and they just did it, again.

I'm thinking we have a weekend MCO who just isn't used to the "new way."

Which is actually the way it was supposed to be all along. I really don't understand how an O&O could screw it up for so long without anybody speaking out.

Hopefully a memo will go out so everyone is operating from the same playbook.

The Lions for me are only bearable to watch in HD, switching to SD sure does not help.

No TCM HD on Ann Arbor Comcast yet. But, they finished the analog purge, so maybe soon.

Ken H., have you noticed yet if TCM HD is upconverting their letterboxed films so that they are shown filling the screen side to side, w/o stretching? Can you confirm that? I have read that this is what they do, which is much preferable to stretching, or picture boxing, as some HD channels do. I have read that it will be a year or more before most of their fare is true HD. That's understandable. Where does one go for HD transfers of 30s and 40s films?

By the 19th.


What I've seen so far is Academy (~4:3) aspect ratio films in Academy ratio and widescreen films (16:9 or 2.35:1) in widescreen. It can be hard to tell which are native HD and which are upconverted. I haven't seen any film that did not fill the screen either from top to bottom (Academy), or from left to right (widescreen), and none of them have been stretched so far.


They get a film print, and have it transferred to HD video. Old prints are stored in film vaults (climate and temperature controlled) across the country, but finding a good print, or good ones, is sometimes difficult. The transfer itself is the same process used for current release films, assuming they are on film and not electronic, which most current releases still are. Additional digital processing can be done to help eliminate film flaws when transfering old films, at additional cost. Sometimes, a frame by frame restoration is done, for particularly valued films, but it's very expensive and very time consuming.

Great news! Thanks!


Also great news! None of that crap the IFC is doing. I understand that little, if any, is true HD yet, but they are moving that way over the next year, including production facilities for their in-house stuff in HD.


Well, I knew that. My question was really rhetorical, meant to point out that HD transfers of TCM's vast library of old films aren't just sitting on a shelf. Most of what they show looks to be in good condition, so if they have prints as good as what they are showing, they should be able to avoid major, frame-by-frame restoration.

They are going to have a Sherlock Holmes marathon starting Christmas night, showing all but one of the Rathbone/Bruce films. I have read that those were recently restored by the UCLA Film Archive, and that TCM would be showing the restorations. Hope that is true, even if they are in SD.

The Red Wings game was scheduled all along for 16:9 SD from Toronto (A first for FSN Detroit, to my knowledge?). The SD path was to Houston, where they sent the game to Detroit for integration with the local studio production from the new HD studio. It's possible several more Canadian games will be 16:9 SD. Contrary to my previous comment, this is all due to lack of HD equipment availability in Canada.

The Pistons game was a different story. It was scheduled for HD, but had intermittent audio drop-outs, so the decision was made to switch to SD. A fix was tried during the game, but it didn't work, so back to SD. Another fix in the latter part of the game allowed the remainder to be HD.

Apparently a hardware upgrade was applied prior to the Wednesday game that is believed to have corrected the problem. All the HD events I've seen since have been A-OK.

I just got everything switched over to Comast on Thursday. Starting last night and continuing today (on and off) I've had terrible lip synch issues when watching TV (most every channel I check - some worse than others). I have the Motorola DCX 3400 DVR hooked up via Component to a 42" Olevia 720P LCD. I never had any issues with the same set-up with my previous cable provider. I also noticed that my internet seems to get 'spurty' at times for lack of a better word. I have data running through a VPN to a software program and stuff seems to hang and then come through all at once. My speeds are fine when I test my internet speed. Does anyone have a clue whats going on here?

-Leland

You could power cycle the boxes, but you'll probably have to call for service.

Why don't we get NASA TV on Comcast? Or do we? If we do I can't find it.

The films that are owned by Turner / Time Warner were transferred to video years, and in some cases decades ago. Whether they still could be quickly, inexpensively transferred to HD, or would be in need of restoration, would be on a case by case basis.

The same thing would apply to films owned by others, and in addition would have to be renegotiated for transfer to HD.

WOW this is odd...

My Sammy srt 151 and ION (31) do not get along. When I'm on that channel and I hit the guide the audio stutters a few times then the screen goes blank. This happens for 31 and all sub channels.

Strange.

So, those old tape transfers would have enough detail to make decent HD transfers? I thought everything would need to be transferred anew, directly from film, to make true HD transfers.

No, for an HD film transfer, you'd need a film print. Video from before HDTV can never be HD.


Correct.

My comments were referring to the film prints in the film vaults.

Okay, I get it. By "they," you meant the original prints, which may have deteriorated since the original transfers. I thought "they" referred to the existing transfers. The sentence structure wasn't completely clear on that point, and my knowledge of the subject didn't clarify it for me. I know something of film, having worked on a film festival for many years, but know little of TV video production. Thanks.

The 151 is probably the pickiest receiver I've ever seen. If things aren't perfect, it freaks. I just now turned my antenna so it was dead on and mine functioned fine, pulling up the guide on all the subchannels without any issues to the programming. However, if I run the antenna back around to Southfield, I get a lot of stutters and blank screens.

Did you do the firmware update that came out about five years ago?

If so, bring up the signal level meter and just sit and watch it for a while. If it's not steady, then you may need to reposition the antenna.

Was wondering if we could set up our place Up North to use dish service from our home downstate.

Would need to install a second set of dishes up there, and could then carry a receiver box with us when we went up for the weekends. Would be an improvement over the 2 OTA channels now available...

Sounds too simple - but could it work?

KJ

It may work, sort of.

You should be able to get the national channels.

The local channels are typically on spot beam satellites, and the spot beam for the Detroit area may or may not cover your location up north. Maybe others here can chime in, or you might want to ask at our sister forum, DBSTalk.com

Dish or DirecTV? If it's the latter, you're probably out of luck. I can't speak for the Ka HD spots, but the SD Ku-band spot beam carrying the Detroit locals doesn't go very far north, IIRC. Looking at a spotbeam map the signal starts to roll off north of Saginaw. Dish is even worse.

Here's a post from D*'s own forum:

Any info if America One will be coiming to the Detroit market?

Their site says they're available in Shelby Township on WOW and Comcast. I get America One via the NBC affiliate in Toledo, though it's compressed so much football is virtually unwatchable.

OK, so we COULD take the Dish/DTV receiver up north, hook it to the extra set of dishes there, and receive everything BUT the local channels. That would be OK. Have Comcast scheduled to come out, but their more-or-less basic service will be $60/Month so a dish deal looks better all the time if I can patch the locals in. Is this a big deal with a dish system - how many buttons ya gotta push to switch from dish/DTV channels to the locals and back?

So now the next task is to find a great indoor antenna for the house in Waterford that will pick up WFUM Flint and WTVS. The radio shack I have now is a PITA - a rotary switch that has to be fussed with, lots of drop outs, etc., BUT it has shown me I can get WFUM and WTVS some of the time, so I think a good amplified indoor will do the job.

Any recommendations?

KJ

TvTitans guide says America One shows an English soccer game once a week that's why I was asking. Looks like I'll be getting a rotor one day. I' I'd love Detroit to get some kind of dedicated sports sub-channel. I don't know the particulars but I wish ACB could show ESPN stuff on a sub-channel.

38.2 is Universal Sports Network.

Don't look for ABC to put ESPN on a subchannel. Cable companies who are paying $$$$$$ per sub would scream bloody murder if it were suddenly available for free OTA.

Wondering if anyone else is seeing this. Using an HDHomerun over here in Plymouth, wife left me a note this morning her dancing shows didn't record (using VMC).

No picture...but the cable channels were coming in. Did a rescan and they disappeared, only the standard SD cable versions were there (ie WDIV, not WDIV-DT).

Still have WWJ-DT, so the Mentalist should record for her tonight...but wondering what's up. They added some channels earlier this week I noticed also, TBS, FX, A&E, History, ESPN2 and a couple others I think.

Looks like the remainder of the Comcast HD expansion for Ann Arbor happened today. However I have no guide info for many of the channels, even after forcing my TivoHD to connect.

I find it odd that MSNBC-HD was not part of the upgrade.