Milwaukee, WI - HDTV - Page 2

Sounds like your affiliate (not NBC) got a new encoder and doesn't know how to use it yet and you have a display that doesn't have the usual amount of overscan that most have. You should see at most one yellow line on the left.

If you're seeing cue data in active video, TMJ has some problems. I'm certain it doesn't come in that way off the Tiernan TDR-6 IRD. This is not a network issue since no other stations are complaining. Cue data, outside of active video, is being reformatted by the local into active video.

This is not true. There are multiple shades of yellow lines on the left with segments of spacing. I have witnessed this on every NBC affiliate I've viewed this year. This was not the case prior to late summer there was no such distortion to the picture.


But they're all having these issues whereas before it was not an issue here for the most part at all. The most obvious issue with this system nationwide was the Notre Dame verus Michigan State game where many affiliates didn't get the overtime perod in HD without a manual override of the failed cue. Before this Fall you could clearly see NBC SD upconvert displaying a centered white line cue at the beginning and end of each segment indicating to flip in or out. Now the visual cues that helped ensure awareness are gone.

I'm moving to Milwauke at the end of November and I'm starting to investigate television options. I currently have DTV in Houston (Not the HD), one HD set (45", hooked up to a DirecTivo)and one non-HD set (32", standard tuner box).

I'm moving in to Glendale (very close to Kletsch park). I'm not sure what kind of OTA antennae I could get away with or need in my community.

Any recommendations about Cable w/HDTV vs. DTV w/HDTV in this area? As a rule I have found the DTV SD much better than cable in Houston - is the same true here?

Cable sounds like the simplest to get but I am concerned about PQ. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ski

TimeWarner cable is fine, PQ is as good as can be on regular channels. I've got a built-in tuner on my TV so it's able to pick up some digital channels off my basic/analog cable (two of the local channels in HD and some TimeWarner preview channels) but I haven't yet decided to shell out the additional cash for full digital cable with HD...

I also am moving to Milwaukee. I will be there starting tomorrow and am researching options as well. I will be in Germantown, WI. Does anyone here run any setups from there for OTA. I am debating about switching from cable to dish/dtv. I currently have 2 HD PVR's in Pittsburgh and would get the same there.

Thanks.

Can anyone tell me if they can run there 8300HD box through HDMI in Milwaukee? I can't run it through my Denon 3806 and though of trying right to the tv for the STB. Does it work?

Vindii, sorry if this reply is somewhat late; I'm just now reading through this thread. My friend has an SA 8300HD with TWC service and has been trying to connect via DVI to his plasma TV. No go. TWC has been telling him for the past 6 months or so that "they're working on it" and will enable the digital connection when they can. He bought the plasma and upgraded his cable service specifically so he could get HD, but that's been completely bunked until they eventually get around to it. Not to mention the moments of crawling on the Internet and the poor voice quality of their network phone service.

Me personally? I'll be damned if I'm going to give TWC one, thin dime! >:-(

I live in Shorewood and am considering subscribing to Time Warner Cable to get ESPNHD and other HD cable channels. I'd like to record onto a DVHS deck over Firewire. Is it easy to get a Firewire-enabled set top box from TWC? What model is theirs? Does it work well with DVHS? Any answers would be appreciated.

I am so sick of watching the Bucks and Brewers with pathetic picture quality. I have TWC and the HD package, so on a rare occasion the games are in HD on FoxSportsNet HD. I almost prefer to watch the games on my 20" tube TV versus the grainy and dark picture I get on my 50" LCD set...

We have been since January of this year. (HD on WCGV 24-1)
The Bucks games we air are produced by the Bucks and are not provided to us in HD at this time.

Doesn't look like there is much Milwaukee representation here...

Wondering if anyone has seen or heard of a published list from Time Warner on HD channels coming soon. While I enjoy the HD content... it seems lacking. I'd like to see ESPN2.

Also... anyone know if the NFL Network will EVER come to Time Warner?

Time Warner Cable Has added Starz-HD & Cinemax-HD in Austin & San Antonio, ask them about your area receiving these channels.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/sanan...g/updates.html

I have a cabin in Mukwonago (Eagle) about 27 miles away from the transmitters per antennaweb. $50 rooftop antenna. Activated Voom receiver.

I get 4,6,10,12,18,24,36,55, 58 and all their subchannels perfectly. Every now and then I lose signal on 58. I think the Voom needs higher signal strength than most receivers. Also, the antenna turns in the wind. Need a better mount .

I'll hook up an amplified indoor antenna in 2 weeks to see what I can get.

On a side note, TV is standard 4:3. Using the composite video connection from Voom. Displays full screen with HD material and a somewhat narrower picture with SD material. I've heard this is normal for Voom boxes.

I got my new HDTV this week. I have analog cable, not digital, with no set-top box or antenna. I was pleasantly surprised to note last night that six Milwaukee HD stations are being picked up by my TV. They have either digital (e.g. 4-1) or 3-digit (e.g. 535 and 104) channel numbers. But this was an unexpected development - I was sure I'd have to subscribe to digital cable and get the HD package.

Time Warner Cable has stated it will roll OCAP applications out in New York City; Milwaukee; Green Bay, Wis.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Waco, Texas, while Comcast Corp. has pledged to do so in Philadelphia, Denver and Northern New Jersey.
Joan Gillman, vice president of interactive TV and advanced advertising at Time Warner Cable, said work is under way to meet the October target date for rolling out OCAP in Time Warner's initial markets.


http://www.multichannel.com/index.as...leid=CA6344725

I'm in the process of setting up my first HD plasma and am wondering which way to go: TWC or DTV?

The house is wired for TWC and I currently have DTV (just not the HD equipment). So set-up is not an issue for me.

Which has the better HD quality?

Which has the better HD programming?

Does TWC have the NFL channel yet?

What other questions should I be asking?

Thanks everyone.

Steve

PS I'm in Brookfield, near Bluemount and Sunnyslope

From my experience it depends on the channel. Some are better on Time Warner, some on DirecTV. I prefer TimeWarner. I think its better. I have had both and currently have Time Warner Cable. Time Warner doesnt have the NFL channel but I have heard rumors that they will. Each has bennefits and disadavantages. With DirecTV expect to pay for your HD equipment, expect to miss some NFL games due to snow. Also DirecTV customer service is the ABSOLUTE WORST. My advice go with Time Warner, you wont have to pay a huge fee for your equipment....

Thanks for the reply terminaldawn.

I was looking at the $99 installation DTV package and another $7/month for the HD feed. I don't think that TWC charges for the install or equipment, but it's an extra $10/month for the HD.

I'm really leaning toward TWC. I agree that DTV has terrible customer service. And I'm really getting annoyed with the crappy/intermittant signal during some thunderstorms.

The NFL channel isn't a deal breaker.....so the more I think about it the more I think that TWC is the way to go.

Will let you know when I get my set up and running. Until then, more suggestions are allway welcome.

Steve

I'm a Madison resident and get my HD via cable/Charter. I'm asking this on behalf of my good friend who lives in Muskego. At a recent visit to his house, he was complaining that he gets very little HD programming anymore over the air. For a HD receiver, he has a Samsung unit, I think the very first one that hit the market, ( he's been using it for over a year ) hooked to an older Tosh 34" ws CRT. He claims the locals have gradually stopped offering HD. He says he'll be watching a program on the SD channel, and if the program says in HD where available, he'll turn on the Sammy and it will tell him channel not available. He thinks the local stations have stopped OTA HD broadcasting and are making it available only through the cable franchises, forcing residents to pay for HD.

That sounds a bit cynical, and he is that kind of guy. I was surprised and said I thought broadcasters weren't allowed to drop OTA HD, governed by the FTC's plan for the stations to convert to HD and eventual surrendering of analogue bandwidth.
But I really don't know for sure, since I don't really hang out in this forum, live in Madison, and get my HD fix via cable TV.

It could be any of a number of things, including hardware problems with the Sammy, but he claims he can still receive stuff from channel 10 ( PBS ) from time to time, but not as much programming as he used to see from them and other channels. I didn't have time to start troubleshooting, as we had many other things to talk about. Just thought I'd start doing some background checking on the current state of OTA programming in Milwaukee.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

I think you are right and your friend has no reason to be cynical. AFAIK, it is indeed an FCC mandate that all broadcasters must simulcast DTV along with NTSC, and all in his (my) market do. He should be receiving signal from the same towers I do, and I get signal from every network that's supposed to be broadcasting one, so it's probably a combination of his location (not using the right type of antenna or not having it oriented properly) and/or his receiver (too old, not as sensitive as newer ones). If he has one of the first HDTV receivers available, that would explain why he can't pick anything up. Receiver technology has improved greatly since then and if he were using a modern 4th generation unit with a proper antenna, I don't think he would be having any problems.

Thanks Gopher. About a year ago he did not have any problems picking up the HD channels, so I don't think his problem is such that his 1st or 2nd gen HDTV receiver is not sensitive enough to pick up the signal. Maybe the receiver has a hardware failure. I doubt he'll want to pay to have it fixed or buy a replacement., or shall I say his wife may not want to spend the $. He then swithed the conversation to Blue Ray, what I knew about it, and the info ( misinformation, more like it ) he received from a salesman at a certain hi-end establishment on Bluemound road in Brookfield. Oh, that must have been interesting. I would have walked in about 5 minutes.
Anyway, thanks for the response.

Take care.

Bill

Numbers Nerd, would you mind letting me know your HDTV make and model?

The reason I am asking is I just want the local channels with the same setup as yours and do not care the premium content. But most of the TV QAM tuner specs state only digital cable channel 1-135. I think these TV will not be able to pick up any channel above 135 without a set-top-box. Is this correct?

Thanks

I was under the impression that QAM is QAM and if the tuner supports QAM, and the channel isn't encrypted, it can pick it up. I have an LG LST-3100A HDTV tuner that supports QAM and it can pick up all the locals over analog cable too (QAM). I don't know if there is anything special about my & Numbers Nerd's tuners. I think any QAM tuner should be able to receive the DTV locals over analog cable by FCC mandate. This is not "digital cable" at all - the local HDTV is broadcast in QAM over analog cable, as Numbers Nerd was saying.

Gopher In Heat, thanks for your reply.

I understand the signal travel part. But Samsung and a couple of Panasonic 2006 HDTV sets I randomly pickup have following specs:

Tuner:
8VSB (terrestrial): ATSC compliant 8VSB
QAM (cable): ANSI/SCTE 07 2000

Channel:
Terrestrial (analog): 2-69
Cable TV (analog): 1-135
Terrestrial (digital): 2-69
Cable TV (digital): 1-135

What do above numbers mean? Without set-top-box, it is the TV tuner's job to synch and decode the signal. I have no doubt that you and Numbers Nerd can receive those channels (>135) over analog cable services. In my area, these channels are in the range of 309+. Could the newer models step backwards and need set-top-box for high numbered channels?

Thanks
JJ

Your friend should be receiving the following (OTA for free)......
If not a new receiver/tv is needed.

4-1 WTMJ (NBC-HD)
4-2 WTMJ-WX (Weather Plus)
6-1 WITI (FOX-HD)
10-1 WMVS (three hour delay of analog channel 10)
10-2 WMVT (three hour selay of analog channel 36)
10-3 PBS-Kids
10-4 PBS Create
10-5 MPTV Extra
10-6 MPTV Extra
10-7 MPTV Extra
12-1 WISN (ABC-HD)
18-1 WVTV (WB-HD, soon to be CW-HD)
24-1 WCGV (UPN-HD, soon to be MyNetworkTV-HD)
24-2 The Tube Music Network - SD
30-1 WVCY (SD)
36-1 WMVT (PBS-HD)
55-1 WPXE (Ion/Pax)
55-2 WPXE-2
55-3 WPXE-3
55-4 WPXE-4
58-1 WDJT (CBS-HD)
58-2 WMKE (independent SD)

OK, here is my understanding of it - I could be totally wrong, but I am only giving my answer because noone else has stepped in yet. In fact I know basically nothing and probably am wrong, but here is my "wrong" understanding:

When you see an analog TV channel number, the channel is actually on that number, which corresponds to a particular frequency in the VHF/UHF spectrum. But when you see a digital TV channel number, the channel is NOT actually on that number, because DTV is on a different frequency band than analog.

For example, in our market, we have analog TV channels 4, 6, 10, 12, and so on, which correspond to particular frequencies. Those channels all have their own digital counterparts - 4-1, 4-2, 6-1, 10-1, and so on. But the channel 4-1 you see on your HDTV set is not "actually" on DTV channel 4 - it might be on DTV channel 21 or whatever, but it SHOWS UP as channel 4, in order to correspond with the analogs (so that people don't have to memorize a whole new set of channel numbers when they switch to DTV). Another example, when I run a channel scan on my HDTV STB, the channel numbers it finds during the scan are not the same channel numbers that I end up seeing. The other day, I was having trouble pulling in 12 (WISN), and my STB kept stalling at channel 46 or whatever it was (WISN's "actual" channel number on the DTV spectrum).

My understanding is that ALL DTV tuners, however old or recent, are capable of tuning in ALL DTV signals over either 8VSB or QAM, no matter what the "abstracted" channel number, and that all "actual" QAM DTV channels are within channels 1-135, even if some of them happen to show up as 352-6 or whatever.

I hope this makes sense. Again, it could be totally incorrect. But I would be very surprised if some recent model sets have actually DROPPED the ability to tune in a portion of the DTV spectrum.

Over the air analog and digital stations are on traditional channels 2-69. The digital stations use the analog channel number but it is a different channel within the 2-69 range. Cable uses different channels where there are no TV channels.

Terrestrial TV is actually 3 different frequency ranges. Channels 2-6 are between 54-88 MHz, 7-13 is between 174 to 216 MHz and 14-69 are between 470-800 MHz. Cable not only uses those frequencies but the frequencies below and in between those three bands.

Cable uses a different digital transmission than terrestrial (QAM on cable, 8VSB on terrestrial) and that is why you need two digital tuners, one for cable and one for terrestrial.

Gopher In Heat,

Thanks for the explanation. I think I get it. The Channel displayed on TV sometime does not correspond to the physical channel it synchs on. With STB, the digital sub-channel may be labeled as 350, for example but physically, it is still in the 1-135 channel range. Thanks a lot.

FOXENG. thanks for jump in.

I think my question is answered. Case closed.

Modified my original post to include Milwaukee OTA DTV broadcast channels.

Digital broadcast channel 28
4-1 WTMJ (NBC-HD)
4-2 WTMJ-WX (Weather Plus)

Digital broadcast channel 33
6-1 WITI (FOX-HD) DTV Channel 33

Digital broadcast channel 8
10-1 WMVS (three hour delay of analog channel 10)
10-2 WMVT (three hour selay of analog channel 36)
10-3 PBS-Kids
10-4 PBS Create
10-5 MPTV Extra
10-6 MPTV Extra
10-7 MPTV Extra

Digital broadcast channel 34
12-1 WISN (ABC-HD)

Digital broadcast channel 61
18-1 WVTV (WB-HD, soon to be CW-HD)

Digital broadcast channel 25
24-1 WCGV (UPN-HD, soon to be MyNetworkTV-HD)
24-2 The Tube Music Network - SD

Digital broadcast channel 22
30-1 WVCY (SD)

Digital broadcast channel 35
36-1 WMVT (PBS-HD)

Digital broadcast channel 40
55-1 WPXE (Ion/Pax)
55-2 WPXE-2
55-3 WPXE-3
55-4 WPXE-4

Digital broadcast channel 46
58-1 WDJT (CBS-HD)
58-2 WMKE (independent SD)