[MiltonH]

Hi all


In the best interests of our family we have got to leave Japan and return to the good ol' USA. It looks like the Bay Area is where we will end up and since I want to maximize my HDTV choices I might as well look for housing that has HDTV via cable if such is available. Any of you Bay Area members getting HDTV via cable?


Milton Henry
[email protected]

 

[glgorman]

Depending on where you reside in the Bay Area, you can usually run an RG-6 cable up to an antenna on the roof. . Best of all, its free - other than the cost of "installation", and the picture (if you get one) is generally perfect.


Oh, did you mean "cable company" ... hahahahah (as far as I know).

 

[rlsmith]

AT&T, which has most of the SF Bay Area, has been adamantly opposed to HDTV and has no installations anywhere to my knowledge.


This will probably change when Comcast buys them out.

 

[MiltonH]

Thanks RL


I was afraid that was the answer; even though I have been gone awhile I follow what the Bay Area posters here say about their set ups and did not remember seeing anyone mention getting HDTV via cable. I was hoping there were a few communities with different cable operators and hoping that one of those operators was forward looking; oh well, that's what I get for hoping.


Milton Henry
[email protected]

 

[stephenC]

Milton - If you do decide to settle here in the Bay Area, be sure to have a reception test done at any homes you may want to buy. Many of us using roof-top antennas have difficulties receiving all the DTV channels. I can't get the NBC channel since it moved to Loma Prieta. But, some viewers in Marin County can receive it. It all depends on location, location, location.


Good luck and welcome.

 

[SeanKelly]

I'm in Santa Clara and get all local DTV stations with the Radio Shack Double Bowtie antenna placed outside. For me, KNTV (NBC) is one of the easier ones to get. KPIX (CBS) is sometimes a bit tricky.

 

[miimura]

KRON (SF) was recently purchased and the new owners wouldn't pony up for a new NBC contract. NBC negotiated with KNTV (San Jose) to get the NBC affiliation for the whole Bay Area. NBC has since purchased KNTV outright. This is relevant for several reasons. Many people in SF that had a good signal from KRON have a very weak signal from KNTV, whose tower is somewhere in San Jose. I think I heard that they're planning to move it somewhere that will give SF better coverage, but that will clearly take a while. Also, many cable systems in the North and East Bay areas didn't carry KNTV because it was a minor SJ oriented station. I'm sure they all carry it now. AT&T Broadband in Cupertino also has a very weak signal on the cable compared to other stations. For example, when I watch the live signal using my VCR tuner I see a lot of banding on my 36XBR. The TV tuner does a better job, but it's still weak. KRON on the other hand has a very strong brilliant picture. Too bad they have crappy programming now.


[Edit] I definitely agree that AT&T Broadband will not do anything with HD until the Comcast deal is done.


- Mike

 

[PTS]

Geez, half laughing, have can not believe it. Are we to the point that we now are having "reception tests done" to decide where we are going to purchase a new home?? Either we are have to get lives here, or HD has to get a little easier. Was is sad about it is, I probably agree with Stephen C. Now that is getting bad people!!

 

[stephenC]

Thanks for the kind words, PTS. The reality of the situation in the Bay Area is that our primary cable provider is AT&T Broadband. AFAIK, they are doing nothing in our area for passing the HD signals. It could be years before we can get HD over cable here. Additionally, I've read that in some areas of the US where HD is available over cable, it's being bandwidth restricted. If AT&T does provide HD over cable at reduced bandwidth, I won't be a customer.


And, as I understand the satellite transmission technology, that could also take years before we can get our locals in HD. Will DirecTV/Dish also bandwidth restrict HD in the future? I don't know.


So, we are stuck with OTA for the foreseeable future for H/DTV. I can get all the OTA stations I want except for the NBC affiliate, but if I were in an OTA dead zone, I would definitely consider moving. I even suggested that to TiredGuy in another thread.

 

[Phloyd]

Quote:

Originally posted by stephenC So, we are stuck with OTA for the foreseeable future for H/DTV. I can get all the OTA stations I want except for the NBC affiliate, but if I were in an OTA dead zone, I would definitely consider moving. I even suggested that to TiredGuy in another thread.

Yep,


My criteria for home shopping is a little different from my woman's - I need good OTA DTV signals and DSL. I cannot live without these things. She wants kitchens and stuff like that.


Then again my shirt today reads "Give me the luxuries and willingly I would do without the necessities."


Cheers!

DAve.

 

[MiltonH]

Phloyd/Dave


My sentiments exactly.


Thanks for the help guys; I am actually a bit of a veteran of the OTA in the SF Bay Area "wars" from about 1 1/2 years ago. My first foray was with a DTC 100 and a Silver Sensor antenna in a San Francisco apartment; that was a dismal failure. Just before I left for Japan I helped a friend in Oakland connect with Robert of Robert's Satellite for an OTA/Dish/DirecTV install (which worked perfectly); maybe Robert is the person to get for a reception test [great idea stephenC].


PTS-Life, what a concept!


There is no OTA HDTV here but the satellite offerings are quite high quality; I can barely stand to watch SDTV now because it looks so fuzzy and unclear compared to HDTV.


Milton

 

[Iaen Sullivan]

Have a look at mdsamerica.com for a sorta vaporware due to roll out in US before long. The guy couldn't give a date, but said it would deliver HDTV.

 

[rlsmith]

Fortunately, the combination of OTA and DSS works very well in the Bay Area.


The OTA signals are pretty good and work throughout much of the Bay Area, the biggest problem being the aforementioned KNTV/NBC. One of my projects this summer is a new antenna for KNTV-DT since my current antenna is UHF-only and points to Mount Sutro.


Switching to OTA/DSS is some hassle, depending on your requirements, but the on-going cost is actually less and you get more programming of higher technical quality.


AT&T has been a dismal failure. In the Palo Alto area, they have lost about 12.6% of their customers in the last 18 months, since they took over the system. My own opinion is that their attitude about HDTV has been a major factor in this loss.

 

[mbroder]

I'll believe it when I see it., but my understanding is that AT&T will start airing HDTV in Chicago this summer , and will have at least 5 channels of HD in the top 100 markets by the years end. I've read this on many posts on this forum and others.

 

[ChrisW6ATV]

Quote:

Originally posted by PTS Geez, half laughing, have can not believe it. Are we to the point that we now are having "reception tests done" to decide where we are going to purchase a new home?? Either we are have to get lives here, or HD has to get a little easier. Was is sad about it is, I probably agree with Stephen C. Now that is getting bad people!!

PTS-


Back in 1984 when I was moving from Chicago, Illinois (the last U.S. big city to get cable TV) to the San Francisco area, several suburbs near my new work location all had similar apartment prices and qualities,so I picked the one with the best cable TV system. That was when there were still several cable TV companies to choose from in any given metropolitan area. I was young and foolish then...I drop-kicked my cable box through the Total Cable Incompetence front door in 1995 and switched to various satellite systems and I haven't looked back