New York, NY - OTA
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Since NYC is sky scraper central, putting the main signals on a farm in LI would block reception in New Jersey and the west side, while having the towers in the swamps of New Jersey would block reception on Long Island and the east side, so Empire, 1WTC and 4 Times Square are the 3 central locations. Unfortunately the sky scrapers also create a cavern effect for for viewers in Manhattan unless you're lucky enough to have a sweet spot to place your antenna or a building with a master rooftop antenna. This isn't a new issue, it's been a problem since the analog era and was the reason why Manhattan first got cable in the 60s with the original marketing message that it provided ghost free reception of the locals, while the outer boroughs didn't get cable until the 80s when they started offering more than just OTA channels over cable, and many of the major VHF stations initially had UHF translators in the 70-83 range after the twin towers were built. That same ghosting from the analog era translates to multipath interference in the digital era and has been an ongoing problem since the DTV stations originally signed on from the North Tower in the late 90s/early 00s.
Even though it's been almost 20 years since the bulk of the TV and FM stations lost their main facility, those who wanted to return to 1WTC weren't able to do so until 2019. (To this day WPAT 93.1 is still operating from a series of STAs and is technically licensed to the North Tower) And of course due to false promises about the capacity of the shared master antennas from the Durst organization, WNYW had to settle for a signal smaller than WNBC or WCBS. Also, after they realized how long it would take to complete a new WTC, the area stations wanted to build a tall 2000+ feet tower on governor's island which would be tall enough to get over the skyscrapers and would have had things return to normal much sooner, but a bunch of NIMBY's blocked that move.
The duplicates of networks like Laff and Court TV are only temporary until their deals expire. Once WJLP (Laff, Mystery, CourtTV, Grit), WABC (Laff), WPIX (CourtTV), WXTV (Bounce) and WFTY's (Mystery and Grit) deals for the Katz networks expire, those networks will only be available via WPXN.
WPIX has a pending application to increase their power after the application freeze was lifted at the end of November.
WJLP is in the process of moving from 4 Times Square to the new 1WTC but as mentioned a few pages ago, they need manufacturer reps based in California and overseas to do a visual inspection and testing, but quarantining for 2 weeks before they can enter 1WTC, and quarantining for another 2 weeks when they get back home would take those engineers out of commission for almost a month for a project that would normally be less than a week. And in some countries like Australia, those engineers would have to pay out of pocket for their mandatory hotel quarantine when they're ready to go back home.
WFUT/WXTV's issue is the need to install scaffolding to protect pedestrians from falling debris while the work is going on. That's another drawback to NYC, instead of a tower farm like Philly has, our signals are on top of sky skyscrappers in high pedestrian traffic areas, so scaffolding is required for a project like that, and they can't construct the scaffolding until the NYPD finishes their project of installing pedestrian protection barriers around sensitive targets like the Empire State building to prevent car attacks.
WEDW/WZME's issue is not their fault, blame WJLP's owners who are perfectly fine with exploiting a loophole to move a station from Nevada to New Jersey and have a signal based in Manhattan, but then turn around and want to block stations who were always based in the Connecticut portion of the DMA from adding a signal to Manhattan to improve their coverage.
The numerous NYC area LPTV stations are affected by multiple things. The stations in the 38-51 range had to go off air once T-Mobile wanted to launch 5G services in NYC, the others had to go off air once the repack gave their frequency to another full power or class A station. And since tower crews are already stretched thin becuase of the repack, LPTV stations are at the bottom of the queue for their tower work. Covid didn't help things either, since it delayed equipment shipments and prevented the crews based in Europe, Australia and South America who were going to pick up the slack from entering the country.
Even though it's been almost 20 years since the bulk of the TV and FM stations lost their main facility, those who wanted to return to 1WTC weren't able to do so until 2019. (To this day WPAT 93.1 is still operating from a series of STAs and is technically licensed to the North Tower) And of course due to false promises about the capacity of the shared master antennas from the Durst organization, WNYW had to settle for a signal smaller than WNBC or WCBS. Also, after they realized how long it would take to complete a new WTC, the area stations wanted to build a tall 2000+ feet tower on governor's island which would be tall enough to get over the skyscrapers and would have had things return to normal much sooner, but a bunch of NIMBY's blocked that move.
The duplicates of networks like Laff and Court TV are only temporary until their deals expire. Once WJLP (Laff, Mystery, CourtTV, Grit), WABC (Laff), WPIX (CourtTV), WXTV (Bounce) and WFTY's (Mystery and Grit) deals for the Katz networks expire, those networks will only be available via WPXN.
WPIX has a pending application to increase their power after the application freeze was lifted at the end of November.
WJLP is in the process of moving from 4 Times Square to the new 1WTC but as mentioned a few pages ago, they need manufacturer reps based in California and overseas to do a visual inspection and testing, but quarantining for 2 weeks before they can enter 1WTC, and quarantining for another 2 weeks when they get back home would take those engineers out of commission for almost a month for a project that would normally be less than a week. And in some countries like Australia, those engineers would have to pay out of pocket for their mandatory hotel quarantine when they're ready to go back home.
WFUT/WXTV's issue is the need to install scaffolding to protect pedestrians from falling debris while the work is going on. That's another drawback to NYC, instead of a tower farm like Philly has, our signals are on top of sky skyscrappers in high pedestrian traffic areas, so scaffolding is required for a project like that, and they can't construct the scaffolding until the NYPD finishes their project of installing pedestrian protection barriers around sensitive targets like the Empire State building to prevent car attacks.
WEDW/WZME's issue is not their fault, blame WJLP's owners who are perfectly fine with exploiting a loophole to move a station from Nevada to New Jersey and have a signal based in Manhattan, but then turn around and want to block stations who were always based in the Connecticut portion of the DMA from adding a signal to Manhattan to improve their coverage.
The numerous NYC area LPTV stations are affected by multiple things. The stations in the 38-51 range had to go off air once T-Mobile wanted to launch 5G services in NYC, the others had to go off air once the repack gave their frequency to another full power or class A station. And since tower crews are already stretched thin becuase of the repack, LPTV stations are at the bottom of the queue for their tower work. Covid didn't help things either, since it delayed equipment shipments and prevented the crews based in Europe, Australia and South America who were going to pick up the slack from entering the country.
Once an application is approved, would WPIX have to do any work to increase power or is it a simple matter along the lines of flipping a switch?
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Hey guys don’t know much about OTA.
But I have a question? I’m looking into getting another TV in the near future and supposedly it will have the new 3.0 tuner?
Is 3.0 up and running? What does this mean for OTA broadcasting, will we be getting 4K HDR OTA anytime soon? I know some major channels are still stuck on 720P which is ridiculous.
But I have a question? I’m looking into getting another TV in the near future and supposedly it will have the new 3.0 tuner?
Is 3.0 up and running? What does this mean for OTA broadcasting, will we be getting 4K HDR OTA anytime soon? I know some major channels are still stuck on 720P which is ridiculous.
No 3.0 in the NYC DMA, and nothing really on the horizon.
As for 4K on ASTC 3.0, no sign of that either, yet. The markets that have 3.0 test channels up are a mishmosh of 1080p and 1080i, along with SD, for the most part.
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It depends on what equipment they have. If their existing transmitter can make the power, then they could adjust a setting on it and put out more power. While not impossible, I do find that unlikely, and suspect they will probably need to upgrade the transmitter to put out more power. (I have no inside knowledge.)
- Trip
As with anything OTA, it all depends on location. I happen to be in a sweet spot in NJ, 10 miles outside the city facing Manhattan. TV signals are so strong here I can pull in a couple channels without even having an antenna plugged into my coax jack.
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If you want to keep up to date on ATSC 3.0 broadcasting in the USA, try going to www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atsc3. This section of RabbitEars keeps track of ATSC 3.0 TV stations that are on-the-air or planning to go on.
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78 Posts
Eventually WNET came back. I live in a bldg. with 88 apts, so I don't know if my neighbors have LED lamps. I have an LED lamp not far from the TV, but turning it off didn't help. And yes, I have 2 computers, each 10' from my TV, but they've been there for years. I have the same lamp and 2 computers there now, with no side effects. What's the connection between LCD and LED? Are they the same?
From the internet:
Despite having a different acronym, LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV, which uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. These panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. When an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align, so that light can (or can’t) pass through. Think of it as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out.
Since both LED and LCD TVs are based around LCD technology, the question remains: what is the difference? Actually, it’s about what the difference was. Older LCD TVs used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to provide lighting, whereas LED LCD TVs used an array of smaller, more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen.
Since the technology is better, all LCD TVs now use LED lights and are colloquially considered LED TVs.
Despite having a different acronym, LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV, which uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. These panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. When an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align, so that light can (or can’t) pass through. Think of it as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out.
Since both LED and LCD TVs are based around LCD technology, the question remains: what is the difference? Actually, it’s about what the difference was. Older LCD TVs used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to provide lighting, whereas LED LCD TVs used an array of smaller, more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen.
Since the technology is better, all LCD TVs now use LED lights and are colloquially considered LED TVs.
Which HD OTA antenna would you recommend (hopefully ATSC 3.0 ready) to place in the basement. I'm <35mi from towers. and don't have many placement options so it shouldn't be too finicky.
I'm looking to connect to an Windows based HTPC based DVR (HDHomerun? tuner + Channels and/or Plex software)
So I'm looking cut the cable cord and for consistent reception (don't want to record the football and find out that the last 2 minutes didn't get reception)
Mainly to get watch live sports (thus CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, and perhaps PBS for my son)
I do have access to a windows facing south (direction of antennas), however being in the basement it's ground level, with the neighbor's house approx. 50-80 feet away
thx
I'm looking to connect to an Windows based HTPC based DVR (HDHomerun? tuner + Channels and/or Plex software)
So I'm looking cut the cable cord and for consistent reception (don't want to record the football and find out that the last 2 minutes didn't get reception)
Mainly to get watch live sports (thus CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, and perhaps PBS for my son)
I do have access to a windows facing south (direction of antennas), however being in the basement it's ground level, with the neighbor's house approx. 50-80 feet away
thx
is even worse.I'm looking to cut the cord, and definately don't want finicky (especially when DVR'ing to come back and find it didn't record).
Are there any that are known to be better for this type of setting and worth trying? or is it doomed to fail/lead to nothing but frustration?
Are there any that are known to be better for this type of setting and worth trying? or is it doomed to fail/lead to nothing but frustration?
@Ratman gave good info ... all I'll add is to take your set (what brand/model?) and borrow one to try. Depends on too much. A window facing the transmitter's antenna will be a huge help.
Further, read the sticky threads, especially the one that says read before posting. If we have the information requested, we can be of much more help.
Further, read the sticky threads, especially the one that says read before posting. If we have the information requested, we can be of much more help.
I read the post and added info the OP.
I don't have access to one to test, though could buy one that's returnable
So looking to know what's the best bet to try.
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I'm very happy with using a HDHomeRun for a tuner and streaming OTA signals to my TV and MacBook. Over Christmas I setup a Tablo at my mom's house that works good too; the Tablo app has a better interface but it doesn't accept number key inputs and isn't compatible with the Live Channels app. Both are good options as a network tuner and to record programs.
I've had good success with Antennas Direct 2Max and Televes DINOVA Boss inside my condo, but a basement unit might prove to be more difficult, especially VHF channels.
Go to RabbitEars.info to see a report of potential stations, direction, distance, signal strength, etc. and post the link to the report.
I've had good success with Antennas Direct 2Max and Televes DINOVA Boss inside my condo, but a basement unit might prove to be more difficult, especially VHF channels.
Go to RabbitEars.info to see a report of potential stations, direction, distance, signal strength, etc. and post the link to the report.
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