[kkrull]

I use a HiPix and recommend it highly, but you will need to order it online. I would be tempted to wait for the DVHS models coming out with built in tuner, but I don't know if any software will record from them without going to tape first.


Also, my understanding is that you can't record digital cable directly.

Quote:

Originally posted by tpohlman I'm another "HDTV ready" set owner thinking about taking the plunge this Christmas. Just wondering if there is any local dealer that sells HD recievers and/or HD pc cards. I'm not sure if I'm going to get a STB or a HDPC, any advice? By the way I'm also a Dish Network subscriber (not the 6000). If I build a HDPC can this also help out the picture I'm getting from the dish. Do you guys have a preferred HD-card to get? Thanks, Troy

 

[Kevin R. Anderson]

Do a search in the "Home Theater Computers" section in this forum, and you will find a lot of info on this topic. In addition to the HiPix, there is another HDTV tuner card on the Internet, but I can't immediately find the link to it. It is about the same price at $300.


The benefit of an HTPC is you can add a DVD player, a software scaler, an HDTV tuner card, and audio recording software and have a killer A/V system that is much easier to upgrade than going the traditional route of seperate electronics.

 

[ricwhite]

I recieved a lot a valuable information from this forum and finally took the plunge and installed a Sony HD200 HDTV receiver to my Sony VPL-VW10HT projector. Needless to say, I am VERY pleased. The HDTV images are stunning. I live in Layton, Utah and have a standard roof-top antenna pointing to the transmitters at Farnsworth Peak about 45 miles away. Excellent reception -- always in the "good" with the signal strength measure.


Just a couple of questions. I am using the optical output from the HD200 to my DTV input to my receiver. My receiver automatically detects DD5.1 signals. However, my receiver very seldom detects it -- even when the channel is claiming that the broadcast IS in DD5.1. For example, Leno is supposed to be in DD5.1, but my receiver doesn't detect it and stays in the Dolby Pro-Logic mode. The ONLY time my reciever HAS detected DD5.1 was with Showtime movies such as Legally Blonde And even then, it was VERY VERY weak. Hardly any subwoofer signal. And the surrounds were very very weak --- Nothing at all like my DVD copy of the same movie.


Is my experience typical of the audio right now with HDTV?

Is there something that I should be doing to better activate the D5.1?

Have any of you experienced OTA DD5.1 which is equivalent to a DVD?


Also, Any recent information about what is happening with the Local (Utah) ABC channel. 4.1 is not working and 40.1 is off the air. 40.2 is a very poor signal with chopping sound. Isn't ABC carrying the Super Bowl? I'm getting nervous.


Thanks for your help. I enjoy being a part of the HDTV community.

 

[Kevin R. Anderson]

I may be wrong, but I think the only thing on OTA HDTV in SLC is Music & Spoken Word on KSL on Sunday morning (and that doesn't always work). However, when it does work, especially when the symphony is playing with the Tab Choir, it is absolutely breathtaking. Having attended a number of M&SW performances, it is as close to "being there" as you can get.


As to the other channels, we keep hoping for more programming in 5.1 (like the ABC movies), but so far we are pretty much stuck with Pro Logic.

 

[Bachelor]

trying to keep this thread alive for the winter season.


Looks like ABC is BACK! 40-3 is the HD feed. Still an hour early. It does now seem like something was messed up with the frames per second....but not sure if it was program source. (alias and the practice)


Good to have ABC back

 

[jedvik]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bachelor Looks like ABC is BACK! 40-3 is the HD feed. Still an hour early. It does now seem like something was messed up with the frames per second....but not sure if it was program source. (alias and the practice) Good to have ABC back

That's great news! I'll have to check out HD on 40-3 tomorrow night.


Jeff

 

[Al Schultz]

Hi everbody. My name is Al Schultz VP/Engineering for KSTU SLC. Tonight we are beginning to pass the FOX digital network feed through rather than Up convert. Any comments would be helpful



Thanks


AL

 

[kkrull]

Welcome Al - Good to have you here.

Quote:

Originally posted by Al Schultz Hi everbody. My name is Al Schultz VP/Engineering for KSTU SLC. Tonight we are beginning to pass the FOX digital network feed through rather than Up convert. Any comments would be helpful Thanks AL

 

[Aaron Oz]

Good to have you around Al!


Off to Titan TV I go, to check out the widescreen programming from FOX we can expect.

 

[ricwhite]

Two problems I'm still having with my new HDTV set-up.


1) 40.3 (ABC) feed is activating the "HD" icon on my Sony HD200, but I get a blank screen. Is that what everybody else is getting? I am assuming that they are in the middle of making a switch and it's still down.


2) I MUST have the wrong FOX digital channel. I'm tuning into 13.1 for the FOX digital feed. What is the correct channel? All I get on 13.1 is an awful looking "stretched" image that is so painful to watch that I would rather watch the regular analog broadcast. I'm not really sure what Mr. Shultz is meaning when he states that they have begun passing the signal "uncoverted." Is that supposed to look better? Either I'm on the wrong channel (13.1) or something is dreadfully wrong with the transmission. It would be great if I could get an even "fair" looking FOX broadcast. Please advise.


CBS, NBC, HDNET, and 7.2 are all looking great with HDTV. If I could only get ABC and FOX to work right, I'd be set.

 

[Bachelor]

40-3 only works when programing is in 720p. Otherwise it's a blank screen. 40-1 and 40-2 are their SD channels. We receive ABC HD programming an hour earlier than scheduled.


I'm excited for fox! 13-1 is the correct channel. Again, only shows that are in 480p widescreen will look good. 28 is the real channel but gets remapped to 13-1.

 

[ricwhite]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bachelor 40-3 only works when programing is in 720p. Otherwise it's a blank screen. 40-1 and 40-2 are their SD channels. We receive ABC HD programming an hour earlier than scheduled.

I have never gotten anything on 40.3 except a blank screen. Where's all this HD broadcasting on ABC that everybody's talking about?? On 40.1 I get a "no signal" message with a blank screen. On 40.2 I get a bad image with cutting out sound -- basically unwatchable.


So it puzzles me greatly when I hear people talking about the great HD programs they watched on ABC, and how people have "never had a problem" watching ABC. I've had nothing BUT problems. For example, today ABC is supposed to broadcast the following programs in HD: 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (All I Want for Christmas), According to Jim (The Christmas Party), Life with Bonnie (Christmastime in the City), Less than Perfect (One Office Party Too Many), NYPD Blue (Healthy McDowell Movement)


Yet, when I go home tonight, I will get NONE of those shows on 40.3 and the SD feed of them on 40.2 is completely unwatchable (bad image and cutting out sound). So I am forced to watch them on channel 4 analog. So are my problems a national feed thing, a local station problem, or my individual reception issue??? My guess is that it must be a local station problem which means that everybody else in Utah is suffering from the same problems that I am. True?

 

[Bachelor]

I believe the problem is with your own antenna not receiving a strong signal. I will watch HD ABC on 40-3 tonight and let you know if it is working. (I did watch Alias and the Practice on Sun)


You need to get 40-2 working in order to receive 40-3 too.

 

[jedvik]

I'll have to watch for ABC HD programming tonight.

My channels were different last night.

40-1 Poor picture

40-2 Just a blank screen

40-3 Poor picture


My signal is strong for all 3 stations.

Also, the Chief Engineer at KTVX told me that he was moving the HD feed to 40-2.

Oh well.... I guess I'll see what happens tonight.

One of my main reasons for buying my TV & STB was to get the Super Bowl in HD, so I'm really hoping I don't end up with a problem.


Jeff

 

[ricwhite]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bachelor I believe the problem is with your own antenna not receiving a strong signal. I will watch HD ABC on 40-3 tonight and let you know if it is working. (I did watch Alias and the Practice on Sun) You need to get 40-2 working in order to receive 40-3 too.

Thanks for your help. It will be interesting to hear about your results tonight to compare to mine.


I am about 40 miles from Farnsworth Peak. I use a 90 mile UHF / 120 mile VHF antenna. The signal meter has a range of bad.....normal.....good. It indicates a good signal on all channels and I don't have any sound or picture problem on 7.2, 5.1, 2.1. Since all the signals are coming from the same place (Farnsworth Peak), I would anticipate that the ABC signal should be similar to the others. If it IS my reception, however, that would be good to know so I can take measures to correct it -- such as with a pre-amp or something.

 

[ricwhite]

Quote:

Originally posted by jedvik I'll have to watch for ABC HD programming tonight. My channels were different last night. 40-1 Poor picture 40-2 Just a blank screen 40-3 Poor picture My signal is strong for all 3 stations. Also, the Chief Engineer at KTVX told me that he was moving the HD feed to 40-2. Oh well.... I guess I'll see what happens tonight. One of my main reasons for buying my TV & STB was to get the Super Bowl in HD, so I'm really hoping I don't end up with a problem. Jeff

It sounds like I'm in almost the same situation as you. One of my major decisions to get HDTV now was the Superbowl. I want to get this worked out soon.


I am puzzled, however, at the different results that many of us are getting. You get a blank screen on 40.2 while I get an image with choppy sound. You get a poor image on 40.3 while I get absolutely nothing. You get a poor picture on 40.1 while I get a blank screen. Others get a good reception on all three channels. Weird.

 

[jasoraso]

These past few weeks Ch 4 / 40 has been changing quite a few things around. It seems that they've only just got things working again (since last Saturday / Sunday). They are now broadcasting on 40.1, 40.2, 40.3; with the network HD feed being on 40.3. On Mondays, there is no network feed, therefore a blank screen on 40.3. To verify, check tonight, starting at 6 pm (that is the Eastern coast feed) that is passed through (what would normally be the 7pm progam) - although it is possible that the reason they've been changing things around is that they can now timeshift the HD feed - so if you get nothing on 40.3 at 6pm, try again at 7pm.


One other note, although the signals are all generated from the 2 towers located quite close together, the different stations are not all broadcasting at the same power level; or with the same antennae; therefore the signal patterns they generate can vary widely.


I use a HDTV PC card (MYHD) and do have problems with ABC - but I can at least get the programs to display. The makers of MYHD recently released a new driver for the card to correct problems with ABC in Portland, and I wonder if they need to add some changes to the driver to correct my problems w/ ABC - but that is a different issue.


Good luck tonight!


Jason

 

[buffster]

Al, I talked to you a couple of times on the phone trying to find out information about when you would start passing along the network feed. I was glad to see your post. Do you know which shows you will be passing along in 480p 16*9? I assume this would include the Fox broadcast of football, in addition to various programs. When I get a chance to watch some Fox, I'll let you know what I think.


Buffster

 

[Aaron Oz]

I have been unable to find ANY information on the FOX widescreen broadcasts anywhere. If anyone has any links to FOX widescreen broadcast schedule, that would be great!

 

[Bachelor]

Yes, 40-3 is working but has a framing issue or something. It jutters with fast movement. (like frames are missing) hmm....is ABC aware? I did have occasional dropouts on NYPD Blue.


13-1 looks good with 24, but the cinematography was horrible. The handheld camera was terrible. I couldn't watch more than 5 minutes. Can't wait for widescreen EDTV football this sunday. Way to go FOX!