Digital TV Conversion

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by Just Wonderin

Thanks Slickcraft for the great FCC link. I was able to enter a nearby zip code. Then drag the red marker to my exact location...just as I had feared...Channel 9, 13, and 21 have no signal at our location and Channel 6 and 11 are represented as weak...I don't know if any of you have ever tried to watch a weak digital signal but it's almost painful, the way the picture continues to freeze and the sound stops....

Does anyone know if A TiVo (recording shows at a separate cable location) could be moved to the island home and just playback the recorded shows through the island tv?

Channel 13 on the FCC site was weak or non-existant and I get it. Yes you can load up the TIVO and bring it. I did that the last few years. Now my problem is an HDTV. I think the Tivo (non-HD) will look crummy. I have not tried it yet.

[Just Wonderin]

Thanks for answering my TiVo question...no matter who I asked, I kept getting different answers. So, it's good to hear from someone that has actually done it. Let me know how you make out if you do try it with HD.

[Slickcraft]

The estimates on the FCC site should be viewed as just that; estimates. The underlying model uses average terrain conditions between your antenna location and the station transmitter site. What really matters is the specific terrain that is actually between you and the transmitter but it would be unrealistic to include such in this general model. Also atmospheric conditions at any specific time play a role but the general model has to make an average type assumption.

And then it depends on the specific antenna situation that you have.

All of the above also applies to analog TV.

I am going to wait for the June 13th transition and then see what the story is at my specific location when all stations are on the final frequency assignments.

I don’t know if all DTV receivers are using the same chip set, probably not. Some may do a better job of compensating for the multipath resulting from signals reflecting off those hills that are between here and the transmitters. A lot of work has gone into developing adaptive equalizers for DTV receivers but I have not been able to find any brand specific test reviews. So I have yet to choose a brand/model DTV for the island.

[rick35]

In an earlier post I said I thought channels 6 and 9 were switching back to VHF. Unfortunately 6 is not which means that it will be more difficult to receive NBC from south Bear. I hooked up a new antenna last week and could only receive 9 and 34 (Telemundo out of Merrimack). I didn't get anything from Maine on the UHF frequencies. Could be the digital box I bought at WalMart as well as trees blocking the signal.

[Island Girl]

If I move my antenna even 1/2 an inch a channel will be inaccessible. This makes it very difficult to scan for channels. It took me many tries to get 13.

Last week the reception was crummy on all three Maine channels in the bad weather... not a good sign.

I am looking for a good used rotator so I can move the antenna to the roof!

IG

[Orion]

Thanks to the Government procrastination, there's still a bit more time to wait before you give up on reception. After June 12th, the stations should be moved to the new channels and many will increase power at that time. Only then will you know what you'll really be able to get.

[rick35]

I picked up a new converter box at Best Buy today before my second coupon expires later this week. The first one was a Magnavox from Wal-Mart which didn't get very good reviews and may be a reason for my poor reception. I'm hoping the Insignia will work better. The reviews were pretty good.

I tried to google info on power levels as I too understood that stations may not be operating at full power prior to the cut-over. I couldn't find anything but I'm hoping that things will improve after the 12th. I fear that our reception may be limited to ABC and Telemundo.

[oak grove]

For those who are thinking about upgrading from an analog TV to a new DTV, consider the tuner that resides in the TV. Even if you have a good antenna, you'll need a great tuner. After doing a lot of research, I have found that the Vizio TVs have the best tuners. This will help when trying to pick up channels. (Of course, if you are sticking with your analog TV and relying on a converter box, you'll need to get the best converter box to go with the best antenna.)

Disclaimer: I don't work for Vizio, nor do I know anyone who does, but I do own a Vizio now and I love it.

[Audiofn]

Have any of you thought about sling box? I am working on some stuff for over the net transmision with out a computer but so far it is VERY expensive. I currently take a sling box at my home and use a computer at my vacation place. I then take the video out from my computer and run it to the TV. The picture quality is not as good as HDTV but it is good and I get ALL the channels I have at home for a minimal expanse. You do need a fast upload speed at the home and a decent download speed at the vacation location. The faster the speeds the better the picture. We just set this up for one of my customers that has a son in Dubia UAA and he is loving being able to watch the games again.

[wifi]

Audiofn: What connection speed would you consider fast in this application? ie, lower tier DSL and cable modems are usually 128K/256K upload respectively, would that be sufficient for a decent picture or would someone need fios to blast away?

[Island Girl]

I have been using a sling box for years.. never output to the TV though. I had to stop when verizon wireless capped monthly usage to 5GB. It was great... the slingbox is hooked up to my Tivo! From anywhere in the world I can watch TV and Tivo. If you have a nice fast broadband connection it works really well. I started using it with a 150K connection. It was not wonderful, but I got to see and hear tv shows. When verizon went to EVDO speeds and Comcast (my home provider) increased upload speeds, the picture was smooth and reliable. But, alas, verizon has thwarted
that!!!

300k upload from home will deliver a good picture. I can sling at uploads of over 500k these days with a really nice picture.

IG

[Audiofn]

The minimum speed is 256kbs for the regular box but the HD box is 1.5 megs in both directions. As the speed of your provider drops the quality does as well so if you can get the 1.5 you get a very good image. Most providers these days even DSL can accomodate this service/speed requirements as long as you are not VPNing into your office at the same time. If you do not want to go with the computer Slingbox now makes a "Sling Catcher" and you can use that just like a cable box. I have not tried this but I am going to get one soon. What I am now setting up is cable at my house with a matrix switcher so that I will have all my cable content and all my movie content that is located on a server available at the vacation house. When my son asks to watch Nemo I can say no problem and just dial it up. Some cool stuff is becoming available with the new technologies so keep an eye out. The only issue with sling box that I can see so far is the up front costs. If you get the sling box and sling catcher at retail you are looking at about 4-500 bucks. That is only about 7 months of cable service however (for me anyhow) so the pay back is fairly quick.

[trfour]

until we hear from FLL after the DTV conversion takes place! These days he's getting here with web-tv, kind of the can and string technology of old, and if we should lose him, we could take up a collection to buy him a 90s computer, and training to incorporate him back into the fold, so to speak.
What say?....

[Ropetow]

Originally Posted by trfour

until we hear from FLL after the DTV conversion takes place! These days he's getting here with web-tv, kind of the can and string technology of old, and if we should lose him, we could take up a collection to buy him a 90s computer, and training to incorporate him back into the fold, so to speak.
What say?....

Why should we? After all, according to FLL himself, with the Democrats in charge of the White House, both houses of Congress, the NH governorship and both houses of the state legislature....All is wonderful. We're all living in a land of abundant milk and honey, and are serenaded by celestial choirs singing heavenly hosannas, led by Rev. Wright himself. With FLL's pals in charge, nobody needs to lift a finger. Work? Buy something? No way, not with FLL's friends running things. All we have to do is sit back and relax, either on the Meredith shorefront or slopeside at Waterville Valley, and the government will meet our every desire. I'm sure that Nancy or Harry or Terie or Sylvia or Barack or John will take good care of FLL and his computer needs.