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Author Topic: WB in HDTV?
Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-13-2004 09:12 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Great. I got an HDTV last weekend and the only place in town that broadcasts in HD is Channel 2, or the "WB" network. Now I am forced to watch this sappy "Everwood" show just to marvel at the 1080i visuals. According to what the station told me, they are going to broadcast Lord of da Ringz in HDTV pretty soon as well. I am amazed that someone like WB is in HD. Fox only has 480p from what I hear.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002


 - posted 09-13-2004 09:23 PM      Profile for Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Author's Homepage   Email Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Didn't you know Warner Bros kick ass and take names. There isn't another studio I rather deal with. It doesn't surprise me they kick ass on the television front either.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 09-13-2004 09:34 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Warners is not HD yet in Salt Lake City but Fox is. What we do get in SLC is pretty amazing though......with many broadcasters transmitting many channels...... There are at least three other channels relegion, etc, on that I never watch. Also, none of the Mexican channels are even on DTV as of yet. All of this comes from one antenna array on one new tower on Farnsworth Peak(alt. 9273') that was up and running in late 1999 just in time for the Winter Olympics. All of the transmitters below are diplexed together into this one antenna array.

2, CBS - SD/HD switchable on one chan.
4, ABC - SD/HD on 4A, Local traffic on 4B?
5, NBC - SD DTV on 5A, HDTV on 5B. One of the few local news channels in the country that completely casts local news in HD.
7, KUED- SD DTV on 7A, 24/7 PBS HD CHAN on 7B, KIDS TV on 7C
8A, 8B LOCAL COLLEGE TV ON TWO DTV CHANNELS
11, KBYU HD on 11A, SD on 11B, KIDS on 11C, PBS YOU on 11D
13 FOX - SD on 13A, HD on 13B
14 KJZZ - REGULAR TV IN SD DTV, JAZZ GAMES IN HD SOMETIMES
16 WB TV - SD DTV

I'm surprised that in Denver there is not more DTV and HD being cast. I'd reccomend that you check often and see if other channels are casting stuff like the filmed sitcoms that here are normally all cast in HD.

Mark

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-13-2004 10:10 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
There is one other channel here that broadcasts in DTV, the local NBC affiliate. They broadcast their news in HDTV. News. Wow. News. But right now they are using a very low powered UHF transmitter from their station downtown. So in order to receive the signal, I need an outdoor UHF antenna pointed towards downtown, and I am likely way too far to get it even if I tried. They are building a high powered antenna that will go on top of Lookout Mountain that will take a YEAR to complete. The WB signal comes in without a hitch for the most part. I only see compression artifacts on the upsized SD picture in commercials and whatnot (though it seems Target commercials are in HD). The engineering guy at the local WB station says that Denver has been slow to adopt because of various legal and zoning issues. What the hell?

Mark, does Fox broadcast in 1080i, 720p, or 480p?

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-13-2004 10:29 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
Of the 4 major networks, I do specifically remember Fox broadcasts at the lowest (480p I think it is).

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000


 - posted 09-13-2004 10:35 PM      Profile for John Pytlak   Author's Homepage   Email John Pytlak   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Consumer Electronics Association Antennaweb:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx

quote:
CEA's antenna mapping program, AntennaWeb.org, will help you determine the proper outdoor* antenna to use in order to receive your local television broadcast channels.

Whether the antenna you want is for use with a home satellite system, high-definition television (HDTV) or a traditional analog set, this site, based on geographical maps and signal strengths, will show you what you need to know to buy the right antenna.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/info.aspx?page=FAQ

quote:
Digital TV Questions:

Why doesn't my HD receiver work with my antenna?
What does the * (asterisk) in the DTV column stand for?
When I use Antennaweb.org to determine which affiliates are broadcasting a digital signal in addition to the analog signal, I see dates that are over a year into the future. Why?
What does the "Live Date" column indicate, and what does it mean when it says "TBD"?
What is the difference between Digital Television (DTV) and High Definition Television (HDTV)?
What is multicasting?
Why is it that for some digital channels I need to tune to a UHF channel number such as 36, but for others I have to put in a number such as "4-1"?
Are all digital stations on UHF channels, and do I need a UHF-only antenna to receive them? What are the VHF and UHF bands anyway, and what do VHF and UHF stand for?
Can you provide station listings and antenna recommendations for locations in Canada?


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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000


 - posted 09-13-2004 10:48 PM      Profile for Paul Mayer   Author's Homepage   Email Paul Mayer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Last year, Fox announced it would start 720p operations this fall.

Fox to go 720p by Fall 2004

quote:
Fox Television to Add HDTV to Primetime by Fall 2004

LOS ANGELES, June 24 - The Fox Television Network, which previously shunned high-definition broadcasting, plans to transmit at least 50 percent of its prime-time schedule in HDTV by the season that begins in the fall of 2004, a company official told federal regulators today. The move brings the network into line with its three main broadcast competitors, which already transmit the bulk of their prime-time dramas and comedies in HDTV, the highest available quality of digital television, or will do so shortly.

Fox, owned by the News Corporation, tempered its pledge by stating that it was unhappy about introducing HDTV, however, before the adoption of a "broadcast flag" agreement aimed at protecting those programs from piracy.

Under a proposal being considered by the Federal Communications Commission, digitally transmitted programs, which would include HDTV, would be embedded with a broadcast flag which could be used to prevent retransmission over the Internet. Consumers, however, would still be able to make copies for personal use. The agency has not indicated when it will rule on the issue.

The decision to begin the transition to the high-definition format - which provides an exceptionally sharp image rivaling a motion picture's, a wide-screen format similar to that of a movie screen, and multichannel digital sound - was revealed in a letter from Peter Chernin, president of the News Corporation, to W. Kenneth Ferree, the chief of the F.C.C.'s media bureau.

Currently, the Fox network transmits its digital feed to local affiliates in a lower quality wide-screen format known as 480p enhanced definition.

"Without a very large television, it is hard to tell the difference in picture quality between Fox's enhanced definition and HDTV," said Josh Bernoff, principal analyst for Forrester Research. "But all the marketing is around HDTV, and Fox must have been feeling the pressure. This is a significant development, a sign that the acceptance of HDTV is accelerating."

The transition to high-definition TV will require Fox to change all its digital equipment at the network and its 182 local affiliates. In his letter to the F.C.C., Mr. Chernin pledged to have the job done by the fall of 2004. The company declined to say which programs it would transmit in high-definition. It said that it hoped to broadcast HDTV either later this year or early in 2004.

In 1996, the F.C.C. mandated that over-the-air broadcasters switch from an analog transmission system to a digital one. At the time, it did not formally demand any high-definition content in digital transmissions. But to encourage consumers to buy new televisions and speed the transition, the commission has stated its clear preference for HDTV. For its high-definition broadcasts, the network will use a 720p transmission, the same as that used by ABC. Proponents say this format, which sends a complete picture 60 times a second, does a better job of reproducing the fast movements of sports. Both NBC and CBS transmit their HDTV programs using the interlaced 1080i format, which alternates sending odd and even lines, and thus sends a complete picture 30 times a second.

More than 5.8 million televisions that are capable of receiving a digital signal have been sold to dealers, according to the Consumer Electronics Association; an additional three million are projected to be shipped to dealers by the end of 2003. Most of those sets, however, are used to watch conventional television and DVD's; fewer than one million high-definition set-top converter boxes are in the 106 million homes that have TV.

Currently, only 20 percent of the nation's digital broadcast channels are carried by cable TV operators. So, to see the broadcast networks' high-definition offerings, viewers must often erect an outdoor antenna or use rabbit ears, but only 6 percent of digital set owners have done so, according to Mr. Bernoff of Forrester Research. The problem, according to the cable industry, is that many of the broadcasters' digital channels are not showing high-definition programming, so there is little impetus for cable to offer them.

"With Fox's embrace of HDTV, the company should now be able to strike carriage deals with cable operators for its digital broadcasts," Mr. Bernoff said.

Early this month, Fox announced that it would offer local National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball games in HDTV to Time Warner Cable subscribers. The company said that it expected to announce similar agreements with other cable companies, which would lead to the production of 200 events, or 500 hours of high-definition programming. "News Corporation is committed to becoming a leader in the production of high-definition programming on broadcast and cable television," Mr. Chernin stated in his letter.

Among its competitors, both ABC and CBS offer all of their prime-time scripted shows to their affiliates in HDTV. NBC, which now transmits "E.R.," "The Tonight Show" and "Law and Order," among others, in HDTV, will add "The West Wing" and its new situation comedies and mini-series to its high-definition lineup next season.

The WB Network, jointly owned by AOL Time Warner and the Tribune Company, shows four programs in high-definition TV. Cable programmers that offer HDTV channels include Discovery, ESPN, HBO, HDNet and Showtime.

Fox's decision to embrace HDTV will help overcome the problems that have prevented high-definition digital television from being more widely used, said Gary Shapiro, the president and chief executive of the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing electronics manufacturers. "This is another `tipping point' to help reach the inevitable widespread adoption of HDTV."


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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 09-13-2004 11:08 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Joe,
What TV did you end up buying? I did install an antenna at my home which is about 25 miles as the crow flies from Farnsworth Peak. All of the stations here are high power and I get a mid signal level signal level indication with a pretty small uhf/vhf antenna. If you do install one be sure to use low loss coax!!
See http://www.dtvutah.com/ This is probably what Lookout Mountain will have when its all built up.

Fox is definately at 720p on their HD cahnnel 13B in SLC, 13a is at 480p. Transmitters can take a long time just for FCC approval and then you have to construct the thing within the time allotment they give you. If you can't then you have to apply for a contruction extension. Alot of stations installed low power(under 1kw) tannys to get on the air asap with DTV while awaiting for their high power construction permit to be approved. I wish I had bought stock in ALL of the trannsmitter manufacturers.........

Mark

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-14-2004 12:21 AM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sounds like the FCC likes to make things as difficult as possible for everyone just so they can be assholes.

Also, FOX is stupid. Why do they care about piracy of freely available television on the internet? If it's gonna be compressed for the internet, why not just record off of standard definition television? That's like everyone getting freaked out about VCRs back in the day. And now we have PVR's that allow you to skip commercials altogether, and they are even advertised on TV! I have no clue why FOX is so paranoid. Does Jack Valenti work for them? It is documented fact that he is a moron (this cannot be disputed by any living being), and sounds like something he'd do.

Mark, I got the Sony KD-XBR34960 or KD-34XBR960 or something like that.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-14-2004 02:00 AM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
Sony KD-34XBR960 34" Widescreen XBRŽ HDTV

quote:
...the KD-34XBR960 brings a true cinema aspect ratio picture...
Ummmm, 16:9 is not as wide as standard 1.85 cinema flat, and it's certainly not as wide as 2.39 scope. Sony needs to be sued for false advertising.

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Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000


 - posted 09-14-2004 01:40 PM      Profile for Jesse Skeen   Email Jesse Skeen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
HDTV still has the damn onscreen logos, so the whole thing is pointless in my opinion.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001


 - posted 09-14-2004 05:42 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Joe Redifer
Great. I got an HDTV last weekend and the only place in town that broadcasts in HD is Channel 2, or the "WB" network. Now I am forced to watch this sappy "Everwood" show just to marvel at the 1080i visuals.
Joe, do you have a HD-capable satellite dish? My parents in Colorado Springs have to get all their HD programming via their DirecTV HD dish. They have an outside antenna for receiving broadcast HD signals, but I'm not sure if Colo Sprs stations are showing full HD yet. My dad always likes to call me up on Sunday night to brag about how he is watching football on ESPN-HD. Arrgh. The HD offerings on digital satellite are slowly improving. I guess like HBO-HD, Showtime-HD, Discovery Channel HD and ESPN-HD the most. HD-Net could be better if they showed better movies (they tend to show a lot of crap).

It will be a while before I'll spring for an HD setup. For now, I've got to spend any "big-ticket item" money on things that can make me productive in my work (and therefore make me more money). At this point, I'm leaning toward either a really good notebook computer or a new desktop computer. Given the current controversy about SATA hard discs, I may opt for the notebook and just wait another year to replace my aging desktop machine.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-14-2004 06:18 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I do not have a satellite dish as I do not wish to pay for television broadcasts. The furthest I'd go would be an antenna.

Many HDTV broadcasts do indeed have the onscreen logos, but that is the fault of the station, not HDTV itself. HDTV is meant for stuff other than just watching TV, unless your name is Mark Gulbrandsen! [Smile]

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 09-14-2004 11:08 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Joe would be surprised to know that I also use my LCD HD set with my computer and photoshop on occasion. The super fine pitch screen is nicer to look at then my older Phillips LCD monitor..... [eyes] .

Mark

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Pravin Ratnam
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 844
From: Atlanta, GA,USA
Registered: Sep 2002


 - posted 09-16-2004 05:12 PM      Profile for Pravin Ratnam   Email Pravin Ratnam   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Our Comcast is doing a decent job adding HDTV channels. I too was surprised by the recent addition of WB to the lineup. INHD repeats a lot of stuff, but they got some nice concerts. Love the Peter Gabriel and the Lynrd Skynrd shows from both a musical and visuals. While Lynrd wasn't artsy looking like the Gabriel show, the colors showed up very nicely. And Freebird still rocks.

I have a 36 inch Sony XBR set. Found it to be a good compromise. You get nearly 33 inch HDTV pic and a 36 inch 4:3 pic for regular channels.

I am thinking of buying one of the pedestal Samsung TVs with the HD2+ DLP chips. It's either that or a DLP projector in the $4000 range which uses the same type of chip. I probably will pony up for a midpriced screen too. Any suggestions on screens and projectors.? It won't be a dedicated theater room. Pretty much the second living room and if possible use the projector on a table instead of hooking it up to the ceiling.

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