[kwlug-disc] Fwd: Re:
Jason Locklin
locklin.jason at gmail.com
Wed Feb 26 11:34:53 EST 2014
Digital is all or nothing. If you have a marginal signal, though, you
will get what is essentially packet loss in a MPEG2 stream, so you get
artifacts like horizontal bars of missing pixels (all one colour), and
audio dropouts or squawks. Unlike analogue, you really can't just watch
a poor signal as it's incredibly jarring, but as long as there is a
decent signal, it should look perfect.
-Jason
On Wed 26 Feb 2014 11:26:14 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:
> Great stuff, Jason, thanks!
>
> Let me ask a really dumb question. Remember I haven't played with
> antennas since the days when we could only get three channels anyway..
> But in HDTV broadcasts, what will I see onscreen if it's a "weak"
> signal? Snow? flickering? Or does HDTV automagically correct the
> picture as it goes?
>
>
>
>
> On 26 February 2014 11:20, Jason Locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re:
> Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:15:46 -0500
> From: Jason Locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>>
> To: CrankyOldBugger <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com
> <mailto:crankyoldbugger at gmail.com>>
>
> Off brands tend to be cheap copies that don't hold up to weather. If
> they have internal amps, they are also often terrible. If you are
> doing
> the indoor or attic antenna, the cheap unamplified ones may work fine
> for many years, but if you are going to invest the time into doing
> something outdoor, I would only go Wineguard/Channel Master/Antennas
> Direct. A good antenna install should last a decade or more, and going
> up on the roof to fix things is not so fun. All your weak signals are
> UHF, so a UHF-only antenna like one of the 4-bay antennas should work
> fine. There are only a few places that sell these brands around here.
> My ChannelMaster originally came from Neutron Electronics in Guelph a
> few years back, but I have never had to return anything there. The
> only
> place with a significant online presence in Ontario is
> SaveAndReplay in
> Mississauga. They sponsor the OTA forum on Digitalhome.ca, and I have
> heard lots of positive things about them. Some of the Antenna
> installers around here are also dealers of those brands, so you could
> call around.
>
> Note: CHCH and the new CHCJ (CTV2 Hamilton) are really strong. You
> should be able to pull them off the side of an antenna pointed at
> Toronto.
>
> Also note: *If* you can pick up CITY-TV from Toronto, then you can
> easily get CBC (it's much stronger), and probably both OMNI's. All the
> CN Tower stations have improved in recent years, and that doesn't seem
> to be reflected on the databases.
> -Jason
>
>
>
> On Wed 26 Feb 2014 10:40:09 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:
> > Well, if I'm reading TVFool correctly, I should get:
> >
> > Internal antenna:
> > CKCO
> > CIII (Global)
> > TVO (CICO)
> >
> > Attic antenna:
> > Crossroads (CITS)
> > CHCH
> >
> > Roof-mount:
> > CITY-TV
> > CFTO
> > TVO (CICA)
> > CHCJ
> >
> > from then on it fades to grey...
> >
> > So apparently I will need to go up on the roof and mount an
> antenna on
> > the chimney at some point after the snow clears...
> >
> > Do you guys know if there's a big difference between no-name and
> brand
> > name antennas? What sort of features should I be looking for?
> >
> > It just occurred to me that I've been a satellite TV user since the
> > early 80's. Remember those big 6ft dishes?
> >
> >
> >
> > On 26 February 2014 10:18, Jason Locklin
> <locklin.jason at gmail.com <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>
> > <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>>> wrote:
> >
> > Have you put your location in TVfool? I can help you read
> the output.
> > Can't really make a good recommendation without knowing the
> signal
> > levels. Anywhere within a few blocks is fine, so you don't
> have to
> > share your exact location.
> > http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
> > -Jason
> >
> > On Wed 26 Feb 2014 09:52:54 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:
> > > Again, so many good points have been brought up in this
> > discussion. I
> > > seem to have hit the jackpot for ideas!
> > >
> > > So... if I was to go out today and buy an antenna just to
> see what
> > > channels I can get, is there a particular make and model that
> > you guys
> > > recommend? Let's just assume for a moment that I'm
> willing to pay a
> > > couple of extra coins for quality if it means eventually
> getting rid
> > > of the monthly satellite TV bill (just a couple of extra
> coins,
> > not a
> > > lot!).
> > >
> > > If there isn't a clear make and model known, what sort of
> > features do
> > > I look for instead? The last time I bought an antenna it
> was a
> > set of
> > > rabbit ears that sat on top of the old RCA TV.....
> > >
> > Have you put your coordinates into TVfool? I could help you
> read the
> > output. Can't really make a good recomendation without knowing
> > what the
> > signal levels are. Anywhere within a couple blocks is fine,
> so you
> > don't have to share your exact address.
> > http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
> >
> > -Jason
> >
> > > If I can't get any stations over the antenna in my
> location then I'm
> > > just going to take it back to the store, so obviously I
> would prefer
> > > to deal with a reputable dealer.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 26 February 2014 09:40, Jason Locklin
> > <locklin.jason at gmail.com <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>>
> > > <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>
> > <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>>>> wrote:
> > >
> > > * In regards to two antennas: It's tricky, but it can
> work, it's
> > > called
> > > "stacking" in OTA parlance:
> > >
> http://overtheair.saveandreplay.com/Antenna_Stacking_Ganging.asp
> > >
> > > Generally, it's tricky to keep signals from both
> antennas from
> > > interfering with each other because of being just slightly
> > out of
> > > phase, but it can work with a little patients. One
> > exception, being,
> > > that if you are combining signals from two different
> frequency
> > > bands. I
> > > have a VHF/UHF coupler that I plan on using to add a VHF
> > dipole which
> > > bypasses my amp, so that the local CTV on channel 6 stops
> > overloading
> > > things. The coupler only allows VHF signal from one
> antenna,
> > and UHF
> > > from the other, so there is no issues with phasing.
> > >
> > > If you are going the PVR route, such as with MythTV,
> and you are
> > > having
> > > trouble with your stacked antennas, you could run two
> lines down
> > > to two
> > > tuners. It will be slightly more expensive, but you
> will get
> > much
> > > better performance, and double your simultaneous recording
> > ability.
> > >
> > > * Regarding TV guide information: All the Channels are
> > broadcasting
> > > guide information now, but only for 12-25 hours ahead.
> This
> > works fine
> > > with MythTV because I can set automatic recordings and
> even
> > automatic
> > > searches to enable recordings. If you have a PVR that
> > requires manual
> > > scheduling, it would be a pain, as you can only see a
> day's
> > worth at a
> > > time. I did have a Schedules Direct membership for a while
> > because
> > > Global didn't used to broadcast guide data at all. It was
> > generally
> > > more accurate and had about a month of data.
> > >
> > > * Regarding XBMC and MythTV: I have been using XBMC as a
> > frontend for
> > > MythTV for a couple years. It has never worked very
> well for
> > me, and I
> > > usually end up switching to the MythTV frontend to watch
> > recordings. I
> > > just have a script that alternatively starts the two
> > programs, so when
> > > I exit MythTV, XBMC starts, and vise versa. It's a bit
> slow,
> > and I
> > > thought of putting them on two different virtual
> desktops and
> > > using the
> > > window manager to flip back and forth instantly, but
> because
> > they both
> > > use graphics acceleration, there was issues. I also
> thought
> > of running
> > > two X-servers and switching back and forth, but I
> never got
> > around to
> > > trying that.
> > >
> > >
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