[kwlug-disc] Fwd: Re:
CrankyOldBugger
crankyoldbugger at gmail.com
Wed Feb 26 11:41:22 EST 2014
That's what I suspected. Thanks.
There's a bunch of vids on youtube about MythTV; that software looks very
promising.
I've sent an email off to the unbound guys. Waiting to hear back from them.
The way I look at it is that I pay $80/month for satellite from Bell, which
I really don't use a whole lot. Just enough to keep needing it from month
to month. But if I can downsize my family's viewing habits to an
essentially free OTA solution, then the initial cash outlay will get paid
back quick enough.
On that note, in a short while I will have three Bell receivers and one
dish for sale if anyone's interested... I wonder if the receivers can be
repurposed?
On 26 February 2014 11:34, Jason Locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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