ATSC tuning questions

I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 16:58:05 -0400, "ng_reader"
wrote:

I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

The sub-channels differ with each station. Here (Houston)Ch 2 NBC
carries 24 hour weather on 2-2, whereas 13 (ABC) carries rebroadcasts
of local news (delayed an hour), alternate programming, "paid
broadcasts", etc. Ch 8 (PBS) carries a variety of alternate
programming, SD mostly. I don't have cable, so I don't understand why
the subchannels are "extra". I have DirecTV, and they don't carry the
sub-channels at all, but they are easily received with a decent OTA
antenna. Before forking out more $ to Comcast, why not try an OTA
antenna?. I have a UHF
(http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_disp...om=Large#xview)
mounted in my attic, and it works fine except in very bad weather.

--
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

"ng_reader" wrote in message
. ..
I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

The channels are arbitrary, the numbers are not. For instance, suppose you
have a local TV station on channel 2. On a typical cable system channel 2
analog will be on RF channel 2. Now, if you have digital cable and push 2
you will not tune to RF channel 2, but rather to where the digital bit
stream is, which might be 76.4, that is subchannel 4 of RF channel 76. Note
that 76.1, 76.2 and 76.3 might be anything, say CNN, PBS, and MSNBC. Cable
remotes tend to not have a period (.); so, they will assign a high number
channel to 2 HD. In my case channel 2 HD is assigned the number 233. But,
there is no channel 233, and the actual RF channel will be something like
98.1.

What is arbitrary is which RF channel a digital signal occupies. On one
system 76.4 might map to channel 2, on another to channel 41. However, only
channels that are not used for analog can be used as Rf channels for
digital. At any rate, you can not publish a translation table.

Tam

Yes, I've often wanted to get "free" tv. However, the $10 extra a month will
go to on-demand and such, which I could not get from regular over the air.

Ironic, isn't that. At one time the idea was for people to buy radios just
to get radio, not for advertisers or paying to listen. Or, at least how
that's how I heard it.

"Charlie Hoffpauir" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 16:58:05 -0400, "ng_reader"
wrote:

I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with
built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

The sub-channels differ with each station. Here (Houston)Ch 2 NBC
carries 24 hour weather on 2-2, whereas 13 (ABC) carries rebroadcasts
of local news (delayed an hour), alternate programming, "paid
broadcasts", etc. Ch 8 (PBS) carries a variety of alternate
programming, SD mostly. I don't have cable, so I don't understand why
the subchannels are "extra". I have DirecTV, and they don't carry the
sub-channels at all, but they are easily received with a decent OTA
antenna. Before forking out more $ to Comcast, why not try an OTA
antenna?. I have a UHF
(http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_disp...om=Large#xview)
mounted in my attic, and it works fine except in very bad weather.

--
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

Alas, I feel your conclusion is unfortunately accurate. I will, as
aforementioned, bite the $10 bullet and get a 2nd STB. But - I refuse to get
one where space does not dictate.


"Tam" wrote in message
news

"ng_reader" wrote in message
. ..
I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with
built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found
out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed
by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

The channels are arbitrary, the numbers are not. For instance, suppose you
have a local TV station on channel 2. On a typical cable system channel 2
analog will be on RF channel 2. Now, if you have digital cable and push 2
you will not tune to RF channel 2, but rather to where the digital bit
stream is, which might be 76.4, that is subchannel 4 of RF channel 76.
Note that 76.1, 76.2 and 76.3 might be anything, say CNN, PBS, and MSNBC.
Cable remotes tend to not have a period (.); so, they will assign a high
number channel to 2 HD. In my case channel 2 HD is assigned the number
233. But, there is no channel 233, and the actual RF channel will be
something like 98.1.

What is arbitrary is which RF channel a digital signal occupies. On one
system 76.4 might map to channel 2, on another to channel 41. However,
only channels that are not used for analog can be used as Rf channels for
digital. At any rate, you can not publish a translation table.

Tam

In article ,
says...


I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

Before you spring for a box, you can try hooking up the cable from the wall
directly to a digital set that has a QAM tuner and see what is provided by
Comcast in clear QAM. You may also be able to determine what is offered
in clear QAM by checking any local thread on the AVS Forum. You could post
there and ask the question, although many may have done that before.

Typically, the local stations, including several in HD, may be offered along
with a few of the SD channels that may also appear in analog on their most
basic tier. I doubt if you'll see 170 channels.

If you want more, you'll have to spring for a box or get a cable card ready
set and rent the card if they offer it.

whosbest54
--
The flamewars are over...if you want it.

Unofficial rec.audio.opinion Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://www.geocities.com/whosbest54/

Unofficial rec.music.beatles Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://www.geocities.com/whosbest54/rmb.html

"ng_reader" wrote in message
. ..
I haven't seen it but I haven't looked that hard. These new TVs, with built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what? Some make sense as channel 6 in SD is followed by
channel 6.1 in HDTV, but what is channel 76.4? or 101.8?

These numbers are arbitrary, of course, but I'm physically in ComCast
country - greater Philadelphia, in case someone cares to share.

I will, naturally, end up getting a set-top-box.

You asked about ATSC tuning, and that is over-the-air Hi-Def reception where
you might need an outdoor antenna. Cable most likely will be analog (NTSC)
or QAM. Look up your local ATSC station channels in the Digital Transitional
Report listing at http://www.rabbitears.info/dtr.php. The AN, DI and DF
columns show the channel assignments - - AN (original analog channel), DI
(Pre-transition digital channel) and DF (post-transition digital channel).

On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 16:58:05 -0400, "ng_reader"
wrote:

These new TVs, with built
in digital tuners, take the cable feed and provide some 170 extra
channels (according to the auto-setup). Now, I know that my cable tv
provider wants $10 a
month for me to find out what they are, but has anyone posted or found out
what channels are what?

Many cable providers include "some" stations via their QAM modulation
"in the clear". Here in Greenville SC, we get the HD signals of the
networks, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox, The HD PBS signal is there also.

Further, we get, certainly by Charter error, the music channels (about
45 of them). The subcarrier of 2 of the networks is a weather
channel, and they provide that.

There are those who say this MUST be provided in the clear if they are
broadcast. I've reviewed the regs (IANAL) and disagree; all
over-the-air "programming" must be included in the basic tier, but
only, as I read it, the SD signal.

If you hook the cable to your input for Cable or set the input for
cable mode (some sets have 1 for antenna, one for cable) and let it
scan, you will determine what YOUR PROVIDER has. As mentioned in an
earlier post, a search of AVS forum for your provider and system MAY
help.

The QAM channel numbers have no relation to the broadcast "pretend"
numbers nor with the broadcast real frequencies; further, QAM supports
3 HD per frequency (we get NBC, CBS, and PBS (all 1080i) on 103.1,
103.2, and 103.3 where broadcase is apparently limited to 2.

On Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:15:45 -0500, whosbest54
wrote:


Before you spring for a box, you can try hooking up the cable from the wall
directly to a digital set that has a QAM tuner and see what is provided by
Comcast in clear QAM. You may also be able to determine what is offered
in clear QAM by checking any local thread on the AVS Forum. You could post
there and ask the question, although many may have done that before.

Typically, the local stations, including several in HD, may be offered along
with a few of the SD channels that may also appear in analog on their most
basic tier. I doubt if you'll see 170 channels.

I had cable but dropped it for satellite; however, I kept my cable
internet service (Time Warner Roadrunner). For a couple of days after
I turned in my equipment, I still had the full analog tier present on
the cable, but then it disappeared. Last week I was doing some cable
rerouting and I saw what appeared to be a filter on my line. I took
it out of the system, hooked up to the cable to a TV in the office,
and I had a bunch of stations. I checked the Time Warner website and
they showed a couple of local stations in HD as part of the basic
tier. So I hooked the cable to my ATSC/Digital Cable input on the TV
(JVC HD-56FN97) but the tuner found nothing. So I'm curious. Is it
possible that they have to physically filter the analog signal, but
they can block the digital station at the head end?

In article ,
says...

I had cable but dropped it for satellite; however, I kept my cable
internet service (Time Warner Roadrunner). For a couple of days after
I turned in my equipment, I still had the full analog tier present on
the cable, but then it disappeared. Last week I was doing some cable
rerouting and I saw what appeared to be a filter on my line. I took
it out of the system, hooked up to the cable to a TV in the office,
and I had a bunch of stations. I checked the Time Warner website and
they showed a couple of local stations in HD as part of the basic
tier. So I hooked the cable to my ATSC/Digital Cable input on the TV
(JVC HD-56FN97) but the tuner found nothing. So I'm curious. Is it
possible that they have to physically filter the analog signal, but
they can block the digital station at the head end?

Yes, the analog is normally filtered at the customer's connection point. I
don't think they can filter clear QAM at the head end.

Apparently your JVC has a QAM tuner. Did you set it to scan for all cable
stations, including digital? Maybe there's another filter on your connection
elsewhere.

whosbest54
--
The flamewars are over...if you want it.

Unofficial rec.audio.opinion Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://www.geocities.com/whosbest54/

Unofficial rec.music.beatles Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://www.geocities.com/whosbest54/rmb.html