HDTV in SoWal

[futurebeachbum]

I set up an OverTheAir HD receiver when we were down there last week and all I could pick up was ABC (WMBB) and 4 educational channels.

Is this because I have a crappy antenna or is that pretty much all that is available? I noticed that WMBB was also the only local HD I could get from the cable company.

Thanks

[pennstater]

I can also pick up CBS out of Dothan from our 4th Floor Condo in Seagrove Beach using an indoor silver sensor antenna.

[Smiling JOe]

I don't have HDTV, but I have heard that the HD broadcasts are still very few.

[futurebeachbum]

I can also pick up CBS out of Dothan from our 4th Floor Condo in Seagrove Beach using an indoor silver sensor antenna.

Interesting. That implies it might be a problem with my antenna. Its only mounted about 15 feet above the ground. Height could also be the problem. The antenna I was trying to use is really and outdoor FM antenna. Looks like I need to buy a better antenna and mount it higher.

[pennstater]

Link to antenna I use:
http://www.zenith.com/sub_prod/product_Display.asp?cat=&id=131

Link to a site that will help you locate HDTV and SD OTA signals:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

If you enter your location it will tell you what signals are available,
give you a compass bearing and make an antenna recommendation.

It was great for ABC and CBS college football this fall. Of course my wife doesn't understand why I go to the beach and spend time watching TV - she's got a point.

[futurebeachbum]

Link to antenna I use:
http://www.zenith.com/sub_prod/product_Display.asp?cat=&id=131


Interesting. And it works well for you indoors. Even here in the Atlanta burbs I use an amplified outdoor antenna. I'll give it a shot.

[aquaticbiology]

just got dish network - 18 hd channels and growing fast - for 29 bucks a month!

way better than cable

yes it goes off (searching for satellite signal) when it rains really really hard, but then it comes right back on in a minute or two

my cable used to go off all the time when it rained and they took their sweet time getting it back on, too

and then i found out they are just rebroadcasting the freaking exact same satellite (just un-branded) over the cable!

jeez!

[BeachSteelers]

Isn't it $29 on top of the monthly fee. I know mediacom is about the same. My advice is wait. All stations were to have begun HD broadcasting 2 years ago only to be pushed back. And the standards are not set in stone. Is it 720p,1080i or 1380. Watch movies in HD. Most broadcasts are only upconverted to HD from standard def. which completely distorts the picture. Plus who wants to see Panama City's broadcasters in HD it'll probably crack your screen when Joe Moore comes on.

[Here4Good]

I set up an OverTheAir HD receiver when we were down there last week and all I could pick up was ABC (WMBB) and 4 educational channels.

Is this because I have a crappy antenna or is that pretty much all that is available? I noticed that WMBB was also the only local HD I could get from the cable company.

Thanks

So did you try this antenna? Did it work?

[TreeFrog]

Has anyone gotten an HD cable box from Mediacom? Do they offer them yet? How much $ over standard service?

[Beach Runner]

HDTV is so awesome. We were in total denial. Then the TV in our master bathroom died, and we needed to replace it. We decided to put the one in the den into the bathroom and splurge for Christmas with a flat panel.

Now we are so spoiled by HDTV that watching anything else makes us feel as if we have cloudy contact lenses or have lost our eyeglasses.

We plan to move up to HD at the beach. This thread has been very informative.

[Here4Good]

Has anyone gotten an HD cable box from Mediacom? Do they offer them yet? How much $ over standard service?

I'm trying to avoid getting HDTV from MediaCom - our cable service is so lousy. The lower channels are all fuzzy (with Digital Cable, no less), and their answer is, "Oh, yea, that's a problem we have". They put in a digital cable box that looks like it had been dragged behind the truck on a gravel road.

MediaCom offers something like 5 HD channels for an extra $10/month, and none of them are network. I really want the sports in HDTV, and so many of the good college games are on network.

Dish TV doesn't offer CBS, which has the SEC football games, and so I am lost - and considering some sort of antenna solution, since WTVY claims they broadcast "digital" TV - whatever that means.

Has anyone done business with the company called "Sattelite Sales and Service" on 98? Would they perhaps be able to at least get the right antenna up?

[bennedy]

Isn't it $29 on top of the monthly fee. I know mediacom is about the same. My advice is wait. All stations were to have begun HD broadcasting 2 years ago only to be pushed back. And the standards are not set in stone. Is it 720p,1080i or 1380. Watch movies in HD. Most broadcasts are only upconverted to HD from standard def. which completely distorts the picture. Plus who wants to see Panama City's broadcasters in HD it'll probably crack your screen when Joe Moore comes on.
:lolabove:
I totally agree !!!
We just got HDTV and we went through mediacom.just to get channel 4 and the other local stations,but it seems that NBC in panama city doesn't broadcast in hi-def or does it ??

[Here4Good]

:lolabove:
I totally agree !!!
We just got HDTV and we went through mediacom.just to get channel 4 and the other local stations,but it seems that NBC in panama city doesn't broadcast in hi-def or does it ??

I got an HDTV TV, and one of those Silver Sensor Phillips HDTV antennas ($25 at Circuit City), and Channel 4 comes in AS CLEAR AS A BELL up here in Point Washington. It is incredible - the picture is about 300 times better than the Channel 4 I get on MediaCom.

We get 4-5 other channels on the antenna also, but not the other network channels - looks like we get CW and two or three PBS stations.

I would never have dreamed that this little $25 antenna would work this well - just bought it as a lark.

Woo hoo - Super Bowl in High Def!

[TreeFrog]

I got an HDTV TV, and one of those Silver Sensor Phillips HDTV antennas ($25 at Circuit City), and Channel 4 comes in AS CLEAR AS A BELL up here in Point Washington. It is incredible - the picture is about 300 times better than the Channel 4 I get on MediaCom.

Despite Googling myself silly, I can't find specs for this antenna. Which input does it use to connect to the TV? Hoping you don't say coax...

[pennstater]

It uses coax. Connects to the digital antenna input on your TV or external digital tuner. If your TV is only HDTV ready it will not work. Also note that this is a UHF antenna only. Enter 32459 zipcode at this web site:

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

It shows NBC out of Panama City as broadcasting on VHF. I have not tried a VHF antenna at our Seagrove location.

[Here4Good]

It uses coax. Connects to the digital antenna input on your TV or external digital tuner. If your TV is only HDTV ready it will not work. Also note that this is a UHF antenna only. Enter 32459 zipcode at this web site:

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

It shows NBC out of Panama City as broadcasting on VHF. I have not tried a VHF antenna at our Seagrove location.

This also says that the NBC station is not digital, but their own web site says it is. So hard to get real information sometimes, I don't know what to believe.

Anyone have local channels on DirectTV?

[pennstater]

I believe it shows WJHG analog as VHF 7 and WJHG digital as VHF 8 mapped to 7.1. Even though it is the same distance to the tower for the Digital ABC station the table shows it as requiring a much larger antenna with preamp for proper reception. Since the tower is the same distance as the ABC tower WJHG-DT must be at very low power. I don't think I have a chance of reception with an indoor antenna. The silver sensor is definitely only good for UHF and is extremely sensitive to direction. I have rock solid reception for digital ABC and CBS.

The following is copied and pasted from the CEA web site.

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live
Date Compass
Orientation Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
* yellow - uhf WFSG-DT 38.1 PBS Panama City FL 74° 12.0 38
* red - uhf WMBB-DT 13.1 ABC FL-Panama City FL 88° 43.2 19
* red - uhf WBIF-DT 51 RTN MARIANNA FL TBD 72° 39.7 51
* blue - uhf WTVY-DT 4.1 CBS DOTHAN AL 30° 47.4 36
* violet - uhf WPCT-DT 47 IND PANAMA CITY BEACH FL TBD 116° 22.0 47
* violet - vhf WJHG-DT 7.1 NBC PANAMA CITY FL 80° 42.6 8

[kdp4th]

I have a Zenith Silver Sensor in Atlanta and get great reception. It’s an indoor antenna but we have it on the back porch. The box specifically states that it is a UHF antenna but get we all the locals: 2, 5, 11, 17, 36, and 46. Also a bunch of other channels. I used the same antenna in Seagrove beach and only got two PBS channels.

[Destiny]

We have Direct TV in Georgia and it is the best investment we have made for the HDTV TV. Have a 50" Samsung 1080i. It also picks up some Digital channels when we have the antenna on. They are clear as a bell on it but terrible on the other 2 TVs in the house as they are not on the satellite.

[TNJed]

We just finished our HD setup with MediaCom in Seagrove. We have HDTVs on the first and third floors and needed two HD cable boxes. The cost of those two boxes and the HD package from MediaCom was about $20/month on top of our regular cable/internet package. However, in order to receive the HBO and Showtime HD channels you have to subscribe to that tier as well and those are about $12 and $6/month.

The HD channels for MediaCom are:
ABC
CBS
ESPN
ESPN2
UHD (movies and old television episodes)
DHDTV (Exclusive Discovery Channel programs for HighDef. Incredible!)
HDNET (documentaries and the new Dan Rather Reports series)
HDNMV (movies)
INDH (movies)
HBOHD (HBO)
S-HD (Showtime)
SHOHD (Showtime)
TMCHD (TheMovieChannel)

HD is fantastic and the MediaCom service is like any other cable company. I have my list of complaints but what are you going to do? Our homeowner's association doesn't allow dishes.

Anyway, you may think 12 or so channels isn't a lot for the $20-$30 month as I once did, but believe me; you will find yourself finding something great to watch on one of them because they look so good! The Discovery HD channel is nearly worth the price alone.

As far as antennas go, our AV guy said he's tried several in the 30A area and they just don't pick up stations from here. I have no personal experience with them, but that is what I was told from someone with a lot of experience in this area. Hope this helps.

[BeachSteelers]

Careful if local NBC broadcast in HD Joe Moore's mug might damage some screens. Most broadcasters rather pass the cost off to the customer on cable rather than giving it up free over the airwaves. And the costs to leap forward for most stations is astronomical. However its hard to go back to standard def TV after HD. The sooner we all switch over the better.

[Smiling JOe]

Plus who wants to see Panama City's broadcasters in HD it'll probably crack your screen when Joe Moore comes on.
:floor: My ex wife could never watch that particular news channel because she thought that Joe Moore had a face for radio. I am dead serious.

[Bob]

Interesting. That implies it might be a problem with my antenna. Its only mounted about 15 feet above the ground. Height could also be the problem. The antenna I was trying to use is really and outdoor FM antenna. Looks like I need to buy a better antenna and mount it higher.When at the beach, I live by the motto "kill your TV". I like the high definition sunsets.

[Here4Good]

HD is fantastic and the MediaCom service is like any other cable company. I have my list of complaints but what are you going to do? Our homeowner's association doesn't allow dishes.


I am not sure that MediaCom is like any other cable company. I called to get HD yesterday, and was told it would be about $20 more for the 8 channels you get if you don't get premium channels already, AND that I would have to give them a credit card number, since that is their policy for new HD customers (despite the fact that I have been a MediaCom customer for three years), AND, that they have to come out and "install" it for $30.

I pointed out to the woman that this was not exactly a compelling offer, and she told me that it was typical for cable companies. I pointed out that they are not competing with other cable companies, they are competing with DirectTV, who will give me the equipment and install it all for free.

So, I started asking her about this "On Demand" thing they are advertising so heavily, and which I don't have. After arguing with me for ten minutes about what I see when I hit the "Menu" button, she finally said, "Oh, you must be at the END of Walton County". Apparently, those of us at the "END" don't get the actual services everyone else gets. I told her we also don't get actual cable-quality picture on the lower channels and we get ten channels of PPV porn instead of real movies, yet we pay the actual prices everyone else pays.

So, I am on a mission now. I am going to find as many MediaCom execs as I can and find out why I live in the digital ghetto.

Arise, arise, "Enders", and set yourself free!

[gotothebeachmom]

When at the beach, I live by the motto "kill your TV". I like the high definition sunsets.

So does he. Unless it's college football season. :D

[TooFarTampa]

So does he. Unless it's college football season. :D

And of the many great things in life, football in HD ranks in my personal top 10.

I know that makes me a little strange, but the beach, the teal water and the sunsets do rank a bit higher. :blush:

[TreeFrog]

We just placed an order with Mediacom for an HD cable box. $17.95 a month for the new box (we get to keep the old one as a 2nd box) and for the HD service.

Delivery and installation will be late next week. They would have brought it this week, but we're out of town.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping this works out well.

[TNJed]

I am not sure that MediaCom is like any other cable company. I called to get HD yesterday, and was told it would be about $20 more for the 8 channels you get if you don't get premium channels already, AND that I would have to give them a credit card number, since that is their policy for new HD customers (despite the fact that I have been a MediaCom customer for three years), AND, that they have to come out and "install" it for $30.


It's true you have to give them a CC number for the new HD boxes. They don't charge you anything on it. Just security for their equipment.

We didn't have to pay $30 for installation though. I went to the office in Sandestin with our old box and swaped for the new one. Took it home and plugged it in myself.

[Here4Good]

It's true you have to give them a CC number for the new HD boxes. They don't charge you anything on it. Just security for their equipment.

We didn't have to pay $30 for installation though. I went to the office in Sandestin with our old box and swaped for the new one. Took it home and plugged it in myself.

I asked if we could do that, and she said no. Their customer service reps are SO excellent.

And frankly, I don't want these idiots to have my credit card number.

[pennstater]

Most cable companies carry local (non-premium) HD channels unencrypted in QAM format. TVs with built-in QAM tuners can receive the broadcasts without
a set top box or cable card. My TV in NJ can do this. My HDTV in Seagrove uses an external Over The Air tuner that does not support QAM format. Does anyone receive QAM unencrypted local HDTV from Mediacom? Has anyone tried to connect their QAM equipped HDTV directly to the cable?

[Beach Runner]

I am not sure that MediaCom is like any other cable company. I called to get HD yesterday, and was told it would be about $20 more for the 8 channels you get if you don't get premium channels already, AND that I would have to give them a credit card number, since that is their policy for new HD customers (despite the fact that I have been a MediaCom customer for three years), AND, that they have to come out and "install" it for $30.

I pointed out to the woman that this was not exactly a compelling offer, and she told me that it was typical for cable companies. I pointed out that they are not competing with other cable companies, they are competing with DirectTV, who will give me the equipment and install it all for free.

So, I started asking her about this "On Demand" thing they are advertising so heavily, and which I don't have. After arguing with me for ten minutes about what I see when I hit the "Menu" button, she finally said, "Oh, you must be at the END of Walton County". Apparently, those of us at the "END" don't get the actual services everyone else gets. I told her we also don't get actual cable-quality picture on the lower channels and we get ten channels of PPV porn instead of real movies, yet we pay the actual prices everyone else pays.

So, I am on a mission now. I am going to find as many MediaCom execs as I can and find out why I live in the digital ghetto.

Arise, arise, "Enders", and set yourself free!
If it makes you feel any better, we are in the Atlanta cable market, and we only get 14 HD channels (out of, like, a kajillion channels).