Dish converting to digital locals feeds

[kstuart]

Dish Network is converting the sources of its locals' feeds from analog to digital.

This is necessary because there will be no analog feeds as February.

The changeover will be quite helpful for SD satellite locals in rural areas, since some rural areas have had mono sound on the analog feed for decades, while the new digital transmissions have 5.1 surround sound.

The schedule of the changeover for each DMA can be found at:

http://mstv.org/docs/sattransschedule.pdf

 

[Peter Parker]

Thanks. i think thata lot of us have been curiosu about this.

 

[Remilk]

What will Wilminton, NC do for locals for 5 months? They are converting to digital OTA in July. They are one of 4 cities to go early as 'pilot' DMAs.

Bob

 

[Pepper]

Lots of useful info at that site. For example, I was able to find a spreadsheet listing where the "collection points" are for each DMA, and learned that Mobile/Pensacola uplinks are originated at WALA.

 

[n0qcu]

Lots of useful info at that site. For example, I was able to find a spreadsheetlisting where the "collection points" are for each DMA, and learned that Mobile/Pensacola uplinks are originated at WALA.

I find it interesting that the collection point for my DMA is at a station that E* does not have a retransmit agreement with.

 

[bongohawk]

BY Dish replacing the Local SD channels with their digital counterpart, will this increase the bandwidth limitations? Like, will this allow for more possible HD channels since teh analog ones are being replaced by digital?

 

[Peter Parker]

I would suspect not since the signal being sent o us was always digital.

 

[Paradox-SJ]

I would suspect not since the signal being sent o us was always digital.

The quality of the singal should/could improve though no?

 

[dlsnyder]

Yes, the quality of the signal should improve in most cases. Here in the LA area it has bothered me for a long time how poor the SD picture quality is on KCAL channel 9. It is obviously an analog OTA feed because of the visible ghosting and occasional static. I usually watch the digital OTA feed when in the living room, but the master bedroom we are still using a 508 receiver so its SD only in there.

 

[denisincalif]

Lots of useful info at that site. For example, I was able to find a spreadsheet listing where the "collection points" are for each DMA, and learned that Mobile/Pensacola uplinks are originated at WALA.

Nice spreadsheet. Thanks for pointing it out. I find it amusing that they reversed the latitude and longitude columns on the right side. I hope they know what they are doing.

 

[js6425]

If they are using the digital signals (usually a HD feed), will there be unnecessary cropping on some letterbox shows (ER, The Office, etc.)? I know that's what sometimes happens on the AAD feeds.

 

[kstuart]

If they are using the digital signals (usually a HD feed), will there be unnecessary cropping on some letterbox shows (ER, The Office, etc.)? I know that's what sometimes happens on the AAD feeds.

Actually, I accidentally came across the information in a thread (on another site) where people were discussing those issues.

It was mentioned that bugs and other graphics were being moved into the "4x3 safe area" because Dish and DirecTV might simply cut the 4x3 center out of the HD feed and use that.

 

[tsduke]

Actually, I accidentally came across the information in a thread (on another site) where people were discussing those issues.

It was mentioned that bugs and other graphics were being moved into the "4x3 safe area" because Dish and DirecTV might simply cut the 4x3 center out of the HD feed and use that.

This makes sense to me. What I wonder is why they didn't start this sooner instead of duplicating local feeds for HD.

 

[TalonDancer]

...It was mentioned that bugs and other graphics were being moved into the "4x3 safe area" because Dish and DirecTV might simply cut the 4x3 center out of the HD feed and use that.

Say it ain't so bro

The bugs and animated ADVERTISING overlaying the content are bad enough now. Moving them into the "4x3 safe area" on an "HD" channel would be very intrusive and make "HD" a joke

Talon Dancer

 

[Paradox-SJ]

Say it ain't so bro

The bugs and animated ADVERTISING overlaying the content are bad enough now. Moving them into the "4x3 safe area" on an "HD" channel would be very intrusive and make "HD" a joke

Talon Dancer

CBS does this now....Go look at an HD episode of say CSI...the CBS icon is about 6-12" in from the side on my 60".....its obviously set for the 4:3 zone...

 

[Soccernut]

Supposedly for a station to broadcast a digital signal is very expensive. Will some smaller station be going out of business with the transition to digital?

 

[js6425]

Supposedly for a station to broadcast a digital signal is very expensive. Will some smaller station be going out of business with the transition to digital?

I remember hearing that some low-power stations will still be able to broadcast on the analog spectrum after Feb. 17, 2009.

 

[kb7oeb]

The changeover will be quite helpful for SD satellite locals in rural areas, since some rural areas have had mono sound on the analog feed for decades, while the new digital transmissions have 5.1 surround sound.

It would be cool if dish passed the 5.1 sound for the SD viewers.

 

[DishSubLA]

Glad to see L.A. finally converting to all Digital at the end of June. While Dish has been providing some SD L.A. locals from the digital signal (KNBC, KABC, etc.) with the noticeably improved PQ for quite some time, I've been driven crazy by the analog ghosts and crappy analog of KCBS and KCAL in particular. Now, I suppose we'll have to wait until 2009 to get the remaining channels (non-CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox) in HD.

 

[daydreamer]

It looks like they're scheduled to transfer over to digital signal in June for the Champaign market. But I thought I read on the forum for WCIA that Dish just switched over to the digital feed. Direct and cable were already getting the digital feed of channel 3. That's according to the manager of WCIA in the Ask the Manager forum of channel 3. Maybe Dish has to switch the other networks over yet?

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