Okay, so here's an issue I have, and I'm hoping someone could answer this for me.
I just got DirecTV, and I'm able to get the locals (there are two, or three if you count the PBS one) and WBNX (the Cleveland CW affiliate). It's all good and all, except for one thing.
The FOX and ABC feeds suck. This be because of the affiliate carrying them: WTRF. I live in the Wheeling, WV/Steubenville, OH area, so WTRF carries CBS on it's main channel, FOX/MNTV on a subchannel, and ABC on another one. They are NEVER in HD (even though it says it is, though they seem to get lucky with the CBS feed), and whenever I watch them, it seems like it's really...what's the word I want to use for this...unclear (hard to describe what it looks like), but it seems like anti-aliasing isn't in this station's vocabulary), not to mention the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. WTOV, the NBC affiliate, never has this problem (and has been the lead for news in this area for the longest time because of the utter nightmare that WTRF's owners have put TRF into...it's awful and degrading on SO many levels, and the owners don't seem to care of how cheap it's gotten).
So I'm about ready to say "F" it and ask for the East/West Coast feeds of the CBS, ABC, and FOX networks. Yeah, it's crude, but I've about had it with the constant screwing over about the HD and picture quality these channels have because this station will never get it as long as Brad Cray (West Virginia Media Holdings, WTRF's current owner, head honcho). I'm willing to pay extra to be able to get these feeds.
Only one problem: I don't want to lose WTOV because of this (since I heard it's one or the other, and WTOV is very good with their HD, even though they do preempt some NBC programs for local sports, though not very often). We don't get the Pittsburgh channels like we did with Comcast (which got too expensive for us to keep up with). Also, I've heard that Brad Cray is a bit of a douchebag about signing waivers (WTOV, I've heard, doesn't mind signing them), and he's got a stranglehold over the state of WV with how these subchannels are set up (he owns three other stations in the state that do the same kind of crap: have all sorts of affiliations without any care to the quality to them...or their newscasts). I don't know if there is anything I can do about this short of trying to start some revolution to get a change in ownership of at least WTRF. I've heard it took such a long time for the satellite companies to get spot beams OR distants to this area because of Cray's persistence.
So...what do I do? What CAN I do about this? Should I call DTV to see what could be done about this?
I just got DirecTV, and I'm able to get the locals (there are two, or three if you count the PBS one) and WBNX (the Cleveland CW affiliate). It's all good and all, except for one thing.
The FOX and ABC feeds suck. This be because of the affiliate carrying them: WTRF. I live in the Wheeling, WV/Steubenville, OH area, so WTRF carries CBS on it's main channel, FOX/MNTV on a subchannel, and ABC on another one. They are NEVER in HD (even though it says it is, though they seem to get lucky with the CBS feed), and whenever I watch them, it seems like it's really...what's the word I want to use for this...unclear (hard to describe what it looks like), but it seems like anti-aliasing isn't in this station's vocabulary), not to mention the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. WTOV, the NBC affiliate, never has this problem (and has been the lead for news in this area for the longest time because of the utter nightmare that WTRF's owners have put TRF into...it's awful and degrading on SO many levels, and the owners don't seem to care of how cheap it's gotten).
So I'm about ready to say "F" it and ask for the East/West Coast feeds of the CBS, ABC, and FOX networks. Yeah, it's crude, but I've about had it with the constant screwing over about the HD and picture quality these channels have because this station will never get it as long as Brad Cray (West Virginia Media Holdings, WTRF's current owner, head honcho). I'm willing to pay extra to be able to get these feeds.
Only one problem: I don't want to lose WTOV because of this (since I heard it's one or the other, and WTOV is very good with their HD, even though they do preempt some NBC programs for local sports, though not very often). We don't get the Pittsburgh channels like we did with Comcast (which got too expensive for us to keep up with). Also, I've heard that Brad Cray is a bit of a douchebag about signing waivers (WTOV, I've heard, doesn't mind signing them), and he's got a stranglehold over the state of WV with how these subchannels are set up (he owns three other stations in the state that do the same kind of crap: have all sorts of affiliations without any care to the quality to them...or their newscasts). I don't know if there is anything I can do about this short of trying to start some revolution to get a change in ownership of at least WTRF. I've heard it took such a long time for the satellite companies to get spot beams OR distants to this area because of Cray's persistence.
So...what do I do? What CAN I do about this? Should I call DTV to see what could be done about this?