OTA guide data

[ejb1980]

What causes a station to stop broadcasting the guide data? Or, what would stop a TV from receiving said guide data? When I lived in NC, every station had OTA guide data, except 1 LP station. Always. Even the weakest channels, but not when they were "fluttering" or breaking-up. Here in VT it seems hit-or-miss for PSIP guide data on some stations. It is the same on my LG and Samsung tuners.

Specifics/More Info:

Always has guide data:
PSIP 3 / RF 22 WCAX CBS, Movies
22/13 WVNY ABC
33/32 WETK PBS (4 channels)
44/43 WFFF Fox

Sometimes has guide data:
6/21 CBMT CBC
10/10 CFTM TVA (marginal signal)
57/38 WCFE PBS (3 channels)

Never has guide data:
5/14 WPTZ NBC, CW, MeTV
CFCF 12 and CBFT 2 also never have guide data, but they rarely come in well enough to watch.

I use my AM21 guide data most of the time because it is accurate. (How many times have you seen THAT sentence?) And I can record with it. WCFE-3 recently became Classic Arts Showcase, but the AM21 guide data (and TitanTV) continued to show the PBS World programming. There wasn't guide data on WCFE when the switch happened, but when I noticed it came back, it was in 3-hr blocks ("Classic Arts Showcase (3hr)". Now, the AM21 is correct (again...that sentence...) but it's different - it's in 4-hr blocks. I am just curious because I thought that full powered stations were required to have guide data

 

[. Raine]

If the time/date isn't set right in the TV, it usually won't get guide data, or will get it wrong. Day light savings settings too, if the TV has that.

 

[primestar31]

Some stations don't bother to turn on whatever it is that broadcasts the EPG. In a case such as that it may work to email the station engineer, if you can find them listed on the internet. I've had success in doing this twice on local stations to me.

 

[osu1991]

Agree about calling the station and ask for engineering and/or check their website to see if they have contacts listed for the Chief Engineer. I have talked to all but 2 of the engineers in Tulsa over the past 5 to 6 years and they have always been very helpful with the psip data. I know not all station engineers are that good, but in general most of them will reply.

A couple of years ago, I moved my mother closer and I asked them about increasing the guide data to more than 12 hrs as my mom was using my DTVPal Dvrs for OTA only. I got replies within 48hrs that they had increased it and asked me to check and report back as no one had ever asked before. They said all they could check with themselves was tv's in the studio, just to make sure it was sending something out.

If the public doesn't let them know, it's something that isn't always checked.

 

[edisonprime]

What causes a station to stop broadcasting the guide data? Or, what would stop a TV from receiving said guide data? When I lived in NC, every station had OTA guide data, except 1 LP station. Always. Even the weakest channels, but not when they were "fluttering" or breaking-up. Here in VT it seems hit-or-miss for PSIP guide data on some stations. It is the same on my LG and Samsung tuners.

Specifics/More Info:

Always has guide data:
PSIP 3 / RF 22 WCAX CBS, Movies
22/13 WVNY ABC
33/32 WETK PBS (4 channels)
44/43 WFFF Fox

Sometimes has guide data:
6/21 CBMT CBC
10/10 CFTM TVA (marginal signal)
57/38 WCFE PBS (3 channels)

Never has guide data:
5/14 WPTZ NBC, CW, MeTV
CFCF 12 and CBFT 2 also never have guide data, but they rarely come in well enough to watch.

I use my AM21 guide data most of the time because it is accurate. (How many times have you seen THAT sentence?) And I can record with it. WCFE-3 recently became Classic Arts Showcase, but the AM21 guide data (and TitanTV) continued to show the PBS World programming. There wasn't guide data on WCFE when the switch happened, but when I noticed it came back, it was in 3-hr blocks ("Classic Arts Showcase (3hr)". Now, the AM21 is correct (again...that sentence...) but it's different - it's in 4-hr blocks. I am just curious because I thought that full powered stations were required to have guide data

Have you tried a TiVo Roamio or TiVo Roamio OTA? They are 99.9% accurate of the time for guide info. They are great devices and with four tuners (while the AM21 can only use two).

 

[ejb1980]

Have you tried a TiVo Roamio or TiVo Roamio OTA? They are 99.9% accurate of the time for guide info. They are great devices and with four tuners (while the AM21 can only use two).

I don't need another DVR... I have the Directv HR44 Genie with AM21. I rarely record OTA because the file is bigger, but I will record an episode off the AM21 occasionally, if I see a lot of heavy rain coming and I am recording from the locals. I am "moved" to Boston and I am on the edge of the spotbeam, so the HD locals go away faster than the HD national channels. Local channels hold shows hostage, but missing an episode on a national channel is no big deal because they are usually repeated 100 times.

 

[ejb1980]

This could be part of the problem. WPTZ is showing the rf channel (14-3, 14-4, 14-5) in the "guide" not PSIP. Surfing thorugh, it shows on 5-1, 5-2, etc. But not here. Signal is 91% on the AM21 and around 70/100 on the LG TV tuner. Samsung, shown, doesn't have any sort of signal analysis. What would be the best way to word an email to WPTZ?

 

[Mr Tony]

I've just realized that some of my stations do not have ANY guide info....and only the Tivo does. I just checked it out with 3 different converter boxes (Homeworx, DTV Pal, Zenith) and the Panny Plasma and the following stations show no guide info
16 ABC
26-1 KMSP FOX
26-2 WFTC My
26-3 Movies!

I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact they both are low powered translators (and ABC is analog too) and if I remember right translators do not have to send guide info.

 

[primestar31]

I've just realized that some of my stations do not have ANY guide info....and only the Tivo does. I just checked it out with 3 different converter boxes (Homeworx, DTV Pal, Zenith) and the Panny Plasma and the following stations show no guide info
16 ABC
26-1 KMSP FOX
26-2 WFTC My
26-3 Movies!

I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact they both are low powered translators (and ABC is analog too) and if I remember right translators do not have to send guide info.

Try emailing the station engineer, and ask if they'll turn on the guide data. I know other people that have done that, and they'd turned it on.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.... Worst that can happen is they won't do it. In that case, you could get some buddies to also email, and make it seem like it's random. Maybe multiple people asking will have better luck.

 

[Trip]

Well, an analog station cannot have guide data, so I'm not sure a call to the station engineer will help with 16.

- Trip

 

[harshness]

I rarely record OTA because the file is bigger, but I will record an episode off the AM21 occasionally, if I see a lot of heavy rain coming and I am recording from the locals.

PSIP isn't going to help you with a DIRECTV DVR as they do not take advantage of the guide information embedded in the data stream.

 

[Mr Tony]

PSIP isn't going to help you with a DIRECTV DVR as they do not take advantage of the guide information embedded in the data stream.

He wasnt talking about Directv. He was talking about his TV's not showing the PSIP data

Here in VT it seems hit-or-miss for PSIP guide data on some stations. It is the same on my LG and Samsung tuners.

 

[Mr Tony]

Try emailing the station engineer, and ask if they'll turn on the guide data. I know other people that have done that, and they'd turned it on.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.... Worst that can happen is they won't do it. In that case, you could get some buddies to also email, and make it seem like it's random. Maybe multiple people asking will have better luck.

Its just on my TV. I mainly use my Tivo which DOES have guide data for all the local stations (including the 2 analog ones). I actually had to send Tivo and Tribune an update as they had the PSIP numbers wrong for 26-1 through 26-3

Well, an analog station cannot have guide data, so I'm not sure a call to the station engineer will help with 16.

yeah I kinda figured that. 39 (K39GG) doesnt either as its also analog

 

[ejb1980]

PSIP isn't going to help you with a DIRECTV DVR as they do not take advantage of the guide information embedded in the data stream.

Let's re-read the thread and try again.

 

[harshness]

He wasnt talking about Directv.

More than one of the TS's posts have made reference to the AM21 so I'm not sure it is irrelevant.

Perhaps it was simply to demonstrate that the channels in question weren't analog. Then again, maybe it truly was unrelated backstory.

 

[ejb1980]

More than one of the TS's posts have made reference to the AM21 so I'm not sure it is irrelevant.

Perhaps it was simply to demonstrate that the channels in question weren't analog. Then again, maybe it truly was unrelated backstory.

I mentioned the AM21 because it has the correct info and the OTA signal doesn't.

 

[ejb1980]

Update: I never heard back from WPTZ, but today when I checked, they are on PSIP channels (5 not 14) and there is guide data.

 

[ejb1980]

Update: I never heard back from WPTZ, but today when I checked, they are on PSIP channels (5 not 14) and there is guide data.

 

[Mr Tony]

glad it got fixed. It sounds like the guide info was goofed because the PSIP was