Since there are alot of people who seem well schooled in the way of HDTV technology, I have a few questions.
I live in the 174th largest DMA, so I feel very lucky to have my NBC affiliate in 1080i, and my FOX affiliate already broadcasting in 720p (they are currently upconverting the 480p stuff they get from FOX national). My ABC and CBS are owned by the same company, and share facilities. How that is even legal I have no idea, but my FOX and UPN are both owned by the same parent. I have been trying to talk with someone at my local ABC or CBS for 2 weeks, but have not received replies to my emails or phone calls. My first question concerns power level. According to a tech sheet I read, NBC here is broadcasting its analog at 130kw. The digital NBC is at 13kw. Is that consistent? Does digital need less power than analog? Are they measured differently? Both stations are VHF, if that matters.
I can receive my local CBS digital, but not my ABC digital. My installer said the ABC digital is VERY low power. Does that mean ABC has a bad tower? Is it just a matter of flipping a switch to give it more juice?
My NBC affiliate multicasts it digital signal. I think the HDTV looks great, but have read others post that multicasing hurts PQ. How does it hurt it? Also, my NBC is not in 5.1. Is that NBC national policy, or just my local?
I also have a last question on something my NBC station engineer told me. He was just awesome, and answered every question I had and even offered opinions and information I had no ideas about. He said NBC choose 1080i b/c it was superior to 720p. He said 720p refreshes the entire screen 60 times a second, whereas 1080i does it 30 times a second. He said that the refresh rate didn't matter b/c NBC filmed its shows, and film only has 24 pictures per second. I'm not trying to relive this old 1080/720 argument. But is that accurate?
I have seen many people on this forum who seem to have a great deal of knowledge on these subjects, and appreciate everyone's help.
I live in the 174th largest DMA, so I feel very lucky to have my NBC affiliate in 1080i, and my FOX affiliate already broadcasting in 720p (they are currently upconverting the 480p stuff they get from FOX national). My ABC and CBS are owned by the same company, and share facilities. How that is even legal I have no idea, but my FOX and UPN are both owned by the same parent. I have been trying to talk with someone at my local ABC or CBS for 2 weeks, but have not received replies to my emails or phone calls. My first question concerns power level. According to a tech sheet I read, NBC here is broadcasting its analog at 130kw. The digital NBC is at 13kw. Is that consistent? Does digital need less power than analog? Are they measured differently? Both stations are VHF, if that matters.
I can receive my local CBS digital, but not my ABC digital. My installer said the ABC digital is VERY low power. Does that mean ABC has a bad tower? Is it just a matter of flipping a switch to give it more juice?
My NBC affiliate multicasts it digital signal. I think the HDTV looks great, but have read others post that multicasing hurts PQ. How does it hurt it? Also, my NBC is not in 5.1. Is that NBC national policy, or just my local?
I also have a last question on something my NBC station engineer told me. He was just awesome, and answered every question I had and even offered opinions and information I had no ideas about. He said NBC choose 1080i b/c it was superior to 720p. He said 720p refreshes the entire screen 60 times a second, whereas 1080i does it 30 times a second. He said that the refresh rate didn't matter b/c NBC filmed its shows, and film only has 24 pictures per second. I'm not trying to relive this old 1080/720 argument. But is that accurate?
I have seen many people on this forum who seem to have a great deal of knowledge on these subjects, and appreciate everyone's help.