brianiscool
join:2000-08-16
Miami, FL | heh
Antenna is the best source  |
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cwh
join:2006-05-14
San Antonio, TX | Just wait till the local stations start lowering bitrate so they can have multiple subchannels. |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | reply to brianiscool
Gotta love it...
Free (i.e. no cable/satellite bill) and better quality (no extra compression schemes).
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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ke4pym
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC
 ·Verizon BroadbandA..
 ·Packet8
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to cwh
Actually, this might not happen so much as you would think.
The FCC recently mandated that each sub channel (even if it is just weather radar) must present a certain amount of childrens programming. And, it must be counted seperately of the main channel's childrens programming content.
So, if the requirement is 20 hours a month for your main channel and you're running 3 sub channels you've now got to come up with an additional 60 hours of content.
Many of the stations in my market shut down their weather radar channel because of this requirement. |
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cwh
join:2006-05-14
San Antonio, TX | Childrens programs can have advertisements too. I bet the shutdown is only long to find content and advertisers. It seems like a dumb requirement. |
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riblet
join:2006-03-08
Naples, FL | reply to cwh
They already do it here (multiple subchannels) but the picture quality still beats the snot out of what Comcast squirts through their coax around here. And this is not a major market... |
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AJICQ499087
join:2001-12-01
Louisville, KY
| reply to en102
I watch HDTV over the air for free on my 2005 XP Media Center PC and I often record the goodies to an exteral USB hard drive. 
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low cost and fast speed is what customers want in broadband |
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ke4pym
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC
·Verizon BroadbandA..
·Packet8
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to cwh
said by cwh  :Childrens programs can have advertisements too. I bet the shutdown is only long to find content and advertisers. It seems like a dumb requirement. There are a lot of limitations for commercials during kid's programming. Depending on going rates, it might not even be worth it.
»www.fcc.gov/parents/commercials.html
»www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/childtv.html
I also have it on pretty good authority that those sub channels are gone for good (atleast on the stations in question here). |
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cwh
join:2006-05-14
San Antonio, TX | Given that broadcasting a subchannel is very low cost, I cant see how it would not be worth while,even if you run the childrens programs at a loss. |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
 ·EarthLink
·AT&T Midwest
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
| reply to ke4pym
said by ke4pym : Many of the stations in my market shut down their weather radar channel because of this requirement. Only one of my local stations operates a weather channel and they started it up not long before the Jan 1, 2007 deadline for this children's programming requirement. It's still running today too.... |
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Fox McCloud
Crazy like a fox.
join:2006-07-23
·Embarq
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| said by Hall :said by ke4pym : Many of the stations in my market shut down their weather radar channel because of this requirement. Only one of my local stations operates a weather channel and they started it up not long before the Jan 1, 2007 deadline for this children's programming requirement. It's still running today too.... I'll second that; I'm really glad they did too; while it's definitely not an exciting channel, I find it far more beneficial to watch and listen to that THE Weather Channel, but that's just me.
Either way, I really like my HD offering off of my antenna; all but one of my regular channels broadcasts in HD at some time during the week. |
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JimF
join:2003-06-15
Allentown, PA
1 edit | reply to cwh
But if it were worth it to run the children's programming before the requirement in order to earn the advertising revenue, they would have done it. The children's programming requirement can only reduce their incentive to run the sub-channel. |
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TACSPEED
Premium
join:2001-04-14
Tacoma, WA
·Advanced Stream
| reply to ke4pym
I don't see where you come up with 20 hours per month. The FCC web site says 3 hours per week of core programing. Is the web site wrong?
»www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/childtv.html
In my area, no one has pulled the plug on local weather channel or the channel dedicated to a camera directed on the local airport.
--
Fiber Optics is the future of high-speed internet access. Stop by the BBR Fiber Optic Forum. |
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Time4aNAP
Premium
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL
| reply to en102
Re: Compression
IIRC, ATSC uses MPEG2 compression, and DirecTV uses MPEG4. Cable can vary with the provider. IME MPEG2 gives a better picture than MPEG4. On paper, MPEG4 seems capable of providing a better overall picture. However in practice it seems to be used mostly to conserve bandwidth. |
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morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000
clubs: | reply to JimF
Re: heh
now why would they do that? seriously. the FCC wouldn't do it willy nilly. does it screw over cableco's somehow and benefit telcos? |
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robertfl
Premium
join:2005-10-10
Mary Esther, FL
·Cox VOIP
1 edit | If I were to encounter a programme with E/I on it, it should be commercial free. Why the FCC is allowing commercials to be put in kid's programmes is beyond me.
What a way to get kids today introduced to "ads"
(skip)
(There misleading anyway)
Rob |
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ricep5
Premium
join:2000-08-07
Jacksonville, FL
·AT&T Southeast
·AT&T CallVantage
·VoicePulse
·Comcast Formerly ..
| reply to Fox McCloud
said by Fox McCloud :said by Hall :said by ke4pym : Many of the stations in my market shut down their weather radar channel because of this requirement. Only one of my local stations operates a weather channel and they started it up not long before the Jan 1, 2007 deadline for this children's programming requirement. It's still running today too.... I'll second that; I'm really glad they did too; while it's definitely not an exciting channel, I find it far more beneficial to watch and listen to that THE Weather Channel, but that's just me. Either way, I really like my HD offering off of my antenna; all but one of my regular channels broadcasts in HD at some time during the week. The Weather Channel has become a wasteland of enhanced weather "specials", most hosted by mr. superlative Jim Cantore. They were better when they stuck to just weather reporting and analysis instead of trying to make it a soap. |
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wvcaver
Premium
join:2005-04-17
Millersburg, OH | i used to watch them all the time!
now i would rather get my weather off of the internet! |
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Fox McCloud
Crazy like a fox.
join:2006-07-23 | reply to ricep5
yep; I completely agree; heck, I can remember when they didn't even have a weather man, or anyone talking on the channel; it was just a 24/7 radar view with elevator music. |
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Time4aNAP
Premium
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL | reply to ricep5
Re: The Weather Channel
Ironically, TWC's weather.com website is as good as TWC on cable is bad. |
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