New station coming in March

[Mags]

Hoo Ray!  It sounds like CBS-58 will be airing the HD game ALL the time, along with the subchannel games.

That has been my biggest gripe about them in the past - I'd much rather watch one game in HD and skip the subchannels.  The bit rate was so low on the subchannels that you couldn't really see the games anyway.

I had no use for the subchannels - if you really wanted to see all the games, there was a way to do so - watch D* and get the package (which is really the way to go - as ALL the games are in HD, with the exception of our local market game on CBS - 58 - and that was the rub.  D* would not broadcast the local game in HD since CBDS58 had the rights.  But CBS58 wouldn't do HD either - so there was no way to see the game in HD, due to CBS58 decision not to broadcast HD.

But it sounds like they will this year!  So, we finally have true consumer choice in the market (instead of our local channel limiting what we had available).  Now with the D* package, and CBS58 committment to air the local game in HD ALL THE TIME - it is now possible to see EVERY NCAA game in HD this year!

I do worry whenever a station talks about "compression" - that is a term that should only apply to cable and satellite due to their limited bandwidth - NEVER an OTA station, where bandwidth is not an issue.

Now if stations decide to multi-cast, and do compression on HD channels - THAT is a BAD, BAD thing.  If they have enough bandwidth to air the HD broadcast in it's full glory AND multi-cast, then I say go ahead and do so.

We'll see how the games look on CBS58 this year - but I'm stoked that it appears they finally committed to showing the local game in HD ALL THE TIME THIS YEAR.

Way to go CBS58 - it's been a long time in coming!

[vegasvic]

...Channel 58 will pre-empt both of its sub-channels during CBS' multicast of NCAA basketball tournament games next month, when it will carry one main game in high-definition and two secondary games in standard definition on the sub-channels...

SD, not HD on the sub channels.

[SRW1000]

Some new info from Timmy C.

From Tim Cuprisin's article:

HDTV enthusiasts don't like the idea since sub-channels take up bandwidth and could affect the quality of the high-definition images on the main channel.

Channel 58 general manager Jim Hall says that's a technical limitation that's being worked on.

"We're going to be putting in new encoding equipment that can handle the compression and the variable bit rates for all the channels," he says.

The technical upgrade may not be ready when Me-TV launches on March 1, but it should fix things soon afterward.

Call me sceptical, buy I'm not buying this.

Sure, a robust system may be more efficient at allocating bits to the different sub-channels, but there only so much headroom to work with.  When there's fast action on all the channels, something's got to give.

Now, if they announced they're switching to MPEG4 I'd understand.  Although I don't think there are any OTA boxes that can decode it, which is a whole different problem.

Scott

[Doug Mohr]

From Tim Cuprisin's article:Call me sceptical, buy I'm not buying this.

Sure, a robust system may be more efficient at allocating bits to the different sub-channels, but there only so much headroom to work with.  When there's fast action on all the channels, something's got to give.

Now, if they announced they're switching to MPEG4 I'd understand.  Although I don't think there are any OTA boxes that can decode it, which is a whole different problem.

Scott

I agree 100% There is only so much room for data. I think about 9% of the bandwidth is used for error corection (FEC, I think :huh?: ).

Full screen pans during scene changes that seem to be used on all the shows I watch allows for very little compression, so something has to give. Granted black & white 480i can be compressed quite a lot, but I don't think that will be enough to keep the already poor quality of 58.1 and just make it a little worse.

I just hope that soon mpeg-4 decoders will start to trickle into our market so that when the stations do start to do mpeg-4 encoding that we will be ready. But if left up to our government, that could be 2030 before that happens

Doug

[Sparkman87]

Weigel is doing the same thing on Chicago.  People have questioned it on AVS & here is the response from one of their engineers:

WMEU will be on analog 48 and 26.3. The current programming on WFBT will move to 26.6. Don't fret on us adding subchannels. We're changing to VBR with a state of the art bandwidth management system and the latest encoders.

I'd bet they plan on the same system for Milwaukee.  I love it that ch 58 has all of March Madness, I can pick up their digital signal well here in Il.  

Also, sitcoms online.com had a article about the new channel yesterday:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2008/02/strike-update-me-tv-coming-to-milwaukee.html

[klwillis45]

I just hope that soon mpeg-4 decoders will start to trickle into our market so that when the stations do start to do mpeg-4 encoding that we will be ready. But if left up to our government, that could be 2030 before that happens

Doug

And in 2031 MPEG-8 will be born.

[Doug Mohr]

And in 2031 MPEG-8 will be born.

And we will quickly adopt it for 2067 :eek:

[Jack 1000]

ME TV's website is here: http://www.metvchicago.com/whatson/schedule.aspx


Here is ME TV's current schedule: (Adobe PDF Format.)

http://www.metvchicago.com/pdf/Winter-2007-2008-METV556AA.pdf

WOW!!!!  Remember what TV Land USED to be?  Well this is it!

If the new ME-2 station gets picked up here in Milwaukee, that would be awesome!

Now what would really be cool is if they would show uncut shows!  Back in 1996, when TV Land first launched, they did that for about a year.  The only commercials were Retromercials.  Than in the fall of 1997, the went to a conventional commercial station.  For about the last 3 years, they have SUCKED!  (Too much non-classic, modern based programing.)

Jack

[troyriley]

I think it's important that everyone remembers that WMLW's digital signal is very low power on channel 13. As you head southwest, you also start to get co-channel interference from analog channel 13 out of Rockford. It doesn't reach to the entire Milwaukee area like channel 58's digital signal does. I can understand the point that it does take away bandwidth from 58.1, but broadcasting the subchannels on 58.2 and 58.3 is the only way those of us a little further out can receive WMLW and (soon) MeTV.

I applaud channel 58's decision to have the subchannels to make sure all of us have the opportunity to view these channels.

[SRW1000]

I think it's important that everyone remembers that WMLW's digital signal is very low power on channel 13. As you head southwest, you also start to get co-channel interference from analog channel 13 out of Rockford. It doesn't reach to the entire Milwaukee area like channel 58's digital signal does. I can understand the point that it does take away bandwidth from 58.1, but broadcasting the subchannels on 58.2 and 58.3 is the only way those of us a little further out can receive WMLW and (soon) MeTV.

I applaud channel 58's decision to have the subchannels to make sure all of us have the opportunity to view these channels.

Ideally, 41.1 and 41.2 would become high power stations.

I'm also on the fringe area, and as intriguing as the MeTV programming is, I'd rather have 58 be dedicated to HD, and the others remain at low power.  Sorry, but I'll pick quality over quantity.

Now, suspending multicasting during HD programming hours would be a reasonable compromise.

Scott

[John L]

I think it's important that everyone remembers that WMLW's digital signal is very low power on channel 13. As you head southwest, you also start to get co-channel interference from analog channel 13 out of Rockford. It doesn't reach to the entire Milwaukee area like channel 58's digital signal does. I can understand the point that it does take away bandwidth from 58.1, but broadcasting the subchannels on 58.2 and 58.3 is the only way those of us a little further out can receive WMLW and (soon) MeTV.

I applaud channel 58's decision to have the subchannels to make sure all of us have the opportunity to view these channels.

Maybe next year WMLW Low Power DT transmitter MIGHT have a chance to increase power once ch. 13 Rockford goes off the air next year at this time.

-John L.

[PaulKTF]

I wonder if they wanted WJJA so they could move METV to it at some point?

[John L]

ME TV's website is here: http://www.metvchicago.com/whatson/schedule.aspx


Here is ME TV's current schedule: (Adobe PDF Format.)

http://www.metvchicago.com/pdf/Winter-2007-2008-METV556AA.pdf

WOW!!!!  Remember what TV Land USED to be?  Well this is it!

If the new ME-2 station gets picked up here in Milwaukee, that would be awesome!

Now what would really be cool is if they would show uncut shows!  Back in 1996, when TV Land first launched, they did that for about a year.  The only commercials were Retromercials.  Than in the fall of 1997, the went to a conventional commercial station.  For about the last 3 years, they have SUCKED!  (Too much non-classic, modern based programing.)

Jack

Who is to say the ME-TV won't do the same later on?  I have gathered that airing old TV shows doesn't draw the audiences that newer shows bring.  I for one wouldn't mind seeing reruns of Burns & Allen, and those would be NEW to me even though  they are in Black & White. Surely my Grandma may have seen Burns & Allen originally and watched the reruns several times till she got sick of  them, but for me they would be new to me.

Yeah I was impressed with TV Land when it first started, but now I haven't for the last few years because they took off a lot of the old shows.

I just hope ME-TV doesn't do that a few years down the road.  I hope they show "Dennis the Menace" shows starring Jay North and that guy who played Lucy's boss on Here's Lucy.

-John L.

[John L]

I wonder if they wanted WJJA so they could move METV to it at some point?

That would be awesome, since Home shopping is gone. ME-TV on 49.1 and ME2-TV on 49.2  or 49-1 and 49-2 whatever how your digital TV displays channel numbers.

-John L.

[Doug Mohr]

...I'd rather have 58 be dedicated to HD, and the others remain at low power.  Sorry, but I'll pick quality over quantity....

I agree. If I wanted over-compressed HD content, I'd subscribe to cable or satellite. I choose OTA for pure bandwidth, not sub-channels.

It is almost to the point now where it is better to just download the transport stream the next day from another part of the country to get some quality HD. Sort of defeats the purpose of having local affiliates, doesn't it?

Too bad you can't have competing affiliates in the same city. I can see the billboards now. "Milwaukee's newest CBS station, HD-29. Pure HD, no sub channels." :guitar:

Doug